Kingdom of Wolves - Page 73

I hope these coming two weeks will not be full ofconfrontation. I’ve been told by many people that it’s a good pack. Now I haveto wait and see what I find out for myself.

Chapter 29

TATIANA

Carolina is sitting next to me at the long trellis table and AlphaAurora is on the other side. I can feel the eyes of almost everyone in theroom, and Ebony is highly alert in the back of my mind. I feel the emotions inthe room directed toward me: interest, jealousy, kindness, and hatred.

Alpha Aurora taps her spoon against the glass she’s holdingand gains everyone’s attention. When the room quietens, she speaks in a modesttone, and I wasn’t expecting that; I thought she would be more dominant, but myexperience with an Alpha is not a good one, and as Poppa Lykos asked me to comehere with a blank mind, that is what I’ll try to do.

Someone here we need to watch. I cannot pinpoint who itis yet. Too many emotions around the room. When I find them, we need to beaware of them while we are here.

‘Okay, Ebony.’ My eyes are flicking around the room but I’mnot seeing an outward sign of anyone disliking me enough to send hatred intothe room.

“Pack, we have a guest with us for two weeks. I expect youto welcome Tatiana Winterstorm as you were welcomed to the pack. I won’ttolerate anyone being disrespectful of someone who has not earned dislike fromanyone here. You do not know Tatiana’s story, and until you have lived insomeone else’s shoes, you have no right to judge. Let me be even more clear toyou all, anyone that causes an issue with Tatiana will meet me in the challengecircle. Do I make myself clear?” Alpha Aurora sends some of her power over theroom with nods and murmurs of understanding.

Carolina taps my hand, and when I look at her, she smiles.“It’s okay Tatiana, the Alpha always makes sure people are fully aware of whatshe expects. If anyone messes with you now, they know what to expectthemselves.”

“I don’t want to cause trouble. I’m only here to learn how apack works, the same as I did at Spirit Walker Pack.”

“We know, and I’ll be with you while you are here. I amlooking forward to getting to know you.”

Smiling at Carolina, I look back up when someone steps infront of the table and places a platter of meat on the table. I thank her andlook up when she giggles. “My pleasure Tatiana.” The woman is only around myage, I notice, and she has a slight blush on her cheeks, but before I can sayanything more, she darts away.

Alpha Aurora gets my attention when she sits back in herseat. “I hope you will have a good stay. If you need anything, just ask.Carolina will be with you while you are here. You can see everything and askquestions. This is a learning experience for you, so take from the visit whatyou need. I hope you will decide to lead a pack. We need more females to stepup and stop being doormats to the males of our species.”

“Thank you. I’m looking forward to speaking to some of yourpack members. They look happy and relaxed, that is my first impression, andafter seeing what the Blackshadow Pack members were like, it’s commendable toyou as their Alpha.”

That’s a good suck-up, Tati. Start by buttering her upand find out how she is with compliments. Ebony gives a growl that soundsalmost like laughter, and I resist the urge to roll my eyes.

‘Shut up, Ebony. I’ll speak to you later.’

“When I took over the pack, I worked for a long time toerase the way the pack had been run previously. Giving the females theopportunity to learn their value, to themselves and to any pack they may belongto, especially if they find their mate. It was tricky, as the males didn’t likethe changes. I removed many males from the pack, and as you can see, we havemales and females here, but we also have humans if they are a mate or justwanted a good place to live.” Alpha Aurora I can tell is seeing things from thepast as she has sadness and other emotions flick across her face.

“I’m not saying I will, but if I become Alpha of a pack, Ihope to emulate you in many ways, Alpha Aurora. The town has a mixture ofshifters and humans and as any town, it’s not perfect, but we have a nicebalance and, on the whole, it’s a good place to live.” I take a piece of meatand vegetables from another platter and begin eating.

“We take from what we see works, make it our own, use it howwe see fit. I hope you find things here that you can use in your future,whether or not you lead a pack. You have had a bad experience with pack lifeand none of it was deserved. Be who you are, Tatiana, and you can’t go wrong.”

I give Alpha Aurora a nod and smile, turning back to myplate and eating whilst my eyes flick around the room, taking in everythingthat I see.

After the meal, I excuse myself and return to my room,shower and climb into bed. I pick up my phone where I’d left it on the bedsidetable, check for messages, and see one from Brod. Of course, Brod would sendsomething I’m thinking and smile before I even open the message.

Brod: Hi sis [smiling emoji] missing you already anddon’t be finding another bestie while you’re there.

Tati: Hi bro, no I won’t find another bestie, becauseI’ve already got the best bestie there is [high five emoji]

I smile when I see a voicemail from Poppa Lykos becauseeveryone who knows him knows how much he hates what he calls technology.Listening to the message, I mist up a little because of the love and care PoppaLykos always shows me.

Missing you already, Tati. Momma is mooning around thehouse, talking about decorating your room before you come back. You know,because you’ll never want to leave again if she does it just right. Yeah, I mayhave to divert her attention for a while. You need me; you call or text andI’ll be there. I’ll bring the whole town if I need to. Love you, Tati. See yousoon.

Seeing another text message, I grin as I see it’s Lyle.

Lyle: I hear you are at Blood Pearl Pack for two weeks,but know if you need me, I’m here for you. Don’t let them drag you intoanything you don’t want. Learn what you have to and keep what you don’t wantthem to know close to yourself. Remember, I’m your second bestie xx

Tati: I am at BPP and so far, all is okay. I’ve not beenhere 24 hours yet, so anything could happen. I’ll keep in mind you are mysecond bestie and Brod will be pleased to hear that–giggling–I’ll give you acall soon second bestie xx

Settling down for the night, I hear Ebony in the back of mymind. Lock the door, Tati, don’t blindly trust anyone in this pack.

Climbing out of bed, I walk over to the door, lock it, andsigh. I’d not thought about locking the door, but I agree it’s the sensiblething to do with being in a strange packhouse and among people I don’t know.