by Karen Lynch
At the door to the hall, Francis was admitting people, and he stepped aside to let me in. Everyone in the Knolls wanted to come to this meeting, but Maxwell had limited it to only the people he thought needed to be there. Not that anything said inside was a big secret. By this time tomorrow, every wolf in Maine would know exactly what had happened here tonight.
My mother was talking to Brendan when I entered. When she saw me, an encouraging smile softened her fierce expression. Despite my repeated assurances that I was fully healed and not emotionally scarred, she’d been fussing over me for two days. I hoped she’d calm down once this was all over.
On one side of the room, two small groups of people stood near each other. The worry and shame on their faces said they were Trevor’s and Gary’s families. I’d never met any of them, but Grandma said they were good people.
One of them, a boy who looked about twelve, jerked his gaze away when I met it. His chin trembled, and he looked like he was trying hard not to cry. The resemblance to Gary told me they were brothers. Poor kid. After Gary was banished, his family would have to live with the stigma of what he’d done, and I knew how cruel other kids could be.
Maxwell’s grave voice rang out across the room. “I think everyone is here. Let’s get this started.”
I sat in the front row, and my mother took the chair beside me. The two families sat together on the other side of the room. Once everyone was settled, Maxwell nodded to Shawn, who stood guarding the door to the holding cell. Shawn unlocked the door and ushered Trevor and Gary into the main room.
The two men had been given clothes, but their unshaven jaws and disheveled hair told me they hadn’t seen a shower in a few days. They were subdued as Shawn led them to two chairs set apart for them, and neither of them met my eyes.
Maxwell didn’t waste time with speeches. He turned his hard gaze on my attackers, and the two of them sank lower in their seats.
“Trevor and Gary, you attacked another pack member without provocation and with intent to do serious injury. Then you used silver as a weapon against him, a crime punishable by banishment.” Maxwell’s voice grew deeper and scarier with each word, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop. “This is not a trial. The attack was witnessed by Brendan and Francis, and I saw the silver burns on Roland’s neck. That is all the evidence I need.”
Trevor and Gary stared at the floor, unable to meet Maxwell’s condemning eyes. My mother reached over and clung to my hand, and on the other side of the room, a woman began to cry softly.
Maxwell’s gaze swept the room. “If anyone would like to speak before I render judgement, you may do so now.”
I looked over at the families as a middle-aged couple stood, the man’s arm around the shoulders of his mate. The woman’s face was drawn, and the dark circles under her eyes said she hadn’t seen much sleep the last few days.
“Please, Alpha,” she pleaded hoarsely. “Gary’s never done anything like this before. He came here hoping for a mate, and he was upset when someone else imprinted on the girl he favored. It made him a little crazy.”
My mother released my hand and stood to face them. “Martha, there is no defense for what your son did. He knew what he was doing when he went after Roland, and God knows what would have happened if Brendan and Francis hadn’t shown up when they did.”
I knew what would have happened. I would have killed Trevor for threatening my mate and spent the rest of my life with his blood on my hands.
“And you.” My mother swung toward Trevor and Gary, her voice rising. “Two grown men attacking an eighteen-year-old just out of school because he bruised your egos. And to use silver on him…”
“Mom, it’s okay.” I reached for her hand, but she pulled away, stalking toward the two men until Brendan blocked her from going any farther.
“Let me tell you right now,” she growled at them. “If anything had happened to my son, you would not be facing banishment tonight, because I would have put you down myself.”
Martha let out a choked sob. The boy began to cry. God, this was even worse than I’d expected, and I just wanted it to be over. Trevor and Gary had earned their punishment, but their families didn’t deserve this. That boy didn’t deserve to lose his brother even if Gary was an asshole.
Brendan led my mother back to her seat and sat on her other side, most likely to keep her from going after Trevor and Gary again. Maxwell gave her a questioning look, and she nodded to let him know she was okay.
Maxwell turned to Trevor and Gary again, and the tension in the room grew so thick you could barely breathe. This was it.
“There hasn’t been a banishment since I became Alpha of this pack. I think the last one was over seventy years ago, and it grieves me deeply to exile any member of my pack, even if the punishment fits the crime. So, before I give my judgement, I want to hear from the victim of this crime.” Maxwell looked at me. “Roland, how would you punish your attackers?”
I stared at Maxwell, and I wasn’t alone in my surprise. Maxwell never deferred to anyone else, and his word was law.
Maxwell watched me expectantly. Confused, I stayed in my chair until my mother pushed at my arm, urging me to stand.
“I…” I looked at the two men awaiting their fate. Gary’s eyes were downcast, his posture one of resignation. Trevor met my stare belligerently, but he couldn’t camouflage his fear. I couldn’t pretend I didn’t despise these two for what they’d done, and I would not be sorry to see the last of them.
Banishment was forever, and to a werewolf it was worse than a death sentence. We needed the social structure that came from a pack. The Alpha’s power ran through all of us, connecting us, making us stronger together. I couldn’t imagine going the rest of my life without that sense of belonging.
Most packs wouldn’t accept a banished wolf, which meant they’d be doomed to never have a mate because lone wolves could not imprint on a female. Before Emma, I hadn’t been in any hurry to take a mate, but I’d known I would someday. How would I feel if I knew I could never have that bond, never have children or a true mate?
I thought about Gary’s little brother who would also be punished by the banishment. Pete was the closest I had to a brother, and I couldn’t even bring myself to imagine how it would feel if he was no longer in the pack. How could I put a kid through that?
But I also couldn’t let Gary’s and Trevor’s crime go unpunished. Using silver against another wolf was an unspeakable act, and to grant leniency for one would send the wrong message to the pack, not to mention undermine the Alpha’s authority.
It was too bad we didn’t have the equivalent of a human prison, because what these two really needed was to do some hard time. Or maybe a long, tough boot camp to do some serious character building. Hell, a few months with Maxwell and they’d be singing a whole different tune.
“I’d give them a choice of punishment,” I said at last.
Gary’s head came up, and he stared at me. Ignoring him, I looked at Maxwell.
“I would have them choose between banishment and training under you. They’d work at the lumberyard and spend their free time training or patrolling. There’d be no extracurricular activities, and they’d be on probation until you decided they had reformed enough to stay in the pack.”
My mother harrumphed angrily. “You would let them off easy after what they did to you?”
I almost smiled for the first time since arriving. “You’ve obviously never trained under Maxwell.” A Navy SEAL boot camp would feel like a spa after just a week with the Alpha.
Maxwell studied me with narrowed eyes, and I could see I’d surprised him with my answer. He rubbed at his beard as if he was actually considering my proposal.
“Is that all?” he asked.
“No. I’d order their wolves to not imprint until the probation was over.”
There were gasps around me. The Alpha could command his pack to do anything he wished, including prohibiting a wolf from choosing a mate. It was extreme but nec
essary in this case.
“If they mated while they were under probation, you couldn’t banish them if it came to that. You’d have to banish their mates as well, or make the females suffer the separation. And there could be children.”
Maxwell crossed his arms thoughtfully. “You’re aware that if they trained under me, they’d have to live here in the Knolls. You’d see them often.”
That was the only downside to my suggestion. I’d be happy to never lay eyes on them again, but that would mean punishing their loved ones. At least, this way, their families could visit them whenever they wanted. And I planned to be too busy with the garage, school, and, hopefully, Emma to worry about anything else.
“I can live with that.”
It sounded like everyone in the room had been holding their breath, and they all exhaled at the same time. I didn’t need to look at Trevor’s and Gary’s families to know they were all watching us, hoping for a miracle. I would be, too, in their shoes.
Maxwell nodded and faced the two men again. “Stand.”
They stood, but it was another long moment before Maxwell spoke again.
“I was set to banish you tonight. Instead, I’m going to offer you the choices Roland proposed: banishment or probation. Don’t think for a minute that if you stay, it will be a light punishment. For your foreseeable future, you’ll work, you’ll train, and you’ll sleep. You will not leave New Hastings, but your families will be permitted to visit you here. And you won’t be able to choose a mate until you’ve proven to me that you’re worthy to remain a member of this pack. You have two minutes to decide.”
“Probation,” Gary blurted. His gaze flicked to his family. “I-I’ll take probation.”
Trevor shot me a look of pure loathing before he glanced at his family. Gary was a follower, and Maxwell would reform him inside of six months. I wasn’t so sure about Trevor. He hated authority, and he wasn’t going to take well to the heavy restrictions of probation. People like him didn’t bend. He’d either break under Maxwell, or he’d end up banished.
“Probation,” he said right before his time was up.
Maxwell turned to the rest of us. “Everyone but Trevor and Gary may leave. Once we discuss the terms of their stay, they’ll be free to go to their families.”
Cries of happiness broke out on the other side of the room, and I stole a glance in that direction as I stood. My gaze landed on Gary’s little brother, who was smiling and wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. If I had any doubts about what I’d done, they vanished at the joy on that kid’s face.
My mother pulled me down to her height and kissed my cheek. “That was a generous thing you did. I’m proud of you.”
“Even if you’ll have to put up with them living here for the next few years?”
She put an arm through mine. “If you can live with it, so can I. Now, I’m pretty sure Grandma has a couple of pies waiting for you at home.”
“Lead the way.”
I’d hoped to see Emma tonight, since Shannon and April had slept there last night. I’d had no idea how long the pack business would last, so April had volunteered to stay at Emma’s. I was happy to see the three of them bonding, and grateful to Shannon and April for helping me keep her safe. But I wished I was the one with her.
Every eye was on me when we left the building, and the grim faces told me they thought Trevor and Gary had been banished. I hurried my mother through the crowd, wanting to get out of there before word spread and the questions started.
Pete caught up to us as we walked down the lane to our house.
“Hey, where are you off to in a hurry?”
“Grandma made pie. You want some.”
“Hell, yes.” He fell into step beside us. “You going to tell me what happened in there?”
“Yeah, after pie.”
I had a feeling I was going to need it.
Emma
Saturday afternoon found me standing on a wharf with a backpack over my shoulder, waiting to board the twenty-foot motorboat Roland and Peter had borrowed from their friend Dell. April and Shannon were beside me, checking the contents of a huge cooler before Peter stowed it on the boat. Everyone in our group was in high spirits as we prepared to set off for our little camping trip.
April shielded her eyes against the sun. “Those are some dark clouds in the distance. It’s not going to rain, is it?”
Peter followed her gaze. “I checked the weather. It’s supposed to stay south of us.”
Roland rooted around in a storage compartment and handed out life jackets to all of us. Once I got mine on, he took my hand to help me into the boat. Ignoring the tingle that rippled through me, I sat on a cushioned seat and set my backpack at my feet. I’d been in boats many times in my old life, and I was pretty comfortable in them. I could probably drive this one if they let me.
April and Shannon climbed into the boat and sat beside me while Peter untied the mooring lines. I looked around the boat and noticed how little stuff we had with us.
“Don’t we need tents and sleeping bags?” I asked no one in particular.
Peter jumped into the boat. “We thought we might rough it. You know, sleep around the fire, under the stars.”
I stared at him. Was he serious?
Shannon nudged me with her shoulder. “Don’t listen to him. He and Roland carried everything up to the cove this morning so we didn’t load down the boat.”
Peter grinned and sat as Roland eased the boat away from the wharf. It was a beautiful, calm day, which meant the harbor was busy with tourists and locals. We passed a lot of other motorboats as well as sailboats, fishing boats, tour boats, and several small white yachts. Roland easily maneuvered around them, and soon we were out of the crowded harbor, skimming northward along the rocky coast.
I watched the shore go by, enraptured by the rugged beauty of the granite cliffs and towering pines. The cliffs were alive with birds, and I recognized osprey, herons, and gulls. A movement near the water in one inlet caught my attention, and I looked just in time to see a long brown sea otter disappearing beneath the waves. I exhaled happily. I could definitely get used to this.
We passed the lighthouse, and I thought about the kiss I’d shared with Roland there. My body grew warm as I remembered every touch of his lips and hands like it had happened yesterday. I had to stop thinking about that kiss. It made me want things I couldn’t have, and I was starting to wish it had never happened. Better not to know what I was missing than to long for something out of my reach.
I hadn’t seen much of Roland this week. Shannon and April had ended up staying over on Monday night, and April had slept over on Tuesday. All I could get from them was that something was going on in the pack and Roland was involved.
Roland had come over on Wednesday night, and we’d had a Lord of the Rings marathon. When I’d told him I’d never seen the movies, he’d been appalled and insisted on us watching them. It had been a fun night, and I’d kept it totally on a friendship basis. A few times, I’d noticed him looking at me, but I pretended not to see it. Even if Shannon and April were right, and he was into me, it didn’t change anything.
That was the last I’d seen of him until today. Even the black wolf had been a no-show since Sunday night, and I’d found myself missing him. My friendship with him was simple, uncomplicated by the kind of feelings I had for Roland. I wished it could be that easy with Roland.
We traveled for a few more miles before Roland turned the boat into a large sheltered cove surrounded by tall trees. The beach was littered with driftwood and large rocks, and beyond it was a wide grassy area where three tents had already been set up.
“This is perfect,” I said as Roland eased the boat into the shallows. “Do you guys come here a lot?”
Roland smiled. “Not as much as we used to. There’s an old trail through the woods that we used to take, but it’s mostly overgrown now.”
Peter hopped over the bow and grabbed a line to pull the boat in and secure it to a large
rusted iron ring imbedded in a boulder. When he was done, Roland cast off the anchor and we all followed Peter onto the beach.
Roland and Peter unloaded the cooler, while Shannon, April, and I went to check out the two-man tents set in a wide semicircle around a fire pit. In each tent, we found two rolled sleeping bags and foam mats for padding, plus a battery-operated lantern and flashlight.
Shannon pointed to the tent on the right. “I’m taking this tent for Peter and me. You two are roomies unless one of you wants to share with Roland.”
I pretended not to see the coy smile she aimed at me. Opening the door flap of the tent on the left, I tossed my backpack inside. April had warned me that newly mated wolves were very amorous, and I didn’t want to listen to Shannon and Peter getting it on later.
I watched Roland throw an armload of dried wood down by the fire pit. “Is there anything I can help with?” I asked him.
“You know how to skin a rabbit?”
“What?” I croaked.
He burst out laughing. “You should see your face. Priceless.”
I folded my arms. “Don’t make me push you in the water.”
His devilish smile did funny things to my insides. “Pete and I will take care of this. You girls relax and have a look around since it’s your first time here.”
“Come on, Emma.” Shannon came up to me, carrying a blanket. “I see a patch of sand down there that looks promising.”
We made our way along the cove, and sure enough, there was a small sandy section almost free of rocks. April joined us, and we lay on the blanket, soaking up the sun and being lazy. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been this relaxed.
“Has that hot Mohiri been to visit you again?” April asked drowsily.
“No, but he called a few times. Yesterday, he said he’s close to finding that man. He sounded pretty confident.”
Shannon rose up on her elbows. “That’s great news.”
“Yeah, I’ll be glad when this is over.”
April sighed contentedly. “Well, you don’t have to worry about the creepy bald man today. You’re in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of werewolves, and you are only allowed to have fun here.”
