Page 103 of It's You
Jack walked to the Gathering Hall with Julien, Delphine, and Lela, who held his hand. He felt very bad for her. While Tallis had moved on from her broken binding swiftly, Lela was grieving the loss of her father. Jack could feel the heaviness of her heart as she walked beside him.
“He’s not suffering anymore,” he offered, speaking quietly and squeezing her hand.
“Oh, I know,” said Lela. “It’s just…he was unhappy. He was so unhappy.”
Jack nodded.
“And he was all I had,” she continued in a small voice. “I have no one to love me now.”
“That’s not true,” countered Jack, stopping their walk and looking into his sister’s eyes. “Ilove you.”
Her eyes widened, and her face, which had been so sad a moment before, brightened perceptibly. “You mean it?”
“Of course,” he said. “And so does Julien. Delphine is crazy about you.”
Her eyes clouded over, and her shoulders suddenly deflated as she sighed loudly, turning away from him.
“Will you at least stay for a while, Jacques?” she asked hopefully.
Jack thought of Darcy’s cold, frightened eyes, the boat rowing away. Although he wouldn’t be able to stay away forever, no matter how much he wished he could, he also wasn’t in any rush to return to Carlisle.
“Yeah, Lela,” he said, chucking her gently under the chin. “I’ll stay awhile.”
She smiled at him, lacing her fingers through his.
They entered the Gathering Hall and looked for the area reserved for their pack. It was getting pretty full, but Julien and Delphine had reserved seats for them in one of the higher rows.
As they crossed the central floor, passing by the council table, Lela turned to Jack, stopping him, placing her hands on his chest. Her eyes searched his. Her voice was breathy and anxious.
“You love me, Jacques? You really love me?”
Jack furrowed his brows. “Of course I do.”
She held his eyes and nodded, that happy brightness softening her features again, then she turned and took his hand, pulling him toward the steps of the bleachers.
“So let it be known.There will be no more hunting on the road between Tadoussac and Saguenay. Too many accidents there. We’re drawing attention to ourselves.
“One kill perPleine Luneshift. I don’t care if you want more. You and your bound mate get one, so make it last, and don’t hunt in the same place more than twice a year. Stretch your legs. Go for a run. The kill zone needs to be wide and deep so that we don’t draw attention.
“Camping season is upon us. It is unwise to hunt populated campgrounds where tourists have cameras on their person at all times. We don’t need any media attention shifting to the Bloodlands. Be stealthy. Be clever. Ample food will be available, so use judgment when selecting your prey.
“And as we repeat every year, the Métis in Mistissini and Chibougamou are strictly off-limits. We respect the old order. We don’t hunt other half-breeds. They pretend not to see us, and we leave them alone!”
Tombeur scanned the crowd as he read the minutes from the meeting toward the middle of the afternoon. Some of the packs in the Northwest heckled him, and his eyes burned yellow in their direction.
“You don’t like it? The council will help you see the value in following the rules.”
The Council Enforcers stationed around the enormous lodge moved over to stand in front of the bleachers where the hecklers quickly quieted down.
The crowd hushed.
Jack recognized many of the older members of the CE. He himself had been a Council Enforcer for years as part of his contract with Tombeur, and hunting down rogue Rougs was nothing new to Jack. Keeping order was imperative. Without it, the Roux-ga-roux would have exposed themselves and become extinct long ago.
Even as his tenure on the CE had been necessary, some of Jack’s work on its behalf had been chilling. He closed his eyes. He preferred not to think about it. The skills he’d learned there had allowed him to contract work as security for the humans. It had taught him a marketable skill that led to a profitable career and gave him unrestricted access to learn how to live among them.
“Now, our Senior Council Elder,Le Premier Loup, Marcus Saint Germain, will read the names of the fallen.”
Jack sighed and stood up with everyone else. It had already been a long day. New business was always first and had taken up much of the morning, followed by the rules and regulations review, which Tombeur had just finished. Then the fallen. Then the bindings.
