Love, Andie.
I really did want her back and safe, but if she knew the head steward job was taken, she may extend her Bluff City visit by a few days too—which could make all the difference.
Clicking Send, I watched the space under the message.
Delivered.
I checked my message to Sascha again, but the delivery status still hadn’t changed. His phone battery must be dead.
Exhaling, I drew out my laptop and logged into the student portal. One good thing about two weeks on pack lands? I’d sent off my previous assignment and completed another. I only had one more for the semester. If I could scrap a pass on that, this degree would be over.
Adding a bibliography to the end of the current assignment, I submitted it for better or worse. Then I settled in to watch a lecture on the strategic management of human resources. How fitting. In an hour, I’d address the tribe.
Three months ago, I’d been so nervous they wouldn’t accept me. Now, I just wanted to know if they’d accept me so I could get on with the job.
The lecture ended, and I shoved my laptop and half-ass notes in my bag.
Grr, the delivery status still hadn’t changed. Sascha would have plugged his phone by now—too many people relied on communication with him throughout the day.
I resent the message.
No change.
Bracing myself, I dialled his number. My insides flipped, and I shoved back from the desk to pace by the window.
“Sascha Greyson—”
I smiled widely. “Thanks for picking up.”
“—Leave a message.”
Beep.
I hung up. “Fuck.”
Maybe his phone really was dead. Was I freaking out over nothing?
Dialling Wade, I listened to the ring tone.
“Baby girl?”
“Hey. Could you block my number for ten minutes?”
“Thought you’d never ask.” He ended the call.
I waited a minute and then texted.
I’m very attracted to you.
There was no way Wade could resist answering that.
I studied my phone.
The delivered notification didn’t appear beneath the message.
My jaw dropped. “He didn’t.”
I dialled Wade again. The call went straight to voicemail.
He did.
Sascha blocked my number.
“What the fuck?” I whispered. It wasn’t anything I hadn’t done to him in the past, but this wasn’t his style. Jesus. He must be hurting bad.
More to the point, if he refused to speak with me, this really complicated my plans for Grids.
We have a plan B, Booker said.
Yeah. I know. I had to forge on. The moment Sascha and Greyson cooperated, I could abandon the far more complicated back-up plan.
Speaking of…
I listened to the first sounds of the crowd gathering outside, then checked my phone display. Still time for another call.
Opening the importer details folder, I scanned the list of names, stopping at L.
I plugged in the number and listened to the phone ring.
“Good evening, this is Mrs Le Spyre’s phone. You’re speaking with Evie.”
“Evie, hey. This is Andie Thana, CEO of Deception Valley Exports. I was hoping to speak with Basilia.”
“Mrs Le Spyre is out for the evening,” the cheerful young woman said. “If you’d like to leave a message, I’ll make sure that reaches her when she’s back in the office.”
Drat. “Okay, please tell her that I’m ready for the chat she offered.”
The young woman paused. “Can I get your number, please?”
I recited my details and ended the phone call.
Knock, knock.
Eleanor poked her head in. “Andie. Everyone is here.”
I slid my phone away. “Thank you.”
Showtime.
Walking out of the manor, I inhaled the mix of curiosity, sympathy, and anger rising from the stewards. I greeted them on my way to the stage.
Nodding at the head team who formed part of the front row, I exchanged a look with Wade, then walked up the steps to the microphone.
I gazed out at the Ni Tiaki. “I haven’t called this special gathering to celebrate my return. I’ve called this gathering because I, along with the head team, believe that you deserve to hear an accurate retelling of the events in my life that led to me becoming a Luther. My personal life is my own, but where it affects this tribe, I will be transparent.”
Their combined scents cloyed, and I couldn’t help wondering if humans subconsciously reacted to other scents though they didn’t have the sensitivity of smell to identify them.
“I will tell you about my interactions with Sascha Greyson. I will tell you how Herc came to die. I’ll tell you everything I’ve learned about Herc, about the woman I believed to be my mother, and about the man she loved, Murphy.” My gaze landed on the Freys who occupied a section of the front row. They’d given me permission to share Murphy’s past with the tribe tonight.
The stewards whispered.
Yep, they’d hear far more than they’d bargained for.
“First.” I gripped the mic. “The Thana family has let this tribe down recently. Both myself and Rhona. With my heightened senses, I can smell that some of you don’t know what to feel and that some pity what I’ve become. I can smell those of you who are angry and those of you who hate me.” I let my eyes linger on a few.
The whispers swelled.
They didn’t like that. No wonder. When Sascha mentioned cataloguing my scents, I’d shied away too. Realising we were open books was an uncomfortable feeling—but I’d meant what I said about refusing to conceal my nature.
I continued. “I mention my senses because, for a long time, we’ve guessed and theorised many things about the pack. Perhaps you voted me back in because you need me, but I will use my new knowledge of Luthers to help the tribe win Victratum.”
A slight hope tinged the air.
I freed the microphone. “In saying that, you need to understand there are things I must do as a Luther. You’ll often see me in wolf form. I’m the only red wolf in this area, and that’s how you’ll know it’s me. You may hear me howl sometimes. You may see my fangs and claws or a change in the colour of my eyes. Sometimes, my voice sounds rough and uneven. While these changes scared me greatly at first, the abilities I’ve gained have only strengthened my connection to this beautiful land.” I scanned the silent mass of stewards. “Seeing a wolf can be a confronting thing. Many of you fear or revile what I am. To be absolutely clear, that’s your opinion to hold in silence. Any open sign of it will result in me relinquishing the title of Head Steward and walking away. Your acceptance of my new nature is an absolute condition of my presence here. So to the forty-three stewards here who’d like nothing better than to see me hang, realign your priorities and place the wellbeing of this tribe where it should be—at the top. That’s not a suggestion.”
At the start, the stewards didn’t know what to think. Now they really didn’t know what to think.
“Now, I’d like to take you back to the week after Ragna died. To the moment I uncovered her first lie, which led me here to where it all began.”
I walked to the training pavilion beside Wade.
Dawn trainings were an important social gathering that I’d neglected during my first stint as head steward. Gerry was on board with me again, and Rhona wasn’t here, but if my haters saw this as a rallying ground, I needed to stomp out their efforts without delay.
“How do you think the talk went?” I asked.
Wade hummed. “You gave everyone a lot to think about. Like, a lot. They’ll need time. It may be worth keeping your door open for a few weeks. Put out a question box like teachers used in puberty class.” He pitched his voice high. “How do I use tampons?”
Grinning, I shook my head. “Good idea. You’re in charge. Set things up and send a message through our text
service about it.”
“Cool. But do you know what I’ve been really, really super patient about?”
“Saving a house deposit?”
“What? No. Waiting to ask about you and Sascha! What the hell is happening? You’re here. The whole feeding us information while on pack lands too. He must have lost his shit. You’re here.”
“You said that one already.”
“Tell me everything.”
“I’ll schedule time. How’s next week?”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
I laughed. “Where do you want me to start?”
“Well, what was the dynamic on pack lands?” He knew some stuff from texts we’d exchanged.
“So, I don’t even know when this came on, but I feel responsible for the women and children in the pack now.”
His eyes rounded. “For real? Then why come back?”
“I realised that only one solution results in happiness for the tribe, pack, and me and Sascha.”
“Oh, shit. What solution? Because there’s only one way the tribe will accept.”
Tell me about it. “Both sides need to enter a truce. I haven’t figured out the specifics.”
Plan B was harder for a reason.
Wade didn’t answer.
I lifted a shoulder. “Sascha accepted that I couldn’t choose between the tribe and us, but then—”
“Hold the fuck on. I’m processing the massive bomb you dropped.”
Oh. I waited.
He nodded a few times. “Cool, got it. Carry on.”
“I told Sascha early on that I’d help the tribe no matter what. He told me anything else would have surprised him and seemed super accepting. Except when he found out I’d actually done it…”
Wade sucked in a breath. “His muscles leaped in protest.”
“What?”
“That man is damn attractive.”
I sighed. “Agreed.”
And I missed him.
We lingered outside the pavilion, well apart from the others. “After that, Sascha put up a thousand walls. I didn’t know what to do. Then Rhona ran off. The tribe wanted me back. Sascha shifted and didn’t return before I left. I’ve tried calling and texting, but he’s blocked my number.”
“He did what?”
I lowered my voice. “I get that he needs time. But I need him to work with me. Like, right now.”
“Dang, baby girl. That’s intense. What next?”
“If he won’t come to the table for a truce before next Wednesday, I can’t purposely lose to the pack.”
Wade held up a finger.
I waited again.
He took longer to nod this time. “Continue.”
“In that case, I’ll need to win the game to have more control over the end result. Before then, I need to figure out a way to pull the pack and tribe together for good.”
Wade blew out a breath. “Fuck me. Is that all?”
“Pretty much.” I had a few ideas on the cards, but that was the extent of my current dilemma.
He darted a look at me. “And you’re doing all this for Sascha?”
“For everyone.”
“But mostly for Sascha.”
“You’re gonna make me say it?”
“Speak the hard words, bitchhole.”
“I’m doing this for Sascha.”
Wade’s lips curved. “I’m so on board. Maybe I should care more about the centuries-old fight, but you’ve inspired me to stretch my horizons. What’s the first step in Mission Get Dick?”
I grimaced. “Let’s change the name for starters, and secondly… what do you know about the Deception Valley Council?”
“Mum’s on the council.”
“No shit?”
“Yep. There are five members from the tribe on it, and four representatives from the blissfully ignorant public. Obviously, if we really want a certain outcome, the tribe has the majority vote. The council manages the wellbeing of the region—roads and stuff. They have plans.”
I arched a brow. “That you clearly pay attention to.”
“Pretty sure they submit a report to you every so often. I pretend to listen to Mum talk about it sometimes.”
I needed to get my hands on the latest report. “Do you know when the council meets?”
“Every six weeks… maybe? Don’t ask me when the next one is.”
Gerry’s shrill whistle made me jump.
Stewards piled into the pavilions, and we walked up the steps of the closest one to stand at the front.
“Will your mum be okay with me calling her?”
Wade glared at the hoops and cones set out. “You mean because you turn into a werewolf?”
The stewards behind us quietened.
His mum was on my side before, but so much had changed. “Yep.”
“Anyone who doesn’t trust you because of what you can do now is a fucking idiot,” he answered.
Gerry blew his whistle again.
“That’s really not nice.” I rubbed my throbbing, sensitive ears.
“Look at her standing there like she’s one of us.”
I smiled.
My first volunteer.
Gerry outlined the training session and instructed us to get into pairs.
Wade turned to me, but I shook my head. “I’m partnering up with my friend over in the back corner.”
He followed the jerk of my head and whistled. “Good luck. His name’s Bob.”
Bob the knob.
Weaving between stewards, I approached a large man somewhere in his forties. Like most of the tribe, he was toned and in great shape.
I tapped him on the shoulder.
His polite smile dropped to an intense scowl when he identified me.
“You’re with me.” Glancing at his hostile partner, I pointed to Wade at the front. “And you’re with him.”
My tone didn’t exactly leave room for discussion.
When his friend left, I touched the tip of my finger to my earlobe. “Do you know what these ears allow me to do, Bob?”
He didn’t drop his scowl.
“They allow me to hear very, very well. I can hear sounds from two kilometres away. So your little comment before, the one where you said Look at her standing there like she’s one of us… you may as well have spoken in my ear.”
We’d attracted the attention of the nearest stewards.
“Bob,” one hissed. “Shut your damn mouth. You heard her last night.”
I arched a brow. “Sounds like those comments may not make you too popular around these parts.”
His expression said it all—Fuck you.
Ignoring him for now, I obeyed Gerry’s shouts and worked through the warm-up.
Jesus, good thing I was a Luther, so I didn’t look like a sloppy couch potato.
One thing Rhona always had going for her is that she looked the part of werewolf slayer. I’d skipped the years of dedication, but my muscles remained toned and strong without effort. I was more physically capable than any person in here without trying.
Win.
“Sparring in pairs,” Gerry boomed.
I faced Bob.
We circled each other.
“You’ve got a lot of hate for Luthers,” I murmured, watching his legs.
“They’re animals.”
“Humans are animals too.”
He gritted his teeth. “We’re here to spar, Head Steward.”
The guy sure made Head Steward sound like Motherfucker.
“Do normal wolves bother you?” I pressed.
“No,” he ground out.
Truth. I fucking loved my nose. “Is it that Luthers have the abilities of a wolf on steroids and a human brain to use them with?”
Yes.
A definite yes.
I dropped my voice. “What if the werewolves decided to attack us? Even though we’re training to fight them, we don’t know if what we’re doing will work. Would we even stand a chance?”
Fear saturated his anger, bu
t he didn’t show it. “You’ll probably invite them in.”
I met his flinted gaze. “You don’t really think I’d do that. You know my stance on extreme violence. You’re scared of what I am, Bob, as any animal is scared of their predator. But I’m here and ready to spar with you. Want to know how you’d stack up against a Luther? I’m attending dawn sessions from now on, so our tribe is more prepared in the future. You don’t have to like me, but you’d be stupid not to take advantage of what I can offer.”
The last part intrigued him.
Something other than fear and hate at last.
I crouched and swept my leg in a circle, dropping him like a sack of shit.
That felt pretty good.
I stepped back. “Don’t give a Luther time to see you move. Attack immediately. You place more weight on your left than your right. I picked it up while we circled.”
The red-faced Bob clambered up.
He distributed his weight evenly though.
“Attack and don’t hold back. I heal fast.”
He lunged, drawing back his fist. I avoided the first hit. The second connected with my torso, and I absorbed the impact. Sidestepping, I circled behind. He spun in a comical circle to follow and froze at the sight of my fist a hair’s breadth from his face.
“Female Luthers are fast and agile. We’re still stronger than you, particularly in wolf form, but your best bet is to corner us in a tight space to fight us. If you’re facing a male Luther, open space is best. They’re slower to turn and change direction and will use their far greater strength against you. That’s why a steward needs to be quick on his feet and strong.”
Bob nodded. “We should train somewhere more like where we’ll really face Luthers then.”
He thought I was handing him a guidebook on how to best take down a werewolf. The reality was that without weapons, the odds of a steward taking a Luther down were next to none.
Bob didn’t need to know that.
Because without him realising, he was now working with a Luther.
I straightened. “That’s an idea. I’ll take it to Gerry.”
Gerry’s damn whistle blasted through the air, and I winced. “That is a hellish sound first thing in the morning.”
Walking to Bob, I clasped his shoulder. “Look, no more of the snide comments. I’m a person. That shit hurts, especially when it’s from people I’m doing my best to help.”
Wolf Roulette: Supernatural Battle Page 10