Masked

CHAPTER 28 | Human Customs

The pack representatives arrived by late afternoon.

Daniel had spent most of the day alternating between containing the escalating panic as word spread within his pack, and working with Parker to prepare for the upcoming meeting.

The moment Parker walked through the large doors of the Pack house, his focus switched to her. He couldn't help it, his unconscious mind gravitated to her. Why, was a subject for another time. He motioned for her to join him. From the thickness of the folders in her arms, she had compiled the required material for each alpha.

The place was in an uproar as she weaved across the room, each alpha vying to be heard over the others. Once she was by his side, he placed a hand on her lower back and dipped his head to her ear. "Ready?"

She clutched the folders closer to her chest and looked up at him. "And if I said I wasn't?"

He flashed a fleeting grin before facing the crowd. His booming voice rose above the deafening noise. "Silence!"

He stood in the middle of the melee. All eyes were now focused on the Alpha Commander, and a nervous hush descended across the room. Alphas and their betas looked at him, expectantly. Those already affected by Wildfire were the ones surviving on little, if any, sleep. Their dark circled eyes and grim expressions only added to the ever-growing fear.

He took a deep breath in and forced himself to appear calm. "Thank you all for coming. I appreciate you getting here so quickly." He paused. It was now or never. "As most of you know, Wildfire has a one hundred percent mortality rate for a turned or mixed Werewolf. Many of you have already been affected by this tragic disease. We have stopped the online distribution of Wildfire tablets, but our people are still dying, even though they haven't knowingly taken the drug."

Never before had he felt so powerless. He squared his shoulders and braced himself for chaos. His duty as Alpha Commander was to protect his people, and yet, here he was, about to tell them he had failed. "We have discovered that Wildfire is being mixed with a caffeine food additive." He looked around at the confused faces, and his stomach dropped. He was about to destroy any hope they might have had. "That means the drug can be introduced into any number of food or drink products that you would buy off the shelf at your local supermarket or corner store."

Confused glances turned to horror, then anger, as pandemonium set in across the room.

One by one the alpha's filed out, a look of barely restrained panic on their faces. They were eager to return to their packs and implement the suggestions and safeguards that he and Parker had outlined.

Morgan approached him. "That went well, considering."

"Hmmm," Daniel said. He wasn't as sure as his friend. "I can understand their panic, but they seem to forget that only a few members of their packs are at risk. Not everyone needs to take the same precautions."

Morgan sighed. "The unknown always tends to make people overreact."

He scanned the room. Parker had been pulled aside by a few of the departing Werewolves. Rather than shrink back from the small, agitated crowd demanding answers, she put their minds at ease, and provided them with reassurance.

Daniel watched the alphas seek advice from a Human. Perhaps times have changed.

"Have you heard from O'Neill?" Morgan said.

He nodded. "A few days ago. He wants to check on one more thing before he returns, but he has tracked the pack down. It turns out they also want to know where Elise is."

Daniel changed the subject when Parker made her escape after the final party left the building.

Parker touched Morgan's arm. "Sorry I didn't say hi before."

Morgan pulled her in for a quick embrace. "It's not a problem. There were more important things to do than waste time nattering to an old man." He turned to Daniel. "How is the Matheo trail going?"

"I spoke to Vic this morning. She's been briefed on the current situation. Vic is the only one within the teams following Matheo, that's at risk. I gave her the option of returning, but she has asked to stay on."

Parker looked from Morgan to Daniel. "Well, I know you both have things to discuss, and I have a call with Alice and Alpha Hendriks shortly. Give my love to Clara and the rest. I'll try and make it out for a visit in a couple of weeks."

"You know, you are always welcome." Morgan was silent as he watched Parker's retreating back. "I hear she has been given permission to attend your sister's Eventide ceremony."

Daniel cocked his head. "Where did you hear that? It's not common knowledge."

Morgan shrugged. "You know how it is, Elders talk." Morgan's features became serious. "Your father was a good leader, one of the best." A slow smile emerged as his expression became melancholy. "Not a day goes by when I don't miss him."

He let out a deep sigh. "I know the feeling. I sometimes wonder what he would have made of all this."

Morgan paused, as if searching for the right words. "You were his greatest achievement, the legacy he left behind. But he gave you too high a standard to live up to. It was his one flaw, and I should have intervened in your youth." He sighed and sadness crept into his voice. "I have watched you grow from a child to a man. In all that time, I have never seen you genuinely smile. Happiness seems to have eluded you."

He shot a questioning glance at Morgan. "Are you feeling all right? You're starting to worry me."

Morgan's piercing eyes stared into Daniel's soul. "My boy, it is okay to get some enjoyment out of life. You don't need to walk this path alone all the time."

Daniel crossed his arms. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Morgan nodded at the door Parker had exited. "Don't you?"

"In case it has slipped your mind, the woman is Human, and by your own admission, one without a Werewolf ancestor."

Morgan chortled. "My dear boy. I may be old, but I am certainly not blind. I see the way you look at her. Parker may not be your mate, but you have most definitely developed an attachment to her. And I suspect your wolf has as well."

He narrowed his eyes. "I am not having this conversation."

"You are both too stubborn for your own good. Live a little. Perhaps you can have some joy in your life for once. Perhaps together you can find peace, even if it is only throughout her lifetime."

Morgan's remarks unsettled him, and he was unsure how the conversation had deviated this far. "This isn't the time, nor the place, for a ridiculous discussion such as this. She is an adopted member of your pack, and I have been charged by the council to protect her."

Morgan waved him off. "Nonsense. Now is the best time, as who knows how this whole situation will play out? Besides, have you met the woman?" Morgan chuckled. "Sometimes I wonder who really runs the pack when she's around."

If only he did not know exactly what Morgan meant.

Morgan stroked his chin,deep in thought. "You might want to start with that little Human custom...I think they call it adate."