by Petra Landon
“You speak too soon, Maartje” drawled Elisabetta, readying her dagger to make a strategic strike. “For all you know, Tasia might reconsider her association with the Pack after this last experience.”
A pregnant silence descended on the room. More confident now, Tasia turned to meet the eyes of the beautiful Were-Alpha. She’d been with the Pack long enough to understand how Elisabetta worked. The female Were-Alpha tended to shoot pointed but subtle barbs at her target with the goal of forcing her opponent on the defensive. Tasia, who knew that Elisabetta could only be countered with a cool head, was determined to not let the Shifter’s jabs get under her skin.
“On the contrary, this last experience has given me a different perspective on Shifters” Tasia said calmly. “Made me appreciate the unique challenges they face.”
“That’s good news, of course, but you have changed your mind about us before” Elisabetta drawled. “There was a time not so far in the past when you found it hard to deal with Shifter aggression.” The words landed sharply in the silence, a dagger used with precision to jab at the soft underbelly she knew might affect Tasia.
Elisabetta referred to the time Tasia had fled the Lair after a particularly contentious clash with the Alpha. Though the Pack remained in the dark on the details, the Lair was rife with rumors about what had set it off.
But Tasia was not the same Wizard who’d walked into the Lair with trepidation to meet the Alpha Protector of the local Pack. Then, she’d been driven by fear and compulsion; of the rogue Shifters targeting her, the Blutsaugers she feared, and of raising suspicions by turning down an invitation from the Alpha — a rare honor for a Wizard with no particular accomplishments to her name. She had grown immeasurably since then.
With her back to the rest of the room, Tasia couldn’t see the reactions to Elisabetta’s remarks, but Sara and Hawk were seated beside her on the couch, and she could sense Hawk’s rising ire at the comments. From the corner of her eye, Tasia took note of the quelling glance Sara directed at her twin. Hawk stayed silent, obedient to his twin’s instructions for once, though he chafed at the bit.
Sara is absolutely right — this is not Hawk’s fight. It is mine. If I don’t stand up to Elisabetta now, I never will.
“You’re right, Elisabetta” she admitted candidly. “There was a time when what came naturally to a Shifter made me uncomfortable. My fault entirely — I was unfamiliar with Shifters. The Alpha promised me the protection of his Pack; he never promised to change himself for me.”
Though Elisabetta didn’t show it, Tasia sensed that she had surprised the Were-Alpha. Hawk seemed to believe it too, for he leaned back on the couch, his earlier ire seemingly dissipated.
“I only ask because you’ve been known to change your mind when it comes to us, Tasia.” Elisabetta changed tack smoothly, undeterred by Tasia’s response. “After declaring very publicly that you’d never go out with a Shifter, you went to Atsá’s holiday party with Hawk.” Her tone clearly suggested that Tasia could have done much better.
Tasia felt a bubble of laughter well up in her.
This is ridiculous. To think that I was once distressed by Pack gossip.
She shot a glance at Hawk, who looked more startled than anything. At this point, Tasia rather suspected that the intended target of Elisabetta’s latest barb was him, and not her, but knowing how easily Elisabetta seemed to rile her friend, Tasia jumped to blunt this particular dart.
“You’re only partially correct, Elisabetta” she said with a smile on her face. “Hawk did take a Wizard to Atsá’s party, but it wasn’t me.”
For the first time since the start of their jousting, Elisabetta’s mask of affability slipped to reveal a stumped expression on her face.
“You had an invitation to the Avian celebration, Tasia?” Stefan Simeonov inquired, looking mystified. It was the only conclusion to draw. If Tasia had not been Hawk’s date, it meant she’d had an invitation to the party.
“Yes, she did” Maartje responded, before Tasia could.
Duncan chose that moment to interject, with a studiously even tone. “I believe Tasia’s date that evening was Evgeny.”
Simeonov’s jaw gaped open, as Duncan had suspected it would. Hawk, angered by the games some of the Shifters, including Simeonov, had indulged themselves in at Tasia’s expense, bit his lip to keep his smile from breaking through. Good old Duncan, he thought. Duncan was a master at this — always patient at waiting for just the right moment to twist the knife.
“So, you did change your mind about a relationship with a Shifter” Elisabetta persisted sweetly, recovering her composure to use Duncan’s words against Tasia. “Are you saying that you won’t change your mind about the Pack too, Tasia?”
“The Alpha decides Pack associations, Elisabetta.” Atsá’s voice was even, but there was an undertone of warning that Elisabetta could not miss. “It is for him to ask Tasia that question if he chooses to.”
Elisabetta subsided after a lightning glance at the Alpha. He said nothing, but what she saw on his face must have convinced her that she’d come dangerously close to stepping just a stone too far.
“I would like to respond to Elisabetta, if you please.” Tasia cast a glance at Atsá, who glanced at the Alpha in turn. The gold eyes were opaque, so Tasia took his silence as consent.
“I don’t know what the future holds, Elisabetta. But if I change my mind about the Pack, it won’t be because I can’t handle Shifters being Shifters.”
Tasia paused, wondering whether she should say more. Then, she took the plunge.
“This, I can assure you. Any decision I make will not be taken lightly — I owe the Pack too much to sever the relationship without extenuating circumstances.”
Owen O’Brien, silent during the back and forth between Elisabetta and Tasia, adroitly changed the conversation. Elisabetta participated in the ensuing discussion, but with a thoughtful expression on her face that a discerning observer might note.
Later, after most of the party had exited the Pack Room, Duncan turned to Tasia with a twinkle in his eyes. “You handled Elisabetta very adroitly there, Tasia.” There was more than a hint of compliment, pride and praise in his voice.
I’ve come a long way from allowing Pack gossip to affect me. Duncan was right — I must let this stuff wash over me.
“I had a fantastic teacher, Duncan” she said lightly.
“Credit where it’s due, Tasia. I’ve been giving Hawk pointers for half his life and he still allows Elisabetta to get under his skin.”
“That’s a low blow, Duncan” Hawk protested laughingly.
“But an accurate one” Sara seconded her Were-Alpha. “Countering Elisabetta with aggression doesn’t work, Hawk. A little subtlety, and some of the bold honesty Tasia demonstrated so aptly are the only ways to handle her. Elisabetta will stop riling you the day she realizes you won’t take the bait. There’s no fun in poking someone who doesn’t get worked up.”
“Sara is right, as usual” Duncan agreed. “The only way to blunt Elisabetta is by not rising to her bait.”
“She does go after Hawk a fair bit though” Tasia remarked, curious why the beautiful and powerful Were-Alpha would have it in for him. Hawk could not be considered a rival to Elisabetta, under any circumstances.
Hawk shrugged. It had been like this ever since he could remember. He was not entirely innocent in this — he made sure to get his digs in at her, when he could.
“Hawk reminds Elisabetta of someone” Luis said abruptly.
Even Duncan looked startled, having been unaware of this particular tidbit. Before anyone could ask Luis to clarify his cryptic statement, the Alpha strode over to them.
“David Hamilton and DiZeyla are on their way here. I’ve asked Atsá and Maartje to sit in on the discussion. I’d like you to join us, Luis.”
“Of course” Luis assented in his mellifluous accent.
“Duncan will escort them to the Pack Room.”
Tasia realized that the Alpha was
sending a subtle message to the Pack. The Were-Alphas who had thrown their support behind Duncan during the Alpha’s incapacitation were being granted entry into the inner circle. Though no proponent of subtlety otherwise, as the Alpha had once declared to Tasia in his own inimitable way, Shifters were masters at sending messages without saying much. After months of attempting to find her feet with the Pack, she was finally starting to get them. The thought pleased Tasia no end.
“You need the Pack Room, Alph?” Hawk asked.
“No, we’ll take it in my private room.”
The Alpha turned to Tasia. “I need to talk to you. Will you be around after I’m done?”
“Yes.” She nodded. “Just let me know when you’re ready for me.”
Tasia wondered whether she was expected to make herself scarce, like before, when the First Wizard and Faoladh had been guests at the Lair.
“Throw open the door, Hawk” the Alpha directed. “I want the Pack Room open. It’s time the Pack got used to David Hamilton and DiZeyla. The local Chosen Alliance is here to stay.”
Sara and Hawk stayed for another hour while more Shifters congregated in the Pack Room. Joaquim, Michael, Evgeny, and a few of Duncan’s Shifters who’d guarded the Alpha while he recovered gravitated towards them, drawn by Hawk and, to a lesser extent, Sara. Despite an uneasy relationship with the Pack in general, Sara seemed to get along fine with her were-pack mates. A few Shifters inquired after Tasia, but no one asked her any questions about the ordeal, for which she was glad. Slowly but surely, Duncan’s were-pack was starting to accept Tasia. Her work on the investigation, Duncan’s general attitude towards her, Hawk’s friendship with her, and her equation with Joaquim and Evgeny had made Duncan’s Shifters more accepting of the Wizard in their midst. This last brush with danger had also helped her cause. That Tasia had come through remarkably unscathed had not been lost on the Shifters. She, a non-Shifter, confined with an injured Wyr, poisoned by the massive dose of silver in his blood, especially one who’d admitted to his own Pack that his beotan had been awakened, had kept her head. Her coolheadedness in trying circumstances had earned their respect.
When Duncan escorted David Hamilton and DiZeyla in, a hush descended on the Pack Room. Ignoring it, the Alpha strode forward to greet his guests.
“David Hamilton is asking after you, Tasia” Hawk said softly to her.
Tasia glanced at the visitors, startled by Hawk’s comment. The Alpha searched the room, zeroing in on her, before leading the local Wizard leader over to them.
“How are you, Tasia?” David Hamilton greeted her warmly. They had met a few times when Caro’s parents had generously allowed their garage to be used to store Tasia’s things. “Recovered from Friday, I hope?”
“I’m well, Mr. Hamilton. Thank you.”
“I’m glad to hear it. Caro has been very worried about you.”
“Please let Caro know that I’ll get in touch tomorrow, Mr. Hamilton.”
Tasia had forgotten her purse and cell in Duncan’s car after the alley rescue, only retrieving them this morning at the Lair.
I will” David assured her. “Caro is itching to see her.” He directed the statement at the Alpha.
Duncan had warned him to keep Caro away from the Lair until the Pack had settled down. To David, it looked like the Alpha was back, his authority clearly re-established over his Pack.
“Your daughter is welcome at the Lair, David” Raoul said politely.
“She’ll be pleased to hear it.”
Once in the Alpha’s Room, David Hamilton turned to Raoul.
“The Registrar of the San Francisco Wizard Registry helped rent the house on Russian Hill” he said heavily, clearly an admission that affected him deeply.
Raoul’s expression hardened into a mask, but before the Shifters could react to the news, DiZeyla chimed in.
“I advised David to tell the Registrar what the house was used for, Raoul.” She addressed him directly, without prevarication.
The Alpha said nothing, but it was clear he didn’t agree with DiZeyla.
“I’ve known the man a long time, Raoul” David said slowly. “I wouldn’t call him a friend, but he was someone I respected. I couldn’t believe that he was party to what was done to you.”
“I told David to reveal what he’d been party to. If he was the man David believed him to be, the Registrar would do the right thing.”
“Did he?” Duncan asked as the Alpha remained silent, his expression stony.
David nodded. “He was horrified and told me everything — who and why he’d assisted them.”
DiZeyla eyed the silent and stony-faced Alpha. “When David told me what had happened, it appalled me, Raoul. Just as it appalled him. No Chosen can inflict that on another, unless he’s sick. This is not a difference of opinion. Nothing justifies exploiting a Wyr’s vulnerability to drive him to madness or a horrific attack on a blameless bystander. Nothing! What was attempted on you is abominable — it must be treated as such. It didn’t succeed because of you, Raoul. But what about the next Shifter or the next Chosen? Unless we condemn it publicly and strongly, this will set a precedent that leads us down the path of no return.”
There was silence as the last of her words died away.
“DiZeyla makes a very good point” Atsá said, dignified, as always. “We must send a message to Chosen everywhere that this will be punished and condemned widely. We cannot do that without revealing the details publicly. No Chosen will understand or appreciate the monstrous crime that was perpetrated unless they know what was attempted, Alpha.”
“In other words, in order for the world to condemn this, we must go against Wyr tradition and our very nature to reveal a Shifter’s very personal torment to the Chosen at large.” Duncan annunciated what Atsá and DiZeyla were hinting at.
DiZeyla nodded, agreeing with Duncan.
“Unless we choose to tackle this as a Pack matter, of course” Maartje countered.
David met the Alpha’s eyes, determined to make a strong case for not keeping this a secret from the larger Chosen diaspora. Shifters tended to close ranks, but he strongly believed that this deserved unified Chosen condemnation and action.
“I strongly advise you to not treat this as a Pack matter, Raoul. DiZeyla put it very eloquently — this horrifies us, but it affects us all, too. Being secretive can be counterproductive. You gave us the Guardian responsible for mugging and terrorizing Wizards in San Francisco. In hindsight, I made a mistake then. While the accusations against the Guardian were made public and I also let it be known that the Pack had helped catch him, I didn’t make the testimony of the mercenaries he’d hired, or the Guardian’s own confession of his crimes public. As a result, when the GCW let him go, the Guardian was able to convince many Wizards, especially rank and file ones, that the Pack had tried to frame him. Despite the overwhelming evidence we had on him, because of my reticence, he had my Wizards convinced that I’d been taken in by a story the Pack had spun to hide their own misdeeds.”
David allowed his words to sink in. “If I’d been more candid and open with my Wizards about Anderson’s crimes against their own brethren, he could never have swept his crimes under the carpet by blaming you. I don’t want to make that mistake again, Raoul.”
There was silence as the Shifters digested his words.
“You said the Registrar confessed, David.” The Alpha finally broke his silence. “Why did he help them?”
“Because they worked for a Guardian. The Registrar was told that they were in San Francisco to collect evidence against a Chosen on the orders of the GCW. He thought he was helping an official GCW investigation” David said soberly.
“Which Guardian?” Raoul asked, his voice very even.
“Ted Anderson.”
The Shifters drew breath at the familiar name as Raoul felt a cold fury swirl in him. The Guardians would regret this, he vowed. They were as culpable as Anderson for turning a blind eye.
Tamping down his own rage, Duncan gla
nced at the Alpha. “The GCW set him free, Raoul” he muttered in disbelief.
David looked grim. “There’s more, Duncan. Take a guess who Anderson’s Wizards were supposedly here to investigate.”
Duncan frowned as the Alpha’s eyes flashed to David Hamilton, an arrested expression in them.
“You, Raoul. They told the Registrar they were to investigate you. For your part in framing a Guardian for the muggings in San Francisco.”
David shook his head, equal parts astonished and incredulous. “The irony lies heavy in many ways. The Registrar believed him. It seemed plausible, and it was a GCW sanctioned investigation. And like everyone else, he knew about the night you punished Anderson at the Registry before handing him over. So, the Guardian’s cries of a vendetta on your part didn’t seem that far-fetched. Everything added up for him. How do I blame him for falling for this, Raoul?” he said helplessly.
“Once upon a time, the GCW’s reputation in our world was impeccable. But for a few years now, the GCW has been distracted, obsessed with its power struggle with the First Wizard. Now, this is allowing rogue Guardians to get away with murder. The way I see it, the only way to counteract this is to lay everything bare before the Chosen. In the face of overwhelming evidence, even the Wizards will challenge the narrative that the GCW wants them to believe.”
“This is why I urge you to go public, Raoul” he reiterated passionately. “Let’s not allow history to repeat itself again. This time, let’s make sure the Guardian is punished for his crime.”
“Oh, the Guardian will be punished, David” the Alpha said in a hard voice. “The GCW had their chance. I won’t leave it to them again.”
David said nothing. He’d already guessed that the Pack would not look to the Guardians for justice again.
