by K A Faul
Mina took a deep breath. “He doesn’t like to talk about it, but it’s not like I don’t know the details. Everyone does, don’t they?”
“No,” the Sheriff snapped. “You’ve heard words, but you weren’t there. You don’t know the details. You don’t have them embedded in your memory like a painful damn splinter that won’t go away.”
He locked eyes with her until she averted her gaze. The intense anger radiating off him swallowed any hint of snark that threatened to escape, a true intimidation that Garett could never hope to achieve.
“I was barely past my own Rite of Passage when the coup came,” the Sheriff said. “I was loyal to the old king, just like your father. Your father thought that we could get the hotheads to calm down, maintain peace. That we all had more important concerns.” He heaved a sigh. “Didn’t matter. It got bloody quickly. Too damn quickly. Golden Claw killing Golden Claw. We lost a lot of good wolves, including your uncle. What a damn waste because of assholes who wanted power like some sort of manipulative bloodsucker.”
Still looking at the ground, Mina nodded. Much like with her own older brother, her father almost never mentioned her uncle. Some pain from losses lingered forever. She understood it intellectually, even if she didn’t feel it.
“What’s your point?” she asked, her voice quiet. “That I wouldn’t last three seconds in a coup?”
“My point is the good times won’t last forever. They never do. That’s what it means to be alive. Maybe that’s even why Rogan stays away from us now. He’s seen this crap for too many centuries. He’s probably sick of it and us.”
Mina sighed and didn’t respond.
“In the end,” the Sheriff continued, “we’ll need every loyal wolf, asshole or otherwise.” He pointed into the distance. “Tomorrow, the Hunters of the Church might decide to come after us, or dark mages, or bloodsuckers. These days, even normal humans are too much with all the technology. We used to rule the planet, and now we need to hide from humans, or we’ll be wiped out.”
“Yeah, not like Golden Oaks could survive a nuke,” Mina murmured, recalling an earlier conversation about the dangers.
The Sheriff offered a dark chuckle. “Yeah, even Garett’s attitude can’t stand up to the nukes, but the point is, the price of being what we are is always being ready for battle and valuing strength. It’s our nature. It’s what Rogan wanted from us. Just as he wanted the ravens to be clever, the bears to be wise, and all that. We can’t run from what we are.”
“A good weapon, if a bit of a dumb one?”
“Something like that.”
Mina sighed and looked at her hands. “I’m not going to jump Garett when he’s on the toilet or something, and I’ll try and avoid him, but I’m not going to stand by and let him screw with my brother. If he does, there will be a repeat of what happened, and I don’t care about the consequences to me.”
The corners of the Sheriff’s mouth twitched up into a smile. “I don’t doubt that. Garett will be punished, and he’s also going to be removed from training you. Obviously, he’s more of a liability at this point. He’ll be made to remember the importance of self-control. Just like you needed to be.”
Mina lifted her head, settling a defiant gaze on the man. “Just to make it clear, I’ll take on every wolf in this clan to protect my family, Sheriff.”
“Fair enough.” He tipped his hat to her. “But please stay out of trouble for a few days at least.”
“No promises.”
Sheriff Storm chuckled and walked away, whistling.
Chapter 12
The days of the next month blurred together with exercise after exercise: pack hunting, individual hunting, shifting under stress, wolf-form fighting, human-form fighting.
Nothing about the days was all that distinct from what had come before for Mina, but getting used to working with the other Initiate wolves as efficiently as possible took time. They all had their quirks and strengths.
Mina was grateful every day that none of the Rite Pack were assholes. She couldn’t imagine what it’d be like to have to spend seven days living and hunting with someone like Garett.
Ryan and Anna could be annoying in their own ways, but neither ever threw any hostility her way, which was more than she could say for many of the wolves in Golden Oaks she’d grown up around, including Garett. Jorge tended more toward quiet and occasionally funny, and she had nothing bad to say about him other than he didn’t always appreciate her jokes.
Mina found that with the removal of Garett as a co-trainer, her days ended with far less stress, albeit fewer entertaining snarky remarks from her. Thomas still needed a few more operations to remove all the sticks up his ass, but she could deal with him, and his obsession with professionalism kept him focused on training rather than taking cheap shots at her family.
From what she’d heard, the Sheriff had sent Garett to the other side of the state to check into some rumors for him. No one knew whether that was a legitimate mission or a way to get him away from her until after the Rite. Mina didn’t care as long as she didn’t have to deal with him.
Now as she sat on the couch in her living room, surrounded by the Rite Pack, she couldn’t help but reflect on the odd sensation she felt for all of them: friendship. While not on bad terms with most wolves in Golden Oaks not named Garett, she couldn’t claim a close friendship with most, either. It was probably why a raven was her best friend.
Some Luke Bryan played in the background. The musical selection wasn’t Mina’s first, second, or third choice, but the rest of the pack liked him. A lone-wolf act right before the beginning of the Rite struck even her as inappropriate. At least one that didn’t have a decent reason behind it.
“Tomorrow’s the big day,” Ryan said, all but bouncing around the living room. “Solstice. Woo ha!” He clapped his hands together. “We’re doing this thing. We’re going to invade Esper and show them the power of the Golden Claw.”
“Well, more invade Esper and forage,” Mina said.
“Same difference. You never know what could happen over there. Maybe we run into a manticore and get a little revenge for Thomas.”
Thomas leaned against a wall, his arms crossed. “I don’t need any revenge. My pack killed the manticore.”
“Then the new manticore should know not to screw with us,” Ryan shouted.
Thomas shrugged. “True enough.”
“Why no booze, Thomas?” Ryan said.
Mina snickered. Given his behavior, she almost thought he’d raided a brewery before showing up at her house.
Thomas shot the kid a glare. “Because we’re starting out bright and early, and I don’t think you all would be able to keep it to a limit that won’t leave you with some residual impairment tomorrow.”
Sean, who was sitting on the couch on the opposite side from Mina, rubbed his chin. “We do have some here. Probably not enough to get a whole pack drunk, though.”
“No alcohol,” Thomas said sternly. “And I don’t think the king would appreciate the Rite Pack drinking up everything in his house. You all should be honored he’s even letting you have this get-together here.”
“Yeah, where is he, anyway?” Ryan said. “I mean, I’ve talked to him all of once.”
“Preparing,” Mina said. “Lots of last-minute ritual stuff he’s got to help with.”
Jorge was sitting on the other side of the couch from Mina, his brow furrowed and looking down at his hands.
“You okay, big guy?” Mina asked.
“Just thinking about the Rite. It’s like Ryan said, you know? Anything could happen.”
Everyone grew quiet. Maybe Jorge was only saying aloud what they had all been thinking about in the back of their minds.
“No one’s failed in five years,” Mina said. “And no one’s died in a lot longer.”
“It’s just weird. Actual monsters live over there, and faeries and stuff.”
Mina snorted. “If Thomas’s Rite pack could handle it, we can handle it.”
<
br /> “Is that so, Mina?” Thomas asked with a faint smirk.
“Yeah, totally. Look, I don’t care about some low-rent monsters who fell out of a movie.” She pointed a thumb at her chest. “I’m a damn werewolf. I’m the monster, and we’re a whole pack of monsters. They better hope they stay out of our damn way unless they want to be dinner.”
Ryan pumped his fist. “Boo yah. That’s what I’m talking about.”
Anna smiled and nodded from across the room. A grin bloomed on Jorge’s face. Even Thomas’s smile grew.
Despite loading her words with confidence, Mina’s heart had kicked up at the mention of faeries. Manticores and whatever other strange creatures didn’t worry her, but she couldn’t keep the thought of running into some shadow faerie out of her head.
Mina hadn’t even had a dream about either the faerie man or the shadow faerie in several weeks, but the memory lingered, along with the feeling of having the life choked out of her.
Humiliation must be repaid with humiliation. You will be my instrument, little dog.
The words continued to haunt her, even if they were from a dream. Dreams were supposed to be reflections of the subconscious, but she couldn’t figure out what it meant to have those kinds of dreams.
Dreaming about the faerie man was easy enough to explain. Like she’d told Linh, it was an obvious sign of her seeking the exotic. Maybe calling it a faerie fetish was too strong, but it wasn’t far from the truth.
The shadow faerie was harder to explain. Maybe she represented Mina’s self-doubt or something similar. Mina didn’t know, and she didn’t feel like risking asking anyone.
“You will be able to show your true potential as an alpha, Mina,” Anna said, pulling Mina out of her thoughts.
Thomas chuckled at that. “Well, I’m acting alpha, but if she wants to prove she’s got leadership potential, that’s good to know.” He pushed off the wall. “You all should be considering that. Even after you complete the Rite, you’ll still need to find packs, and as newly minted full werewolves, you might not end up where you think.”
“I’m joining my brother’s pack,” Ryan said.
Thomas nodded. “Do the rest of you have a pack already lined up?”
Jorge shrugged. “Couple back home interested in new members, but not a family thing like with Ryan.”
Anna shook her head. “I plan to move to Golden Oaks after the Rite and seek a pack here.” The blonde shot a meaningful glance at Mina.
“I don’t know,” Mina said. “I haven’t thought about it much.”
“Despite growing up around the highest concentration of werewolves in the entire Golden Claw territory?” Thomas asked, his voice harsh.
“You make it sound like we’ve got hundreds of packs to choose form. Only talking twelve.”
“That’s more than many others have.”
Though the reality of belonging to a pack hung over everything in Golden Oaks, Mina never honestly thought much about which pack she might want to join. She’d need to bend knee to an alpha, and not just for a week.
A light knock came from the door. Mina rose and headed over to open it. She grinned when she spotted Linh on the other side.
She pulled her friend into an embrace. “You bitch! You’re back, and you didn’t even call me to let me know you’d be back?”
Linh laughed. “I thought I’d surprise you, especially since your Rite is tomorrow.”
Mina slung her arm around her friend’s shoulders. “Hey, everyone, this my best friend Linh Nguyen. I’ve told you about her.”
Thomas frowned slightly, and Mina resisted the urge to flip him off. She wouldn’t put up with any of his anti-raven crap, even if she did have to crack out the lone-wolf act after all.
The rest of the Rite Pack introduced themselves in turn, with Jorge going last.
“Jorge Ramirez,” he said, his expression guarded.
“Nice to meet you, Jorge,” Linh said.
“Mina mentioned that you’re… a raven.” A slight look of discomfort crossed over his face.
“Yep.” Linh bobbed her head. “Apprentice Messenger of the Pacific Wing flock.”
Mina sucked in a breath. She’d expected some pushback from Thomas but not from any of the Rite Pack. “What? They don’t have ravens back home, Jorge?”
“I’ve run into a few, but they don’t really live with us wolves like you do here in Golden Oaks.” He chuckled and shrugged. “I’m sorry. I’m just nervous about the Rite. I didn’t mean anything by it, Linh.”
“It’s okay. I grew up in Golden Oaks. I’m used to wolf moods.” She winked. “It’s like you all have PMS, man or woman, except it’s permanent.”
Anna and Mina snickered.
Linh headed over to drop down on the couch next to Sean, but not too close.
Ryan cleared his throat. “So, uh, Linh, you have a boyfriend?”
Everyone laughed, except Thomas who shook his head.
“What?” Ryan said. “Was just asking. Doesn’t hurt to ask.”
Linh smirked. “No, it doesn’t hurt to ask.”
He looked at her expectantly for a few seconds until realizing she wasn’t going to answer. A sheepish grin followed.
Mina kept her gaze trained on Thomas. His frown remained in place, even though it was slowly fading. She didn’t care if he frowned. She only cared if he said something. Everyone else appeared oblivious to the tension between Mina and Thomas.
“What do ravens do for their Rite of Passage?” Ryan said. “Fly around the world or something?”
Linh shook her head. “The Pacific Wing doesn’t even have a Rite of Passage. Some flocks do, but in my flock, it’s all about training. We all have our job to do, so we’re trained to help with that, whether as Unturned or not. I was assigned to be a Messenger, so I’ve spent my life training to be a Messenger.”
Mina listened quietly, already knowing that information. She’d grown up around Linh, so she knew a lot more about ravens than many wolves, especially those who lived in even smaller towns in Golden Claw territory and barely ever dealt with other shifters.
Ryan furrowed his brow. “Wait. How did they know to train you to be a Messenger before you shifted? What if you were Unturned? Isn’t that a waste of training?”
Linh shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. Everyone, Unturned or not, has a place in the flock and a role. The training before your shift isn’t specific to being a raven. For me, it’s stuff like understanding the Messenger routes, dangers, languages, codes, shooting, that sort of thing.” She pointed to each of the werewolves in turn. “You all are about the pack. Small groups. You think you aren’t individualistic, but to us, you’re super-individualistic. For ravens, the flock is everything, and I’m just a cog in the flock. If I were Unturned, I’d still assist raven Messengers.”
Ryan frowned. “What if you don’t like your job? What if you wanted to do something else?”
“It doesn’t matter. If you don’t like it, then you learn to like it.” Linh smiled. “Fortunately for me, I like my job.” Her smile disappeared. “The painful part of all this is that once you guys get through your Rite, at least your clan will treat you as adults. I’m not getting fully accepted as an adult by the flock until I complete my apprenticeship, and that doesn’t end until my mentor says so. It could be next week, or it could be years from now.”
“Damn,” Jorge said. “If you have a bad mentor, you’re just out of luck?”
“You can try and appeal for a different mentor. In my case, my mentor can be a hard-ass, but he’s training me well.”
Thomas chuckled. “That’s a good attitude, Nguyen.” He shot a look at Mina. “Everyone would do well to keep that attitude in mind.”
“What do bears do for their Rite of Passage?” Ryan said. “Does anybody know? Do they have one?”
“Probably see how long they can sleep without waking up,” Mina suggested.
Laughter filled the room.
“There are a group of lynxes who live in my town
,” Ryan said. “I wonder if they have to resist catnip or something during theirs.” He grinned.
“Probably get guys with laser pointers to distract them while they hunt,” Jorge said.
As everyone laughed, Mina couldn’t help but wonder if this would be their last real bit of relaxation for a week.
It’s just a Rite of Passage. Barely anyone fails and barely anyone dies. I’m going to be away from home and my best friend and brother for a week, and probably have to suck manticore poison out of someone’s wolf butt, but, yeah, I’ve got this.
Chapter 13
Mina stifled a yawn as she knelt beside the other Initiates in a narrow line outside the forest. Her father and his advisors, all members of his pack, stood in black robes in a semi-circle around the younger werewolves. Three curved golden lines decorated their faces.
The forest of tall pines, spruces, and Douglas firs blocked some of the rays of the rising sun, leaving the area dim, but the daystar hidden behind the forest painted the dawn sky a wonderful orange-pink. Any other time, Mina would have loved to have taken the time to appreciate the beautiful sights around her.
But the werewolves weren’t there for nature appreciation. They were there to begin the Initiates’ Rite of Passage.
Mina took a deep breath and slowly let it out. She wasn’t sure if she preferred such a small group instead of some huge crowd. The intimacy of the setting only ensured that she and her fellow Initiates would be the focus.
In addition to Thomas and the other Rite Pack members, the only other person remotely her age was the werewolf standing just behind her father, her cousin John, the son of her uncle, and the main Keeper of Rituals in Golden Oaks. Even then, he had over ten years on Mina. In addition, he lacked the age of the rest of the members of her father’s pack, but he didn’t lack in authority.
Mina didn’t always care for the man, as he had more sticks up his butt than even Thomas, an impressive feat for sure, but at least he valued family as much as her, and she could sympathize with him, given that he’d lost his father during the coup, and then his Unturned mother to cancer years later.
