#Chapter 52: Making Tough Decisions
I’m a bit uncomfortable around Rita. Her sense of self–assurance contrasts with my insecurities, for starters. Her relationship with Alex, of course, is the main reason.
I don’t know much about this werewolf stuff–or apparently about Alex and his family–but I know Rita is a warrior who has been paired with Alex. While they don’t seem…close…exactly, there is a familiarity between them.
Now I don’t know where I stand with Alex. I know he cared for me, before. Then, after he returned and the attacks happened, we got close again. It felt like we were getting back on track.
Now…everything has changed.
“I have. A Question,” I finally say.
Rita is sitting in the chair across the living room from me in Alex’s parents‘ house, totally ignoring me.
Without lifting her head from her phone, she looks up, her eyes hooded, as if she doesn’t have the patience to deal with me.
Her glare is unsettling, but she is the only one I can talk to about what is happening. So, I swallow my anxiety and steady my voice to sound firm.
“Look, I know. You don’t want me…here. But I ssstill feel I d–dessserve to know. What. Is going on.”
Rita lifts her head, looks me over with apparent judgment, and smirks. “I guess you’re right. What do you want to `know, exactly?”
“What. Isss Alex. Doing?”
She lays her phone in her lap. “Alex is speaking with the Council of Elders. They are concerned about his return- especially with you–and want to know what is on his mind”
“Do they know about the rrrogue werrrewolves?”
“That attacked you? Of course. But they don’t think it has any merit on what happened to Michael.”
I suddenly feel incredulous. “Why not?”
“Because rogue werewolves are usually loners–like the one that attacked you. They’re rarely a problem and keep to themselves.”
“B–but what. About Michael?”
Rita bites her lip. “That was different. There’s likely no connection. But right now, their main concern is Michael’s recovery…and Alex’s retaliation.”
“I can understand why he wants to find who did it.”
“Do you? Look, there is a fine balance between the worlds yours, ours, the Malkeyes–and like I said before, Alex is young and rash. He doesn’t have the maturity or the experience to deal with a situation like this.”
“How. Do you. Know?”
“You don’t know how these things work, sweetheart. Once he turns 18 and finds his mate, he’ll settle down. A wolf without that…release…for lack of an appropriate word, puts his passion in the wrong place, if you get me.”
Release. Hmm. That opens a whole other topic.
Just as I suspected, the Council and I don’t exactly see eye–to–eye.
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#Chapter 52: Making Tough Decisions
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After I explain everything that has happened, I try to connect the dots for them. “What if this is a coordinated effort? A group of organized rogues attacks Alex and his band, killing most of them. Then, they start appearing in the neutral zone, knowing it isn’t being watched.”
Owein doesn’t seem convinced. “And you think your human somehow plays into this?”
“Cynthià,” I say, respectfully reminding them of her name. “She has to…I just don’t know how, yet. She was definitely targeted–twice–by the same wolf. He wasn’t interested in us at all…just kept trying to get to Cynthia.”
My mother speaks up, looking directly at me. “There is something special about Cynthia. It is what drew you to her, and it is what is drawing others to her as well.”
“What do you think it is?” asks Anwen, a former female warrior on the Council.
My mother hesitates. “I cannot make anything of it yet.”
Her answer is disappointing. I was hoping for something profound, maybe prophetic.
Wulfgar, a burly and well–respected warrior elder, returns the Council to the immediate matter. “Were you able to interrogate the wolf?”
“No–he died from his wounds almost immediately.”
The elders all look at each other.
“That’s the thing,” I continue, feeling the need to explain. He was strong for a rogue. It took both Rita and I to get him off her… We had to put him down. If he is from the same pack that attacked Michael, and the others in the pack are as strong, then we have cause to be concerned. They’re still out there!”
“That’s making an assumption,” Maiyyun says. She is one of only two female elders on the Council and a friend of my mother’s. I was hoping to appeal to her feminine sensibilities on Cynthia’s behalf. But it doesn’t seem to be working.
Arnulf, the youngest on the Council apart from my mother, chimes in. “What makes you think there are other rogues in the neutral zone?”
“There was another wolf outside Cynthia’s window. She didn’t see him.”
“Did you?”
“No. But you must understand,” I insist, “they are allowing themselves to be seen in the neutral zone because they know it is unguarded. This could be detrimental for us–even for the Malkeye–if one of them is discovered.”
Wulfgar grunts. “This carelessness is concerning.”
My father, who has been quiet most of the meeting, finally speaks up. “Don’t go looking for a reason to fight, Wulfgar.”
Wulfgar grunts his disapproval.
“We need to take caution not to act rash and make matters worse,” Father adds. “This is why we sent you away, Alex: To spare you of the pain of seeing your brother and to protect you–and the pack–from any rash revenge that may be sought.”
I start working my jaw. I respect my father and his wisdom, but I know he is wrong.
I choose my next words carefully. “I don’t wish to put anyone in danger, Father–only to find the truth and ensure the safety of our pack. I mean, what if the Malkeye know something?”
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#Chapter 52 Making Tough Decisions
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“An envoy will be sent to them, but one of our choosing,” Mother adds. “Do not think we are sitting idly by, my son–we are merely waiting to have all the information we can to approach them with.”
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#Chapter 53: Dinning With Wolves
#Chapter 53: Dinning With Wolves 1
