Page 58 of Fighting Furry

CHAPTER NINE

Since the meeting was being held in the barn, I'd expected the place to be packed, but there were only ten people there, two of them Axel and Clarissa.

Axel smiled when I walked in, that same happy-to-see-you smile that simultaneously made me want to leap into his arms and run screaming. I took a seat at a farmhouse-style table four seats away from him and next to Clarissa. It was the only available seat left, it's not like I was purposely avoiding sitting near him.

“Welcome, Julie, this is our pack senate,” Axel said. “We make decisions for the pack and discuss problems. You are not an elected member, but you are the starburst. You may offer input, but you may not vote.” Axel's formal tone stung a bit, but I smiled and waved hello to everyone.

Axel had everyone introduce themselves and tell me their roles in the pack. There was Paulie, the peacemaker who looked like an ad for protein powder, Rodney, the hospitality chair, Lisa, the party planner, Richelle, the treasurer, Lloyd, the business coordinator, Gayle, the recreation director, and Horace, the events coordinator. It seemed more like the staff for a country club. Clearly emphasis was placed on having a good time and getting along. Not that there was anything wrong with that, but who would step in when real problems arose?

I knew better than to ask that question. I kept my mouth shut and listened. At the moment, I was gathering information, coming up with a plan. It wasn't too different from the way I watched fight tapes and studied my opponents, finding their weaknesses and making a plan of attack. It wasn't too different from how Shelly and I had survived on the streets, by studying people, identifying the dangerous ones and the ones who might be willing to help.

I listened to them chat about upcoming events and parties, about how to keep Esther from killing herself diving off waterfalls, about new food options at the diner, and about who was fighting with whom within the pack and what was being done to prevent violence. They even discussed the dates for the next pack runs. I listened to them talk about all that stuff, becoming more and more amazed, until I just couldn't take it anymore. “What about the Aspens Whiten pack?” I asked. “What are we doing about that?” I'd left the spirit stick with Lucinda. I wanted to give it to Axel when we were alone, because I was pretty sure he'd be less than thrilled about me sneaking into Alpha's house to get it.

Axel's frown couldn't be more severe unless he surgically lowered it to his chest. “The council is handling that.”

What? The? Hell? Hadn't he asked me to this meeting specifically to discuss the threat of the Aspens Whiten pack? “Maybe we should have a back-up plan?” I asked, my eyes wide in mock innocence. I was pushing him, but I was pissed. “You know, just in case the council doesn't actually give a shit about us?”

Axel's whole body tensed, but Clarissa nodded slightly.

“That's what I've been saying boss,” Paulie said.

The rest of the group had gone preternaturally still like they were anticipating violence and were preparing to run. It was clear who the more dominant members of the group were.

“We aren't fighting them,” Axel said. “So, there's no discussion.”

“I'm not suggesting we mobilize and attack them in their dens,” I said. “I'm suggesting we have a plan. A defense system in place in the event that they attack us.”

Axel got to his feet. “Everyone out.”

Everyone left as fast as their legs could carry them. Everyone except me, Clarissa, and Paulie. Axel waited until the door had closed behind the others and then he glared at Clarissa and Paulie. “I said everyone.”

Both Clarissa and Paulie paled and grimaced like they were in pain, but they didn't leave their seats. “You need to tell her,” Clarissa said, at the same time Paulie said, “Chick's right, we need to discuss this.”

Axel glared at me, like this was all my fault.

“Fuck you,” I said, thoroughly pissed. “You invited me to this meeting because you said we were going to talk about the Aspens Whiten pack. You can't get pissed at me for bringing it up.”

“He's not pissed at you,” Clarissa said. “He's fucking terrified.”

“Lissa,” Axel said, his voice all rough, angry growl that made me think about sex even though I was furious at him. “Shut the fuck up.”

Clarissa bowed her head and sucked in a deep breath. When she lifted her head, it was like she was fighting something, every muscle straining to open her mouth against that alpha command.

“This about Darius calling this morning?” Paulie asked.

Axel spun his glare to Paulie. “How the fuck do you know about that?”

Paulie shrugged, but his face was tense, his body ready for action, even though he leaned back in his seat like he was at ease. “Raphael was in the gym when you got the call, man. You know he can't keep a secret to save his life.”

Axel rolled his shoulders like he was trying to calm down. I'd never seen him so angry. I'd never seen him angry period. And I didn't like it. I should have been afraid of him. I'd always hated anger in men because it reminded me of my father's anger. But I wasn't afraid of Axel. I knew how gentle he could be. I knew he would never hurt me. Okay, fine, a part of me was scared and wanted to run away, but the bigger part of me, the part of me that knew I wasn't that helpless little girl anymore, knew I had to stay. For the first time in my life, I trusted the man I was sleeping with implicitly.

I got to my feet and walked over to Axel. His glare intensified, but the closer I got to him, the more clearly I could see that Clarissa was right. Axel wasn't angry, he was scared of something. I sat on Axel's lap and I wrapped my arms around his neck.

He froze for just a moment, but then his arms came up around me, one hand at the nape of my neck, and he squeezed me so hard I had to struggle to breathe. I didn't move out of his embrace or ask him to release me, I just took careful breaths and let him hold on. After several long moments, I felt his body relax, felt some of the tension drain out of him.

He moved his hands to my waist, picked me up and put me on the chair next to him. He held my hand, his fingers entwined with mine. He looked over my shoulder at Clarissa, but I didn't turn to look at her, I watched his face. I didn't want to look away from his face. I'd missed him. I'd just plain missed his face in the hours since I'd left his side. I was in way too deep and I knew I should look for a way out, but I didn't want to.

Finally, Axel met my eyes again. “Darius called today. A photographer followed us here. They got pictures of you and me together, of the town.”

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