Traditions_The Sweetwater Pack

by Terri L Vest

  Reika prayed for her father to be reasonable and open to this new change. However, she knew that if he refused, there was no turning back for her. She loved Foster, wanted him as her mate, and no outdated pack rules were going to stop her from choosing him. The worst part of going against pack rules, her fathers rules, would be the risk of losing his love and possibly being banned from the pack. Never seeing him or her mother again would totally break her heart, but her future belonged to HER, not them.

  Not being in any hurry to return, she got lost in her thoughts as she wandered her way back home. She day dreamed about what it would be like to be at Fosters side, seeing him daily, being in his arms, bearing his pups. . . The frown that had creased her forehead earlier had slipped away and was replaced by a small, dreamy smile. At that moment she knew she would do whatever it took to be his mate. She would work towards the best possible outcome, and prepare for anything less than desirable. Either way, she knew her future was now in her hands - as she'd always wanted it to be, and with that thought, she shifted into her wolf and happily loped towards home.

  * * * *

  As Foster neared home, he send out a mental call to Jett. "Meet me in the council room. I want to discuss and prepare our proposal to the council." "On my way," Jett responded. While he had been running, he'd sent out mental "feelers" of a sort. He was trying to get a sense of whether the general feeling was of safety or unrest. He knew to be successful in joining the packs he would need to give his pack mates a reason that would ring true for them. If it was a feeling of safety, he'd convince them of the need to join for greater numbers to maintain the peace they felt and diversity of bloodlines for building a stronger future pack. If for unrest, joining the two packs would give more security in numbers, strength and a much larger territory. With the higher number of border patrols, it would give greater warning before any threat got close to their families. Foster would use the violence all were hearing about outside their state as an example of the need, no matter what the general feeling was. The time was coming that the outside violence would creep into their territory.

  All of these angles should prove a great tool to convince not only his own pack, but the alpha of the Sweetwater pack as well. He'd heard that Silas was a great leader of his pack. He was said to be fair but firm as well as a great protector. A leader after his own heart! The fact that there had been no battles between the two packs for so long should be a good indicator of compatibility. Time would tell.

  After both men had arrived, he told Jett of the meeting with Claire. "It appears that she is on our side and sees the sense in joining the packs. However, she made it quite clear that convincing Silas won't be so easy, especially where his daughter is concerned!"

  Jett chuckled, nodding. "I can understand that. You have high aspirations my friend, ones with great risk and a large amount of the unknown, and all on a short deadline!"

  "Well, I see the benefits of it, but never said it would be easy," chuckled Foster. "The likelihood of pulling this off without a hitch is . . . well, unlikely. It may make sense, but we still have to deal with some of the older members that remember the battles between the two packs - and probably even the reasons for it, as well as the prejudices resulting from it all. Of course, then there's pack politics as well, which are never fun to battle," Foster said with a hint of concern.

  The two men continued discussing their plan until it was time for the meeting, and council members began filtering in. For the most part, he liked all the council members and the council greatly respected his leadership. That's not to say that there weren't those who occasionally tried to take a greater hand in the leadership of the pack, or tried to get their offspring into a more desirable position. Most were reasonable, however, and he felt they would be open to this new truce. Once everyone had arrived, Foster stood to signal the beginning of the meeting.

  "Gentlemen, thank you for coming. Things have been running smoothly for some time and it's been a while since we've met. However, the rumblings of violence outside our territory compels our meeting today.

  While I have been on patrol, I've heard and seen for myself what's happening beyond our borders. I believe at this point in time we can hold our own. However, if the warring packs unite, we could be over run. I've been running the options over in my mind for some time now and I believe I've come up with a solution." Foster paused to give the council a moment to let what he'd said sink in. He needed everyone to be fully involved and understanding of the situation.

  Once he had everyone's attention he said, "I want to try to reconcile and unite with the Sweetwater pack." The room erupted into numerous objections. He was prepared for this so he patiently waited for everyone to vent their surprise. Soon enough, every council member realized he was waiting for their silence and, one by one, they each sat back quietly.

  "I understand your surprise and initial objections and I will give you this one outburst. However, as Alpha of this pack I expect and demand your respect and won't tolerate this again", said Foster quietly with a subtle hint of anger behind his words. He knew that his pack had settled into the 'feud' between the packs and believed it to be justified. However, no one seemed to be giving any objection with a valid and current argument.

  "Now, I wish to discuss this with you, as you all know I believe a group of minds can cover an issue more thoroughly. What I expect from you as my council and the overseers of this pack is an open mind and objectivity. I don't want to hear arguments based completely in the past. Is that clear?" He made eye contact with each member and waited for each to nod in acceptance and lower their eyes in respect. Once everyone did, he continued.

  "We all know the history between the packs, which involves a different time and different leaders. It has been many years since the last battle and we've had no trouble with them or from them since. With the tension building among the packs outside this state, we need to take a serious look at what it will take to keep this pack and all its members safe should the worst case scenario happen." Foster paused to let this sink in. He hoped he'd see a sign of acceptance, or at least resignation, move among the council. Since he believed his council to usually be reasonable and hoped this would be another of those times. He moved his gazed around the room to get a sense of what was happening. It looked promising.

  Senior Council member, Jerry Dreskel, raised his gaze to meet that of Fosters and he appeared to brace himself for battle. "Yes, Jerry. Do you have a current objection or reason for not uniting these packs that we need to be made aware of?" asked Foster, standing taller and squaring his shoulders. This was his usual stance when bracing for battle. Unknown to the council, this was a battle that he planned on winning for the sake of his future happiness.

  "Sir, as you know, I was a new member of the council years ago when our two packs were at odds. Fierce battles occurred and several were lost from both packs. At that time it was clearly obvious that no peace could be made between the packs as both leaders felt justified in their position and neither would bow to the other. I can tell you that control of territories was a major drive to those battles. At that time all packs from this state were driven to get and hold as much territory as they could manage. The largest pack would rule the state. I'm sure you understand the need to safe-guard your members within a large territory." Jerry paused in his address to the council, waiting for Foster to acknowledge his question.

  Foster nodded, easing his stance a bit. "I do Jerry, and it makes perfect sense for the way things were - THEN. Now, however, we are in different times. Peace has reined for many years between us as the need for dominance has subsided. All seem to be comfortable with the land held by each. Do you agree?"

  Jerry seemed to have the steam taken out of the address he'd been building. When put that way, he couldn't argue that it was in fact the way things were today. "Yes sir, I agree. But sir, just because there've been no battles, how do you know that they aren't harboring the same ill will this pack is and that if we approach them out of the blue,
that they will even give us a chance to be heard?" Jerry asked, struggling to find support in his belief that they should not be uniting.

  "That is a fair question Jerry, but it's also an argument for the side of trying to unite the packs", Foster said. "It is potentially more damaging for the two packs to live in the past and never try to fix things, then to reach out and see what is possible. If the worst case scenario happens and outside packs make a push into this state for possession of land, separately, each pack could be over run and therefore weaken the position of the other. We are the two largest packs within this state and together, we could become formidable and unbeatable. Patrol numbers can't be what's needed to ensure safety, as the territory requires more than is available individually in numbers with the size of the land to protect. If we unite with the Sweetwater pack, combined numbers as well as a larger area being protected would put a buffer between our families and the offenders, and would ensure good coverage and a back up system if or when needed. As I said when we began, I need you to open your minds, look at the facts that exist today and see how uniting our two packs could help secure our families future and the future of this pack!" Again, Foster moved his gaze over each council member trying to enforce the need and confidence of this decision.

  For the next hour, each council member was given a chance to have their say and voice their opinion. Some had been softened by Foster's address while others clung stubbornly to their outdated beliefs. He knew that no matter what the council preferred, his will would be carried out, as was his right as pack Alpha, but he hoped they would all see how it made sense to unite the two largest packs. As the hour progressed, the consensus seemed to be swaying to one way of thinking and he readied himself for what was to come.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  As Claire returned home from her lunch meeting with Reika and Foster, she used the time to rethink what she had found out and what she now found herself in the middle of. She had never before withheld secrets from Silas and she wasn't comfortable doing so now. However, she respected the power of the imprint and for the sake of her daughter's future happiness, as well as the safety of both packs, she knew it was necessary this one time. She loved Silas with her whole being but she knew he could be very stubborn at times only to regret it later. She couldn't sit back and allow that to happen now.

  She had seated herself on their porch steps hoping that the open air would help clear her mind and get her to her much needed solution to the problem of breaking the situation to Silas. Being so involved in her thoughts she didn't notice him approaching her, or hear him call out to her.

  "CLAIRE!" he said loudly one more time. With that, Claire jolted back to the moment. "What??" she asked with a bit more sternness than she intended. Silas raised an eyebrow and studied her more closely which caused her to take control of what she was projecting so as not to give anything away. He always recognized when she was stressing over something, but she'd never used a stern tone with him before.

  "What in the world has put you so deeply in thought? I called you and called you but you didn't even notice me, let alone hear me." Silas relaxed the natural alpha response to harsh tones aimed at him and softened as he asked, "Tell me love, what bothers you so?" He took a seat next to her and paused to give her time to respond.

  She turned her eyes to him and worried how she would answer him to his satisfaction without giving anything away. She wasn't ready to have the "Foster & Reika" conversation with him just yet. "I'm so sorry, dear. After spending time with Reika and seeing how upset she is about someone else choosing her mate for her, and her reluctance to move forward with what she knows must be done, I just feel so bad for her and her predicament. She has so much of her father's stubbornness in her that it can make it difficult to get her to see the reality of the situation." Watching the worry slip from his face, she knew she'd successfully protected their secret. Now she had to be sure not to play that angle too well or it could backfire and complicate things more than they already were! After all, though Silas had a large amount of patience for his daughter, he knew sometimes he just had to force her to do what she was reluctant to do, knowing that she'd eventually come around and see the sense in it. Claire knew that would spell disaster in this situation!

  "No worries my love. I know she still protests, yet I've seen her come to terms with it at times so I'm sure it won't be much longer until she accepts her fate and does what's right for the pack and the safety of it, as well as her own future. I believe the bit of her mother that's in her helps to temper the part of her father that she carries," Silas said, chuckling, while leaning in to hug her.

  "I'm sure you're right dear," she said while snuggling into his arms and breathing a sigh of relief that he wasn't going to be rash and force the issue just yet. "Foster, I hope your plan is moving ahead well," she thought to herself.

  * * * *

  Reika moved among the trees enjoying the feel of the breeze moving through her fur as the sun warmed her. In her daydreaming state, she failed to notice the eyes that followed her and the stealthy movement of their owners. She hadn't paid attention to how closely she'd moved to the outer lines of their territory that bordered the surrounding state, nor had she heard the news from that day of the unrest that was beginning to push towards their borders. She rarely ever let her guard down when nearing the border but her meeting with Foster and her mother had left her feeling so hopeful of the coming future that she allowed herself this one momentary freedom from responsibilities. It would prove to be a huge mistake!

  Just as she was about to turn inward in her journey home, movement caught her attention. She slowed her pace to see what small animal had been startled when all of a sudden she felt like she was being watched. Her hackles began to stand on end. Her eyes searched the woods around her and she turned her nose to the wind to see if she could pick up a scent to identify the threat her senses had gone on alert for. In looking around she realized the mistake she'd made of running so close to the state border, an area that was only patrolled once an hour, which had just passed. No one would be coming out here for a while. Beginning to feel nervous she turned to hurry back into safer grounds when something streaked past her right peripheral, drawing her attention to it. Focusing on trying to figure out what it was, with a startled yelp, she took a hit from her left that sent her tumbling through the bush. Before she could scramble to her feet, a large male wolf stood over her, preventing her from rolling any further. His eyes were full of threat, as a deep growl rumbled through his chest. His teeth seemed to be only inches from her throat and she didn't dare move or attempt to push him off. As she tried to clear her thoughts and calm her pounding heart, she struggled to remember the lessons of defense she'd learned while growing up. Stories of rogue wolves and the strength they could possess were an everyday lesson, along with just how to escape them, should anyone be unfortunate enough to cross paths with them.

  Reika relaxed and appeared to submit so the large male would ease back on the threat he held over her. She felt fairly confident that if she could only get to her feet she could outrun him among the heavy brush and dense trees. Her small size and maneuverability had saved her before so she was counting on it again. As long as he was a lone wolf, she stood a fighting chance to get to safety. She began to carefully scan the area that she could see from her position and was slowly building the courage she'd need to escape, when more movement caught her attention.

  Three more large unfamiliar wolves slowly stalked out of the brush. They appeared to be searching for others that would pose a threat. She had never seen them before, and as she studied them, her fear began to build. She realized her chances of escape had just disappeared. She could outrun one, but four? She didn't like her odds. Now, all she could do was try to stay calm and find out where they were from and what they wanted. She prayed they weren't from the outside packs that had been testing the borders more and more; the very packs that Foster had talked about earlier. If they were, she had to hope they knew nothing of
the existing packs and the alphas that ran them. She had to be careful not to give away who she was or she knew she'd probably never make it out alive. Territorial wars were not known for kindness or mercy.

  Against her better judgment, she began shifting back to her human self so she was less of a threat to them. She hoped they'd do the same so they could communicate clearly. The large male stepped back to allow her the space she needed to shift. She did it at a slower pace to appear to be a young and less experienced wolf. When she finished, she sat with her back to a tree and drew her knees up to her chest to appear frightened and vulnerable. She kept her eyes large and searching as a frightened young girl would do. She slowly raised her eyes to see that he, too, had swiftly shifted and was now standing before her, tall and intimidating.

  "Well, well. Look what we have here", the man said that stood before her, leering down at her like she was on the dinner menu. He was pacing in front of her as if testing to see if she would try to run. By the looks of him, she felt he might enjoy that more than she cared to test. "What's a little girl like you doing this far away from home?" he asked.

  Reika's first instinct was to tell him it was none of his business, but she quickly refrained and maintained her terrified little girl act. "I took a wrong turn," she mumbled with a tremble in her voice. "I am rarely allowed to explore. I snuck away to see what was out here. I didn't pay attention to how I got here and when I turned to go home, I couldn't remember which direction I'd come from. Please, just let me go home. I promise I won't do it again", she said with a whimper. She dropped her eyes and shuddered. "That ought to convince them I'm no threat" she thought. With her head lowered she tried to use her peripherals to check out the location of the others that had joined them. She noticed two of them had turned to continue their search back the way they'd come. Her odds were more to her liking now.