Page 29 of Spirit Walker Pack (Kingdom of Wolves #5)

FLINT

No using my motorcycle for this journey. We received word that Arric is preparing for his onslaught, and that he intends to take Spirit Walker Pack first. I’ll mind link this to Lyle as soon as I am close enough. I don’t want to risk making a phone call.

I think the council needs to think about updating its fleet of vehicles, too. This one is just about shaking my flesh from my skeleton. This mode of transport may be more secure than my bike, but it’s a damn sight more uncomfortable, and slower!

Roul insisted on being my driver, which I believe is due to his feelings of betraying the council but more so me personally.

I have tried several times to help him come to terms with it, to no avail.

His family was taken and held hostage. I don’t blame him one bit for doing everything he could to keep them safe.

He even tried to find where they were being held so he could rescue them and bring down Porter, but Roul was betrayed by another warrior that he trusted would help him.

It was an intricate web of deceit that Porter had spun and must have taken years to be so widespread.

We were all taken in by him, I must say.

Not once did I ever suspect that he would be involved, let alone that Arric would turn out to be his bastard son.

I often wonder if Porter himself wasn’t coerced by Arric with threats of this being revealed.

The journey to the Spirit Walker border seems to take forever.

I can only hope the rest of the journey passes quickly.

I look forward to meeting Luna Fenya Walker.

Lyle has his mate. Of course it was bound to happen, but I never saw it coming.

I think I’m destined to be alone and grow old as a grumpy old shifter at the council.

What an awe-inspiring thought that is. What would I need in a mate, I wonder?

She would have to have patience to spare.

I have been a single male for so long, I don’t know how to share my life!

I always wanted pups, but I think I’m too long in the tooth for that caper now.

They’d run me ragged in no time. Where would I be likely to find a mate anyway?

I’ve been around the packs so long and so often that I would have met her by now.

Nope, I think I’m just meant to be alone.

You speak for yourself. You wallow in your despair.

I don’t know where this sour mood has come from, but you can keep it to yourself.

I still want my mate and I want pups. Just because you see yourself as past your prime, don’t include me in that.

I can still behave like a stud and sire litters of pups, thank you very much! Bruno states smugly.

‘A stud? A stud, you? Litters of pups? I can’t believe you uttered those words. It takes you all your time to catch a rabbit these days, never mind satisfy a female's mating desires.’

At least I can still catch something. You couldn’t catch a cold, old human!

‘Go to sleep and leave me to my pity party,’ I snap.

My pleasure. Wake me when we get there. I’d like to meet the new Luna myself, and her wolf.

Relaxing back into the seat, as much as I can in this boneshaker, I close my eyes, watching Bruno settle down and he’s soon fast asleep.

Hearing my name, I open my eyes with a start, and hear Roul calling to me from the driver's seat.

“We will be arriving in about ten minutes. I didn’t think you’d appreciate it if I delivered you to Alpha Lyle, snoring like a warthog with the flu,” Roul states with amusement in his voice.

“Snoring? I don’t snore.”

“Well, to my knowledge a wolf can’t snore, and as there are only the two of you back there, I’d say it was you that was making all that racket.” Roul smiles at me through the rearview mirror, and I have to be honest, I’ve woken myself up before now with my snoring.

Arriving at the Spirit Walker packhouse, I see the usual welcome plus Alpha Lyle with his new Luna, Fenya. She is almost as tall as he is, and they look good together.

Stepping out of the vehicle, I walk over to Alpha Lyle and greet him warmly. Standing before Luna Fenya, I take her offered hand, but pull her into a hug. “Luna Fenya, it is a pleasure to meet you formally. We were never introduced when you were Alpha Falan’s escort to Wolfsfoot.”

“Councilman Flint, I am pleased to make your acquaintance. Alpha Lyle speaks very highly of you,” Fenya says with a touch of respect in her voice.

“He exaggerates a lot, I’m sure,” I say as I smile at them both. “You look good together. That was my first thought as we pulled up.”

“Come on, Flint. You must be half-starved after your long drive. Chef Flick has been extremely busy since she heard of your visit.” Lyle laughs as he says this, and he takes his Luna’s hand as we head for the dining hall.

Stepping into the dining hall, I notice Bruno takes an interest in the smells that assail us.

That’s venison stew. I’d know that smell anywhere. It would appear that Chef Flick has cooked for me this time. None of that lasagna stuff. Yuk! This smells like proper food. Bruno growls in my mind with satisfaction.

‘Lasagna is proper food, and I happen to like venison, too. It isn’t especially for you.’

“Councilman Flint. It’s good to see you again so soon. I thought I’d prepare something that your wolf could enjoy with you this time. My sources tell me he is almost as partial to venison as he is to rabbit.” Chef Flick appeared as if by magic in front of me.

“Well, that will make him so big-headed I won’t hear the last of it.” I give her an eye-roll that tells her I am teasing him. “I also understand that congratulations are in order. It’s about time you got some recognition for your superb work in the kitchen and herb gardens.”

“It was Luna Fenya’s first action as our Luna. It is most appreciated, I assure you.” She gives a squinty-eyed look at her Alpha as she says this.

“One little change of title or years of compliments? I thought that the praise was enough, but we males can never get it right. I bow to my Luna’s act of recognition.

In fact, I may make her responsible for all pack promotions going forward, eh?

Promotions are all well and good when they go smoothly, but ruffle one set of feathers and you never hear the end of it.

” Lyle shakes his head at both Chef Flick and Fenya who smile back at him.

“I have a one hundred percent record, Alpha Lyle. I am not worried. In fact, I would welcome the responsibility. I’d have the pack fawning all over me to ingratiate themselves for the next step up the proverbial ladder.

” Seeing the tips of her lips twitching shows the smile trying to escape.

They are going to be a happy couple, I’m sure.

Taking our seats at a table, Chef Flick has two of her staff act as servers, and they bring plates of varying dishes as well as the venison stew. The stew, however, is the star of the show. It is cooked to perfection, and the juniper berries make the meat's flavor pop.

Insisting that Roul takes time out to enjoy some of the fantastic offerings, he takes a table where he can still be on duty as part of my protection detail.

I could say that when the ‘meal’ was over, but that wouldn’t do justice to it, ‘banquet’ is more suitable. Standing at the table, I call out to Chef Flick in the kitchen. When she appears at the door, I bow and then clap loudly. The table joins me, and then the dining hall, too.

Blushing furiously, Chef Flick gives a hurried curtsy and then dashes back to the haven of her kitchen.

Relaxing in the Alpha’s office, Fenya tells me some of the things that Lyle has had to put up with during the time she didn’t know her own mind. When she tells me of challenging him in his own office, I can’t help the wide-eyed owl look that I give them.

“It wasn’t quite as bad as Fenya makes it out to be. Plus, I was not handling what I saw as rejection very well, either,” Lyle informs me.

“It doesn’t sound like it's all been plain sailing to get to this point, I must admit. You wouldn’t think so though, seeing how you are with each other.” As I smile at them both, Fenya takes Lyle’s hand.

“I am thankful for his patience, and I hope it lasts well into the future. I am trying to curb my quick reactions somewhat without changing who I am.” Fenya glances at the clock on the wall.

“Your conference call is due shortly. I’ll get some refreshments sent from Flick before it begins.

If you think of anything during the call, don’t hesitate to contact me, and I’ll get it organized.

I think it best to have as few as possible hearing any snippets of information while you’re busy.

” Kissing Lyle lightly on the lips, she stands before me, waiting for a hug, I think.

“Don’t keep me waiting, Flint. Physical contact is a huge step for me, so you should take it while you can. ”

Jumping to my feet, I hug her gently and am surprised by how much effort she puts into the hug.

“I don’t do anything by halves, as you’ll soon find out as you get to know me. Now, I’ll leave you to your preparations.” Leaving the room, her absence is noticeable. The room seems to take a breath and calm as soon as the door shuts.

“She is a force of nature, isn’t she?” Lyle says as he grins at the closed door.

“As in a hurricane or typhoon, yes. She strikes me as a caring person beneath that explosive exterior. I’m happy for the two of you. I think you’ll be a calming influence, but I doubt that she will ever be passive in your daily lives.” I laugh at the thought of Fenya keeping Lyle on his toes.

“In all fairness, Flint, I wouldn’t want her any other way. It may be a wild ride at times, but it will never be boring.”

Lyle takes a folder from one of his desk drawers and slides it across to me.

Opening it, I see what at first glance appears to be a blueprint.

There’s also a map, but I don’t recognize the region it covers.

Looking back at the blueprint, I think I’ve made the connection.

“Is this what I think it is?” I ask as I see the significance of what I hold in my hands.

“If you think the map is of no-man’s-land, then I think it’s safe to say yes. It is what you think it is. If we use that to our advantage, we could save a lot of lives on both sides.” Lyle grins at me, but not like he grinned at the door. This is far more predatory and menacing than that grin.

“How did you get this? I mean, well done, and I don’t honestly care how you got it, but this could change everything.” I look at the blueprint and for the first time, notice figures in the top corner of the page.

“It all started with an idea from Bronze. We’ve been working on it in secret to minimize the risk of our actions being discovered.

Only Bronze and I know all the pieces of the puzzle.

Anyone seeing that folder can only guess what they think it relates to.

I’ll let Bronze choose how much to share during the call, but ultimately that could win the war in just a few days and hopefully save hundreds of lives.

It could put Arric out of business before he truly knows what’s hit him. ”

Sitting back in my chair, I place the folder back on the desk and slide it back to Lyle. “I don’t wish to sound bloodthirsty or even vengeful, but in a perfect scenario there would be no Arric once this war is over.” Tilting my head to one side, I wait for Lyle’s thoughts.

“I don’t believe that will be a problem.

He has too many enemies to be able to just walk off the battlefield.

The mysterious Number Seven may yet do that job for us.

You never know. If Arric looks like losing, he won’t want to be implicated in all of this, I wouldn’t imagine.

” Lyle is onboard with my thoughts from this comment.

“Number Seven, yes. Do we know any more about him? Anything new? I don’t like secretive assassins running loose any more than I do Arric.

I like a place for everything and everything in its place, and so far Number Seven is neither of those things.

” Leaning forward again just emphasizes my uneasy feelings about that shifter, and I wait to see what Lyle can tell me.

“I’ll start the conference call, and then I can fill you in on some thoughts that Hunter threw into the mix regarding Number Seven.”

Getting the call up and running, we flash through the pleasantries and get down to business.

Bronze and Lyle have the most to say, as they have been the ones acting secretly on information that Bronze received, and discussed with Lyle after the Alpha meeting.

They agreed to keep it to themselves until the last possible moment in case Arric had any backup spy network.

When Number Seven pops up again, Lyle tells us about the theory that Hunter had to explain the all-black eyes.

He must have been the only one who didn’t know the story of the early Shadow Clan that became Shadow Warriors.

No one had made the connection to our modern-day Number Seven, but all were happy to accept it.

Discussing the map and blueprints brought forth an unhappy Falan, who persuaded us that including him in their secretive plan could yield good results.

Falan had news that Arric was collecting his forces and that the Spirit Walker pack was to be the target of his first major offensive.

For our plan to work, we needed him to concentrate on the Blood Pearl pack as his first battlefront.

So with that we ended our call, happy in the knowledge that we had a plan to share with the other packs, or at least part to share, and part to be revealed at a more critical point.