Page 12 of Eclipsed Legacy

She opens her mouth, but I put a hand up, silencing her. “Do you realize that you have put the entire pack, plus the rest of the family in danger?” Her expression softens, and her eyes widen. “This new pack— which I know you knew about— had its young members jump Michael at school because they could smell the wolf on him. One of them showed up at the bar last night and tried to start shit. And today, four of them just so happened to be at the mall where Michael and I were, and three of my tires mysteriously ended up slashed! Your lack of communication has left the rest of us blindsided! They’ve made it clear that they are here to challenge us, and because of you, it was painfully clear how unprepared we are for it. You not only made us look weak; you put us in a position of weakness! You’re not only the matriarch of this family. You’re the fucking alpha. Act like it!” I take a step closer to her. “I don’t know why you chose to hide this or what kind of past you have with them— because it does seem personal— but you need to figure it the fuck out before one of us gets hurt. If that happens, you won’t be able to point the finger at anyone but yourself.” I quickly turn on my heel, not wanting to give her a chance to reply.

As I place my hand on the knob of the front door, I hear her say softly, “Tala?”

I grit my teeth then sigh. Damn it! Even pissed, I can’t say no to her! I turn my head toward her. “Yes?”

“Tell— tell the pack, and the rest of the family, that we’re holding an emergency and mandatory conclave tonight at seven in Carl and Angie’s workshop. Everyone must attend and don’t leave anyone behind…we’re all in danger. I can’t…I can’t tell you more right now. I have to make some preparations, but as my second, you should show up early. I’ll explain everything in a few hours…I’m sorry.”

I nod. “Just fix this. I’ll be here at six; we’ll go together.” I open the door, exit, and close it sharply behind me. She can feel sorry all she wants, but she shoved us into this hole; it’s her job to dig us out. That’s what she always told me growing up.

I head around to the backyard. Ricky and Michael are rolling around on the ground. Ricky manages to get Michael in a headlock, but Michael isn’t giving up. I put my thumb and index finger in my mouth and whistle. They jump back from each other with Michael rubbing his neck and Ricky stretching his arms. Michael waves before jogging over, while Ricky, who is in no hurry, casually walks over.

“Hey,” Michael says with a smile. “Did you see me show Ricky a thing or two?” he asks.

“Uh, no, but I did see you struggling to get out of a chokehold.” I throw a fake punch his way and allow him to dodge.

“Just give me two years, and I’ll take him.”

“Whatever you say, kid.” Ricky’s finally made his way over. “Took you long enough,” I say.

“What’s up?” he asks, as we make our way over and into his truck. “Make up with ol’ g’ma?”

I roll my eyes. “Not exactly, but we are having an emergency conclave tonight at seven.” That should tell Ricky everything he needs to know. We always meet at Uncle Carl’s because he had this big workshop built next to his house. However, it’s the only real structure large enough for the whole family to fit comfortably, so it’s turned into a sort of event center, and he hasn’t had much of a chance to use it for its original purpose.

“No shit?” Ricky says, the surprise evident in both his face and tone. “What’d you get us into?”

I shrug. “Not me, but she—” I quickly glance at Michael, realizing it’s probably not the best idea to let him know Grandma could’ve warned us about the other wolves. “—she feels there’s something going on and thinks we all should discuss it. I’m assuming she’ll probably talk about the plan for tomorrow, too.”

“Yep!” Ricky says. “That’d be smart. We’ve never had an unfriendly pack come through during a full moon. Hell, we ain’t had an unfriendly pack come through at all!”

Despite myself, I have to laugh. It’s really not the time to be joking, but Ricky is definitely easing the tension. I’m beginning to remember why we got along so well when we were younger. “We’ve got to start letting people know about the meeting. Michael?”

“Yeah?”

“Why don’t you put your phone to use and start texting everybody. Make sure they send a reply confirming that they know, okay?”

“’kay.”

I ask Ricky, “Is Mel working tonight?”

He shrugs. “Hell if I know.”

I shake my head. “Do you have Mel’s number, Michael?” He also shrugs. Brothers, I swear! “I’ll text her then…” I pull out my phone and shoot Mel a quick text, letting her know about the meeting tonight. Almost as soon as I hit send and go to put the phone in my pocket, my phone dings. It’s an auto-reply from Mel.

Sorry! I’m taking a break from my phone for the next few days to focus on myself. Thanks for understanding!

-Mel

What the actual fuck, Mel? I try to call her, hoping she’ll pick up, but her phone goes straight to voicemail. “Fuck!” I say.

“What?” Ricky’s brow furrows.

“Mel’s not answering. She’s taking a break from her phone.”

“Well, shit. She’s probably still in bed.”

I give him an inquiring look, which he doesn’t see at first.

“What?” he asks.