Ansuya was in complete control of the situation, at least she acted that way. She was also dangerous. What she had done to those people back there without hesitation or remorse seemed wrong to him. She twisted their wills and minds to do her bidding without batting an eyelash. This only made sense to him. She had been around for a while. The wars and missions into the Whyte Plain and everything else that the Shape shifters did for survival probably took a heavy toll on anybody. After so many years of death and fighting, he supposed you just got numb to how people might feel and just did things because they needed to be done. Was ‘because it needed to be done’ a good enough excuse to do away with moral authority altogether? Where did ‘doing the right thing’ play into their survival and daily lives? Did he even have the luxury of thinking that way anymore? William watched as the valley below them opened up as the street began a smooth decent into civilization.
Catching glimpses of the street signs as they passed, he caught the name of the park they were going to. Shasties Park seemed to be only about ten miles away. The town, such that it was, was small and rustic. It looked very much in place under the shadow of the majestic, snowcapped mountain behind it. The buildings were mostly log cabins; at least that’s how they looked from the outside. He knew that underneath they were probably steel and cement just like any other building, but for now he was happy to just let the façade of rustic mountain living envelop him.
The trees let in slashes of red and orange sun light through them to blind his eyes temporarily. It felt really good to be out in the world again. It had been so long since he had been in a car. He was amazed at how it didn’t feel even the slightest bit alien to him. He would have thought that after three years of not being in a car he would at least get a little motion sickness or something. But he felt fine, except for the fact that the wolf sitting next to him was still completely pissed off at him.
Eventually Charles pulled the vehicle into Shasties Park. They found a relatively isolated parking spot and got out of the car. Ansuya tied her leash around Alexiares’s neck while she gave the other leash to William. He took a second to silently ask the gods what he had done to deserve this. He shifted his gaze from the leather strap in his hand to the majestic black wolf standing in front of him, daring him to try to put the leash back on her.
Ansuya looked at William straight faced and arched an eyebrow at him. He heaved a huge sigh, not trying to hide his apprehension or distaste for what he was about to do. He knelt down in front of his alpha and reached around her neck. She snapped her jaws at him. William jerked back, falling over on his butt. He reached up to feel at his neck. His hand came away red. The pain in his flesh told him that Aceso’s teeth had left a few holes along his neck. He reached up and placed his palm against the slight burning of the wound.
The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
Ansuya was not happy, but she didn’t move. Instead, it was Alexiares who pulled away from Ansuya’s grip and stalked toward the young female wolf. Aceso stood her ground but did lower her head at the approach of the elder. Alexiares was not to be so easily appeased. He walked toward her and once he was only a body length away, he pounced in a vicious attack. Aceso was rocked backward and rolled under the weight of the male. Alexiares tumbled and quickly turned back around and rammed Aceso again. He wrapped his fore legs around her and forced her to the ground. Aceso rolled and flung her head back and forth. Her tail was flicking up and down and her ears were pressed against her skull. She kicked out with all four limbs to no affect.
Alexiares held her to the ground and raised his head. He kept Aceso down on the ground with one paw on her neck. Aceso kicked out, trying to escape, but Alexiares’s hold was too strong for the young healer. William felt miserable for her. Alexiares had her in the perfect dominance position. This was how wolf pack alphas displayed and proved their dominance over their packs and other wolves. Aceso struggled for a few minutes more, she was determined. Eventually though, her movements slowed and she accepted Alexiares’s posture. William felt horrible about the whole thing. It was worse than seeing your best friend getting their ass handed to them by their coach or dad. He couldn’t do anything except watch.
Once Aceso was still under the iron grip of the elder, he removed his paw from her neck. Aceso stayed on the ground for a few moments. The look in her eyes smoldered. If she were human, William would have said she was a heartbeat away from crying. Alexiares walked back over to Ansuya, who gracefully bent down and retrieved the end of his leash.
William was unsure of what to do. Aceso lay on the ground, fighting with her wolf instincts and her shape shifter emotions. He had no idea what it must be like for her. He knew he had to do something but what that was escaped him at the moment, so he just stood there.
Thankfully his alpha made the decision for him. Silently she got back on her paws. She lifted her head in the air and with as much dignity as she could she walked back to William and stood next to him. William looked over to see Alexiares staring at the black wolf and Ansuya was staring at him. They were both under the scrutiny of the elders. Having no choice William gingerly reached down and clasped the leather leash into place around the neck of his alpha.