“Oh, Mom, you’ve been wonderful and amazing. Believe me. It’s just that…now that I’ve got my own baby on the way, I wish I knew more about who I am. I want to be able to tell my baby about its biological grandparents and the kind of people they were.”Mom nodded and gave me a small smile. “Don’t worry, Bryn, I’m not taking any offense. I understand where you’re coming from. I don’t have answers for you; the heavens only know how badly I wish I did have them. But, honey, I’m committed to helping you in whatever way I can.”I smiled, relieved that I hadn’t hurt her feelings and she would help me. “Thanks, Mom. I love you so much.”“I love you, too, sweetheart. But I want to add one thing.”“Yes?”“You don’t need to know your biological parents to be a good mother. You have plenty of experience watching pups, and you’re a very patient and nurturing young woman. You’re going to be a great mother. I know it.”“I hope that’s true, but I can’t seem to stop doubting myself.” I forced a laugh,
“Thank you for coming,” I said, my voice resonating over the crowd. “It’s been too long since I’ve been home. I was injured and helping my mate settle into her role as alpha, but I should never have left you all for so long. I apologize for that, but I know apologies aren’t enough, so I’m here to reconnect with all of you and listen to what you need from me.”My announcement was met with silent stares until a voice spoke up.“Is Bryn all right?” Mabel asked. “And Tavi and Violet?” Mabel was an older woman who loved working in the mess hall. She and Bryn had really built a connection when Bryn first arrived in my territory.Dozens of Wargs nodded. They, too, wanted to make sure Bryn was all right. I smiled. It was a relief to know that my pack cared about my mate’s well-being.“Yes, they’re all doing great,” I said. “Bryn is settling into her alpha role well. As soon as we’re able, she’ll come round to see everyone.”“Well, it’s nice to hear someone’s doing their duty for their pack.”
I directed another group to grab some spare wood and supplies so we could get all hands on deck. Beer and food were served, and time passed in friendly productivity. Before I knew it, it was time to speak to the council.I reached out to them telepathically.“We’ve been expecting you, Alpha,” Wayne replied. “Meet us at my cabin, please. The five of us have already gathered.”It seemed I wasn’t the only one who wanted to get the meeting over with.Wayne’s cabin was farther inside the compound, a few yards from the library, where I was repairing one of the reading benches. In Wayne’s sixty years of life, he’d had six pups. Because of that, he lived in one of the larger cabins that were impossible to miss.I walked up to the door and knocked before stepping inside. They were expecting me, so there was no need to wait for an invitation.I found the council members sitting at the varnished wood table in Wayne’s living room. They stood as I entered. Jasmine Howler, the second-oldest in her
“We expected as much,” Jasmine said. “She couldn’t exactly do nothing after Troy’s escape. But from what we’ve heard of your Bryn, she seems a soft-hearted sort.”“Did she send out a party to arrest him or kill him?” Wayne asked.“Arrest him,” I answered.At Wayne’s sigh, annoyance flared in my chest, and my wolf began to growl. Wayne’s children and I had grown up together. Frankie was his youngest, and she was two years younger than me. Wayne’s position on the council and my closeness in age to his kids made him think he could speak to me like he spoke to them.I leveled my gaze at him. As alpha, I was irked by Wayne’s attitude toward Bryn. But because he was on the council, he had more leeway than others in the pack. His authority wasn’t something I could easily usurp, but I didn’t want to do that, anyway. After all, he was an asset on the council as he had the most experience and was among the oldest pack members. Given all the struggles that we Wargs had endured through the years,
“Well, they won’t be welcome unless they assimilate completely,” he said. “They’ll have to abandon their pride as Kings and take on new identities as Wargs. If they don’t want to do that, they can leave or be killed. Likely, it will be the latter.”“But your experience with the Kings is now decades-old,” I protested. “I have seen this pack with fresh eyes, and after spending time with them, they’ve shown me that they are capable of accepting change. Of course, there will be Kings who hate the merger and abandon the larger pack, but there’s real potential for them to—”Jasmine let out a harsh laugh. “Potential, Night? Potential for what? For the Kings to accept living with a pack they have always viewed as lesser? Not a chance.”My wolf growled at her disrespect. I bit back the retort my wolf and I desperately wanted to make, forcing my voice to remain calm. “I’m saying that a violent takeover won’t be necessary. If we want to end decades and decades of hate between our pack and the Ki
“Report to me the moment you’ve found something,” I said. “Don’t make a move until I give the word.”“Yes, Alpha.”“Good. Get going.”With their orders given, they shifted and sprinted into the forest. As their quick footsteps faded, I pinched the bridge of my nose. I had nothing pressing to do now. My mind was free to return to uncomfortable territory: the council and their thirst for blood. I had to figure out what to do about them.As old and as esteemed as they were, the council had a lot of sway within the pack. As the alpha, I had a ton of sway myself, but if we were publicly in opposition, it would cause a huge rift among the Wargs—those who were most loyal to me and those who were most loyal to the council would be in direct conflict with each other. From what I remembered of wolf history, conflicts like those ended poorly for everyone, and those who survived the turmoil either tried to rebuild or were forced to join other packs.It was a shitstorm waiting to happen, and I cou
Tavi was waiting for me outside the council meeting room. She was wearing her usual oversized shirt and leggings. I’d sent a telepathic message to her to meet me there and was glad to see her. She gave me a half smile, which I returned. I wouldn’t have Night by my side, but at least I wouldn’t face the council alone.We headed inside together. Colby, Ross, Dana, Edward, and Grant were already seated. They rose as Tavi and I entered, but Dana took the longest to get to her feet. I knew it was because she didn’t like or respect me, but whatever; her pettiness wasn’t worth picking a fight.“Thank you for meeting with us today, Alpha Hunter,” Ross said. His salt-and-pepper hair normally fell down his back, but he’d tied it back in a low bun. Long strands of hair were in their usual place over the scar on the left side of his face. “We wanted to talk to you about the alpha challenge.”I nodded as Tavi and I took seats across from them. “I wanted to talk about that, too. I’m unclear about w
“That’s good to know,” I said. We’d have to monitor the response that the Camas Pack and other packs in the area had to the merger, though I imagined the Camas would remain peaceful. We just need to make sure we find Troy in time, I thought. He’s still the big question mark in this situation.“As for resources and housing,” Tavi said, “we would need to consider moving families into Warg territory and having Warg families move into King territory. Once the pack has recovered from Troy’s attack, I imagine we’ll be able to take a better look at what space is available for new families to move in.”The meeting ended shortly after that. It took everything in me not to smile too hard as Tavi and I said our goodbyes. It was such a relief to know that although the majority of the council wasn’t completely on board with our plans, they wouldn’t stand in our way. In the wake of such good news, the sickness that had left me bathroom-bound for so long that morning was a distant memory“This is fa