The Alpha's Oracle (SAMPLE, IronMoon #1)

Underestimated

Gabel held up the bag and showed it around so everyone could see it, his face alight with a wide, handsome grin. The wolves cheered and applauded, a few made noises of contempt.

Then, noticing that I wasn't cheering our warriors, he turned his ocean gaze to me. "You are not pleased, Lady Gianna?"

Sudden silence.

Oh crap.

His pointed menace pricked my insides. I looked at the bag. Should I lie? Questioning Gabel in front of the pack was dangerous. He could kill me. Punish me. But there weren't twelve fangs in that bag. There were many more, which meant that Gabel's hunters had pulled the fangs of the wolves who had died as warriors.

In my mind I suddenly saw Amber's beautiful wolf form lying dead on that forest floor, with her canines pulled, and a bag full of the canines dangling from Gabel's hand while he crowed about his victory.

There were rules to war and combat.

For just a second I saw Gabel's eyes flicker with doubt, then felt the pang reverberate down the Bond as my disapproval and resolve ignited.

I got to my feet. The silence deepened.

I was Gabel's BondMate. He could kill me if he wanted. Break the Bond if he wanted. I wouldn't be his puppet. If I was going to be his Queen, I would be a Queen. Not his sock doll.

He could get Platinum for that.

"May I see these trophies?" I held out my hand.

Gabel had no choice but to turn them over to me.

I opened the bag. The smell hit me first. Not the best smell in the morning. Inside were many more than twelve fangs. "The hunters pulled fangs from all the RedWater wolves."

"Yes." Gabel replied.

"But only six died as cowards." I said.

Absolute silence.

Gabel had no immediate reaction to that. I felt his shock that I would dare question him. It almost made me grin. In fact, his shock lasted a good couple of heartbeats. It gave me a boost of strength. Gabel really couldn't do anything to me except humiliate me and degrade me, and if I refused to be impressed with any of that, there just wasn't much he could use against me.

"Who cares?" one of the wolves behind me said, "They are all fools and idiots. Send the teeth back to Alpha Travis so he knows better!"

Hoots and fists pounding on the table. I had forgotten: a lot of these wolves were outcasts, rogues and criminals from other packs. But not all of them. Beta Hix watched me, while Second Beta Romero two seats over tapped a finger on his chin.

"Indeed." Gabel said, his eyes on me. "Who cares?"

"I care." I refused to back down, which was stupid. But I was also a female, and this ran right up against all my female instincts to care for my pack. Even the dregs of Iron Moon who would rather be able to do whatever sordid deeds Gabel set them to. I cared about them too. Because I had to.

"Why do you care about some dregs?" Gabel snatched the bag from me. "They're mongrels sent like cowards to hunt on our land because they were too afraid to face us!"

Howls of approval that made my skin prickle. Real fear curled within me. Had I made a terrible mistake? I swallowed. Gabel grinned at me, and his triumph and mocking of my paltry little attempt to resist him rubbed up against me.

I could have agreed with him and sat right now. It would have not been much of a loss of face to do that. I had had the courage to stand up, after all. Gabel hadn't ripped my head off. He out-argued me, I could just sit down and that would be the end of it.