Enslaved by the Alpha: Part Six
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Halley asked, “Do you not want pups either?”
“No,” Astrid said, finding her voice. “I mean, it doesn’t matter to me. I would love my child, no matter what.”
Halley smiled. “That’s good.”
The topic cast a gloomy shroud over the room, and during the hours that followed, even Ila seemed subdued. During her brief time in the pack, Astrid had observed that parents were a sore subject amongst the shifters, and it was not lost on her that Sten was the only father she knew of in the pack, and there were no human mothers. Life in the arctic was too capricious for the bonds of family.
CHAPTER THREE
They waited until daybreak to make their move, not because the light gave them any tactical advantage, but because it was when Sylvestre finally became confident that he was prepared.
Erik knew that Sylvestre would have been ready any time. In spite of being a poor planner, he was adaptive, quick on his feet, and unafraid to take risks. He appreciated all of those qualities.
From their cliff perch, they’d spotted a narrow pathway, and it was the one they used to descend into the basin. Erik’s black pelt was in stark contrast with the white snow, which was now drifting down from the sky like filmy sheets of lattice.
They made no effort to hide their advance, but they went unnoticed for a considerable amount of time, something Erik made a mental note of. This was the first sign that the tribes lacked any formal delegation or structure. No one ever got remotely close to his den without being spotted.
When they reach the bottom, the path widened, and then emptied into a well-worn thoroughfare. There were no shifters traveling the road, but they were finally noticed a few hundred meters before the first cluster of campsites. Erik found himself wondering how Atka and Torok had ever gotten caught at all. He wasn’t a great believer in luck, but he knew that only supreme misfortune—or ineptitude—would have led them to be uncovered by the bears.
Three shifters approached them in human form: two hulking males in white furs and a small wisp of a female. He kept his eyes on her as they approached, instinct telling him that she was the most dangerous. If anything happened, it would be up to him to defend them, as he was the only one in a position to fight at a second’s notice.
Though the males looked ready to attack, they had all come in human form, which meant they were willing to talk. From his perch on Erik’s back, Sylvestre waved at them.
“Greetings,” he said in a bright tone that Erik would have never been able to pull off. Erik couldn’t see his face, but he knew that the beta male was smiling.
The male on the left spat at the ground. “You have a lot of nerve coming to our pack, mutt.”
Erik inwardly snorted. Their group was not a pack. More like a herd—safety in numbers, but leaderless and disjointed.
“I don’t mean any offense,” said Sylvestre. “We are here on behalf of Erik, alpha of the Amarok pack. We greet you as allies.”
“We’re not interested in allying ourselves with wolves,” the other male said hotly.
More shifters had started to gather now, and Erik was aware of each one as it appeared. Most were in their bear forms, but he noticed several scrawny youths in human form. They were all eyeing the three fat rabbits Erik carried in his mouth.
“Oh? And you speak for everyone?” Sylvestre asked innocuously. “Are you the leader here?”
The male’s face flushed. “We don’t have leaders! Unlike you wolves, we’re not mindless drones, serving an alpha.”
And look how well that is working out for you.
“Again, I mean no offense,” Sylvestre said coolly. “But this puts me in an awkward position, as I was sent to propose an alliance.”
“We don’t need any fucking allia—”
The female gave the male a hard shove, causing him to stagger back. “Oh, shut up already.” She turned to look at Sylvestre, but pointed at Erik. “You give me those rabbits, and I’ll take you to our leader.”
Erik didn’t wait for Sylvestre to reply. He flung them in the female’s direction. She caught two, while the male on the right snagged the third. She shot him a look, but didn’t try to take it from him. Then she turned, motioning for Erik to follow.
As they walked through the camp, Sylvestre was on high alert. His powers of his perception allowed him to glance only once at a scene and then commit it to memory as his eyes moved on to the next scene. From what he could tell, his previous assessment had been spot on. The bears had plenty of resources—adequate shelters and an abundance of clothing—but no food. As they passed, the onlookers eyed the rabbits the female carried with open envy.
“I’m Elena,” the female said, glancing over her shoulder at Sylvestre. Whatever she saw on Sylvestre’s face made her eyes twinkle with delight.
“Sylvestre,” he replied. “And my companion here is Otto.”
Asshole.
“Well, Sylvestre, you are very bold to walk into our camp. The last wolves to do so were not welcomed quite as warmly.”
“And why am I so fortunate, Elena?”
She shrugged. “Perhaps they weren’t as charming.” But in a more serious tone, she added, “And they were spying on us.”
“And how do you know I’m not?”
“Oh, I’m sure you are, but at least you’re willing to meet with us, rather than treat us like enemies.”
They stopped outside of a large tent, and Elena passed one of the rabbits off to a group of cubs. A ruddy-faced girl squealed with excitement and ran off, the others chasing close behind her.
“Share it!” Elena yelled after them.
She pulled back the tent, and she waved for them to follow her in. Erik knew that he wouldn’t be able to remain in wolf form past this point, and he could only hope that he was as good an actor as Sylvestre. He had infiltrated packs in this manner before, but usually in a group large enough that he could remain relatively obscure. It was fortunate that Sylvestre was nearly as large as Erik, and hopefully Erik could somehow make himself look smaller. He couldn’t afford to draw attention to himself. If they figured out who he was, they would undoubtedly hold him hostage, but there would be no benefits to ransoming two simple messengers.
Erik shifted, and Sylvestre tossed him a pelt to cover himself. He fastened it around his neck, and then followed the others inside, keeping his head low.
The inside of the tent was warm, and smelled of leather and incense. There was a fire burning in the center of the room, and a small hole in the roof allowed the smoke to escape. There were two males seated beside the fire, their tall shadows framing their hulking forms. One of them appeared to be about Erik’s size, though it was hard to tell with him being in a sitting position. The other was substantially larger, almost freakishly large, Erik thought. They both wore outfits that had been fashioned from a white and slate colored fur that Erik recognized, a rare type of caribou that he hadn’t seen since he’d been a pup.
The female introduced them, and then sat down beside the smaller male. Sylvestre greeted them both, seeming unable to ascertain which male was in charge. Erik already knew.
“So,” Elena said, in a thoughtful tone, “tell me more about this alliance your alpha wants.”
As she spoke, her eyes assessed Erik. He may have been underestimating her, but he didn’t think she had any idea who he was. This assumption was reinforced when Sylvestre quickly reclaimed her attention.
“We’ve heard that your bears have been attacking the Siluit pack,” he said. And to Erik’s surprise, he took it upon himself to approach the fire and sit down across from Elena. The other males immediately appeared defensive, but Elena held out a quieting hand.
“They are not my bears,” she told him, firelight flickering in her violet eyes. “Many of the shifters here trust my judgment, and I have been known to enforce basic human decency from time to time, but I am not the boss of anyone but myself.”
And that is just what you want them to believe, Erik thought, still hanging back.
“You do realize you are on Amarok territory,” Sylvestre pointed out.
She arched a delicate brow. “And yet here you are, trying to foster peace when your alpha is renowned for his warmongering.”
Erik couldn’t argue with that. Aside from the alliance of convenience he’d made with Zane, he had never allied himself with anyone. He had absorbed several packs into his own over the years, and those that were not amicable to such an arrangement, he had conquered in a rather merciless fashion.
“If you think it’s because we couldn’t take you on, well you’re probably right,” Sylvestre said. Erik was impressed that they’d made it this far, but now was when everything could fall apart if Sylvestre couldn’t hold his own.
“So you admit that you don’t have the numbers to fight us, then?” Elena asked, appearing intrigued.
“We couldn’t possibly sustain a pack that large,” he said. “But I think you already knew that. But then, that is also the reason I’m here. Our territory wouldn’t sustain your tribes, not even for a year. But Siluit’s on the other hand…”
Elena leaned back on one hand and stared speculatively at Sylvestre. She was silent for a moment, but then sighed and said, “My scouts have told me as much. That eastern territory, herds of caribou pass through at least twice a year, and you can hardly throw a rock without hitting a muskox. Not to mention, with a little ingenuity, we could spend our downtime fishing.” Her eyes blazed with frank desire. “Under the right management, it could sustain us all, indefinitely.”
Erik relaxed, knowing that the danger had passed, more or less. They were still in the belly of a herd of bears, but he could see that Elena was warming up to Sylvestre, and that her goals were fixed towards the east, rather than the Amarok den. For once, he was glad he hadn’t conquered Siluit after its former alpha had passed. Even then, intuition had told him that the small stretch of abundant territory would be more trouble than it was worth.
“But still, I’m not the one in charge here,” she said. “And some of the self-proclaimed leaders would just as soon take your pack for themselves, even if it were only a jumping point to Siluit.”
Sylvestre nodded and gave her a mild look. “Understandable, but I would caution them to reconsider. It is true, we don’t have the numbers to combat yours, but we do have many advantages that you don’t, and I think you can guess what some of those might be. If they were to attack us, they might be surprised by how quickly the tides would turn in our favor.”
That seemed to surprise Elena, though she hid it well. Erik knew that she probably hadn’t considered the advantages Amarok had, such as being well fed, battle seasoned, and above all, knowing the territory—the value of which losing sides from time immemorial had underestimated. And with the bear shifters lacking the coordination that the wolves had, they might ultimately win, but not without suffering massive casualties.
“So then, the real reason you’re here is to persuade us to pass right through your territory and head east,” she surmised.
Sylvestre said, “I’m asking you to tell the others that if they’re willing to pass through, we’ll make sure they’re well-supplied with enough food to last them the journey. Once they’re in Siluit, it’s like you said: they’ll have no shortage of fresh meat, and we have inside knowledge that at this very moment, Siluit is nearly crippled. They have maybe a dozen good fighters, and their alpha’s mate is pregnant. If you all show up on his doorstep, he’s likely to flee with her, and you probably won’t have to fight at all.”
Her eyes were cautious, but she couldn’t repress a small smile. “You must know that we can’t act on your word alone, and getting scouts across this godforsaken wasteland is becoming harder, now that winter’s in full swing.”
“Send a small group to Amarok. We’ll make sure they have everything they need to get to Siluit. We can even make arrangements for them to get inside Siluit and see things for themselves.”
“How will you do that?”
Sylvestre gave her a lazy grin. “You’ll have to trust me on that one.”
Her smile widened. “Fair enough. You’ve been very forthright thus far.”
Sylvestre stood and gave her a mock bow. He turned to leave, but Elena motioned for him to stop.
“Wait here for a moment.” She nodded towards the larger male, and must have given him a signal Erik hadn’t caught, because he got up and lumbered from the tent, shoving Erik aside with his shoulder as he left. Erik kept his cool.
“I have something for you,” Elena said. “A token of our new friendship. But please understand that if you’re trying to play me for a fool, I won’t hesitate to bring the entire force of this encampment down on your den.”
Sylvestre did well to remain calm, and appeared almost amused as he said, “I thought you said you weren’t in charge.”
“I’m not, but I do hold a great deal of sway over those who are.”
Erik turned towards the tent flap, his nose picking up a familiar scent. Seconds later, the large male stepped inside, bringing with him dirty clumps of snow and Torok, Erik’s scout. He wasn’t dead, as Atka had reported, but he appeared close to it.
“The other wanted to kill him, but I convinced them to spare him, in case your alpha wanted him back.”
For the first time, Sylvestre seemed at a loss. He ran to catch Torok before he fell to the floor. The wolf appeared to have not eaten in some time, and didn’t seem able to hold himself up. To Erik, he looked only like dead weight.
Unemphatically, Erik said, “How gracious of you.”
Hours later, when they were far from the basin of bears and well beyond and curious ears, Sylvestre let out a long-winded exhale.
“That was fucking crazy. I can’t believe I did that.”
“You did well,” Erik said. He was carrying Torok on one shoulder. Thankfully, his wolf was small, but Erik could already feel his tired muscles beginning to strain. They’d tried carrying him on their backs in their own wolf forms, but the prone shifter kept sliding off. If Erik had his way, they’d leave him there, but then of course, he’d have to deal with Sylvestre’s accusatory stares for the rest of their journey.
“So how are we going to beat them? Wait, don’t tell me—you plan on poisoning the meat you give them.”
They’d discussed a great many things while preparing to confront the bears, but Erik had kept his endgame to himself, knowing Sylvestre wouldn’t have been able to stomach it.
“Where do you think we’re going to get that much poison? Let alone a poison that they couldn’t detect.”
Sylvestre nodded glumly. “Okay, so what’s your plan, then?”
“There is no plan. We’re going to do exactly as we said we would. We’ll give the bears safe passage through our territory and wish them all the best on their way to Siluit.”
“But… What about our alliance with Zane? They’ll kill them all, Erik.”
Erik lifted a shoulder, the one that wasn’t burdened. “Better them than us.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Astrid sat in Sten’s bed with her back propped against the cool, smooth wall. She’d set aside her sewing at least an hour ago with the intent of getting some sleep, but had instead divided her time between sorting through her jumbled thoughts and watching Halley sleep. The wolf pup lay sprawled out across her lap, her Cupid’s bow lips parted as she inhaled and exhaled in soft, sweet-sounding breaths.
Astrid had finally started to nod off when Sten came in. His steps were as silent as any predatory creature, but between the attack on the camp, which felt like it happened both yesterday and another lifetime ago, and Sabine’s assault, which still had her waking each night in a cold sweat, Astrid was always on alert.
She considered pretending to be asleep. Astrid had been with Ila and the others all da
y, and then when they finally took the hint that she wanted to be alone, Halley had stayed behind, loudly tussling with Noona throughout the room. When Halley had passed out, it was the first time Astrid had been able to have peace and quiet all day.
Fabric rustled as Sten moved beside her. Reluctantly, she peeked at him through heavy lashes. He was crouched down, his long arms resting on his knees. For a brief instant, she saw the shadow of his brother in Sten’s face, and it felt as though he had reached into her chest cavity and wrapped a fist around her heart. Then, as though it had only been a trick of the light, Sten was back in all his pale, ethereal glory. The fist only grew tighter.
I miss him so much.
She glanced away from Sten, her eyes stinging.
“How are you feeling, Astrid?”
His voice was like Erik’s as well. She had never noticed it before. It was almost the same deep, rich voice, but where Erik’s hard edge was, Sten had kindness with a touch of melancholy.
Bluntly, she asked, “Am I pregnant?”
Sten’s back straightened and he regarded her concerned eyes. “How about we talk in the other room?”
She looked down at Halley, still snoozing in her lap, and nodded. Before she could work out how she was going to get the little girl off without disturbing her, Sten hefted her up with confident grace and set her aside. Halley murmured something, but didn’t wake.
Astrid got up and followed Sten into the living room, when she settled down onto the couch. She drew her legs up and pulled a cover over herself, watching as Sten lit two cream-colored candles and set them on the table.
When he sat down next to her, she was struck by how large he was. She was so used to measuring him against his brother’s height and musculature, but being away from Erik for so long had her looking at Sten with a fresh perspective.
He leaned his elbow against the back of the couch and propped his head on his hand. His golden gaze was full of warmth and affection that she didn’t feel she’d earned.