Chapter 16 #2
Probably not, but we could do a creepy history lesson later.
“Nothing like that has happened in my lifetime as far as I know. We’ve had one-offs that needed the authorities to step in and handle specific situations, but nothing on a large scale.
” So this situation seemed odd to me. “In a healthy pack, the constant happy feedback and stability the Alpha receives from the pack keeps them healthy and stable. I can’t imagine what led to the issues that Emeric’s old pack seems to have. ”
“Do you think the person Emeric sensed earlier was here to take him back to their pack because he was technically a runaway?” Dorian didn’t sound like he believed the idea, but it wasn’t unreasonable.
“No. That’s not how things like that are handled.” But that fucking pack hadn’t done anything normal. “Every council in this half of the country should’ve been notified that Emeric was missing after his father’s accident.”
My doubts about that label were clear in my voice.
“If there was some kind of pack challenge there should’ve also been notifications and basically magical procedures that needed to be followed.
” We didn’t just off one another and hide it with a car accident even if Emeric’s father had been crazy.
“None of this sounds reasonable even for an accident.”
“Keeping Emeric here and his aunt coming back safe is our primary concern.” Since he just seemed to be repeating that to make himself feel better, I nodded and kissed his head. He let out a long breath and pressed his arm against mine. “There isn’t anything we can do about that pack, is there?”
“If they come here there is, but as long as they stay away, I’ve done all I can.” I hoped I had. “I’ve contacted all the councils in this region and even put in some calls to our version of the police.”
I wasn’t sure what they’d do or what had actually happened but the ball was rolling and hopefully we’d get some answers. They weren’t exactly the chatty type so all I’d gotten were some questions and a few grunts.
“So we wait?” Dorian’s use of we made me want to smile even though I wasn’t sure he would’ve understood it.
“Yes, but I’m going to have the wards around the pack land strengthened and I’ve warned the pack members about the full situation.” It didn’t seem like much. “In the old days we would’ve had…let’s call it more physical ways of handling this but that’s frowned upon.”
A lot.
“You kind of sound disappointed about that.” Dorian wasn’t going to let that slip past us. “Do you realize that?”
“Okay, the human-looking me that doesn’t want to end up on the internet or in serious trouble has enough common sense to understand this is a reasonable way to handle the situation.
” There were only so many ways shifters who’d gone wrong could be handled and I wasn’t looking for that permanent of a solution for any impulse-control issues on my part.
“My wolf side would love nothing more than to tear into that asshole wannabe Alpha.”
“Okay, I can understand that.” Still looking thoughtful as he watched the woods around us, he didn’t seem upset with me or my answer. “How do you keep those instincts under control?”
“Magic.” I knew I had to explain more than that even before he blinked at me. “Honestly. There’s science involved but basically what’s been passed down is that we were originally a separate species of human like most paranormal groups.”
There’d always been a variety of different people on Earth, the rest just hadn’t died out like most humans thought.
“We were just formed with more of the magic of Earth than regular humans. The magic tempered what most would see as our more animalistic side and evens it out.” Stopping us as we got to the thickest part of the forest, I led him off the trail and leaned back against a tree so I could wrap him in my arms. “Magic going wrong can fuck that up in frightening ways, but that’s not the natural balance it wants. ”
Stroking his head and down his back, I looked for any hints that he wasn’t comfortable but didn’t find any.
“That’s one of the reasons Alphas rose to defend their packs.
We defend it physically and emotionally.
” Real life wasn’t like romance novels no matter how fun they might be.
“Whether you see it as Mother Nature or something more ancient and magical, the world is built to find balance. Alphas rise to help keep balance.”
“So you’re basically like the Alpha and Omega all wrapped up into one.” His eyes sparkled even though he tried to keep a straight face. “So you’re not looking for your Omega to give you pups and balance the pack?”
“No.” That would be weird. “Alpha leads the pack. It’s usually males but not always. The Alpha has a second who’s usually like HR if we were a company. Everyone goes to him to complain about random stuff and he brings me the important bits.”
Barely holding back a laugh, he shook his head. “After seeing how you reacted at the gas station, I can understand why he might be important.”
Maybe.
“A few more details that might be important are why your anger didn’t worry me and how I’ve basically moved into your house.” His inner math teacher came to the surface as he raised one eyebrow and barely held back the need to cross his arms over his chest. “Correct?”
Math teachers were hot when they were frustrated.