Pack Mentality

by Idella Breen

  She caught Kebethi’s dark eyes as the woman held Art back. Kebethi was a tank of solid muscle. The woman was more like an amazon, all dark skinned and built for pleasure. Silvia knew, she had heard of the woman’s escapades. She and the woman had never been on the best of terms but they were far from enemies. More like Kebethi felt threatened at first that Silvia was trying to take her place as Art’s right hand. Once the women sorted out that misunderstanding they quickly became drinking buddies. Kebethi, or Beth, as Silvia called her much to the woman’s annoyance, was another alpha. Silvia believed the woman to have aspirations and wondered why she hadn’t moved on from the McCloud Clan yet. In Silvia’s opinion, the woman was better suited to lead then a man like Art.

  Silvia easily slipped between the two men making both jump back in surprise. “Boys.”

  Her voice was cool and held command that made the hair on the back of both Art’s and Remus’s necks stand on end. It was apparent that there was a different creature among the wolves as the stripes on Silvia’s face became more jagged and her eyes held a sharp and dangerous look in them.

  “You!” Remus spat.

  “Remus. A pleasure as always,” her voice was cold and indifferent as she met his irritated gaze.

  Art sneered. “You know each other?”

  “Remus and I have met before,” she confirmed but didn’t add to the comment.

  Remus snorted then shrugged. “That’s one way to put it.”

  “What is going on here?” She asked.

  Art’s hand landed on her shoulder making her entire body tense and she growled lowly. She felt him shiver as his hand dropped quickly. Art cleared his throat, ignoring the smirk Remus was sending him. “If you were here on time you would be aware that we were discussing border lines—”

  “More like trying to swindle land from the Lander Clan. My clan, the Sleeping Forest Clan has held this land for over a century. My father owned it and my grandfather fought for the right to own it before him. Sleeping Forest Clan will not relinquish any of it to the likes of you, McCloud,” Remus sneered.

  Silvia groaned internally. Art was making his move already. She turned back to her alpha. “Did you follow the procedure and file the paperwork for land disputes with our representative of the United Monster’s Council?”

  Art frowned but didn’t reply. “Art, have we even been given our official title yet?”

  When he didn’t answer but his frown grew, Silvia realized that this was more an attempt to dig at Remus, and possibly make him panic and show weakness than anything else. Art was many things, stupid wasn’t one of them.

  “Heavenly Sky Clan,” Art said, as he puffed out his chest. Remus growled.

  Silvia nodded and turned back to Remus. “You can expect our official land dispute papers at the next meeting. Bring your omega, Remus. It will be official. Follow the rules.”

  “Tell that to him!”

  “I’m saying it as the second in command of the Heavenly Sky Clan. I, Silvia McCloud, demand an official meeting regarding lands disputes with the Sleeping Forest Clan.”

  “What?” Remus glared at her.

  “Bring your omega, Remus. I’ll send a message for when the meeting will be held.”

  “You’re not a McCloud!”

  Silvia sent him a vicious grin. “I am now.”

  Remus held his ground. “Fine. As alpha of the Sleeping Forest Clan, I, Remus Lander, accept your request.”

  “It was a demand, Remus. I’ll see you then.”

  A werewolf behind Remus growled but stopped when Remus held up a hand. “Show some respect, demon.”

  “I give it to those that earn it.”

  Silvia held Remus’s glare until he snorted. “What happened? You sell your body to him? For what? Money? Power?” He leaned forwards and sneered, “Sex?”

  The slap rang out like a sound wave throughout the room. Remus turned back to her. The red handprint along with four claw marks stitched into his skin was already beginning to heal. “Hit a sore spot, did I?”

  “On the contrary. I didn’t like your stink in my face so I thought I should correct it. A shame really, you can’t fix some things,” she shrugged.

  Remus took a step forward and she heard Art growl behind her before a flush of calming pheromones permeated throughout the room and Silvia caught the glowing green eyes and white wisps of hair of none other than Raegan McCloud. The small girl had snuck into the meeting and was helping in the only way she could. Silvia let herself relax as everyone else in the room seemed to do the same and the tension lessened considerably. Silvia nodded slightly and Rae returned it with a small smile. Silvia turned back to the two men who were trying to resist the pheromones. Finally, Art snarled. “You’ll hear from us, Lander.”

  “I expect to.”

  Art stormed out of the room, Kebethi glared at Remus before trailing after Art and the rest of the pack following behind them. Silvia threw Remus a smirk before she followed out as well. Silvia watched as the small child was pushed out of the way by the rest of the clan members as they left the room. She tumbled and the sharp coppery scent of blood wafted up to Silvia as she watched the girl pull her knee up to inspect the wound. Silvia knew it was one of many. Raegan, or Rae, as she knew the child preferred, suffered more from neglect then actual physical abuse, but sometimes that was worse. Even though the girl had manifested her wolf she was still young and had yet to fully sync with the beast so her healing abilities we still those of a human child.

  When Silvia had first met the girl she had been shocked by her treatment and by the disregard of her wellbeing from the other members of the clan. Then she had learned the reason behind it and she realized she had to make a choice. Silvia couldn’t be kind to Raegan while there were eyes on her. It would show weakness, and make the child a target for Art, who Silvia already knew had plans for the girl. Silva needed to keep Art occupied. That was the best thing she could do to help Rae. That didn’t mean she wasn’t there to make sure the girl was fed regularly and bathed when no one was looking. Raegan was just a child born with the wrong kind of curse and she was going to have to toughen up and get smart or she was going to become a tool for the machinations of others that can only see the power and destruction she contained within her and the power they could wield should they own her. One of her saving graces was that Rae was an omega and therefore Art had no true control over her.

  Silvia waited until the rest of the pack was just about out of the room before she quickly reached down and helped the child up. She patted her on the head and quietly guided her out of the room. The last thing she wanted was for Remus to see weakness and Rae was quickly becoming another one of her weaknesses.

  “Come on, Rae.”

  “Okay, Vi.”

  Once they were out of the room Silvia pulled Rae along with her. Art was looking for her but she could deal with him later. She was sure all he would want is to growl at her anyway. She should wait until he’s had a chance to calm down. At least then she could talk some sense into him. They had already made it a block or so from the meeting place when Silvia pulled Rae off the sidewalk and into an alcove. She bent down and slipped out a packet of bandaids from her pocket. Sadly, Raegan getting hurt was not a rare occurrence. Once the little girl was patched up she bent down and kissed her knee making Raegan giggle.

  Silvia looked up and met her green eyes that seemed to hold dark shadows within them. “All better?”

  Raegan nodded. “All better, Vi.”

  “Good. Come on. Do you want to get some ice cream?”

  “Yes, please.”

  “Come on then. I know just the place.”

  Silvia had just opened the door to the ice cream shop when two small boys tumbled out, nearly dropping their ice cream on her.

  “Watch it, you two!” Another, older, boy followed after them while shoving the last of his cone into his mouth. He turned to Silvia, “Sorry about that.”

  She nodded and he took off after the smaller boys. It wasn’t
until Raegan and Silvia were halfway through their ice cream cones that Raegan said something that made Silvia’s heartache.

  “I did good, right Vi? I made everyone stop fighting. So, why does everyone still hate me?”

  Silvia frowned but held back her infuriated growl. This child didn’t have any control over her curse. The black flames chose her. Had she been born into her inuyoukai pack, she would have been trained and taught to control her birthright. Instead, she was born to the likes of the McCloud Clan.

  “Vi?”

  “You did well, Rae. You did a very good job.”

  “But—”

  “Raegan, I want you to promise me something.”

  “Anything!”

  Silvia held back her frown because she knew Rae would do anything for her. The girl reminded her of herself and the devotion she held for her brother. It was a dangerous thing if her current predicament in life was anything to go by.

  “I want you to promise me that you won’t do anything to draw Art’s attention to you. I want you to learn how to be a shadow. I want you to learn how to hide in plain sight. Do you know how to play hide-and-go-seek?”

  Raegan nodded her head.

  “I want you to practice. You can go to the park on your own and practice hiding from the other children. Practice, moving about the park without anyone seeing you or paying attention to you. Learn how to find safe places.”

  “Safe places?”

  “Places you’re sure no one can find you. Hiding places, only you know about. Learn how to run. Learn how to hide. Do you know why I’m telling you this?”

  Raegan shook her head, her ice cream well forgotten.

  “I’m telling you this because I want you to live Rae. I want you to survive. You can’t stay with the McCloud’s. Do you know why?”

  Raegan began to shake her head but stopped and stared down at the sidewalk. After a moment she said, “Because, I’m dangerous.”

  Silvia cupped her cheek, wiping away some of the cotton candy blue from it. “You have power. But you’re not dangerous. Not yet. You can’t stay with the McCloud’s because they will kill you. They will kill you, Rae. I’m not sure you really understand me but I want you to promise that if you ever find someone, someone that means the world to you, someone you can trust without question. I want you to follow that person and get away from the McCloud’s.”

  “What if they don’t want me?”

  “They will. I promise you that. So, will you promise me?”

  Raegan was quiet from a moment. Silvia loved how the girl considered things before agreeing to them. It was a useful trait. Finally, Raegan looked up and nodded. “I promise, Vi.”

  “Good girl. Now, finish your ice cream. It’s dripping.”

  The girl cried out and quickly began licking at her fingers. Silvia hoped she had done the right thing. She couldn’t take Raegan away from the McCloud’s. She was powerless as Art held her brother’s life in the palm of his hands and though she may have a soft spot for this child, her brother would always come first. She had made a promise after all. And Silvia was many things, but her word was absolute. She had never broken a promise in her life. She just hoped she wouldn't start now. For Raegan’s sake and for her own.

  4

  Silvia had sent Raegan back home. The girl insisted that she would be alright on her own and Silvia trusted the child more than some of the older people in the McCloud clan. The fact that the girl knew her way around the town and had no fear of going by herself was both reassuring and made her heart clench as she knew Raegan must be alone a lot. She shook her head as she pushed open the door and the bell sounded overhead as she entered Cain’s Kickboxing.

  The hot and spicy smell mixed with sweat along with something uniquely her brother filled her senses and she watched him coach a younger boy in red gear in his corner before the bell dinged and the two fighters were back in the ring. Silvia looked around and recognized some of the boxers in the gym as people from the McCloud clan or in association with them. It had been the right decision to not bring Raegan here. Some of the people, she realized, she had even worked alongside on missions. She nodded to a woman working over one of the speed bags that she had gone on a mission with recently and actually wouldn’t mind working alongside again, the woman smiled back. She didn’t know how to feel with so many of Art’s men around her brother but it was better than the people that used to occupy his gym, the ones that were lurking and waiting for the signal when her brother couldn’t pay off his debts anymore. At least she could trust Art so long as she didn’t give him a reason to go back on their deal.

  Better the devil you know, she thought, as she turned back and watched the two boys fight for a moment and wasn’t surprised when the red geared boy won the match. Nathan had always been a good teacher. His unshakable faith in people had a way of making people believe in themselves again. It was that same faith that got him into trouble in the first place and by proxy placed her in her current position. Sometimes, she wished he didn’t trust people or believe in them so fully. If he just hated people a little easier, if he just didn’t believe in the best of people, then maybe that woman wouldn’t have fucked him over and basically left him for dead.

  Silvia sighed. It didn’t do much to dwell on past mistakes. All that mattered now was to make the best of a bad situation. She waited until he caught her scent and turned to her with a big goofy grin before helping his boxer down from the ring. He jogged over to her and slapped a hand on her shoulder before pulling her into a willing hug. She grabbed him around the middle and buried her face into his shoulder. Nathan would always be home to her. Their father had never been home and their mother had died too early. After being cast from her pack, Silvia had nothing but her brother, even if he didn’t know it.

  He pulled back. “Hey, Sis! Haven’t seen you in a while.”

  Her mask of indifference was back. She couldn’t let him see how stressed she was. It wasn’t like he could help anyway. She was the older sibling. It was her job to protect him. Not the other way around. “I’ve been busy.”

  He snorted. “Too busy for your brother.”

  Silvia flicked her hair over her shoulder and sniffed. “Obviously.”

  “Yeah, whatever.”

  “How have you been?”

  “Great!” He guided her towards the back where she knew he kept his office. Once they were inside he offered her a seat but she shook her head. “I can’t stay long. I only managed to get away for a little bit. I have to go back soon.”

  He shook his head chuckling. “Will, you ever tell me what exactly it is that you do?”

  “I fear your puny brain couldn’t comprehend it.”

  He shot her a look. “I’m sure I could.”

  She shrugged. He waited. She cleaned her nails. He sighed.

  “Fine, but one day you will tell me.”

  “How’s the business by the way. There seemed to be more people out there.” She nodded towards where they came from. Nathan’s face lit up.

  “It’s been great. I got a lot more people this summer. People usually sign up in January, which I did get more people then too but recently memberships have been flying off the shelves! The word must be getting around especially with that new tournament in the region.”

  Silvia smiled. It seems Art was good on his word. “That’s good to hear. Everything else going well?”

  “Yeah, all’s good. You aren’t working too hard are you, Vi?”

  Silvia was careful to control her facial expression. “Everything has been fine. Why?”

  “You just seem tired is all.”

  “I assure you that I am not overworking myself.”

  Nathan snorted. “Yeah, right, like I believe my workaholic sister isn’t overworking herself. Good one, Sis.”

  Silvia huffed. “Whatever.” She looked down at her watch and grimaced. She needed to get back or else Art was going to send someone for her.

  “Do you have to go already?”

  She looke
d up and met his frown. “Sorry.”

  “I feel like I never see you anymore.”

  “I come when I can.”

  Nathan sighed and came around his desk pulling her into a hug. She tried not to sag into it but failed miserably. “Don’t be a stranger, Silvia.”

  “I’ll try.”

  He pulled back and kissed her cheek before leading her back to the front. “I mean it.”

  She nodded and walked outside just as a cool night summer breeze greeted her. The moon was already high in the sky. She didn’t realize she had been in there so long. She could already feel her phone buzzing in her pocket and knew Art was going to yell at her. She didn’t fear reprimands so much as him making her brother suffer for her mistakes. Silvia sighed as she pulled her phone from her leather jacket pocket. Fuck being in a rock and a hard place.

  “Fuck my life,” she muttered before she answered her phone.

  Art knew Silvia went off to visit her brother from time to time. It was the reason he had filled the inuyoukai’s gym with his own people. So, he could keep better tabs on the siblings. Silvia was his wild card and she was proving to be very useful. Yet, he knew he needed to keep her in her place and to remind her that he was the one holding her in his hand. Despite how useful she was, she was still as expendable as anyone else that got in the way of him reviving the glory that is the McCloud Clan, now the Heavenly Sky Clan, he smirked as he read from the official badge. He had done all of the paperwork to make his clan and land claim official. He had gone and poked at Remus, to let the Lander Clan know that he was coming as well as to test the waters. Remus was nothing to him. The man would bend to his will, or they would all die. The McCloud’s would rule once more. He would bring them back to their full power. The previous alpha of the McCloud’s didn’t have the same visions. The mated pair wanted to live in peace. What a load of shit? Art McCloud would not stand for such weak views. So, he killed them and took their place as alpha. He will show the world. He will show them all. And if Silvia knew what was good for her brother and her, she would stick by him and not even think of betraying him or else they would be crushed by him. They were ants. But he was might. And everyone knew, might was always right.