Kingdom of Wolves - Page 57

Passing me a small notepad, I write my contact details forwhen I’m on the move and my home/office, where Gabe will pick up anythingimportant. “Gabe will let me know anything important and I’ll tell him if youcontact him, he needs to tell me pronto.”

“Do you mean the Beta’s Gabriel?” Merry is looking from oneto the other of us.

“Yes, my Gabriel. He’s working for and with Flint. Learningshifter council business, laws, and pack procedures.” Beta Goldman has puffedhis chest out with pride and I’m not sure he realizes he’s done it, but it’sgood to see.

Turning to the door to leave, I look over my shoulder and noidea why but ask. “Any idea why Anika and Hula from the shifter council visitedthe Alpha so much?”

“Well, he was having an affair with Anika. I saw them withmy own two eyes. I wanted to poke my eyes out with a hot poker when I saw themin the office, her over the desk with her skirt up over her back. Disgustingwoman. Hulah, of course, took up with Anika and the murmurs I heard was athreesome was the monthly meeting agenda.”

“Oh, dear. Now I feel like I want to empty my stomach.” Ijoke, and Merry giggles, pats my shoulder and before she tells me somethingelse I don’t want to hear, I head down the garden path and back into theforest.

Beta Goldman laughs. “She’s full of it, but she never tellsyou anything she hasn’t witnessed or knows is the truth. She never spreadsgossip, and she moved here to stay out of the Alpha’s sight because she’s athreat to him if he finds out she saw that in his office.”

“Yes. It gives me something else to work with, and I’ll letGabe know so he can look into their relationship.”

Back in my room, I call the Spirit Walker Pack member andfill him in on new information and he informs me he’s found nothing as yet toprove it wasn’t anything but an accident.

Gabe fills me in on the tension flowing in the shiftercouncil offices, and that Anika and Hulah have been trying to get reinstated. Ilet him know what I heard, and he’s going to ask a few discrete questions tosee if he can confirm they are more than council members.

Walking back to Connell’s house, I speak to a couple of packmembers, and they are still subdued but not unwilling to speak to me aboutanything concerning daily events. It seems other than that they cannot or won’tsay anything.

The door opens and Connell waves me inside. “When are youleaving?”

“Tomorrow. I’ve got to get back to the shifter counciloffices. Seems our friends want to get reinstated. But I don’t want that untilwe know if they are in on whatever shit your Alpha has going on.”

Connell takes a seat in the living area of the house and Itake a seat next to the fireplace, which isn’t lit but is a nice focal point ofthe room.

“I’m looking at confronting the Alpha as soon as you havesomething on the Winterstorm accident. Unless he does something else that I cancall him out on, then I’ll challenge him. Beta Goldman has my back and I’mkeeping my eye on the other warriors and males who are in the higher court ofmy father.”

“I’ll keep you informed. Stay in touch, Connell.” I headback to the packhouse and run upstairs to get a good rest before my journey inthe morning.

Chapter 23

TATIANA

I think I have Monday morning blues! I’m working with Wallace Webber today.He’s one of the town council members and I’ve not had anything to do with himas such, up to this point. He always seems jolly and cheerful, we’ll see ifit’s genuine as he’s taking me around to all of the businesses.

Lyle is walking beside me, whistling low under his breath.“It will not be bad, Tati. I’m going to be with you for a couple of days. I’vehad clearance from the town council to work alongside you. I know office-typework is boring, but as a leader of a pack, we have to understand all aspects.You’ve decisions to make in another year, and you’ve got to have all theinformation so you can make that decision.”

Lyle is right. We need to know everything before wedecide. But we are Alpha, so we are capable of doing this. I know you don’twant to be an Alpha of a pack but think of being a Luna. You still need theinformation to do the right things to support your mate.

‘I’m thinking about it, Ebony. It just feels like I onlyjust got you and then this is all thrown at me. I’m trying to learn and staypositive, and you are right. I would much rather be a Luna than lead as anAlpha.’

Lyle throws an arm around my shoulders. “Let’s show thisWallace, that we can do anything he throws at us.”

“Okay, let’s do this.” Grumbling under my breath abouthaving to do things I don’t really want to do and being cheerful while I do it.Lyle scrubs the top of my head, laughing before setting off in a jog, lookingover his shoulder at me and winking.

Arriving at the office, I knock and wait for Mr. Webber tocall us in, and when he does, Lyle opens the door and waits for me to enterfirst. I’m surprised to see his office is cozy and looks more like a librarythan a council office.

“Come in, take a seat, both of you.” Placing the book downthat he’d been reading as we walked into the office. Looking at both of usclosely, which nearly has me squirming, he continues speaking. “I know you’vehad no time with me up to this point, Tatiana, but you’ll get to know me thisweek. Please, call me Wallace, as I don’t like the stiffness of Mr. Webber. Ifyou are uncomfortable with that, you can call me Mr. Wallace, how’s that?

“We’ll be going around the businesses, checking they arerunning smoothly, and as every business in the town itself is owned by thetown, the council ensures that nothing untoward is happening. We have never hadan issue with any of the businesses. The males and females who run these businessesget a good cut of the profits as they are the ones doing the work. The councilonly takes fifteen percent, it pays our wages and what’s left builds for anycosts we help with or new businesses we finance opening.”

Lyle is leaning forward in his seat, taking a keen interest,and my mind is thinking that it’s a good way to keep things under control inthe town.

“As rogues, how do you maintain peace? Especially if youhave a new rogue, enter the territory and they are not peace-loving.” Lyle asksand I look at Mr. Wallace as it’s a good question.

“When a new rogue enters the territory, we quickly see whattype of shifter they are. As Tati knows, everyone meets the new shifter and tobe honest, it’s quickly decided if the male or female will fit in with thetown. Now, if we were an official pack, the Alpha would decide if a personcould join the pack or not.”