Page 48 of The Alpha Dire Wolf
Watching Noel’s face close down as he thought it over, I turned my attention away from him. Noel was head of a group ofwolves who felt that I shouldn’t be alpha of the pack. Apparently defeating Noel in the final trial wasn’t proof enough for him or those who supported him.
“They attacked one of the humans,” I said, looking out over my assembled pack. To a one, they looked surprised. “And I know this because I was there, and I stopped it.”
I let my appearance do the talking for a moment, showcasing my lack of fear, my willingness to put my life on the line to stop the Chained. As we all should do.
The Elder Council were about ready to explode. Big buggy eyes and puffed cheeks spoke of many emotions bubbling to the surface. If I gave one of them the chance to speak overlong, they would spend forever and a day questioning me and then another eternity chastising me.
“Who were you with?” Elder Jackson spoke up, twisting his long, scraggly white beard unhappily.
“Things are intensifying!” I shouted, speaking over him. “They have been getting worse for years. But in the past week, they have begun to spiral out of control. Out ofourcontrol. Because we aren’t doing anything about it. So I am making it clear, here and now, that we as a pack are done sitting around. We will spread the word to our friends and allies. To those who help us guard the forest and keep the humans safe. Everyone must know and be on alert.”
The elders were ready to blow a gasket. To my surprise, though, Noel didn’t immediately object alongside them. He sat calmly, waiting, unwilling to fight me on this new shift in clan policy.
Probably thinks I’m doing him a favor and dropping a noose over my own neck. Why push me, when I’ll hang myself just fine on my own.
“All patrols are to be doubled in size,” I continued, glancing at a wolf in the front row.
Gerratt Christiane nodded. The big, beefy wolf with mutton chops and a mop of curly black hair on his head looked the part of someone who enjoyed a good fight, but hiding behind that rough and tumble exterior was an excellent brain for pack tactics and planning.
“Nobody will leave the pack lands alone. Always in pairs or more. Children will be escorted at all times, no going anywhere alone.” I noticed the muted looks of unhappiness over the added work, but I knew none of them would argue. The precautions were sensible. No, what I was about to say would set them off. “I’m also putting forth the call for volunteers.”
“Volunteers for what?” Elder Germander asked as I finally let them get a word in.
I steeled myself. “To go to the heartlands,” I said as calmly as I could. “The Chained is up to something. We’re going to cross the river in force, see just what’s going on, and figure out if we can stop it before it gets too far.”
The amphitheater exploded with noise as everyone began shouting at once.
“Crossing the river is forbidden!” Elder Jackson shouted, his voice the loudest. “It’s too dangerous!”
“We must know what is going on,” I countered. “The last time the Chained started acting up, we as a pack lost. It nearly killed us all. I will not lose a single member of this pack because we stood around, too afraid to act. I will not!”
The shouts continued after that—some in support but many against. I tried not to feel disgust at what the elders had done to the pack over the years, before and after I had ascended toalpha. They had their tendrils spread far and wide, whispering into many ears to make others see their viewpoints.
“Silence!” Elder Jackson shouted now over the commotion. “Silence!”
The crowd slowly calmed, many of them taking their seats or flopping onto their sides, shouts and howls dying away.
“We will commune with the forest,” Elder Jackson continued, tugging on the fringes of his beard. “We shall see what it says and whether it approves of this plan.”
I held my tongue, despite the withering retort longing to be let out. Cutting the elders out of this meeting entirely was not possible. They held too much sway and commanded too much respect from the rest of the pack.
“Communing with the forest” was a load of bullshit, though.
The forest was alive in its own way, yes. It lived and breathed, and even, I would argue, had a soul, a pulse attuned to the world that humans could not hear. What it was not, however, was sentient. It did not communicate with us. This was simply an excuse for the elders to say my plan was faulty and to try to stop it.
I wasn’t about to let that happen. I was done letting them make the rest ofmypack run scared.
“If you are willing to volunteer, please seek me or Gerratt out and notify us,” I said, not giving anyone else a chance to speak. “When I know anything more about the situation, I will let you all know. Thank you for coming, and I’m sorry that I did not come before you with better news.”
The meeting ended, and people began to rise and leave.
For their part, the elders stayed put, looking at me expectantly as though waiting for me to walk over to them and discuss my plans with them. As if then and only then wouldthe “real” plan be developed, with their input and guidance, of course.
Which is precisely why I didn’t move or even look at them. If they didn’t like what I, the alpha, was doing, they could come to me and discuss it. I did not answer to them, even if openly defying them wasn’t something I was quite ready to do.
Eventually, even those who knew there would be an argument between me and the elders left, growing tired of waiting. Even some of the elders decided it wasn’t worth it and shuffled their way out. I still didn’t move.
At the front of their little group, Elder Jackson finally bared his teeth and caved, walking over to where I stood. I still stared out at the raised levels of the meeting grounds, pretending he didn’t exist until he came to a stop and opened his mouth to speak.
