Endangered Species

I looked Alpha William in the eyes, ignoring everything else in the room. Staring down an Alpha was something Lois had warned me not to do. It was a dominance play, a challenge that often led to fights. I had to trust that Cole would have my back in this. He was younger and stronger than William; if he wanted me to stop, he would do something to break my stare.

He didn’t. William eventually looked away. “You guys still don’t get it,” I said.

“What exactly don’t we get, Alpha Angela?”

That came from Alpha Trent, who so far was receptive to what I’d been arguing. Alpha Brian was a possible ally since he appeared to have an open mind. Alpha William was out for himself, and Alpha Edward wanted Cole out of the way. “How’s your golf game doing, Alpha Trent? You look like you play.” He had a good tan, but his right hand was more tanned than his left from wearing a glove, and his cheeks were much darker tan than his forehead. My Dad used to play five times a week in season, so I knew the type.

He looked at me like he couldn’t believe I’d asked the question. “I haven’t played since this crap began, Angela. Even if it wasn’t dangerous to be out in the sun, it’s a game! It doesn’t matter with all the other stuff going on.”

I smiled because he played right into what I was going to say. “Exactly. The five of us following a bunch of rules established before the solar event makes as much sense as worrying about your tee time. Cole fucked up, but not because he broke Werewolf law. He fucked up because he didn’t take care of his people. If he had treated the girls better, more would be alive and shifting right now.”

“He broke our laws by exposing our kind to humans,” Edward countered. “There is no excuse for that.”

“I’m sure you’ll take comfort in the laws when your Pack is weak and dying,” I replied. “Luna couldn’t express her divine will more clearly if she was sitting in your lap right now. Humans are critical to our survival. Humans are right up there with shelter, food, water, and power. Quit fucking around in the past, and let’s figure out how we can move together into the future.”

Edward wasn’t giving up that quickly. “That’s easy for you to say. You’ve got a sweet setup here! Deep underground shelter, electricity, running water, sewers, and I’ve heard you’ve got quite the stockpile of supplies. The rest of us are struggling to survive, and Alpha Cole here is illegally trying to grow his pack!”

“Alpha Cole killed thousands of humans to take over this base. It’s telling that you care less about that than you do about his plans to use women as breeders, Edward.” I let everyone think about that. “What was the line from Apollo 13? Work the problem, people.”

Cole finally spoke up. “My mate is right. The human females here have too much value to our kind to kill. We need to focus on convincing them to join us. We will all be stronger when they are part of our Packs, whether wolves or humans.”

“We have to do something,” Trent said.

“William’s idea is the WORST possible thing we could do to these women,” I replied. “He proposes to punish Cole by leaving the hard cases here. I’m sure he’ll propose a time limit, after which we will have no choice but to kill them. He knows this will result in resentment and anger against us, causing other females to flee.”

“The women who take the change would be better off elsewhere,” William responded. “We can offer them what they cannot get here. A fresh start.”

“Yes, but you are not looking at things from the perspective of the humans. Every female we have to kill is a lost potential mate for someone. They should get a fresh start so we can eventually convince them to join us. If it doesn’t work at one pack, we try another. The only ones we have to kill are the ones who try to escape. If we Alphas do our job right, we can minimize those losses.”

Alpha Trent spoke. “I agree with Angela. Leaving that group of women here will gain us nothing.”

“It’s not just those women he proposes to take away, Trent. Alpha William wants to take ALL of my women from here. In doing so, he would violate werewolf law.”

William didn’t like that. “We are the Council! If that is the punishment, then it is legal!”

“No, it is not. Werewolf law does not allow for involuntary transfers of Pack members to another Pack. They can transfer voluntarily, they can leave, or they can join a mate in another Pack. You CAN NOT rip a Pack member out of one Pack and force them to join another.”

Cole nodded. “The women taking the change accepted me as their Alpha. Those women who haven’t taken the change yet submitted to my leadership. I brought them into Brinnon Pack as human members in front of all. If they find a mate or choose to leave, I won’t stand in their way. I will NOT stand by and let you rip them away from the home they freely chose.”

I took his hand. “Tell the women of your Packs and your territories. Tell them what kind of life they would have there. If they want to go, I will send them with my blessing. It has to be THEIR choice, Alphas.”

“We still have to resolve the punishment for Alpha Cole,” Edward complained. “It is the responsibility of the Council.”

Alpha Trent nodded. “Since there is no need for a trial, three of us form a quorum for the jury to decide his fate. Alpha Angela, your presence on the jury is not required.”

“You were ready to put me on the jury before!”

“To decide guilt, yes. You were one of the injured parties. For Cole’s punishment, you cannot sit in judgment. You are his mate and have a wolf now, Angela. You cannot be objective.” He looked at Alpha Cole. “I will retire to my quarters with Alpha Brian and Alpha William. We will call everyone together to pronounce the sentence when decided.”

Cole and I stood while the others left. I didn’t like the look on Alpha Edward’s face; he still thought he would win. Cole pulled me closer when they were gone, leaning down and giving me a toe-curling kiss. “You were amazing, my love,” he said.

“Do you think I got through to them?”

“I hope so. You speak your mind, and the Alphas can’t argue your logic. They would be fools not to see the wisdom in your words. You got through to ME, which is even more impressive considering my neanderthal upbringing and rigid values.” I chuckled as I relaxed, my head resting on his broad shoulder. His values weren’t the only rigid thing he possessed; I rubbed my waist over it, the thin dress sliding over his jeans. I gave him a love bite on his pectoral muscle and felt him shudder with lust. His eyes were dark, and his wolf forward when I lifted my face to his. “You’re an amazing woman, Angela. I’m so happy that Luna paired us together.”

“You don’t think my wolf will be weak and unable to stand by my side?”

His hand dropped down and squeezed my butt cheek. “I don’t think anything about you is weak, and I can’t wait to meet your wolf. The fevers will start tonight, and I will see her after they finish. Come back to our room, and we can wait together for the judgment.”

“Soon,” I promised as I molded my body back to his. He smelled so damn good, and I loved how touching his body made me feel. “I need to talk to my women.”

“I know.” Lois came over with my guard, and I knew Cole was linking instructions to her. Being out of the loop was annoying. “Be careful. I don’t trust Edward or William anymore. I’m having our people keep a close eye on theirs.”

“I will be.” I looked up, tilting my head, and he kissed me goodbye.

“I’ll be in my office when you’ve finished up.”

I walked away with a spring in my step.

I checked with the women undergoing the turn first. They were well into their fevers by now, and I could do little but offer words of comfort. Doc warned me that their bodies would find my touch painful, their minds already delirious. I had to be there, and now I could do so without the risk of a forced turn.

The next stop was the barracks for the women who hadn’t taken the bite yet. I called them all together, updating them on what was happening. Some were angry about my forced change, but I cut that off. “I always planned on getting my wolf. The change has too many advantages to turn it down, mated or not. This way wasn’t ideal, but it has worked out well. I gained an Alpha title and a seat at the Council table, and I’m using that to push for changes that will help all of you.” I filled them in on what I’d told the Alphas over breakfast. “I don’t want to lose any of you, but I want you to have the freedom to choose,” I told them. “If you can’t be happy here with me, maybe you’ll find it with one of the other Packs.”

Some women didn’t like this. “You told us we could leave if we wanted to. Getting the fuck away from these flea-bitten mutts is the choice that will make me happy.”

“It doesn’t hurt to listen, does it? I’m asking you to keep an open mind and not make your choices based on incomplete information. Our lives have radically changed in the last few weeks. We can take some time to learn our options.”

I left soon after, wondering how many problems the resistance was going to cause. I might have to segregate them to save the others.

I’d figure it out after I talked to my mate. I stopped for a second, considering how easily I was accepting this. Maybe this mate stuff could work out after all?