"She thinks she intimidates me." I scoffed as Anya's beat-up old truck shuddered down the road. "She's nothing on Izzy."
"Izzy Legler?"
I nodded. "You know her?"
"She's one of the council, of course, I know her!"
I didn't know when it happened, but Nick had swooped in and kidnapped me Sunday after lunch. He had taken me to the road where Anya was waiting and was happy to join them in meeting the pack as a friend, not a Morill. It was strange, but the thin jolts of excitement that kept burning down my spine and to each of my digits didn't lie.
"She's not as quiet as the rumors say. Izzy is a fire when she wants to be."
"Wait, you've been to one of the Gatherings?" Anya gapped, taking her eyes off the road for a moment. "I thought they were just exaggerations, old stuffy meetings."
"Since I was eight." The stuffy room was true but surrounded by the most powerful people from each species, which didn't give anyone a chance to lower their guard.
"What are The Gatherings?" Nick, who had been quarantined in the back of the cab, pushed his head between the seats in a desperate attempt to be a part of the conversation.
"They're meetings of all the leaders in the Coth world." A drastic understatement.
"Wolf packs elect a common alpha to represent them each year," Anya chimed in. "Alpha Daniel has been ours for the last few years. He's the best, and I'm not being biased."
I rolled my eyes, but I had to agree. From what I could make out, in the last five years Alpha Daniel had been fair. He got along with the other leaders and that wasn't easy to do.
"Why are you allowed to be there if it's so important?" Nick's question threw me off for a moment. I had forgotten to ask Anya if she told him about the Morill's. Everyone in the supernatural world knew about us from a young age. Nick would stand out if he didn't.
"I'm a Morill, my family practically created The Gathering hundreds of years ago. If anything significant happens in the Coth world, we know about it and we handle it."
"Like the police force?" I nodded at his question. "Does that mean you're like the FBI or a secret agent?"
"Maybe I should start calling it that. It's better than anything else I've come up with."
"They're like the Cardinals," Anya joked. "They've got their fingers in everywhere. Practically royalty to us, and this one will be like their queen in a few years."
Yeah, the queen if I can convince people that I'm up to the job.
"Really, Lexi? You're like royalty?"
"If royals had jobs and no retirement. My poor Uncle Finn's been working for a hundred and sixty-seven years without a break. The poor guy would have worked himself to death if he could die."
"You make those jokes," Anya groaned. "I can't believe you make those jokes."
I usually didn't make those jokes. Hell, I didn't make jokes for anyone but Kiri. The arm's length I had been keeping them at had grown shorter, just an elbow now. That was as far as it could go. But maybe I could still enjoy it? No, that was ridiculous. I would be gone soon, better to not get attached.
"Am I missing something here?"
"Her uncle's a vampire."
Nick's eyebrows rose, but he said nothing as the car rounded the bend in the woods.
I hadn't doubted the truth behind the rumor that all wolves lived in packhouses, but Alpha Daniel's pack was set up differently than I imagined as we approached.
Three houses, though they could have counted as mansions, circled a cul-de-sac, all of them facing a shared yard and parking area. The house was like ours, nestled on vast acreage, an old gate dividing it from the world. Beyond, a forest its own guardian.
A playground built from long beams and fishing nets was home to a dozen children running and screaming, parents watching from a distance.
"How many werewolves are there?" Nick asked, his face blocking my view of Anya as he half laid across us.
"We prefer wolves, more accurate." Anya pulled into her parking spot in front of the biggest, middle house. "About five families per house. I'd say they're five dozen wolves in our pack, not all that live on the land. One of the biggest in the area," Anya bragged.
We piled out of the car as the families waved, and eyes peeked through the windows, curiosity gettingthe better of them.
"Are you excited to meet the alpha?" I asked as we entered the main square.
Nick shrugged, a few beads of sweat glistening at his hairline. "Kind of nervous, if I'm being honest. What if he doesn't like me?"
"Alpha Daniel is very nice. Even as a kid, I liked him, and I didn't like many people." I said and nudged him as Anya knocked on the door. "If he doesn't want you, you can always run wild with my cousins."
Nick gave me a long side look. "I don't know if that's a good thing."
"I'm not sure either."
The door opened to show a tall, lean man with a thick beard and twinkling eyes. He looked like a friendly lumberjack with a plaid shirt and a full-lipped smile that always seemed to be present.
"Angela!" he called over his shoulder. "Anya's back with the boy and Alexis Morill."
The Luna appeared; a woman with long blond hair that frizzed around bright blue eyes. Without so much as a greeting, she pulled us into the room.
"Oh, you must be Max's boy." She enveloped Nick in a hug, her tall frame blocking him from sight. "Max was one of my dear friends as a child. He was a good man; I'll tell you about him later."
Nick's lips flickered like a hologram, caught between a smile and a slack jaw. As I watched, the thirst to know an absent father and the little gremlin of jealously beat against my chest.
"Alpha Daniel, Luna Angela." I bowed my head, extending a hand to each of them. "It has been a while and we've never been properly introduced. I'm here on behalf of the Morills. I will accompany Nick at his school until his first shift, then leave him in your capable hands."
"It's a pleasure Miss Morill. Please, feel free to request anything from us. My pack is always open to you and your family."
"Does this mean I get to be a part of your pack, even if I don't shift?" Nick looked small as he spoke, his shoulders pulled in, protecting himself. He must have been worried.
"Of course." Angela laughed the sound of chimes in her voice. "You're part of the pack by blood, though I suspect Miss Morill would not have introduced herself to you if she didn't believe you possessed the Coth gene."
"He does." I nodded, seeing the eyes turn to me. "Anya confirmed she could feel the pull. You can call me Alexis. I'd prefer that."
"Very well, Alexis." Alpha Daniel clapped Nick on the back. "There you have it. You're one of us by choice, blood, and fur."
"Congratulations, Nick." I leaned against the wall and let the wolves enjoy their reunion.
For the rest of the day, I followed a few steps behind as they introduced Nick to the pack. The warm autumn wind and dazzling sun created the perfect setting for an introduction that I expected would last a lifetime.
The younger wolves were quick to accept Nick, pulling him over to the playground where he managed to get himself tied up while the children laughed around him. I didn't know if they were cousins, nephews, or just part of the pack, but they looked like a large, goofy family. Nick deserved this.
A feast for the newest member of the pack had been organized within hours, and as the sun began to set, the wolves wheeled out a line of tables. There was fruit and loaves of bread and a lot more meat than I was used to. There seemed to be an unspoken rule, half of the food had to be meat.
I had a seat snug on the end next to Nick with Anya sitting across from us. It was a pleasant evening, and I enjoyed listening to the conversations rather than participating. Wolves, for what little I knew of them, were much more outgoing than I had thought. That trait was not cosigned to my family's pack.
My heartbeat quickened as Alpha Daniel stooped next to me, his brow tense for the first time today. I knew the look, it always meant trouble. "Not to take away from Nick's day, but may I speak with you on private matters?"
I took a deep breath, blocking out the voices around us. An Alpha of this magnitude deserved all of my attention. "I don't see why not."
I rose, the weight of duty settling itself once more on my back.
"It shouldn't take too long, and you will be able to rejoin the festivities afterward. I do apologize for springing this on you now. I didn't want to wait too long before approaching you."
He led me to his office, taking a seat behind the large mahogany table that seemed to take up the whole room. While the man did not stand out, his surroundings always seemed to compliment him, like they were bending to his will.
"I was happy to see your family sent down a representative." Alpha Daniel regarded me with an open tone like he was laying bare his weakness, waiting for me to do what I pleased with it. "You're younger than I would have thought, but I'm happy I don't have to bring up the attacks at the next gathering. There's been some question of my leadership skills and with the next election coming I'd rather not worry about both my pack and my position."
"The attacks?" The shiver of apprehension crept up my spine. "Why would you need a representative over territory disputes. You preside over werewolf happenings."
He regarded me with wary eyes, the silver irises of wolf aristocracy shining.
"I had assumed that you were here to help us with the strange incidents that have been happening around town, not just to help Nick. Not that I'm not thankful, I couldn't get a wolf into Twin Trees if I wanted to. The attacks, however... Do you not know what I'm talking about?"
"I don't," I admitted rather bitterly. "Your pack seems especially close. I can't say I've seen packs that are so peaceful and willing to work together with the territories around them."
"I'm a good Alpha because I do not look for trouble, only foster good relations."
"If I was able to say I looked up to anyone in the supernatural world, it might be you. Not that I would ever admit it." I laughed at the knowing look from Alpha Daniel. Morrill's didn't play favorites. "If it's not territory disputes, then what attacks are you talking about?"
"I probably don't know nearly as much as I should. The humans are just as stumped as we are, but the only certain thing is that someone, something, is attacking humans."
I spared one moment to close my eyes and think. All my life had been spent learning and training for a situation like this. It was what I was born and raised to do.
First, assess what has happened, staying as detached as possible.
"Has anyone been killed?"
"No one has been killed yet." Alpha Daniel stressed the last word. "Three people in total have been injured. One woman and two men, all along Sydney Park."
Sydney Park was a few miles from campus. It was renown as a safe space for families, and our school hosted regular outings there as an off-campus privilege. I had never attended but had ridden by it numerous times.
"And the police think it was Coth? Was there any connection to The Children of Man?"
"None that I could find. I can't say who, but I do know one of the attacks was a wolf." He massaged the bridge of his nose. "The other two could have been any number of creatures."
"Has the news been released to the public? By your secrecy, I assume not, given how careful you are about divulging this information."
"I'm trying to keep it secret until I can bring it up at The Gathering Wednesday and request help."
"You're still going to?" I stood suddenly. Being on my feet always helped me think. "The meeting is in a few days. I will accompany you there and help convince the council to send help. I am still in training. This was supposed to be a low-level recovery mission."
"Until then, should I keep the wolves on the property?"
"That would only make the pack more nervous. Keep it on a strictly need-to-know basis until the gathering. At this time, it seems the attacker or attackers are targeting humans, not Coth. We don't need more tension between the two."
Alpha Daniel regarded me with hollow eyes. It occurred to me that I had just given orders to a man who had never been looked down on in his life. He had worked hard to earn his position and was being challenged by a teenager.
"I'll do as you ask." His confirmation had my muscles relaxing. Then he opened the door, making it clear it was time to leave. "Miss Morill, I do have a daughter who will take over after me and I know how stressful it can be. Don't be afraid to speak to me. I am here to help."
He closed the door leaving me in the pack house's hall wondering if I had misinterpreted his actions. He hadn't changed during our conversation; rather, he was testing me, and I had a distinct impression that I passed. Perhaps my name wasn't enough to garner respect, maybe it was the understanding I had with the people I served.