by Kat Zaccard
“But how are you immune to silver?” Lola inquired.
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I never liked it. It used to turn my skin green. My mom always put silver pennies in my penny loafers when I was a kid. Maybe I developed an immunity?”
“Maybe,” pondered Shea. She’d been really into biology lately. “It’s possible to develop immunity to some poisons after long-term exposure to minute amounts. But I bet this is another alpha power.”
“How many does that make now?” Hayley laughed.
“Who’s counting?” muttered Lola. I looked at her but she didn’t meet my eye. I wondered what was up with her.
Sara overlooked Lola’s attitude and began counting on her fingers. “Well, there’s the easy shifting, the extra moon days, the telepathy thing, and now the silver thing, right?”
I squirmed in my seat while Shea fidgeted nervously. Hayley gave me a pointed look.
“Well…” I looked around at them. Would they hate me if I told them? “The thing is… I think I have another alpha power. I think it’s what’s been helping you all gain days under the moon. I’m really sorry for not telling you sooner. I still don’t understand it.”
“Spit it out already,” Sara demanded, her green eyes steely.
“She didn’t even know she was doing it at first, and she tries really hard not to.” Everyone looked at Shea, mouths agape, then back at me.
“Okay, so you know I have the telepathy thing when I’m a wolf. It’s really helped in training and running drills. But I also try not to rely on it so we can hone our wolf pack communication skills…”
“Yes, we know that, Alice,” Fanya interrupted. “Get on with it already.”
“Okay, well there’re two things, I guess.” I decided I had to lay it all out on the line for them. They were my pack. I had to trust them and hope they trusted me. “I’m actually already a Sliver. I have been since my first shift, which was, um, like a week before the first full moon after my sixteenth birthday.”
“What?” shouted Lola, jumping to her feet. “You’ve been a Sliver this whole time!”
“Yeah, but—”
“Holy crap, Alice! That’s amazing!” Hayley’s eyes were gleaming. Her dark braids swung around as she looked at everyone in turn. “Isn’t that amazing?”
“It’s astounding,” said Fanya thoughtfully.
“It’s impossible!” said Damka.
“The Great Queen was said to be the same.” Sara reminded Lola of one of her favorite legends.
“The Great Queen is a myth!” Lola shot back.
“Perhaps not,” pondered Fanya. “Most myths hold a glimmer of truth. You said there’s more?”
“Yeah, um, this isn’t any easier.” Sara glared at me, and Shea shrugged. “Okay, so I think that I can also influence people, like with my mind.”
“Huh?”
I shrugged and explained about helping Pamela shift back into a human after her first shift. I told them how I’d made Jillian stop in her tracks during a fight, which had given me the upper hand. I told them that Shea and I figured out it might be what was helping me help them gain days under the moon.
“So you’re like manipulating us? Putting thoughts in our head?” Lola demanded then turned to glare at Sara. “Is this why you care so much about the stupid Fur Patrol?”
Sara rounded on her. “Not now, Lola! This has nothing to do with that!”
“No!” I said at the same time. “I really try to never use it! Even less so than the telepathy. And my influence only lasts for a few seconds. You guys are still the ones doing the hard work to shift. I think I’m just helping a little.”
“Helping?” asked Damka. “You think it’s helpful to influence our thoughts and decisions?” She was looking at me like I was a criminal. Perhaps I was?
“Hey,” Shea chimed in. “You all asked for Alice’s help shifting.”
“But we didn’t know she was bending our minds to her will!” Lola interjected.
“That’s a little extreme, Lola,” Sara tried to put a calming hand on her girlfriend’s arm, but Lola snatched her arm back out of reach. Sara looked down then back up at me. “I don’t feel manipulated. I’m grateful for the extra days, and I trust you Alice.”
I felt tears well up. I was a nervous ball of tension waiting for my friends’ verdict. “Thank you for understanding, Sara. I never meant to influence anybody. Now that I know I can do it, I really try not to.”
“Well, I don’t understand,” declared Lola, standing up. She cast one last look at Sara and stormed out of my room.
Sara looked at me and sighed. “I better go talk to her.”
After they left, I turned back to look at Hayley, Fanya, and Damka.
“I don’t get it either,” Damka admitted. “I think I need to think about it for a bit.” She glanced at Fanya apologetically and also left.
Fanya turned to me. “Will you promise never to influence me without permission or perhaps in the case of my own mortal peril?” she added thoughtfully.
I thought Fanya would make a great lawyer, but I said, “Of course. I would never abuse my power.” Fanya raised an eyebrow, and even as I said the words, I felt they were more a prayer than a promise.
“Well, I think it’s badass,” declared Hayley. “I knew something was up. We’ve been running together for a long time, and every once in a while, I feel like my feet take a step they don’t mean to…”
“What are you talking about?” I was worried; had I influenced Hayley unknowingly?
“Nothing major, just like the last time we were on the ridge and we saw the dead deer. I really wanted to run after the upyr; because I totally think it was an upyr, but you like commanded me to stop.”
“I thought you were just listening to me as the patrol leader.” Had I really used my alpha influence then?
“I believe you. I think it was a particularly tense moment. Maybe it was instinctual and you used it subconsciously. Sometimes on patrol, I find myself stepping in your exact prints like we were taught, but sometimes, I don’t know … There’s been a time or two where I stepped just a little left or right and swear I just missed setting off an avalanche.” Hayley shrugged.
“Woah,” said Fanya.
“Uh—” I stammered.
“Well, that’s pretty useful then, right?” I appreciated Shea defending me.
“Yeah, it’s useful. Just think what a great commander you’ll make on the battlefield.”
I was startled by Hayley’s take on it, but realized she was right. There likely would be more battles coming if the upyr continued to encroach on our lands. And what about the human settlements? Their cities were at risk from the upyr with no knowledge or method of defense. Would a bullet stop the undead? I doubted it.
Fanya stood and I feared she was about to leave. To my surprise, she knelt before me. My cheeks blushed and I begged her to stand.
“I will formally declare my allegiance to you, Queen Alice, a True Alpha, and Leader of the Great Pack.” She stood and smiled. “Don’t worry about Damka. I’ll talk to her.”
Fanya left and only Shea, Hayley, and I remained in my room. I sighed. I felt bad about Lola. She had been growing more and more tense lately with the increased patrols, earlier curfews, and full moon running restrictions. Even though she wasn’t much of a fighter, she still loved to run with the pack. It must be hard watching all of us get better at wolf communication and tracking skills while she spent extra time in the library.
“The others will come around,” reassured Hayley. “They’ll see what an advantage this is. Just imagine training more wolves to be Slivers!” Hayley was excited. Her goal was to be a Sliver and even a Royal Guard.
“Thank you for your support.” The simple words couldn’t convey my gratitude and relief. I felt a pang that Lola and Damka weren’t there yet. I hoped they’d come around.
“Absolutely! See you at training tomorrow.” Hayley hugged me goodnight, and I felt so grateful for my good friend all over ag
ain. I stopped Shea before she could sneak out with Hayley.
“Hey, Shea, are you okay? How was your trip with Adam?”
Shea turned back and sat down again. “It was fine,” she lied badly. I gave her a pointed look and she crumbled. “It was awful!”
Shea started to cry and I quickly sat next to her, wrapping her in my arms. “Oh, hunny! What happened? Tell me all about it.”
Through sniffles and the occasional hiccup, Shea related the events over the holiday break. Adam Abernathe came from a large and noble clan of werewolves. They weren’t quite royalty, but the Abernathes were knighted and richer than many royal clans. His family had a sprawling estate outside the Vancouver area.
“They were all really polite,” she said through tears, “but I could tell I wasn’t what they expected. When he told them I was a Winterstone, his grandmother blanched. Seriously, I thought that was just something authors write in novels, but I saw her face turn white as a sheet. And for a black woman, that’s saying something.”
I tried not to laugh. Shea was seriously upset.
“They were too polite, you know? I could cut the tension with a knife.”
“Did it get better as the week wore on?”
“No, if anything, it got worse. I felt like I was intruding on their family time. Like I was an insurance salesman that wouldn’t take the hint to leave already.”
“Oh, Shea, I’m sure it wasn’t that bad.”
“Oh no, it was.” Shea slumped further into the couch. “I overheard Adam and his mother arguing in the kitchen. They didn’t see me in the pantry, and I heard her say that he could do better than a Winterstone.”
I gasped. “She didn’t!”
“She did.”
“What’d she say next?”
“I don’t know. Adam started to like whisper-yell at her. It was weird. I’d never heard him so angry, but he was trying to be quiet in case I overheard. It didn’t end well. They both stomped off in different directions.”
“Shea, I’m so sorry, that really sucks. At least Adam defended you, though, right? You know how he feels about you, and his parents won’t change his mind.”
“I know, but I want them to like me. How will it ever work if they don’t? They’re a family climbing the social ladder. They expect to Adam to marry a royal if he can. A Winterstone is not in their plan.”
“Well, screw their plan.” I hugged Shea and let her cry. I wished desperately I could fix this problem, but all I could do was hold her tightly.
Chapter 20
School resumed, and once again, I was the subject of whispers, stares, and glares. Word had circulated about the scene at the Winter Ball. Some students smiled and waved at me in the hall. Others looked terrified and turned the other way when I approached. It was awkward. I saw Adam in pottery during first period. His usually happy self was a little gloomy today. I assumed his visit home had been hard on him too. He was happy to see me, though, and I filled him in on some of the court gossip. We agreed to have a very cold lunch outdoors, just so we could all catch up about our winter breaks. He agreed to invite Anatoly, Jaro, and Casimir as well. I didn’t have the heart to pry about his family, though, I suspected he knew I knew.
Later that afternoon, I had a civics class scheduled with Headmaster Giovanni before training. I left the group at lunch early so I could linger in Ms. Cope’s office while waiting for the headmaster. Ms. Cope looked surprised to see me so early, but not overly suspicious. I greeted her pleasantly and sat on a bench against the wall. I pulled out my civics text and pretended to review last semester’s material. Covertly, I glanced up over the pages at Ms. Cope. She was busy on the computer. I glanced around the room, looking for an opening. I spied her diploma on the wall.
Casually, I got up to peruse the books on the far shelf. I pretended to browse the titles as I made my way closer to the framed document. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw that Ms. Cope was preoccupied. I leaned in, looking closely at the frame. It read: Tryna Cope.
“Tryna! What a pretty name,” I said, startling Ms. Cope out of her reverie. “Is it short for something?”
“Huh? Oh, um, no, of course not. Oh, look at the time? You can go into the headmaster’s office now.”
“I didn’t see Headmaster Giovanni come in yet.”
“That’s fine, dear. Just go on in and wait in there. I have work to do out here, you see.” Thoroughly dismissed, I walked through the massive, ornately carved oak door. The headmaster’s office was lined with book shelves, and I amused myself by scanning the titles.
He finally arrived but spent the first half hour going over the restricted and banned substances list. He never mentioned the incident with the silver pendant, but it was obvious he felt responsible for my lapse in knowledge. He was especially formal with me today. When I left, Ms. Cope was not at her desk. Maybe I just wanted it to be true, but I got the feeling she was hiding something.
“Of course she’s hiding something!” Hayley exclaimed later that afternoon after I’d relayed the information I’d gathered. We were in the locker room at the arena changing into our training clothes. The moon was a week or two off, so we were practicing in human form today.
“Just because you want it to be true doesn’t make it so,” reasoned Sara. Not that she was ever perky, but she had been in an especially foul mood that day. Neither Lola nor Damka had joined us at lunch.
We headed out to the arena, where we found Damka waiting for us. She looked at me and back at Fanya. Finally, she spoke, “I’m not going to pretend to understand or like this whole alpha influence thing. But I suppose you can’t help that you have this, uh, talent. But can you promise not to use it on me. I mean, I do still want help gaining more moon days, but otherwise, I mean?”
It was better than I could’ve hoped for, but I had to be frank. “I promise, Damka, though I have to admit I don’t always realize I’m doing it.” Damka looked angry and confused.
Shea stepped in, “The thing is, Damka, it doesn’t change your thoughts or who you are. It only lasts for a few seconds. Alice can stop someone from attacking her, but then it wears off. The Were still knows they want to attack her; they just like freeze for a moment. It’s really a minor advantage.”
“Minor advantage?! Are you kidding me? How do you know it only lasts for a few seconds? You’re so loyal to her, you might be under her influence all the time.”
“Hey!” said Sara. “That’s not fair!”
“Neither are your mind games. Sorry, Fanya, I thought I could do this, but I can’t.” Damka stalked away, her blonde hair swinging behind her.
Fanya turned to me. “She’ll come around.”
I wasn’t so sure. We didn’t have to run patrols today, so I tried to put Damka out of my mind. She wasn’t my problem until we got closer to the full moon. We practiced various martial arts techniques until class was over.
In the locker room, I noticed an unfamiliar hush fell over the room when I entered. I tried to ignore the covert and overt looks of animosity. I dressed silently and quickly, happy to be able to go back to the privacy of my room for a while before dinner. My immunity to silver was stirring up questions of my other alpha powers. That and the commotion at the Winter Ball meant that likely everyone in school was gossiping about me.
At dinner, Lola and Damka sat together away from the rest of us. Sara’s eyes were red and she looked like she’d been crying. She wouldn’t appreciate any sympathy or prying questions in a public setting, so I ignored my desire to console her. I sat between Hayley and Shea and felt grateful for the friends I had left.
Fanya flipped her long red hair over her shoulder and leaned in. “Well, it’s official; everyone’s talking about it.”
“The silver thing?” I asked glumly.
“No! The influence thing!”
I started, “Who told!” I glared across the room at Lola and Damka. How could they?
“Well, Damka denies it. I asked her after training. She said that girl named Pamela was talk
ing about it during training. I think maybe Lola said something.”
“You don’t know that for sure,” scolded Sara, coming to Lola’s defense.
“Pamela might have already known,” said Shea.
“Maybe about the telepathy,” I put in.
“Yeah, but maybe Lola did say something, or someone else.” Hayley raised her hands up in defense of Sara’s glare. “Either way, that might’ve spurred her to remember her shift last year.”
“Yeah, she never did trust me. And after that day, she’s totally avoided me,” I confirmed.
“It’s only a matter of time before your alpha powers are known to the Great Pack,” Fanya deduced shrewdly.
“I’m just worried that will make me even more of a threat to the Queen.”
“And a bigger target,” added Shea.
“You guys, it’s risky to even be my friends. You deserve an out.” I couldn’t help it. I had to keep them safe.
“Don’t get all martyr-y on us, Alice. We know the risk, and you’re our Queen, not Christina.”
I blushed at Hayley words. “Oh my God, Hayley, who’s dramatic now?”
“Shut up! You know I’m right. You need us. And just because the Queen Regent is targeting you, doesn’t mean we’re not all in danger anyway,” Hayley said emphatically.
Fanya agreed. I was grateful for their support. Sara kept glancing at Lola and Damka, who were huddled close together at their table, deep in conversation.
The rest of the week didn’t get much better. Sara and Lola were still on the outs. Shea and I had overheard them arguing in one of the parlors on Wednesday. Lola had said that Sara was putting herself in needless danger. Sara had argued that defending the true Queen of the Great Pack was not a needless danger. Lola went on to accuse me of mind-controlling Sara. Sara raged against it, and Shea dragged me away before my feelings could get any more hurt.
I felt like a monster. The last thing I wanted was to scare my friends. I’d lost Lola and Damka’s trust, and I didn’t know if I could ever rebuild it. I was determined to try, but for the time being, I could only give them space.