The Red Wolf's Daughter (Book 3 Part 2: The Making of the Siran)

Chapter 15

"You're late," Cooper scowled from outside a tent. He folded his arms across his chest and looked at Caroline before he focused his gaze on me, and I could tell that he was annoyed with her here.

"Sorry, we had a protector issue," I replied and shrugged. "She's coming in with us, no matter what you say." I narrowed my eyes and scowled, and he narrowed his eyes at me with the same scowl.

Tension filled the air around us while we looked at each other, daring the other person to back down and respect the others decision.

Neither one of us backed down, and I knew that this could last a while without some sort of response that would make the other person back down.

"She needs to learn how to do this stuff and think for herself," I said softly. "She's supposed to be a leader too, like you and like her."

Cooper pressed his lips into a thin line, and a look of pain and longing filled his eyes.

He missed her; I could tell. He missed being near her, the way her eyes lit up when they landed on her. He missed everything about her and so much more.

"So, can she learn how to be a leader then? You know it'd be what she would want, especially since she does have to lead everyone when the time is right."

"And that means she is going to interrogate these people?" he asked and gestured to the tent where a prisoner was held.

I bit back a scoff and rolled my eyes while Caroline shrinked behind Giselle and me. "Not right now," I replied darkly. "She doesn't have the confidence to do it, and I am not going to force her to do something that she isn't comfortable with, yet." I gave her a pointed look, and she shifted on her feet and looked down, staying silent.

"Then who is going to lead the interrogation?" Cooper asked and raised an eyebrow. "Clearly, it shouldn't be you."

"Clearly, it should be me," I replied sarcastically.

"And why should it be you?" Cooper asked and raised the eyebrow higher.

"Because unlike you, I know how to control my anger and will be a heck of a lot fairer than you," I replied in a sickly sweet voice. "We don't want them to not answer our questions, don't we?" I looked at him innocently, and he scowled.

"Then they can get punished," he said, and I snorted and shook my head.

"I am sure that wherever they went, they were punished enough," I replied darkly. "To be honest, I am surprised that there were this many innocents."

"And how many were you expecting?" Cooper asked, and I shrugged while I grimaced.

"Don't know," I replied. "Maybe like two? Thankfully, that wasn't the case, but it's a good start."

"It means that we have more mouths to feed, no thanks to you," Cooper said, and I rolled my eyes and scowled.

"I am sure that these people would be more inclined to help get the food if they aren't treated poorly," I replied. "They can also help protect the borders and make sure that an attack like this does not happen again."

"She does have a point," Giselle said hesitantly. She cleared her throat and shifted on her feet while she looked down when we looked at her. "The attack and the amount of damage it caused shouldn't have happened. Our borders shouldn't be that unprotected."

"They could have a mole or something, which is why they were able to get through," I added. "Someone could have given them information and when would be the best time to attack."

"Yes, and I wonder who had done that." Cooper gave me a pointed look, and I rolled my eyes and scoffed.

"Please," I said. "I have been knocked out since I got here, the people I know don't know me, and I have been trapped in a tent with my hands tied behind my back bleeding to death, mind you. How can I possibly be the one to do it?"

"You could be lying about being from a different timeline to throw us off," Cooper said, and I could tell that he didn't believe it himself. "You could be a spy."

"For who?" I asked and raised an eyebrow while I folded my arms across my chest. "The only people that would have me as a spy would be my parents or grandparents."

Cooper narrowed his eyes and scowled, and I had a feeling that he wanted me to add more people who would consider me a spy.

"Probably aunts, uncles, siblings, cousins, and then my best friend did once too," I said and shrugged. "Other than that, I don't know who else. The pack asks questions, but I think that they normally use Jonah and Keagen. They might use one of the younger ones too, which I find funny because they want something most of the time."

"Like?"

"Cookies or candy or something of that nature." I shrugged. "They mainly spy on me or my brother or another sibling to keep an eye on Uncle Thaddie because he's Uncle Thaddie."

"So you don't know anyone here."

I rolled my eyes and scowled. "I am from a different past in which the people in my timeline know me while the ones in this timeline do not. I don't know what you are trying to get at, but it isn't working, and I think it might be best to get in there and talk to this person. Don't you think?"

Cooper scowled and pressed his lips into a thin line while he narrowed his eyes. "I do not think you should go in and conduct this," he said, "or any of the ones that you are wanting to do with these new prisoners."

"Well, it sucks to suck; doesn't it?" I asked and raised an eyebrow. "You don't have a leg to stand on, and you don't control me. I will be conducting these interviews and finding out information that I need to help not only my pack in my timeline but these people as well. There is a lot of strange stuff that I need answers to, and I am sure that you aren't going to be telling me anything. Correct?" I raised my eyebrow higher, and Cooper scowled and narrowed his eyes further.

He didn't say a word and dared me to say something else. He didn't like me, and for some reason, I didn't care as much as I did with Fernos.

Sure, it did hurt because he had the face of my father, but this Cooper wasn't someone that I saw myself close to for some reason.

Maybe because he is a big dick, I mused silently, a bigger dick than what my mom had to deal with when he was under that spell...

I paused and narrowed my eyes at him, and Cooper's eyes went wide as if he didn't expect me to look at him through narrowed eyes. I studied him, trying to come up with a reason why I was feeling the way that I did, but I couldn't.

Could he be under a different spell and no one realized it? I silently wondered while I studied him. Is that why he is acting like such a dick and not training Caroline like he has to?

Cooper broke eye contact first and cleared his throat. He shifted on his feet and didn't meet my gaze. "If you are done staring at me like that, then why don't we get in?" he asked, not looking at me longer. "You may conduct the questionings, but I will get a chance to interview them m-"

"Not your way," I said, interrupting him. "You don't need to injure them to get answers to your questions. I don't think that they will answer you honestly that way."

"And you think you can get them to be honest with you?"

"Absolutely," I replied and nodded.

"How?"

"By being kind to them and giving them what they want," I replied.

"Which is?"

"Hope. All they want is a little bit of hope, and I am more than happy to give it to them for the price of their answers. That is all they need, and I know that they will do the right thing to get it."

"And if they don't?"

"Then they die," I replied and shrugged, "because one of the main things we need in this world is hope. Without it, how else are we going to survive in the face of darkness?"