Not The Leader Of The Pack

by Leong, Annabeth

  “Miss Gunby?” Heather waved a hand in front of Juli’s face. “I need you to acknowledge for the recording that you understand that our decisions here today are binding and cannot be disputed without cause. If you feel you have cause for dispute, you will need to submit form FV9 for review by Council investigators, and such form needs to be received by the Lewistown office before such time as—”

  “Yes,” Juli said quickly. “I understand all that.” She forced a smile, praying none of her words had come out along with the growl she’d wanted to throw in.

  “Excellent. Since Mr. Statham has also granted verbal assent, we can proceed to the reading of the formal decision.”

  “Wonderful,” Neil said, his lip curled. The sarcasm in his voice came through so plainly that Heather broke the flow of her words to stare at him.

  “Is there a problem, Mr. Statham?”

  “Of course not.” His forehead twitched as if he were barely restraining an eye roll. Juli gave him a wink and a smirk before remembering that he was the enemy today, not Heather. He looked quickly away from her, and she blushed. Heather waited another beat, then tapped her stack of paperwork on the glass table.

  “Let’s proceed,” Heather said. “The statute most relevant to complaint A-7852 is regulation 2.315c, regarding progression of pack leadership in the event of the death of an alpha due to sickness or natural causes.”

  Juli tried to keep her sigh from coming out audibly. No matter how irritating it felt to be in the hands of the Council, no matter how their officious, bureaucratic style ran against every wild fiber of her being as a werewolf, she needed to remember the sacred, important purpose they served. She’d worked for them, and knew very well the conditions they strove to prevent. Werewolves feared and hunted by humans. Werewolves destroying each other. A werewolf could never forget that inside her, she held a beast. As seductive as it might feel to give in to the rush of instinct and sensation that creature inspired, it would lead to a primitive condition, no better than that of an animal.

  She gathered her patience any way she could and sat still, her hands folded in her lap. It would be childish and ridiculous to give credence to the sense that she’d been locked in jail. Here she sat, in a chair in her father’s living room, free to leave at any time. If she focused, she could still smell the fresh, outdoor air coming in through the windows, and the pungent animal smell of her father’s game trophies. Red dirt clung to Neil’s skin from the last time he’d played ball, the blend on the Billings diamond subtly different from the one in Missoula. Juli’s shoulders relaxed as she reminded herself this was just a little waiting. Full-moon exemption was coming up. Soon now. More than halfway there.

  She returned her attention to Heather’s voice. “We find that Darrow Gunby’s decision to pass the rank of alpha down to his daughter, Juli Gunby, while unusual, is proper, legal, and binding. Furthermore—”

  “What?” Neil roared up out of his chair. “Are you insane?” His chin had been smooth at the beginning of the meeting, but now he looked like he hadn’t shaved for days. He breathed raggedly, obviously holding his human form by a thread.

  Juli could not help savoring the scent of him, stronger now that his inner wolf had risen. It called to the complementary part of Juli, and she yearned to answer. She feared she might follow Neil into instability. Juli pulled her awareness back from him as much as she could manage. In her head, she reached for her multiplication tables.

  “She doesn’t even know the names of everyone in the pack!” Neil’s voice wavered barely on the human side of a howl. He stabbed a finger at Juli.

  Heather Compton cleared her throat. “Perhaps you could help her with that. Miss Gunby indicated she’d be willing to keep you on in the capacity of beta. Our records show you acquitted yourself well in that role with her father.”

  “She’ll be nice enough to let me stay on as beta, huh?” Neil’s fingers flexed, and Juli knew claws would erupt from them a moment before they did. Neil groaned, apparently still in enough of his right mind to know he shouldn’t be shifting now. Clearly, he couldn’t stop himself. The skin of his hands darkened, then abruptly became furry. His fingers lengthened, and his hair grew shaggy. The stitching of his ever-present baseball jersey protested.

  Heather gave a subtle gesture, and the two investigators on either side of her stood. One reached for the dart gun at his hip.

  “Wait!” Juli said, her voice ringing with command. “Since you’ve upheld my position as alpha of this pack, I have the right to discipline him myself. You step in only if my authority does not hold.”

  Heather dipped her head in agreement, a very slight smile playing at the corners of her mouth. The two standing investigators remained perfectly still, fixed on Neil with the utter focus of well-trained hunting dogs. “I’m pleased to see you so prepared to fulfill the duties of your new role,” Heather said. “See that you address this matter adequately.”

  Juli could not resist answering with a smile. She didn’t like the idea of having to punish Neil, but she enjoyed receiving Heather’s respect. Making eye contact with him, she willed him to accept her authority just this once, to calm down for now so the Lewistown investigators would leave them alone. Neil responded by retaking his seat, shedding fur from his body and falling to the carpet around him with a light patter. Relief flooded Juli’s body, and the tension in the room began to fade.

  Then the investigator to Heather’s left scribbled on a piece of paper and handed it to Neil. He glanced at it and exploded, maintaining human form this time, but still wildly angry. “A citation?”

  “For unauthorized shifting,” Heather returned placidly.

  Juli’s eyes widened. “I thought we just agreed...”

  “You saved him from tranquilization and arrest. Be grateful we were lenient.”

  “There are no humans here!” Muscles corded in Neil’s neck. “We’re in the living room of a private home!”

  Dangerous interest sharpened Heather’s face. “Do you believe shifting is legal at any time besides the full moon, simply because you’re inside a private home, or keeping company with only other werewolves?”

  Neil dropped his head. “Of course not,” he muttered sullenly. “Why don’t you ask Juli what she thinks about that too?”

  Juli snapped her gaze to his and found open rebellion in his eyes. A sense of betrayal curled through her stomach. Heather Compton frowned and turned to Juli. “Care to tell us what Mr. Statham is referring to?”

  Juli cleared her throat, resisting the urge to shoot Neil a death glare. She wanted to engage as little as possible with these childish accusations. “I’ve been having some strong emotions around my father’s death,” she confessed. “I’ve had a few slips. Never in front of humans.” She hoped that last part was true.

  Heather’s expression turned sour. “Have you been reporting them? You know we need to monitor these things for signs of a pattern spiraling out of control.”

  Juli swallowed. “I hadn’t gotten around to filling out the paperwork.”

  Heather slapped a sheaf of papers into Juli’s lap. “See that you do. Your tenure as alpha is off to a troubled start.” She glanced pointedly at Neil. “You wouldn’t want to make things any worse than they need to be.”

  The investigator stood, hefting an elegant leather briefcase as she did. She wore black stockings without a single perceptible run. Juli wondered how she looked when she shifted. The woman seemed more feline than lupine, and too put together to ever run on all fours or throw back her head and howl.

  Heather caught Juli’s expression and responded with a challenging stare. That did help Juli envision how the other woman would look if she grew sharp fangs. Juli touched the collar of her shirt as a subtle sign of retreat, and the investigator again gave her restrained nod.

  “We’ll head back to Lewistown tomorrow morning. Feel free to contact us if you need further assistance. As far as I’m concerned, this case is closed.”

  Neil sat up straight. “W
hat are you talking about?”

  Heather gave him a cool stare. “We issued our decision. We have no reason to stay any longer.”

  “That was the final decision?”

  “I gave a very thorough explanation, Mr. Statham.”

  Neil paled a little. “You certainly did.” He stood slowly, then looked at each person in the room in turn. “I’m afraid I can’t accept it.”

  “What?” Juli sat back in her chair, stunned. How much conflict did he want to make out of this?

  Heather laughed. “It’s not your choice whether to accept it or not. What matters is the Council has accepted it.”

  “I challenge the decision.”

  “You’re perfectly welcome to challenge Miss Gunby for the position of alpha at the next full moon, as our ancient law provides.”

  He glanced at Juli, curling his lip. “I’m not going to fight her. I’m challenging you.”

  “I’ve explained the details of form FV9.”

  “I’m not filling that out. I object to this entire process.”

  Heather shook her head in amusement and laughed even harder. “You’ll have to stop with the jokes, Mr. Statham. I’m an alpha-level investigator. My word can’t be challenged.”

  “Listen, I know you had a bunch of numbers and codes to justify what you’ve decided, but it’s wrong. Darrow Gunby can’t just treat an entire pack like chattel. We can’t be inherited. We’re werewolves, not objects.”

  Heather raised a perfect eyebrow. It appeared neatly plucked, and Juli again wondered how she managed it. Her own eyebrows sprouted stray hairs at a hopeless pace, all hours of the day and night. “When a rival alpha conquers a ruling alpha, the pack is transferred, no? Do you object to all of our customs, or just the ones that don’t suit you?”

  “Maybe I object to all of them.” No one could mistake Neil’s expanding chest and threatening step forward. The two silent investigators interposed themselves between Neil and Heather. Juli’s body tensed. Heather drew herself to her full height, perfectly poised and graceful in her tall heels.

  “You need to be very careful about the path you’re taking, Mr. Statham. The Council is not tolerant of dissent.”

  “Don’t I know it. All you folks from Lewistown apparently feel free to show up and throw your weight around without ever bothering to think about how you’re affecting the people who actually have to live with your decisions.” He glanced at Juli. “Don’t get me wrong, honey. You should have stayed in Missoula with us. It’s just that ever since you got back, you stink of them.”

  “Didn’t seem to have turned you off,” Juli threw back, then blushed as everyone in the room looked at her with new speculation in their eyes. Wonderful. Now she’d revealed her relationship with Neil, whatever it was, to the Council.

  Heather smirked, but did not comment. Neil shrugged off the remark in favor of continuing his tirade.

  “Have any of you even talked with any member of the Missoula pack besides me? Or of ‘werewolf group 7B,’ as you so aptly referred to it?”

  Heather’s spine stiffened even further. “We spoke with Dr. LaMont.”

  “But none of the regular guys. Do you even know how many people are in the pack? Juli, do you?”

  Juli looked away, taking his point keenly. She truly intended to do right by the pack, but since she’d returned to Missoula, she’d been so caught up with her father’s death, the Council investigation, and the turmoil with Neil that she hadn’t been to see anyone. She could make no excuse for that, but Neil pressed his point.

  “Let me tell you all something.” He stabbed a finger in Heather’s face, nearly grazing her nose. The investigator to her right put up a warning hand. Neil retracted the finger, but did not step back. “The werewolves in Missoula were loyal to Darrow Gunby, because he commanded respect. When he got sick and I asked them to stand by him, we all agreed we couldn’t do without his wisdom. But we had an understanding.”

  Heather interrupted, slicing her hand through the air. “You went over this during your testimony, Mr. Statham. If you can’t see how you’re contradicting yourself, I don’t think I can help you.”

  Neil turned his back on her in an ultimate gesture of disrespect. Heather’s eyes widened and the dart gun came out of that other investigator’s pocket again, but Juli couldn’t watch them because he’d suddenly turned on her full force. She forced herself to meet his gaze boldly, knowing he didn’t truly have much size on her. Still, her own fear filled the air around her.

  Neil seemed to take up the entire room as he advanced on her. He stepped so close she could smell him, feel the heat of his skin, practically taste him. The proximity made her shudder with the recollection of his lips on hers. He leaned in even closer and spoke slowly and loudly, as if she might have trouble hearing him in that totally silent room. “No one is going to follow you. You can play games with statutes and regulations all day long if you want, but nothing is going to change the simple fact that the pack isn’t loyal to you.”

  Heather cleared her throat again, breaking the spell Neil had cast on the room. “As a member of the pack, it’s your duty and obligation to assist your alpha with that. As the current beta, you bear that responsibility even more keenly. If you believe the alpha can’t lead, then you challenge her in single combat. Very simple. What part of this are you struggling with, Mr. Statham?”

  “I know the way it’s supposed to go, Miss Compton.” He returned the investigator’s formal style with sneering sarcasm. “I also know there are free packs in Wyoming that do it differently. They allow the challenges, but they also give current pack members the chance to accept or reject a new alpha. They acknowledge the right of each pack to choose its own destiny, and, by extension, the right of each individual.”

  “The packs in Wyoming betrayed the Council and broke their vows of kinship with us.” Heather pulled her lip back from her teeth in a snarl as subtle and elegant as her tasteful gold accessories.

  Neil smiled. His body relaxed. He moved as if the tension had gone out of the room, when in fact it had grown even more. Juli watched him warily. She had to remind herself to breathe. “I guess someone’s thought of a solution, then.”

  “Neil, what are you saying?” Juli couldn’t help reaching out to him. The magnitude of the trouble he flirted with horrified her. The investigators could arrest him just for hinting this way. They could haul him to Lewistown, or expel him from all Council-affiliated packs, or require that he take lycanthropy suppressants in such large doses he wouldn’t be able to shift even on the full moon. No matter how much conflict had grown between them, she didn’t think she could bear for any of that to happen. She didn’t want to be cut off from him.

  He dodged away from her fingers and faced Heather, shoulders square. “I’m saying the Missoula pack isn’t going to follow the Council anymore. We’re seceding, just like Wyoming. I’ll lead.”

  “Neil!”

  “You can join us, Juli.” He paused and looked straight in her eyes. “You’re always welcome as far as I’m concerned.” She picked up the invitation laced through his words, but for once felt too distressed to respond.

  Heather sighed loudly and dropped her weight in the chair she’d just vacated, unlatching her briefcase with a loud slap. “Well, I guess I’m not going home yet. Gabriel will not be happy about this.”

  “Are you going to arrest me?”

  She arched a speculative eyebrow, and another irrational flash of jealousy spread through Juli’s body. “Do you want me to?”

  “I’m happy to walk out of here as a free man.” Neil shrugged, but Juli thought she detected a little discomfort in his defiance, as if he hadn’t realized how far he could take things. He shifted from foot to foot and shoved both hands in his pocket, and he’d lifted his shoulders almost to his ears.

  Heather shuffled more papers, and did not deign to meet Neil’s eye. “The Council recognizes that werewolves are prone to hasty speech. Technically, you’re not in violation unless you fail to
appear at the ceremonial swearing in of the new alpha. I’ll be sure you and the rest of the pack are notified. Until that event, your rebellion is considered a threat only—serious, but not yet requiring intervention. You might want to take some time to think things over between now and then. We can make things very uncomfortable for you if you choose to join the rebels in Wyoming.”

  Neil lifted one corner of his mouth. “Sure. I’ll give that some thought.” He turned on his heel.

  Heather stopped him with a voice like a whip crack. “I’m not finished. We’re going to have to call in a full complement of investigators. We’ll take a statement from every pack member, and place guards on each one. Anyone found to be involved with sedition will be duly punished after the next full moon.” She paused for dramatic effect, a long nail tapping against her pale cheek. “If you don’t want your pack to suffer, I’d recommend you rethink your actions.”

  Neil’s back muscles twitched. “I’ve had it with your threats and your police state.” He headed for the front door.

  Juli jumped to her feet. She missed him as if he were already lost to her. She wished she could talk about what had just happened. If it hadn’t involved him, he would have been the person she sought out. “Neil, where are you going?”

  “Out.”

  She bit her lip. She’d already embarrassed herself plenty in front of the Lewistown officials. If she ran after him now, she didn’t think her pride could recover. She bit her lip and sat back down. Heather certainly had plenty of paperwork to keep her occupied.

  Chapter Six

  Two Council investigators stood guard outside Sarah Edmond’s modest ranch house. Even half-hidden in the surrounding forest, their presence emphasized the Council’s intrusion on Neil’s hometown and pack. He ignored them deliberately, and lifted his hand to knock on the battered front door.

  Before he could complete the action, the door opened and revealed Juli. He froze, his fist still in the air, staring into those eyes, bigger and bluer than the wide-open Montana sky. He should have smelled that she was here. He certainly caught her scent now, earthy and delicate, like new growth in Spring.