Page 44 of Fighting For The Pack

“You seem quiet.”

“I’ve just got some shit on my mind, Night. I’m fine.”

Clearly, he wasn’t fine at all. Whatever was weighing down his thoughts must have been pretty serious, but it was obvious that he didn’t want to talk about it. I wouldn’t push him to tell me, unless it interfered with his work. And if it came to that, then it must be life or death shit.

For the time being, I tried to ignore my curiosity. We made it to Wargs pack lands in just a few hours, and on the way, I called ahead for everyone to gather in a pack-wide assembly.

Now that I’d claimed Bryn, my strength had returned several times over. I was able to reach the minds of my closest wolves even a few miles away from the pack lands. It was a noticeable boost to my power, and I wasn’t sure if this was because I’d finally claimed my soulmate or if it was because Bryn was a descendant of the pack mothers or if this was all just in my head. Whatever the case was, I wouldn’t complain about this burst of power.

Once we reached Wargs territory, we shifted and put on clothes before meeting everyone else at the training grounds. Hundreds of Wargs chatted amongst themselves as Dom and I leapt onto the Elders’ roof. We used to have a podium, but we didn’t often have pack-wide assemblies, so the wood used to make the podium was repurposed for other projects. The next best thing was just to stand on top of the Elders’ cabin, It provided a nice view over those gathered, and the pack could easily gather around it to see me.

“Everyone,” I said, “I have a couple of important announcements.”

My pack quieted, until only the occasional fussing of the youngest pups was heard.

“There have been some major developments. First, we found Bryn and Octavia, and both of them are safe.”

I paused as applause and cheers of relief spread across the crowd. It warmed me to see how much my pack cared for my mate and my sister. I wished Bryn could have been here to see it herself; I could imagine her blushing and smiling from the pack’s excitement.

“Second, Troy is no longer Alpha of the Kings. Bryn defeated him during the challenge ceremony.”

Surprised gasps sounded through the crowd, but these gasps were nothing like the derisive, hissing words that the Kings lobbed Bryn’s way.

“What does that mean, Alpha?” one of the onlookers asked. “Is Bryn the Alpha for the Kings now?”

“Temporarily. Until the Elders can come up with a new method of determining the official Alpha.”

More gasps and more questions, but there were too many voices speaking at once to answer them easily. I didn’t ask for their silence; I’d expected this reaction from them. As far as they’d known, I was supposed to assume control of the Kings pack. Only my most trusted wolves were aware of how weak I’d been leading up to the challenge, and only Jasper and Dom had seen what had happened in the ring between Troy and Bryn.

It was better to let them get their initial reactions out before taking control of the crowd again.

Eventually, my pack quieted and a few among them began to ask questions on behalf of the group.

“What happens next for the Kings and the Wargs?”

“I’m not sure,” I said. “I’m planning on meeting with the Kings Elders and their council to determine next steps. I imagine there will be another challenge ceremony, but I’m not sure if there will be extra rules or limitations on the wolves who can participate. If I can, I will absolutely toss my hat into the ring.”

“Why aren’t you the one who defeated Troy?” This question contained some level of bitterness, of doubt. “Why aren’t you the Alpha of the Kings now?”

Though I was prepared for such a question, it still stung a bit. “Redwolf kidnapped Bryn after she and I had mated but before I could claim her. The challenge he proposed was one that would assure his own victory. In my weakened state, it took longer for me to kill him, and during the fight, I had to give my team enough time to locate Bryn and Octavia.”

Another speaker shouted, “You promised us more land, a better life, and so far you haven’t delivered in the decade you’ve been our Alpha!”

That question was met with another wolf who snapped, “Shut your mouth! You should have stepped up to the plate if you think you could do better. Where were you when Night took over the pack on his own as a teenager?”

The responder silenced the person who’d spoken up, but not the next person, who shouted, “We don’t have half of the wealth that the Kings enjoy, and we don’t have a river, either! When are you going to deliver on what you swore you’d give us?”

There were more voices in support of me, but there were also murmured agreements and nods from the few who agreed with that critique. This stung even more than the question about why I wasn’t yet Alpha of the Kings. I hadn’t realized how deep my pack’s dissatisfaction went. It made me wonder if they’d always felt this way and I just hadn’t been aware, or if hearing that the plans had changed again made them justifiably angry.

I’d left too many of my pack wanting, and now I was paying the price. They had waited for me to make my move, but the opportunity had passed by twice with no results. I was walking in a gray area, and I wished I had a definitive timeline for them, but until I learned what the Kings’ Elders had in mind for the ceremony, I wouldn’t.

I waited, listening to the complaints that I could hear, and then raised my hands, bringing them all to silence. “It’s still my goal to bring us a better life,” I assured them. “We are closer than we ever have been to taking over the Kings and combining the packs. We just need to see this through. Then the Kootenai will be ours, and that hoarded wealth will be shared.

“I know that it isn’t easy to wait,” I told them. “I know that our conflicts with the Kings stretch further back than any of us have been alive, and I know that we’ve been waiting that long for our fair share of the land. That same dissatisfaction encouraged me to take control of this pack, and I promised to dedicate my life to seeing our betterment as a pack. That is still what I aim to accomplish.

“For now, until the Kings’ Elders come up with a solution to the temporary Alpha issue, I don’t have a concrete answer or timeline for the exact moment that I will have control of the Kings. But I can promise you that the time is soon. And I want you all to know that I am fighting for us all. You all are my priority.”

There was a pause, and then a short round of applause. I still sensed some dissatisfaction, but that was unavoidable. But at least I’d reestablished my priorities to them, and I’d reminded them of the victory that was right on the horizon. I would rather them be informed and dissatisfied than uninformed and blissfully ignorant. I wouldn’t lie to my pack or sugarcoat the truth for them. That wasn’t the way I wanted to run things.

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