by Chris McHart
She looked at Anthony again, and this time daggers shot from her eyes.
He held her gaze and forced her to look down. He wouldn’t give in. “If you’d like to stay here, there’s room in the guest house,” he told the man. “I can walk you there or call someone to take you there. If you want to go with her, do it. It’s up to you.”
The man turned his eyes away and fell to his knees. He didn’t dare look at Anthony. “Thank you, Alpha. I’ll… I’ll think about it.”
“Do that. Just let me know when you decide.” He tried to speak more gently so he wouldn’t scare the man.
Several other pack members jumped up and began collecting their documents.
“All records stay here. You don’t have the right to take anything concerning the pack. If you want to go, go, but you will take neither your mates, nor your children, nor any documents with you. I want you gone from this pack in the next 15 minutes.”
His voice was still as hard as steel, but Anthony saw no reason to change it. This was just too much, and what he’d seen so far didn’t shed a good light on this pack. It wasn’t just the alpha who’d ruled this place who’d treated mates cruelly. The general opinion on how to deal with mates was probably the same as King Harold’s and others had been. It would take a while for them to get used to the new laws, but he wouldn’t tolerate these people making trouble here in the pack in the meantime.
“Anyone who wants to come back and abide by the new laws is welcome at any time.”
He wasn’t a monster, after all.
The whole table left the room and not a single one member was left behind. Well then.
At least he’d ended the discussions about the external borders of the pack. He didn’t know whether he should be relieved or frustrated that he now had to start all over again. Somewhere in between, probably.
“Alpha… “ A timid voice came from the right.
Anthony looked at the man he was talking to earlier.
“Yes?”
“Would I… Can I go to the guest house?”
“Of course. I’ll take you there. I wanted to go that way too.”
“Thank you, Alpha.” The man didn’t look at him while he spoke.
It’d take Anthony some time to gain the trust of the pack. If he ever got there at all.
Together with the mate, whose name was Abi, Anthony went toward the guest house. He was looking forward to speaking with Josh for at least a few minutes after he hadn’t had the patience to answer his questions that morning.
Maybe they’d have a little more time to talk about what had happened all day. Besides, it was late in the afternoon, and his stomach was growling. Maybe Josh had even found something to eat somewhere.
“How long have you been in the pack?”
Abi walked next to him with his head bowed. “My whole life, Alpha.”
“Ah. And you were mated to a member of this pack?”
“Yes, I’m mated, Alpha.”
“Were. That’s over, and you’re free now.” Anthony’s voice was soft as he looked at the man next to him. Abi reminded him of Ash when they’d rescued him. Hopefully it’d be the same as with Ash, that after a while there were hardly any traces of his former life left. Ash’s magical powers had helped him to leave the experiences behind, but he hoped these pack members would also make it. He’d definitely do everything in his power to achieve that.
So much suffering had been inflicted upon this pack, and even though he carried his father’s genes, he would do everything in his power to make a difference. Whether he had success with it, or whether the power would eventually make him as crazy as his father… he didn’t know.
But if he didn’t try, he’d never find out. He could only hope that he made it better.
They fell into silence again. Abi didn’t have much to say, and Anthony didn’t know what to talk about either.
“Do you have children?”
Abi shook his head. “I would’ve liked to have some, but Asaja didn’t want any. I think it was best since she left the pack.”
Anthony nodded. “It’s still a shame you don’t have kids, because that’s what she decided. I’m really sorry about that.”
This time Abi looked up. “I don’t think any higher ranking member of this pack has ever said that to me before.”
“What? That I’m sorry she decided that? I am. Believe me.”
Abi nodded and averted his gaze. “Thank you, Alpha. It really means a lot to me to hear that.”
They went on in silence until Anthony came up with the next question. “Do the other council members have children? And which of them will take their mates with them? Or rather, will the mates go with them?”
Abi nodded. “Two of them have children, yes.”
Anthony cursed quietly. He had to make sure that neither the mates nor the children could be taken along. So much for lunch.
He pulled his cell phone from his pocket.
Lindsay answered after the second ring. “What’s the matter, Anthony?”
“What are you two doing right now?”
“Talking to the guards of the pack, trying to figure out how everything’s organized. Do you need any help?”
“Yes. The ten members of the council are leaving this pack. Make sure they go, but that they don’t take mates who don’t explicitly want to go. The guest house will be temporary housing for the mates who don’t want to stay at home. They and their children can move there immediately.”
“One moment, Anthony,” Lindsay said, then he spoke quietly to someone in the room. When he was back, he said, “All right, we’ll take care of it. The guards know where the council members live and will help us.”
“Can they be trusted?”
Lindsay hesitated briefly, then he said, “I think so, yes. From what we’ve heard, they weren’t happy with your father, and some of them actively worked to smuggle young, submissive mates out of the village, depending on who they were to be mated with. At least that’s what we heard.”
“That’s good. Because the council didn’t think the laws should be changed, so they’re leaving the village. I’m glad we can start over. Please make sure they all get out of here and that the mates who need help get it.”
By now, they stood in front of the guest house. He went to the front door and knocked. The door opened, and the same woman as yesterday looked at him.
“Alpha, how can I help you?” She bowed deeply.
“I assume Josh is done setting up the house?”
She shook her head. “No, Alpha. I’m sorry. He hasn’t done anything, and he’s not even here. He was here some time ago, but he left.”
Anthony shook his head. “I thought he was preparing everything?”
“Preparing?” She looked confused.
“Yes, for the mates? I changed the laws, and Josh wanted to come here earlier to prepare everything.” Now he was confused. That’s what they were talking about this morning. Why didn’t the woman know anything?
“Alpha, he left when I told him we couldn’t start working until we had your approval and the laws were in place. I didn’t know if–“ She fell silent and stared at him with big eyes. It was clear she expected to get in trouble because she’d done something wrong. “I’m sorry, Alpha. I will begin preparations immediately.”
Anthony ground his teeth. He’d told Josh the laws would be changed. Why hadn’t they started yet?
Josh had to have known he’d keep his word and that they needed to start preparing everything. Why the hell didn’t he do what he was supposed to do?
“That’s not your fault. I’m going to find my mate and get that straightened out with him. In the meantime, can you get Abi a room here? I’m also assuming more mates will show up, as the laws have been changed and they’re now free. Whoever has to leave home will stay here until we find another solution.”
She kept staring at him. “Changed the laws?”
“Yes, I’ve changed the laws.”
“Can you… help
me?” She took a step closer to Anthony and whispered, “My mate…”
“Do you want me to make her leave the house?”
She shook her head. “Maybe you can… Maybe you can just tell her the laws have changed?” She chewed on her lower lip. “Maybe that’ll do it.”
“I can do that. Can you take me to her?”
“Of course.” She let them in and pointed to the kitchen. “She’s in there. I’ll just take Abi to his room, then I’ll come and see you. Is that all right?”
“Of course.” Anthony nodded and entered the kitchen without knocking. He heard Theresa and Abi going up the stairs and looked at the woman sitting there.
Many of the pack members had simply never learned to treat their mates differently, and he hoped they’d adapt as soon as he made known what’d changed. Theresa’s mate seemed to be open to the idea of treating her mate like a real partner.
Satisfied with his success so far, he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and called Josh. The cell phone rang a few times, but he didn’t answer.
Anthony frowned, hung up, and dialed again. No answer. Why didn’t Josh answer? Had something happened? It was strange he wasn’t in the guest house, even though he had wanted to do the job, and now he wasn’t answering his phone.
I hope everything’s all right.
And – where should he look for him?
Anthony turned toward the house they were sleeping in. There was so much to do that he actually didn’t have time to look for his mate, but the feeling that something was wrong nagged at him.
Apart from that, he had to find Josh whether he had time or not, because he had to clarify with him how things would continue with the guest house. He opened the front door of the house and was greeted by silence. Someone was in the kitchen, but nothing else could be heard. No radio or television played.
“Josh?” he called out so he wouldn’t scare him.
“In the kitchen,” came the dull answer, and Anthony turned in that direction.
He looked at his mate, who was searching for something in the fridge. Food piled up on the kitchen counter, along with some pots and plates.
“Josh?”
“What?” Josh didn’t even turn around to look at him. Instead, he kept digging around in the fridge looking for who knows what.
“Can I talk to you?” What was so important about that fridge that Josh didn’t even turn around to him?
“Why?”
“Can I talk to you or do I have to do this with your back? What exactly are you looking for in there?”
“I’m trying to plan the food for the next few days so I know what to buy. And no, I don’t want to talk to you right now. Now I don’t have time.” Poison laced his voice, and he sounded colder than Anthony had ever heard him. What the hell had happened to him?
“But I’d still like to talk to you. I’m sure none of this is so urgent that you don’t have two minutes. So now please turn around.” He really didn’t feel like playing any games. All he wanted was to talk to Josh for a few minutes. Whatever was bothering Josh, it wasn’t his fault.
He saw Josh’s back rise and fall as he breathed deeply. Then he stood straighter and slowly closed the fridge door.
When he turned around, Anthony raised an eyebrow. Josh looked pissed. Really pissed.
“I. Don’t. Want. To. Talk. To. You.” Josh crossed his arms in front of his chest and stared at him with a look that almost made him stumble back a step.
What had he done to deserve so much anger?
“What have I done?” Anthony raised his hands defensively as he desperately tried to figure out what he’d done. He couldn’t think of anything.
“You don’t know what you’ve done? The moment you decide you want to talk to me, you want me to jump? Is everything all right with you? You may be the alpha of this pack, but I won’t let you treat me like a doormat!”
Now Anthony stumbled a step back as Josh’s words hit him like a blow. What the hell had he done to make Josh so mad? As a precaution, he took another step back so he wasn’t too close to his angry mate, whose eyes still glittered like he wanted to murder him. “I’m sorry, but… I still don’t know why you’re so angry.”
“You don’t know? You don’t even notice when you’re acting like an ass? Well, then you’ll learn what it’s like to deal with an asshole. From now on, I’m gonna do the same.” Josh breathed deeply and tried to calm down at least a little.
Anthony had never seen him that angry, and it impressed him. Josh was significantly smaller and slimmer than him, but when he was that angry, Anthony wouldn’t antagonize him further.
“Could you please at least tell me what I did wrong? Then I can apologize for it and we can forget about it.”
Those were apparently the wrong words.
However, he only noticed that when Josh’s voice reached a new volume. “I won’t tell you anything! You can get lost and never come back! I don’t want an apology. I don’t want to talk to you at all. And I certainly won’t tell you what you did wrong so you can give me a half-hearted apology and then pretend everything’s back to normal. If I’d known that was what I was getting myself into, I’d never have agreed to this.”
Josh took two steps forward, getting closer to Anthony. He stared at him, burning rage in his eyes. Anthony quickly checked that Josh didn’t have a knife in his hands. He wouldn’t trust him with one right now.
“I’m sorry. I’m really, really sorry. But no matter how many times I think about it, I still have no idea why you’re mad. I can stay out of your way if that’s what you want, but it won’t solve our problems. So I’d suggest we settle this like adults, and you stop yelling at me. Maybe then we can have a rational conversation.” Anthony took a deep breath to restrain the anger rising in him.
It wouldn’t do any good if he got mad at Josh. That would only make things worse.
“Are you saying that I’m acting like a child? Is that how you see me? Are you telling me that?” Josh took one step and Anthony stumbled back.
What had he done wrong now?
“Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t want to say you were a kid, I just wanted–“
“You just wanted to keep being an ass. I get it. Get out of here. I don’t want to see you. If you’ve pulled your head out of your ass and you know how to behave, you can come back. Then maybe we can talk – if I feel like it. Otherwise, I have more important things to do.” Josh turned around and opened the fridge door like it was his personal enemy. He stuck his head in and started counting something.
What the hell happened here? Anthony had no idea. He was completely in the dark. He went over what had happened since yesterday, since the last time they’d exchanged more than a few words with each other. But he got nothing. This morning they’d only spoken a few sentences and they hadn’t seen each other since. What could’ve made Josh so angry?
He rubbed his short hair with one hand and stroked his beard. Why the hell couldn’t at least his mating be easier? He really had enough to deal with. Especially now that he’d changed so much.
That brought him back to why he actually needed to talk to Josh. “I’m sorry I’m still here, but I need to ask you something that has nothing to do with both of us. Can I at least talk to you about this for a second?”
Josh lowered his head. “Probably.”
Slowly he closed the fridge door again and looked at Anthony. His anger seemed mostly gone, and now he just looked tired. At least he wasn’t close to attacking Anthony anymore. That counted as progress, didn’t it?
“Well, talk,” Josh said impatiently when Anthony had apparently been silent for a second too long.
“The guest house… I thought we decided to turn it into a shelter. I just wanted to know why it hasn’t happened yet. I have the first mate who needs shelter there, and it’s not fixed yet.”
Josh’s eyes flashed again. “This has nothing to do with us?”
Anthony shook his head quickly. It didn’t, did it?
; “Then let me tell you this. It has a lot to do with us, because I tried to start there, but I wasn’t allowed to. Because your pack doesn’t do anything without you approving it first, and when I asked you to help me, you had nothing better to do than tell me to take care of my own shit. I tried that before, I tried that after, but there’s nothing I can do unless you, the mighty alpha, officially declares it right. That’s why nothing has happened, that’s why nothing will happen there, until you finally at least change these laws. And honestly? I won’t do anything there either. See how to do your own shit.” Josh turned around again, his fingers wrapped around the counter. His shoulders were tight, and his head hung forward.
It took Anthony two seconds to process what he’d said, then it struck him like lightning.
That was why Josh was so mad.
“I think I know what the problem is. And I can tell you I’m really, really sorry. I didn’t want to talk to you like that this morning, and it wasn’t meant to be harsh in any way. I’ve been stuck with dealing with nonsense all morning, and I’ve just been mad. I – It doesn’t matter what I say. I guess you won’t forgive me so quickly for talking to you like that. But please, believe me, I’m really sorry.”
“I don’t think you understand what the problem is. And I don’t want to talk about it.”
Josh still hadn’t moved, and Anthony stepped forward carefully to get closer to him. He very slowly put his hands on Josh’s shoulders and rubbed his arms. “I’m sorry. I can’t tell you how much. I should’ve asked why you came to me with such a request, and I assumed you could deal with it yourself. I should’ve seen how this pack works and that they wouldn’t listen to you as my mate. And I’m also sorry that I assumed you’d have it fixed by now.” He took a deep breath and wondered what else he could say.
Josh hadn’t pushed him away yet, so he seemed to have at least partially found the right words.
“It’s all right.”
Josh still didn’t turn around and he didn’t react any further to Anthony’s closeness.
“It’s not. I can see that. Please, you’re the only one I can talk to here about this, and you’re my mate. I want at least everything to be all right between you and me. This pack is so messed up, I don’t even know where to start fixing it. I need you by my side. This will be a huge task for two people, but I can’t do it alone. Please talk to me. Tell me how I can make it up to you, and let’s try again.”
