The Unwanted Wolf

I took a step back from Jori, feeling uncomfortable. Something seemed a little off from him, but I couldn’t figure out what.

Jori’s here, I instantly linked Mark. I didn’t want to be alone with him.

Where are you? Mark responded without hesitation.

By the car.

“What are you doing here?” I pressed my back against the car, wanting to create as much space between Jori and myself.

“We need to talk,” he said. He looked down at the ground, and for a moment, it seemed like he shrunk.

“You said that already. What do you need to talk about?” A strange feeling was floating in my stomach, and I knew something was off.

“I’ve been a jerk,” Jori admitted, shoving his hands into his pocket. “I agreed to work with you guys moving the pack here, but then I have been treating you terribly. I’ve been stubborn and rude, and you don’t deserve that.”

I relaxed a little after hearing his words. “What changed? Why is this coming out now? You could have asked me to have a meeting with you or something.”

Jori looked up at me, his eyes a little less wild. “I’ve been angry, so angry, but I don’t want to be angry anymore. I want to work things out so our packs can be allies. I just don’t trust myself to act right around Mark, still. There’s too much history there. But you, I feel like there’s still a chance to fix things and build a friendship.”

I bit my l*p as I thought about his words. “Mark isn’t going anywhere. He’s the alpha of the pack, so if we are truly going to get along, you’ll have to find a way to work with him.”

Jori’s shoulders sank. “I know. I know I’ll have to deal with him eventually. I’m just asking for it to be just us for now. I feel more comfortable with you.”

I heard the front door to the pack house swing open, and Mark came rushing out. I was suddenly worried that Jori would get more aggressive at the sight of him, so I held my hand up, signaling to Mark to hold off for a moment.

I gave him a pleading look and linked, Just give me a moment.

Mark paused in his tracks, looking between Jori and myself. I could tell he didn’t like the idea of staying back, but he didn’t move forward. He only watched us.

“I don’t know what to tell you right now,” I admitted, looking back at Jori. “I want things to work out, but I don’t know if I can trust you. I feel like you’ve been a completely different person.”

Jori’s jaw twitched, and for a moment I saw a flash of anger. “I know. I don’t blame you for not trusting me. I haven’t been able to trust you either, but I want that to change. For Percy. And for my own happiness.”

“I want to believe you,” I admitted. “I want our packs to get along, and I don’t want any tension between us.” There was a “but” at the tip of my tongue. What I wanted was the same as what I expected.

Jori grabbed my hand, making me get tense again. I could feel Mark’s nerve from across the yard as well. “Then believe me,” Jori said. “Let’s figure out how to get along and make this town a good environment for werewolves.”

I chewed on the inside of my cheek. I didn’t like the idea of Mark not being more involved in this, but maybe this would be a start to a better dynamic with Pack Sallow. It wasn’t ideal, but it was better than the current situation.

“I will have to talk to Mark about it, but I think we’ll be able to work something out.” I pulled my hand back, instantly feeling better when he wasn’t touching me.

Jori sighed, filled with relief. He threw his arms around me. “Thank you so much for giving me a chance. You won’t regret it. I promise.”

He released me from the hug and finally backed away, giving me some space. Jori still looked off, but I could feel a shift in his mood. Maybe all of this was affecting him more than I realized. If that were the case, I hoped we could fix things with Percy and Jori. Percy had been acting differently ever since Jori kicked him out. It hurt him not being there for his pack. And if we could build a better relationship with Pack Sallow, they could be our allies if the Council of Magic really did come after me.

“I need to get going, since there’s a lot for me to do right now.” I stepped away from Jori, creating more space between us.

Jori nodded. “I’ll see you soon.” His eyes moved to Mark’s, and a little smirk pulled up on the corner of his lips.

I turned and walked away from Jori, trying not to run to Mark. When I reached him, Mark’s entire body was tense. I grabbed his hand, trying to make him relax, but his eyes were still glued to Jori.

“He’s up to something,” Mark said, still looking behind me.

“It’s possible,” I admitted. “He seems really off, and I didn’t like being next to him.”

“What did he want?” Mark asked. He finally broke his stare and looked down at me. His arm slipped around my waist, and he pulled me into him.

“He says he wants to patch things up,” I said.

“He just kicked his beta out of the pack for helping us, and now he wants to patch things up?” Mark’s voice was full of skepticism.

“I know. I’m not sure if it’s true, but it’s worth a shot, right?” I asked. “If we have a chance to mend the bridge and make everything peaceful again, shouldn’t we try?”

Mark hummed in hesitation. “I don’t want you to get hurt. I’m having a hard time believing he changed his mind in just a matter of days.”

I could still feel Mark’s agitation at the situation, and I didn’t blame him. This wasn’t just a simple decision. Jori’s actions have set a precedent, and there was no reason to believe he wanted to change other than the fact that I wanted it to be true. I wanted harmony among the packs, and this would help bring that, or at least put a foot in the right direction.

“Maybe I am being an idealist,” I said, my shoulders slumping. “I just want everyone to get along. This isn’t what I was expecting when we decided to move here.” I let my head rest against his chest, feeling defeated.

Mark let out a sigh and hugged me tighter. “Maybe you’re right. It’s worth a shot to see if he’s being genuine. I don’t want you alone with him, though. Not until we know if this is real or not.”

I leaned back so I could look up at Mark’s face. His lips were scrunched, and I knew he still didn’t like the idea.

“Are you sure? I don’t want to risk it if you don’t think it’s a good idea.”

Mark nodded. “I’m still not sure if this is a genuine request, but you’re right. We have way too many things to worry about right now without having to worry about Jori and his pack. We’ll take precautions and take it slow and see how everything goes.”

I smiled, feeling hopeful about something. Between having Reyland’s help with protecting our pack and Jori starting to come around, I saw a bright light at the end of the tunnel. With this support, I was sure we would be able to figure everything out.

–

Everyone made their way to the backyard where chairs were set up in preparation for the meeting. There wasn’t a room inside the pack house large enough to hold all of the werewolves staying with us right now, so we were forced to set up an area in the backyard. It wasn’t an ideal situation since we were far into winter right now, but there weren’t many choices.

I stood at the entrance of the meeting area, greeting everyone as they found their seats. Mark and Reyland were with Darian, preparing for their announcements to everyone. A plan had been set, and this meeting was to get everyone on the same page. I didn’t know the specific details myself, but I knew different patrol shifts and paths were decided. In addition, everyone would go through additional training and preparation to improve their fighting skills.

All of the preparation felt a little strange. It was as if we were preparing for some huge battle or war even. I didn’t know if it would come down to that or not, but I hoped it wouldn’t. We still needed more information about the Council of Magic and what they might throw at us. I hadn’t spoken to or seen Cain after our last conversation, and I didn’t have any plans to, either. I was hoping Ginger would be able to get us the information we needed. If she couldn’t, only then would I turn to Cain to try to convince him to at least help us.

“Adira!”

I looked up, surprised to see Daniel’s friendly face. He ran right over to me, pulling me into a hug. I had worn him down since becoming friends with him. He was extremely awkward the first time we hugged, but now it was a natural greeting for him.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, surprised to see him at this meeting.

“Rie didn’t tell you?”

I shook my head.

“She invited me here. Apparently some guy brought books that had information about sorcerers in it, and she thought I would be one of the best people to look at it,” Daniel explained.

“Things have been pretty crazy here. I’m not surprised she didn’t have a chance to tell me, but I’m thrilled you’re here. It feels like it’s been a while since I’ve seen you.” I let out a small chuckle at this. It wasn’t that long since I had seen him, but a lot had happened since then. Then with Percy getting kicked out of the pack, I was worried Daniel wouldn’t be allowed to talk to us. It was a relief to see him here.

“I should probably find a seat before there are no more seats left,” Daniel said. “Find me after though. There are things we should talk about.”

“I will find you as soon as I’m free, but no promises for when that will be.” After the meeting, I wanted to go around and make sure everyone felt comfortable here. These warriors would likely be staying at our pack house for several weeks, if not longer, so I wanted to make sure no one felt out of place.

I also wanted to say hi to those I knew. It was a little strange seeing so many familiar faces, especially those who were around my age. I had seen them at some of their most awkward stages, but now they were warriors. A lot had changed since I left home, and it was weird seeing the familiar faces of strangers I once knew.

It didn’t take much longer for everyone to settle into their seats. People here were well trained and didn’t loiter when they knew they were expected somewhere. Murmurs filled the air while everyone waited for the meeting to start. I stayed back, not wanting to get in the way of the warriors or the alphas.

After another moment, Alpha Lyna cleared his throat, and silence fell through the crowd like a wave crashing down. It was almost eerie how quickly the silence filled the air.

“First, I want to thank you all for joining us here at the last minute,” Mark started. “Pack Aphelion is honored to be hosting Pack Lyna here. I know many of you have questions about why you might be here or what’s going on, and we plan to answer all of the questions we can. Before we get into anything, please let me or my mate, Adira, know if you need anything at all to make your stay here more comfortable.”

“We appreciate your hospitality,” Alpha Lyna said. “Werewolves, we have a unique opportunity to create an ally here. Pack Aphelion is a fairly new werewolf pack, but they have the makings to become one of the strongest werewolf packs over time. That is partly why I have offered our help to the enemy they face. The other reason is because the enemy threatening them is an enemy that once threatened all werewolves.

“Sorcerers have decided they don’t like one of the members of Pack Aphelion, and they have threatened the life of one of the werewolves here. Werewolves and sorcerers have lived in peace for centuries, but now they threaten that peace by deciding the fate of one of our own. By threatening one werewolf, they threaten us all, and I will not stand for that.”

The crowd cheered at Alpha Lyna’s words, showing just how much effect the words of their alpha had on them. Reyland had always been a commanding source, influencing those around him to see his way. I was grateful he was on our side of this.