I folded my arms. “Why?”
“You were thrown into this game, something you barely knew, at twenty-one. If you didn’t come to us about Herc and the rest, it’s because you didn’t trust us to support and guide you. For that, I believe the head team and tribe have a lot to answer for. We could have used what happened to our advantage far earlier if you’d felt safe to approach us.”
I released a pent-up breath. “I screwed up too. I let fear get the better of me and handled things badly.”
He crooked a smile. “Is there a good way to handle what you went through?”
Perhaps not, but if a re-do was possible, I’d change a few things.
“What do you say?” Pascal took her tablet back.
My heart hammered at the possibilities, but I had to stall for now.
I mean, what if I did say yes? The pack took me in when the tribe cast me aside—or at least did nothing to stop Rhona. They’d been shocked and confused, yes, but I was left alone and hurting during that time.
Sascha was there when they weren’t.
He’d always been there for me.
This is our chance, I hushed to my wolf.
This was how the pack and tribe could have a future and how Sascha and I could have a happy future too. For the first time in weeks, I burned with conviction.
We had a direction.
I had a goal.
I saw the move Sascha and I had to make to end Victratum for good. Allowing the pack to believe I’d abandoned them wouldn’t be easy, but to protect them and secure their place in the valley alongside the tribe, I’d do it one hundred times over.
Sascha’s scent rose over the other listening pack members. His four scents had congealed. He’d put himself on the line for me time and again, and our argument had pushed him to the limit. It was my turn to put myself on the line for the life we could share.
First on the agenda—buy some time.
Then I had to re-open the uncomfortable conversation with Sascha. We could work together and finish this.
I regarded the head team. “I have conditions that you’ll need to meet. One of them is that if my sister returns to Deception Valley, she won’t return to head stewardship. Her actions have proved to me that she is not the best leader for the Ni Tiaki.”
Finally, Booker muttered.
“We wholeheartedly agree,” Trixie muttered under her breath.
“Another condition,” I watched them closely, “is that full allowance is made for my Luther nature.”
“What allowances?” Nathan piped up. “The tribe won’t like that.”
“They’ll like it less when I die from failing to shift as I nearly have in the past. That’s non-negotiable. I won’t conceal who I am for the tribe’s comfort.”
Stanley pursed his lips. “You’re underestimating the resistance you’ll face in that quarter.”
“Then I can’t return. I recommend you return to tribe lands and hold another vote on the issue beforehand.” That vote could bite me in the ass, but the tribe were backed into a corner well and truly.
Pascal’s lips curved. “Perhaps seeing Andie as a wolf will have the opposite effect to what we expect. Perhaps it will improve relations between the pack and our tribe.”
The others didn’t seem convinced.
“Those in favour?” Nathan asked.
Everyone lifted their hands.
Roderick lowered his. “Anything else?”
Just one more condition. “There will be an end to extreme violence against Luthers. I don’t stand for it, and neither will the tribe under my leadership. I’ll step down at any sign of foul play. Without notice.”
The head team started to raise their arms.
“No need to vote. That was me telling you,” I informed them.
Trixie’s breath caught. “Is that a yes?”
Sascha moved for the first time since the head team arrived. I hoped he wasn’t about to destroy my groundwork.
Mind-speak in two-legged form would be super convenient right about now.
Glancing over my shoulder, I watched as he stormed from the pack house toward the forest. My ears picked up the cracks and pops of his shift. The elastic sensation under my ribs tightened painfully as he sprinted away at full speed.
“Get back to me with the vote outcome. Pending a favourable result, I’m happy to talk more.”
Greyson’s mournful howl echoed to me from deep in the trees.
9
I watched the first rays of light stream in. Sascha’s bed lay cold and empty at my back, the blanket smooth, aside from the wrinkles where I’d caught a few hours of fitful sleep.
He hadn’t returned.
In the early hours this morning, I’d shifted to speak to him.
He’d slammed the door on that.
I tried running to him afterward, but he was so far away—right on the eastern outskirts of the valley.
Our connection had never felt so tight.
Opening my phone, I stared at the screenshot from Pascal that I received halfway during my Dens shift last night.
The tribe voted in favour of my second condition. Well, 64 percent anyway.
I was officially head steward again—or could be.
He’s not coming back, Booker growled.
She was majorly pissed.
I was just devastated.
This was a huge misunderstanding, but there wasn’t time for Sascha to pull this move. The possibility of Rhona returning from Bluff City had occurred to me after the head team left. Refusing the position to allow the pack to win wasn’t an infallible plan.
The head steward offer could disappear before Grids next week.
It could disappear in mere hours.
Booker. I think we need to do this the hard way. Tears trekked over my cheeks.
We sure do.
I sniffed. You’re in? But you hate human politics.
For you and reproduction, I’ll partake.
I wiped my face. Thanks, girl.
Let’s go eat some hearts.
I chose to interpret that metaphorically. Dragging out the moment, I peered around the bungalow for anything I might have missed, then started lugging my bags out to Ella F.
One day, I’d unpack them in Sascha’s wardrobe.
That was my goal now.
Ironically, to achieve that, I had to take a huge step away from him.
I grabbed my phone and keys and walked to the pack house. Members of the pack roused an hour ago, and the bungalow was steadily filling. Their discomfort had ramped overnight with Sascha’s absence—and no doubt wondering what my decision would be.
I ignored the male Luthers, my attention on the females.
Nodding at a sombre Evelyn, I faced the half of the pack who’d somehow accepted me in the short time I’d been here.
I’d accepted them too.
“Your attention, please,” I said softly.
The males shut up, too—whoever decided that men didn’t like to gossip were absolutely wrong.
My gaze wandered over Jemma and Axel—still in his boy form, then to my bacon-sandwich thief, Essie.
Rosalie, Bailey, Kara.
Emily.
They’d think I was letting them down, and their opinions meant something to me. I wanted them to look up to me.
“During my absence, I want to make it clear that Evelyn is in charge. Is anyone opposed?” I asked them.
Kara tilted her chin. “Your absence?”
In answer, I unleashed the uncertainty and hope and determination filling my every thought for them to scent out. I wasn’t joking when I told Booker this was the hard way. “If there are any issues, you’re all welcome to reach out at any time. I’ll leave my phone number with Evelyn to distribute.”
There was more I wanted to say.
Promises I wanted to make.
I nodded at them and walked back to the entrance.
A huge form blocked my path.
“What do you want, old wolf?” I
growled.
Gasps rang out.
“If your game is what I assume, then it’s a very dangerous one,” Alexei said low.
I’d never seen him in here before. Though with hundreds of Luthers around at all times, and the ability to conceal his scent, hiding in plain sight wouldn’t be hard. “You’re good at making assumptions, Alexei. I won’t take them from you. I hope your other fish are in a biting mood today.”
Stepping around him, I continued on.
“Young wolves should listen to the wisdom of their elders,” he called at my back.
Not when those elders were in denial of their failures. The one thing I’d said to Alexei that truly affected him was my criticism of his success as pack leader. He’d wrapped himself in haunting memories and was marinating in regret and self-loathing.
I left the pack house.
Shoving my keys into Ella F, I stopped to feel for Sascha one last time.
Please come back.
I tugged on the bond and waited with bated breath, but he didn’t budge. If he heard my silent call, he didn’t respond.
Drawing out my phone, I typed.
Sascha, we can win this together.
I’m not leaving you. I’m trying to make this work.
Call me as soon as possible.
Your Andie
Pocketing the phone, I looked up to find Mandy watching me from the pack house.
She crossed her arms. “Run along, traitor.”
“My offer extends to you, too, Mandy.” The delta only hurt this much because she cared about Sascha and the pack. “If you need me, I’m a call away.”
She scoffed, and I didn’t stick around for her caustic response.
I left pack lands.
And left part of myself behind in the doing.
Ugly guilt and sadness churned deep inside, but as I made the drive to the manor, resolve swept those hesitations into the dustbin where they belonged. Slight nerves were overshadowed by an undeniable, endless determination.
Perhaps I lost respect for the game when Rhona used violence against the pack in Clay. But Sascha was worth fighting for. I’d play Victratum for him.
I stopped at the manor gates and was greeted by a beaming Cameron.
She leaned through the open window to hug me. “I’m so glad you’re back. Welcome home.” Cam stepped back and gave the red button a hearty slap. “Get the hell in there and head steward the shit out of us.”
I obeyed.
The last time I was here, Wade was missing, and everything exploded in my face.
You did it, Booker said.
I killed the engine. We did it. And there’s far more to do before we can celebrate.
The head team lined up on the manor stairs. Leaving my stuff for now, I climbed to meet them.
“Welcome back, Head Steward.” Roderick bowed slightly.
I nodded. “Thank you.”
A few of the regular manor staff had gathered too. I stopped at the top of the steps and faced everyone. “I’m calling an immediate meeting so I can get up to speed on tribe affairs. Pascal, please get in touch with Wade so he can join us.”
“Join?” Nathan said.
“Yes. Wade has proved himself to me time and again, and he will be by my side if he chooses it.”
The head team filed inside, and I nodded at the trainer, Gerry, Tip-toe Eleanor, Ha! Heather, and tree-hugger Jessi, who stood with around ten other stewards from the kitchens and grounds. “Thank you all for being here.”
Gerry extended a hand. “I didn’t give you a chance when I heard the rumours. Rhona had no right to treat you that way. I’m sorry, Andie.”
I couldn’t recall the trainer ever stringing so many words together. “Thank you for the chance now.”
“Eleanor, is my usual room empty?”
She hesitated. “Yes, but there’s some damage.”
Let me guess. “Then Herc’s old room will do.”
I entered the manor.
It was time to eat some hearts.
I stopped at my office to check the contents of the desk. The surface was a mess of doodles and notes scribbled. After an attempt to decipher Rhona’s musings, I swept the whole lot into the trash basket. The office was a mess, but the relevant information was in the drawers.
“Wade was called?” I asked, entering the meeting room.
The head team took their seats.
“He’s on his way,” Pascal replied.
Good. I took my seat. “Any word from Rhona?”
Nathan clenched his jaw. “From Foley. She’s refusing to return.”
If she stayed away until next Wednesday, I could still help the pack win Grids. “Did Foley say why?”
“Nothing. Just that she’s partying in Bluff City and we need to move on without her.”
Partying in a city owned by vampires. I couldn’t do anything to help her if she was harmed.
Well, I did have one contact there. Maybe it was time to place a call.
“Is there anything else before we get started?” Stanley prompted.
“Yes.” I peered across the table. “This new nose tells me many things. You don’t like me, Nathan.”
His colour deepened.
Whatever. I’d learned my lesson on confronting these things early on. “I’ll tell you what I told Valerie. If I ever detect that your opinion is affecting your job, you’ll be dropped from the head team without warning. We don’t need to be friends to get the job done, and I can empathise with how you feel about my part in Herc’s death, but I need the support of every person in this room. If you can’t do that, you’ll be reassigned.”
I listened to his thumping heart as anger rose to the surface.
He tempered it. “I believe my best friend’s death could have been avoided. I’m frustrated and upset about that, but I voted for you to return all the same. Herc may have misjudged you in some ways, but he didn’t misjudge your ability to lead. I don’t like you, but you won’t encounter any opposition from me. Not in this room, and not behind closed doors. You’re the best leader for this tribe, and the tribe is my life.”
Truth. “Then we’ll continue.”
The door opened, and Wade entered, dressed in a three-piece suit.
“I have arrived.” He took the empty seat on my right that Rhona once occupied.
I smiled at him. “That you have. Welcome to the head team.” I addressed the others, “Not only is Wade on a first-name basis with the entire tribe, his advice has guided me on many occasions. This team is made up of the most discerning minds the Ni Tiaki has to offer, and that’s exactly why, despite his youth, Wade is with us now. In time, I’d like to give him more responsibility with the stewards. Until that time, let’s show him how we work.”
The head team greeted him with varying levels of enthusiasm.
They’d see.
“Now.” I leaned forward. “Please bring me up to speed.”
Pascal cleared her throat. “After Rhona cast you out, things here were unsettled. Many disagreed with the violence of what she proposed.”
I sat back. “When Sandstone was lost?”
“It got worse. Rhona… It became apparent to the head team that her choices had far less to do with helping the tribe than gratifying her personal issues. Tribe dissent grew vocal, fronted by a steward called Jessi Angel.”
She was big on peace. That didn’t surprise me.
Stanley took over. “Pascal brought your Timber tip to Rhona, saying she’d spoken to a supplier who’d mistakenly told her the contents of another order from Deception Valley. One for a huge amount of climbing materials.”
I’d wondered how she convinced Rhona about that. “Smart.”
“We thought up a counter-strategy, but as you know, we lost that grid too.”
“What’s the current feeling?”
Wade answered, “The stewards were more hostile than we’d seen them since Herc’s death, but no one expected Rhona to leave. When they heard the news… you can imagine how b
etrayed they felt. Three groups have formed. One is peaceful and led by our tree-hugging friend. Another pities you but believes you should be held accountable for what happened to Herc. The third hate your guts. The vast majority of the tribe are undecided.”
Okay. “How evenly do you believe the groups are split?”
“The middle group is the largest.”
I tapped a finger on the table. “I can’t work with the hate group, but I can drown them out with enough numbers.” And a few threats.
“If I can make a suggestion?” Trixie said. “None of the tribe have heard your side. An explanation could go a long way.”
I’d had the same thought at 5:00 a.m. when it became clear Sascha wouldn’t return. “Please call a gathering for tomorrow night. The tribe deserves an explanation, and I deserve the chance to tell them what really happened.” I exhaled. “Moving on. We know the pack will pick Iron next. This is the closest the pack has ever been to winning. Sascha will throw everything he has at us. Every resource he can spare. Every weapon.”
Before I could lose to the pack, I had to negotiate a truce with Sascha.
Until we spoke, I had to assume losing to the pack wasn’t an option.
Victratum had existed for more than two centuries.
But I had to win it.
10
I clicked Send.
And waited.
Sascha hadn’t replied to my last message, which truly surprised me. I’d thought he’d come to the table once he understood the method behind my madness.
“Come on,” I muttered.
I read over my carefully constructed text again.
We need to talk.
I’m doing this for us, I swear.
Just give me the chance to explain how this will fix everything.
I waited for the message to show the usual delivered status. It didn’t.
Huh. Reception was fine.
I typed another text.
I wanted you to hear it from me.
The tribe asked me to resume head stewardship, and I accepted.
As head steward, I want you to know that you’re always welcome here.
Come home, Rhona.
Wolf Roulette: Supernatural Battle Page 9