The Rules

J U L I A N

Calix hopped off his Harith, his frustration bubbling over. “Can you believe this crap?” he exclaimed. I totally got why my younger brother was so worked up, but his dramatic flair was starting to wear on me.

“It’s a directive from the Council of Wolves. Honestly, I’m surprised you even showed up,” River replied, arms crossed over his broad chest. His deep voice carried the same irritation I was feeling.

While Calix looked like he was ready for a magazine cover, all polished and perfect, River had that rugged vibe that screamed danger. He was decked out in worn jeans with ripped knees, a dark tee splattered with red paint, and a flannel shirt that had definitely seen better days. His tough boots and scruffy beard from his recent getaway just added to that raw masculinity we both inherited.

There were already a few dozen wolves milling around, all Alphas in their own right. More were expected to show up. The Wolfen rules were no joke—punishments could be severe, including banishment and other painful consequences.

“I wonder why Mom didn’t give us a heads-up,” I said, trying to keep it light. I was in my usual business suit and dark shades, looking just as out of place as River. But I had a solid reason for my attire—I was the CEO of a billion-dollar company, keeping a lot of wolves employed and entertained.

Cambridge was your typical small town, full of colorful characters running their own shops. Ours was the biggest, a thriving sports car manufacturing business. The headache I felt kicked in the moment I read the email from the Wolfen communication system. I kept my shades on to hide it. I really wasn’t a fan of the old traditions; they felt outdated and unnecessary.

“Maybe they just wanted to catch us off guard,” River chuckled.

“Maybe we’re going to start the ancient games again,” Calix chortled as he paced the terrain in front of the makeshift stage that had already been put together. The eight chairs suggested all the council members would be in attendance.

That meant something was wrong or our lives were about to change. I didn’t like either concept. I was far too busy to worry about pack politics.

“Oh, do you remember the old jousting event?” River asked.

I tilted my head in his direction, not surprised he was grinning from ear to ear. He was a rough and tumble guy, his vacationtaken to build a new garage on his house himself. I could only imagine the luxuries he’d put into it.

“You mean the spearing method of death,” Calix snarled. “I hated that shit. We’re too old to play games proving our wealth. And too human.”

“Aw, you’re just pissed because you never won an event.” River was forced to step back as Calix lunged for his throat.

“Stop it,” I hissed. “Let’s just hear what they have to say.” There hadn’t been a mandated meeting in at least twenty-five years if my memory served me. Maybe longer. Maybe it was just protocol, but I didn’t like the fact the council members had arrived from every corner of the world.

“What if we’re forced back into the old ways? Are you going to vote for the change?” Calix always knew how to get under my skin. He should be happy the Wolfen had shifted into becoming a democracy instead of running the organization like Stalin or Napoleon. I’d been alive long enough to see some shit go down in the packs.

Calix had too, although he refused to associate himself with members of the pack. His continued push back at the rules could be considered criminal activity within our ranks. He wasn’t above the law.

All three of us noticed several limousines pulling up along the road behind the stage.

“There they are, the majestic eight,” Calix spit out through gritted teeth. “Whoopedy do.”

“Just shut your damn trap,” River hissed. “Our brother is right. We listen. We learn.”

“Learn what? That we’re really bloodthirsty wolves chomping at the bit to feast on small animals and humans?” Calix was laughing when I knew there were some within our pack and others who wanted nothing more.

The old ways.

“I wonder what they have in mind.” River was talking more to himself than to either one of us, but I could sense his concern.

The worldwide count of members of the Wolfen hadn’t strengthened in the last two decades since the hundreds of packs had voted to alter practices.

Everyone wanted to be a human.

Only it was impossible to alter our DNA. We’d been around since the beginning of time. However, while we could breed with humans, our numbers had dwindled. While it was entirely possible for a child born of hybrid parents to shift, the difficulties could be considered a problem. Plus, few children born in the last twenty years gave a shit about their ancestry.

“I did a check on the numbers of packs after reading the email,” River said. He remained in the same stoic position, his posture all about asserting his Alpha authority.

“Yeah? And?”

“Even the number of packs is dwindling.”

I didn’t find that hard to believe.

The council members began to fill the stage, chatting amongst themselves as they remained standing. Other Alpha pack members had also arrived, the group now approaching two hundred.

“I heard some bullshit on the Wolfen dark web about fated mates.” Calix’s voice was suddenly filled with amusement.

“Meaning?” I asked. Fated mates, another ancient rule that had been abandoned for at least fifty years. There wasn’t a single pack member I knew who wanted to go chasing around the world to find their soulmate.

I no longer believed they existed. It was another fable in the line of ridiculous stories we’d all heard as kids.

“Meaning we might be forced back into the prehistoric era.” Calix laughed again as other members of the packs began to converge in front of the stage.

River snorted. “Fated mates? Such bullshit. Even if there was such a thing, I’m not ready to settle down.”

I remained quiet, noticing our mother appeared stressed. She’d had countless arguments with Bane Malik, a man who’d been the Wolfen council president for as long as I’d been alive. Some said his time had passed, that his wisdom was no longer important or needed.

While I wasn’t certain where I fell on the scale, it had become obvious my mother hated the man. She had different beliefs than most ancient council members, following along with the ninety-two percent of Wolfen who enjoyed their new way of life.

Only a few human spouses ever learned about our true heritage.

“Who knew Cambridge would be the center of Wolfen activity?” River was still amused while my hackles had been raised.

“You mean it is,” I told him. Cambridge was supposedly the location where our kind had been born. I took a deep whiff, sensing discord amongst the council members.

Something was off about the meeting.

“Don’t you remember a great battle was fought here hundreds of years ago?” Calix offered with his usual dramatic demeanor. “Wolfen against hundreds of humans with spears and tomahawks. The Wolfen won, forever preserving our way of life and making this hallowed ground a mecca of fertility. Therefore, the Cambridge pack is considered royalty, the Wolf family the supreme beings.”

“Just keep your mouth shut, Calix,” I told him. We weren’t royalty. The truth was that there were dozens of packs who loathed our existence. Our kind had its share of hatred, so much turning political given the Wolfen rules established so long ago. That had led to battles in the past, although killing one of our own kind was punishable by death.

“You’re not my boss, brother of mine.”

I was tired of the bantering, moving closer to the crowd while still keeping my distance. All the council members took a seat except for Bane. He was already at the podium, checking some notes he’d brought with him. I’d heard the man had developed health problems over the years and it showed in his sallow features.

Even his heartbeat was erratic. I could feel that from where I was standing. While our kind hadn’t been prone to human diseases or illnesses for thousands of years, the interbreeding had presented a new host of possibilities leading to our deaths.

There was no such thing as immortality.

Bane tapped the microphone and cleared his throat. “Thank you for coming. It has been a long time since we’ve held one ofthese meetings. Too long. I bring you a new item that must be considered for a vote.”

“Here we go,” River whispered, suddenly flanking my side.

I couldn’t imagine our diverse group agreeing to anything at this point. We were too scattered, too torn apart.

And too human.

“Our numbers are dwindling,” Bane continued.

“Tell us something we don’t know,” a pack member yelled from the crowd.

“Who cares!” another burst out.

The sudden unrest was disturbing.

“Enough!” A second council member stood up and moved to the front of the stage. Rory was the youngest elected member of the council, only taking his seat in the last election.

Twenty-five years before.

I finally removed my sunglasses, shifting my attention to our mother. She was the only woman on the council, which had allowed other female Wolfen to shout to the trees about the mismatched numbers being a violation of women’s rights. Their demands to overhaul the council in its entirety had gone unheeded, even laughed at.

We were still a bunch of Neanderthals in my mind.

Bane held up his arms until the crowd settled down.

“There could be a fight,” River said quietly.

“What fun,” Calix added.

“We are losing our abilities as well,” Bane continued. “We must remain strong and in order to ensure our younger wolves maintain their abilities, we must return to our practices of training our youth.”

Calix huffed and threw up his fisted hand like so many others in the crowd. “Stop the ancient ways!”

They had been stopped two decades before by a majority vote of the Wolfen. No longer did our teenagers begin their training to easily shift and fight an enemy, honing their various abilities as they should. Now, kids spent their free time playing video games and texting their friends.

I’d never thought it was a good idea. We were weak, incapable of fighting any enemies. Granted, we didn’t have many in the wild. Humans no longer Calixd us with spears or weapons. The old stories had died, giving way to lore and myth, fables that created nightmares and movies.

“We must not remain complacent,” Rory shouted.

“Do you see how uncomfortable our mother is?” River asked.

Her face was pinched and she was antsy. “She’s not happy with the proclamation.”

“No. Do you have a feeling something is going on here that we likely don’t want to know about?”

I shot River a look, nodding at the same time. The council had never been forthcoming in explaining issues.

“The council has voted and believes the games and training are necessary. There will be a vote in two weeks. The council will accept a single candidate from every pack to be the new trainingadvisor to the council.” Bane was on a roll, ignoring the chants and words of anger.

“That is bullshit!”

“We won’t vote for it.”

“You need to resign.”

The insults came fast and furious.

I’d already grown weary of this, but I had a feeling there was more.

Bane seemed smug, more so than usual. Meanwhile, I could tell our mother wanted to wrap her hands around his throat, dragging him straight to hell.

She was that kind of woman, tougher than most and always refusing to accept anyone’s bullshit. I admired that about her, especially since she’d taken our father’s place on the council when he’d suddenly found a new life.

“The council will also be setting forth a referendum that is not up for vote.”

“Oh, here goes,” Calix mused. “The big, bad wolf bully.”

“Why issue a referendum?” River asked. The man was tenser than normal.

So was I.

Bane took a deep breath, probably because the entire audience had grown silent. I couldn’t remember the last time a new mandate had been proposed. The rules had been in place for centuries.

“Do not think we don’t have enemies lurking in the shadows. They are fierce and increasing in numbers. As I mentioned, our strength is dwindling along with our numbers. We must persevere. We will not succumb to the treachery of evil ways.”

River’s eyebrows suddenly furrowed as he turned toward me. “Is he going nuts or what? What freaking enemies is he talking about?”

I had no clue. Although I sensed our mother did.

“As of this moment, all Wolfen/human breeding is prohibited. All Alphas will be required to find their fated mate.”

If it hadn’t been for my keen hearing, I wouldn’t have been able to hear what the man was saying. There wasn’t a Wolfen alive who liked to be told what to do.

“Fated mate?” Calix repeated. “That’s crazy.”

“I’ll say,” River added. “The man better watch his back.”

Bane continued talking although at this point, all I could hear was a buzzing sound. I found myself walking closer, pushing my way through the crowd toward the front of the stage.

“Why?” My voice boomed above the others. I had that ability when needed.

Other Wolfen began to turn in my direction.

Bane squinted against the bright afternoon sun, scanning the crowd until our eyes met. “Why?” he echoed, clearly unsettled.

“Seriously, what’s going on? You can’t just wreck the way of life for so many without a reason. Spill it!”

My question had clearly thrown Bane off balance. I caught a glimpse of my mom giving me a warning look, her thoughts urging me to back off for now.

“Just answer him!” Calix shouted from the back of the group.

Bane was visibly rattled, which was unexpected. The council was definitely hiding something and seemed totally unprepared to share any details.

Like all Elders, he had a knack for keeping his thoughts under wraps, making it tough for me to get the info I needed.

“Your place is not to question, Alpha Wolf.”

Our last name was supposed to carry weight, suggesting we were respected, maybe even admired. But that wasn’t always the case. People often saw us as arrogant, which was absurd since there was no throne to sit on, yet that perception lingered.

“I’ll keep asking until I get the truth, Elder Malik. So, why do we need to increase our numbers? Is there a threat? What are we dealing with?”

He slammed a gavel down as chaos erupted in the room. “Enough! The reformation will be enacted later today and will last for twenty-five years. If you’re already married with kids, you can keep your family. If you’re engaged, you need to end it. That’s all there is to it.”

“What the hell was that?” River muttered beside me.

“I have no idea, but I’m getting a really bad vibe.”