Chapter 13 #3
Gargoyles laughed, pushing and jostling the guy who asked the question.
“It is no secret that I called this conclave with the hope of inviting more packs and cairns into the convocation. I hope to further unite us. We’ll be here all week to talk, answer questions, and get to know each other.
It’s also a great time for different magical beings to meet and hopefully establish a connection.
Gargoyles tend to stay on their lonely mountains.
Shifters isolate themselves with family and close friends.
These smaller groupings are easier to take down.
It is when we share information, when we help each other, when we stand united, that we can withstand a tyrant. ”
He paused to let that sink in.
“Let me introduce—”
A loud voice rang out, cutting him off, the tone dripping with arrogance and privilege. Armendale.
“You speak of a threat to you, and say that you are a target. I can see how our falling in line will benefit you and your new territory, but I fail to see how it will benefit those of us with large, established packs. Forgive me, Kingsley—yes, hello, I noticed you there. Well, it was hard not to with Austin’s pack yelling out to you earlier. ”
Now the shifters showed a bit more reaction. Some were delighted Armendale was trying to take Austin to task, and others were wary or frustrated, thinking this would discredit Austin. Still others didn’t react at all, and those were the people who’d already seen what the convocation could do.
“But your pack does not have the size and history and wealth of a pack like mine. We would be much harder to take down.”
Austin huffed. “Spoken like a man who has no idea what is going on in the world around him.”
The glint drained out of Armendale’s eyes.
His body relayed his sudden, angered wariness, especially with Austin staring directly at him.
If this kicked off in a challenge right now, Austin would handle it, no problem.
Better sooner than later. He knew his complete confidence in the outcome showed in every line on his body.
Baa, baa, black sheep doesn’t give two shits about beating up the posh prick waving his wealth around in place of his small dick.
Austin put up his hands. “I am not going to beg, Armendale. I’m not going to try to convince you.
Any of you. Jess would’ve always been a target, yes, but in doing all this, I’ve put an X on our backs.
I’ve increased the danger to us tenfold.
That isn’t for my benefit. It’s for yours.
All of you, gargoyles included. Because when they are done wiping out the shifters, they’ll need someone new to pound on. ”
He put his hands down, smirked, and looked away from Armendale so the other shifter wouldn’t be forced to challenge to save face. In Austin’s loose demeanor, he was showing his lack of concern either way.
That had to rankle.
“There are enough people here with stories to tell,” he continued.
“With horrors they’ve lived through. With horrors their friends and family didn’t.
No, a big pack and lots of money and all sorts of privileges your family passed down to you won’t help.
” That was a not-so-subtle dig. He hadn’t wanted to instigate a fight but…
here they were. “A top-heavy team—fighters with lots of power and fighting skill—won’t help you.
Drex learned that the hard way. You need magic.
We aim to get more of that. What we have now is not enough.
I’ll speak more on that as we move through the week. For now—”
“Alpha,” a shifter named Oliver said. He was a squat, burly guy with a bald head and clean-shaven face, and a scar cutting across his right ear.
Second generation with a moderate pack. He had room to grow but not necessarily the mental tools to do so.
His tone was even and respectful. “We’ve had a run-in with mages.
I can attest to a couple of them doing a disproportionate amount of damage.
I also know about your past. You have no shortage of power, but I wonder about your leadership.
Uniting is a good idea, but the reality, with the wrong leadership, could be just as disastrous, if not more so. ”
“You’re exactly right,” Austin said, and more murmurs rose from the crowd.
“I was a nightmare in my youth. Kingsley can attest to that. I’m only newly an alpha, by choice.
We created this convocation out of necessity.
I understand that trust must be earned, and my abilities—and my mate’s abilities—proven.
That is why you are all here. I understand your hesitancy, and we’re all prepared to be extremely open.
My mate was a Jane—I’m sure you’ve heard.
She can’t lie, not if you can read body language.
I can, but I have no reason to. I need you as much as you need us. We all need each other.”
“And if we don’t join?” asked a woman, a third-generation alpha who tended to side with Armendale on most things. “That means we’re on our own, I guess, huh? We play by your rules or we fend for ourselves?”
Austin didn’t like her tone. She sounded like an attorney badgering a witness rather than asking a legitimate question. Still, it was relevant.
Before he could answer, Jess cut in, and it was clear she didn’t like the woman’s tone either.
“We’re not the Mafia. We’re not going to ask for money to protect your beat.
We’re doing this to help you. All of you.
Us. We didn’t demand Kingsley join the convocation.
He decided to after the battle. Gerard as well—the gargoyle there.
Speaking of, Gerard didn’t even know Kingsley.
They certainly aren’t family. He showed up to help.
To do the right thing. And that is what the convocation will do—the right thing.
If you aren’t in it and you need help, we will help you.
“However”—she put up her finger—“we will help you how we see fit. If you’re too shortsighted to get in early and help mold this thing, then you get no say when we need to show up and kick ass.
If we can use your people, great. We’ll tell you how.
If not, they need to get out of the way.
We’ve been training constantly since day one.
We’ve designed a system to integrate new packs and cairns seamlessly so we can work as a team.
We have exceptional team leaders, and they have to be because sometimes we need to be effective immediately.
“The worry is Momar hitting us harder. He’s out there, somewhere, planning.
Working on magic we don’t know of with ten, twenty, fifty times the staff.
We have two mages and a bunch of claws. Big whoop.
Right now, we’re not enough to take him on.
We won at Kingsley’s only because they underestimated us.
Momar didn’t know we’d come to help, or that we had magic.
I doubt he’ll make that mistake twice. Mark my words, as we are now, he’ll take down Austin and me, and then he’ll go back to targeting the shifters.
If you want to stand around with your dick in your hands, patting yourself on the back for what Daddy gave you and taught you how to use, great.
Best of luck. But if you want to actually survive, you’d better shut up and pay attention, because that’s what we’re trying to do here. Fight and win.”