Gabrielle sat among the women of the pack. This was their first meeting after the disaster of a mating ceremony. The silence was tense. Gabrielle sipped at her tea delicately, it wasn’t as though she hadn’t expected this.
Margery took the mantle of speaking first, the redhead had always been an outspoken one although Gabrielle had expected Ivy to be the one to start this particular conversation.
“Gabrielle. I think the question on all our minds is why you called this meeting.” She looked around gauging the countenance of the other women to see if they supported what she was saying. Some nodded while others watched on passively.
This obviously wasn’t a meeting for all the women in the pack. They wouldn’t have been able to fit into the room. But these women were the movers of the pack. Anyone would tell you that it was the Alpha, Beta, and the Elders who ran the pack but Gabrielle has always known it was the other way around.
The women, the wives of the Elders, the mates of the warriors, and the Luna ruled the pack. These people directly influenced the decisions made in the pack. Sure the Elders decided but before they did that, the women had already played their cards to ensure their intended outcome.
That was the reason Gabrielle had started these meetings years ago. So that she as Luna would gear the pack in the direction she felt it wise to take. Not that Ava would know. She had always thought of these affairs as frivolous. ‘Tea parties’, she would call them disdainfully.
“I don’t know if I am still eligible to call these meetings anymore after all that has happened. I want to apologise to all of you for missing the previous meetings leading up to this junction.”
“I apologise for not being around at a time when we all needed each other’s support.”
Gabrielle kept her tone low and respectful with her head even lower.
She blinked back tears as Margery took her hand.
“It’s alright. We understand that with everything that happened you would need your space. Now that you have come back to us, we wholeheartedly welcome you back.”
Gabrielle raised her head to see if the opinion was general when Ivy spoke.
“That’s all well and good, Gabby, but I think I’m more bothered about our Luna. Did she put you up to coming back so that she can rally support despite her poor choice of cheating on the Alpha?” Ivy’s gaze went sly. “Or are you trying to rally support for yourself because you still plan on becoming Luna?”
Gabrielle had never liked Ivy. Maybe it was because their thought process was too similar or it was because she was one of the youngest movers of the pack being the daughter of Elder Elvis, not a mother or mate. It might also have been because she remembered that Adrian had fucked her back when he was trying to get over Ava with every other woman but Gabrielle.
Gabrielle plastered on a look of disbelief, outrage, and pain looking at the women. She knew her expressions looked good, she had practised a lot for it so, of course, it would. Around half of them looked like they wanted to slap Ivy for being thoughtless and insensitive as always but the other half seemed like they were contemplating what she had just said.
“I came here for my sister,” Gabrielle began, her voice shaking with righteous indignation. “She is now the Luna of this pack and Alpha Adrian’s true mate. I came here to beg the women of this association to help her. To assist her in these trying times.”
Ivy choked off a laugh that almost escaped but not quite. She looked thoroughly amused.
There was going to be no fooling her but the other women looked thoughtful.
“You push the limits, Gabrielle.”
Amber’s scraggly voice spoke up and all the women quietened to listen to one of the oldest and greatest she-wolves to be reckoned with. She had been the only female Elder in the pack’s history before her retirement. Even though she was old, her mind was still razor-sharp and her discerning gaze often missed nothing.
Gabrielle’s heartbeat skipped. If the old coot suspected her then this was all in vain.
“Your sister should have been here to speak for herself instead of using you as a mouthpiece.” Amber looked around making eye contact with every single she-wolf in the room to ensure she had their attention.
“Luna Ava has proven that she is unreliable, that the rumours and allegations made against her might just be true. However, she has saved Alpha Adrian’s life so we shall not antagonize her. But your plea for assistance has been rejected. We welcome you back into the fold and give you our condolences for the mating ceremony falling through but we will not assist your sister. If she is strong enough to be Luna then she must be able to face the consequences of her actions head-on.”
Gabrielle ducked her head as though in consternation but deep down she hid a smile.
Things had gone even better than she had intended. It was perfect. It wasn’t like she had wanted to save Ava. She had just wanted the sympathy of the women. It would come in handy for the next phase of Cynthia’s plan. Very handy.
*********
The atmosphere was rather tense for that of a pack run. It was the first one they would have since he had gotten mated to Ava and she was going to miss it because she was busy recovering in the hospital while he still has no damndest clue about the person behind it all.
Only that it was a female wolf.
His eyes wandered to Gabrielle at the line’s forefront standing with her parents. Somehow he still found it hard to believe that she had changed so quickly and completely.
Alex and Calvin stood at his sides but a step or two behind. Alex seemed a little more aloof than usual. Maybe seeing Adrian torture Tiana had gotten to him.
“Members of the Mountain Coast Pack, my family and my blood. Tonight is a full moon, we shed our human flesh and run as one in our true form. We run together as one, as a community, linked to each other by our shared pain and shared gratitude. I know that things have been more than a little shaky lately but I want to tell you that this is a situation we can get through together. As a pack. I ask for your support, your help and your aid. Under this full moon, let us stand as one with nothing to separate us.”
Adrian knew discontent had been rising in the pack due to his decision to pardon Ava. Once the pack run was done, however, the feelings of discontent would die down as the wolves would feel even more connected. It would have been better if Ava had been there to participate in it but this was still pretty good.
The pack energy felt brighter. Less combative and more open. Adrian began to call for the run to begin when murmuring the frontlines rose as someone came forward.
It was an unofficial and unspoken rule that if you had something to say, a complaint to lodge, it was done right before the pack run. The tradition hadn’t been upheld in centuries because the feeling of camaraderie before a pack run made most grievances seem inconsequential. Adrian found that he was tense.
It was Elder Elvis, so help Adrian.
He had been one of the Elders that hadn’t been happy with his pardoning of Ava. He could have waited until the Elders’ meeting to voice whatever opinions he had. There couldn’t be any good reason he was doing it now.
“Good wolves of this pack.” His voice carried in the silent night. “I think I speak for all of us when I say that we are blessed with an exceptional Alpha who will only lead this pack to greener pastures. Ever since his father’s collapse, he has been dedicated to this pack.”
Adrian’s sense of unease deepened. Why was Elder Elvis being so complimentary?
“However, recent events have shown that his life will continue to be threatened. Goddess forbid, if something were to happen to him, the pack would be lost. I came here today as a mouthpiece for the members of this pack. To demand Alpha Adrian produce an heir. Immediately.”
“I admire your thoughtfulness, Elder Elvis, but that is a discussion to be decided upon consulting my mate.”
Adrian couldn’t believe that Elder Elvis could have mentioned something like that in public. An heir.
He was in the prime of his youth. He didn’t need an heir.
Elder Elvis wore a private smile, as he looked at Adrian then turned back to address the pack.
“Once more, I hope I speak your mind when I say that the purity of Luna Ava is compromised. Alpha Adrian has magnanimously cleared her of all charges after she took a bullet for him, however, this is the pack’s line of succession we are talking about. The last thing we need is for her to bring in an heir who is not the actual child of Alpha Adrian.”
“Elder Elvis! You overstep your boundaries.”
Elder Elvis hung his head in apology before disappearing into the crowd. All the former feelings of togetherness that usually preceded the pack run were gone.
Adrian could feel the tautness of tension in the air, the pack members murmured exchanging side comments and Adrian couldn’t help but feel a lot of them sided with Elder Elvis.
He was going to rip that man’s tongue from his mouth. What had he been thinking? Was he so stupid that he didn’t realize that in trying to get his way in punishing Ava, he was splitting the pack?
Looking at the pack members, Adrian knew the damage had been done already. The annoying part was that he couldn’t even publicly reprimand an elder. Fuck.
“Let the pack run begin.”
Before someone else would come up to give unsolicited opinions.