Page 97 of Empowering the Wolf's Heart

The Reds were runners. The creatures they brought back determined their ranks. If the critter or person was well cared for, they would rise.

Ranks were called Blades. With this new system, she gave the Reds something to do while also providing them a way to gain rank—without the killing.

No one could take away the overwhelming guilt when your hands were coated in the blood of both the innocent and the guilty, but saving people helped ease the burden of what had been done.

Yet, even with extra assistance, it was too much. Alia was the focal point of the entire system. She wrote down theneedsof those in the woods and where to find them, then she evaluated them before they went to the proper people in the Matriarch’s Tent. It helped having people to send the individuals to. Doc had quite the contacts. He sent over twenty nurses and many of the healers he’d trained to assist with the injured. Many of those were older people who my pack had tossed out. Strange how the pack thought they would be stronger without them.

Even with that, Alia was the crux of everything, and it was wearing on her. Especially those she couldn’t save.

She was running herself into the dust, and the needs just kept coming. Many found their own way here. Some were put down by Reds before the she-wolf came out to play, and the entire community of Reds became acutely aware of how dangerous a protective Alia could become.

I watched as the people once more gravitated toward her on what was quickly becoming known as Meet Day. It was the last three days of the week when Alia would meet with her people face to face to hear their problems. And she would meet their needs, if she was able.

She paused in the middle of speaking with a shop owner who was demanding a dragon scale since his business was failing.

Alia reminded him of the debt he’d incurred due to gambling. He had went on a yelling spree that had lasted much longer than I would have allowed, but that was Alia’s call.

The shop owner used this to step into Alia’s space. I stepped forward and grabbed him by the nape and jerked him back. He took a sloppy swing at me, and I casually grabbed his throat.

“Leave or die,” I growled into his ear, being careful to keep my fingers from snapping his neck. Poor humans. They were easier to snap than twigs.

I stepped back and dropped him, allowing Lycus to show in the hint of my eyes.

He fell to the ground, crab-walking backward and screaming about dangerous beasts. Enforcer Markus was right behind Alia with a hand on his blade. He gave me a nod. We both knew he was prepared to deal with the man if I had not. We both also knew I would allow no other to care for Alia while I was around.

Alia took no heed of her surroundings as she put a hand over her heart, hiding a wince.

Her eyes cleared and she took off. The crowd parted for her. She ran with Markus and me on her heel. People stopped to stare, but then Alia darted down a side alley which was nearly hidden by two shops whose keepers stared with wide eyes as we bypassed the main thoroughfare of the market. She took turns with an unerring sense of direction, leading us to the woods near the western end of the city.

Markus gave a low whistle when we saw what had drawn Alia.

A massive sphinx was clacking her beak at ten Reds who had her surrounded. She sported four arrows in her wings and chest. They were attached to stakes in the ground. Her humanlike eyes were filled with pain and desperation over a beak-like nose. She had the body of a lion with the wings of an eagle. She was massive, nearly rivaling Ran in size. Her tail slapped at her flanks.

“Stand down!” Alia screamed, her voice sent with a massive wave of power which even Lycus wished to bow before.

The Reds stepped back, and that was when I saw two other smaller bundles of fur and feathers separated from the massive sphinx by a ring of Reds. Two baby sphinxes clacked their sharp beaks in warning at the surrounding Reds. One sphinx stepped in front of the other and spread his wings to protect the smaller one of the two. They were about the size of dogs.

A Red glared at us with a sneer on his face. The Red stared at Alia with a tiny smile as he stepped forward and drove his blade through the side of the little one protecting his sibling. The baby sphinx released a massive screech which the mother rebounded tenfold, struggling against her hold.

He should not have done that.

Alia released a war cry that would make a werewolf proud. She sprinted the last ten feet, moving with lithe grace.

The Red’s eyes narrowed as he turned to meet her. Her blade crashed into his. She stabbed his arm with her other dagger, and when he dropped his blade, she stabbed him through the neck. His eyes widened. He gurgled with surprise, fear, and betrayal stark in his eyes.

Alia had tears in her eyes as she retracted her blade.

“We no longer harm innocent creatures.” Her voice echoed amongst the trees. She turned with hardened eyes and blood splattered on her chin. “I am a forgiving matriarch, but I amdoneforgiving those who harm innocents who are coming to us for help. Donotharm those who do not harm you first.”

The snarl in her voice caused the surrounding Reds to drop to a knee.

“You’re drooling,” Markus said dryly.

I closed my mouth. He chuckled. I bit back a growl.

Alia pointed at a Red and told her to get Doc. Alia eased over to the little sphinx who was lying on the ground, his tiny whimpers hurting even my cold heart.

I stepped over.

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