— Elaeya —

Kaden had been in his office since five in the morning. I decided I didn’t want to eat my breakfast alone in the kitchen so I piled food on a tray and went to see him.

“Mmmh?” I heard from the other side of the door as I knocked.

I went in and moved a few things from the corner of his desk to make space for the tray.

He was talking on the phone, so I let him.

“I’m not sure this is a good idea, no,” he said.

“Yes,” I said as I arranged the things for the meal.

I saw him look up at me from my peripheral. I had no idea what he was talking about, so I didn’t look up to be interrogated, though he doesn’t do it as much anymore. He knows I’ll tell him if I know anything.

“Alright he said. Forty-eight hours. That’s all I’ll give you,” he said.

The call ended shortly after then.

“Do you know what you made me agree to?” he asked me.

“Not a clue,” I said looking up.

He sighed. “There will be a group of Alphas from small packs, a few I’ve worked with, one that you know,” he said.

“Mariqueen?”

“Yes. They’re coming here for a, I’m not even sure what. My guess is, complaining about the Brotherhood and ask for the help they’re not providing.”

I tilted my head sideways focusing on nothing for a second.

“It’s like you’re a psychic,” I said with a smile, confirming his doubt.

“Ah! I knew it. It’s starting to happen a little too often now.”

He extended his hand to me. I took it. He pulled me closer, but I faltered as a wave of nausea and dizziness hit me along with pressure on my temples.

I landed on Kaden’s lap.

“It’s been happening awfully often,” he said. “Maybe we should have the doctor do an early checkup.”

I shook my head, which I regretted instantly. I slumped and closed my eyes as I laid my head on his shoulders. “It won’t change things.”

“We have to check. It could be linked to your injuries.”

“I don’t think it’s medical in nature.”

“Then let’s talk to the wizard.”

I grunted. “He’s working.”

“I can call him back.”

“Let him finish, it’s nothing pressing,” I said looking up as the pressure subsided. “It never last long.”

Kaden didn’t look convinced.

“You should eat something,” I told him.

“So should you.”

He kept me from getting up by keeping one arm around my waist as he moved things aside and got our plates in front of us.

“You should talk to Ylva,” I told him after a few minutes of eating in silence.

“About what?”

“That everything is fine and she can return to work.”

He sighed.

“Do not go, holding a grudge on her,” I told him. “She couldn’t have defended herself from it, even if she wanted to.”

“She could have told me. I could have tried things.”

“Yes, and if there is another situation like this, she will do it.”

“That doesn’t repair what has been broken.”

“Nothing can do that, Kade. All that can be done is to learn from it.”

“You want her to protect you?”

“Yes,” I said. “I think she should.”

“Why?”

I shrugged.

“Of course,” he said. I guess he’s still trying to decipher what of my decisions is based on my own judgment and what is based on insight. But truth to be told, sometimes I’m not even sure myself which is which. The two are too intertwined, too interconnected, and which is cause, and which is effect, is often undecipherable. It’s a bit of a chicken and egg situation.

— Mishka —

“Okay, I want everyone on deck,” said Oskar.

“Aye, Aye, mon capitaine,” I said.

Georges rolled his eyes at me, but his slight grin mitigated the sour look.

We finished the last-minute preparations. There would be thirty-two Alphas and their entourage here in a couple of hours.

The ballroom in the packhouse and been turned in a massive conference room, and the thrones had been taken out of storage. Because yeah, people here have thrones. Plural.

The stories I heard was that Jonathan Devon, Hellhound Senior, had been given a throne by a qilin, for a favour, that everyone has a different story for. Apparently, Johnny Hellhound has a thing for not being consistent with his stories. Anyways, no one knows who carved the throne either. Well, who or what. But it’s a massive Asian-like chair, with gold-embroidered cushions and a massive five feet high backrest with intricate carving made mostly of black jade. The thing is wide enough to sit two or three people.

Since, a few other, more modern, ‘chairs’ were made for all the active Alphas of Blakemore. And whenever there are meeting going through the official channels, the thrones are put on display for their pompous ass to sit upon so that the reception can intimidate anyone stupid enough, to call a meeting through fucking official channels.

Well, you just need to add a big bonfire, a circle of stone menhir, and people half-naked wearing buckskin and doing warrior dances to the songs of growls and howls of wolves, with their skin painted in arcane symbols with blood, in front of all those thrones where sit the ‘royalty’ of werewolf society, to complete the intimidation and make it absolute.

I heard blood sacrifices were a huge thing in those shindigs a millennium or two ago.

I mean, I know we’re supposed to be all civilised now and everything, but getting the massive black thrones with its gold and red cushion, does paint a more arcane picture in my head.

I don’t see people sitting on throne much these days. Most that do, were generally born at least a millennium or two ago.

Anyways, I know it’s a formal thing and everything, and they generally don’t get those out until things are serious, like a trial, or something like that.

I’m not sure what is going on, but it must be serious shit.

As such, I suppose this is not a bad way to set the tone for it.

— Kaden —

I pinched my nose with my thumb and forefinger.

“That is not so simple,” I said to the room in general.

“Something as to be done,” said Mariqueen. “Nubinero operated for a while, and the Brotherhood did nothing, even when they scaled up last summer, they still made us watch as our people suffered for it.”

“They can’t act like they used to. They’re not equipped for it,” said Jayson, my Beta.

“But you did something about it,” she said pointing at me. “You’re the one they send whenever the situation is too complex or dangerous anyways.”

“Our relationship with the Brotherhood at the moment is strained. We’ve mostly been frenemy for a long time, but things might not be possible to return to the status quo unless something is done for it. And this would not be it,” I said. “What you’re suggesting is difficult at best in the present situation. I’m about to face another war in so few months. I have resources but even I am limited. Not only this, but the distance between us is making this all the more complicated.

When I intervened with Nubinero, I was not involved in everything that I am right now. The level of support you’re asking from me is only what I can offer to my own packs. You can’t be asking me to do the Brotherhood’s job. Not only is it not my responsibility, but it would start a war between them and us, for sure. I do not need this right now, neither additional incentive to demonize us.

You said you need more strength to support you, then fucking grow. Fuse together, become stronger. There is a limit to what small packs can do and you know it. Either you accept it or do something about it.”

“We accepted it knowing that the Brotherhood was there to support us,” said Alpha Erikson.

“And when was the last time they did that?” I said. No one answered and they were probably calculating how many years, or more realistically decades, it had been since the last serious intervention from the Brotherhood that was more than sending another signatory to deal with the situation on their behalf.

“You’re asking me to risk my own people and a war that would shake all wolves in the world for you. This could become the first milestone is shaping our own version of World War I. I will not be the one to start this mess, I will not risk my own people, not like this. You want strength, acquire it. That’s the best thing I can tell you right now.”

“What if that’s what we do?” asked Mariqueen.

The ballroom was packed. All the visiting Alphas were sitting on their own chair in front of a conference table in front of my people and I.

There were only ranked members present and a few key people, but it was already at the limit of what this room could contain. If things continue to evolve this way, we might have to build an extension, or a whole new building for these types of situations.

I just motioned my hand in a way that meant to Mariqueen, ‘Well, that’s exactly what I just told you to do’.

“That’s what had happened before with them isn’t it,” she said pointing at some of my Alphas.

My stomach sank as I anticipated what she was about to say.

“When they couldn’t get help from you, you’d give it if they joined Blakemore.”

The whole room erupted in murmurs.

I so did not need that.

“You think I’m withholding support to force you to fuse up?” I asked her.

“Are you?” she asked jutting her chin at me.

I took a long inspiration, praying for patience.

“No, I’m not,” I said. “If I wanted to absorb you, I would tell you outright. I thought you would have realised by now that this is how I operate, not through manipulation and blackmail.”

She nodded unperturbed. “I just had to be sure,” she said.

Sure of what exactly?

“I’m applying Monaweard to join Blakemore,” she said.

The room erupted once more.

“With all due respect Mariqueen, your territory is too far to allow efficient collaboration.”

“Land is just land. I love mine, but I love my people more. I will sacrifice my territory if it means saving my pack.”

There were a lot of heads close together, discussing frantically, and not all of them looked displeased at the idea. Which could mean escalation.

In another time, I would not have bothered that much and maybe have gone along with it, but now, now I’m fucking worried. Stonewillow, the Brotherhood, Boisclair, the three wars, and Elaeya. It’s like all the pieces were getting in place for a perfect storm, and I kept looking around for what could be the trigger. I don’t know if it’ll explode, or build up, maybe pass by. I don’t know. What worried me, most of all, was in what direction it will go. I’m facing too many damn unknowns, and things are starting to hit too close to home for my own comfort.

The attack on Ghealach affected my sister, now my brother-in-law’s old pack is suffering, and everything else that could happen…

I’ve never hesitated this much before. In the past, I would have just jumped into the fray. And I noticed Jayson noticing this too.

Something changed.

My phone notified me of a text message.

I looked.

It was, what I assumed, the source of that change.

I opened Elaeya’s text.

Listen to them

Well, I sighed, fuck.