Chapter 15

“Well that was a waste of a long drive,” I said as the Brooks clan’s gate clanged shut in our faces the next afternoon. I could only guess that this South Carolina pack boasted video surveillance and remote gate operation, otherwise the timing of our expulsion would have been just too darned coincidental. Still... “They couldn’t have at least come out in person to tell us we aren’t welcome inside?”

“Typical pack-leader snobbery,” Hunter responded with a shrug. He’d taken the rejection better than I managed to, calmly turning our vehicle around to head back toward the main highway without bothering to gripe or fume. “On to the Acres clan?”

I hesitated, unsure whether it was worth driving five hours to speak with a less likely pack leader when my top contender for that all-important fourth-ally slot had already snubbed us so roundly. My research indicated that the clan we were currently driving away from was so anti-Stormwinder that they’d attempted to secede from the Coastal All-Pack with both Byrds in tow three years prior. So why was Brooks now unwilling to even speak with me, let alone to offer his support at the gathering ahead?

Still, we had nearly three days to kill until All-Pack and there was no point spinning our wheels in the interim. So I pushed my annoyance aside then reluctantly conceded the point. “Sure, head in that direction. I want to check in on Wolf Landing first, though, just in case....”

There was no need to finish my sentence because Hunter’s eyes were already crinkling up into a stealth smile. My mate found it endlessly amusing that I’d already called home three times over the last twenty hours, despite the fact that Wolfie, Terra, and ten of the couple’s hand-picked pack mates were watching over Wolf Landing in our absence.

But Hunter didn’t know those ten pack mates the same way I did. I suspected the youngsters who we fondly referred to as yahoos were entirely capable of burning Wolf Landing down without the need for any interloper assistance whatsoever. So, once again, I attempted to push all potential disasters out of my mind before hitting number two on my speed dial.

“Wolf Landing, Ember speaking.”

And just like that, my heart rate lowered back down to resting speed and my shoulders relaxed against my seat. This wasn’t the voice I’d expected to hear, but I sure was glad to recognize the dulcet tones of Wolfie’s adopted daughter anyway. “Hey, there, kiddo. How’s my favorite bloodling?”

Over the last six months since being tossed out into the cold, I’d missed a lot of people from my former life. I’d missed Wolfie’s wisdom and Terra’s camaraderie, the yahoos’ antics and Tia’s mothering. Still, Haven’s official bringer of sunshine and smiles was at the very top of my list. Who wouldn’t be charmed by the pup’s obsession with genealogy, real or imagined?

“I’m awesome, Auntie Fen,” the kid said, granting me the title not as an honorific but because she considered me and Terra to be sisters of the heart. Deep down inside, I had to admit the insightful child was right. “I’m so glad I got to come along and meet my cousins,” she continued. “And they’re sure glad they met me, too, because I taught them all how to shift. Who wants to wait until you’re a yucky teenager to get the best of both worlds?”

And there went all those warm fuzzies, flushed straight down the toilet. I didn’t think Wolf Landing was ready for twenty newly transformed bloodlings, and I seriously considered asking Hunter to turn the car around and hightail it home as quickly as possible. “You taught all of them how to shift?” I repeated, then changed tacks. “Tell you what, why don’t you put Ginger on the line.”

“Oh, Auntie Ginger’s the one who gave me secretary duty in the first place,” Ember replied gaily. “She said it was my job and really important. Here, hold on a minute.”

After several seconds of rustling, the bloodling began laboriously sounding out the letters of what must have been a note from the trouble twin. “‘Fen, don’t worry,’” the kid parroted. “‘We’re having a ball. Only two fires and one stink bomb so far. No invaders. Take your time. Wolf Landing will still be standing when you get home.’”

Yeah, that was reassuring. No mention of whether the fires had been something to dance around outdoors or something to swear over indoors. No mention of how our prematurely shifted bloodling pack mates were responding to walking on two legs and to the invasion of their territory by so many outpack wolves.

Still, I had to trust that Terra and Celia, at least, would keep my pack mates alive...even if everyone else thought wreaking mayhem was the most fun imaginable. And I had to accept the message Ginger was sending between the lines too.

It was time to stop worrying about the minutiae and to start focusing on the big picture if I wanted to have a home to return to after All-Pack was over.

So I said my farewells to Wolfie’s daughter, then I pulled out my notes even as Hunter turned the car east. Because Ember had once been an unwanted bloodling not so different from the ones she was currently hanging out with, the pup’s dark future sidestepped only as a result of the hard work of caring alphas and cohesive pack mates.

Wolf Landing’s bloodlings deserved the same smooth sailing as they worked through their own childhood. But we’d only be able to offer that safe haven if I won over another pack leader to my cause and claimed the territory surrounding Wolf Landing for our own.

Time to work smart and fast. Because I could already feel our last opportunity swinging shut before me and I was bound and determined to wedge my foot in the door before it closed in my face.

***

Patrick Acres could have been Stormwinder’s mini-me. The easternmost alpha was suave and cordial, his power hidden beneath a genial exterior that would have set even a one-body at ease.

“Are you sure you don’t want to sit?” he asked Hunter now. Unlike Ron Brooks, Acres had escorted us into his home personally. His mate had offered tea and cookies before disappearing back down the hall, and I’d obediently dropped into one of the carved wooden chairs across from my host.

Hunter, on the other hand, remained hovering behind my seat like a bodyguard...or like a barely animated gargoyle. His muscles had tensed into rock-like ridges and the expression on his face when he smiled was more lupine snarl than human grin.

I waited for my mate to speak, but he didn’t bother to reply. Instead, his eyes continued scanning the empty room as if I was a mafia princess who he expected to face attempted assassination at any moment.

Shrugging, I made apologies on my partner’s behalf. “I’m afraid Hunter isn’t really keen on socializing,” I hedged.

The tiniest spark of irritation flared in Acres eyes, but it was gone as quickly as it had come. “Not a problem,” our host answered cordially. “It’s a pleasure meeting the region’s newest pack leaders anyway. I appreciate you taking the time to drop by.”

Pack leaders. Plural. Inwardly I cringed at our host’s unwillingness to acknowledge my solo claim to alpha-dom merely because I lacked that all-important appendage between my legs. Still, I was here to build bridges, not burn them. So I kept a smile plastered across my face with an effort.

Hunter, on the other hand, didn’t bother to dissemble. The barest hint of a growl followed by a powerful yet fleeting compulsion jolted the smugness right off our host’s face. And when our companion set down his beverage, the glass trembled a staccato against the nearby plate as he barely managed to prevent his head from bowing in instinctive surrender.

“Well,” the other pack leader said after a moment, once he’d drawn his former composure back up around his shoulders through sheer force of will. “I know you came here to talk business. Movers and shakers like yourselves wouldn’t just drop by to chew the fat with an old fart like me.”

His subsequent laughter was self-deprecating, but I felt my wolf waking beneath my skin anyway. Snake, she whispered succinctly within our shared body.

I nodded because I thoroughly agreed with her. Acres was a smooth, old snake...which was why I intended to milk his venom and use it for my own ends. First, though, I had to tune in to my inner reptilian nature so the cold-blooded bastard wouldn’t notice how badly I meshed with his way of life.

“You’re right,” I responded aloud, attempting to appear small and weak in my role as good cop to Hunter’s bad. It wasn’t a hard disguise to don either...as long as I forgot about the tall, strong uber-alpha standing silently behind my back. “We came about All-Pack.”

“Of course,” Acres answered. But he didn’t offer further encouragement, just picked up one of his wife’s cookies and chewed with a faint smile on his face.

I couldn’t help thinking back to my experience in that witness’s kitschy kitchen yesterday, when my mouth had watered in the face of just such homemade goodies. Here, though, I couldn’t quite talk myself into taking a single bite. I had a feeling any cookie Acres offered would resemble sawdust in the dry cavern of my over-anxious mouth.

So I merely cleared my throat as I struggled to unclench my jaw. Then I verbally prodded the older alpha who seemed intent upon outfoxing me through sheer polite passivity alone. “As I’m sure you’re aware, I’m seeking support for our new pack,” I started. “We’re small and unlikely to impact your clan in any way, unless you need an ally at a later date.”

It’s no skin off your teeth to help out a younger pack, I wanted to add but didn’t. Instead, after a moment’s pause during which seagulls called outside windows open to catch the unusual warmth of the winter’s day, I finished: “Can we look forward to your support at All-Pack this year?”

Acres let me dangle in the wind for a long moment. Then, smiling soothingly, he spoke at last. “We’ll discuss that shortly,” he offered, getting to his feet. “First, though, how about a tour of the garden? My mate has a green thumb and I always try to show off her efforts to our guests....” Then, rising, he ushered us outside before I could think of a way to beg off.

The rest of the afternoon felt like an eternity. Politeness mandated that I pretend to be interested in plants and stonework and fountains while Acres chattered like a songbird and Hunter padded along like a silent yet very present storm cloud behind our backs.

All told, we must have strolled for hours, never once broaching the topic so important to the future of my clan. Acres’ mate headed up a small army of gardeners, tending a formal planting that spanned nearly a mile in every direction. Meanwhile, her proud husband appeared intent upon showing me every single nook and cranny of that carefully planned space.

Or, at least, he was intent upon not giving me an opportunity to once again mention All-Pack.

Either way, the sun had begun to set by the time my patience finally wore thin. The fading light marked forty-eight hours until the opening ceremonies of All-Pack. Forty-eight hours in which Hunter and I needed to drive clear across the state, collect our crew, and then roll back in the same direction from which we’d come. All while attempting not to arrive harried and exhausted, easy prey for the alphas who had planned for weeks to show their strongest side to the other clan heads gathered for our solstice meet.

No, I didn’t have the luxury of walking through the remainder of this clan’s plantings if I wanted to arrive rested and powerful at the regional gathering. So I set my feet and pulled Acres to a halt through sheer stubborn rudeness alone.

“I appreciate the tour,” I said firmly. “But I need to know if there’s any chance you’ll support Wolf Landing’s territorial bid.” No need to go into the plan to usurp Stormwinder’s Tribunal privileges. Not yet. We could discuss that at a later date if Acres appeared amenable to our advances.

Because, much as I was hoping to bag another ally, I wasn’t expecting a positive reply this time around. After all, why would Acres evade the subject matter all afternoon if he was willing to make a deal? Still, I wasn’t quite ready to leave without hearing our host say no to my face either.

But, to my surprise, Acres didn’t turn me down flat. Instead, he offered a short “Of course” before sinking onto a bench placed so he could peer out across the flat land toward the setting sun.

We both stared west for several long seconds, me hoping Acres would elaborate while he appeared to be merely enjoying the view. Eventually, the length of the silence made me admit that my companion had said all he wanted to say already.

“Of course you’ll support us?” I prodded at last, knowing that I was losing whatever small element of control I’d once held over the situation by descending into a request for confirmation.

And, as I spoke, I braced myself, expecting to be laughed off the property. Expecting to have my own weaknesses thrown back in my face when my host made it clear he’d been playing with me all afternoon.

But Acres merely nodded slowly before elaborating, “Yes, I’d be glad to support you.”

Then, rising back to his feet, he released the bomb he’d been cradling to his chest throughout our preceding talk. “All I ask in exchange is that you donate half of your attack force to my clan as a show of solidarity.”