Shifting Love's Hunger

by Jeff D Ellis

  “We need to talk to Greta right now. If they killed our Alpha, then an attack is imminent.”

  Mark and Chloe rushed into Greta’s office.

  “Take a seat and tell me what you know.”

  “The Alpha has been killed.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I felt it over my bond to him. He was startled and pulled power from the Pack but it was not enough. He died in almost an instant. I expect someone shot him at long range with a big rifle that caused so much damage, he could not heal from it.”

  “Are you sure it was not a fight for leadership of the Pack?”

  “We only do those on a full moon with the Pack in attendance. This was an ambush. I suspect the Vukodlak. No one in the Pack would do it this way.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “Our bond to the Alpha would have given it away to him or to the rest of the Pack afterwards. It would be too risky for someone in the Pack to attempt this. It had to be the Vukodlak.”

  “Then we need to be ready. What is going to happen now with the Pack?”

  “Sam will be acting Alpha until the full moon. At that point, if no one challenges him, he will be made Alpha and the Pack will bond to him.”

  Greta nodded. “If it was our Russian friends, then Sam is working with them, or the Pack member they support will challenge Sam for the position.”

  Mark looked Greta in the eyes. “That sounds correct.”

  “Can you challenge him for Alpha?”

  Mark shook his head and looked away. “I am sorry. Sam has trained for this his entire life. I don’t know of anybody that has much chance against him in a fight. I expect he would kill me if I tried.”

  Chloe placed her hand on Mark’s and looked at Greta. “What is going to happen with our alliance?”

  “Mark, are the people you staffed loyal to us?”

  “Until full moon, they are. After that, they will be bound to the will of the new Alpha.”

  “That gives us a little time to plan. If we are right, I need to go back to Vampires for security on the full moon. I can say I am giving all the Pack members the day off to honor traditions.”

  Chloe looked at Mark. “What happens to us? What if the new Alpha does not allow a Coyote to be in the Pack?”

  He gazed into her eyes. “You are my mate and no one can take that away.”

  “But they can force me out, right?”

  “If Sam wanted to, he could. It would not go over well with the Pack. It would look bad that his first act would be to reverse Father’s last one. If he plans to side with the Russians, he has to push us out or use you as a figurehead to replace Greta.”

  Greta smiled. “The Clan would not accept Chloe as my replacement. Nadine is next in line to take my place. I would also have to be dead. No one in the Clan could survive a challenge with me right now.”

  “Could Nadine be working with them?”

  “She knows that if I found out she even considered it, she would be dead. She is not going to risk that. I think they might make an attempt on my life or find a way force me to work for them. I expect that they will attack our source of intelligence and money.”

  “If I can’t be put into Greta’s place, they are going to want to kill or force me out.”

  Mark shook his head. “No, kill or force us out.”

  “Can you take the members loyal to your father and start a new Pack?”

  “Where would we live or work? The Pack owns everything. I would be asking them to be homeless with us.”

  “Mark, what if the Clan gave you a place so your people could continue working for us? My deal was with your father and I have no requirement to continue that with his replacement. The Pack loses my money unless there is someone I trust enough as Alpha to draw up a new contract. It was your father’s idea.”

  “Greta, I don’t think that would work. Any people loyal to me would not accept the idea that they might actually be a Clan-owned business.”

  “If you leave the Pack, you’ll have a job as my head of security and can hire contractors for the special jobs that I would have given the Pack.”

  Mark shook his head. “It has not come to that yet. It’s possible that Sam is loyal to my father’s ideas and someone else is going after him. I will let you know how things develop.”

  Greta nodded. “Then I think you have work to do. My condolences on the loss of your father.”

  ***

  “Mark, are you all right? I know if I just lost a loved one I would be a basket case.”

  His voice was like cold, hard steel. “Right now, I’m angry. I want to punish his killer.”

  “Your Pack must be in mourning. I didn’t have the connection you did, but even I felt the connection die. We should talk to your mother. She must be devastated.”

  “Chloe, you’re right, but I need to know if Sam was involved. Why don’t I drop you off to see what you can do for my mother? I will be back after talking with Sam.”

  Mark dropped her off at home and she walked over to his parents’ house. She could not believe someone could kill Alistair in cold blood. If they could do this to a man that had been their leader for longer than she had been alive, what chance did she have? What about Mark? Would they be looking to kill them next?

  As she walked up to the house, a group of women was leaving. She could tell Felicia had been crying.

  “I came as soon as I could. Mark wanted to be here as well but had to talk with Sam first. Is there anything we can do?”

  “Come in. Why don’t you take a seat. Can I get you anything?”

  “I should be asking you that. Is there anything I can do to help?”

  “Death comes for us all, but we did not expect it like this. Alistair and I have been leading this Pack for more than two hundred years. He was actually thinking of retiring soon and letting Sam have a chance to be Alpha for a new generation.”

  Felicia looked to be on the verge of tears. They mourned together in silence for a few minutes. Chloe no longer felt the bond they had. That magic died with Alistair.

  “Is there any information about what happened?”

  “Alistair was out for his morning run and someone shot him. It must have been from a very long distance or he would have smelled his killer.”

  “Has something like this ever happened to a Pack before?”

  “Not that I have ever heard of. We are way too smart to be shot by hunters, and no Veiled would risk the wrath of the Pack to kill an Alpha like that.”

  “Did Alistair say anything about his worries that some of the Pack might be working for someone else?”

  “No, why would you think that?”

  “He told Greta and Mark he had worries. It was the reason behind the alliance with the Clan. He thought they might have common enemies.”

  “Normally he shared everything with me, and after all this time, we would have a hard time keeping something from each other.”

  “I must be mistaken. I am so sorry for your loss. I better go. If there is anything we can do, please let me know.”

  That was strange. Mark said he had the conversation with his father. It would be hard to hide something from his mate. Even in the short time they had been together, she would know if Mark was keeping something from her.

  Coh, are we still bound to the Pack? I could not feel as much of a connection to Mark’s mother as before.

  That bond was broken when the Alpha died.

  Do you think the Alpha could have hidden things from his mate?

  I don’t know. We are bound to Mark and he is not Alpha. His father had many years of experience and the power of the Pack to draw on. His magic would have been much stronger, and I have no idea what he could do. Maybe in two hundred years of Mark being Alpha, we will know.

  Coh, how is Mark doing? He puts on a brave face for me.

  He is grieving the loss of his father and is covering it up in anger. His Wolf is just short of bloodlust. I think he is keeping it down for our sake. He d
oes not want us to see him like that. We are a good influence on them.

  Does Mark have what it takes to be Alpha?

  I really don’t know. Wolves are not like Coyotes. He would have a better chance if he had been mated to a Wolf. He doesn’t have the same strength to draw on as Sam would have. Maybe that is a good thing. We Coyotes have to make up for lack of size and strength by being smarter. Maybe you should talk to Coyote.

  I don’t understand. What Coyote?

  Your ancestor, Coyote. You should talk to David. He is Coyote’s Champion. Maybe he can help.

  How do you know all this?

  I may be inside of you, but I am also in the spirit realm. Talk to David. He is also the Protector of the People.

  All right, Coh I will talk to David.

  Chloe could feel that Coh was happy to be heard.

  ***

  Mark tightly gripped the arm of the chair. “Any ideas on who killed him, Sam?”

  “Not yet, I have people out investigating.”

  “What do you know so far?”

  Sam looked down. “He was out for his morning run through the woods when someone shot him with a high caliber sniper rifle. We think it was from about eight hundred yards away. Not many people could pull off that shot. I have no idea how anybody would know where he would be.”

  “I want to see where he died.”

  “Mark, that is not a good idea. I need you to lay off this. I am handling it and will let you know what we find out. Focus on keeping our Vamp customers happy.”

  “Everything is fine so far. Greta knows about Father. She is happy with our service, but her contract ends with Father’s death and will have to be re-established with the new Alpha.”

  Sam shook his head. “I was not aware of that. I do have some ideas on how we can make things better. I have some senior guys that I can swap into key positions. I will feel better in the wake of attacks on the Pack to have a higher level of expertise with our key partner.”

  “I’ll pass that along to Greta, but she doesn’t want any changes made right now.”

  “It’s not really her decision. As Alpha, I have final decision as to how my Pack gets used.”

  “You are not Alpha yet, and until then, I will follow the instructions given by my Alpha.”

  “Calm down, Mark, I can understand your feelings. You are right to follow the last wishes of your Alpha. I am acting Alpha and I know you are not bound to me yet, but everyone needs to follow my orders for now.”

  “I will follow all of your orders that don’t contradict my last instructions from our Alpha.”

  “I can understand your position, and will keep that in mind. For now, you can keep your people. Are you going to challenge me for Alpha?”

  “Sam, you were always going to be the next Alpha. Why would I challenge that?”

  “Then I expect your full support when the time comes.”

  ***

  “Mark, what’s wrong?”

  He had trouble meeting Chloe’s eyes. “I think Sam is behind what’s going on. He does not want me looking into my father’s death and the first thing he wanted to do was replace people I have with Greta with those loyal to him.”

  “I think something is up with your mother as well.”

  “Why do you suspect my mother?”

  “Let me put it this way: would she know if your father was keeping things from her or know if he was lying?”

  “There is no way he could hide anything from her after all the years they were together. She would feel everything he did.”

  “Then there is no way he could keep his Wolf from sharing?”

  “Not even he could do that. She would know.”

  “Then she lied to me about not knowing your father suspected someone in the Pack was working with the Russians.”

  Mark shook his head. “It would have gone both ways. My father would know if she was not loyal. I don’t know what to do with her lies to you.”

  “What can you do about Sam? Can you challenge him for Alpha?”

  “Sam has trained all his life for this. Sam will be Alpha.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Meet the ancestors

  CHLOE KNOCKED ON the door. “Thank you for seeing me, David.”

  “Please come in. Welcome to my home. Have a seat and tell me how I can help you.”

  Chloe took a seat in the living room. “There are things going on in the Pack. Not sure you heard that Mark’s father, the Alpha, has been murdered. I want to make sure I can help Mark. My inner Coyote said I should meet Coyote and you’re his Champion.”

  David nodded. “You can talk to your inner Coyote?”

  “Can’t you?”

  David shook his head. “I don’t have anything like that. Maybe if I could only change shape into one thing, it would have been a part of me. When I do change, I have some instincts of what I become, but there is not a separate voice I can talk to. I can also become other people, so I guess I would get a bit crazy with a multitude of voices in my head.”

  They both laughed.

  “I am sorry to hear you don’t get to experience that. Her name is Coh. I also can, to a lesser extent, talk to my Vampire hunger, but that is more feelings of need than anything else.”

  David nodded. “Back to your question. Your Coyote is correct. Are you asking for my help or from The Protector of the People?”

  “I only want your help, not some Protector or Marshal to swoop in and fix things.”

  “I’ll do what I can.”

  “What can you tell me about Coyote?”

  “Coyote or Sin-ka-lip' as he is called by the Salish, is an old god and a trickster. He only does things for his own reasons, no matter what he says.”

  “Do you trust him?”

  David laughed. “I trust him to be Sin-ka-lip'. He never does anything that does not benefit him.”

  A man walked into the room, surprising Chloe. He looked like Graham Greene from the movie Dances with Wolves. He was dressed in a three-piece suit. He said something Chloe did not understand.

  The man switched to English. “What is wrong with young people today? Nobody understands their native language anymore.”

  “Chloe, let me introduce you to Sin-ka-lip'.”

  Chloe’s mount went dry. “It’s an honor to meet you, sir.”

  “It should be. I am Sin-ka-lip' and you are my daughter.”

  “I thought my father was a Vampire.”

  “Oh he was. I was the father of your proper ancestors.”

  “Then you are my true great grandfather. You do me a great honor meeting me.”

  “Yes, it must be an honor for you, my child.”

  “I want to know if there is a way to help my mate, Mark.”

  “Why would you do that? If something happens to him, you will be able to find a proper Coyote mate.”

  Chloe could feel she needed to be careful in her response. “Yes, but with this mate, the Pack will learn how much better Coyotes are.”

  “For someone of impure blood, you are very wise. I will help you.”

  Chloe bowed her head. “Thank you, Sin-ka-lip'.”

  “I know what must be done. I will change Mark into a Coyote. He will then be your proper mate, and you can have Coyote offspring.”

  Chloe felt like her head was spinning. “How will that help us?”

  “He would no longer be subject to the Pack and will lead Coyotes into the future doing what is right.”

  “What about his inner Wolf and my connection to him?”

  “His inner self will over time adjust to the Coyote way of things. The connection between you will not change, but you will also change.”

  “In what way?”

  “You will also become pure coyote so you can have coyote offspring and help make us strong again.”

  Chloe’s jaw dropped. “What? How is that even possible?”

  “I am Sin-ka-lip'. This is a limited time offer. Mark must decide before his Pack has a new Alpha. If he accepts my o
ffer, I will hear him.”

  Sin-ka-lip' turned and faded away.

  “Chloe, you have your answer. Do you regret asking now?”

  “I am not sure Sin-ka-lip's idea helps or that Mark and I would want to accept his terms. Do you think he can really do it?”

  “Sin-ka-lip' has not always been fully honest with me. I don’t know if he can do it, or what the cost will be if he does.”

  ***

  Chloe was not sure what to do with Sin-ka-lip's offer. After she’d had a chance to wrap her head around it, she’d tell Mark. It would be cool if she and Mark were both Coyotes together, but would that solve anything? Mark would have to leave his family and friends behind, but he would be out of Pack politics. It was easy for her to suggest it since she never had the strong family he had. But if he stayed in the Pack, what then? She could never be part of a group that sided with the Russians, and she wouldn’t bond with a new Alpha that did. That would force Mark to have to decide between her and everything he had known all his life. Mark could fight his brother for the right to be Alpha, but Sam could kill him. She didn’t know anything about the fight, but Mark didn’t seem confident in his ability to win, and nothing Sin-ka-lip' said would help him in that.

  Chloe decided to make two more stops before talking to Mark about what happened.

  ***

  “Hi Maggie, do you have time to talk?”

  Maggie nodded. “Please come in and have a seat, dear.”

  Chloe walked into the living room and sat on the couch. “Hi Ted, I am happy to see you again.”

  Ted smiled. “I am sorry I missed you on your last visit. I see you did not bring your Wolf with you.”

  “I have some questions I would like to ask you both and it does involve Mark.”

  Maggie sat down across from Chloe. “How can we help?”