Page 28 of Game of Destiny
“Amie, we asked you to be the advisor so you would advise us. How was it done in your old pack?” Finlay asked in his usual calm voice.
“We held training a couple of times a year for all pack members between certain ages. You know the games test on not just strength and brute force. There are elements of cunning and strategical thinking. Speed and agility. They all matter. I’m not saying the warriors can’t be good at all of that. But you don’t need to be a warrior to be strategic or cunning. So we tested everyone that would be of a suitable age during the games. When we found the ones with the best skills, we trained them,” I explained.
“But all the participants have to join in all challenges,” Finlay said. I nodded.
“But then, let's say Medow is the most cunning wolf in our pack. And forgive me for this baby, but she isn’t the fastest or strongest wolf. How is she going to keep up during the more physical challenges?” Sam asked. Then he peppered Medow’s hand and neck with kisses.
“It’s okay, honey. I know my limitations,” Medow giggled.
“I guess it’s a numbers game,” I said. “What we know is that each challenge holds a maximum of ten points during the games. There are ten challenges, so the top score is one hundredpoints. No one knows the score until all challenges are done,” I continued, and everyone nodded. “So let’s say that we send physically strong warriors, some with okay abilities in the more mental challenges. There are two, or three challenges that focus on physical strength, as many that focus on mental and the rest is a combination. We will do well on the physical parts, and average on the combination parts, but below average on the mental parts.”
“Sure. But if we send wolves with strong mental abilities but poor physical skills, won’t the numbers tilt?” Martin asked.
“They will, if we don’t train everyone. But let me ask you; do you think it’s harder to train someone’s ability to be strategic and cunning or someone’s ability to run fast?” I asked them. There was a moment of silence when the others looked like fishes on land. Then Finlay laughed, and the others followed.
“That’s why it’s important that we identify them as early as possible,” he said. I nodded.
“Give Sam five years and he will have the most lazy wolf in shape,” I said.
“Fuck yeah!” Sam exclaimed, and Medow rolled her eyes and then she laughed and kissed her mate.
“I guess we need to hold training for the pack to see what talents we have,” Finlay said, and a smirk appeared on his face. “I knew you would be worth the effort it took to recruit you,” he told me.
“Oh please. I barely put up a fight,” I objected.
Chapter 13
Elder
My mother had mindlinked me the moment the mail had arrived, and I didn’t hesitate as I excused myself from the meeting and headed straight home.
“Elder, in here,” my mother called out as I stepped through the door. As if I didn’t know they would be in the kitchen. It had become a tradition when Amie sent one of her rare postcards that it was placed on the kitchen table, written side down, until the receiver could read it. My birthday was tomorrow, so we all knew the letter was addressed to me. I hurried inside and gave my mother a quick kiss on the cheek.
“We haven’t read it,” my father told me. He didn’t need to say it, I knew they hadn’t. But I nodded all the same as I looked down on the postcard. The front side was covered in scenic pictures from somewhere in Canada. I picked it up and flipped it around.
Hi.
I hope you are all doing well. Happy birthday, big brother,got any grey hairs yet? I’m thinking of you, all of you. Give my best to mom and dad. I’m fine, I’m happy and enjoying life. So stop worrying. I love you all.
Hugs and Kisses
Armeria
I read it out loud. We all stood in silence for a moment, looking at the familiar handwriting. I missed my baby sister to the point that it hurt. But this was the first time she had said she was happy. She always said she was fine, or doing well. But never happy.
“She’s happy,” my mother said. Her voice carried both sadness and happiness.
“It eases my heart to see those words,” my father said. I just nodded. I handed the card to my mother. She was the keeper of the album where we kept all the postcards Amie had sent us. I gave her a hug and then hugged my father as well.
“I need to go back to the meeting. I’ll be home for dinner,” I said. They both nodded. I knew they would spend the rest of the day talking about my sister. When we first discovered she had run away, both me and my father were intent on going after her. Alpha Mark had come over to offer his and the pack’s help when he heard what had happened. My father had hit him hard enough to knock the alpha down in one swing. My mother had stepped in and declared that no one was to go after her. Amie had chosen the path she thought was best for her, and we needed to respect it. My father was never punished for his blow to the Alpha. But the relationship between them hadn’t been the same since. I knew my father still resented his friend on some level for pushing Amie away by his actions. And Alpha Mark had the pride of any Alpha. The fact that his Beta had taken him down in one blow left him with a bruised ego. I suspected thingswould have gone back to normal if my mother and the Luna had stepped in and poured oil on the waves. But my mother didn’t step in. Instead, she distanced herself from the Alpha family. She still performed her duties as the Beta female, but nothing more. The entire pack felt the new dynamic between the Alpha and Beta family. The Gamma family tried to move in and act as a bridge between our families, but the wound was too deep. Finally, last year Alpha Mark had stepped down as alpha and handed the pack over to James hoping to improve the mood in the pack. James asked me to be his Beta, and for a moment, I entertained the idea of refusing. But both my mother and father encouraged me to accept and in the end I saw it was for the best. When I walked into the pack house, James came walking to me.
“The meeting is over,” he told me. I nodded.
“Did the rest go okay?” I asked.
“It did. What was so urgent that you needed to leave?” I looked at him, hesitating if I should tell him. He still insisted that rejecting Amie was the best for him and the pack. But I also knew his wolf didn’t agree. He had been riding James hard these four years that they should find their mate and bring her home. James, of course, refused to pay attention to his wolf. Thinking he knew better. Despite his insistence he had got over Amie, that he no longer felt a pull toward her, he hadn’t taken a chosen mate. It wasn’t like he was low on options. Most wolves would take the opportunity to become a pack Luna. And I knew Cindy, the former Gamma’s daughter, had made sure to end up in James’ bed on more than one occasion. But James still hadn’t chosen a permanent partner. He could say what he wanted. I knew it was because he, and his wolf, still wanted their mate.
“My mother told me I had a card from Amie waiting for me,” I said.
