Chapter 25

Chapter 25

“Coming together is a beginning."

- Henry Ford

The extra clothes from the doctor, a pair of comfortable, worn jeans and a blue t-shirt, were a bit snug, but still wearable. I had to wonder if all werewolf women were as petite as Scarlett or Dr. Li. It was almost deceiving, since I knew any of them could probably kick my ass without so much as a blink.

I also wasn’t sure what one wore to a public reckoning, but this would have to do.

“Are you ready, sweetheart? There’s somewhere we need to be.” Alpha Enzo stood, propped up against the doorframe with folded arms as he took in the sight of me, freshly-dressed. I’d made him wait in the bedroom while I changed in the bathroom – but not without at least one complaint about how “mates saw everything.”

I’d just let the man feed me a stack of pancakes, eggs and bacon. I definitely wasn’t going to let him watch me get changed.

“If by somewhere we need to be, you mean a reckoning, I’m not sure I want to attend,” I told him.

He raised an eyebrow. “Hana told you?” I could only assume Hana meant Dr. Li, and I ignored the spark of jealousy that flared when I realized he was on a first-name basis with her.

“She was a little vague, but I get the point,” I said. “I think I’m going to pass on watching some guy get his ass kicked in front of your pack.”

If nothing else, it’d give me more time to formulate a plan out of here.

His jaw ticked. “You don’t want to watch the man who tried to attack you come to justice?”

“I don’t know, doesn’t really seem like I’m apart of that justice,” I shot back, “If you ask me, a few days in the dungeons and a couple of threats should be sufficient enough.”

“Maybe for you,” he replied, and something dark flashed through his eyes, “But not for me.”

🔖🔖🔖

I wasn’t sure just how little I’d seen of Alpha Enzo’s pack until he led me to the location of the reckoning: his pack house. When his men had captured Scarlett and I, most of what I’d seen had just been heavily-forested.

The route Enzo took me on was not.

Although the tall pine trees that surrounded us made it clear we were still nestled deep into the woods, the place was more civilized than I’d expected.

There were one and even two-story residential cabins that lined a large, dirt road as well as sizable commercial buildings. No skyscrapers like I was used to, but the signs on each commercial building gave way to their functions: a school, an infirmary, even a convenience store.

It was a town.

Just a pocket-sized one.

Granted, it seemed like an empty town, but I assumed that had more to do with the mandatory attendance of the reckoning than anything else.

Alpha Enzo must’ve picked up on my curiosity because he said, “You know, that school was the first thing I built when I took over from my father. For those that didn’t have time to homeschool, they had to enroll their children in public human school, which was a disaster. From there, it’s only blossomed. We have almost everything we need to be completely self-sufficient.” He paused before adding, “And now, for every new land I bring under my wing, a school is the first thing I build.”

I snorted. “‘Bring under your wing’ is a nice way of saying you steal the land of other packs.” If there was one thing I hadn’t forgotten from Ava’s book, it was that Alpha Enzo wanted power. All of it.

He wanted to, if I was using his words, bring the entire werewolf world “under his wing.”

“If you want me to apologize for being ambitious, you’re out of luck.”

“Ambitious is getting straight-A’s or going to medical school,” I said, “You’re trying to take over the werewolf world like some kind of dictator…and I’m not sure how much you know of human history, but monarchies and dictatorships? They usually don’t end well. For anyone.”

He didn’t miss a beat. “Did you know, in the last five years, nearly ten percent of our populations have been killed off due to infighting and border disputes? Call me what you’d like, but if our kind wishes to survive the century, we need to unify. It’s not just power that I want – it’s peace.”

I opened my mouth to reply but stopped short as soon I caught sight of the looming mansion – as inadequate as a word that was – in front of us.

I’d thought Alpha Enzo’s home was large, but this place looked to be double the size with a sprawling stone walkway, wood columns, triangular arches, and lit windows in too many rooms to count. There were even garages, tucked below the second story windows, which was a surprise. I hadn’t seen a single werewolf use a car yet.

It reminded me of one of those uber-exclusive resorts you’d find in the middle of the forest – the ones that cost at least a couple of grand per night.

“Our pack house,” Enzo offered, although I’d already guessed.

*I’m not sure “house” is the correct term for a place like this. It's like calling a semi-truck a sedan.*

I was too stunned by the structure’s appearance to comment on Enzo’s use of *our.*

“It’s very, uh, grand,” I told him. As much as I wanted to make some snarky comment about the place, I just couldn’t. I’d never grown up rich, never been exposed to these kinds of luxuries before.

He tilted his chin. “It’s a little extravagant for my tastes, but it was something my father built. His favorite part of our lands.”

He gripped my hand, and began to lead me – not to the entrance – but around the side of the massive house.

As we neared what I assumed to be the backyard, I began to hear voices. People shouting, laughing, hollering until it all blended together into the same noise.

My large breakfast sat heavy in my stomach as uncertainty crawled over my skin. That sounded like a lot of people, and I still had no idea what I was about to watch.

Instinctively, I huddled a little closer to Alpha Enzo, and he immediately responded, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and pulling me in close. I felt a little embarrassed that I’d grabbed onto him so quickly, but as soon as we turned the corner and I got my first glimpse of the massive backyard, my breath caught.

And I was suddenly thankful to have another person so close.