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“I’d like to end this on a high note, and give my final announcement,” I said. “Bryn is officially my mate, and our binding ceremony will take place on Kings pack lands in four days’ time. If you’re able to make it, the entire pack is invited.”
“Why on the Kings’ land and not our own?” someone asked.
“The most important reason is that Bryn won’t be able to leave Kings pack lands while she adjusts to being the temporary Alpha.” There was so much she needed to learn in order to properly run such a large pack, especially when it could take weeks or even a few months before there was a decision about who would take her place. “The subsidiary but also important reasons are,” I added with a smile, “that her mother lives in the Kings’ territory, and Bryn wants to have the ceremony in the garden that the two of them made together.”
Talking about Bryn seemed to calm the pack a bit further, which worked well for me. At least I was ending this contentious meeting with some good news.
“You are all dismissed to enjoy the rest of your day,” I said. “If you have concerns that you didn’t feel comfortable addressing in front of everyone, know that I am open to your questions and your comments. I have always wanted an open line of communication between me and my pack, so if you’re angry, let me know. If you’re hurting, express that hurt to me. I am available when you need me.”
The crowd began to disperse, and I reached out to my closest wolves to stay behind. I needed to speak with them about next steps. Dom and I hopped off the roof and walked with the inner circle to the conference room in the mess hall. Everyone took their seats, but after that meeting, I was still a bit wired with energy. I elected to stand against the wall instead. Dom followed my lead, standing nearby.
“What do you all know about the Kings’ elite fighters and hunters?” I asked. “And what have I missed since being out of the loop?”
“You weren’t just out of the loop, sir,” Frankie said, a small smirk on her face. “You were off getting cozy with your mate.”
The reminder of Bryn and our blissful time together made me smile. Being separated from her like this, while necessary, was close to torturous. But I knew I’d see her again soon for her Alpha ceremony, and then our binding would take place.
“Oh, what a smile,” Kai said. “I guess there’s no mystery about what went on between you two while you were away.”
“I hope you won’t hold it against us, but we started keeping a running bet of how many days would pass before you came back, Alpha,” Vince added.
“I wish I could’ve been in on that,” Dom said. The ghost of his usual snicker lifted his lips, which relaxed me a bit.
“Who won?” I asked, chuckling.
“Redford.”
“That’s right.” The winning wolf grinned and leaned back in his chair. “These wolves owe me dinner the next time we head to Colville.”
“It’s not fair that he won,” Frankie said. “The rest of us figured you’d be too lovestruck to let your mate out of your sight for at least a week.”
“If I could trust any of you to run the pack in my stead, you would’ve been right,” I said.
“Damn.” She banged her hand on the table.
It was a relief to laugh and let off a bit of steam with my pack. For just a little while, I could forget about how uncertain our future was.
Eventually, the joviality quieted, and the group filled me in on what they knew.
“According to our reports,” William said, “some of the Kings pack hunters left after Troy lost the challenge.”
My wolf growled low as my lips pulled away from my teeth. Deserting your pack after a change in leadership was a clear sign of disrespect. I hated that Bryn would need to reckon with that if she hadn’t already.
“We know how you feel, Night,” Dom said, “but this wasn’t a surprise.”
“True,” William added. “Honestly, it’s more of a surprise that less than half of them left. I guess Redwolf made their lives a lot worse than we thought.”
“So why did any of them leave?” I asked.
“As far as we can tell, it’s because Troy let them off their leashes. They were able to be more violent with the pack and they could eat as much of their kills as they wanted, even if that meant others had to pick up the slack.”
“With him imprisoned, they wouldn’t be able to keep that up,” Frankie nodded. “Also, given how sexist the Kings are, the ones who left wouldn’t be willing to listen to a female, even if it was only temporary.”
I echoed her annoyed sigh with one of my own. I accepted this reasoning, even though it pissed me off. Now we had to worry about violent wolves roaming the forest. Allowing them to go unchecked meant there would be a team of ferals who were trained in how to fight. Their odds of surviving to make violent attacks on unsuspecting shifters or humans was far too high.
“About your suggestion to merge the packs,” Tyrell began, “that’s not going to go over well with the remaining elite within the Kings pack.”
Jasper nodded, adding, “They won’t be willing to submit to just anyone.”
