Page 108 of The Alpha Dire Wolf
“You said you wanted to go back to the heart of the forest. To find out why this Chained was afraid of me.”
“I did, yes.”
Her eyes narrowed to slits. “You meantwewere going. Didn’t you? You want to take me there?”
“It has to be stopped,” I said bluntly. “I think you’re the key. I don’t know how, but it wants you dead for a reason. I think, Ihope, that reason is because you can finally kill it.”
“You suck,” she said, shaking her head. “You really suck. Lying, not being human, volunteering me to go somewhere your entire pack won’t go. Basically, you volunteered me for certain death.”
“I will keep you safe,” I growled.
She scoffed, dismissing my promise as inconsequential amid her anger. “And how can I believe that? You haven’t been telling me the truth about anything so far. How do I know you aren’t just using me for this?”
More heavy knocking. This time longer.
“Answer the door,” she said, dismissing me.
That hurt. The immediate disengagement from me, like I didn’t matter. That was a knife to the gut I didn’t enjoy. I never wanted to feel that again.
I will set things right with her. No matter what. Going forward, I tell her everything.
She needed time to come accept her new reality, however, and in the meantime …
I pulled open the door, finding exactly who I thought I would.
“Elder Jackson, Elder Germander,” I growled unpleasantly at the two members of the shuffleboard senate as I was now given to think of them.
I didn’t bother to acknowledge the trio of “junior” members standing behind them. They were inconsequential. The two standing up front wielded most of the power.
“We have talked,” Elder Jackson said, already twisting his beard before he spoke. That was not a good sign.
“So?” I wasn’t in the mood for any pleasantries.
“Lincoln,” Elder Germander reprimanded. I just glared at him.
“We cannot endorse this crazy idea of yours,” Elder Jackson said, continuing as if the byplay had not occurred.
I wasn’t shocked. Of course they wouldn’t. It was the scariest thing possible to them. Provoking the Chained? That was a terrifying prospect, because it risked their hoary old backsides if it went wrong.
Cowards. All of them.
“My plan is notcrazy,” I growled, further incensed by their accusation. “What’s crazy is sitting around like bystanders while our sworn enemy tries its best to break free of a prisonourancestors put it in!”
The elders exchanged glances, shifting their weight uneasily. I knew why. My cabin was located near the center of the den with plenty of foot traffic in the area. Their presence alone would have garnered some discreet listeners. Me raising my voice would only add to that.
“We cannot run from this fight. It is coming to us, whether you like it or not,gentlemen,” I said, dripping sarcasm like acid. “Your cowardice will be remembered for generations if you refuse to acknowledge it. This I swear.”
Elder Jackson hissed, his eyes bugging out under the wrinkled skin surrounding them. “Be very, very careful who you accuse of being a coward, boy. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I laughed in his face. “You’re scared. All of you. It’s right there on your faces for anyone to see if they actually look. I can smell it on your skin. Youreekof fear. You’re terrified of doing anything. Why? Because you might not be able to live out the last few daysof your lives in peace? Well, guesswhat, Milton, neither could those who laid down their lives to keep this evil in check. They are rolling in their graves right now, ashamed of who you have become and what you’re trying to do tomypack. You should be ashamed too. I know I’m plenty disappointed to call any of you members of this pack.”
“Enough,” Elder Jackson snapped, furious at being addressed by his first name, a massive insult in his worldview. “You will adjust your tone or—”
“Orwhat?” I challenged, stepping forward so fast the elders were forced to scramble backward lest I bowl them over.
Doing so let me see that more than a handful of people had already gathered just out of sight, listening to the argument and waiting to make judgment.
“What are you going to do?” I barked. “Are you going to stir up rebellion? In the face of the enemy, you would try to fracture us? That is grounds enough for a challenge.”
