by Casey Morgan
I look at everyone’s faces waiting for me to say something. I’m at a loss.
“Anson, you have to speak on your behalf right now. If you say nothing, it will not work in your favor. It's better if you say something.”
I know the laws, and I know Tamir knows I understand the laws. He’s probably giving me a little bit more time because he can’t really stall for me. It’s a small kindness after all I’ve done to him and his brother. If that is what he's doing.
“Well, um…”
“Tell us about what happened during the fight. Why did you turn back into a human and force the rest of the pack to shift in the heat of battle?”
“I couldn’t help it. The Mathis clan has a witch that they used to place a spell on me. I didn’t want to shift, but I guess she possessed my body or something because there was nothing I could do to stop it,” I plead. “But I tried,” I add, hoping it helps my case.
Tamir nods thoughtfully. “Yes, I was told about this woman. That she had been captured and brought back here. Where is she now?”
“She’s gone.”
“Gone where?”
“Back to the Mathis camp, I assume.” I didn’t actually ask Luna where she was going to go. I was so confused about what was happening. I just knew I had to get her out of here.
“So, she escaped?”
I could lie. The only person who saw was Flint, and he doesn’t have any proof that I let her go. She’s a witch who could have used spells to escape, but that’s not what happened. I’m not in the business of lying. Plus, I am the head of this family. Sure, I’m on trial, and it looks like I am alone among the sea of faces. Not one of them seems to be showing me any support, but, like what I told Flint, what I say goes.
Something deep inside of me was saying that Luna wasn’t meant to be locked up on our property. Even though every ounce of logic was working against that gut feeling, I knew it was what I had to do.
“No, I let her go.”
There are murmurs in the crowd. No one is happy with what I’ve done, and they start shouting all kinds of things: accusations, questions, none of them good.
“Why would you do that?”
“I don’t know,” I shrug. “I just did it.”
I was starting to wonder if maybe Luna didn't cause me to shift. She said it wasn't her… Can I just take her word for it? Either way, there is no kind of explanation I can offer to the pack. I’m always the one with the answers. I’ve been alpha for as long as I have because of the trust this pack has in me, but all of that is disintegrating before my eyes.
“I see,” Tamir nods again.
He turns to his brother, and they whisper. I can’t hear a thing they are saying, but I don’t think that this fares well for me. I do hope that my nephews can see that all of this pandemonium is not my fault, though. Or maybe it is. Our pack is falling to pieces under my watch. Perhaps I do need to take responsibility for that.
“We’ve come to a decision,” Pax announces. He defers to Tamir to deliver their verdict. I’m not one for prayers, but I send a quick one out.
“My brother and I have decided that both Flint and Anson are a danger to our pack. Flint is clearly hiding something, and much of this trouble started when he came to our land.” I turn to Flint, and he scoffs but doesn’t say much of anything. “I no longer find his explanations, not only for the strange timing but also the video evidence that we have gathered and shown to the elders, sufficient.”
I only remember one video. Do Tamir and Pax have more of them? I still don’t trust technology, but maybe I should not have been so quick to dismiss that video Pax had brought to the council. That seemed like a moment when many pack members started to distrust me. I don’t know why I was so dismissive, though. In hindsight, so many of my actions seem rash, but they made sense to me at the time.
That must mean something.
“Regarding Anson,” Tamir continues. “Whether or not he has been put under a spell by this Mathis witch, it has become clear that his judgment can no longer be trusted. He has made too many decisions that have put our pack in danger. Until whatever is going with him can be worked out, it is best that he stay away from the Stayman land. We must protect our people first and foremost. That is the verdict. Take them away.”
Tamir waves to some men off to the side. They come for me, but I’m not about to accept this.
“Wait a second! You can’t throw me out! There are still things we have to figure out!” I’m yelling, hoping my nephews change their minds, but they won’t even look at me.
Two of our men grab me and drag me outside. Two others have Flint. We are pushed outside and past the barricades. They make it very clear that if either one of us tries to come back, we will be killed. I’m at a loss for words. I knew it didn’t look good in the manor hall, but I didn’t think they would get rid of me so quickly.
What am I supposed to do? Where am I supposed to go?
At least Flint is here. Yeah, I doubted him, but maybe those doubts were wrong. He’ll probably be able to help me in some way.
“Flint, I don’t know what to do.”
He looks at me like I’m crazy. I guess I can’t expect him to fix all of this. He was our newest member. Yes, he was a great help, but he can’t magically make everything okay.
“I just need you to stay by my side while figuring this out. We can do that, right?”
“Anson, you are a fool,” he laughs at me. “I was only helping you to get what I want, but I have no use of you now. I don’t need you.”
He shifts into wolf form before I can say anything and heads in the direction of the Mathis camp.
Any hope I had that Flint was actually on my side is gone. Pax and Tamir were right. He was never here to help our pack. He only came here to sow seeds of chaos for whatever ends. I have no one to blame for this mess but myself. So many people tried to warn me, but all I did was blindly follow Flint. I thought I had better judgment than that, but I guess not. Maybe Tamir and Pax made the right choice to place me in exile. If I was so wrong about Flint, getting me far away from the rest of the pack might be the best way to keep them safe.
Fuck, I’ve really screwed up this time.
Chapter Nine
Luna
Anson let me go, and I am headed straight for the Mathis camp. Maybe I’ll be able to convince my brother to end all of this fighting. Realizing that Anson is my mate has revitalized my desire to take this all to Beau. Maybe if he knows we can unite with the Staymans through a match between Anson and me, he’ll back down from all of this carnage. Beau can be a stubborn fool, but he also can be reasonable.
I reach our camp and see the members milling about. No one approaches me, but they all give me curious looks. Everyone is always looking at me weirdly, but I’m guessing there is extra confusion given that the last time any of them saw me, I was getting taken away by members of our rival pack. Usually, I'm immune to their looks, but for whatever reason, my skin is crawling right now. I can't explain it, but I definitely do not like it.
“Luna!” I see my brother running towards me. I’m expecting him to be happy to see me, but that’s not what happens. In fact, he looks angry. Why would he be angry? “What happened? How did you get away from the Staymans?”
“Oh, well, um,” I stutter, “Anson let me go,” I tell him.
“That isn’t possible,” he shakes his head. “We’re at war with his people. It must be some kind of trap.”
“It isn’t, brother.” I puff up my chest, wanting to make this announcement, not just to my brother, but those surrounding us. “The fight needs to end now. Anson and I are mated. We are destined by fate to be together and unite the packs.”
My brother is still looking at me like I’m crazy. His mouth drops open a little. Everyone who heard me is doing the same. Why can’t they ever accept the things I have to say? Sure, I can admit some of my takes are seemingly out of left field, I feel like I have a decent track record. By now, they should be able to see the va
lue in my abilities.
“You’re coming with me,” Beau spits in my face.
He grabs my arm and drags me into his tent. His fingers are gripping my arm so hard, I’m worried it might bruise. Usually, he isn’t so aggressive with me. I can tell he’s furious right now, but still, this is beyond what I'm used to when it comes to my brother.
When we get to his tent, he lets go of me and stands on the other side.
“You can’t just walk back here, talking about shit like that. I know you’ve always been a little different,” he makes a wiggly hand motion, “but I thought you were smart enough not to fall for the tricks of our enemy. Especially because you like his aura.”
“It's not just because I like his aura,” I defend myself. “And it’s not a trick, Beau. I know that he’s my mate. I can’t explain how I know because you guys have never really believed in this stuff like I have, but it’s fate. We can end all of this. Can't you see how unnecessary all this fighting is?”
“Jesus Christ, Luna. Can you stop being weird for one second? We can’t stop this fight because of some magical feeling you’re having. We need the land the Staymans occupy, okay? Flint said they have riches that could support our pack forever. And that makes sense since they are one of the original packs. They are bound to have mountains of wealth, and we could utilize it so much better. They still function as if they're in the fucking dark ages. Anson doesn't know how good he has it. Unfortunately for him, he'll realize this after we've taken everything away from him.”
Stupid Flint. And, honestly, stupid Beau. Of course, he would be seduced by the promise of riches. Our pack is surviving, but we could be doing a lot better. Money would be helpful now, but I don’t think we should wage a whole war just to get some gold. I’m sure there is more Beau is after, though.
“Are you after their silver mine?”
Beau furrows his brow, getting caught off-guard. “How do you know about that?”
“I saw the map while I was locked up there. I know about the mine. I know what it can do.”
“Yeah, Flint hasn’t told me where the mine is yet,” he mentions casually.
I can tell he wants to ask me where it is, but he’s too proud to come to me, his weird little sister, for help with something so huge. And I don't think I'd tell him, not when he's under Flint’s influence.
I’m not surprised Flint hasn’t told Beau where the mine is. It’s some power move, obviously. If they were really working together, what would be the reason for keeping it a secret? There must be something at the mine that he wants to hide. Because I’m sure Beau would go straight there if he knew its location.
“But that isn’t something for you to be worried about.”
“Yes, it is, Beau! I’m a part of this pack, too. It is clear, at least to me, that Flint isn’t here to help. Why can’t he tell you where the mine is?”
“He thinks it’s on a need to know basis, and I don’t need to know just yet. He’ll tell me when the time is right.”
“Will he? Why do you trust him so much? What has he done to earn it?”
“Stop! Okay, Luna. I don’t need you digging up stupid shit. There’s nothing ‘bad’ going on. Not mojo-wise, or in reality, where the rest of us live. Just let me be the alpha and take care of things. When this is all over, our lives will be so much better.”
I look carefully at Beau’s aura and see traces of the same spell that Anson had on him. It’s just as I suspected. Flint has his claws in both of them. My brother can annoy the hell of me, but he’s never been this much of an asshole before. Plus, he’s a pretty good alpha, but lately, he’s been making moves that don’t make any sense. Doing reckless things, all for Flint. I want to get mad at him, but this isn't all his fault.
“Beau, come on. Will you at least consider what I have to say? I know everyone thinks I’m nuts, but you’ve never just outright dismissed this stuff.”
I'm not sure if Beau totally believes in my magic, but he’s usually willing to let me say my piece without degrading my view. That’s all changed since Flint rolled into town. And, while I don’t know how this spell works, I do know that there has to be a way to get through to my brother.
“I don’t have the time, Luna. There’s too much going on. Another time, okay.”
“We can’t wait that long. It’s important now.”
“I’m done humoring you, Luna. You need to shut up and keep out of the way. I’ve been exercising a lot of patience, and I don’t have any more.”
His words strike me to my core. I wasn’t expecting so much of it. Anson got angry with me, but he doesn’t know me that well. I thought, even with a spell scrambling his brain, my brother would still be in there and willing to talk with me.
“Fine, I’ll stay out of your way and leave you alone.”
“Good.”
I leave my brother’s tent and head towards mine. Can I talk sense into no one? Anson let me go, but he was clearly still unsure about the things I said, and my brother is so far up Flint’s ass, I’m not sure if I can save him. Or at least, I don’t think I have the time. I know the two of them are going to ramp up the attacks.
I get to my tent and fall onto my bed. It’s nice to be back under my own covers. Camping out like this kind of sucks, but I have my own space, which is something. But I’m still preoccupied with this looming problem, so even the small comforts are going unappreciated.
I need to figure this dilemma out another way. Trying to appeal to people’s better natures is not the way to go, or it would take too much time to get the results I want. By then, Flint could be long gone, and the packs decimated. Logically, I know that it wouldn’t really be my fault if Flint got away with his plan, but if the Stayman and Mathis clans were to fall to Flint’s evil, there is no way I wouldn’t blame myself. Which is why I cannot let that happen. I need to stop him somehow.
Those spells he’s cast on Anson and Beau, if I could find a way to make them go away, then that would solve most of the problems I am having right now. If Anson just trusted me, I could help him, but without that trust, it’s harder for me to use my magic. And with Beau, I would need to know more about the actual spell.
I sit up, a thought suddenly popping into my head. Maybe Flint has all of his spells hidden somewhere. Some people like to write down these things. The Staymans had tons of books on magic. It would have been nice to find something there, but I could also just go to the source.
Flint has to be hiding something in the silver mine. Maybe it isn’t a book of spells, but there could be something there that could help us stop him. Why else would he be so secretive about its location? And I’m guessing he’s kept Anson away from it, too. Anson did mention something about their silver immunity going away, and that immunity seems to come from the mine. If Flint is messing with the mine in any way, that could be the cause.
I’m going to the mine. I’ll have to sneak out again. My brother would be furious if he found out I was snooping.
I hate that he’s like this. I miss my old Beau, but I know that he is in there, somewhere. I just have to rescue him. I’ve spent enough time regulating myself to the shadows. Part of the reason is because I am afraid to put myself out there, but now is the time to get over any fears I have, for the greater good of my people.
I get out of my bed and sneak a peek outside of my tent. No one is really around since they are all always trying to avoid me. A perk of being the outcast of the pack.
I don’t see anyone looking my way, and in particular, I don’t see my brother anywhere. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s in his tent, thinking up all the ways he’s going to celebrate whatever victory he thinks he’s going to have. Beau has always had big plans for the pack. He’s been blinded by his ambition, and it’s my job to make sure he sees what is really going on.
I make a run for it, making sure to stay away from any of the pack until I’m away from our camp.
If no one else is going to step up and fix this mess, then it’s going to have to be me.<
br />
Chapter Ten
Luna
I’m almost at the silver mine. I haven’t run into a single Stayman pack member yet. I did assume that Flint would keep everyone away from here, but from the smell and air of the place, wolves haven’t been coming to this place for years. Longer even. At least along the path I am taking. I guess they got comfortable with the protection the mine brought them, and they let it remain undisturbed. And that’s how Flint gained access.
It’s kind of crazy to think about. The reality of silver immunity is new to me, so I guess I’m projecting a lot of my own thoughts onto the situation. Still, I feel like if I had a silver mine that protected me from silver, I’d defend that like nobody’s business. But they’ve also appeared to have had this mine for generations, so who even knows.
I get to the entrance of the mine, but before I can enter, I hear approaching footsteps. I hide behind a tree. It doesn’t smell like Flint, so I’m not freaking out, but I still need to be careful.
Two women come into view. I can tell that one of them is a werewolf and the other is a human. That’s rather interesting. Not a lot of humans hang out around here. Wolves are usually rather vigilant in keeping people off of our land because one of our biggest fears is being exposed, but this human doesn't seem to be one of the malicious ones.
I can tell neither one of them senses me, so I stay hidden in the bushes. That way, I can listen in on their conversation.
“The fog is still there,” the werewolf says, frowning.
She looks over at the entrance. I follow her gaze. There is a fog coming out of the cave. Something about it is sinister and unnatural. I can see why they are focused on it. It's a looming presence.
“You haven’t found anything about how to get rid of it?”