After spending a few hours watching Luna and Silas enjoy the water, the siblings attempted to return him to Sylvie’s cabin, but sitting alone in Sylvie’s cottage with only his thoughts to keep him company didn’t hold great appeal to Noah. He begged and pleaded with them until they agreed to guide him to the territory’s boundary.
Massive trees towered above them, looking the same as any other part of the forest and forcing him to accept that he wouldn’t be able to memorize their routes. A few dozen guard wolves ran circuits around the perimeter of the territory in miles-long arcs, blurring through the trees almost too fast for his eyes to follow. A frown appeared on his face, and his narrowed eyes revealed the shuffling of countless thoughts and plots.
His scheming was interrupted by the treehouses and swaying bridges that connected the massive trees, creating a secondary layer of life high above the forest floor. Unless you raised your head toward the heavens, you’d be completely ignorant of the structures in the canopy. An opportunity was being ignored by the wolves, but he shook his head, clearing his concerns from his already overcrowded mind. It wasn’t his problem, after all.
“If there are so many guard wolves in the pack, why were you two tasked with guarding the Alpha’s mate?” he asked the siblings, hoping Silas wouldn’t muzzle his source of information.
“We wouldn’t normally, but a pack meeting was called that night,” Luna said with no hesitation, skipping merrily with her pigtails bouncing. Noah glanced at Silas to check if the teenager would ruin his information gathering, but Silas’s face displayed such hopeless defeat that he felt sorry for the young lad. Luna had broken his spirit, and he no longer had the energy to fight back against such a powerful force.
“Why would a pack meeting require the services of two underage pups?” he asked, turning his attention back to Luna.
“A pack meeting is only called if an issue that affects the survival of the pack is raised. In those cases, every wolf possible is required to attend and give their counsel,” Silas chimed in with a tear rolling down his cheek, shocking Noah. Luna must have really broken the poor lad for him to volunteer secrets of the pack.
“Who guards the territory, then? Even a human could slip past the perimeter if only a few wolves are guarding it,” Noah asked, frowning at the lack of security by the wolves. They ignored potential flaws in logic, relying solely on their physical prowess.
Luna burst out laughing while pointing her finger at him in mockery. He squashed his rising anger and humiliation, not allowing a ten-year-old to get under his skin.
“A wolf could hear and smell an intruder from miles away. Trust me, no one is slipping past our elite guards,” Silas said with a small chuckle that seemed even more insulting than Luna’s abject mockery.
“Plus, the guards wouldn’t engage an enemy alone. With one piercing howl echoing throughout the territory, and with every warrior wolf already gathered at the lodge, back up containing the entire might of the pack would arrive in moments,” Silas said, raising his voice to be heard above Luna’s grating laughter.
“So, pack meetings are the only time they reduce the guard?” he asked through gritted teeth, struggling to contain his anger.
“Pack meetings or full-scale battles like with the Unseelie the other day. The best defense is a strong offense, after all. No need for guards if you annihilate the enemy before they even reach pack lands,” Silas said as Luna’s laughter cut off, the abruptness of the silence grabbing his attention.
Noah’s eyes followed her as she skipped and hopped her way over to him. She stared up at him with tear-filled eyes, and his anger deflated. Kneeling down to eye level with her, he patted her head, a deep sadness filling him. What kind of child needed to know the tactical strategies of the pack? This cruel world had forced her to grow up much too soon.
Her arms flung around his neck, grasping him into a tight hug. He could feel her tiny hands patting his back in comfort. Wait, why was she comforting him?
“It’s not your fault, Mr. Human. I can’t imagine how it must feel to be so much weaker than everyone else,” she said, continuing to pat his back. “I’m not sure what trauma your past holds, but to even think a human could slip past guard wolves? You’ve had a rough life, haven’t you?”
“That’s right, Luna. It’s like our parents always told us: protect those who can’t protect themselves and pity the insane, for they don’t deserve your scorn,” Silas chimed in, pride at his sister’s tolerance filling his voice. Noah jumped out of the little girl’s arms, his wide eyes darting rapidly between the two siblings. His fists clenched around his cane, arms shaking from the force.
“Can we help him, Silas?” Luna asked, hope drying her tears for the moment.
“All we can do is try, Luna,” Silas responded, voice burdened with the weight of reality.
“That’s it! To hell with both of you.”
As they approached the boundary of the territory, Noah spied no walls or guard shacks. Then again, why would they need them if the guards were constantly in wolf form? The wolves that guarded the main territory entrance trotted up to them, sniffing in their direction as the trio emerged from the forest. A simple dirt road commanded his attention like a siren’s song, tempting his deepest desires. There it was. The path that would lead him to what he lusted after above all: freedom.
One of the guard wolves shifted to address them while the other stayed alert in wolf form. The giant human form of the guard blocked his obsessive gaze, forcing his eyes to focus on the present. Roaming his eyes over the guard, he couldn’t help but notice the wildness of his beard. Like an ever-growing parasite, it attacked his face in arbitrary patterns. His shirt was cut off at the shoulders, baring his tanned arms and giving a certain wildness to the guard. This was no gentleman, and Noah struggled not to judge the guard based on his first perceptions.
“You shouldn’t be this far from the safety of the pack, young pups. Who authorized you to approach the border?” the guard asked the siblings, ignoring Noah completely.
“Don’t worry, Mr. Clay, we can handle ourselves. Mr. Human just wanted to get a tour of the territory,” Luna said with a roll of her eyes.
Clay turned his head to examine Noah, frowning at the results of his inspection. Noah tipped his hat to Clay in as friendly a greeting as he could manage. “Good day, fine gentleman. I was curious how so few guards patrolled the territory outskirts, but I must say I am impressed with the pack’s efficiency.”
“Not all the races are weak and helpless like the humans. We have no need to hide like rats behind stone walls, too scared to even poke our heads out to see the world,” Clay said, derision lacing his voice. Noah’s smile vanished from his face. It seemed this was another wolf who would not give him fair judgment.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
“Yes, I can see your invincibility from here, Sir Clay. Tell me, what do you and your fellow guardsman eat and drink while you run long hours of patrol?”
Clay eyed him warily, but couldn’t find a logical reason to avoid answering. “We bring smoked meat out to the perimeter with us and will stop to eat every so often. As for water, there are plenty of streams that can quench our thirst in the forest.”
“I see. Well, come along, children. We don’t want to disrupt the guards from performing their sworn duty any longer,” he said, already backing away deep in thought.
“I’m not a child,” Silas scoffed.
“Yeah, me neither,” Luna said, her little fists clenched and her cheeks puffed with anger.
“Of course, you aren’t,” he said sarcastically while reaching down to ruffle her hair. He took great pleasure in the anger that surfaced in her eyes. Nothing could compare to the sweet taste of revenge.
After an eventful day, the trio headed through the woods back to Sylvie’s cabin. Noah stopped every so often to pick herbs he recognized from his books, making sure to harvest them with the correct techniques.
Luna sniffed at the herbs he was collecting, scrunching her nose and making the cutest face Noah had ever seen. How dare he taint that face with anger? Eh, whatever. She had deserved it.
“What are these for, Mr. Human? They smell awful.”
He held out the herbs for her to examine. “This is a delicacy in human territories. Once dried, these herbs will make the best brewed tea you’ve ever tasted.”
“You see? These with the pink tip are ready to be dried and brewed. Those that are missing the pink tip are not yet ripe enough,” he said, separating the herbs into two different bundles.
“Then why pick them now? Shouldn’t you wait until they are ripe?” Silas asked, sniffing at the herbs from a few feet away.
Noah examined the bundle of herbs in his arms. “Oh no, that won’t do. These herbs will ripen within a day, and you only have a few hours window to pick them before they spoil. I will bring them to the cabin and let them ripen before placing them out to dry in the sun.”
Luna attempted to whistle, impressed by his knowledge, but it came out as more of a spitting with sound than a whistle.
“Why don’t you two know these herbs? Don’t you trade with other human territories?” he asked, perplexed by the wolves’ lack of knowledge.
“We just opened the territory to traders a few months ago. Ajax closed the borders once he became sick and completely isolated us,” Silas muttered, a frown marring his face. Noah had heard many things about Sylvie’s father since he had arrived here, and none of it had been good. Did Sylvie take after her father, or was she still redeemable?
They returned to the cabin, and Noah got to work laying the ripened herbs where they could get the most sun. It would take a few days for the moisture to evaporate before they would be ready for grinding and brewing, but patience produced the best results in many things.
With the siblings returning to their own cabin, he waited for Sylvie to return home from wherever her duties as alpha had taken her today. It was near dusk by the time Sylvie returned to the cabin, and his nervous energy had reached a level he hadn’t thought possible.
She wore a hard look on her face, and he didn’t think she was in the mood for any of his “charm”. She entered the cabin without a word, not even glancing at him as she sat at the wooden table. The majestic table of… Stop it!
She pulled out some kind of ledger and began reviewing the notes scribbled across the pages in an unreadable handwriting. Apparently, she didn’t like what she was seeing as a deep-chested growl rang out in the cabin. Tiptoeing up behind her, he attempted to peek at the notebook, but in a flash, Sylvie held the book to her chest, baring her teeth at him.
“Okay, okay. I won’t peek at your naughty drawings, my mate,” he said, holding his hands up to placate her. Her silver eyes narrowed. She didn’t seem amused. Not one bit.
“Did you have a good day, my mate? Or has the heinous prison that is my home broken your spirit already? Or perhaps the evil pack mates that are my family have broken your mind?”
Yep, she wasn’t happy. Whistling in amazement at his perceptive abilities, he wondered if it was a power that reached the level of her shifting. “Oh yes, the siblings took me on a grand tour of the territory. It doesn’t seem like your torturers, I mean pack mates, are opening up to me just yet.”
Sylvie growled, her eyes beginning to glow the bewitching silver he found himself seeking out more and more lately. “They will accept you given time. You are my mate, and I am their alpha.”
“Ah. You are in charge, so they must bow to your wishes? I tell you, my mate, many a man has fallen to such thinking.”
“I am unconcerned with how humans rule themselves. This is the way of the pack and will always be the way for us wolves.”
“Tell me, my mate. Why does being a wolf require you to rule through violence and fear? Half of the wolves fear your very presence, and the other half are waiting for the instant you display an ounce of weakness to attempt a coup,” he whispered, frowning when his heart clenched at the thought.
“Because I am the Alpha. I need to be powerful enough to make the pack submit,” Sylvie said, gritting her teeth with such force that he could hear the crunching.
“Is ruthlessness and intimidation the only way to get someone to submit? I think not,” he said, clicking his tongue.
Rubbing her eyes, Sylvie dropped the alpha mask she cherished so dearly, allowing him to see her exhaustion. How could he ignore the stress and pain that her constant struggle to retain power brought her daily? She looked at odds with the Sylvie that she projected to the pack at all times, making him question how deep her deception went. He stepped forward instinctively to comfort her but stopped himself when she looked up at him with questioning eyes.
“This is the way my father ruled as alpha. The pack hated him, but they never challenged him and we flourished.”
“Who is the imposter now?” he whispered.
She sprung to her feet in a whirlwind of anger. He didn’t make any movements and projected as much calm into the air as he could. Her anger dimmed when she saw he wasn’t mocking her.
She hesitated before coming to some kind of decision, her stance firming with confidence. “My rule is not as ironclad as it needs to be. Many in the pack believe Rowan should be alpha. If I show any weakness, they will oust me.”
The confidence she was projecting faded, her voice a terrified whisper. “I would be exiled from the pack, never allowed to step foot in my home again. I would never see my pack mates again, everyone I’ve ever known becoming a stranger to me. I would lose everything, Noah. Everything.”
He nodded his head, proud of his mate for trusting him with such vulnerability. “Rowan is the one who fought alongside your father for thirty years?”
She nodded her head in affirmation. “He is an accomplished warrior and was just as brutal as my father during his reign. He commands a lot of respect in the pack.”
“Rowan is the one who is bigger than you and the strongest fighter in the pack, correct?”
She again nodded her head, a scowl beginning to form on her face.
“Rowan is the one who has the experience in conquering other packs through brutality and violence, correct?”
“Yes, Noah! Would you like to defect and become his mate instead?”
“Then why, my mate, are you fighting a battle on terrain that you can’t possibly win? Physicality, brutality, fear. These are not arenas you can defeat him in Sylvie.”
Her head snapped up, her eyes glowing so brightly that he wasn’t able to look directly at them. “Those are the arenas where an alpha is crowned. There is no other way,” she said, a pleading in her voice begging him to tell her otherwise.
“Sometimes when the common fails, you must turn to the insane. The pack respected and feared your father, but they did not love him.”
She made to protest but he stopped her with a hand. “I don’t know how pack politics work, but you need to pick a path that will play to your strengths. Do not meet Rowan where you will inevitably lose.”
“With what other means can I convince the pack that I am worthy to be alpha?” she asked deep in thought.
He shook his head with his hands spread out in helplessness. “I don’t know Sylvie. I’m not a wolf. All I’m saying is that when a war occurs, soldiers abandon the feared leader at the first sign of trouble, but they will die to the last man for a leader they love.”