Page 47 of Spirit Walker Pack
“Your conference call is due shortly. I’ll get some refreshments sent from Flick before it begins. If you think of anything during the call, don’t hesitate to contact me, and I’ll get it organized. I think it best to have as few as possible hearing any snippets of information while you’re busy.” Kissing Lyle lightly on the lips, she stands before me, waiting for a hug, I think. “Don’t keep me waiting, Flint. Physical contact is a huge step for me, so you should take it while you can.”
Jumping to my feet, I hug her gently and am surprised by how much effort she puts into the hug.
“I don’t do anything by halves, as you’ll soon find out as you get to know me. Now, I’ll leave you to your preparations.” Leaving the room, her absence is noticeable. The room seems to take a breath and calm as soon as the door shuts.
“She is a force of nature, isn’t she?” Lyle says as he grins at the closed door.
“As in a hurricane or typhoon, yes. She strikes me as a caring person beneath that explosive exterior. I’m happy for the two of you. I think you’ll be a calming influence, but I doubt that she will ever be passive in your daily lives.” I laugh at the thought of Fenya keeping Lyle on his toes.
“In all fairness, Flint, I wouldn’t want her any other way. It may be a wild ride at times, but it will never be boring.”
Lyle takes a folder from one of his desk drawers and slides it across to me. Opening it, I see what at first glance appears to be a blueprint. There’s also a map, but I don’t recognize the region it covers. Looking back at the blueprint, I think I’ve made the connection. “Is this what I think it is?” I ask as I see the significance of what I hold in my hands.
“If you think the map is of no-man’s-land, then I think it’s safe to say yes. It is what you think it is. If we use that to our advantage, we could save a lot of lives on both sides.” Lyle grins at me, but not like he grinned at the door. This is far more predatory and menacing than that grin.
“How did you get this? I mean, well done, and I don’t honestly care how you got it, but this could change everything.” I look at the blueprint and for the first time, notice figures in the top corner of the page.
“It all started with an idea from Bronze. We’ve been working on it in secret to minimize the risk of our actions being discovered. Only Bronze and I know all the pieces of the puzzle. Anyone seeing that folder can only guess what they think it relates to. I’ll let Bronze choose how much to share during the call, but ultimately that could win the war in just a few days and hopefully save hundreds of lives. It could put Arric out of business before he truly knows what’s hit him.”
Sitting back in my chair, I place the folder back on the desk and slide it back to Lyle. “I don’t wish to sound bloodthirsty or even vengeful, but in a perfect scenario there would be no Arric once this war is over.” Tilting my head to one side, I wait for Lyle’s thoughts.
“I don’t believe that will be a problem. He has too many enemies to be able to just walk off the battlefield. The mysterious Number Seven may yet do that job for us. You never know. If Arric looks like losing, he won’t want to be implicated in all of this, I wouldn’t imagine.” Lyle is onboard with my thoughts from this comment.
“Number Seven, yes. Do we know any more about him? Anything new? I don’t like secretive assassins running loose any more than I do Arric. I like a place for everything and everything in its place, and so far Number Seven is neither of those things.” Leaning forward again just emphasizes my uneasy feelings about that shifter, and I wait to see what Lyle can tell me.
“I’ll start the conference call, and then I can fill you in on some thoughts that Hunter threw into the mix regarding Number Seven.”
Getting the call up and running, we flash through the pleasantries and get down to business. Bronze and Lyle have the most to say, as they have been the ones acting secretly on information that Bronze received, and discussed with Lyle after the Alpha meeting. They agreed to keep it to themselves until the last possible moment in case Arric had any backup spy network.
When Number Seven pops up again, Lyle tells us about the theory that Hunter had to explain the all-black eyes. He must have been the only one who didn’t know the story of the early Shadow Clan that became Shadow Warriors. No one had madethe connection to our modern-day Number Seven, but all were happy to accept it.
Discussing the map and blueprints brought forth an unhappy Falan, who persuaded us that including him in their secretive plan could yield good results. Falan had news that Arric was collecting his forces and that the Spirit Walker pack was to be the target of his first major offensive. For our plan to work, we needed him to concentrate on the Blood Pearl pack as his first battlefront.
So with that we ended our call, happy in the knowledge that we had a plan to share with the other packs, or at least part to share, and part to be revealed at a more critical point.
Chapter 25
FENYA
So far, so good. That’s all I can say. I haven’t been tested in the role of Luna yet, but I’m sure it will happen sooner or later. I haven’t got used to all the pack showing their respect every time I see someone either. I suppose that I’m still a bit of a novelty to them, and it will die down after a while. Well, I hope it does. I have a meeting scheduled with Sloane this morning, perhaps I’ll ask her about it.
The boys had their conference call yesterday, and it seems to have gone well. The boys? I didn’t realize I saw them as that. I’d better not blurt that out at the wrong moment! I’m sure a group of Alphas won’t appreciate being called ‘the boys’. Lyle and Bronze are keeping something close to their chests. I have an inkling of what it could be, and what it may involve, but I’m not asking Lyle directly. He’ll share when he’s ready or wants my opinion. He’s good in that way.
A knock on the door announces Sloane’s early arrival, so I call out, “Come in.” As the door swings open, I continue, “Do you think the…” Only it isn’t Sloane that walks through the door. It’s a female warrior called Jade.
“I’m sorry to bother you, Luna Fenya, but I was wondering if I could make an appointment to see you?”
“Well, Jade, isn’t it? I’m fairly certain, Jade, that your last Luna would not expect anyone to have to book appointments to see her, and I’m definitely not going down that road. Come in and let’s see what I can do for you.” I beckon to a chair in front of my desk and then decide to sit on that side of the desk, too. No barriers would be a good start to what looks like being a delicate conversation. She looks extremely nervous, and I find it hard to believe I am the sole cause of it.
Taking the chair opposite me, she sits and clasps her hands on her lap. Her actions do not sit well with me, I have to say. I don’t know everyone’s details as yet, but it would be impossible not to have heard about Jade and her friend Lavender. I have heard so many tales that I don’t know what to believe. Having seen Jade in the training area once, she strikes me as being almost as straightforward as myself. The demure-looking female before me does not ring true to my impression of her.
“So…who have you murdered and where would you like the body buried?” I ask in my most serious voice, and tip my head to one side as I wait for her to laugh.
“What? Oh no! I haven’t killed anyone. Truly, I haven’t, Luna Fenya!” Her look of horror tells me that my sense of humor has backfired badly on me.
“In that case, we have nothing to worry about. It can’t be as serious as you seem to believe if no one has died, now can it?” Smiling, I pat her knee lightly.
“You just took five years off my human life, and Amazon, my wolf, thinks you are just hilarious.” Jade slumps back in her seat, and I see her visibly relax.
