Chapter Two Xavier #2
“One of them told me the Anax would say they were doing the right thing.” He opened his eyes again. “They were wrong?”
“They were lying,” the Anax agreed.
“I see that.” Ren picked up a piece of cheese and nibbled it. “The Alpha said I’m a member of Connecticut Pack. I don’t want to be.”
“You don’t have to be.” The Anax stood. “Ren, what’s your last name? I need to know so I can cut your ties with Connecticut Pack.”
He blinked. “You can do that?”
I was surprised as well, but not at the revelation that the Anax could cut Ren’s bond to the pack.
Of course it made sense that the Anax had that power.
After all, he had declared me and the other guards he’d hired packless, severing our bonds with the packs we’d belonged to.
There was no reason he couldn’t do the same for Ren. I was only surprised that he’d offered.
“I’m the Anax,” the Anax said. “I can do pretty much anything.”
Ren stared down at his plate, chewing his lower lip. The silence became uncomfortable, and then I realized the problem. Ren was transgender. Trans people often changed their names, but the change wasn’t always legal. Maybe he wasn’t sure which name to say.
Fortunately, the Anax also seemed to understand. “Tell me the name you want to be called.” He sat again and spoke softly. “We can make that your name. I just need to know what it is.”
“You can…?” Shaking his head, Ren chuckled faintly.
“Yeah, you probably can. There’s a whole lot I don’t understand about this werewolf thing. My last name is Torres. It was the last name of a trans male character in a Canadian teen show that was on here in the U.S. too. I found it on streaming when I was like ten.
Seeing that character helped me understand who I really am. His first name was Adam. I didn’t want that name, but I chose his last name. Ren’s after a some-number-of-great uncle who was allegedly a spy during World War Two. His name was Rene.”
He looked up at me, then laughed. “Sorry. You didn’t need to know all that.”
Grief floated across the Anax’s features when Ren spoke his last name.
I’d heard about Chal Torres, the former Alpha of City Pack and one of the Anax’s mentors and close friends.
Chal had been murdered not quite two years ago, the victim of a shooting orchestrated by a rogue wolf at the regional Alpha gathering.
Hearing that surname from Ren had to affect the Anax.
He pulled himself together quickly, though. “I told you to tell me whatever you’re comfortable with. So you’re Ren Torres?” His voice caught slightly.
Ren didn’t seem to notice. He was too busy staring at his hands, fear emanating from him like a mist. I desperately wished I could reassure him, calm him, but all I could do was be there. He nodded. “Yeah.”
The Anax rose, and Ren flinched. Fortunately, the Anax didn’t move away from his chair.
He cleared his throat. “Ren Torres, self-named and so named. I declare that your true name, and I declare you a packless wolf under my direct rule unless or until such time as that placement is no longer appropriate for you.”
His voice rang through the room, carrying power that transformed, that bound.
That remade Ren as his true self. I’d experienced it as the recipient when the Anax took me on as a guard, which necessitated me being designated packless and under his rule.
I was used to such power. I could only imagine how it felt for Ren.
He gasped. “Anax?”
“Call me Tobias.” With a long, slow breath, the Anax sat again.
The instruction wasn’t meant for me; we guards called him by title the majority of the time.
“You’ll stay here if you want to, for the next couple of days. There will be a lot of people arriving the day after tomorrow. Did Enzo—the Alpha—tell you about the gathering?”
Ren looked confused. “No. What gathering?”
Oh, not good. The national gathering would bring every Arkhon—regional leader—and Alpha in the United States here, to this property.
Each of them would bring two to four guests.
Several hundred werewolves would spend a few days discussing any issues that had arisen and socializing, culminating, on the night of the full moon, with a hunt.
And Ren had come here with no awareness of what he was walking into.
The Anax would have to find him somewhere else to be.
The Anax gave a quick explanation of the annual national gathering and the twice-yearly regional ones, appearing relieved that Ren at least knew what arkhons were.
“Once they start arriving, I might need to find you a quieter place,” he said.
“I have friends in the Boston packs. I used to be the Alpha of one of those packs. They always hunt here on full moon nights—Enzo explained full moon nights?”
A werewolf not knowing that full moons forced us to shift could have had horrifying repercussions.
Thank gods, Ren nodded again. “When the moon is full, we have to shift whether we want to or not. And we hunt, but that doesn’t necessarily mean actual hunting. Some people—wolves—hunt for prey, and some just run.”
“That’s right,” the Anax said. “The gatherings always coincide with a full moon so that the last night before everyone goes home, we can all hunt together.”
He gave Ren a slight smile. “The two Boston packs always hunt here. When I bought the property, I built a separate house for the pack members to use during the gathering, and you’re welcome to stay there. I can arrange for you to hunt with those packs.”
“I…” He touched his tongue to his upper lip. “I’m sorry, Anax. Tobias. It’s too much to decide right now. I don’t know them. I know there’ll be a lot of people here. I don’t have to stay.”
Something caught my eye outside. Movement. Maybe an animal.
Maybe one of those who had hurt my mate. While the Anax continued speaking, I turned my full attention to that movement.
Within a second, I saw them. I hurried over to the window to confirm. “Anax, there are three wolves approaching from the southwest. I don’t recognize them.”
“No.” With a sharp inhale, Ren folded in on himself. “It’s them. I feel them.”
“Xavier, go out and greet our uninvited guests.” The Anax stood again and held out a hand to Ren. “Come upstairs. I’ll put you in a room where they can’t get to you. You’re not a Connecticut Pack wolf. You’re one of mine, for now at least, and you’re safe here.”
A growl rose in my throat. He dared to touch my mate?
I swallowed hard and hurried out of the room.
The jealousy came from my wolf, the part of me that wanted to claim Ren, to make sure he belonged only to me.
That part had no place here right now, and rationally, I knew the Anax, who had his own mate, had no interest in Ren.
I hurried out to the back porch as behind me, footsteps receded up the stairs. Torn between protecting the Anax, as was my role, and protecting my mate, I hesitated at the base of the steps.
Three wolves walked out from among the trees onto the lawn. The largest had a white blaze on his forehead, standing out against his dark brown fur. The other two were both gray, almost identical shades and nearly the same size.
“You are on the property of the Anax of the United States,” I said. “Why are you here?”
Naturally none of them answered. Wolves couldn’t speak, and I had no bond to them.
The Anax, however, did. He joined me and led me forward onto the lawn. I prepared myself to move in front of him if any of the intruders threatened, but they merely stood, watching.
“You have entered the territory of the Anax of the United States without permission,” the Anax said, sounding ever so slightly pissed. “You have no right here. What is your purpose?”
The three wolves just sat there. Not moving. Not answering. I clenched my fists. I knew damn well who they were. I’d seen Ren’s fear. But it wasn’t my place to speak. I was here only to protect the Anax.
Later, if he let me, I would deal with these wolves. For now, I simply stood.
“You will answer.” The Anax folded his arms. “With human mouths. Shift back and give me the information I’ve requested. I can and will compel you, but I would prefer you obey your Anax of your own accord.”
One of the gray wolves whined softly. The brown shot him a look, then jerked his head down and up. Both grays lay down and began to shimmer. After a second, the brown did the same.
The Anax spoke to me through our bond. Did you contact Seth?
Yes. Davion’s on his way. I moved up beside him and forced myself into professional mode. I had a job to do. Should I ask for additional backup?
There isn’t time, he said. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to a fight.
I always hope that. Despite my desire to wreak violence on those who had hurt Ren, I hated to fight.
I wouldn’t have called myself a pacifist, but if there was a nonviolent solution, that was usually my preference.
My current fury came from my wolf because of the harm visited on my mate.
In my human mind, I still wanted to avoid physical conflict if I could.