Grey…
I’m here, I sent Winifred.
The door opened, and I sprinted from the shadows into her entry. She closed the door behind me.
“Did you find anything, Grey?” she asked.
I shifted, after making sure her curtains were closed, and took the pants from her.
“I picked up pieces of their trail and followed it until there was nothing.”
“They just disappeared?”
“Their scents did. I found a few old signs that might have been a struggle. Or it could have been something big, like a moose, moving through that area.”
She sighed and looked off for a moment.
“I don’t like this. The males are dangerously desperate if they are killing another male’s Mate.”
“I agree.”
“We need to give them hope. Change the way they can meet females.”
“What are you thinking?”
“Formal introductions at sanctuary. Young females go there and meet interested males in a safe, controlled way. We would put a call out so every male could have a chance.”
“It could help reduce their desperation,” I agreed, dressing. “But that many males in one place will be dangerous.”
She studied me.
“Why do you think you’re ready to be an Elder?”
“I’ve been an Elder since the day my parents died. It’s not that I cared for Thomas and every wolf we encountered. It’s how I saw their deaths. Quiet. Unknown. Forgotten. Our race will leave this Earth that way unless we change.”
“And you think Thomas is the key to that change? I already know you do. Why else would you be willing to give up your own chance at a Mate?”
“With him leading us, and Charlene at his side, we will be unstoppable. Known. Remembered.”
“It takes time to become an Elder. Training. Commitment.”
“Winifred, we both know our people are almost out of time.”
She gave a sad look.
“Don’t fail, Grey. We all need you.”
Then she opened herself to me. Our connection changed, becoming too big and too solid for my head.
I grunted in pain as a voice pierced my mind.
Power is granted until worthiness is lost. Death rewards self-interest.
The pain increased as every decision I ever made was evaluated, not by Winifred or Jean, but by something that had no body or mind. A vacuum of pressure started between my eyes, slowly relieving the pain. My knees gave out as my mind connected with hundreds of others.
Winifred gently brushed back my hair.
“It’s done, Elder Grey. You heard the voice. You have a heavy responsibility that does not allow mistakes.”
I nodded and stood.
“What now?”
“Now we work together to secure the future of our race. I’m needed here. Without my earnings, what we’re building at sanctuary will fail.”
“I agree. And, I’m needed at sanctuary. Not just to keep the peace, but to continue escorting families and unclaimed females there. To show that the Elders support what Charlene and Thomas are doing.”
“Agreed.”
I could feel Jean’s agreement, too. And his age.
“We need to keep trying to find more willing to become Elders,” I said.
“We will put a call out every year,” Winifred said. “We will grow. Go, Grey. Keep the families safe.” She hesitated for a moment. “And watch Charlene closely.”
“You think there’s more to her than she’s telling us?”
“I do. But her interests are the same as ours. She wants to see us do more than survive. If that ever changes, if she ever becomes a threat, then we will need to act.”
My heart was heavy for my brother as I nodded.
****
Thomas…
Do you think you have room for one more? Grey sent me.
Shock rippled through me, and I felt for the subtle new connection. Like Winifred’s and Jean’s, it was there but out of the way in a quiet corner of my mind. It felt odd reaching out to him there instead of where he’d once been, but good to reach out to him at all.
You survived.
Was there any ever doubt?
Too much. When are you coming?
I’m at your front door.
The idiot knocked. I grinned and went to open the door for him.
“Welcome home, Grey,” I said, pulling him into a tight hug.
He laughed and clapped me on the back.
She’s changed, he sent me, pulling back.
How so?
Grey looked at Charlene who’d moved closer. He smiled at her.
The confident way she holds herself. It reminds me of you.
Then he pulled her into a hug.
“Welcome to the family, Charlene. Will you introduce me to the newcomers?”
“Of course,” she said when he released her.
You are both just what this place needed.
I followed them as she introduced him to everyone by name. He likely didn’t need the introductions. I wasn’t sure how being an Elder worked, but Winifred always just seemed to know everyone.
Grey claimed a room near the base of the stairs and settled into community living.
****
As the days passed, the swell of hateful humor coming from the members of the pack we’d sent out reminded me our time of peace and preparation was nearly at an end.
I could feel the group lingering just outside of sanctuary boundaries on the night before they were due to return. Charlene lay in my arms, breathing steadily, not yet asleep. She worried. And she had a reason to.
Winifred had taken time from her job to be here. She and Grey were downstairs, ensuring the safety of the remaining families. Only Leif and Ann had chosen to leave before the rebellious pack members arrived.
So much depended on how the rogue pack members reacted to my Claim on Charlene. Would it be enough for them to accept her? I ran my fingers through her hair, wishing she was ready to complete the bond. My desire for her only grew with each day but more than that, I feared the Claim wouldn’t be enough to keep her safe.
I stayed awake long after she slept, thinking of what might come.
When the sun started to rise, I kissed Charlene’s cheek gently. She rose and opened her eyes to look at me. She didn’t say anything. Instead she touched my face and smoothed back my hair.
“I’m going downstairs now. I’d feel better if you came, too. The rest of the women will be with Winifred.”
“And Grey?” she asked.
“Already outside, to keep an eye on things.”
“He won’t be able to help you, will he?”
I shook my head.
“How many more do you think you can—”
I kissed her to silence her. There were already too many gathered in the yard, wondering the same thing.
She tangled her fingers in my hair and kissed me back. With reluctance, I broke away, kissed her forehead, and held out my hand to help her stand.
While she dressed, I waited in the hall.
How many are there? I asked Grey.
Enough. Are you ready?
We’re coming down, I sent back when Charlene opened the door. Hand in hand, we walked toward the main room. She stopped me just outside the doors.
“Good luck,” she whispered, kissing me once more.
I nodded and pushed the door open.
The women and children were already waiting for breakfast. Mary and Winifred were cracking twelve dozen eggs into two pots while several of the older children read books at a table with their parents.
I will guard her, Winifred sent me.
Knowing I could put it off no longer, I walked out the door.
Ash stood outside, his arms folded and his smirk in place. At least a dozen new males stood around him.
“You were busy,” he said, eyeing the building behind me. “This place looks nice and human.”
I knew what he was trying to do. But, turning them against this place because of how it looked would be hard once they knew what the changes had brought.
“You should see the inside,” I said. “The females have been working hard to make it comfortable for the families you sent back.”
His eyes narrowed.
“Families?” one of the males asked.
“Females?” another asked.
“Yes,” Grey said. “There are several families here. Several Mated females and two Claimed.”
The males glanced at Ash, who flushed angrily.
“And one human who you have let poison the others with her human ideas. Look at you. Wearing pants. How long until she has you working for human coins instead of protecting those females?”
Grey answered before I could respond.
“You weren’t opposed to wearing pants when you were trying to Claim her.”
Ash glared at Grey.
“Then I came to my senses. We have no use for a human female who can’t be Claimed.”
“Is it true that she’s a potential Mate for us all?” one of the males asked.
“It was true,” Grey said.
“Was?” Ash looked from Grey to me.
You’re not helping, I sent him.
“She’s Claimed now.”
“Impossible. I saw three failed attempts and heard there were more before that.”
“There were.”
“Who Claimed her?”
“She’s mine,” I said.
Ash opened his mouth to say more, but Grey stopped him.
“Winifred and I wanted to give everyone a chance to see the changes made. You can eat inside and see the families and females for yourselves. But you need pants.”
Ash laughed and turned to look back at the trees. Males started walking out. Dozens of them. They went to the pile Grey had prepared near the tool building.
I’ll break, I sent to Grey.
I know.
A rush of worry came from Charlene, and I immediately reached out to reassure her. Now, more than ever I wished we’d Mated.
Some of the males fought over the cloths. Grey and I made no move to intervene. Finding something to put on kept them busy until Winifred called us all in to eat.
I opened the door and walked in first. The children were sitting at the tables, eating with their parents right behind them. Charlene and Mary stood near the stove, ready to serve. Grey moved toward the children and families while Winifred and Gregory stood near Charlene and Mary.
I stepped aside and let the first of too many newcomers pour through the door. Many glanced at the women and children on their way to the stove.
Each man took a plate then waited patiently as Charlene offered a portion of eggs and rice mixed with sausage. Those who sat down first ate quickly then brought their dishes to the sink and filed out. Mary and Rilla washed and dried plates and silverware and brought them back to the stove.
The never-ending loop continued as I stood near the door. A few men stayed outside until those who finished shed their pants. Ash never came in. Instead, he spoke to the men as they returned from eating. I could hear bits of what was said, just more of his human hate.
When the last few males carried their plates to the sink, I stepped outside. Grey was already waiting for me. We walked among the males. A few stopped me to ask questions about the plans for sanctuary, which I answered honestly. I wasn’t the one making the plans. Charlene and Winifred were. Some didn’t like that answer.
“I just can’t accept a human. If you knew what they’d done…” one male said.
“I understand. Humans killed my parents. When I came here, I felt the same way. I was determined to get rid of her. Then, I met her. It wasn’t just the pull that convinced me she was different. It’s the way she thinks. She’s human but doesn’t have their greed. Maybe it’s because she’s young. Maybe it’s because she’s truly different.”
The male nodded slowly.
“We’re so used to it being us against them, I don’t know how we’ll ever change. But we need to. You saw the families inside. The females and the children feel safer there.” I looked off at the trees. “The woods still feel like home to me. But they can be harsh. Maybe too harsh. Perhaps that’s why we’re losing so many females.”
A few others had edged closer, listening.
“Trying to make them believe more females will come will not help your cause with the human,” Ash said, walking up to the group. “Keeping her here endangers us all. Other humans will come because of her. And, if they find out what we are, we’ll wish we were extinct. Humans kill. It’s a fact. For the safety of our kind, she needs to go.”
“She’s my Mate and not going anywhere.”
“Then maybe you need to go,” Ash said, tensing.