Page 74 of Witchblood
“I’ll be moving the pack around. Sending some out to packs who can better care for them, and alphas to put down the others who can’t be saved.” A touch of shadow crossed his face that wasn’t from any light source. I did my best not to acknowledge it or act frightened. “I’m breaking up the Volkov Pack.”
I gaped at him. “What?”
“It was Jayson’s idea years ago. Oberon has been bothering me about it too. The Volkov Pack is known for being filled with crazy wolves waiting to die. Not an inspiring legacy for any leader. And hardly a place for any sane man to want to live. Oberon suspects it’s why none of my wolves get better.” He paused, his gaze roving over me for a minute. “Except with you in the pack. I was putting down more than two dozen a year before you came to me.”
I gaped at him unable to believe it. In all my years with his pack, I only remembered three deaths of pack members. Two the Volkov had put down, and one that Oberon had. None of which I had witnessed. Only heard about later. The Volkov’s pack liked to gossip. There had been no secrets, so if more than the three had died, I’d have heard.
Apa’ssmile was sad. “My selfishness kept you in my pack. It’s not your responsibility to save my wolves. That was my burden.”
“An alpha’s pack can only give back what they are given,” Liam spoke up from his place beside the door. That made sense.Apacould only give them madness and so they couldn’t get better, not without me to calm him.
“So you won’t be the leader of wolves anymore?” I asked.
“My pack will be made up of all the alpha’s of all the packs in the USA. No official tie, like that of a pack bond. More leadership guidance. That will leave me no time to care for the rest.”
“It will invite challenge. Other wolves may see you as vulnerable,” Liam pointed out. “There are plenty of power mad wolves who’d love to take down the Volkov and declare himself king.”
The black shadow crossedApa’s face again. “Let them try. It will help weed out trouble among the packs.”
I shuddered at the idea of some rogue alpha werewolf wanna-be pulling the monster out ofApaagain, just for power or greed. Unfortunately, there was a lot of the special kind of stupid among wolves.
“Oberon will handle a lot of the challengers,”Apasaid. “He and Jayson have already been doing it for years.” He sighed. “I spent too long focusing on the mess that my pack was to lead, or to care for anyone really. This way I can focus on the alphas, who in turn will care for their packs.”
Liam lingered near the door like he wanted to open it and shoveApaout. “Not all Alphas take care of their packs,” he pointed out, tone a little bitter. “The pack here was a mess before I came. I’ve heard of others. Some of my pack have run from other packs to join mine. Just because a man can be king, doesn’t mean he should be king.”
Apanodded. “I plan on sending Jayson and Oberon out to visit all the packs and assess. I have endless alphas waiting for packs. Some fit to lead, others who will have to be removed. Part of it is politics. Part of it brute strength.”Apasighed heavily. “Your pack healed you, Liam. I’d thought we wolves had lost that ability centuries ago. Only I learn that it’s not the wolves who have lost the abilities, it’s the packs who have lost faith in their leaders. My fault. I will take blame. I will fix it. Starting with dissolving my own pack.”
“But then you’ll be all alone,” I said. His wife wasn’t much support for a man struggling to stay sane. The pack often murmured that he’d married her simply because he knew he’d never love her, so she couldn’t break him. I thought a loveless marriage sounded horrific. They didn’t even seem to like each other very much. I prayed that wasn’t the future fate had in mind for Liam and me.
“I need to spend some time fixing myself before I try to change others. Rebuilding the packs to be cohesive units will be priority. We live to protect our omegas and submissives. We enjoy a healthy play fight. All the infighting was a disaster. They never should have looked at you and thoughtprey,”Apasaid to me. “You are a kitsune. The whole pack knew. I made it clear to them the day I took you in. We live in harmony with the spirits or they destroy us. It’s always been that way, whether in Europe or here in the New World filled with its vast array of power. I thought it would be enough to protect you.”Apaglanced up at Liam. “Your mate has been very clear about my shortcomings.”
I raised a brow at Liam. He’d berated the Volkov? I totally needed to talk to him about his death wish.
“If it makes you feel better, Oberon and Jayson say I’ve actually gotten better at parenting than I was when they were kids.”
“How did they survive?” Liam asked bluntly.
Apaflinched. How many hadn’t survived? “Anyway. I have much to do and you have a mate to care for. If you’d like I can have Oberon contact a wedding coordinator to make everything official for you. We could invite hundreds, make it grand and memorable like days of old.”
My eyes must have gone huge becauseApafrowned, then glanced back at Liam. “Mates usually marry not long after the mating.”
“We are far from the traditional couple,” Liam said. “Our mating is new and we’d like to spend time exploring what that means for us before having to follow social norms to make others more comfortable. If we do wed in the human courts, it will be a small ceremony, limited to pack and family.”
Smooth was my mate. So little time together and he already knew me well. I needed him naked and on top of me soon.
“Less marriage,” I toldApa.“More walks in the woods, and baking of lots of stuff. A soul bond is more permanent than paper anyway,” I agreed with Liam. Maybe someday we’d do the social protocol. Right now I just wanted to spend time with him and learn everything there was to know about the snarky alpha werewolf I was soul bonded too.
Apanodded. “So be it. If that is what you want. I would have liked to attend a grand ceremony.” He grinned. “I remember the first time Jayson got married. It was a crazy mess. Oberon’s first was much more subdued.”
I hadn’t known either of them had ever been married. Neither had children. No one spoke of their partners. AndApa’s indication of first marriages meant there had been multiple. Had they lived human lives and their spouses died with the passage of time? Perhaps they’d been lost in some forgotten battle? How many relationships ended while lives continued eternally for the wolves. I looked at Liam and wondered how many he’d had? Just because he was mated to me, didn’t mean he hadn’t loved a lot of others in the past.
Liam frowned. Was he catching my thoughts? I’d have to figure out a way to filter them if possible. All he said was, “Oberon is waiting in the car for you. Perhaps it’s time to head out?”
Apasighed. He reached out and took my hand for a minute, patting it gently. “Call if you need me. I know I frighten you. I apologize for that, though I can’t change it. Just know if you need me I will come. You are my son, even if we don’t share the same blood.”
I swallowed hard and nodded. “Thank you,Apa.”
He let go and got up, offering a handshake to Liam, who took it while leading him out the door. I wondered briefly if this was a good thing for werewolves or a sign of coming chaos.