“The true claim belongs to the eldest living Silverman... your father.” Richard’s words sounded carefully selected. Her father was a topic she’d yet to really dive into. This visit north would bring her face to face with the man who’d traded his life for hers. Emotions ran deep where he was concerned. All her life she’d wanted a family. She’d felt as if she’d been unwanted. With the recent encounter she’d had with Cassandra, she’d learned that not only had she been wanted more than anything in this world, but that her birth had been a key reason her father had been rendered unconscious. Not dead, as Richard had so poignantly put it. And though she’d never met him, or even been raised by wolves, by rights of his lineage she’d suddenly been awarded the title of Regional Alpha.
“I still don’t understand this whole line of succession thing. Those boys were probably bred for this, so why not just pretend I’m not involved?”
“Because we are creatures of habit, who are ruled by the most rigid of laws.”
“Clearly,” Giselle scoffed, earning her a scornful look from her instructor.
“Even if the role will be superficial at first, it is important that order is established for the rest of the packs.” Richard’s tone had long since passed the point of impatience. “And that the other Alphas see a Silverman still has control.”
Giselle sighed. Fighting just meant prolonging the lecture. “Okay. Fine. What important wolfy knowledge are you going to impart to me today?”
“You’re going to have to do a little better than that if you want to convince the other Alphas that you’re truly interested in taking up the position.”
“I am. Interested, that is.” Playacting, she reminded herself. Now or never. If she couldn’t convince Richard, she’d never convince the Council. “I want to know more. I grew up in the human world, so this all seems a bit tedious to me.”
“It is. And will always be.” A smile broke through the stony mask Richard wore, as if he finally felt he was getting somewhere with her obstinacy. He stood and took a lap around the kitchen table as he spoke. “There are essentially five primary packs in North America, who control all the smaller packs in their region. All will send representatives to this Grand Council. Those representatives will be the ones to judge whether or not you are worthy to take up the Pacific Territories. The Olde Town pack controls the New England portion of the east coast. The Rufus Reds control the southeast and parts of Louisiana. The Loups are situated in the heart of the United States and extend as far west as Colorado. The Lobos come from northern Mexico and in through Arizona, with some reach into Utah. And then you have us Long Teeth from the Pacific coast. Up in Canada, we have dealings with the Lycans, but I don’t know if they will send a representative or not. Best to be prepared, though.”
“And I am supposed to remember all this how?”
“By paying attention and taking it seriously.” Richard jabbed a finger down at the pencil and paper in front of Giselle.
Feeling slightly embarrassed, she picked up the pencil. “How do you spell Lobos?”
Richard growled behind her.
“Sorry. I’ll figure it out.” Giselle quickly jotted down what she could remember about the packs.
Richard continued walking circles around the dining room as he started again. “Now each territory has a different system of cooperation to ensure all supernatural creatures play nice. For example, Aiden Whelan and his mate Fallon manage the Olde Town Pack. They are friendly with the witches in their territory and are the judge and jury for all supernatural activity happening within their borders. Their wolves are more militarized and trained than any other pack in the country. They tend to see more action as well, being on the upper coast in more densely populated areas. The Reds to the south are more laid back. They don’t actively monitor for supernatural infractions, and allow the vampires to be the ones to handle the control and registration of supernatural activity.”
“Wait. Vampires? How have I not met one yet?” The more she learned, the more she understood just how little she knew of the supernatural world. Sure, she’d heard rumors of vampires. However, he’d not only confirmed it but alluded to the fact that she’d have to deal with them directly in days to come. At least some parts of being an Alpha could be interesting. Did they have long fangs like in the movies, or did they retract? Maybe they really did sparkle. The possibilities were endless, as far as she could imagine. Meeting them would be a treat.
Richard seemed more annoyed by the mention of them; his lip twitched slightly as he droned on. “Vampires are a secretive bunch by nature. Their aversion to light makes them scarce when the majority of our kind are active, though we have dealings with them on occasion.”
“If there are vampires, I want to meet them. Who manages them? Do we?”
“Your city here was ripe with them a few years back, but they attracted unwanted attention and were scattered.”
Now things were getting interesting. Why hadn’t anyone mentioned this before? “Really? By who?”
“That is another level of politics you’ll have to learn in a future lesson. Today, let’s just make sure we cover who you’ll be meeting.”
Giselle tossed down her pencil. Of course the minute they hit upon a topic she was interested in, they had to drop the subject. One thing was for certain: when she was Alpha, she was going to find out all she could about vampires. And any other supernatural creatures they’d been hiding away from her.
“In our territory we have a don’t ask don’t tell policy. As long as they aren’t actively killing in our territory, we don’t require them to reveal themselves.”
“So they do kill?” She gulped back a tiny kernel of fear. Vampires were still interesting, for sure. But she’d rather not be on the menu.
“Can we save vampires for another discussion? I’d like to move on to the Loups. The heartland of America is so large that they often delegate management of the region...”
Richard kept talking, but Giselle lost track of the conversation, wondering how much of the supernatural world had lain right under her nose. In a way, it made her feel better to know that there were so many others. More than just wolves. More than witches. A whole ecosystem of magical creatures was out there waiting to be found. And as Alpha, she’d have to know all about them, of course.
“Are you listening?” Richard’s tone yanked her sharply from her thoughts.
“Yep. I’m listening,” she lied.
“At least you remembered to sound confident with that lie.” Richard’s eyes were like spotlights, bringing into focus the fact she hadn’t written a single note. “If you wish to look like a fool, by all means, ignore what I’m telling you.”
“Okay, I zoned out when you mentioned vampires.”
“That I believe – but they are not the topic for tonight. We fly out tomorrow. You’ll begin to meet delegates immediately. You need to know who you’ll be meeting because I can guarantee they will know all about you.”
“What’s to know?” Giselle tried to shrug off her life story.
Richard wasn’t playing her game. “In Nebraska, Misha Noels and her mate Brianna control the Loups, which consist of four major packs below them, each with their own wheel and spoke level of pack hierarchy. They’re sticklers for the rules of law and will probably act as mediators for this meeting. They have no tolerance for emotional outbursts. They do not negotiate. Their word is law, and in their territory they are judges of all infractions, but...” Richard held his hand out, finger pointing to the page for her to write this down. “They leave sentencing to be decided and carried out by the individual Alphas underneath them.”
No more screwing around. Giselle scrawled out exactly what Richard had said, commenting, “So they like to lay down the law but don’t get their hands dirty?”
“Yes. They prefer not to see the ugly side of things.”
“Good to know.” She added a few more exclamation points to the sentence she’d just written to make sure she remembered that fact.
/> “Precisely.” Richard nodded and continued to pace. “You’ll do well to remember that about them.”
Giselle added a few exclamation points to the end of that sentence, her own short hand for noting important things.
“Now... the Lobos are a widespread bunch. Overlapping two countries, they live on the fringe of society and are probably the most lenient of all the North American packs. They are, however, a deadly bunch to deal with. They play nice until you cross them, and then it’s no holds barred. Tito Valdez and his mate Yanira will probably be sent in as representatives. Best to win them over first, as they can be excellent allies to have, especially if you bring the Regency here to Vegas. You’ll be neighbors.”
“Is that it?” Giselle looked up from her paper.
“One more. The Long Teeth – that’s us. We’ve been in Washington for a long time. You’re going to have to play nice with Vivian, the former Regent’s wife and current interim Alpha, while you’re there. There will be some dissension among her group because they’re losing the power and prestige of commanding the Regional Alphas pack.”
“So basically, a bunch of people who have always been in power are going to look at me and judge whether or not I’m worthy?”
“Precisely.”
“Me? A lone wolf who just barely found a pack to live with?”
Richard Sighed. “A wolf who united two warring packs. A wolf who has allied herself with the local witch coven and proven her leadership skills. A wolf who has the backing of two wolf packs to her claim. Yes. They will judge you worthy. You’ve done more in the last year than many of the Regional Alphas have done in the last decade. Have some faith in yourself.”
“This is ludicrous,” Giselle whispered under her breath.
“Confidence,” Richard droned.
Giselle puffed out her chest and met him dead in the eyes. “This is ludicrous!” she said proudly.
Richard cracked a real smile and a light chuckle tumbled from his mouth. “Better.”
“Joking aside, do you think I have even half a chance?” Giselle asked.
Richard stepped close to her placing a hand on her shoulder. “I see your potential. But you must make them see. If you can do that, then yes.”
Honesty, bluntly as he offered it, was appreciated, and Giselle hoped she could live up to his evaluation of her. The next few days would prove quite interesting either way.
Chapter 5
Sleep came from the helping hand of more than the recommended dose of sleeping aids. It was either that or spend another night tossing and turning, leaving her useless to the family when they went to meet with the Washington wolves.
The sound of her alarm failed to rouse her from the medicated slumber, though in her dreams she heard the echoes of its shrill call.
How long it had been allowed to go off was anyone’s guess, but when she did wake to the rough shaking from Di, she could tell the hour was late.
Already dressed, hair and makeup done, and with overpowering scent of flowers assaulting Giselle’s senses, Di appeared as if she’d been up and at it for hours.
“How many pills did you take last night?” her sister asked.
Giselle groaned. Her eyes refused to stay open. Each time they fell shut, it was like the weight of the world was holding them down while a tiny voice whispered for her to come back into the darkness.
“Time?” Her voice refused to cooperate, cracking as she tried to push the word out.
“Nearly ten, lady. The alarm has been going off every ten minutes for the last hour.” Di sounded annoyed, but Giselle couldn’t keep her eyes open long enough to see if she looked the part. “Taylor should be done in the bathroom soon. Go splash some water on your face and wake up. We’re leaving in a couple hours.” Di’s voice trailed away.
Giselle fought against the pull back to sleep and sat up on the bed. With her vision as cloudy as her head, she took a moment to wipe away the fog before standing. Sleep had been good. She’d needed it more than she could say. For those blissful moments, she had let go of the stress and anxiety. But, as her mind rebooted and the tasks of the day became real, she could feel the tension returning.
Taylor wandered in wrapped in towels, fresh from the shower. Giselle barely grunted at her as she walked past to throw herself into the shower and wash away the last remnants of that blissful night of sleep.
If ever there was a question if true magic existed, the only proof needed would be hot running water. Better than any enchantment she’d known, the power of a simple act of taking a shower was mystical. It cleansed the soul as well as body, washing away stress and anxiety as easily as it melted away the grime of daily life. No matter how bad she felt, taking a shower, at least for that moment, helped make things better.
Washed, dressed, and ready for the trials the day would bring, Giselle headed downstairs for some much-needed caffeine. The doorbell rang as she hit the last step.
Damien was standing on the other side – she could smell his cologne before she even opened the door.
“Come to see me off?” she asked as she pulled the door open.
There was a reason she liked that boy, and right at that moment it was the offering of coffee and donuts he’d arrived with. “When do you leave?” Damien asked, as he stepped over the threshold and handed her the loot.
“Couple of hours.” Giselle stole a quick sip of coffee as she led him down into the living room. “We were supposed to take a few days, but I guess Martina found a last minute deal. The whole family is heading out to be my support because apparently I am going to need it.” As soon as she sat on the couch, Giselle dove into the bag of donuts. Boston Crème. Her favorite. He’d brought two, so she snagged one and handed the bag back to him.
“You don’t sound so excited.” Damien dug into the bag and pulled out his own donut.
“More nerves than anything else.” Hungrier than she’d thought, Giselle inhaled the donut in just a couple of bites, hardly enjoying the sweet cream center in her haste. “I’m not used to the spotlight, and this is going to put me right on center stage.” She wiped her mouth clean and picked the coffee up, tipping it toward Damien in silent thanks before guzzling it down.
“You’ll do fine.” Damien took his time, slowly eating his donut, making Giselle wish she hadn’t been so ravenous.
“I really wish people would stop telling me that.”
Damien looked confused. “Would you rather someone tell you that you’ll fall flat on your face and make a huge fool of yourself?”
“Kind of. At least then I wouldn’t feel like people were blowing smoke up my ass,” Giselle said, watching as Damien popped the last bite of donut into his mouth.
“Do you always have to be so negative?”
“I’m not being negative. I’m being real. Why would anyone in their right mind give me the leadership of the entire Pacific Coast region? I’m a kid, and more than that, I’m barely a wolf as it is.”
“You’re wrong there. You are all wolf.” Damien whistled while he sent his eyes wandering. They lingered for a moment on the deep v of the shirt she’d chosen – or rather, that Di had chosen for her to wear. She could see why now, as Damien’s eyes hadn’t budged since landing there.
But Giselle wasn’t in the mood for flirting. “Thanks,” she muttered. “But my assets aren’t what make me a wolf.”
“Okay.” Damien held his hands up in surrender. “In all seriousness. You are definitely wolf, no matter what you think. And an Alpha straight to your core. So stop acting like you don’t belong, and allow yourself to take a place in the wolf world.”
Even the witch was giving her Alpha advice. The absurdity of that had her laughing out loud. “Okay, fine. I’m all wolf, baby!” She winked.
“That’s the right attitude. And you’re going to wow them. They’ll be begging for you to lead them.”
“Well, now you’re just laying it on thick.”
“You want me to stop?”
“Nah. I could use a li
ttle confidence boosting right now. Go on. Tell me more about how awesome I am.”
Damien snorted. “I’ve created a monster.”
“Pretty much. Now you have to deal with the consequences. I’ll be completely insufferable to deal with. Power hungry. Narcissistic. The works.”
Damien hissed and scooted backwards. “Yeah. About that. We might have to call it off...”
He was joking, and she knew it, but the moment the words crossed his lips, she was reminded of both Taylor’s and Asher’s warnings to her. She would have to end things with him if she becomes the Alpha.
“I said something wrong, didn’t I?” Damien’s tone shifted. “I was just joking, you know. You can be as big-headed as you like.”
“You didn’t say anything wrong at all. You’re one hundred percent right about us.” Giselle set her coffee down and took Damien’s hand. “You know what that means for us when I take over as Alpha, right?” Giselle gazed into his puppy-dog eyes – those gorgeous and insanely sweet eyes that had captured her attention from the first moment she’d looked into them.
Damien sighed and turned away, hiding himself from the scrutiny of her gaze. “Yeah.” The humor in his voice faded.
“And you’re still pushing me towards this fate?” Giselle asked, almost hoping he’d say otherwise.
Damien looked everywhere but in her eyes, as if he couldn’t sum up the strength to face her response to his words. “You act like things have to happen all at once. That everything is a black and white issue. Can you not just let things unfold over time?”
“Haven’t you learned yet? Everything with the wolves is black and white. And at some point our relationship will be affected.” Giselle sighed, letting go of his hand, and then stood and began to pace around the coffee table. “And when it happens, it will be before either of us is ready.”
Damien stood and blocked her path. He avoided her eyes and pulled her into a tight hug. “I’ll take what I can for as long as I can. And even if we’re pulled apart by duty, I will always have your back.”
She didn’t need to see his face to know those words hurt him to speak. Her heart was already breaking, and she hadn’t yet been given confirmation by the Council on whether or not she would be Alpha.
Fearless Little Werewolf Page 4
