Chapter 4 #3
I waited to see if the tension would break. It didn’t, not right away. The elves sat rigid, eyes on the floor or the windows. The rest of the room leaned back, not wanting to get in the middle.
Joy whispered, “It will take time,” and she was right. This was a powder keg, and the only way to keep the lid on was to move the conversation.
I let the silence stretch until it started to feel heavy, then said, “Some of you want to know about the future. The pack. Having kids.” I looked at Gascha. “You want to say it?”
She shook her head, ears flicking. “You are Alpha. You say it.”
“Fine.” I faced the room. “It’s no secret the list is growing.
Some of you want to be parents. Some want to see if it will work.
And some just want a night of passion with me.
” That last part drew real laughter. I grinned with them.
“It’s volunteer only. There’s a board in the hall.
If you want in, you put your name. If you don’t, you don’t.
Nobody gets forced or pressured. If that ever happens, you come to Joy, Gascha, or me. We’ll deal with it.”
Misty, the messy-blonde girl from the Shima rescue, spoke up. “What if we’re not on the board? Do we just… never?”
I knew a little of her story. The Shima had hit her community hard. I still wondered if anything was left of the place she’d come from.
Joy answered first. “The board isn’t only about a night.
Signing it means joining the pack. That’s different from the tribe.
” She glanced toward Stuart and Flora, sitting close to the side wall.
“The pack is family. We help each other, support each other, and when children come, we raise them together. Stuart and Flora will have that same help when their time comes, because that’s what family does.
The tribe is everyone. The pack is closer. ”
Misty looked down, working through it. After a moment, she gave a short, decisive nod. “He saved me. Those green bastards told me I was going to be passed around the ship like some living toy. I think I’m in on this pack thing.”
Joy’s voice softened. “We can work it out. Nobody gets left alone unless that’s what they want.”
I met Misty’s eyes and gave her a tight, understanding smile. She looked away, but the decision had already settled.
I took the opening. “While we’re on the subject, I want to be clear about something else.
The pack is mine. That’s the Ci Dyn way, and most of them have already signed.
But the tribe is bigger than that. There are other men here.
Stuart is already mated to Flora, and she’s made it plain she’s proud of him and open to more mates for him if the right women come forward.
William and Nolan are good men. Solid. Reliable.
I’ve come to like both of them. If any of you who aren’t on my board are interested, I won’t stand in the way.
That’s your choice. If you are on the board, pack law still applies.
You come to me first if you want to be released. Outside of that, I stay out of it.”
An elven male with high cheekbones and a voice like breaking glass called from the back, “Do you intend to breed with all of us, Captain Hawk?”
That got a ripple of laughter, even from the Ci Dyn. I didn’t take the bait.
“No,” I said. “But anyone can ask. Don’t get offended if the answer is no.”
Taylor, of all people, spoke up. “There are logistical and genetic reasons for maximizing pairings, especially between races. It would improve population survival rates.” She gave the room a bland smile. “But that is not a policy, only a suggestion.”
Another wave of laughter rolled through. Even Lyubor’s mouth quirked. Joy started giggling, and the girl beside her followed. The tension eased.
When it quieted, the elven girl with the braid spoke carefully. “What is the board?”
“A list of people who want to join the pack and become my mate,” I said. “That usually means children eventually, or at least trying. It’s in the hall. You put your name, or you don’t. Joy can explain more if you’re curious.”
She nodded once and sat.
I shifted gears. “Any questions about the rest of the island? Security, supplies, work teams?”
Most didn’t. The room was spent. Even the Ci Dyn, usually the loudest, were just listening now, some dozing where they sat.
Lyubor stood again, this time slower, and addressed the room, not me.
“If we are to remain, we must accept that the rules are not ours. This is not my home. But it is a place to build. We will work, or we will leave. I have spoken to many of you, and I will continue to do so. I do not wish for division, but I will protect my people. That is the way.”
She looked at me, then at Gascha, then back at her group.
I waited a beat, then said, “I accept that. Does anyone else have anything to say?”
The room was silent.
I let my eyes move over the crowd, noting who was watching me, who was looking away, who was making up their minds.
Then I said, “All right. That’s it for tonight. Anyone with real issues, talk to Gascha or me. Otherwise, get some rest. Tomorrow, we see if the island is worth staying for good.”