by Claudia King
"If you do not obey your alpha, I will have you driven from my pack!" Khelt said.
Adel did not flinch. "Then I will take half of my seers with me. They are loyal to their den mother, not you. How well will the pack fare with only the stubborn elders left to tend its wounds and seek the wisdom of the spirits?"
"You would not dare."
"You know I would. Now allow Netya to make her choice, unless you are afraid to let a female speak her mind for once."
It took all Khelt's years of restraint to keep from letting his wolf rise up and take control. Challenging a woman in anger was the dishonourable refuge of men who had not the strength of will to assert themselves, and he refused to give in to the urge. Adel wanted it, he could tell. She would relish nothing more than to make him disgrace himself in such as way. That she had used Netya to push him this far made it even worse.
"Very well," he said. "I will allow her to prove you wrong, if that is what it takes to put an end to this." He beckoned Netya over to his side, noting her reluctance, and put an arm around her shoulders. She did not deserve to be put in such a situation, but Adel had left him with little choice. He would find some way to make amends for it later.
"I do not wish to come between you," Netya mumbled.
Her response drew a glare from Adel. "You have wits, girl, use them. You are a seer now."
Netya looked up at him. "I have no desire to stop being your consort," she said, "but Adel has taught me things I wish to learn more of. I promise you, she is not trying to turn me against anyone."
"I will not be able to teach you properly if you are still at his beck and call," the den mother said.
"Then lighten her duties," Khelt replied, seeing his opportunity. If he could not wrest Netya away from her immediately, he could at least set it in motion. "Look at her. She is exhausted. Even your loyal seers agree you are pushing her too hard." He added the last with a hint of satisfaction, smiling as he saw how his minor embellishment of the truth struck home. He had no way of knowing whether the others seers agreed with what the elder had told him, but it seemed that Adel did not know either. Perhaps she was not as certain of their loyalty as she claimed.
The den mother tilted her head back, making a show of consideration, but Khelt knew he had put her in a difficult spot. By showing a willingness to compromise, he had challenged her to do the same, or risk losing face. It was a technique he was glad to have learned from Caspian.
"Her training must take priority over your personal needs," Adel said. "But I will permit her to leave the cave by sundown each day, if that is what she desires."
"I do, if it makes the alpha and den mother content," Netya said.
Another look of annoyance crossed Adel's features, and Khelt took the opportunity to embrace the girl, drawing her away from the other woman.
"I am sorry to have put you in such a position, Netya," he said, then fixed Adel with a look that told her the matter was far from over. "You may leave now, Den Mother."
Her eyes fell for a moment, but he felt no pity for her. He was glad to see the back of the witch as she turned and swept back through the drapes, disappearing into the depths of her lair.
Khelt let out a long breath and allowed his anger to fade, clutching Netya to his chest tightly. He could feel her trembling. "I missed you so. This was not the reunion I desired."
"I missed you also," she said.
He ran his hand through the fur of the thick wolf pelt she wore. "Take this thing off, and come to my den later. I will have food and drink brought, and we can forget about this together."
"I would like that." Netya lifted her head up and gave him a smile.
Khelt's brow creased as he gazed into her pretty eyes, a painful tightness clutching at his throat. He would take care of her, and protect her from whatever cruel thoughts Adel filled her head with. It was not fair on the poor girl to have such burdens placed upon her. It was his duty to shoulder them in her stead, as her alpha, and as the man to whom she belonged.
He kissed her with furious passion, wanting nothing more than to still the shivers of her body and calm the sadness in her eyes.
* * *
The conversation between Netya and Khelt had not escaped Vaya's notice when the alpha made his return. In fact, her attention was never long in being aroused whenever talk of the Sun girl was within hearing distance. She listened to the exchange carefully as she made a show of examining a bundle of heavy carrying poles. Once Khelt left, she waited patiently for a few moments before slipping away, taking the form of her wolf and making as if to head down to the river. The path led her away from the seers' cave before she was within earshot, but, after checking that nobody else was nearby, she leaped off the path and followed the rocks around until she had skirted to a spot a short distance below where Khelt and Netya stood.
Vaya knew every inch of the outcrop like the back of her hand, and she had found many secret places where she could sit and listen unobserved over the years. Lying down against the sun-warm rocks, she closed her eyes and pretended to be dozing, but her wolf's sensitive ears remained pricked and alert.
The conversation going on above carried down easily, and, despite her pretence of lounging in the last of the evening sun, her tail began to wag in agitation as the exchange grew more and more heated. Even though Vaya was driven by her desire for power and status, she was no alpha, and like all of her people she became worried when Khelt's authority was called into question. He was the one they had put their faith in to lead them. They relied on him, for better or worse, to be the hand that held them all in check. Without an alpha, wolves could be wild and savage creatures. If he could not command the respect required of him, in what other ways might he falter?
She had followed in the hopes of witnessing Netya's dismissal from the seerhood first-hand, but instead she had stumbled upon a brewing conflict between the alpha and den mother that left her deeply concerned.
Why could none of them see what she saw? The Sun girl did not belong. In all of her time here, she had brought nothing but conflict to the pack, and now she was coming between the two people who were supposed to be mother and father to them all.
When Netya spoke of her willingness to compromise, Vaya had to stifle a growl as her lips pulled back from her muzzle.
If you really cared, you would leave and go back where you belong.
For as long as Netya had been around, it was as if a curse had been placed on Vaya. After her glorious hunt the previous summer, every attempt she had made to build upon that success had been thwarted. She had felt the status she had desired all her life almost within her grasp, and month by month it had slipped through her fingers a piece at a time.
First she had been forbidden from hunting for striking Netya, preventing her from securing her position. Then, as she had been about to claim victory in the great hunt, the girl had appeared again to distract her from her prey. She had thought driving her out of the hunt would be the end of it, but Vaya had led two expeditions in the months since that had returned home with barely enough meat to have been worthwhile.
There was nothing more shameful than a pitiful hunt. Even returning home empty-handed was better. Meagre spoils suggested that the pack had found prey, but the hunters lacked the skill or inclination to bring back more than enough to feed themselves.
A shroud of failure had surrounded Vaya, and day after day she felt the respect of her pack dwindling. Already she was having more difficulty than Tal in finding hunters willing to join her, and if she did not secure a victory soon she would have no choice but to make herself subordinate to the other hunter once again. Something had to change, but what could she do if the prey would not come? More and more often her thoughts returned to the continued presence of the Sun girl, until she was too distracted to focus on even her own hunting plans.
Perhaps Netya really had placed a curse on her, as revenge for what had happened during the great hunt. She was learning the ways of the seers now. Who knew what dark m
agic Adel had shared with her? It was offensive enough that one of their enemies was allowed to partake in such wisdom, but now that even the alpha himself seemed unable to stop it, Vaya found herself gripped with worry alongside her anger.
Netya had clouded the sight of all of them. Khelt, Caspian, Fern, and now maybe even the den mother. Why did they not understand that the only solution was to excise the problem from their midst?
She continued pawing at the rocks in agitation long after the voices above fell silent, pacing back and forth as she struggled to think of what she could do. One thing was certain to her now —the pack would never be the same until Netya was gone. It was not enough to keep her away from the hunt, or hope that her training as a seer would come to an end. She would always find some other way to intrude on their way of life. If things were to return to the way they had once been, it was Vaya's duty to make it happen.
The only question was how.
—32—
Sacrifices
Caspian lay back in the crook of his favourite rock, the waters of the river trickling past around him as he watched the twine of his fishing pole drift back and forth in the current. A fish darted close to the bone hook, nibbling inquisitively at the strip of meat trailing from the end, then streaked away downstream.
The splash of Khelt's spear piercing the water sounded in his ears a moment later. He looked up, then smiled as his friend cursed and withdrew his weapon from the shallows, returning to his perch on the line of stepping stones, body tense as he eyed the riverbed for another target.
"The line catches them more often than the spear," Caspian said.
"But where is the challenge in holding a line?" Khelt replied, shifting the spear in his grasp to get a better grip. "They say my father could spear a fish the second he saw it. He never needed to wait for his prey to bite."
"If you spent less time feasting and more time fishing you might be able to as well."
Khelt glared at him, then grinned and tossed the spear in his direction, splashing Caspian with droplets as it landed harmlessly in the water off to his side. Khelt hopped into the shallows and waded over, sitting down on the bank after he retrieved his weapon.
Caspian enjoyed fishing with his friend. It was one of the few things that had barely changed in all the years they'd spent together. Khelt had always been better at it than him, back when they used to snatch up fish in the jaws of their wolves, but once Caspian learned the patience of using the hooked line the competition had become much more even.
Khelt had clearly been waiting for him to say something ever since his return the previous day, and at last the alpha threw his hands in the air and gave in. "Tell me then. Why did you let it happen?"
Caspian shrugged. "Did I have a choice? If Adel wants something, she will ensure she has it. If you could not make her change her mind, I doubt she would have listened to me."
"She does listen to you, though. I know you could have stopped her somehow if you wanted to."
Caspian paused for a moment to think, twirling his fishing pole back and forth between his palms. "The reason I can get through to Adel is because I am similar to her in some ways."
"Yes, you have her wisdom, but not her wicked heart."
"I think Netya is the same. The longer she stays with us, the more she reminds me of Adel when she was younger."
"That does not reassure me," Khelt grunted. "If that is true, we should be doing everything we can to stop her going down the same path."
It saddened Caspian to hear Khelt speak like this. Perhaps it really would have been better if he'd exiled Adel all those years ago, if only so that his resentment for her could not have been given the chance to grow.
"Think of it in the opposite way," he said. "Netya is not just spending time with Adel, Adel is spending time with Netya. Perhaps she can remind the den mother of some of the things she has forgotten."
"The only thing she needs reminding of is her place in this pack. I will not have her turn Netya against me."
"If that is what worries you, then turn your attention to Netya, not her mentor. Give her reasons to care for you, rather than to resent others." Caspian's chest twinged, his words reminding him of the pendant he had made for Netya. He had only meant it as an encouragement, but how many hours had he spent painstakingly carving that pattern to perfection? It was not easy to admit how much pleasure it brought him to see her wearing it. And why had he made her such a gift in the first place, if not for just such a reason?
Deep in his gut, his wolf tempted him to let Khelt drive her away, and he hated himself for admitting to such thoughts. He would never go against his brother like that. Some things were more important than a single person's desires.
They talked for a while about what had happened in Khelt's absence, but the conversation kept returning to Netya. She was clearly on both of their minds, and it was not long before the inevitable question was asked.
"Was she with anyone else while I was away?" Khelt said.
"Only me. I think she forgot your absence and came to your den one night. I happened to be there."
Khelt looked at him in surprise. "When have you ever taken a female on such a whim?"
"At least once, I suppose. We have become good friends since the great hunt."
"Do you care for her?" Khelt said, his tone amicable enough, but a slight twitch of his brow betrayed his anxiety.
Caspian shook his head. "Not in that way. As I said, she reminds me of Adel when she was younger. She understands things that few others do."
Khelt's pensive expression broke into a smile. "Well, at least now you know why I find her company so pleasurable. I know she is not my mate, but I am still glad to hear she did not stray too far in my absence. Having to go without her made me realise I would not be comfortable letting her join with someone else."
"Every male in the pack understands she is not theirs to claim."
"Nor is she anyone's," Khelt sighed. "She grows more wilful by the day. I doubt any man could claim her unless she wanted it."
"You see now why I liken her to Adel."
"Yes, and that is why I worry," Khelt growled. "She does not need to become any more like her. Adel puts ideas into the heads of women that they should not be burdened with. It is the place of men to take responsibility for such things."
"What about females like Vaya? She has the spirit of a man, and the strength to support it."
Khelt waved a hand impatiently. "Yes, but Netya is not like that. I want her to settle into a role that will make her happy, not worry over things that should be my duty to bear for her." He drummed his fingers on the shaft of his spear, deep in thought. "And it is not just Netya. Before Adel came here, the females knew their duties, and they were content in them. They are the gentle core of our pack that holds the strength of the men together. When they try to be both..." He shook his head. "I do not know. Life was just never meant to be that way."
"Adel thinks it foolish to put any faith in old customs," Caspian said. "She only believes in the truth of the world around her, and I fear tradition has been responsible for little else but pain in her life."
Khelt curled his lip. "You agree with her, don't you?"
"I think there are more ways for women to be happy than you think. And men too, for that matter."
"So do you agree with her or not?"
"All I am saying is that you should not be afraid of letting Netya learn from her. Trust in her wisdom to make her own choices. If you want her to be with you, give her good reason to be."
Khelt thought it over for a time, tapping the surface of the water with the tip of his spear. Caspian's own attention had long since been dragged away from his fishing line, preoccupied instead by the painful weight in his stomach. Ever since his night with Netya, he had been fighting the urge to follow the exact same advice he had just given Khelt.
What the alpha saw as troublesome, Caspian found intriguing. When Adel first came to the pack, he had wondered, for a time, whether he m
ight harbour feelings for the new den mother. Many of the young men his age had been enthralled by her beauty, but it was the qualities of her character that had called out to Caspian. She was different from the other females, embodying the things he only glimpsed shades of in most women. But she had been distant, even then. He soon realised that her heart was too hard, her spirit too volatile, to be the woman for him. The attraction had grown cold, and Caspian had all but forgotten it until Netya arrived.
Netya. Why did she hound his thoughts? Why did he now purposefully avoid looking at the symbol he had marked down for her in the wood, despite longing to look at nothing else?
He knew why, of course. In a way, he almost hoped she would grow to become more like Adel or Khelt, so that his feelings could cool once more. If she did not, the months to come would be hard on him indeed.
"What if I take her as my mate?" Khelt said eventually.
The announcement startled Caspian more than he had expected, so much so that his composure cracked and he growled out his next words with incredulity. "You can never do that!"
"I know, I know." Khelt put out a hand to calm his friend. "I would never risk the pack's safety by allowing Adel's clan to learn of it. It would not be a true mating, but she and I would feel it in our hearts. If I tell her I desire her as my woman, and we perform the ceremony alone, together, she will understand how much I care for her. Our spirits will know they are joined, even if no one else does."
Caspian looked away, fixing his gaze back on his fishing hook. He stared at the sharp bone point until he could almost feel it boring into his eyes. All of the enjoyment of sharing the pastime with his friend had gone.
"What do you think?" Khelt said, when he received no response.
"Yes," Caspian replied, his voice dry. "I expect that would be a fine idea."
* * *
Khelt was not the only one for whom things had changed since his return. Everything seemed subtly different, despite much returning to the way it had once been.