Page 188 of Game of Destiny
‘You had a banana in your pocket for me?’ she asked. I had to chuckle because I’m five years old at heart and it sounded way too dirty in my mind. She rolled her eyes, clearly understanding why I was chuckling.
‘I have a couple more if you need and two apples,’ I told her and kissed her cheek. On stage, they were ready to start and my focus shifted. A long table had been set up, and the council sat on one side of it, facing us. The head of the council was in the middle, and he stood up.
“We will hear Alpha Lars first. He will have until lunch to present his case and present the evidence, if any. For fairness sake we will adjourn the case until tomorrow morning to let Alpha Ryder prepare his defence and bring it before us. Then we will decide how much time we need to make the decision,” thehead of the council said. I would have hoped it would be over before the end of the day. The longer it dragged out, the more time Ryder posed a threat to Amie.
‘It will be fine,’ she mindlinked me as she was eating her banana. ‘It’s two days. We will manage two days.’ I nodded as I watched Alpha Lars standing up and walking to the podium which had been placed to the side on the stage.
“Thank you, council,” Alpha Lars said as he stood in front of us. “The request I lay before you today is not something I take lightly. It has taken me months to decide this is the right thing to do. In the end I, as an Alpha, can't turn a blind eye to what is happening in our society. No pack residing on this continent can have missed what is going on. For those who come from other parts of the world I can only say we have a pack who is treating its members with so little respect and dignity most of them have felt it necessary to flee. It has been my pack’s absolute privilege to host five of those families. It’s because of those families I stand here today. They are good wolves, honest, hardworking and loyal. What their pack, their Alpha, has put them through, I have no words to describe.” Alpha Lars made a pause to let the words sink in. “Our tradition is for each pack to govern themselves. But in cases like these, we need to step away from traditions and do what is right for the members of the pack. I’m not going to stand here and tell the council what has been happening within the Ocean Shore pack. I’m not qualified to do so, but I have five of its members standing by via video link who can give first hand testimony,” he said. There was a murmur among the Alphas. There was silence for a while as the council mindlinked amongst themselves.
“We will agree to this,” the head of the council agreed. There was another pause as video conference equipment was being set up. When done, Alpha Lars connected to the call and a man in his mid thirties was seen on the screen.
“Welcome, Steve. Thank you for agreeing to tell your story to the Alphas and the council today,” Alpha Lars said. “Could you start with introducing yourself?”
“Yes, Alpha Lars. My name is Steve Miller. I am a member of the Ocean Shore pack, as my family has been as far back as we can remember. I was a warrior in the pack up until five months ago,” Steve told everyone. I knew him, he was a good warrior and I had hoped he would have come with me when we left the pack. His loyalty had been too firmly rooted.
“Thank you. Can you tell us why you are no longer a warrior in your pack?” Alpha Lars asked.
“Me and my mate made the decision to leave the pack,” Steve told us.
“And why was that, if you had a good role in the pack, why leave?” the head of the council asked.
“The situation in the pack was getting too dangerous for me and my family. Me and my mate have a pup, a five-year-old girl. She is the most precious thing to us and she is also the last pup born in the Ocean Shore pack,” he told us. I was stunned by the information. We had never thought about asking, but if it was true the last pup to be born in my brother’s pack was five years ago, it explained why Ryder was getting desperate. If no new members could be recruited from other packs and no new pups were being born, his pack was slowly dying. “My mate and I have been spared from the worst of what is happening in the pack. But the thought of our daughter needing to go through with forced matings is not something I can accept.”
“Can you please describe what new rules have been enforced in the Ocean Shore pack which made you decide to leave?” Alpha Lars asked.
“All mated couples are to report to the top tier how often they have sex and they have to track the woman’s reproductive cycle. All birth control are forbidden. All non-mated females above theage of fifteen need to track their reproductive cycle and report it to the top tier. When she is at the height of being fertile, she have to accept to sleep with a male chosen by the top tier. This man can be any male in the pack below the age of sixty. Only exception is if he has a mate who is pregnant or has been given birth in a six-month period. Otherwise, all males have to comply and take part in the breeding program. All forms of homosexuality are forbidden.” The room was silent after Steve stopped talking. I felt the anger course through me even if I had heard it before from families staying in our pack and from the meeting we had with our allies. Their rules were cruel and didn’t consider the sanctity of the mate bond. It went against the moon goddess herself. Just the thought of being forced to be with someone who wasn’t Amie had my wolf stirring. After Steve had given his testimony, we got to hear from two women and a man. One of the women told us how she had been forced into sleeping with a man as she hadn’t found her mate yet, but she was nineteen, so she should do her part for the pack. The other woman testified about the questioning she had to endure because she and her mate hadn’t become pregnant despite being mated for three years. The threats they had made to forcefully separate her from her mate and place them with other people to see if that would help. The man testified about being forced to sleep with a woman despite having a mate. How guilty it had made him feel, how it had impacted the relationship with his mate and how he still had a hard time forgiving himself. When it was all over, I had my arm around Amie as if I could shield her from the ugliness of it all. Amie had tears running down her face. She wasn’t alone. Most of the lunas present were crying and even some alphas had tears in their eyes.
“Do you have any further evidence?” the head of the council asked Alpha Lars.
“No. I rest my case,” he told them. Council nodded as one.
“We will break for lunch. After lunch, Alpha Jonas will present his case in front of the alphas,” the head of the council said.
I made sure we picked a table for lunch as far away from my brother as we could get in the restaurant. We were joined by James and Elder. For once I appreciated the company of the other Alpha as I was sure he would help me protect Amie. She was sitting next to me, poking at her salmon.
“You should try to eat it and not just pick at it,” I told her. She looked up at me with sad eyes which tore at my heart.
“I don’t really have an appetite at the moment,” she said. I understood why, but it didn’t make me less worried.
“Would you like to lie down for a bit?” I asked. She shook her head.
“No, it’s fine. I’ll feel better in a while.” Both James and Elder looked worried. I decided there was only one thing to do. I lifted her onto my lap and let her curl up and rest her head on my shoulder. I could feel her relax and when I was sure she felt better, I handed her the plate she had abandoned. To my relief, she ate most of it. Elder smiled and nodded approvingly. Just to be on the safe side, I buttered two bread rolls, put them into a napkin and then into my pockets. Amie saw what I was doing and giggled.
“I think we need to get you a purse,” she said. James and Elder laughed.
“My pockets will do just fine,” I told her. We finished eating and then headed back to the meeting room and took our places.
‘I’m very proud of you for not killing your brother, or even trying to,’ Amie mindlinked me and gave me a kiss on the cheek. It was a surprise to me as well. Both me and my wolf focused on Amie and our pup. It was more important they were safe than me getting to kill my brother. Even though it was a close second. The head of the council asked Alpha Jonas to take the stage and he walked up and stood facing us.
“Fellow Alphas, we have spent the morning listening to testimonies from former members of the Ocean Shore pack. I wish I could say they were the only ones with those kinds of stories. But I can tell you the wolves seeking shelter in my pack tell the same stories, bear the same wounds. That is why I stand here before you today. Our packs are different, what works for mine will not work for a pack on the other side of the world. This has always been our way. We let each pack govern themselves as long as they don’t put others in danger or expose us to humans. One thing we all have in common is the promises we, as Alphas and Lunas, make our packs. We vow to protect the pack, to make sure the pack thrives and in return the pack gives us the power to lead them and their submission,” Alpha Jonas started. There were agreeing murmurs in the crowd.
‘He is good at this,’ Amie mindlinked me. I agreed with her. He knew how to draw in his audience.
“Alpha Ryder has broken the promises an Alpha gives their pack. In his pack only a select few are safe and respected. The rest of his pack lives in fear. He even goes against the moon goddess herself, as he has no regard for the sacred mate bond. We, as alphas, can’t sit idly by. I, for one, refuse to be grouped with him. I therefore ask that we vote, as alphas, if we are willing to let Alpha Ryder keep his title or not,” Alpha Jonas ended his speech. Silence followed when he stopped speaking and then a buzzing as Alphas, Lunas and Betas all began to talk to each other. A moment later the head of the council stood up and the room fell silent without him asking.
“Thank you, Alpha Jonas. Alpha Ryder, you will have a chance to defend yourself tomorrow. For now, let’s break for today. There are still a couple of hours until dinner, but I think we all could use some rest and time to think about what we have heard today. We will reconvene at nine o’clock in the morning,” he told everyone. I was grateful for the early ending of the day.
“Would it be okay if we sit with you during dinner?” Alpha James asked as we got up from our seats.
