Page 93 of The Wolf Slayer

Blake grabbed the orange juice and plates, before walking over to her. She gratefully took it from him as he sat next to her.

“Alpha Loren didn’t accept his defeat and Father had to take matters into his own hands. Father regrets his death and has offered the Skadu families to join our pack.” Seth was trying to hide his discontent, but Blake knew Seth’s true feelings toward their father’s decision.

Niev looked confused and quickly swallowed her food to be able to ask a question, “Why can’t they stay with their pack?”

This time Blake answered her because he saw it as his responsibility to explain and expand her knowledge of werewolves. “If an alpha dies without a suitable heir, the pack falls apart without his leadership. We need someone to follow to be able to function as a pack.”

“Did he not have a son?”

“No, unfortunately, he didn’t. Because of the lack of communication we had with them we’d only hoped he had one. The Skadu Pack was a very secretive pack, and no one was able to tell us much about them, not even other packs.”

“Will they join us?”

A shiver ran down Blake’s spine. She’d referred to his pack as her pack. The lack of time they’d spent together was showing. He hadn’t yet internalized that his mate was part of his pack now.

Seth’s muscles tensed up slightly as he answered. “Very few have agreed to stay with us.”

“You don’t like it very much?”

Before Seth could express his opinion, their father entered the room and sat down on the armchair opposite of the couch. “Seth, like many of my pack, doesn’t agree with my decision.” He didn’t seem angry, rather concerned.

Niev turned her head toward Seth. “Why?” She didn’t seem accusing. She genuinely wanted to hear Seth’s opinion and reasons.

Seth hesitated and looked toward their father. He gave him a nod signaling Seth to talk openly. “They attacked us. They hurt our pack and even took some of our lives.”

Niev cringed at his words. Until then, she hadn’t heard about the casualties, and she seemed deeply hurt by the lives lost.

“They are our enemies and now they are supposed to become our friends and part of our family. It isn’t right.”

Niev seemed to think about his words as she took a few more bites of her sandwich. Blake agreed with Seth, but he hadn’t openly said anything. It wasn’t his right and he still wanted to be far away from these kinds of decisions. This was something Seth and his father had to overcome, his father as present alpha and Seth as the future alpha of the pack and any of the Skadu Wolves that wanted to join.

Niev looked up from her plate and fixed her focus on his father. “Why did you offer them to join us?”

Her question and her interest in the conflict showed her lack of knowledge of werewolf politics yet again. Conflicts were to be solved by the ones involved, especially if it was a conflict between an alpha and his heir. If other parties interfered, those conflicts could evolve in something bigger. He took her empty plate and sat it aside before laying his arm around her and pulling her closer.

“Let’s not get into this right now.”

Niev turned her attention back to Blake and he could see her confusion.

“It’s not our problem to solve, nor our burden to know the details. All that is important is that Father has made that offer and that some Skadu Wolves will join our pack.”

She looked from Seth to his father, then down at her feet. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interfere. Of course it is something that is between you two and I shouldn’t bother you with my questions.”

“I don’t believe you wanted to interfere at all. It seemed to me as if you wanted to understand both sides to this conflict.” His father’s tone was gentle.

Considering Niev’s upbringing, Blake had always assumed his father was very forgiving toward her because of it–no matter how straight forward she voiced her opinion. Blake assumed his father acted differently toward her because she had no idea of the rules a pack followed.

Niev wiggled her way out of his arms and stood up. “I’m still tired and need a little more rest. I should be fully rested by tomorrow and will start helping wherever you need me.” She leaned forward, gave Blake a quick kiss and walked toward the door. Before she left the room she turned around to Seth and his father. “I hope you two overcome your differences.”

Blake listened to her footsteps as she walked up the stairs and climbed into bed. “It’s my fault that she doesn’t know how things are done. She doesn’t mean harm, she just doesn’t know better.”

The expression on his father’s face was unreadable. “I believe even if you try to explain everything to her, she’ll still have trouble understanding some of our ways.”

“She will learn, Father. I’ll teach her.”

“I have no doubt you will, but a lot of our behaviors are deeply embedded into our DNA. It’s not the lack of your teaching or her lack of knowledge about us, rather we do a lot of intuitive things. She speaks her mind and wants to know why certain things are happening because that is how humans are brought up. They question everything instead of trusting their leader.”

“I’m sorry.”

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