Werewolf in Denver

by Vicki Lewis Thompson

  But Giselle seemed smart and capable. Kate could have suggested her, instead, making up some excuse as to why she couldn’t do it herself. No reasonable excuse came to her, but anything would have been better than letting the chips fall where they might.

  At least they had a mission statement, though. She tried to console herself with that as she hurried downstairs for the first session, her laptop in a small briefcase so she could work on her blog during the next seminar. The mission statement was a good one, too, although if she and Duncan became the target of gossip, acceptance of the mission statement would be in jeopardy. Damn and double damn.

  Howard was already at the microphone when she slipped into the room and found a seat in the back. Duncan had made it there ahead of her and sat with his Woofers. Once again they had taken the left side of the aisle and the Howlers had commandeered the right.

  Kate gazed at the sea of purple shirts and hoped with all her heart that she hadn’t jeopardized the movement she held so dear. Her throat tightened. They’d all been so enthusiastic and loyal. Would they turn on her? Find themselves a new leader? Heidi would stand by her, but she couldn’t guarantee that the rest would.

  Howard greeted the delegates with warmth and friendliness. He was going to make a terrific president, even if he did have two sons with human wives. Kate thought she’d made progress with Duncan in that respect, too. Apparently he’d been viewing the Were-human mating idea only from the Were male’s perspective.

  If she were in the mood for laughing, she’d find that funny. Typical, maybe, but funny, all the same. Duncan hadn’t considered what the dangers would be for a female Were who married a human, as Penny had done. But he’d considered them now, and it would affect how he approached the issue in the future.

  Her close association with Duncan had reaped benefits for the Howler cause, no doubt about it. But she didn’t know if she’d get a chance to explain, or if she even could explain without sounding defensive. Some might see only that she’d literally slept with the enemy, and condemn her as a result.

  “Thanks to my brilliant council members,” Howard said, “I have two exciting proposals for you. The first is a name for our brand-new, bouncing-baby werewolf organization. I present to you the possibility of calling it WOW, Worldwide Organization of Werewolves.”

  The hall fell silent for a couple of seconds, and then someone began to clap. Soon the applause became thunderous and included howling and choruses of woof, woof, woof. The organization had a name.

  Even mired down by her personal concerns, Kate realized this was an historic moment. Angela Sapworthy sat two rows in front of her tapping away on her laptop. Kate didn’t appreciate the gossip that Angela presented as legitimate news, but at least someone was here recording the event and sending it out into the Were world.

  In spite of everything, Kate was glad to be here, to be a witness to the formation of an organization dedicated to making life better for werewolves everywhere. If the mission statement that she and Duncan had worked so hard to create was accepted, she could take pride in being a significant part of this conference.

  “And now, for the second exciting development,” Howard said. “An organization with a terrific name like WOW needs a guiding principle, a mission statement. I’m happy to say that thanks to the commitment and perseverance of Howler leader Kate Stillman and Woofer leader Duncan MacDowell, we have such a statement.”

  “Are they shacking up or what?” someone called from the crowd.

  Kate cringed. Dear God, this could be a disaster.

  “Yeah, what’s going on between those two?” someone else shouted. “Maybe they need their own group, the Wofflers!”

  The room erupted, with accusations from some and ribald jokes from others. At some point Kate had been spotted, and several Weres turned to look at Kate to see how she was taking it. She straightened in her chair and stared them down, although she could feel the heat in her cheeks.

  “Weres! Have some dignity!” Howard banged the gavel several times on the lectern and eventually the crowd settled again.

  “Let’s be clear,” he said in ringing tones. “I will not tolerate that kind of behavior in an official session of WOW.” He fixed his intense gray eyes on the crowd. “I agreed to serve as your president because I believe in what we can accomplish together. That requires civil discourse at all times. Another outbreak and I will adjourn this session and disband our council.”

  The delegates muttered among themselves.

  His jaw set, Howard banged the gavel again. “You have an opportunity for greatness today. But you can waste that opportunity by wallowing in petty gossip and innuendo. It’s your choice.” He continued to glare at the assembled delegates while several squirmed in their chairs.

  Now Kate understood why Grandma Elizabeth had such faith in Howard Wallace. If anyone could corral this bunch, it would be a Were like Howard. He hadn’t amassed a fortune by being meek, and he hadn’t run the Wallace pack through lax leadership. Kate might not agree with the actions of his sons, but she could learn a great deal about being a pack alpha from watching Howard.

  Then, to her surprise, Duncan stood. “May I say something, Mr. President?”

  “You may, Mr. MacDowell.”

  Kate’s heart thudded painfully in her chest. She had no idea what Duncan planned to say. She prayed that whatever it was, he wouldn’t make things worse for himself, or for her, either.

  “I realize there are a few rumors circulating about the relationship between Kate Stillman and me,” Duncan said. “That’s a bloody shame, because there’s not a Were more dedicated to the cause she believes in than Kate. During our brainstorming session last night she fought like a tiger, or I should say, like a wolf, for her principles.”

  Kate’s chest tightened with emotion. He was defending her, and that might come back to haunt him.

  “Don’t misunderstand,” Duncan continued. “I fought for my principles, too. Neither one of us has abandoned our position. I’m still in favor of openness and Were-human mating, and Kate wants to maintain secrecy and restrict us to Were-Were mating. Check out our blogs in a couple of hours if you doubt it. Whatever our personal relationship, which, by the way, is none of your bloody business, we remain fierce opponents in this discussion.”

  She felt attention swing to her once again. He’d tacitly acknowledged that they had a personal relationship. She flushed, but not with shame. She was pleased that he wasn’t ashamed of it, either, and he’d had the courage to defend their right to privacy. He’d also set the stage for a continuing battle of principles. All in all, she couldn’t have asked for a better declaration.

  But he had more to say. “In the end, though, we both realized that the mission statement was separate from our individual agendas. It couldn’t be just for Woofers, or just for Howlers. It had to be for all of us, including those who haven’t chosen either side. I ask you to listen with an open mind. Thank you.” Duncan took his seat amid scattered applause and a few faint woofs.

  Everyone, it seemed, was now ready to hear this mission statement that Howard was excited about and Duncan vocally supported.

  “Thank you, Duncan.” Howard looked pleased. “And I want to commend you and Kate for your fine work. I asked you to put aside your political agendas, and you have. I will now read the proposed mission statement as crafted by Duncan MacDowell and Kate Stillman. Worldwide Organization of Werewolves Mission Statement: to support the werewolf culture and the interests of each individual throughout the world.” Howard glanced up and surveyed the delegates.

  At first there was silence, and then Jake Hunter stood. “I’d like to speak.”

  Howard nodded. “Go ahead, Mr. Hunter.”

  “There’s nothing in there about protecting ourselves. Instead of talking about supporting the interests of each individual, I think we should talk about supporting their safety. Some in this room don’t seem to be worried about that, but I, for one, am.”

  The Howlers clapped enthusia
stically. Kate braced herself for someone to start a howl going, but Howard’s lecture must have subdued her followers somewhat. No howls were forthcoming, and she was relieved.

  She also felt she should answer his objection. She stood. “May I speak in response, Mr. President?”

  Howard nodded. “Of course, Ms. Stillman.”

  She looked at Jake, whose piercing green eyes seemed to take her measure. The stiff set of his shoulders indicated he was disappointed in her. “I understand why you would want the word safety instead of interests. I argued for that, too. But that word has a connotation that fits the Howler message. Duncan lobbied for his favorite buzzwords, too. We had to leave them out in order to create a mission statement that worked for everyone.”

  “Well, it doesn’t work for me.” Jake’s angry stance didn’t change. “If this mission statement is adopted, then I’m serving notice right now that I’m starting my own organization. And I’ll welcome any Howlers who are as unhappy with the direction we’re heading in as I am.”

  “That’s your choice,” Kate said. “But I’d be sorry to see you do that.” She sat down, her stomach churning. Jake had charisma and might very well tear apart the organization she’d struggled so hard to build.

  Howard spoke into the mike. “Are you finished, Mr. Hunter?”

  “Yes. I’ll wait for the vote.” Jake took his seat.

  “Does anyone else want to speak?”

  The room was quiet.

  “In that case, that’s all the business we have this morning,” Howard said. “We’re going old-school for the vote on this mission statement. Ballots and a ballot box are out in the hall.”

  “How do we know it’s fair?” called out a Woofer covered in anti-Howler buttons.

  “Reasonable question,” Howard said. “The vote will be anonymous, but we know how many delegates we have. We’ll count the ballots at five this afternoon. If there are fewer ballots than delegates, so be it. If there are more, then we’ll have to do it all over again during the ball tonight. So don’t try stuffing the ballot box. Please. It’ll ruin our party.” He banged the gavel. “We’re adjourned.”

  Kate was immediately surrounded by Howlers with questions about how the mission statement would affect them. She was grateful that no one, at least so far, asked about her relationship with Duncan. She did her best to explain to those clustered around her that the mission statement was designed to unify, not divide.

  But seminars were beginning, and she didn’t want the mission statement debate to pull delegates away from scheduled speakers. She announced that she was going to a lecture titled “Were-Were Sex: Enhancing the Basic Position.” She’d interviewed the speaker for her book and wanted to support her talk.

  Because of that, she participated in the discussion and didn’t have any downtime to write her blog. The second hour, though, she sat in on a session titled “Managing Your Offspring’s First Shift.” Although it was presented by two of her followers, the topic wasn’t relevant to her yet, so she could sneak some time to write her blog. Choosing her words carefully, she told her followers that voting for the mission statement wouldn’t jeopardize their cause.

  She noticed a few of the Howlers glancing at her while she worked. Maybe they thought she should be paying more attention to the speaker, but she didn’t have kids yet, so why worry about it now? She posted her blog just as the seminar ended.

  As she shut off her laptop and stowed it in her briefcase, Heidi rushed into the seminar room headed straight for her. She looked upset, and so pale her freckles stood out as if they’d been drawn on with a Sharpie. Kate hadn’t spoken to Heidi yet this morning, but she couldn’t believe this sudden panic had anything to do with the mission statement.

  Worried that something even worse had happened to her dating site, Kate stood, grabbed her briefcase, and met Heidi halfway across the room. “What is it?”

  “Duncan’s blog. Have you seen it?”

  “I haven’t had a chance to look, but we both agreed to post something positive about the mission statement. What did he say?”

  “He didn’t talk about the mission statement, I can tell you that.” Heidi pulled out her phone from her purse and clicked a button before turning the phone so Kate could see it.

  At first Kate couldn’t tell what she was looking at, so she magnified the picture, and then she gasped. The picture was fake, of course, but someone skilled in Photoshop techniques had managed to make it look as if she lay in bed with the male lead of The Force, her favorite TV actor and most definitely human. The caption was Following in Her Sister’s Footsteps? Below that a short blog recounted Penny’s choice of a human mate and suggested that Kate was leading a double life by insisting that Weres should have sex only with Weres while she dallied with a human TV star.

  Kate felt sick to her stomach. No wonder Howlers had been looking at her during the seminar. They’d probably pulled this up on their phones and wondered what the hell was going on.

  One of her first conversations with Duncan came back with perfect clarity. What’s your favorite show? I love The Force. I have a little crush on the guy who plays Adam.

  She couldn’t believe that the same Duncan who’d loved her so thoroughly mere hours ago could have posted this blog, but she’d confessed her fears about her sister last night, and the night before, she’d confessed her silly attraction to this TV actor.

  Swallowing the bile that rose in her throat, she handed the phone back to Heidi. “I have to talk to him.”

  “Talk to him? How about you, me, and the rest of the Howlers lure him into a dark hallway and beat the living shit out of him? How about that?”

  “I just can’t believe…Let me at least see what he says.”

  “What can he say? He’s mounted a smear campaign with a Photoshopped picture! Some Weres will recognize that, but not all of them. We need to take him out.” Heidi quivered with rage. “I’m so furious I could do it right now with my bare hands. I don’t care if he outweighs me by a hundred pounds. Let me at him.”

  But Kate had already pulled out her phone and texted Duncan—How could you post that blog?

  His response came back almost immediately. We agreed to highlight our differences, remember?

  Not like that!

  Kate, I hope you don’t expect me to back off from the Woofer position because of last night.

  A cold chill traveled down her spine. You’ve betrayed me, Duncan!

  How?

  If you don’t know, then there’s no way I could ever explain it to you. A red mist of fury settled over her brain as she looked up from her phone. “Beating the shit out of him is too private a punishment, Heidi. I want the whole of Were cyberspace to know what I think of that slimy bastard.”

  “Now you’re talking!”

  “Let’s get out of here. I need to go up to my room and concentrate on this.” She nearly crashed into Neil as she stormed out into the hall.

  “Hey, Kate!” He caught her arm. “Anything wrong? You look furious.”

  She was in no mood to play nice with her cousin. “Sorry. No time to talk. Heidi and I have something that needs doing immediately.” Adrenaline pumping, she headed for her room with Heidi by her side.

  Chapter 16

  Sniffer Update: @newshound—Blog attack! Just as WERECON2012 started to bore me, MacDowell and Stillman unloaded…on each other! #mesmerized

  Knox Trevelyan stopped Duncan in the hallway between sessions. “I admire all your work and have always admired your dedication to the Woofer cause, but I’m not sure what to think about that blog, buddy. It doesn’t sound like you.”

  “I wanted to make sure everyone knows where I stand.” Duncan went back over the blog he’d written and couldn’t see why Kate, and now Knox, objected to it.

  “Oh, you did that, all right. And she’s responded in kind. Can’t say I blame her, either.”

  “Guess I should take a look at her blog, then.” He’d written his quickly during the first hour, finished it in ab
out fifteen minutes, and posted it right away. He thought he’d done a decent job of stating the Woofer position while still supporting the mission statement. Her reaction made no sense. Had their time together convinced her that he would never say anything negative about the Howlers again? That was unrealistic and not what he’d expect of her.

  “If I were you,” Knox said, “I’d issue an apology before this gets any nastier.”

  “Nasty?” Duncan frowned. “I wasn’t nasty.”

  “Then you and I have different standards. Well, I’m off to another session. I hope you two get this over with before Howard sees it. He’ll blow a gasket.” Knox headed on down the hallway to one of the meeting rooms.

  Duncan found a quiet corner with two easy chairs tucked into it, sat down, and took his laptop out of his briefcase. Something wasn’t right. He quickly called up Kate’s blog and read it in growing amazement.

  OPEN LETTER TO DUNCAN MACDOWELL

  Dear So-Not-a-Prince Duncan—I made the mistake of thinking that you had a touch of honor in your soul, but your recent actions have convinced me that you have none whatsoever. I also deluded myself that you had a few brains in that swelled head of yours, but apparently that’s not true, either. Otherwise you’d realize that Weres are intelligent beings who will recognize a smear campaign when they see it.

  Your opinion of your kind must be exceedingly low if you think they can be duped as you have attempted to dupe them. No wonder you prefer human females. You probably seek out those who are not very bright, so that you can amaze them with your supposed brilliance. I, however, have seen the light, and it does not come from you, Duncan MacDowell. All that I see when I look at you is the dark pit of hell. May you spend the rest of your life roasting in it. Kate

  A hive of angry bees buzzed in his head. Smear campaign? Duping other Weres? What was she talking about? He called up his own blog, and there was the reasoned post he’d written.

  Now that he thought about it, everyone wearing a purple shirt had been glaring at him for the past hour, and a few had made some rude gestures, too. He’d wondered about that, because he hadn’t thought his post was the least bit inflammatory. It still wasn’t. Sure, he’d restated his belief in ending the secrecy and allowing Weres and humans to mate without fear, but there was nothing insulting about his argument.