Branches of the Willow 3

by Christine M. Butler

  “Maybe, we can set up a central location, times, and dates, to get people together. Maybe throw a party, barbeque, or whatever once in a while so interested singles can get together and mingle?” Susan Oliver offered up in the form of a suggestion. She was the only female pack leader at the meeting. The other seventeen present were all men.

  “I think that’s a fantastic idea. Why don’t you take lead on finding a good, central location that we can begin building up for that purpose.” Susan inclined her head in my direction, and started taking some notes on a legal pad in front of her. She seemed to be the only one prepared to take down any kind of notes today. “If any of you are in disagreement with the measures discussed here today, I really hope you’ll come forward with your issues, so we can get them worked out.”

  “I have an issue.” Brian Maynard stood and looked over all the other leaders in the room before he turned to address me. “You are still young. I’m not sure you’ve thought things through. The impact this will have on packs, could be staggering. What if none of our females are a true match for the males in our pack? Where will that leave the pack?”

  “It leaves you needing to explore the other options available. Your single males will need to show up to the social events that Susan proposed. I know this doesn’t seem ideal, but we are all aware that previous leadership, and strict regulations against intermingling with other packs have led to the current issues our people are facing. We’re just going to have to find ways to work around the issues, so we can ensure the survival of our kind.”

  “What if we find more human women and change them?” I didn’t recognize the man who spoke up.

  “You are?”

  “Drew. Drew Ryan.” He looked me up and down, and then continued. “I know we’ve all been in silent agreement about not purposely turning humans anymore, but maybe that’s the answer to our problems more than these proposed parties, and Ancient Infiltration Programs.” His tone was flippant and beyond condescending.

  “Ancient Immersion.” I corrected him. “What would you have us do? Take out an ad in the Times? Wanted: women who want to walk on the wild side. Take your 70-30 chance at death in order to mate with lonely werewolf men?” Snickers followed my sarcastic response, but there were some curious, too interested, looks as well. “It was a joke. Seriously, how the hell do you propose going about finding these women? Are you planning on changing them against their will? What happens when they die? Not to mention, what if they do change, and they decide they don’t like you? It would draw far too much attention to our kind.”

  “Not if we do it right. We can look for the strongest women, the ones who we think can make the change ok.” Drew argued back.

  “No.” I spoke firmly, so there was no question as to where I stood on the matter. “I will not have a bunch of human women ending up dead in some crazy rush to re-populate our female stocks, like we’re some kind of chattel to be replaced, or made, at a person’s whim. We’re talking about lives here.”

  “Didn’t he turn your best friend for you?” Drew pointed at Mikael, who hadn’t said a word yet.

  “I didn’t have any intentions of turning anyone, and certainly not for mating material.” Mikael managed through his clenched teeth.

  “What happened with Ashley Reynolds isn’t something we’re going to discuss, as it wasn’t a matter of finding mating material.”

  “But she did become mating material. His buddy, Asriel, is with the girl now, is he not?” Drew pressed on.

  “If it weren’t for Asriel’s abilities, Ashley probably would not have survived the change. You already know 70 percent of human women don’t make it. That is too great a risk to ask of anyone, outside of special circumstances. If you feel like you have an exception to the rule, by all means, bring it to me. We’ll evaluate, and go from there. As a whole, we will discuss and implement other measures before I allow it to happen.” Drew inhaled, ready to push the subject further. “That is all I have to say on the matter, right now.” I threw my power behind the words, making the statement stick as a command. They all felt it. Those who opposed it felt the sting of my words as well. Drew twitched where he stood, before he decided to take his seat again. It was clear that he was unhappy, so I added him to my mental list of leaders to keep an eye on.

  “Does anyone have anything else to put on the table right now?”

  “What of Malachai? I understand the White Wolf traditionally trumps any claim to the throne, but shouldn’t he have to concede that claim before you just waltz in and take over?” At the warning growls coming from Mikael and my father, Drew quickly amended his question. “No disrespect meant. I just think clans like Freedman’s would be more willing to fall in line if things are done correctly.”

  “From what I hear, Freedman’s Clan isn’t going to just fall in line, no matter what I do. Unless, I magically grow my own penis.” I ignored the chuckles, most of which came from Mikael. “Even then, he’d take issue.”

  “He also didn’t play nice with Antoine when he was King.” Mikael added.

  “I don’t think we have anything to worry about there. You all know that Malachai is a wanted wolf. If he’s seen, I expect a call. If he’s captured, you will hand him over. If you are caught harboring him, you sign your own death warrant right along with his.” My voice grew stern as I spoke. “On this subject, you will not test my resolve.”

  “As Malachai is wanted, and will likely lose his head anyway, that makes me the next in line for the throne.” Mikael added, power radiating out with his words. “I have already conceded the right to rule to Jessica. Let there be no further question of her legitimacy.”

  “I know you all have had a long day. Some have travelled quite far to be here today. I suggest we table this discussion for the morning to give everyone time to think things over, and to sleep on those thoughts.” I stood and looked over the faces of the pack leaders once again. “Does anyone have anything further before we close for the night?”

  “I do.” It was Brian Maynard again. “It’s all well and good for each leader to come see you, and verify that there’s truly a white wolf leader, but what of our individual clans? When will you come speak to them?”

  “I will be traveling to each clan, but before that happens, I want you all to set up a council. I’ve spoken to some of you about this before. Each council will have equal representation. Men, women, old, and young. We’ll discuss the rest of the details in the morning.” I slid my chair out from behind me, and moved back from the table. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some other business to attend before I can call it a night myself.”

  MATING SERVICE

  Mikael and I took our time heading back over to my parents’ house. It was already late evening, and the stars were hovering bright overhead. “I wish we could just go for a run.”

  “We can.” He offered.

  “I want to get this taken care of so that the rest of the ‘night is ours to enjoy.” I yawned then. Taking in the scent of the deeply wooded town as we walked along the narrow road to my parent’s house. The sound of Mikael’s light laughter caught my attention. “What?”

  “I think you mean so you can go home and sleep.” Mikael poked his lip out in mock pout.

  “I’m sure I could be persuaded to put off sleep for a while, if breakfast in bed comes with the deal.”

  The smile that lit up his face then was priceless. I lived for those smiles these days. “I can definitely work with that. Let’s go see who showed up, and find a place to toss them for the night. We can always deal with them tomorrow.” He paused, appearing deep in thought for a minute before adding, “Maybe after lunch.”

  “You’re incorrigible.” I swatted at Mikael’s chest, but he simply pulled me closer into him. My head immediately went to rest on his chest as the house came into view. The porch light was on, but so were the interior lights in the living room. As we approached I saw the shadow of someone pacing back and forth behind the window. “Looks like someone’s antsy in
there.” I nodded my head in that direction.

  “Probably Andy, wondering if he’s ever getting off babysitting detail.” Mikael offered as we ascended the steps of the porch. As we stepped inside I turned to my left to look, and sure enough Andy was the pacer by the window. The look of relief on his face spoke volumes.

  “Andy.” I inclined my head to him. “Stick around for just a bit longer, if you would. We’ll probably need to find a place for these guys for the night, at least.”

  “I already had someone get Jack’s place together.” I looked down at that. A part of me was still hurting for Jack’s loss, and even though I knew Sierra, his mate, couldn’t stand to be in the house any longer, it felt weird to send strangers to stay there. Andy must have seen all of that written on my face. “Sorry, everywhere else is already taken right now.”

  “I understand.” I looked over at the three men who now stood in front of my mom’s floral couch, and I thought about what a ridiculous picture that made. The men were all well over six feet tall sporting the sturdy muscular frames our males were known for. Mikael leaned down to whisper in my ear, “I’m going to grab us some drinks.”

  I walked across the living room as Mikael headed into the kitchen. “We’re actually going to try to make this really quick and painless tonight, since it’s late. You guys will be given quarters for the night, and arrangements will be made in the morning.

  I had not bothered to introduce myself, or display any power for that matter, so it didn’t surprise me that one of the wolves was eyeing me up like I was a dinner entre and he was starving. Andy walked over to stand beside me, apparently having noticed the same thing. “Let me introduce everyone.” He pointed to the starving man first. “This is Nicholi.” If I didn’t have a mate, I would have been interested in this man. He was the quintessential tall, dark, and handsome. His hair was the color of a raven’s wings, almost blue-black. Those eyes that were devouring my very being we so deep brown that they nearly appeared black themselves. The five o’clock shadow that sprung up across his jaw just added to the look for him. He was as tall as Mikael, with broad shoulders, a trim waistline, and perfectly pouty lips that a girl could suckle on forever. Just as I was thinking that, those lips turned up in a very self-assured grin. I was saved from further perusal when Andy continued on with his introductions. “The man to Nicholi’s left is Demetri.” Demetri had a fine build too, as most werewolves did. He was tall, with defined muscles, and topped off with a coppery, reddish-brown hair and shining blue eyes. The smile he bestowed upon with his introduction was a welcoming hello. It was nothing like the sex in a smile look his compatriot had given me. I smiled back and moved on to observe the third man. “And this is Brian.” At Andy’s introduction Brian bowed his head in my direction. He was a much smaller man. He probably only stood at just under six feet tall, and while he was well proportioned for his height, he was trim, but not well defined. Brian did not, at all, leave me with the impression of being an Ancient.

  Andy began to introduce me. “Gentlemen, this is…” He was cut off by Nicholi who didn’t bother to wait for the full introduction. Instead he stepped forward, closing the space between us, and with a cocky grin plastered across his face he finally spoke in a gravely deep voice, thick with his Romanian accent. “Pleasure to meet you, draga mae.” He bowed slightly, reaching for my hand to kiss it. I backed up a step and turned as I heard a dangerously low growl coming from the doorway to the kitchen. Mikael stalked towards us with two bottles of beer clutched in his hands.

  “You,” Mikael started stiffly. “Will show some respect.” He started to hand me a bottle, but an odd look crossed his face, and he placed both of them down on the side table by the chair instead. Then he came to wrap his arm around my waist. “This is Jessica St. Marks De’Lune. You will not refer to as anything less than Jessica, or M’Lady.”

  Amusement flickered over Nicholi’s face. The other two men standing with him blanched a bit. Demetri shook his head in disbelief before he spoke. “We were not aware.” He bowed his head respectfully then, as did the third man. Nicholi just stood there, having a staring match with Mikael. The dynamic would have been funny, with Mikael’s anger bubbling to the surface while the other man still just seemed amused.

  “State your business so we can be done with you for the night.” Mikael managed to get out, his voice low with barely contained anger.

  Nicholi ignored Mikael then, and moved his body so that he was facing me alone. “More than a pleasure, now that I know to whom I speak.” He granted me another mock bow, the grin never leaving his face. “We are here to be immersed in yo…” The man couldn’t even get one sentence out before Mikael was growling again. I bumped my hip into him slightly, and tried to hide the smile that wanted to creep up my face. While this wasn’t the time or place for a pissing match, I hadn’t seen someone get under Mikael’s skin this bad since his brother, Evan.

  “It’s been a long day, gentlemen. I want to get home, so let’s speed this up. You, Demetri, can you please speak for your group?” More amusement, tinged with just a flicker of ill will, flashed across Nicholi’s face as he was dismissed.

  “M’Lady,” Demetri started with another small bow. “I am honored to be in your presence. We are seeking entry into your immersion program. Both Nicholi and I are from Ancient clans. Brian is a Lesser, but he lived in our community. While he’s not strictly speaking an Ancient, the others will see him as such. We want a chance at finding a mate, and perhaps a little happiness after many hard times.”

  “You are not what I was expecting with the white wolf.” Nicholi spoke out of the blue.

  “No?” I questioned turning my attention back to the man.

  “No.” He said simply. “Not at all.” His appreciative gaze was about to send Mikael into another tizzy.

  “And what about you?” I turned to the third man, choosing to ignore Nicholi before Mikael decided to take the man’s head off.

  “I simply want to have the normal pack experience. I was turned by one of Antoine’s guards, years ago, and forced to live as a low class worker for the royals. I just want to get a taste of some freedom, normalcy, and if I find a mate while I do that…” He let the words trail off as he closed his eyes. I had no idea what he imagined his new life to be like, but my heart went out to him. I had heard that Antoine treated the turned wolves no better than indentured servants or slaves in a lot of cases.

  “I am the opposite of Brian. I was born Ancient, and there were certain things that were expected of me. I was given a guard position, while all I wanted to do was work with my hands. I used to stand guard for the King’s brother as he worked in the shops. I always dreamed of being able to craft such things as he did.” The wistful look on his face nearly broke my heart too. These men were each slaves to Antoine, and their fates, in their own ways.

  “I think perhaps Nicholi and Brian should go to Avery’s clan.” I was thinking out loud, but I noticed Mikael’s head nod in agreement.

  “Do you not want to hear my sad story too?” Nicholi interrupted with a faux pout on his face.

  “NO.”

  “No,” I said at the same time Mikael had. “Definitely Avery’s. He’s going to need to keep this one in check.” I nodded to Nicholi as if he were no more than a pesky child. “Demetri, I think you should stay here, in this pack. One of our craftsmen was recently taken from us.” My voice cracked a little as I spoke of Jack again. “We need another hand there, and it would be the perfect place for you to apprentice, and see if it’s everything you have hoped for.” Demetri couldn’t contain the grin that spread across his face like wildfire. “Mikael’s uncle taught him quite a bit, I’m sure he wouldn’t mind sharing that knowledge.”

  “I’ll be happy to assist you with further lessons, once you have the basics down. I am not nearly as good as my Uncle, for he was a true artist, but perhaps you will surpass my own skill as well.”

  “I would be honored.”

  “Who is this Avery person?�
�� Nicholi spoke up again, not at all happy that his friend Demetri was being received better than he was.

  “He is your only hope of staying here, and possibly being part of the immersion program. So, when you meet him, you will want to show some respect. I value his opinion. If he says you’re too much trouble, I will take him at his word.”

  “Fair enough.” Nicholi ground out.

  “Andy, if you would show them to Jack’s place?” Weariness seemed to seat itself deep in my bones at that point. I wanted nothing more than to go home and collapse in bed with Mikael’s arms wrapped tightly around me. He seemed to sense this too, and gave my hips a little squeeze. “Once you see them dropped off, I want you to get some sleep, and then head to Avery’s in the morning. Take the pass to get there, because I want him to have a proper heads up. He has enough going on over there as is.”

  “Let him know we’ll be bringing these two with us in a few days.” Mikael added.

  “Also, find out if he needs any assistance with his current situation.”

  “Will do.” Andy spoke up, before nodding his head to the others indicating that they should follow him. “Let’s go get you guys settled in.”

  “Oh, hey Andy…” I waited until he turned to come back closer before I finished. “Let Avery know that Freedman’s pack is going to be a problem too. I know he has people out there that keeps tabs on things, and Freedman’s people need to be on that priority list, if they’re not all ready.”

  “Sure thing, Jess.”

  I turned to Mikael after Andy left with the three new werewolves. “I guess I should have been expecting that level of cocky, considering Evan, Asi, and you were the first three Ancients I met.”