A Pack of Two

by Jacky Russell

Tonight would be hard for both of us for different reasons. He hated pack things, which now I understood. I hated meetings like this because my guys were always on edge out of concern for me. I also despised the attitude some of the Divine Council members had toward Bravo Company. The ones who had never gotten their hands dirty a day in their supernatural lives loved to pass judgment on us.

  Most of all, I hated the thought of Lucas surrounded by the Italian Pack. They didn’t care about him at all and, frankly, I didn’t have much faith his father would help him if he needed it. Lucas, however, was loyal to his father and would at least hold up the image of a united Italian Pack at the Gathering.

  Damn, this was so complicated. If Lucas was the son of any other werewolf, we wouldn’t be having this discussion. Being the son of the Alpha made it difficult. Stupid bullshit.

  I slid my arms around his waist and leaned against his chest, the steady beat of his heart thumping in my ear. “Keep a check on that stone I gave you.”

  His breath tickled the top of my head. “We’ll be all right. We can get through this and then I’ll talk to my father again.” His chest rose and fell with a deep breath before he pulled back to look at me. “Are you sure you want to take the position at Ederle?”

  No, but what choice did I have? “It’s the best move for now.”

  He trailed a finger along my jaw. “Is it really best for you?”

  “Being with you is what’s best for me and if this is the way we have to do it, then so be it. I’m not gonna lie to you and pretend this is all great. I want to go back to America to be with Bravo, but if I have to make sacrifices to be with you, then I will.”

  His arms tightened around me as he nuzzled my hair. “We can buy a new house if you like, something closer to Ederle.”

  “I don’t need a new house to make me happy, Lucas.”

  He bit his lower lip and sighed. I laid my head against his chest and listened to the steady beat of his heart.

  Chapter 32

  Lucas

  My father was pacing by his study window when I arrived a little before midnight. The Gathering was a very big deal, full of posturing and pretension. I had only attended one as a Divine Council agent and hated it. Tonight would be worse.

  “Where’s Mom?” I expected her to meet me at the door and fly into another one of her rages about Stephano.

  “Downstairs,” my father mumbled without turning around.

  “Is she riding with us?”

  Josef stopped his pacing. “Us?”

  I took a deep breath and pushed my wolf back. “Don’t you think it’s best if we arrive together and show a unified front for the Italian Pack?”

  Josef’s eyebrows rose. “Yes, I do think that is best, but did not expect you to share my view.”

  To be honest, I didn’t share his view–however, I was his second-in-command even if I didn’t want to be. Any sign of weakness at a time like this could lead to a disaster. Breanna was right, but that didn’t mean I liked being here.

  “How many wolves are you taking?” I asked, not really caring.

  Gatherings like these were tricky. Show up with too many wolves and your pack would look insecure. Show up with too few and your pack would look weak. The Italian Pack was easily the largest pack in all of Europe and with the meeting on Italian soil, the image my father’s pack projected would be under scrutiny.

  “Twelve, counting the two of us.”

  “And Mom?”

  Josef shrugged, his face blank. “She will be there, but not sitting with me.”

  For the life of me, I didn’t understand how my mother could be taking Stephano’s side in all this. She ranted to anyone who would listen that Breanna was the cause of all of the Italian Pack’s problems. Though they were not mates, my parents had been together over one hundred years. For her not to be by Father’s side could send the wrong message to the other packs and that hurt my father deeply.

  “Where is the witch?” Josef asked as he looked toward the open study door.

  “Breanna is with her unit. We will not be together during the meeting.”

  He narrowed his eyes. I took a deep breath and prepared for his rant.

  “And why is that?” Josef asked sarcastically. “She change her mind about being with you?”

  The venom in his words stung. “No, she felt it would be best for your pack if the two of us did not draw attention. She felt the issues at hand were of such importance that we should not distract anyone from working together in order to defeat the Malandanti.”

  He looked stunned by my answer. My mother stomped up the steps from the basement and we braced for Hurricane Gemma.

  “Lucas,” she said, entering the study. “Go downstairs and apologize to your cousin. He is miserable without his pack.”

  Unless it was snowing in hell, there would be no apology from me. I looked at the woman who appeared to be my mother and tried to discern what on earth was wrong with her. My father’s disappointment in me wasn’t unusual, but my mother had never acted this way, no matter how many times I screwed up. It made no sense she would so staunchly back Stephano when multiple wolves had come forth to speak of his plan to kill me.

  Stephano had known Ernesto was not a real threat to me, but had not expected me to yield and walk away. Stephano’s plan had been to attack after the challenge because he thought the fight would have weakened me. When the fight didn’t happen, he recruited six more wolves to help him attack after I left the sanctity of my father’s land.

  The one who had suffered most was Ernesto. The moment I yielded, Tessa shrieked and stormed out of the challenge area. She’d never cared for Ernesto and had led him along for weeks. It had all been a ploy between her and Stephano to get to me. She’d told Ernesto in front of the entire pack she didn’t want him. Ernesto disappeared that night.

  Alpha power filled the room. “Lucas and I are riding to the Gathering together. Do you wish to ride with us?”

  “Where is the witch?” she snarled, her eyes flashing silver.

  I didn’t know who this woman was. She could not be my mother.

  “Not here,” Josef answered with an impatient sigh. “Are you riding with us or will you be taking another car?”

  “Tessa and I will be going together. Lucas should ride with us.”

  My father jumped in before I could answer. “Lucas will be riding with me. Let’s go, son.”

  It was a tiny moment, just three little letters, but it meant the world to me. He hadn’t called me “son” in years.

  The ride to the Gathering was quiet for me since Josef spent the entire twenty-minute trip on his phone. He was shoring up old alliances and calling in favors. The politics had already begun and we hadn’t even gotten through the doors yet.

  Gatherings of supernatural force always took place in large, old structures on the outskirts of town. The Divine Council employed sorcerers, who were responsible for ensuring the secrecy of these meetings. To the human eye, the building would look deserted, no cars in the parking lots, no lights burning inside. However, the inside would be teeming with the energies of hundreds of werewolves and vampires along with whatever other supernatural might have been invited.

  The stench of musk took my breath when I stepped from the vehicle. Josef was wrapping up a phone conversation with an Alpha from France and I’d heard the word “witch” mentioned more times than I liked.

  I walked a step behind my father, a sign of respect for my Alpha. The other members of the pack, including my mother, fell into step behind me. When Josef pulled open the door, it took every ounce of strength I had to keep my wolf at bay. This was my worst nightmare, a room full of Alphas and Alpha wannabes, and they were all staring at us.

  I clenched my teeth and focused my attention on the back of my father’s head. If I made eye contact, my wolf would surge and nothing good could come from that. The whispers were rampant as we took our seats near the front of the meeting area. The vampires congregated to the right of the building while t
he werewolves were to the left. Bravo Company would occupy the middle section.

  I had hoped Bravo would already be in place, but they had yet to arrive. It was going to be tough watching Breanna from so far away.

  “Bonjour, Josef,” one of the four French Alphas said as he closed the distance between himself and my father. “I received your message and will do as you asked. I consider my debt to you paid and am no longer at your beckon.”

  My father extended his hand. “Terms agreed.”

  The two shook hands and the French Alpha disappeared into the mass of churning werewolf bodies. Before I could ask my father what the Frenchman meant, a Lithuanian werewolf approached.

  “Alpha Benelli?”

  My father looked at the young Lithuanian like he was worthless. “What?”

  The youngster bowed his head. “My Alpha sends his regards and says he will support your position.”

  Josef nodded curtly. “Give him my regards.”

  The Lithuanian kept his head bowed as he backed away from my father. Josef Benelli was the most powerful Alpha in this building and he was putting out enough dominance to choke a bear. My wolf was edgy, the walls of the massive building closing in. I forced my thoughts to another time, to the night Breanna and I picked out a Christmas tree.

  I’d gone to the biggest, proudest tree on the lot. It was magnificent as it towered over all the other trees. My mate, however, found a smaller, less perfect tree on the wreath lot.

  “How much is this one?” she’d asked in broken Italian.

  The weathered old man smiled at her attempt to speak the language. “You don’t want that one, tesorina mia. That one will be used to make wreaths.”

  “Why?” she asked as she fingered the branches.

  The old man pulled the tree forward and spun it around to show a damaged area. “It was on the bottom of the pile during shipment and is not perfect. No one will want it.”

  She had looked over at me, her eyes determined. “We want it.”

  “Why would you want this ugly tree?”

  She reached for my hand. “Because you don’t have to be perfect to be wanted.”

  I pulled her into my arms in the middle of a snowy, deserted Christmas tree lot while the little old man bundled our ugly tree. I’d offered to pay. He declined, saying being around someone as beautiful as Breanna was payment enough.

  A door slammed open and I returned from my mental hiatus. The Divine Council was entering the room, led by the Elvin leader, Shalamon Lisel. The tall, thin elf was ancient and had been the Divine Council leader for nearly one hundred years. It had been his prophecy that foretold of Tristyn’s existence, a living vampire who would help bring peace to the supernatural world. As typical of elves, Shalamon had golden blond hair and fair blue eyes. He was a gifted psychic and, as he entered the room, his presence was a wave of calm.

  The Council members took their seats as the wooden floor vibrated, the members of Bravo Company marching in. They were dressed in battle fatigues, shiny black boots, and each member packed a sidearm and at least one knife. Simon led the group and I scanned the faces for my mate.

  She marched through the door and a murmur washed through the crowd. My groin tightened at the sight of her. Dressed in baggy camo, she was still beautiful.

  Her eyes, just like those of every other Bravo member, were straight ahead and her face was stone. She was the only witch in a room full of supernaturals, and if she was the least bit intimidated, it didn’t show. She was power, she was grace, and she was mine.

  I choked back a growl as she passed French Pack wolves and they made obscene gestures toward her. Several of the members of Bravo placed a hand on their sidearms but made no eye contact.

  A muscle ticked in her jaw, but her eyes remained straight ahead as she passed the Italian Pack. A derisive hiss came from someone nearby. She didn’t flinch.

  Once Bravo had taken their seats, the meeting began. The Council spoke of alliances between packs and a few points of political business among the vampire factions. The master vampires were not really territorial, but they were protective of members of their lines, those vampires they had created. The werewolves were extremely territorial and an innocent mistake like crossing territory lines usually ended in a killing.

  I was only half listening as the orders of business continued. I couldn’t take my eyes off Breanna. She, along with the other members of Bravo, was sitting at relaxed attention, very aware of every motion around her. Her auburn hair, pulled back into a tight braid, stopped at her shoulders.

  “Alpha Benelli, you have indicated you wish to address the Council,” Shalamon Lisel said. The Elvin leader’s voice was celestial. Everyone in the building could hear him, though he barely spoke above a whisper.

  My father stood and I rose to my feet behind him. It was a show of a united pack and though pack politics were pointless to me, I did enjoy the feeling that for once my father and I were on the same side.

  “Leader Lisel, I have spoken to many Alphas and we are all greatly concerned about the possible return of the Malandanti. I, on behalf of the Italian Pack, petition the Council to support open pack hunts for witches.”

  It was as if a giant foot had kicked me in the stomach. Open pack hunts were opportunities for werewolf packs to hunt and kill witches on sight. Hundreds if not thousands of witches had been torn to bits by wolf packs all over Europe. The packs never stopped to determine the nature of the witch, so innocent white witches were destroyed along with the much more sinister black witches.

  I drew in a ragged breath, which won me a wicked look from my father. I met his eyes and then turned my attention to Breanna. She hadn’t moved a muscle, though her jaw did look clenched tighter than before.

  I grabbed the chair in front of me and engaged in out-and-out battle with my wolf. He wanted my father’s blood for threatening Breanna.

  I was losing my fight to my wolf when a calm voice spoke to me. “Do not fear, Lucas. Your mate knows you do not support your father’s stance.”

  I looked around. There was nobody speaking to me.

  “Remain at your father’s side and I will deal with this issue.”

  Shalamon Lisel watched me intently. He gave the tiniest smile before turning his attention back to my father.

  “Alpha Benelli, you say you have spoken to the other Alphas. Who here supports the open pack hunt proposal?”

  All around the room Alpha werewolves stood. The Elvin leader looked across the room with his eyes narrowed.

  “Vampires, do you support Alpha Benelli’s proposal?”

  A blond master vampire from France addressed the Council. “I speak only for myself and my lines, but we do not support the genocide of another supernatural race. There are peaceful witches who do not deserve to be hunted like animals simply because they are magical.”

  Shalamon Lisel nodded and said nothing. Another master vampire from Spain did support my father’s proposal and that created a furor of conversation. The members of Bravo continued to stare straight ahead. A few seated on the ends did sneak peeks at the areas making the most noise.

  With a wave of his hand Shalamon Lisel quieted the crowd. “Major DuChard, do you believe open pack hunts are a plausible solution to the threat of the Malandanti?”

  Simon stood and bowed to the Council. “No, sir, I do not.”

  The elf was scrutinizing Breanna as Simon spoke.

  “What is your opinion, Master Sergeant Welker?” Shalamon Lisel asked with his hands tented.

  Breanna stood and the murmurs began again. She waited for silence before speaking.

  “Leader Lisel, with all due respect, sir, I am a soldier. I have no opinion on Divine Council policy. I follow the orders of my commanding officer.”

  She nodded to Simon and retook her seat. The room was eerily silent.

  A Swiss werewolf member of the Divine Council addressed Simon. “Major DuChard, how many witches has Bravo Company encountered in the last ten years?”

  Sim
on stood at rapt attention. “Twenty-seven, sir.”

  “And the nature of these witches?”

  “Fifteen were black witches, seven were gray, four were white witches, and one was an earth witch.”

  “Were any of these witches Malandanti?”

  “No, sir.”

  The Swiss werewolf leaned back in his chair. “What is the status of those witches?”

  “The black witches were killed during combat, three of the gray were executed on orders from the Divine Council while the other four were disciplined and released. The four white witches were left in peace, though two later died from wounds they received during an unprovoked werewolf attack. The earth witch is my second-in-command.”

  A Russian wood fae member of the Divine Council tilted her head. “Who among you was responsible for the executions?”

  Simon blinked once. “Master Sergeant Welker and myself, ma’am.”

  The wood fae looked at Breanna. “Master Sergeant Welker, how do you feel about killing your own kind?”

  Breanna’s shoulders heaved as she popped to her feet. I had thought this meeting was going to be difficult for me, but what I was dealing with was nothing compared to what she getting.

  “Ma’am, I am a soldier. I follow the orders of my commanding officer. It is my duty to protect the members of my unit, the members of the supernatural world, and the occupants of the human realm with diligence. I take no pleasure in killing any being, regardless of the supernatural race. However, I will do whatever I must to ensure the safety of my fellow soldiers.”

  A German vampire Divine Council member looked amused. “Have you killed vampires, Master Sergeant Welker?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  A Czech werewolf Divine Council member leaned forward, his eyes flickering silver. “Have you killed werewolves?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  The werewolves did not like that answer. Breanna held fast. A brash member of the Belgian werewolves lurched forward.

  “That witch killed my cousin,” the red-haired Belgian bellowed. “I demand vengeance.”

  Growls and cheers of support abounded. I was seconds from leaping across the aisle and choking the idiot when Shalamon Lisel’s voice echoed in my head.