Chapter 83

Mira

I was blindfolded for most of the way.

It always fascinated me that if you took away one sense, the others would compensate. Since reclaiming my wolf, that shift in perception seemed multiplied by one thousand.

We drove over in a Pack van, and since I was familiar with most of the fleet I could eventually figure out which vehicle I was in.

My handlers were careful with me as we disembarked, my feet crunching gravel and pine needles.

Of course, the forest.

In all my research, I could never find concrete evidence on where this event would take place. The macabre side of my imagination always sketched in a dank chamber lit with candles and reeking of molding metal that smells an awful lot like blood.

Whatever the reasoning or greater plan, the council had brought me out among the trees. I tried to contain my smile so I didn't seem pompous. But I was in my element, this was the place I felt most secure and in control.

It could be a trick.

The most likely scenario, perhaps. Bring me to a place where I think I have an advantage, and then humble me with their power and influence.

“Walk.”

The voice came from behind me. Fortunately the hands stayed on my upper arms, firm enough to guide me without restraining my movement. They did me a further kindness by alerting me of any rocks or roots that I might trip over. Even at the whims of these others, I did not feel fear as I faced the uncertainty ahead.

“Stop.”

The same voice as before, its owner standing about twelve feet in front of me.

The blindfold was removed from my eyes and my pupils morphed to adjust to the diffused morning light. We were in a clearing surrounded my a circle of hemlock trees and I was in the center. I didn’t need to turn all the way around to know that a circle of council members surrounded me.

They were all dressed as they might be on any other day, with the caveat that they knew about our trek and chose the proper shoes. While I felt it on display, I still felt nothing sinister about it so far.

“Welcome, Mira,” Davos said, smiling with paternal divinity. “This day has been anticipated for quite some time, and it is a triumph that we have even made it this far. Every day is a gift, and none are promised.”

I nodded, not sure if I should respond.

“You are here because you have been chosen, by the gods, by the Pack, and most importantly, by Dominic, the future Alpha,” he added, a different color in his voice when he said his son’s name. “We are here, to be sure that you uphold your status with those that choose you, that you are fit to be a leader and protector of this community and its allies. Do you accept this nomination?”

“I do.”

There was no hesitation in my voice. The sounds of the forest swelled in volume as I made my declaration.

“Let us begin.”

“First,” the voice from earlier said, “leadership.”

I turned ninety degrees to my left to see a tall woman with the greenest eyes I’d ever seen. Her hair was dark but her temples were showing flecks of grey. She wore a utilitarian jumpsuit the color of moss.

“How can we count on you to be a leader, having only been in this pack for a few months?” The question came from behind me, so I turned the one-eighty and saw a man I recognized. His name was Walter, and I had saved his son from a Rogue attack out in the field. His eyes told me he was still grateful, even if he kept his demeanor formal.

“You’re right, I am still an outsider among you,” I said with humility, “and it has given me perspective on what this Pack needs. My work at the hospital is enough to show how much I care about these families, and that is not to boast. I simply saw ways in which my alternative knowledge could improve a situation and I did it. No accolades or golden plaques necessary.”

There were looks shared around the circle. I took a chance to turn my head carefully, trying to take everyone else in.

A red-haired man and bottle-blond woman were between Davos and the woman in the jumpsuit. I remembered them from a banquet but could not recall their names.

On the other side was Rickon, a real estate tycoon, and his sister Orley, occupation unknown. I always wondered whether they had twin powers, but it was not my place to ask.

I recognized Shana next to Walter, a woman in her forties who was a school principal.

Between her and Davos was a short woman in her seventies, her eye lids heavy and the orbs underneath them milk white.

There were nine in total, and I almost went down a rabbit hole to think about what the number could mean.

“A leader must be fully present and available for Pack business at all times,” the blond woman said. “When you take on your duties as Luna, do you plan give up your medical practice?”

That, I did not expect.

“Well, I…” my mind faltered as I crafted my response. They would expect me to say yes, of course, once I am Luna I won’t need anything else to fulfill my life. But would they see that I was lying, and hold that against me?

I decided on authenticity, and girded my loins for the reaction.

“I see no reason why I should give up work that is both my passion and beneficial to others,” I said with my full chest. “Of course, schedules change and responsibilities must be delegated, but I think it is an outdated expectation that a woman should give up her career in marriage.”

“But you’ll have so much to do running the household, the affairs of the larger community and compound.”

The red haired man was definitely in cahoots with the blond.

“Who is looking after it now?” I asked, as if I didn’t already know.

“Well, the Alpha, of course,” Davos said of himself, “though at this point I have passed much of it on to Dominic.”

“Then it sounds like my husband can stay at home and run the household, while I focus on my work.”

I wish I had recorded the reactions of the group. Gasps, a full guffaw from Davos at my sassy comments about his son. The Jumpsuit woman looked irritated, and a few seemed uneasy that I had spoken so freely in such a formal moment.

“She’s quick as a whip too,” Davos said, bringing things back into focus. “That might pass for an intelligence test if we aren’t splitting hairs.”

He winked at me, for an instant as a father to a daughter, and a new boost of confidence coursed through me.

“On a note of useful information,” I said, turning towards the twins, “can I suggest that you take a few steps into the circle? That shiny plant growing behind you is poison oak.”

A small yelp from Rickon and gasp from Orley brought them out of danger.

“And,” I walked out of my central spot towards the woman with white eyes. She moved out of the way before I got to her, though no one told her to. “And this rock wall along the ridge is out of date with the current water basin and flood plane. The stone are mainly being held in place by moss, and the ground underneath will soon be too wet to keep it up.”

“Remarkable,” the old blind woman said.

I came back to the circle. “There is a quarry not far on the other side of the Brooks compound. A new supplier and fortification for our sacred spots.”

Now I was just monologuing, like it was a pageant and it was my chance to show off my fun facts.

The woman in the jumpsuit had had enough of it.

“We get it! She loves plants.” Her voice was rich and hollow. “Let’s move on.”

Murmurs of agreement went around. I returned to my place in the circle, facing the woman who spoke.

“What’s next?” I asked, hubris radiating off me.

“The physical component.”

My ears just registered the last word when I was attacked from behind.