There’s silence on the other end of the phone, confirming my apprehension. No one will be thrilled to have the Council pay a visit. Considering the unique nature of our current leadership here in New England, with both the coven and the pack being ruled by one person, things are going to get interesting very quickly. Not to mention the coven’s own unique problems with them, and the shifters, ever loyal, taking up the grudge in solidarity.
“You said he? Who is he?”
“The Alpha.”
“As in, Capital A, Alpha?” I can hear the wince in her voice.
“That would be the one, yes.”
“Awesome. Well, that’ll be a day.” I grin and can practically taste the sarcasm coming through the phone.
“I’m not sure how long they’ll be here, he didn’t say that either. I’m assuming they’ll arrive tomorrow or the day after.” I pinch the bridge of my nose and close my eyes as I listen to Kelly curse in several languages.
“I’ll let the coven elders know we need to keep a close eye on everyone for a while. I’m assuming you’ll tell Olivia. But, Ayla, we need to talk about what happened during the alpha challenge.”
“I know.” I sound tired. “Why don’t you come to the packhouse in an hour? I’d rather talk about this before the Alpha and the Council get here, and I only want to tell the story once.”
“I’ll bring some ice cream.”
“Bless you, you beautifully stunning amazing unicorn of a woman.”
Kelly chuckles softly before hanging up the phone. Pack land is a state forest in Vermont. We have members of the supernatural community in every form of government to ensure that our secret doesn’t get out and that we have safe places to gather. The packhouse is a mansion. It was built with the understanding that people would be coming and going constantly, so the thing is massive.
I stand and look around my office, realizing it’ll probably be a few days before I’ll be able to step foot in here again. It’s not exactly neat, there are files piled everywhere, but I know where everything is, which is all that really matters. The back wall of my office is a wall of floor to ceiling windows, giving me an amazing view of the harbor. One of my walls has a large bookshelf crammed with legal reference materials and other books. The opposite wall displays my degrees, all twenty of them, and various licenses, as well as awards I’ve won throughout my career. I’m proud of the work I do and the people I’ve helped.
Grabbing what I’ll need to work remotely from the packhouse, I quickly type out an email to my office manager on my phone, explaining about the Council’s visit, asking to reschedule my meetings, and telling her to also take the time off. I finish by informing her that, as always, I will be available by phone or email. I don’t like to cancel on clients on such short notice, but many of them have my personal number anyway. I turn the lights off and lock my office door, walking down the hall to stand before a blank wall.
I quietly chant a spell under my breath and a soft light slowly appears on the wall, taking the shape of a doorway. I step through and walk directly into my bedroom in the packhouse. Placing my things on my bed, I dial Olivia’s number.
“Ayla, what’s wrong? I can feel your unease through the pack bond.”
I keep forgetting about that damn bond. I need to shut it down.
It’s there to ensure the safety of the pack. You know this. If you open up a bit more, you would be able to talk to Olivia like you talk to me.
Because I need another voice in my head. I gently nudge my dragon to the back of my mind.
While the pack bond can be a blessing, it’s also annoying as all hell. As alpha, I’m connected with all members of the pack. I also have a blood bond with the witches that allows for the same kind of bond. The links allow me to know when a member of the community is in danger, and also lets the community know if there’s something wrong. But if I’m not careful, my emotions can leak through the bonds and cause problems. I haven’t been connected to a community in so long I keep forgetting the damn connection is even there. Unlike the instant bond that is formed when a shifter wins an alpha challenge, the bond with the witches requires actual effort from the coven. The coven gathers around their leader and pours a bit of their collective power into that person, linking everyone together in a way very similar to a pack bond.
“The Council is coming.” I’m focusing on attempting to shut down the bonds, so I’m not paying much attention to what Olivia says next.
“Please tell me this is a joke.” Olivia’s tone takes on a hard edge. While the Alpha is technically the alpha of all shifters, that doesn’t mean the pack won’t see his arrival here as a potential threat, especially to me.
Challenges for alpha are allowed within the pack, it’s shifter nature and allows a pack to remain strong and healthy. It’s not unusual for a younger shifter to challenge an older alpha. Fighting amongst other pack members is discouraged, but each pack member has a right to challenge for alpha any time they want. It’s the same for the beta position. For most, it’s extremely difficult to win an alpha or beta challenge. Not only do you need to be physically strong, but your animal has to be extremely dominant as well. Submissive shifters, while completely necessary for a healthy pack, don’t last long in either position, if they can win the position at all. As a queen, I’m more dominant than even the Alpha. I’ll need to be careful while around him so he doesn’t notice.
“I’m assuming they’ll be here tomorrow or the day after. Olivia, you need to meet me at the packhouse. I need to explain to you and Kelly what happened at the alpha challenge with Morgan. There’s so much you don’t know. I’m sorry I’ve kept secrets.”
There’s a pause on the other end. “Ayla, I know you’re something we haven’t seen before. I’m not sure what exactly, but I know you’re powerful and that you have the best interest of this community at heart. So trust me, no matter what you are, the pack won’t have an issue.”
I’m worried that when the pack finds out what I am, they’ll attempt to either kill me, turn me over to the Council, or let a demon know where I’m hiding. Being a queen isn’t a bad thing, but the Council has made it clear that the rarer species are to be brought before them for “protection,” which is a fancy way of saying they’re mated off to a councilman to keep an eye on them and control them. Being a queen also paints a very large target on my back. If it gets out that the New England Pack is harboring a queen, demons and other packs will most likely attempt to attack to get their hands on me.
My status as a queen isn’t the only secret I’ve kept from my community. While I’m not entirely sure my sisters are alive since they’ve been sleeping for the last four hundred years. I’ve been on a quest for the last century to find where my mother hid them. They had willingly allowed our mother to put them to sleep, the gods only know where. Once it became clear they hadn’t woken, and it didn’t appear that they would any time soon, I knew I needed to find out what happened to them. I don’t plan on telling anyone about my sisters unless I absolutely need to.
“Ayla? I’m on my way. I assume Kelly is heading over too? What’s she bringing?”