Chapter 26
GERRY
This morning I feel better than I have in years. I can only describe it as rejuvenated. Ten years younger doesn’t do it justice. I’m up, showered, dressed and in the dining area waiting for the food to be brought to the serving area. Cook Ivy has been out once to check if everything is ready for the food to be served, and I complimented her on everything she had prepared for last night's meal. I was being completely honest when I said that I had never enjoyed any meal as much as I enjoyed the one she had put together. Every dish complimented the one that followed. I have to agree with Alpha Aurora too. The game pie was to die for.
Having eaten a breakfast that would have suited two warriors, I head back to my room. I need to contact Flint and discuss the events surrounding Eve Planter's suicide. He has my written report, but I glossed over certain points that need not be ‘common knowledge’ among the Council.
Making the call from my phone, Flint picks up at the first ring. He must have been expecting my call. “Morning Gerry. How did it go?” There’s to be no pleasantries then. Straight to it.
“Morning, Councilman Flint…”
“Let’s not do that, Gerry. Unless you're not alone? We can dispense with the formalities.”
“As you say, Flint. Yes, I’m alone. I would not call in the presence of others when we are to discuss such a sensitive subject.”
“Sensitive subject, eh? Now I am intrigued. Go on.” I hear Flint settling either behind his desk or in a chair.
“Her suicide took me completely by surprise. I was not expecting her to ingest poison.”
“Suicide? Poison? What? I thought it was supposed to be a celebratory meal. Aurora is dead?” Flint has completely blind-sided me.
“Aurora is dead? How? When? Everything here is so normal. How can that be?” My mind is spinning.
“Wait, what? Who are you saying took poison?” Flint sounds as confused as I am.
“Eve Planter, of course. That’s why I’m calling you. To fill in the gaps from my written report. What are you saying happened to Aurora?” I’m on the verge of slamming the phone down and finding Raina so she can fill me in with any details.
“OH! Thank the Goddess. I was expecting you to call and fill me in on your meal with Aurora. It seems we have some crossed lines of communication here.” Hearing Flint’s comments has my heartbeat slowing. Not back to normal, but certainly slowing.
“The meal can wait. Let me tell you about my attempted apprehension of Eve.”
“Yes, let’s deal with the unpleasant meeting first, then we can hopefully end on a high note.” Flint’s voice sounds as relieved as I feel.
“I found her where I expected, at her new home. She was under the impression that she was distanced from the mercenaries she hired. The leader of the mercenaries, however, was interested to know who would pay such an amount for the death of an Alpha female. Eve had not done enough to cover the transfer of the funds. He was more than happy to give her up for his freedom. When I arrived, I was shocked by the state of the place. It had degenerated almost to a hovel. It will need some work if you intend to let anyone live there.”
“That bad? I visited the place before we gave it to Eve, just to ensure that it was suitable for an ex-Council member. I thought many would be glad of such a place. The gardens were being well planted and tended, ready for her arrival,” Flint reflects on his visit.
“I suggest you go back and see how far she had regressed. It was as though her ‘evilness’ had taken on its own personality and killed everything good or beautiful around her. There wasn’t a living thing to be seen.” Another thought occurs to me. “Flint, were you aware that her wolf, Misty, had deserted her? She asked the Goddess to take her away from Eve.”
“Eve had lost her wolf? No, I was not aware. She was obviously far worse than any of us realized. I will speak to Ulmer personally. He will take this news hard. I’m sure the entire Council will, but Ulmer was a friend to Eve for many years. Porter was too, but to a lesser degree. I will visit Ulmer as soon as we conclude this call.”
“She seemed so convinced, when I told her what she was charged with, that her plan had succeeded. She began spouting more vile comments about Aurora and she took a jug and began drinking glasses of what I thought was just some fruit tea or something. It wasn’t until she finished the jug, threw it at me, and stated ‘she would stand before no Council’ that I realized what she meant. I was too late to do anything. She was dead before she hit the ground. I saw the life leave her eyes.”
“It sounds to me, Gerry, she had this planned out to its ultimate conclusion. You don’t have a jug full of poison handy in the house, ‘just in case’, now do you? Her decisions have saved us from having to make our own tough decision. We had those decisions to make once before with Holah and Anika. Thank the Goddess Eve prevented us from having to go there again. I will speak with the Council. It may be that we only share this information with pack Alphas. We cannot in good conscience keep this a secret, but I see no good in it becoming common knowledge with pack members either.”
“Thankfully, Flint, that is above my paygrade, at this time anyway.” Thanking my lucky stars that I’m not going to be involved in that meeting, I continue. “Now, as for my meal with Aurora. It was exceptional. The food was out of this world. Cook Ivy puts your Council chef to shame. The quality was unbelievable, and she was only given a few hours' notice to design the menu, gather the staff needed, prepare the food, the room, everything. It was totally flawless, right down to a wine waiter. I could talk about that food for hours and not run out of positive things to say. There isn’t a negative that comes to mind.”
“So, the food was excellent. I get that. What of the company?”
“When Aurora walked into the room, I was struck speechless. She was nothing short of the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. I stood there, gawping like a pup that has seen its first raw meat meal. I was totally transfixed. She was a gracious host and overlooked the fact that I just stood there staring at her. I even blurted out that I couldn’t decide what to devour first. Her or the food! I was mortified, but I brazened it out.”
“You said WHAT? It seems that you were suitably impressed, then?”
“Impressed does not do it justice. We talked the whole evening. We even discussed chosen mates. I can’t believe I went there.”
“You instigated a discussion on chosen mates? How much alcohol had you ingested by that time?” Flint’s sarcasm is not lost on me. I am not one to discuss my feelings or emotions.
“My phone battery is dying. I need to get it on charge.” Grasping at the first thing that comes to mind to get me out of this hole I’m digging for myself.
“Very well, Gerry. Of course it is. I do, however, need to go speak to Ulmer. Good luck with your newfound friendship. I wish it all the success it deserves.” Laughter accompanies the ending of the call.
Looking at the cell, I shake my head. What possessed me to tell him such things? I don’t doubt that he’ll be having some fun at mine and Aurora’s expense.
Knocking on the door breaks my train of thought. Opening the door has me looking at Xavier.
“Xavier? What can I do for you?”
“I’m ready to start my recon for any other rogue structures, underground or otherwise. Thinking the supply runs over, I was wondering if you’re okay to head out with me tonight? We can drop some supplies off and save you a trip in a couple of days. If I don’t find a structure in the first couple of days, I may not need a second supply run.”
“Sounds good to me. I can be ready when you are. I’ll speak to Alpha Aurora and get the supplies organized.” Nodding to him to show I’m okay with his thoughts has him grinning.
“Already done. I anticipated your acceptance. As did Alpha Aurora. Everything will be at the border ready for us to leave an hour before sunset. See you there.” Turning on his heel, he walks away.
Closing the door, I lay on the bed. A few hours' rest won’t hurt and I can reflect on my evening with Aurora. It’s strange, but I don’t think of her as Alpha Aurora now. The vision of her from last night seems to have changed my perspective somewhat.
Waking refreshed and hungry, no surprise there, I think to myself, I head to the dining room. Grabbing a tray, I walk over to the serving area. Seeing Cook Ivy shaking her head as I load up my tray, I give her my best ‘what’s a shifter to do?’ look.
Seeing her nod to her right, I glance over and see Aurora sitting at a corner table, alone. Looking back at cook Ivy, she has her eyebrows raised so high, they’re practically at her hairline. Taking the ‘oh so subtle’ hint, I walk over to Aurora’s table and ask if I can join her.
“Are you planning on devouring me or your lunch?” I look at her in shock.
“I’d rather hoped you’d forgotten that part of the evening.”
“Forgotten it? Hardly. I haven’t had an offer like that in years. Sit down and we’ll see if we can get past it again, shall we?” Her gentle laugh has me smiling without knowing I’m doing it. We’re still sitting there when Xavier stops by the table.
“Everything is ready at the border. We should leave soon. I think it best if you say your goodbyes here, Alpha Aurora. Your Beta probably won’t approve of your being close to the border so soon after the last attempt on your life.”
“I do not need my Beta’s approval for my actions, Shadow Warrior. Let’s be clear on that, shall we?”
“No, you don’t. You are more than capable of making your own decisions. If, however, you insist on taking unnecessary risks, I may have the warriors secure you in your office until such time that you begin making ‘rational’ decisions once again,” Beta Raina states from immediately behind her Alpha, laughing at the thought of her Alpha being confined.
“You’re becoming very adept at sneaking up on me, Beta.”
“On the contrary, Alpha. When you’re with Gerry, you lose the ability to see what is happening around you. I find that quite telling, don’t you?”
Feeling that I’m going to be drawn into this, I turn to Xavier. “You’re quite right, Xavier. I agree it's time that we were on our way, sooner rather than later, eh?”
Escaping what could have become an embarrassing situation has us in wolf form and in a ground-eating lope towards the border. Before we reach where the border patrol is waiting with our supplies and equipment, we shift back to human form and preserve our wolf’s strength.
It takes just thirty minutes to confirm that everything is as it should be and then we wait for the light to start to fade. As soon as Xavier announces it is time, we load up and cross the border. Heading directly to the deeply forested areas, we make our way into no-man’s-land. There are no signs of any rogues and we haven’t seen, or heard any the whole time we’ve been at the border. Staying in human form as long as we can, we press deeper into the forest.
“Gerry, this is as far as you need to go. I’ll use this as my supply base. The foliage in these trees will give me an ideal storage place for my supplies and spare equipment. If you’ll give me a hand to get them hidden, then you can be on your way and back at the border before sunrise. Your wolf should be fully rested and be able to go all the way back, no problem.”
“You know that you didn’t have to do this alone? I would have stayed with you.” Knowing that as a Shadow warrior he would prefer to work alone, my offer is honest but also a token gesture at the same time.
“I need you at the packhouse. You are more valuable to me there than you can possibly know.” Xavier gives me a strange look.
“I don’t understand how I can be of help to you when so far away. That makes no sense, Xavier. What use can I be to you from there? What are you trying to say?” I squat on the ground and gesture that he does the same. Looking him square in the eyes, I wait for his response.
“I have only discussed this with Alpha Aurora once, and with no one else. I don’t know exactly what it is I’m trying to explain, so bear with me, please.” Taking a few breaths, he appears to be composing himself. “When I first caught up to you, your two female warriors and Aurora in the forest, I had a strange and unsettling ‘emotion’ run through me. It was definitely something that emanated from the females. It was nothing to do with yourself. When I returned from that patrol and gave my report to Flint in the Alpha's office at Blood Pearl, I had the same feeling again.”
“Who was present?” Although I have an uncomfortable feeling I know where this is headed.
“Female wise, just Alpha Aurora and Beta Raina. As I said, the feeling was definitely not a male thing.”
“So then, you have an emotion for the Alpha. That’s the obvious conclusion.” I am not happy with this and I’m not sure why, other than I recognize jealousy when I feel it.
“Your conclusion is quite wrong, Gerry. This is not a mating bond or a sexual thing. I have had a mate, and this is not like that at all. I have never had this type of feeling or emotion. I can’t even describe what it is.” Xavier genuinely appears confused and shows no sign of possessiveness over Aurora.
“Okay, so what other thoughts do you have? Anything?”
“I suggested to the Alpha that the Goddess may have some tasks for me that involve her. As a Shadow warrior or as my Shadow wolf, we can only think that we are meant to protect her in some way. Again, this is all supposition. We have nothing other than this strange sense that we are meant to be around her. It sounds weird to you? Imagine how we feel!” Xavier does indeed look lost.
“Very well. I’ll go back immediately. If I can get past Raina,” I smile, “I will guard Aurora with my life. Be sure that you return safely. If you are to be her protector at some future point, you need to stay alive to be there.”
With that said, I shift to Asher and make my way back to the border and then to the packhouse. This should be yet another interesting conversation between myself and my Aurora.
My Aurora?