by Eva Harper
“The human thing." Caddy nodded. “I think she knows not all wolves are bad. She has to; she’s been my best friend for eighteen years now. She’s never seen the good side of wolves, though. I’m the only exception for her. Her parents were murdered in front of her, and for twenty-two years of her life, she’s been treated like absolute garbage. Would you want to become something that brought you so much pain?”
“I’m her mate, though,” Theo insisted. “How are we ever going to have a life together if she could die from a cold next week? We won’t ever have kids; we won’t ever grow old together. Humans die at what, seventy? eighty if they’re lucky?”
“Is another ten years and a couple of kids going to stop you from loving her?”
“No.” Theo shook his head. “Her dying will stop me from loving her, and I won’t let that happen.”
I cleared my throat as I walked back into the room. “It’s ready for you.” I gestured to the hallway where the guest room was.
“Thanks, Mango,” Caddy teased. I groaned.
“I thought we were done with that,” I hissed at him, rolling my eyes. He shook his head and looked over at Theo.
“When she was little, she couldn’t say her own name correctly, so I told her it was spelled the same as mango. So, until she was eight, she thought her name was actually spelled Mango.”
“I hate you,” I growled playfully. Theo laughed loudly as Caddy, and I playfully shoved each other back and forth.
“No, you don’t,” Caddy teased, raising his eyebrows provocatively. “You love us.” He dragged out the word ‘love,’ nearly singing it.
Theo laughed and pulled on my arms until I fell into his lap, clumsily. I hid my face, half because I knew if they ever became friends, I would never have a peaceful moment again, and half because I didn’t want to admit that Caddy’s words might be true.
Plummeting Heart Syndrome
The meeting reconvened in the morning, much like Theo suggested. The house was filled with people when I finally got up and made my way downstairs. I had the good sense to get dressed and fix my hair before I left the bedroom, unlike my usual messy hair and pajamas I lounged in.
I was surprised to see so many women in the living room waiting for Theo’s council meeting. The world of shifters was often dominated by powerful men, but it gave me hope to see the council wasn’t biased. Although an Enforcer ruled directly over the packs of their continent, they also had a council made of other dignitaries and retired Alphas meant to help with important decisions.
“Margo!” My name was shouted. Most eyes looked over at me slowly, trying to be coy, but many were shocked that I was still human. I excused myself around the groups of people and found Theo and Caddy waiting for me.
Theo greeted me by kissing my forehead. “Morning, little one. I fixed your breakfast.” Reaching behind him, he grabbed a plate of food and handed it to me. I smiled my thanks to him and sat at the counter, eating quickly, and put my dish in the sink.
“What are we waiting for?” I wondered aloud.
“We’re just waiting for Cam who was supposed to be here twenty minutes ago.” Theo was peeved, scratching the back of his neck.
Cam came through the door a few minutes later with Tansy on his hip. “I’m so sorry I’m late, Gemma had speech therapy this morning, and our babysitter canceled on us last minute,” he heaved out, tucking Tansy’s hair behind her ears and adjusting her weight on his hip. “You’re getting heavy,” he told her quietly in her ear. Tansy’s giggles filled the air, and she squealed, lighting the room’s atmosphere.
“Okay, everyone, let’s take this to the conference room,” Theo announced, pulling me forward with him.
Everyone followed us back to the large room on the other side of the stairs. Theo sat at the head of the table, per usual, and I sat next to him on his left. Cam sat next to me on my left, Caddy next to him, and everyone filled into the empty seats and lined the walls.
Cam began to tell everyone the situation at hand, including every detail. The council started taking notes, profusely writing, whispering, and nodding along.
“When was the first threat sent, the document sent to Enforcer Weston?” a woman asked. She was middle-aged with faded red hair chopped short to her shoulders.
“The document arrived four weeks ago,” Theo told her.
“You received a threat four weeks ago, and we’re just hearing about this now?” Her voice was derogative to Theo; her eyebrows were raised.
“You didn’t need to know four weeks ago, Keziah,” Theo told her, trying to control his temper by tapping his pen on the table.
“An Alpha is making threats against humans, and you don’t think we need to know?” she sneered.
“This had nothing to do with humans until two weeks ago,” Cam stepped in. “When the threat to humans and other packs was made directly, the council was informed. Theo did nothing wrong.”
“Well, that’s very noble of you to step up for him, but now we have one dead Alpha, a pack on the verge of war, and a threat to humans. Reed Porter is not alone in his beliefs. This could separate packs everywhere,” Keziah said, looking around at other council members who were nodding in support.
“There is nothing I can do to change the past,” Theo admitted, dropping his pen and lowering his eyes. “If I would have known this is what would spawn from the document, I would have immediately brought the council together. I did what I thought was right. If you disagree with me, that’s fine, but I’m the one who ultimately gets to decide. I called us here to create a plan of action to combat these injustices and protect the innocent.”
Keziah settled in her chair, looking back to Theo, who had regained attention and dominance.
“I’m sure this issue is very close to your heart, Enforcer,” another man said hesitantly from the corner of the room. He stepped away from the wall and bowed his head. Most eyes in the room shifted to me and my human-ness. “But most of us have grown fond of humans ourselves over the past years. They have been helpful and innovative in creating the kind of pack dynamic we had always hoped for.”
“If Reed Porter wants to start a war against humans, he’s going to start a war against good wolves as well,” the man next to him added, placing a hand on the other’s shoulder.
“Well then, we’re in agreement,” Theo breathed out happily, placing his hand over mine on the table.
The next few hours were spent discussing strategy and plans. There were calls made to other Alphas near and far from us. The members of the council were not all from the Valkyrie Pack, only three out of the fifty were. The council made calls to their Alpha’s asking support in their decisions.
Although most Alphas agreed with the council and Theo’s decision, they were not ready to sacrifice their pack members to fight for it and remained neutral.
After some time, Tansy began squirming in her father’s lap and begged him to take her to the bathroom. I told him I would take her and escorted her down the hall. I stayed on the other side of the door and helped her wash her hands when she was done.
“Where do you live?” she asked, tugging on my pant leg.
“I live here,” I said softly.
“With Uncle Theo?” her voice cracked upwards.
“Yes.” She looked down, confused, trying to make sense of it. “Your Uncle Theo and I are mates, just like your mommy and daddy.”
“You’re going to be my aunt?” she shouted happily. We were close to the conference room, and with their advanced hearing, the shifters inside looked out the window to us.
“Only if you want me to,” I said, bending down on my knees. “Or you can call me Margo.”
“Okay, Auntie Margo,” she twiddled off cheerfully.
“Let’s go back in and see your daddy,” I suggested, taking her hand in mine, and walking towards the open door. Theo’s body stopped me at the door.
“You’re good with her,” he complimented, casually slinging his hand in his pocket.
I glan
ced down at Tansy, smiling as I patted the top of her head. “Well, she’s cute. It helps.”
“Tans, your dad said you might be getting hungry, do you want a snack before we go back inside?”
“Yes, please,” she said politely. He gestured, and we began walking down the hall to the kitchen. Tansy let go of my hand as it came into view and ran ahead.
“I can’t wait to see how you’ll be with ours,” Theo imagined, sighing and rubbing his thumb over my arm. He looked over and saw the shimmer of fear in my eyes. “Not until you’re ready, though,” he added quickly.
I averted my gaze, blinking my eyes in an attempt to process his words.
“Are you okay?” he asked after a moment. I realized I had stopped walking.
“If you want us to have kids, that means you’ll have to change me,” I whispered. Anxiety crawled up my back and enveloped me in its gut-twisting stench.
“We don’t have to do anything until you’re ready,” he told me soothingly.
“When I told you I didn’t want to be turned, did you take that as, ‘well maybe in five years she’ll want to?’” My voice was dead and flat. I could feel sweat collecting on my neck. My mouth became too dry, and I bit my tongue to regain feeling.
“We don’t have to talk about this right now,” Theo soothed, touching the outer line of my arm as I stumbled back from him. “Margo.”
“I’m sorry, I just,” I panted. “I need a minute.”
“Margo,” he said pointedly. “Nothing is happening right now.”
“But it will.” I shook my head as my vision became blurry. “Theo, I just need to know right now; are you planning on changing me?”
He chuckled, though it seemed more out of awkwardness than humor. “Do I really need to answer this right now? Let’s go get Tansy something to eat. I’m sure she’s opened every package of chocolate and candy in that kitchen.”
“Yes, you really need to answer it.”
He straightened and tugged on the collar of his button-up shirt. “Maybe, one day. But I want to wait until you’re more accepting of it. I know it will take time-”
“It won’t take time because there is nothing to consider.”
“Can we-”
“No,” I spoke quickly. “We cannot discuss this or think about it later. Just no.”
“Do you think this is the best location and time to be having this conversation, with the council and our friends thirty feet away?”
“Honestly, I couldn’t care less. I need you to know I won’t ever be okay with being turned into a shifter. Ever.”
“Okay,” he breathed angrily. “You’ve made your point. Thank you. Can we continue with what we were doing now?”
“You should go back in there,” I advised. “I’ll find Tansy ad get her something to eat. I could use a glass of water anyways.”
“Fine.” He nodded.
I walked to the kitchen and looked around the nooks and crevices, trying to find Tansy. I called her name but heard no response. I left the kitchen and looked around the couches and chairs in the living room.
“Tansy?” I called louder. A gleam of sunlight hit me in the eye, and my head snapped up to find the front door swung open. No guard stood at the entrance, and I approached it warily. In the field in front of the house, Tansy was chasing a bunny that was hopping around the brush.
“Tansy!” I yelled. I could hear the wolves moving around in the conference room, and I was aware that Cam and Theo had probably come into the living room when I screamed, but it didn’t stop me from running toward her. The guard was nowhere in sight.
Tansy was unaware of any threat and ran towards the tree line with glee.
“Tansy, stop!” I yelled, trying to catch up with the little girl whose legs seemed to be quicker than mine. She laughed and ran faster.
“Tansy!” I heard Cam yell behind me.
She paused, nearly tumbling to the ground as she came face to face with the amber eyes of a wolf that was not from our pack.
Moving Parts
“Tansy, don’t move,” I warned with tension in my voice. I reached my hand out towards her, still too far away, but needing to reach her. I took one step forward and the wolf whined. It was a warning sound, telling me not to move too fast.
Tansy whimpered and turned her head towards me. The wolf was ten feet in front of her, and I was ten feet behind. Cam and Theo approached the scene quickly, but when they were twenty feet from Tansy, the wolf growled and bared its teeth.
“Tansy, can you walk slowly back to Auntie Margo, please?” Cam called. His voice was calm and flat.
Tansy stumbled back on her heels, and she took a few steps before the wolf slinked forward, leaning down on its front paws in a predatory lunge.
“Stop, Tansy,” I said, gritting my teeth.
“Daddy,” she cried.
“It’s okay, baby,” Cam called back. “You just stay right there.”
I couldn’t bear to look away front Tansy and the wolf, so I didn’t know how far away they were or if they were moving around behind us. The wolf stood up fully and veered its large head around, stretching its muscles.
I moved one step forward, then another when I went undetected. Soon, I was close enough to Tansy to grab her and push her behind me.
She yelped when I touched her and began crying. She ran to her father behind me as I was now the barrier between her and the unknown wolf. To my left, I saw Theo slidling around the trees, trying to catch the wolf by surprise when he decided to attack. He nodded to me, letting me know he was okay.
The wolf was massive, even more so when it was just in front of me. I faltered and stepped back. The wolf growled deeply in its chest, and its claws dug into the soft belly of the earth.
“Margo,” Theo said warningly from my left. The three of us formed a triangle, and we looked back and forth between each other. “Take a step back,” he ordered, his body already shaking to shift.
“I can’t,” I moaned.
“You can,” he told me. “One step. Slowly.”
I did as he asked, and the wolf bared its teeth to me. I stopped moving and an involuntary cry of helplessness. Theo growled back, low in his chest, and held his hand out towards me. I wanted to reach out and take it, but fear seized my chest, and I was paralyzed in it.
“Margo, get behind me.”
“No.” I shook my head quickly.
“Margo,” he said sharply.
“I can’t move,” I whispered with tears coating my voice.
“Yes, you can. Just a few steps away.”
I willed my foot to move, but I couldn’t make any of my limbs go where I wanted them to. The wolf knew this and eerily smirked under its fur.
“Okay, I’m going to come to you. Can you take one step towards me?”
“No,” I said honestly.
“Okay, just breathe.” He nodded. Theo walked towards me with confidence, not faltering when the wolf’s head whipped towards him and snarled. Theo grabbed my arm and swiftly pulled me behind him. “Leave,” he ordered the wolf.
The wolf made no attempt to leave, though it did begin to pace back and forth in front of us. Its muscles rolled under its fur as it sashayed and growled.
“You need to leave this territory immediately.”
Still, this did nothing to frighten or persuade the intruder. Tansy suddenly let out a cry from the other side of the trees where her father was holding her. That sparked something in the wolf, we could all sense it, and Theo pushed me forcefully behind him before shifting into his wolf form.
If I wasn’t so terrified, I probably would have screamed as Theo’s body exploded into a mass of gray and white fur. He was massive, far bigger than any other wolf I had seen. He stood his ground proudly, growling viciously at the other wolf. They moved around the small area, sizing each other up.
When the wolf got too close to me, Theo would change direction. They stayed like that for quite some time. I found it hard to look away.
The wolf leane
d down, making itself small. They took a step closer and let out a howl so loud I had to cover my ears with my shaking hands. The wolf looked submissive, staring up at Theo with its amber eyes. Theo stood tall, glaring once more at the wolf before turning and moving closer to me.
He moved cautiously, gingerly taking a few steps and then allowing me to adjust to him. I tried to calm my breathing. When Theo had pushed me, I had fallen near a large pine tree, and I didn’t get up.
Theo bowed his head to me, showing me that it was safe for me to approach him. I picked myself off the ground and brushed my arms off from the pine needles and dirt. He stayed still as I contemplated what I wanted to do.
His fur was a beautiful charcoal gray with white on his underbelly and face. The coloring suited him. Hesitantly, I took a step to the right, trying to make my way towards Tansy and Cam. Theo allowed this but took a step with me. I paused.
In their wolf form, shifters often acted on their instincts. Some shifters even had a notion that their wolf form had its own personality separate from their human form. Theo’s wolf form seemed completely enamored by me. He moved each way I did, stepping close until he was near enough to rub his head along my legs and waist as he circled me.
I held my arms into my chest, fearfully keeping my fingers out of the reach of his incisors. Theo backed up and stared off into the distance, most likely getting a mind-link from someone. I turned my head to where the other wolf once was. I sighed, reassuring myself I was safe.
Cam had turned his back on Theo and me to pick Tansy up off the ground behind him where she had hidden. I blinked once, and things happened so quickly the only way my mind could make sense of it was to view it in slow motion.
As Cam stretched his arms out to reach for Tansy, the leaves on the other side of the clearing rustled and shifted. The intruder wolf from earlier darted from one side of the trees to the next, snarling loudly as it ran quickly, its muscles flexing and contorting as it raced towards Cam and his daughter.
Cam sensed the movement quickly and spun around with Tansy in his hands. The wolf moved with such speed and agility, I knew the only way Cam would be able to protect Tansy was to shift immediately, and with her that close, it could cause her harm.