Page 3 of Spirit Walker Pack (Kingdom of Wolves #5)

LYLE

After watching Lavender and the others leave this morning, I can’t help feeling a sense of failure. Should I have recognized this earlier? Should my parents have seen it?

“No one realized the extent of her feelings for you, Lyle. You have nothing to reproach yourself for.” Flint can obviously read me well, I’m thinking.

“Maybe not, Flint. I still feel that I failed her, am failing her. Casting her out to find a mate and thus solve my own problem that is Lavender. There must have been a better way of dealing with her all these years. I don’t want to be bored, but this isn’t how I’d like to ease that boredom.

“Anyway you! You never told me how you solved the problem of your infatuated female. How did the mighty Don Quixote solve that one?”

“Don Quixote? I think you mean Don Juan?” Flint laughs at my improper use of the two very different characters.

“Whatever! How did you do it?” I laugh with him because I’m not sure where my comparison came from in the first place.

“I didn’t solve it. It solved itself. One day she just wasn’t there anymore.

Her things were gone from her home and no one ever saw her again.

Poof! She disappeared from the pack. There was no pack link broken, nothing to signify she had passed, just poof.

” Flint clicks his fingers to emphasize his poof statement.

“Didn’t you come under suspicion for foul play or anything?” I ask, thinking that could be a line of thought for something like this.

“Of course, questions were asked, but I had no answers. I couldn’t give an alibi, as no one knew when she had actually disappeared.

No one recalled seeing her for several days, so there was no timeline to work on.

There were no links broken, as I said, so there was no indication of her death.

It was all very odd at the time, but pack life went on and gradually it was just accepted that she had decided I wasn’t worth pursuing anymore.

” Flint stares into the distance, remembering some long-lost memory, perhaps.

“Well, I don’t want that happening to Lavender. She deserves more than just ‘poof, she’s gone.’ I can’t think of anything worse than one of my pack members to disappear, and no one ever to know what happened to them.”

Seeking to lighten the mood, I throw a question at Flint. “How do you think they’ll get on at Wolfsfoot pack? They have the pack and the town to visit so Lavender may find a mate with all that population. Don’t you think?”

“It’s very possible. I don’t think she will get to meet the entire population though, Lyle.

That would be asking a bit too much. With four packs to go through, and the fact that she hasn’t found her mate here, there’s got to be a good chance she’ll find him somewhere.

” Flint gives me an encouraging smile, which I return.

“C’mon. Let’s go pester some of my team and see if we can spoil their day, eh?” Heading out of the office I catch sight of my Beta and call him to a halt. Seeing his shoulders sag a little, and then straighten, has Flint and I both laughing.

Over the next three hours, we play hide and seek with my team as they try to stay one step ahead of us.

The only one I don’t find is Blossom. Although not a member of the hierarchy, she is still part of my unofficial council, and I value her opinion and her honesty.

She bites her lower lip before voicing any disagreement, and this always has me grinning.

I have been known to steer conversations that way deliberately just to see her do it.

Once we’ve eaten another of Flick’s stunning meals, we retire to my office to muse over the talks we’ve had with the team. None of them have any doubt that war is coming with the rogues, and everyone is doing whatever it takes to prepare for it.

Chief Warrior Glen has increased the fight training for the pack.

The majority of our warriors are now at the top of their game and any that aren’t are receiving one-on-one training with a mentor.

All the non-warrior members have been trained at basic warrior levels, with those that just don’t have the aptitude being trained with weapons.

I noticed several bats dotted about the classes and other strategic spots as we walked round.

I wonder where that inspiration came from?

Luna Taria’s personal bodyguard, Ember, no doubt.

Apparently, she’s a force not to be trifled with!

Flick has been working alongside the healers and making all their potions, salves, and poultices. I bet she wasn’t pleased with her kitchen smelling like an apothecary’s shop.

Earl has been stockpiling rations for the coming war and ensuring we have all the logistics in place to move supplies and our warriors.

Doctor Devlin has acquired several tents and is busy equipping them as field surgeries.

And me? I’m signing everything off and throwing in my ideas and suggestions, most of which have already been thought of and actioned.

Flint finds it hysterically funny everyone is so organized that I am almost redundant. Apparently, my parents are the same at the council and it’s not all as hectic and hustle-bustle as they expected, either.

When the phone rings on the desk, I grab it and hope that this will give me something to occupy my mind for a while. “Hello, Alpha Lyle speaking.”

“Hello Alpha Lyle. This is Alpha Falan of the Wolfsong pack in the northern sector. I hope I’m not disturbing you?”

“Disturbing me? No, not at all. Surprising me, very much so. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

Flint sits up and frowns as he listens in to whatever Alpha Falan has to say.

“I have some information that I’d like to share with you and once that’s done, discuss how we should get that information to your Shifter Council. The Northern Sector Council, I have just made aware.”

“Well actually, Falan. Do you mind if we dispense with the formalities while we’re on the phone?” I ask rather than just jump to an assumption.

“I would welcome it, Lyle. Although I agree that there is always a time and a place for formal speech and proceedings, I don’t feel phone calls are generally in that category.” Falan is definitely giving me a good feeling, so I’ll reserve judgement on him for the time being.

“I have a member of our Shifter Council with me at the moment. Councilman Flint is here conducting an audit on our readiness for a rogue incursion. If it’s okay with you, I can put the call on speaker and the council will be aware of whatever information you may have.”

“Excellent. Two birds with one stone. Councilman Flint, I’m not sure how well the various councils communicate between each other, so this information may already be known at your headquarters by the time you speak with them. If not, at least I will have done all I can to make everyone aware.”

“Just Flint will suffice, Falan. Our two councils generally are on good terms and although we don’t speak on a regular basis, we do share information that we think the other should, or needs, to know.”

“I’ve been approached by a shifter who introduced himself as ‘King’ Arric. I assume you are aware of this shifter?” Falan’s tone speaks volumes as to what he thinks of someone calling himself a ‘King.’

Flint speaks up. “Yes…we are all aware of Arric.”

“I see you have the same disdain for him as I do.

King, indeed. Well, he approached me with quite a tale of how his subjects …

subjects?...are being systematically slaughtered by the packs south of his Kingdom.

He was, to cut a long story short, seeking an alliance.

One that would sweep south, put an end to the tyranny being heaped upon him, and then we would divide the lands and any spoils.

I fobbed him off with the excuse of needing time to think on his generous offer.

“Upon speaking to other Northern Sector packs, it seems that he has been hedging his bets, and approaching all those he feels are within striking distance of your territories, with the same offer. Only one showed any interest in taking him up on his offer, and they are currently welcoming a new alpha to the position.”

“So what you’re saying, Falan, is that we have nothing to fear from the Northern Sector in regard to Arric having any reinforcements from there?” I ask him openly to ensure that I am getting it correct.

“Quite the opposite, in fact, Lyle. You can expect us to support you in your efforts. It doesn’t take a military genius to understand this upstart’s intentions, does it?

He wants to be ‘King’ of all the territories, not just yours.

Once he swept through your lands with our support, he will no doubt use our warriors in preference to his own.

Once he has depleted our resources, he will sweep back north with his untouched army of rogues and conquer our lands.

With two territories under his belt, what would stop him from turning his attentions to the Southern Sector lands? ” Falan’s logic is certainly just that.

“What you’re saying, Falan, would support our own thoughts, though to be honest, we hadn’t expected him to seek your support.” Flint rubs his chin with his thumb and two fingers. “He wants to accelerate his taking of the lands at a faster rate than we gave him credit for.”

“His ambitions far outweigh his abilities as a leader, Flint. Unless he has a general amongst his warriors, he will not achieve any measure of success. I found him to be nothing more than transparent when dealing with him. If he ever took up poker, he’d be broke by the third hand.”

“Poker? I haven’t heard of that in a very long time.” Flint laughs at the term and I am at a loss as to what poker is.

“My late father kept it alive in the pack as a means of showing how he could manipulate people. He also won back any coin he bestowed on members for a job well done. It didn’t take members long to learn that the bonus was nothing more than lip service.” Falan’s laugh was lacking any humor.

“Thank you for this information and also for your future support. It will be greatly appreciated. Is there anything we can do for you in return, Falan?” Surely he must want, or be benefiting from this, I think to myself.

“You can keep my sister safe throughout the coming war. That would be more than sufficient as a thank you.”

That takes me by surprise. I don’t think I have a relative of Falan’s in my pack. “Your sister?”

“Luna Hope of the Blackshadow pack is my half-sister, though I don’t do anything by half!”

“Of course. I forgot she was hunted by your father who wanted her returned for her bloodline.” I remember now.

“I was never going to allow him to achieve his goal. She was far too innocent for his pack.” Falan sounds firm in that belief.

“Now, I must let you do whatever you need to with that information. I can’t speak for the other packs with regard to supporting you only for myself, but perhaps our two councils can come together and sort that detail out.

I would appreciate it if we could meet face-to-face at some point before this war gets a grip on our two sectors. ”

“It would be easier for you to come here, I think, and we would make you welcome. When we plan a meeting of the Alphas of our territory, I’ll let you know and broach your attendance with them.”

“I would be honored to attend. Thank you both for your time. Good bye.”

The call ends and I look at Flint, a little shocked by the call. It is certainly not boring at the moment, that’s for sure.