Chapter 14
GERRY
Returning to Blood Pearl Pack after arguing with the council that I will be taking six female warriors with me. I understand them wanting to protect she-wolves, but these are trained warriors. This is what they have been training for and to do. It undermines them as warriors to not allow them to be on the patrol list.
Getting approval has the female warriors giving me respectful greetings and comments of appreciation. That is how I know I did the right thing by fighting for the females’ right to do their job.
Alpha Aurora meets us in her office at the packhouse. I stand in front of the female warriors, and they are all standing at attention. “Good day, Alpha Aurora. I have six female warriors to join the council warriors that were sent to you previously. Do you have accommodation they can have away from the males?”
Tapping a finger on her chin before replying, we all wait, “I have three rooms in the packhouse that I would like them to use, but they will have to double up. They are pleasant rooms and I think you will find comfortable when not on duty.”
“Thank you, Alpha Aurora,” my warriors respond, and I give a nod of approval.
“We will train with Warrior Roul before heading out to patrol the border. I want my warriors aware of where the pack territory ends and no-man’s-land begins.”
“If I can, I’ll run with you. I am about ready to get away from the responsibility for a short while. Being the Alpha of a pack isn’t easy and why shifters seem to want the position evades me at times,” Aurora states whilst grinning at the she-wolves as she speaks.
The door opens and Raina enters, gives me a tip of the head in respect and a nod to the warriors behind me. “Would you like me to show the female warriors where they will stay?”
“Yes please, Raina,” Aurora responds.
“Come on, let’s get you settled and if you are hungry, we’ll feed you before you go to the training field and burn off all the calories you will have just eaten.” Raina jokes as she walks away with the females behind her.
“How are you since you got back?” I ask.
“I’m okay. Thank you for asking. I don’t know if we’ll ever get rid of the no-man’s-land problem. From what I saw, Arric has a hold of the rogues and he’s not going to let go soon. The fact he wants a Luna is a worry. My fear is he’ll try to grab a female from either my pack or Alpha Lyle’s. I’ll tell you Gerry, the females he has are not suitable to become a luna, and he recognizes that fact.”
“Things usually resolve when they are supposed to, but I understand what you are saying. Will you speak with Alpha Lyle?” I ask, taking a seat in front of her desk.
“I think I probably will, but it’s finding the time, as there is so much for me to catch up with at the moment. I am grateful you have come back to assist with the training and the patrols, as I’m finding by the end of the day I’ve not covered all my daily tasks, never mind extra ones. I also need to get Alpha Heir Bronze back to his family and pack,” Aurora states, and leans back in her seat, rubbing the back of her neck, trying to ease the tension in it, I’m sure.
I continue speaking with Aurora for another half an hour before heading out to the training field to check on how everything is going. I’m sure Roul will be happy to get some assistance as he isn’t the most patient of wolves.
Standing on one side, I watch Roul putting some of the pack members through their paces, and I have to admit to myself they need a lot of work. I know that Aurora has all her members train, but it seems they have not been taking it seriously.
Two hours later, I walk away from the training field with Roul at my side. “What you are going to have to do is push the pack through to get their fitness right. They have not kept their training up, and they have not recognized the fact that their lives depend on this training.”
“I agree. I’ve pushed them hard during my time here, but they still need so much effort on my part to get the training done. I’m going to speak with Alpha Aurora, as it really needs addressing,” Roul replies.
“What needs addressing?”
We both turn to see who the speaker is, and seeing it is Taria, we give her a slight nod of respect before Roul responds. “The training of the pack members' needs addressing. Why have you not been training?”
Taria looks shocked at the question. “I’m going to be a Luna, so I don’t need to train.”
Roul laughs and I’m more than slightly shocked at her haphazard reply. “You don’t think you need to train because you are hoping to be a Luna? Are you for real? You expect the pack to fight and die for you without you even being able to protect yourself?”
“Well, yes, the pack should protect their Luna,” sniffing as she sticks her nose in the air and walks away.
“I will address this with Alpha Aurora. Something has slipped past her because I’m sure she would want her daughter to be able to fight if it was needed.” Roul gives me a look that tells me I better or he will, and that would not be pleasant.
After eating, I am shown a room in the packhouse which I will share with Roul. We have shared many times, and it is no worry for me to continue doing so. I make my way to the office where I need to speak to Aurora about Taria. This could go one of two ways, and I hope it goes the right way, but I am ready for anything.
Knocking on the office door, I wait for someone to say ‘Come in,’ before I enter, closing it behind me. Raina is at the long table sitting opposite Aurora and they are both looking at a map laid out between them.
“What can I do for you, Gerry?” Aurora asks, and I take a seat before replying.
“I needed to speak with you about Taria.”
Sitting back in her seat and giving me her full attention, “What about Taria?”
“Did you know she is not attending any training sessions? She expects to become a Luna, and that pack to protect her.”
I can see the shock on Aurora’s face, and she turns to look at Raina. Raina, however, does not look shocked, and that does not go unnoticed.
“What do you know about this Raina?” Aurora snaps.
“She won’t train. I have spoken to her frequently. Warrior Wallace has tried to get her to training sessions, but she won’t train,” Raina replies, looking rather sheepish.
“Why was it not brought to my attention before?”
Raina shrugs, “We have tried, but you always were too busy, gave an excuse, or just seemed disinterested.”
I am sure Raina is seeing the shock, disbelief and disgust that crosses Aurora’s face. But what she does next surprises both Raina and me.
“I apologize Beta Raina for not listening and following through with what you were reporting. Maybe if I had paid more attention, things would not have happened as they have with the capture of my pack members. For them to be grabbed on their way back to the pack after a picnic excursion is unthinkable. On our own territory, in the light of day. I am disgusted with myself for not being more alert to things happening within the pack. Again, I apologize and I will to Warrior Wallace also,” taking a deep breath Aurora continues. “Please bring Head Warrior Wallace to the office, along with my wayward daughter. It is time to put this right.”
After Raina has left the office, I speak my thoughts. “None of us are perfect, and being an alpha of a pack is a highly responsible position. Everyone knows how hard you have worked to bring your pack to the standard it is today. You should not beat yourself up about things that you could not avoid. I don’t think you could have seen that Taria has become somewhat entitled and has needed to be grounded.” I chuckle at the look on Aurora’s face, but continue, “I am sure, however, that you are about to ground her and take her entitled crown from her head. It’s going to be interesting to see how she handles it.”
The door opens, and Warrior Wallace, Beta Raina, and Taria walk into the office. Wallace and Raina I can see are eager to see what happens, but Taria, after giving Aurora a bright smile, throws herself into a chair and lifts a questioning eyebrow.
Aurora slowly takes to her feet, giving Taria a blank look before turning to look at Wallace. “Warrior Wallace, I made you Head Warrior because you are the best person for the job. I apologize for not listening to you when you brought something to my attention. I will remedy that at this time. In the future, please persist until I listen, because being busy is not an excuse to ignore your advice or report.”
Warrior Wallace gives Aurora a tip of the head, showing his neck and the respect he feels for her. “I will do that Alpha.”
Turning to Taria, who is frowning at what is happening, Aurora leans forward, placing her fisted hands on the table, giving a push of her alpha aura as she does so. “YOU…will attend training sessions daily. YOU…will do exactly as you are told when you are told. YOU…will have more respect for the people of the pack. I will not continue to ignore your training. A Luna needs to protect her pack just as much as the Alpha does. She fights to the death to save pups that are in her care and if she doesn’t and hides, the pack will rip her apart for her disrespect and cowardice.”
Taria has lost all color in her face, and to say she is shocked would be an understatement. Sitting back in her seat with her shoulders hunched, she looks exactly as the entitled wolf she is. Nobody saw this previously, and why it has shown now I don’t know, but I am pleased to see it being handled.
“You will report on the training field in the morning. Warrior Wallace will keep a close eye on you and don’t make the mistake of thinking I am not going to be watching you and having regular reports. Now get out of here and help in the kitchen, where a good little Luna should know every aspect of what the pack does to provide healthy and nutritious meals.”
Taria scampers out of the office so fast it is a wonder her shoes' heels are not on fire. Wallace is doing his best not to grin. Raina isn’t hiding her laughter at all, and Aurora takes a seat, looking more than a little shocked at what has been happening.
Later that afternoon, I run the border with the female warriors, and nothing seems to be amiss. The pack warriors speak respectfully and acquaint themselves, which is good as I don’t want any of the council warriors getting taken down by a pack warrior by mistake.
The last patrol we speak with are waiting for patrol change over. I’m leaning against a tree, watching the interaction of the council warriors and the pack warriors as a smell hits. It is the stink of a rogue, but it has a smell of lavender and honey.
Pushing away from the tree, I scan the area across the border and see what was an attractive female she-wolf. She is, however, dirty, thin, and obviously more than a little feral.
MATE!
‘Asher, she is a rogue and feral.’
Get closer. Let me speak to her wolf. Asher demands.
‘Okay but be ready for anything.’
Everyone around us has gone quiet and watching closely what is happening. They are attentive and on the lookout for more rogues, but currently only this small female is noticeable.
I stand quietly while Asher tries to speak with the female wolf, but all he is receiving are snarls and aggression. I’m worried for Asher as this is our second chance mate, and if we cannot have her, then we will not have a mate from the Goddess.
Wolf is feral, no chance of recovering.
‘I’m sorry, Asher. I know you wanted a mate.’
I can feel Asher’s sadness but also his resignation that our second chance mate is past helping.
Before any of us can decide what to do about this female, she runs toward the nearest warrior and attacks with everything she is. The viciousness of it shocks me into not moving, but one of the female council warriors steps forward to help the pack warrior. He has scratches down his face and arms and a bite on his leg.
As the two warriors relax slightly the female breaks free and attacks again. I can’t allow this to continue, and knowing what I have to do, I step forward, grab the female by the neck and twist. Hearing a loud crack and feeling her go limp, I know I have killed her. My chest rips with a pain that takes my breath, but I stay on my feet and pick up my mate. Looking down at her in my arms, I can’t help but think she would have been a beautiful mate for me to have loved.
Carrying her all the way back to the pack, I feel sad that I found her and lost her all in a few minutes, and I will never know her name. Asher is quiet in the back of my mind, but he is not curled up with suffering. He is sitting watching and, as I am, he’s at peace with what we had to do.
As a rogue, she will not have a funeral, but I won’t allow her body to be thrown into the forest to rot. I find a quiet spot near the pack training ground and build a pyre. Pack members join in as they see what I am doing, helping to build it quickly. Once ready I lay her on the top, kiss her forehead and light the pyre. Standing until nothing remains of her or the pyre itself. All that is left is ash, and my aching heart.
Not sleeping that night, I am already downstairs in the kitchen when the pack members arrive to make breakfast. I take my coffee and sit outside, breathing in the fresh air.
Looking to my right when I feel someone taking a seat beside me. “Good morning, Gerry.” Aurora gives me a small smile as I look at her.
“Good morning, Aurora,” I reply.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes. I’ll be fine. I didn’t know her, didn’t even know her name. But we will recover. If the bond had formed, we would have been in trouble, but as I didn’t touch her until the moment she died, it died with her.” I’m thankful for that at least, as most mates struggle to continue when they lose a mate.
“Nobody knows that I lost my second chance mate as well. I watched him die, but as with you, I never formed the bond as I’d only just set eyes on him. For both you and I it seems the Goddess destined us to have chosen mates, if we had mates at all that is.” Aurora shocks me with this statement, but I know she’s telling me in confidence, and I won’t repeat it to anyone.
“I’m sorry for your loss. We seem to be fated to find a chosen mate if we want one. But I suppose we can pick and choose, rather than be handed one. Goddess forbid we ended up with one like Eve Planter.” I chuckle.
Aurora laughs before looking at me with a grimace. “Flint and the shifter council are coming later today. That means Eve Planter will be here,” rolling her eyes, “I can’t wait!”
Now I laugh and nudge her with a shoulder, which has her nudging me back and laughing too. “Come on, let’s check out how Taria is doing on the training field.”
“That’s another mess that I caused inadvertently mind you, but I missed the fact I had raised an entitled brat,” smiling at me, Aurora walks with me beside her, “Taria is however, going to be learning a hard lesson from now on.”