Kingdom of wolves wolf.., p.22
Kingdom of Wolves - Wolfsfoot - Book 1, page 22
Climbing out of bed, I can’t help the excitement that is buzzing at having a birthday party. I’ve not had one since my parents were alive and Brod is so excited that you can’t help but catch it from him.
Dressed and rushing downstairs, I smile when Poppa Lykos gives me a hug. “Happy Birthday, Tati.”
“Happy Birthday, Tati.” Momma Akela says as she grabs me into a hug, which Poppa Lykos joins in with. I think they are going to crush my ribs with the way they are squeezing me tightly between them.
The back door opens and although it’s still early, Brod flies into the kitchen holding a box, wrapped in pretty purple paper and a huge purple bow. “Happy Birthday Sis.”
“Sis? What do you mean, sis?” Poppa Lykos asks and when Brod smirks I can’t help the giggle that busts out of me.
“Well, Tati said if she had a brother, she’d want him to be me, so I’m her brother, and that makes her my bestie and sister. Now, how cool is that?”
Brod’s parents, Adam and Summer, chuckle as they walk into the kitchen, hearing the back end of Brod’s comment. Adam shakes his head, but the amusement is plain to see in his eyes. “Well, it seems Tati here claimed herself a brother, which makes us all related now.”
Poppa Lykos scowls and I’m not sure he’s happy with this turn of events, but Momma Akela is beaming. “Oh, that means we have a son now, too. Oh, you realize that means we can scold you now, Brod.” Everyone laughs at that announcement, except Brod, who is frowning and trying hard to find a way out of the mess he just created for himself.
We eat breakfast and I open my gift, which is a beautiful music box with a wolf that howls instead of the usual ballerina that twirls around. I adore it and thank Brod giving him a hug and then scrunching my fist on the top of his head.
Knocking on the door has Poppa Lykos stepping over and opening it. When Lyle, Chief Glen, and Mac walk in I get more hugs and Happy Birthday wishes. Lyle hands me a gift which I open eagerly and smile when I see it’s a bow and arrow, and one I’d seen Lyle train with and admired. I couldn’t help the tear that runs down my cheek because I’m counting myself very lucky to have found myself here with family and friends.
The day is fantastic. We laugh, play games, and eat more than we should. But above all, we enjoy being around each other. I’m seventeen now and have to make a decision before the year is out. It’s going to be a hard decision, I’m sure.
Before I want it to happen, the day is being wrapped up and Lyle, Chief Glen, and Mac head home. Brod is filling his face with the last of the birthday cake and coming towards me. I grin when Momma Akela states loudly. “Brod son, wash your hands.”
Brod looks up, blinks, then gives her a cheeky grin. “Yes, momma.” I look over at Brod’s momma Summer and she has her hands over her mouth, trying not to laugh, but the sparkle in her eyes says it all.
Chapter 25
FLINT
Arriving home, I’m tired, dusty, and more than a little irritated. It seems so much has been going on that the shifter council has been missing, that it has me thinking we should either step up or we step down and allow new council members to take our places.
All shifter council members live in the forest halfway up Grandrose Mountain, situated behind and to the side of Blood Pearl Pack and Eclipse Pack. My home has a large entrance hall, office, living room, dining room, kitchen, utility, and mud room downstairs. Four bedrooms, with walk-in closets, and all have adjoining bathrooms.
It's a nice house and I’m more than happy that I purchased the house, so when I retire from the council, I will still have my home and garden which I enjoy and the mountain to gaze upon.
Walking into the entrance hall, I look up when I hear Gabriel calling to me. I give him a close inspection because he has a massive bruise on the side of his face, frowning I lift a questioning eyebrow at him.
“Oh, it’s nothing. Phoenix will have it healed in no time. How did things go at the Blackshadow Pack? Was my father okay?”
“Come on, let's go into the kitchen. I need a drink before I shower and get some sleep.”
Walking into the kitchen, Gabriel points for me to sit on the bench in front of the kitchen window while he puts the kettle on and prepares the teapot, before turning back and waiting for my response to his questions.
“Let me assure you that your father is fine. He’s ready to take out the Alpha himself if need be. It seems Alpha Torrance is on the edge of becoming feral, but Connell should be the one to kill him. If your father does it, he’ll become pack Alpha and I don’t want him risking himself.”
Gabriel finishes making the tea and passes me a cup and saucer, taking a seat himself near the counter. “I’m not surprised. He always told me that someday something would have to happen to stop Alpha Torrance. If Connell wants to be the Alpha, he needs to grow up, get his priorities right and put his pack first. He’s always been so scared of his father that I’m not sure he’ll be able to do it.”
“I think he’ll step up when something happens that sparks Connell’s wolf into overriding Connell’s wishes. We all know our wolves will only take so much bullshit from us before they decide we need them to step up. It happened to me once when I only had my wolf a couple of years, and I’ll tell you, Gabriel, it’s a frightening thing.”
“Let’s hope so because I don’t want my father to step up to be that pack’s Alpha. Now, do you want my report now or after you’ve rested?”
“After I’ve rested, I’m too tired to eat, so I’ll shower and sleep. If anything urgent comes up, wake me.” I hand Gabriel my cup and saucer and head upstairs, feeling pretty drained.
Much later that evening, I walk into my office and take a seat behind the desk. Check the paperwork piles for my attention, but my mind wanders to the Blackshadow Pack and how Connell is going to fare on his own. I’m not sure he has a support system in place apart from Beta Goldman. I may have to go back again and make sure we won’t have a pack war start if Connell has to step up as Alpha.
Knocking on the door, I look up as Gabriel and Roul enter slowly. Both look like they’d rather be somewhere else. “Okay, come in, sit down, and tell me.”
“The Spirit Walker Pack member who has been investigating the deaths of Tatiana Winterstorm’s parents has found evidence that Alpha Torrance had them murdered. Benjamin will be here tomorrow with the evidence you need to take to the shifter council.” Roul states clearly and with a hint of his anger threaded in the tone.
Nodding, because it’s what I suspected, and after others I’ve spoken to have given rise to those suspicions, to get the evidence is what’s needed to get past this and to get Blackshadow Pack healing and surviving. “Was it conclusive?”
“Yes, it was. At the home of one male, we found a diary with all the information and an apology for Tatiana. It seems the male realized too late that he was a threat to the Alpha once they did the job, and he knew he wouldn’t be allowed to live. So, he left this in his diary to be found, hoping eventually the Winterstorms and his death would be avenged.” Roul updates.
“Okay. Do you have the diary?”
“I have it put away safely but didn’t want to carry it around until you came back. But I can bring it here anytime you need it, or I can meet you at the shifter council with it? I don’t mind either way, but I’ll have Gabe come with me in case someone tries to intercept my arrival.”
“Good idea. I’m going to call a council meeting in the morning. I’ll let you know what time to arrive at the council. Gabe, did you find anything on Anika and Holah?”
“It’s as you intimated. They had a sexual relationship going with Alpha Torrance. I brought them in for questioning after Porter Riverrun told me to find out as much as I could before you returned. They want to speak to you about it at the first available council meeting.” Gabriel is going to be a good member of the council if he doesn’t find his mate and follow her to her pack. But it’s not unknown for a she-wolf to join the male's pack, so time will give me that answer.
“I’ll bring it up at the meeting tomorrow. Tonight, I need to eat and catch up on the paperwork. I’m hoping nothing else has happened that needs my attention quickly.”
Gabriel stands and looks at Roul, giving him a chin lift to get moving from the office. I cover the smirk with my hand and look at Gabriel, who is walking towards the door, turning just as he leaves. “I’ll make sure a meal is ready for you in an hour. Do you need anything else?”
“No, I’m fine, thank you, and yes, an hour is good. I can look through this in that time.”
The next morning, I’m ready for the meeting and with Anika and Holah under house arrest until Ulmer, Porter and I decide what is the best course of action.
Walking to the Shifter Council offices, I enjoy the fresh air and the peace. Looking up the mountain, I promise myself a hike up to the top one of these days. It has been years since I’ve done that in wolf form.
Entering the council chambers, I take my seat at the table in the center of the room. This is the meeting room for shifter council members only, and not the room where the council speaks with packs regarding territory and other issues.
Ulmer and Porter are seated and looking like they’ve been here a little while if the looks on their faces are anything to go by. Raising an eyebrow, I wait for one of them to speak.
Seems Ulmer is to be the one to break the silence. “I’ve spoken with Roul, Gabriel, and two others that have been dealing with all this mess we are living through. There is evidence that Holah and Anika have been playing some nasty sexual games with Torrance, and I’m not calling him Alpha Torrance as he should never have had that title.
“I understand the three of them do not have mates anymore, but that is no excuse to disrespect their positions as shifter council members. We uphold the laws, teach and show respect, and we have to have integrity we can be trusted and looked up to.”
Porter is nodding his head in agreement, tapping his fingertips on the table, and I can see he’s as upset over this as much as Ulmer is. “I would like to place a motion that Holah and Anika be removed from the council effective immediately, and they be banished to no-man’s-land because they betrayed the council and gave their support to a Beta who should never have been left to continue running a pack. We have found through you Flint, the evidence they’ve been supporting his position, keeping Tatiana Winterstorm from fulfilling her destiny, and treating her like a pack slave instead of the future heir to the pack. It’s unforgivable, and I, for one, am happy to see them thrown into no-man’s-land.”
“There is more,” I add before he calls for a show of hands. “I have evidence that Alpha Torrance had the Winterstorms murdered.”
Porter jolts in his seat and looks at me with eyes as wide as an owl’s. “You’re sure? If you have, we’ll have that Alpha out of that pack faster than you can say sausages.”
“Yes, I have the proof. I have a diary or will when Gabriel gets here with it. But we need to remove him as soon as we can. That pack is about ready to implode.”
Ulmer is rubbing his forehead and Porter looks fit to burst, and we all jump slightly when someone knocks on the door. I rise from my seat and walk over to the door, opening it a crack, and take the diary from Gabriel. Closing the door after giving Gabriel a nod of thanks, I walk back and place the diary in front of Ulmer, who happens to be nearest to me.
Looking up at me a moment before he picks up the diary and flicks through the pages, before coming to where he needs to read. Now, I’ve not read the diary so I’m waiting for his reaction.
Walking back to my seat, I settle and wait, watching Ulmer’s face turn from white, to pink, to red. Porter takes the diary and reads for himself whatever the shifter male had written. Throwing the diary on the table in front of me, I pick it up and flick over the last entries. The male had outlined everything that they’d done and what they’d been offered for doing it. Knowing he’d signed his death warrant, this male gave enough detail to document the Winterstorm’s deaths that there was no escaping he was telling the truth.
“We need to vote on Anika and Holah. They were involved all this time and they are either, exiled to no-man’s-land or they get the death penalty.” Porter snarls and his eyes are flashing to his wolf and back again, proving how strongly they both feel about what happened.
Ulmer folds his hands on the table and looks at Porter, then at me, and usually, Ulmer is the peacemaker of the council, but I don’t think he’s going to be that this time. “I propose they face the death penalty. I don’t think they deserve to continue living. But before we vote, have either of you seen Anika or Holah shift recently?”
Running my thumb over my bottom lip, I frown because I can’t remember the last time I saw either of them shift. “No, I haven’t, not in a long time.”
Porter shakes his head. “No, I have not. Do you suppose they’ve lost their wolf?”
We all three give each other an intense look, and I slowly shake my head. “If they’ve lost their wolves, it’s because they’ve been so disgraceful, they left shamed and the Goddess agreed. That’s the only way their wolves could have left them, but why didn’t they wither and die?”
“I don’t know, and I don’t care. I’m asking for a vote on the death penalty for both of them.” Porter snarls and his wolf is flashing in his eyes.
“I agree,” Ulmer states clearly.
I don’t have an option but to agree. “Yes, I agree as well.”
Porter looks at each of us. “Who wants to do it, and when?”
“I think the sooner the better. They haven’t told us they do not have a wolf and to be hiding that shows they are so rotten that their wolves asked to leave them. It won’t take much to kill them in their human form, and I’ll do it if you two don’t want to.” I don’t like this, but if we want respect from every pack, we have to show we’ll eliminate our own if necessary.
“What about Torrance?” Ulmer asks.
“I think we three should travel to Blackshadow and if Connell the Alpha Heir doesn’t step up once this information is proven, then we need to do it, or put him out in the ‘old way’, for the pack to take their vengeance.”
Porter nods in agreement, and Ulmer rubs the back of his neck before nodding as well. Once again, I have to travel to Blackshadow Pack, only this time something will happen to put this pack back on the road to recovery.
Ulmer surprises me when he brings up a new topic. “I have a report from the council warriors that they’ve information stating no-man’s-land rogues are entering pack territories. I thought it was gossip through warriors speaking amongst themselves. You know what they are like, a family member mates, moves to another pack, then this sort of gossip is shared. But I’ve spoken to Alpha Aurora and Alpha Walker, the nearest to no-man’s-land, and they have had a few instances of feral rogues entering their land.”
“When we come back from the Blackshadow Pack, I think we need to visit the nearest packs and find out what we can. We need to speak to the Mayor of Wolfsfoot too, see if he’s heard or seen anything.” Porter says as he rises from his seat.
“I’ve got to visit Tatiana Winterstorm again so I can speak to the Mayor while I’m in Wolfsfoot. We can visit Eclipse, Blood Pearl, and Spirit Walker Packs together after we’ve finished our business with the Blackshadow Pack.”
Porter and Ulmer agree, and we make our way out of the council offices and towards the cells which are in a medium-sized block-built building attached to the right side of the shifter council offices.
Entering the building, we walk through the outer office and an electronic gate to the cells behind. Two warriors are standing guard and give us a nod before stepping out of the gate at the nod of my head.
Anika is sitting on a small cot in one cell and Holah is sitting in another. Ulmer wastes no time. “You have both been proven guilty of assisting with the murder of the Winterstorms. All because you are depraved beings, and I’m sure your mates will ask the Goddess not to unite you in the afterlife. You will be brought to the challenge circle to fight to the death, and if you kill your opponent, you won’t be allowed to continue in a pack. You’ll be taken to no-man’s-land and released. If you ever step foot out of that territory, you will be executed on sight.”
Anika stands, and it’s easy to see she’s shaking in fear. “You can’t do that. I don’t have my wolf.”
“You don’t have your wolf because they asked to leave you. Disgusted with you. That is not our problem, it is yours. You will be given thirty minutes to speak to the Goddess Selene and see if she will forgive you for murdering one of her shifters.” Ulmer snarls.
Holah doesn’t speak or acknowledge we are even standing looking at him. He knows what he did and why he’s going to pay the price. I have no sympathy for him, the same as he had no sympathy for Tatiana’s parents.
Walking out and heading for the challenge circle, I mind-link with Gabriel and Roul, asking them to bring the council warriors that are available to the circle and why they are needed as witnesses. Porter has linked with the two warriors that were on guard at the cells and arranged for them to bring Anika and Holah to face justice. They’ll get extra warriors to guard them here, too.
Porter turns and looks at me, then surprises me. “I’ll kill them both. You’ve done more than enough Flint for this council of late. You’ve got to be tired of all the traveling and the politics you have gone through. Working at Blackshadow could not have been easy. Watching the pack suffer is hard, and you never faltered in your role. This time, my old friend, allow me to take the lead.”
Agreeing, I grip Porter's shoulder and squeeze it. In my way thanking him for taking this away from me and carrying the burden himself.
Ulmer steps forward and growls. “You do one, and I do the other. I don’t care which, they are both a disgrace to the Goddess and all shifters.”
