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43

Stacy

Not only are all of the sick doing better – some a little and some a lot, but everyone in the pack also actually looks better, too. Dani Young’s elixir must have done some good. I asked her to make sure Addy gets some and she told me Brody had already requested the same.

My chat with Addy earlier was short and I’m not sure how effective it was. It was short because Brody got antsy with Jase being close by, waiting for me. Apparently being near Grey didn’t bother him but Jase being an unmated alpha was a different story.

We only got a few minutes before Jase rapped on the window and called my name, apologizing for cutting things short but asking me to hurry before Brody decided to kick his ass. Jase made light of it, but I could tell he was injecting levity to try to break the tension for everyone.

I don’t think my words helped much for the moment, but hopefully the things I’ve said will sink in over the coming days. She’s understandably grief-stricken about Aunt Shea, she’s broken after what she and the other girls endured in a brothel disguised as a massage parlor, and she’s beyond frightened of Brody, immensely unhappy about being segregated from everyone.

She’s got bloodshot eyes, she looks like she hasn’t slept, and when I hugged her she shook like a leaf.

After asking her if she wanted to talk about the brothel and getting a very firm no , I told her how wonderful life is being mated to an alpha from Arcana Falls. I told her how beautiful their village is. I told her how I just yesterday hoped she would somehow, someway be identified by one of the Arcana Falls alphas, and the look of accusation on her face – as if I’m responsible for this happening to her – it threw me off.

She looked very skeptical when I told her how incredible sex is when you’re having it with your fated mate. She’s on emotional and information overload in addition to dealing with the reality of life changing for all of us. I tried to explain what I knew of the alpha’s urges and issues between the time of identifying their mate and claiming them and backed off when she got terror-stricken. I reiterated how good Grey is to me, how Brody seems like a really good guy, how Grey speaks very highly of him.

I mentioned he wanted to take on running this pack and this was news to her, so I also told her about Malachi being in Arcana Falls after giving her a full update of what I knew of the health condition of pack members.

And now, after witnessing the difference in several of our people after shifting, I suggested to Grey and got the thumbs up to suggest to the non-ill members of the pack that we all shift all at once outside the gates in the forest.

***

“Wolf shifters need to shift,” I call out. “And we should. As often as we feel the need. Our wolves need us to connect with them, and they need to connect with the earth, the moon especially. It was wrong of Wyatt to make it a punishable offence to shift without his permission. It’s one of the ways he was keeping control, weakening us both physically and mentally. I’m told leadership here is going to change and I suspect you’re all going to be part of the decision-making process. Instead of your leader being decided by might alone, you get to decide who is the right leader for you. But regardless of what happens with Wyatt, whoever takes on a leadership role for this pack, please let us not ever repeat history. Let us learn from it. If our leadership isn’t looking after us, doesn’t have our best interests in mind, we need new leadership.”

“Hear, hear!” Eloise calls out.

“I don’t know about you all, but I’m ready to shift. Let’s all stay close, though, okay? Let’s not stray too far for the moment. You’ll feel a little wobbly, probably, but each shift will have you feeling stronger. I want to shift again when we wake up tomorrow so let’s do another group shift at dawn for whoever wants to.”

The men, other than the few who were sick and are now on the mend, are still in the barracks, but me and most of the rest of the women are all in wolf form now. Misty, Caroline, Jennifer and a few of the other girls that were rescued last night are here, too.

I switch shapes and most of the others do the same, though a few of the older women have difficulty. Of all who are able to shift, a few are sniffing around and walking the perimeter of the side yard behind the schoolhouse. A few of the younger women are happily playing with one another, chasing, play fighting. The kids watch from inside the schoolhouse as we wanted to make sure they stayed safe after Grey warned that those who hadn’t shifted in several years, which included several, could be dangerous.

Although I can see the handful who haven’t been able to shift are visibly upset, I also see Lincoln, still in person shape, talking to them, offering what looks like reassurance and comforting.

Nobody here seems like a danger whatsoever, but Grey stood in wolf shape between us and the schoolhouse to stay on the safe side of things.

The mood is jovial, more so than I’ve seen for years around here. And I’m so, so happy that I beam a smile at my mate who, still in his wolf shape, winks at me.

Grey

When the group of Silver Hills women shifts back to female forms, I shift as well. After everyone is dressed and Mitch administers his experimental drug to three of the four that were unable to shift, he approaches, about to speak with me, but the lady Stacy sang to last night, Patsy, approaches the two of us looking at her feet but obviously wanting to speak to me or Mitch about something.

“Can I do something for you, Patsy?” I ask.

Her eyes meet mine, flit away, then return, like she’s given herself permission to continue eye contact despite her instinct to avert her gaze.

“I’d like to know… what’s going to happen to our alpha? Will he go to a prison, or will he be put to death?”

“I’m conducting an investigation,” Mitch replies. “Once Wyatt Meadows is apprehended, I’ll be interviewing everyone in this pack individually before I submit my report and then our council will discuss a plan of action. I expect him to stand trial.”

“Might I ask…” She waits.

“Ask anything you like, ma’am,” Mitch invites.

“What are the potential punishments?” Patsy asks, but she’s still got eyes on me, as if she’s not certain if she can look at Mitch.

“He could be sent to prison. He could also be put to death. He could be sentenced to serve time in a work camp as well.”

“Could we decide what happens to him? Stacy says she believes we should be offered a chance to choose our leadership. Could we, perhaps, do a joint impact statement like they do in the Hollywood movies so that can be taken into account for sentencing?” She finally looks at him.

“I can make that recommendation,” Mitch replies. “No promises you’ll choose the sentence, but you can certainly recommend a sentence in a statement.”

“And… might I ask… what if we decide to do something before he stands trial?“ she inquires. “What if folks here decide to mete out their own punishment?”

Mitch gives her a wide smile and takes a minute before he answers. “As he’s your alpha, if there were a mutiny situation, we would study the aftermath and the reasons behind it and make a decision based on that.”

“Could some of us stand trial if we put him to death?”

“Ma’am, while I am but one member of the council collective and have no way to predict the future, I will say that we rarely intervene when a pack challenges their own alpha as it’s usually deserved. I suspect that if, after all I’ve seen here, Wyatt Meadows’ people put him to death … nobody in the SCC would likely bat an eyelash. If they did, there would be a whole lot of people standing up and taking the backs of the accused and I’m sure that would factor into any decisions or consequences.”

“The more you know…” I put in with humor.

“The more you know,” she mimics and her eyes twinkle before she meanders away to a cluster of older women all paying obvious attention.

“Good to see you’re feeling better,” I add, and she tosses a smile over her shoulder.

Mitch and I exchange loaded glances before he speaks up, affectionately slapping my back.

“Well, I’m heading home,” Mitch tells me. “I’ve just had a conversation with Brody and on behalf of the SCC told him I see no issue with him taking charge until such time as we can arrest Meadows. If an arrest doesn’t happen in a reasonable timeframe, we could make recommendations.”

“What would those recommendations be, you think?”

“From myself? Like your missus suggested - that the pack hold their own election.”

“Good. Glad to hear it.” I extend my hand and he shakes it, but doesn’t release it.

Instead, he leans in closer. “I’ll call when I’ve got the results of the soil samples, the water samples.”

“Sounds good,” I reply.

“Brody’s already got his eye on a patch of property an hour and forty-five minutes from your territory. Eighty plus acres severed from a former working farm and converted to a little resort with country cabins about twenty years back. Two hundred and fifty adjacent clearcut acres have been donated to become conservation, had a mix of soft and hardwood trees planted seven years ago and won’t ever be developed or clearcut again. Remaining acreage has a big house, barn, and the twenty-five cabins on site as well as some storage buildings. There’s also a big building suitable for a community building, warehouse, or factory. He’s talking about speaking to Mason’s father on partnership plans for a possible winery and distillery. Some of the buildings need a little work, some of them are in great shape. I’ve recommended he put in a request for financing with us. He doesn’t want financial help, but there are grants available for situations like this.”

Brody probably doesn’t want the SCC pulling any strings. I don’t blame him.

“Good to know. Thanks for the help.”

“Off the record… I hope you find the fucker and end him, Greyson. If that happens, send your incident report straight to me and I’ll do what I can to simply file it and close the case,” Mitch says, giving my hand another squeeze before letting go.

Incident reports. Fuck sakes. I know my council co-alphas will agree with me that we want as little to do with the SCC as possible. But closing the book on this Meadows situation is something I do want. As soon as fucking possible. Because I’m ready to help my mate move beyond this, show her what life is supposed to be like.

***

It’s dark and the Silver Hills pack is being seated for an evening meal. The few remaining sick are being cared for in their own homes by rotating volunteers. There’s been a third successful shift by the sick which resulted in most of them saying they feel a hundred per cent. Five more folks agreed to take the shifting drug as well as the one lone female who wasn’t sick but who also couldn’t shift. Another who couldn’t shift didn’t want the drug but tried to shift again and was successful. And my mate is beaming with joy. She has been for hours. She seems lighter on her feet. Her smiles are bigger. She’s laughed several times and it’s got me feeling a little lighter, too, though my mood won’t completely lighten until Meadows is dealt with and we’re back home. Back home where I plan to spend days in bed with her. In bed, then the woods. Then the shower, then bed again.

My mate and a few of the other women prepared a big pasta, garlic twisty bread my mate threw together, and salad feast for everyone and the mood in the mess hall is jovial.

Or it was, but now that Jared and Gus are walking in the men from the barracks to join the group for the meal, the mood shifts and it’s clear there’s a gender divide in this pack, definitely down to Meadows cultivating a culture of women being treated as second-class citizens.

I speak up. “Everyone, we want you all under the same roof to give you an update while we share a meal. Dr. Mitchell Blakely of the Supernatural Council Collective has left this pack in the capable hands of Brody Savage who will be your interim alpha. Most of you haven’t met him yet, but here he is.” I gesture to Brody who is beside me.

“Men, our apologies for separating you from everyone, but we had to assess the situation here and make sure everyone was safe as well as ensure nobody was acting on orders from Wyatt Meadows to cause any harm. Now that we’ve tended to the ill and have everyone, in just twenty-four hours save a few that didn’t survive, on the mend, we want you to all have an update. Brody Savage, everyone.”

I gesture to Brody and step back.

He’s still fighting the rutting urge, but he wanted to do this in order to start things off on the right foot with these folks who deserve to know what’s happening, to have the peace of mind that would undoubtedly come with knowing things are moving in the right direction for their pack.

“Evenin’ everyone. I’m Brody. I’m from Arcana Falls. My brother is an Arcana Falls council alpha, not one of the ones here today. I’m in good standing with my pack, but I’ve been traveling for a while looking for my place, loving where I grew up, respecting everything about the pack and the village but knowing down to my bones that I’m meant to lead my own pack.”

He moistens his mouth and continues, eying Addy. “I’ve identified Adelaide Evans as my fated mate and as her pack is currently in need of a leader, I wanted to throw my hat in the ring.”

He assesses the crowd, particularly the men who are now seated at a table.

“It’s my understanding that another male from this pack, Malachi Carswell, may be interested in the role as well. Malachi is in Arcana Falls, he’s being treated well after a short stint in a cell on that land. Our council is sending him here in the morning.”

There’s positive buzz at this news.

“He and I will have a conversation and then we’ll brief everyone at either brunch or dinner tomorrow about our talk. As far as the SCC is concerned, Wyatt Meadows is unlawfully at large. A warrant has been issued for his arrest and he’s been deemed unfit to lead this pack. You all can decide if I’m the man you want leading you, if Malachi is your preference, or if there’s another pack member that wants to put their name in the hat for the election, that’s absolutely up to you. I will say that anyone found to be aiding Wyatt Meadows in any way will be subject to prosecution, either from this pack or from the SCC. For the moment, I’m here to tell you that not much is off the table in terms of the direction I’m looking in. I’m open to conversations about the future direction of this pack. You’re all welcome to approach me with questions here tonight. Once Wyatt Meadows is apprehended, the SCC will again get involved to help arrange an election for you to choose your new alpha. My first priority beyond seeing to the care and happiness of my mate…” He stops and sets eyes on Adelaide, who is seated at a table with several women including mine – “is the safety and health of everyone here. Now… my Aunt, Catrina Savage, healer of the Arcana Falls pack, Danica Young, healer of the Young Coven as well as cousin to Greyson Blackwood, and Dr. Mitchell Blakely of the SCC have all contributed medication to aid us in getting everyone in tip top shape so that’s the goal over the next few days. The water tanker up front should last us a couple days if we’re careful with consumption. Another will be here in four days. We’re expecting soil and water sample reports in another day or two and once those come in, we can talk about whether or not this land is viable for you all to continue to live on.”

“What if it’s not?” A teenaged girl I don’t know but who I do know was rescued from that brothel last night asks.

“If it’s not and you all choose to vote me in as your alpha, I have a parcel of land in mind that we can move to with habitable homes, drinkable water, and farmable land.”

“Where?” Another younger girl asks.

“A couple hours from here,” Brody replies. “There’s also warehouse space on the edge of the land and I’m interested in exploring some business ideas for that space to offer employment to pack members who are interested. There’s a lot of opportunity in the area, but I’m getting ahead of myself here. It’s too early to get caught up in all that. Getting everyone healthy is the priority right now. I’m bringing in some additional friends from Arcana Falls and another two packs I’m close to, so if you do choose me as your alpha I’ll be inviting some of them to join the pack to help us with infrastructure. We can get into all that later. Right now I’d love it if we could enjoy this meal together and maybe in a day or two, we can open things up to a town hall discussion if anyone has questions or concerns. If anyone has anything urgent, by all means, seek me out. Does that sound all right?”

There are a lot of yesses and nods from the crowd, so Brody invites the kids to line up first to get their food from the table where Stacy and a few of the women have everything waiting to be served.

My gaze meets Brody’s and I give him a nod of approval. I feel it – he’s the right man for this job. We just need to find Meadows STAT and deal with him so everyone in this pack, especially my mate, can move on knowing he’s done fucking with their lives.