Page 92 of Empowering the Wolf's Heart

Alia

The restof the questions weren’t so easy to soothe as the first. Many came with problems that rose from being unable to continue their trade—some made figurines out of werewolf bone, which made Shen growl—and some were just unhappy about having to allow werewolves and dragons and unicorns in their streets.

And others, I had no answers for. One questioned why we had hunted magic at all. I didn’t know. I needed to ask Grandma, but I was avoiding the Matriarch’s Palace like the plague infested its halls. Who knew, maybe that was closer to the truth than I realized.

Another asked if Reds were being disbanded since there was no place for them, but I told him they were to protect instead of hunt. He asked if that still meant killing, and again, I had no answer.

For rogues who were beyond saving, yes. But others? It would likely depend on the extent of their crimes, though I wasn’t entirely sure we were the ones to be judge and executioner any longer.

I wasn’t sure if we were even going tobeassassins anymore. We would still hunt rogues and unicorns who went after humans. There were still dangerous magical creatures who needed to be killed and humans who still needed to be rescued. But what about the citizens of the cities? Did we have any right to end their existence because we deemed them dangerous?

After, I ventured beyond the city and into the woods, finding my log and my safe place. The gentle shush of the little stream through the center of the clearing brought a sense of peace. In the very center, my other sister’s willow tree spread its boughs, providing a home for tiny fairies and birds alike. This was where I came to remember her and clear my head. And it was where I had met with Shen before Graham turned me in.

Everything had changed since that fateful night.

The overwhelm was growing. Nothing had prepared me for facing the problems of a people displaced and lied to for hundreds of years. I was tired. Burdened by all that had happened and all that I had to do.

I felt eyes on me. Enforcer Markus was in the woods, giving me some semblance of privacy. I gritted my teeth but bore it, knowing my safety was not about me anymore, but about the tribe. If I died, the matriarchy would return to Grandma.

That would erase everything we’d worked so hard for.

“May I sit?” I glanced back to see Enforcer Markus had exited the woods to come within ten feet of where I sat.

I furrowed my brows then jerked my chin in a tiny nod. He sat a good few feet from me, resting his bow against his leg. His eyes never left the woods. In a way, it was nice to have someone near.

Enforcer Markus said nothing, he just sat, keeping watch over the wildflowers growing in the small basin of my special place.

I slowly relaxed. It was weird having him watch me from the shadows of the trees. This felt more like friends sitting in the woods.

“What do you think about the changes I’ve implemented?” I asked at last, picking apart a leaf before reaching for another, letting the small pieces flutter from my hands.

He glanced over at me, his eyes a deep green that nearly matched the trees swaying overhead. His black and silver hair was pulled back in a braided queue. There was an old scar on his nose that made it seem like lightning tried to cut his nose in half. “Do you wish me to make you feel better or give honesty?” he asked at last.

A chuckle bubbled from my lips. “Honesty, please.”

A tiny smirk crossed his lips before he looked away. “Felt you’d ask for such. It’sdifferent.”

I scrunched up my nose. “And?” I prodded.

“Patience, madame,” he said, a tiny smile reaching his eyes even if it didn’t pass his lips. “You are what this tribe needs, if not entirely going about it the proper way.”

I leaned forward. “Can you tell me more?”

He sighed, leaning his elbow against the inside of his knee, his eyes still watching but also seeming not to see the swaying of the trees or the flutter of fairy wings darting between the flowers and grasses.

“You handle everything with grace and compassion, but should you give too much, the others will become jealous and there will be a power struggle to see who can get the most from you,” he said at last.

I nodded. “You’re speaking of Master Helm?”

“I am.”

“Do you know of a better way?”

He sighed, his eyes coming to rest on my face. “Yours is the duty of leadership, madame. It is not so simple as a better way, but perhaps adifferentway. What you did was an excellent introduction to your rule. They understand now that you will be much different from your grandmother. But you must not be seen as a bleeding heart, or the vultures will come to peck to see what they may make bleed.”

That was the most words I had ever heard Enforcer Markus speak. “Thank you,” I said, staring at the willow without seeing it.

He bowed and then we sat in companionable silence until I was ready to return.

---