81. Leviathan
LEVIATHAN
“How’d it go?” Rainier asked as I stomped back inside and flopped into the seat beside him.
“As good as can be expected.”
“What did she say?”
I swatted a hand through the air. “She’s afraid Anders and Eugenia might join up with Red Maw. I still can’t believe she wants to show that asshole any kind of mercy, regardless of the reason. After everything he did to her.”
“It shows she’s kind, at least,” Rainier said with a shrug.
“Kindness is fine. Naphele was kind, but she also knew when to be more realistic about things.”
“There’s that name again,” Rainier said, his tone full of reproach.
“Huh?” I frowned at him.
“Naphele, Naphele, Naphele,” Rainier said, glaring at me. “We’ve been over this, Levi. I thought you’d put her behind you.”
I stared at him, unsure what he meant, then it struck me. I had just compared June to her—again.
“Goddamn it,” I hissed, putting my face into my hands. “I didn’t do it on purpose.”
“Doesn’t matter. Jesus, you didn’t say that to June, did you?”
“No,” I groaned, lowering my hands. “At least I’m not that stupid. Why is this so difficult?”
“You loved her, bro. That’s to be expected. She was the first love of your life. But she’s gone, and now you get a second love of your life, which is a pretty nice deal, if you can keep her. But spouting off another lady’s name like that is a one-way ticket to Bachelorville, you know what I mean?”
“Yes. It doesn’t make this any easier, though. June is her own person, with her own personality. I’m not lying when I say Naphele would have supported me in this decision. I don’t say that as a slight toward June, either. It’s just the truth.”
“June isn’t Naphele. That means she will act and react differently. Like you said, that’s not a bad thing.” He grimaced. “Could June have been a little more diplomatic earlier? Sure. That doesn’t mean she was technically wrong, though.”
“Are you saying you agree with her?”
Rainier held his hands up in surrender. “I’m not saying yes or no either way. What I’m saying is, could her way be better? Maybe. There is some truth to what she’s saying. I see both sides. Both of you are right in your own way.”
I curled my hands into fists. “Even if I decided she was right, I can’t very well go back on my word, can I? The alphas heard me give my decree. I’ll look spineless if I change it now.”
“I don’t know if that’s true,” he said.
I barked a humorless laugh. “What would you do if you were making an alliance with a pack, and the alpha kept changing his mind every time the wind blew? Would you trust him?”
Rainier opened his mouth to respond, then closed it.
Taking that as his answer, I went on. “If they see weakness, they’ll pull their support. We’re asking them to give us fighters. Men and women who might die. That’s not something that people take lightly, and they’ll want to be sure they have a strong leader they can put their faith in.”
“I see what you’re saying,” Rainier said. “What about June’s theory? Do we think Anders might join the Red Maw? In all honesty, that would be bad. He knows everything about this town—the schedule, the back roads. He had allies among the citizens. This could turn ugly.”
As if summoned by the very words Rainer had just said, the door slammed open. A young man rushed open, eyes wide and panicked, fear etched in every line of his face.
“Alpha Cross!” he cried when he saw me. “We got a problem.”
My stomach lurched, and a chill crept up my back. “What’s wrong, son?”
“Uh…there’s been an attack,” he said, eyes bouncing from me to Rainier and back. “Over near the eastern side of town. I was told to come get you.”
“An attack?” Rainier asked. “By who?”
“We, uh, we think it was the Red Maw people.”
I nudged the kid outside. “Take us there. Move.”
The kid obeyed orders and shifted. Rainier and I followed suit, running after him.
As we drew near, the sounds and scents of battle struck my nose and ears.
Panic set in as I spotted a thin line of smoke rising into the early night sky, and I put on more speed.
Even with my injuries, my alpha body was more powerful and explosive than the kid’s or Rainier’s, and I raced past them toward the smoke.
I shifted back to my human form when I reached the small building that was ablaze, smoke billowing up from it. Beside it, a huge expanse of torn-up grass showed a fight had taken place. Four men sat in various states of stunned silence or nursing injuries.
“What happened here?” I cried, getting their attention.
“About half a dozen troublemakers,” one of the men said, limping over to me. “Came rushing in from the forest. We spotted them right before they tossed a fucking firebomb at us.”
“What?” I scanned the area, looking for any sign of them, but all I spotted was the dark street, and the forest beyond. “Where did they go?”
The man nodded toward the others. “Bomb hit that shed. Once we saw what was going on, we jumped those boys. Scuffled a bit, but they ran off when we sent Eli here to find you.”
The young man nodded at the sound of his name. “Anders was trying to signal to them,” he said.
“Excuse the fuck out of me?” Rainier said.
The older man motioned to the courthouse.
“We were moving him and his lady friend from the old drunk tank to the actual jail here in the basement of the courthouse. That was when it happened. Asshole started screaming for them to set him free and he’d help them.
” The man rubbed at his bloody knuckles.
“I might have given Anders a little chin music for that. Hope you don’t mind? ”
“Not a problem,” I snarled. “I’d have done the same.”
He nodded, obviously relieved. “Well, I sent Eli to find you, and had Jamal, Blake, and a few others haul those two in while we took care of the assholes out here.”
“Is everyone okay?” I asked.
“Few cuts and bruises,” the man said. “I think those boys were looking to start trouble but not get into a real fight.”
“Probing force,” Rainier said, shaking his head. “Sow fear and worry by probing different areas. I bet this won’t be the last one we see. If I had to guess, they’ll do this in other locations too, so we won’t know where they want to attack.”
I nodded in agreement. The fact that they ran off quickly was a sign that this was nothing but the initial stages of psychological warfare.
“What’s your name, friend?” I said to the man, extending my hand.
He took it with a grin. “Elbert DaVinci, like the painter.”
“Well, Elbert, I thank you for keeping everyone safe and sending word. You did good work here, and I appreciate it.”
“We appreciate you,” he said. “Anders was…er…well, he was a snot-nosed little prick, if I’m being honest.”
Rainier stifled a laugh.
“Just about everyone in town is excited to have you as the new alpha. Only ones that aren’t are Anders’s buddies and his family members, but even they see the way the tide is turning.”
“Speaking of,” I said. “Did Anders and Eugenia get secured in the cells?”
“Yup,” Elbert said. “Locked away all nice and cozy.”
“Good. Let’s keep it that way,” I said.
“Will do. Uh, if you don’t mind, we’re gonna locate a hose and try to put this fire out.”
“Do what you’ve got to do.”
“That fucking prick,” Rainier hissed.
“At the first chance of rescue, Anders tries to turn on us,” I said, shaking my head. “Wanted to sell out his own town to save his and Eugenia’s asses. That seals it. This guy is toast. I’ll toss him out on his ass myself.”
“But doesn’t this play into what June was saying?” Rainier argued. “If we banish them, they might head straight to Desdemona and join up?”
I shook my head. “No. Their scouts would know exactly who Anders was. As far as the men who came here tonight are concerned, he’s still the alpha of Idlewild.
I doubt there’s any way they’d know about the change of leadership yet.
If they didn’t try to bring him into the fold tonight, when they think he’s the leader of the pack, they never will if he’s a disgraced lone wolf.
No. He’s proven what a traitor he is tonight. I’ve got to get him out of town.
“Besides, you heard Elbert. There are still some people here who like and support Anders. Not many, but enough to be a problem. The last thing I need is some underground resistance trying to put him back in power. He’s done.
We’ll do it tomorrow. In time, June will see this was the best decision. I know she will.”
Rainier nodded, but the look he gave me was one that didn’t speak of trust. He didn’t quite believe I was right. That was the burden of being an alpha. Always doing what was best, even if your people didn’t see it.