by Steve McHugh
"Come, this way," Matthew beckoned and we continued toward the bungalow. The interior lights were ablaze, and a few more people, both men and women, were clearly visible inside, with armed guards, male and female, stationed around the property.
"You don't take any chances," I said.
"I have to protect my entire pack," he said. "And it wasn't that long ago my kind was at war."
"That war ended centuries ago," I said.
Matthew nodded to the guards and opened his front door. The warmth from inside was a welcome addition as we all stepped inside and removed our coats, hanging them on pegs beside the front door.
"Our kind fought werelions for millennia," he said. "Far too many died, and there are people on both sides who would like to gain retribution for those they lost."
"It was a needless war, fought by idiots," a man said from the end of the hallway. He appeared to be about forty years old and wore a dark blue suit. He also leaned on a walking stick, an unusual sight for a werewolf. "Matthew gives too much gravitas to what happened. There was no honour or justice in that war, and now it's over. May peace remain always."
"Not everyone thinks as you do," Matthew said. "Hence the protection."
The man scoffed at him. "No one with a brain would attack you. You run one of the largest packs in Europe, and are a member of the Avalon council."
"It's those with only half a brain that I fear most," Matthew said, before turning back to Tommy and me. "Anyway, welcome to my home."
"Thank you," Tommy said. "It's very impressive."
And indeed it was. The hallway was very tasteful, with no dead animals or weaponry displayed proudly-unlike the last alpha's home I'd set foot in. Instead, there were photographs, dozens of them, taken from what appeared to be all over the world. Each one of a different and magnificent view.
"Did you take these photos yourself?"
"I spent many years walking the world,” Matthew said. “I only came back to England a few years ago."
He took us through the door at the far end of the hallway and into an expansive open-planned room. It contained a huge circular coffee table, surrounded by red couches. Bay windows looked out over the front of the property.
"I guess I should introduce myself," the man with the walking stick said.
"I'm so sorry for being rude," Matthew said. "This is Gordon Summers, my pack aide."
I shook hands with Gordon, and then he embraced Tommy, much like Matthew had. "You should not have come, Thomas."
"Tommy," he corrected. "And I didn't have a choice."
"Still, Elijah will discover that you were here, and he will not be happy."
“Who's Elijah?" I asked.
"An asshole," Gordon and Tommy said in unison before laughing.
"We'd best be quick then, hadn't we," Matthew said.
We all took seats on the couches and Gordon left the room, returning with three bottles of beer and a can of coke, which he gave to Matthew. "I don't drink," the alpha said as if he needed to explain his lack of alcohol to us.
I opened my beer and savoured the coldness as it ran down my throat, while Tommy explained the situation to Gordon and Matthew. Once he'd finished, Matthew sighed and rubbed his neck with one hand, a pained expression on his face. "Well, that's going to cause a problem," he said.
"I'm sorry for asking," Tommy said. "But we need to find Neil Hatchell, and you're the only pack for a hundred miles."
" That man is not a member of my pack," Matthew said. He stood, walked over to the bay window, and closed the blinds. "I understand your coming here, but I can't let you just walk around my pack until you get a smell that fits."
"You know him, don't you?" I asked Matthew.
"He's a violent little prick, who would have been skinned alive if I'd have gotten my way. And there's no way on earth I would have allowed him to use my pack to keep him safe."
"Maybe he's under another's protection?" I suggested. "Someone within the pack who wants to undermine you?"
Matthew thought for about ten seconds before a flash of anger came over him. "Elijah, you fucking idiot," he snapped to himself. "I will not have rapists and murderers in my pack."
"So Elijah took him under his protection," Tommy asked.
"You must be sure of this, Matthew," Gordon said. "Accusing Elijah without evidence would only cause more problems."
"Why don't you just kill Elijah if he's that much of an affront?" I asked.
"Politics," Matthew almost spat.
Each alpha normally takes a selection of people as his council, elder wolves who have experience and power, but who couldn't be an alpha by themselves. He also takes a female alpha, someone who takes charge in his absence and deals with a lot of the day-to-day issues. The fact that I hadn't seen a female alpha was a little odd.
"When I ascended to the position of alpha, I removed several of the wolves chosen by my predecessor, as they were more interested in their own power than that of the pack. I assume you saw those men and women through the windows as we walked up to the house?"
I nodded. "So, who are they?"
"They're my council. Gordon did not know that I was planning on bringing you both back here. Once he found out, he had them retire to the rear of the property to await my instructions. I'm sure that Gordon will voice his disapproval of my actions once you've left.
"But my point is that those men and women are utterly loyal to both me and the pack. Elijah is not. He is loyal only to himself. And he has aligned himself with those others whom I removed from my council, the same wolves who were upset that I appointed a two-hundred-year-old werewolf as my aide."
As one, Tommy and I all turned to Gordon.
"Two-hundred-and-three," he said with a smile. "I was forty-four when I was turned."
"Why do you need a cane then?" I asked.
"Silver bullet in the hip, but I got the bastard."
Tommy laughed, but the expression on Gordon's face told me that the memory was not a pleasant one.
"Gordon, can you bring Ellie in? I think she's going to want to hear about this."
Gordon immediately left the room.
"Elijah wants the pack, doesn't he?" I asked, after getting back on subject.
Matthew shook his head. "Elijah is no alpha and he could never hold the pack. But his son has the makings of becoming a strong warrior. Possibly even alpha material. Elijah hopes to maintain the pack's strength and position himself in a useful role until such a time as his son can challenge me and win."
"So if you order him to hand over Neil it could cause problems," Tommy said.
"Unfortunately, yes. I can't allow him to split my pack. Those men who were blocking you from entering earlier, Randal and his friends, they would gladly take the opportunity to hurt people."
"Is there anything you can do? I asked.
"There's always something," Matthew assured me, as the door re-opened and Gordon stepped inside, accompanied by a striking young woman. She wore dark combats and a grey hoodie, with a picture of a pink skull and crossbones on the front. Her long dark blue hair tumbled over her slender shoulders.
"Ellie," Matthew said, motioning to the chair nearby.
She sat without a word, but constantly glanced past her alpha to Tommy and me, probably wondering what the hell was going on.
"There's something I need to tell you," Matthew said and wasted no time in explaining who Tommy and I were and why we were there. The mention of Neil's name caused Ellie to ball her hands into tight fists, and her eyes to harden, but she remained seated and continued to listen to Matthew without interruption.
When he'd finished, she took a deep breath. "What do you need?" she asked.
"I can't order Elijah to hand Neil over to Tommy and Nate without a fight. But you have a claim on Neil's life. One I intend to use if it comes to it. When I give the word, I want you to claim Neil's life as forfeit."
"Does that mean I get Neil?" Ellie asked with a wicked glint in her eye.
Matthew
shook his head. "I'm afraid not. I know I can't make you give him to Tommy, and you more than deserve your retribution, but Tommy needs Neil."
"I promise you, he'll get what he deserves," Tommy said.
"I've heard that before," she said bitterly.
"We have one more problem," Gordon said.
I sighed, werewolf politics made my head hurt. "Yes."
"Elijah will be most displeased to see Tommy; it will not end well I'm sure."
"Why?" I asked Tommy.
He didn't appear to be happy to have to answer the question. "I've not been entirely honest," he eventually told me. "I'm not a pack member, because if I was, I would have to challenge for alpha. I'm too powerful to allow Matthew and me to coexist. Pack members already come to me for help, and Matthew allows it because I have no desire to replace him."
"But," I said.
"But, there are people here, mostly the same ones who want Matthew gone, who believe that any involvement I have undermines the alpha. They want me to either go and never return, or fight for the leadership." He turned to Gordon. "Neither of which is going to happen."
Gordon bowed his head slightly.
"So let me get this straight," I started. "Elijah is probably hiding the man we're looking for, and Ellie can demand that he hand Neil over, but in exchange for this, he and his supporters will try to force Tommy to challenge for the leadership."
"In a nutshell, yes," Matthew said. "He considers Tommy less of a threat. No offence."
"None taken," Tommy said. He downed the rest of his beer and stood. "Well, let's get this over with. Where's Elijah?"
A smile tugged at the sides of Gordon's lips. "He's been confined to his tent. He has one specially prepared and puts it away from the festivities, but close enough to Matthew's home that he can know all who come and go."
"The tent outside?" Tommy said. "He's a little brazen."
"He's pushing his boundaries," Matthew said with a slight growl. "And I'm close to pushing back."
"Matthew," Gordon said. "Do not allow him to do that."
Matthew calmed in an instant. "I was just voicing my displeasure." He stood and sighed. "Let's go fetch the little turd." He walked out of the room, his aide closing the door as he left after him.
"So, Tommy, what's likely to happen?"
"I will not fight Matthew."
"Leaving the options as?"
"Elijah will want something. He's a snake and he'll have a dozen scenarios in his head by the time he gets here. We just have to ensure he gets what he wants without crossing any lines."
"You don't think he'll hand Neil over to you even if he has to obey my right to justice?" Ellie said. "That… evil… cunt of a man raped and beat me for fun. He turned me into a werewolf, not as some great gift bestowed upon me, but because he knew it would cause me pain and suffering. Elijah will hand Neil over, even if I have to tear him from his grubby little paws."
"Oh, he'll hand Neil over," Tommy said. "But he'll want something in return for it."
"How many of Neil's victims are in this pack?" I asked Ellie.
"Two," she said. "Melody had a harder time accepting what she'd become; she tends to stay away from the larger pack meets. I want you to promise me something. Promise me that he'll get what he deserves, that he'll never see the light of day again. I want him to spend the rest of his life rotting in a pit somewhere. Can you do that?"
"We'll do our best," Tommy said.
"I guess that will have to do," Ellie said, although she didn't look happy about it.
"Is there anything we need to know about Elijah?" I asked.
"Don't threaten him," Tommy said. "He'll see it as a sign of weakness and refuse to help. He responds to sickly sweet compliments, money and power. The man would spend all day in wolf form licking his own cock if he could do it unnoticed."
"Maybe he just needs some time alone," I joked.
Before we could talk more, the door opened and Matthew strode back in, exuding more power than he had before. Gordon was directly behind him and he held the door open as a thin man walked into the room and draped his coat over Gordon's shoulder, much to the aide's irritation.
"Put that somewhere, will you?" the man said. I wondered how he and his ego could occupy the same point in space and time without creating a black hole of arrogance.
"Elijah, please take a seat," Matthew said. "Drink?"
"No, thank you, I brought my own," he clicked his fingers, and Randal stepped into the room holding a glass of champagne.
"Would you like some?" Elijah asked Matthew, clearly aware that his alpha would turn him down.
"Some other time," Matthew said with no hint of annoyance. He had incredible self-control; I'd only known Elijah for a few seconds and I already wanted to tear his head off by his short brown hair.
"Tommy," Elijah said.
"You can call me Thomas, or Mr. Carpenter," Tommy said.
"My apologies, I assumed you had people call you Tommy."
"My friends do, yes," he said.
If Elijah had been a bird, he would have ruffled his feathers in annoyance, but he soon regained his composure. "And I see you have one of your council members here," he said, going to Ellie and extending his hand. "Nice to see you, my dear. I assume your friend is too busy being terrified of herself to make the effort of coming tonight. I'll send her some flowers to tell her how much she was missed."
Ellie smiled, but neither stood nor took Elijah's hand. "I'm sure she would love them very much."
Elijah smiled as if he hadn't been rebuffed. "And you?" he asked me.
About a million fake names flashed through my mind, as did a few dozen ways in which I could tell him to fuck off. "Nate," I said not wishing to antagonise the situation.
"A human," Elijah said to Matthew with disdain. "Are you slumming it, or is he the new pet?"
"Mind your tongue," Matthew said his tone ever so slightly hardening.
"My apologies." Elijah bowed his head slightly. "I am only here to discover why you summoned me."
"Tommy is here from the LOA on business. I wish for you to help them in any way you can."
"You work for Avalon now?" Elijah asked Tommy. "I thought that was the duty of your lady friend."
"She asked me to come here on her behalf, as I have history with the pack," Tommy said.
"Ah, an understandable decision for a lady in her position to take."
Tommy opened his mouth to snap something, but wisely thought better of it. "We're looking for Neil Hatchell in relation to a murder case. Do you know where he is?"
"Of course, poor Neil came to me after being attacked in his own home. He was alone and afraid. Worried that some pack thug would take his past into account and kill him."
"We need to find him."
"No."
"I'm sorry?" Tommy said.
"Did you not hear me? Are you deaf or a moron?" Elijah snapped. "I said no. I will not help you find an innocent werewolf so that Avalon can pin crimes on him."
"Like the rapes and murders that he went to the Hole for?" I asked.
"I don't speak to lesser creatures," he said to me. "The adults are talking."
I suddenly didn't care about the rules, or what we needed, I was going to kill him. But Gordon's vice-like grip on my arm reminded me of the more important reasons for us being there, and I calmed.
"I order you to help," Matthew said.
"Order! You order me, when you can't even keep Tommy here from coming back to the pack whenever he feels like." Elijah leapt to his feet. "If he wants to be here, he needs to challenge for leadership. And until you can make him bow to you, I see no reason to do anything you say."
Matthew didn't say anything, but one second he was standing by the window, the next he had Elijah by the throat and had slammed him onto the coffee table. "You come into my home and tell me of the law. I'm within my rights to tear out your throat."
"And start a civil war," Elijah managed to croak.
Matthew released
the taller man and moved away, giving the barest nod to Ellie, and allowing Elijah to stand and readjust his suit. His face betrayed none of the anger or shame. I was certain he felt at being put in his place in front of those he considered beneath him.
Ellie stood and stared at Elijah. "I claim Neil in the name of retribution."
Elijah blinked in what I assumed was surprise. "You're the other woman that Neil… My, that is a surprise. Matthew kept that little piece of information quiet."
"You cannot keep him from me," Ellie said. "You've already admitted you have him. And by the rights of werewolf law, I can claim his life as forfeit."
Elijah's smirk wasn't the response I'd expected. "Oh, Matthew, is this your plan? Have the girl claim him?" Elijah tutted, as if scolding a child. "You're right, I have to hand Neil over to her, but there's nothing that says when I have to do it."
"What do you want, Elijah?"
"I want to bring you down a peg or two, and I want Tommy to finally decide where he stands. Did he even bring a gift?"
"I'm here on Avalon business," Tommy said.
"No matter," Elijah snapped. "Tommy has disrespected you, and you allow this to stand."
"What gift should he have brought?" Gordon asked.
"It's too late now, but there is a way to save the situation."
"Make your point," Matthew demanded.
"If you want Neil so badly, you will fight for him. Champion against champion and I will consider this matter settled. No matter the outcome, Neil is yours afterward." He walked over to Randal and tapped him on the arm. "My boy here will be a match for Tommy."
"I won't fight for you, just to get one over on Matthew," Tommy said. "That's not going to happen."
"Then Tommy will be banished from entering this pack for any reason," Elijah said with a smirk.
"Avalon's rules state that I can nominate someone to fight in my place," Tommy told him.
Elijah followed Tommy's gaze. "The human?" He asked, laughing hard. "Oh, this will be a quick fight."
It took me a moment to realise that he meant me.