CHAPTER 6
“What the hell was that about?” Carl snarled, the English accent of his youth thickening as it did whenever he was upset or pissed, and he was both at the moment. “Anyone want to tell me exactly what just happened?” The tall leggy form paced back and forth, electric blue eyes sweeping the other members of the council as they waited in the alpha's office. Every few minutes, he would stop and glare at the door, push thick muscular fingers through the peppered gray of his hair only to begin again.
“Elder Abernathy, please calm yourself,” the dulcet voice of Councilor Gretchen spoke from the chair across from the desk. “I'm sure once Alpha Hennison is able, he will come and explain.” She folded her long slender fingers into her lap and gazed at him with her pale silver eyes. She was oldest of the council, but, being a woman, could not take the elder position. However, her advice was always heeded and her ability to remain calm, legendary.
“Explain? How the hell is he going to explain … that,” he motioned in the general direction of the clearing. “I shifted! Not a choice even. One minute I was standing there on two legs and the next, on four. And if that wasn't enough, I had to fight my wolf to return! Without manifesting clothing! Do you know how long it's been since I have not been able to manifest clothing following a change? More than a hundred years. Do you hear me? ONE... HUNDRED... YEARS! What the bloody hell? “
The other members of the council nodded and whispered their agreement as Gretchen tried to contain the laughter that was threatening to erupt from the preposterous outrage of their Elder. They had all been forced to shift, which was, in itself, unnerving enough, but to then have to run bare ass naked. Well, such things were beneath them. They represented the eldest and most powerful of shifters and being forced into anything was nowhere near being in their comfort zone.
The door opened at that moment and Jeff strolled into the room. “Counselors,” he murmured and nodded to them in respect. Carl turned, took three steps towards him and growled, “explain this!” Shoving one finger into the alpha's chest, he exploded, “Explain what happened. What did you do? So help me, Hennison, I'll have your ass in a sling for this insult!”
Jeff snarled, his eyes flashing from their calm emerald green into glowing gold. Lips pealing back from his teeth and he found himself fighting for control for the third time tonight. Elders or not, this was still his damn pack and he deserved to be treated as the alpha he was.
“Jeff,” Gretchen's soft tone wormed its way through his anger and gave him the control he needed. Satisfied that he was calming, she stood and folded her hands serenely in front of herself. “If you two are finished with your pissing contest, I'm sure we would all like to hear what you have to say.” She turned towards him and waited patiently.
Jeff frowned, rubbed the back of his neck and began to pace again in aggravation. “I don't know exactly what happened,” he began.
“Bollocks!” Carl's seething eyes burned a hole in the younger man's chest. “You have fought us tooth and nail over this decision. You fought us for years and now you did something to stop this. It's rebellion!” Carl's eyes had become almost pinpoints from his fury, spittle flying out as he stalked closer to Jeff. “Admit it! You...”
Before Carl could finish, Jeff had the older shifter by the neck, lifting him in the air with a growl. The hush that filled the air was thicker than soup and everyone held their collective breaths. “You listen to me, you pompous airbag, you and this council are the ones to blame for everything. I obeyed your damned decree. I'm the one that forced my little girl to shift so she could be chased like a rabbit at a greyhound track. So if I was you, I'd watch what I was saying because my hold on my wolf is tentative at best.” His eyes slowly dimmed and after a moment, he opened his fist and let Carl drop to the floor.
“You've lost it. You actually attacked a council member. You're finished, done. I'm calling for a vote right now to disband this pack or bare minimum remove you as alpha.” Carl’s red face glared around the room. “You heard me, I demand a vote. He has no respect for me or for this council and I, for one, am sick of it. This ass has been a thorn in my side for too many years.”
“Make up your mind, Carl. Is he a thorn or an ass?” Gretchen asked him calmly.
The tension in the room evaporated amidst a smattering of chuckles. Carl knew he had lost momentum and with one last glower, flopped back into the chair attempting to pull himself together.
Jeff allowed the anger to drain out of him and turned to face Gretchen. There was no love lost between him and the council, but at least he respected her. Carl could go straight to hell and Jeff would be only too happy to give him a map, compass, snacks for the road and a healthy boot in the ass to send him on his way.
“Please continue,” she nodded to him.
“As I was saying, I don't know what happened. It's no secret that I wasn't happy with this decision to force Carson into a mate run, and yes I did argue against it. However, when all was said and done, I obeyed the will of the council, this council. As for thinking I did something, “ his eyes fell on the still fuming Elder, “unless you failed to notice, everyone at that fire was forced to shift, from the youngest to the oldest, including pups that haven't mastered a full shift yet, a pregnant mother, and even Molly, eldest in the village. Hell, even I, the alpha, shifted and had to fight my animal tooth and nail to regain control. Everyone I talked to said the same thing one minute human, the next wolf. Last I checked, everyone was fine... well except for Jan and Steven Michaels and Landry and Aubrey Williams.”
Gretchen wrinkled her brow. “I assume that was the four that was protecting her?”
He nodded. “Yes, Councilor, they are still in their wolf forms, guarding the door to the healer's hall. Nobody can get within ten feet of the porch. I just left there and they won't let anyone in, not even me.” The worry made his lips pinch and lines appear around his eyes.
“What are those four to her? Friends? Family?” Councilor Maggie asked quietly.
“Nothing. The Michaels' are newly mated just last moon. Carson knows them both but I wouldn't call them close friends. The Williams' just moved here last year. I don't think she's even met them yet.”
“Force them to change back and ask them,” Carl mumbled from behind the desk.
“I've tried to use my will on them. It's like the human in them is gone and they are completely feral. Even as alpha, they won't obey me.”
Carl snarled. “When the pack stops obeying the alpha, it’s time to get a new one. You're weak Hennison, weak and pathetic.” He looked around at the frowns of the other councilors. “At least that's my opinion,” he mumbled.
Jeff closed his eyes and let the anger wash through him. He bit back the retort and instead took several breaths, refusing to let the arrogant ass bait him further. Several moments passed before opening them again. Surprisingly he felt in control for the first time. “You know what they say about opinions, Carl. They are just like an ass. Everyone has one and they stink. In your case I would say that goes double.” He sniffed the air and made a face like he had scented something repulsive. Carl's mouth flopped open but quickly shut it again.
Maggie and Archie looked at each other, mirth clear on their faces.
“What about your son? He was able to calm that Doctor fellow with his empathy stuff.” Oliver asked. “Have him make a go at it.”
Carl let out a snort. “Empathy... stupid crap is what that is. Useless. Weak. Pathetic - just like his old man.”
Jeff ignored the jab and shook his head. “We tried it. Cayson can't get through to them either. Frankly I have no idea what to do.”
Gretchen took a deep breath. “I suppose since this is unfamiliar ground and has to do with a dreamer, we should send for Manna. Maybe she can help figure this out.”
Jeff nodded and walked to the door, opening it and speaking to someone on the other side before closing it aga
in. They waited several moments before the door opened and in walked a tall woman with long silver hair and eyes so pale as to be almost white. Her body radiated power and she wrapped it around herself like a cloak. She smiled and nodded first to the council and then to Jeff. “I wondered how long it would be before you sent for me. Quite the interesting turn of events this evening wouldn't you say? How astounding it is to be taken down a notch,” her eyes danced with barely contained laughter. Casting her eyes towards the council, she said, “If you will recall, I warned you that this whole mate run thing was a very bad idea.”
They shifted in their seats, refusing to meet her eyes.
“Thank you for coming, Manna. We have a few questions that we are hoping you can help us with. First off, the big question on everyone's mind is what was all that shifting tonight? I assume it was caused by her?” Maggie asked as she fidgeted uncomfortably under her gaze.
“Oh I'm quite sure it was caused by her. It took a little digging, but I found a passage in the archives concerning dreamers in distress. Of course, I'll have to do more research when I return to our compound – the archives here are, for lack of a better word, dismal.” Manna frowned slightly.
“For Luna's sake, woman. What is it?” Carl growled as he jumped up from his seat. “It's like wrestling a bone from a starving wolf to get a straight answer out of you.”
Manna was nonplussed as she fixed her stare on him. “If you are quite through throwing your tantrum, Councilor?” She waited until he sat back down before continuing. “I believe what happened here tonight was a Calling.”
Councilor Archie opened his mouth to ask her what a Calling was but Carl beat him to it. “What the hell is that?” he asked from behind the safety of Jeff's desk.
Manna tucked her hand into the pockets of her dress and ignored the indignant glower from the elder council member. “A Calling is a very old and obscure ability of dreamers. I had not heard of it before, which is in itself remarkable, but I did find mention of one in the archives. Roughly three hundred years ago, there was a young dreamer who had not come fully into her gifts, and was still a novice at shifting. While in the forest, she came across a mother bear with two young cubs. The bear chased her, cornering her between a canyon cliff and several large rocks. This is where it becomes very interesting. Realizing she was trapped with no way out, she prepared herself to die. Suddenly, eight wolves, all mated members of her pack, appeared behind the bear. The girl passed out in a dead faint, but the others were able to drive the bear back and return her to their village. Later when asked about the event, she stated that she knew she was going to die and wished with all her heart and soul that someone would come save it. The rescuing wolves, on the other hand, had no recollection of the events. One moment they were humans in the village and the next shifting from their wolves standing guard over her. It was named a Calling in the texts. Simply fascinating.“
“Alright, that sounds familiar. So what we saw was a Calling, I get that. But my question is why? The girl's life wasn't in any real danger like the one in the story, so why did she call for help and why did those two couples answer when nobody else did? Also, while you are at the explanations, what the hell caused everyone to shift?” Archie leaned forward, propping his chin on his hands.
“It's quite simple, Councilor.” Turning to Gretchen, she smiled. “Gretchen, if you would please inform us, what are the five gifts of our people?”
She frowned. “Really? Are we going to have preschool lessons now?”
Manna held up a hand. “Please, just bear with me a moment. Now what are the five gifts?”
Gretchen sighed heavily but answered. “The five gifts of Luna's children are strength, peace, knowledge, healing and love.”
Manna clapped her hands and pasted a broad smile on her face. “Perfect. Thank you.” Ticking them off on her fingers she repeated them. “Strength which manifests in the form of our alphas, knowledge given to us through the dreamers, healing from, of course, our healers, peace through our empaths, and love in the form of life mates.”
“This is basic wolf knowledge, Manna. Every pup old enough to talk knows this. Is there a point?”
“I'm getting to it, Oliver. Please just hear me out.” She schooled her face into a calm mask again before continuing. “Many decades ago, our people maintained those gifts in every pack creating a perfect balance, every single pack. But now, we don't have the balance we used to. We have alphas without betas and dreamers covering several packs instead of each one having their own. Our precious empaths are discouraged and found to be weak, even worthless,” her gaze cut to Carl who was rolling his eyes. “Our healers learn less and less about traditional skills using their gifts and rely more on modern technology. But all that, and listen carefully, it all pales in comparison to the imbalance of love. Instead of allowing wolves to find their mates as it was intended by Luna, we have instigated the practice of settling for someone who is acceptable or in worse cases, forcing the issue with those ghastly mate runs. We are doing this to ourselves. We are forcing the animal inside to make a decision for both human and beast. That is not the way we were made.”
“Your fairy tales are all nice and good, but what has that got to do with what happened here?” Carl asked impatiently. The tone of his voice was clear; he didn't believe a single word of what she was saying.
She whipped around and glared daggers at him. “It has everything to do with tonight's events! There is a great imbalance here. If you can't see it, then you are a bigger fool than I first suspected you to be, and I am quite sure you are a fool of gargantuan proportions. Let me spell it out for you. First, there is an alpha here but no beta, hence the balance of power is off. Then, your pack empath, a rare rare gift, more rare than all the other gifts combined, is denied his birth right all because you five view anyone having emotions and the ability to control them as weak. Next, one of our precious dreamers was forced into a mate run and not allowed to pursue her search for a life mate, throwing love out of balance. A dreamer is the knowledge of a pack and you five, in your infinite wisdom, created a stressful situation from which she felt she had no recourse. Though her life was not in physical danger, her sanity, her heart, her need to protect and fix this pack was definitely in danger. Dreamers must be at peace with themselves and their packs. Stress from being mis-mated could, at the least, cause a disruption in the harmony of the stream. And though instinctively she would be devoted to her imprinted mate, she would resent it on a spiritual level, throwing her out of balance and in turn, skewing her ability to merge with streams. She was literally backed up against the wall. Plainly put, a calling is the desperate cry of her soul for help. When the compulsion was placed on her to shift for the mate run, her soul screamed out its injustice and demanded protection. That call was answered by the two mated couples that now protect her in the healing hall.”
“Dear Luna, what have we done?” Jeff's face turned pale as silence consumed the room. Finally it was broken by Maggie. “You still haven't explained why we all were forced to shift?”
Manna gathered her thoughts a moment before continuing. “You were forced to change so that your wolves could be judged by her soul on a spiritual, primitive, gifted level. The two couples that were chosen were, for lack of a better way of putting it, perfectly in alignment with their mates. They were in perfect balance physically, spiritually and emotionally. Think of it like a standard... an ideal. The Calling demands perfection to that standard. There can be no fear, no distrust, no issues in their bonds. It knows the link between mates and finds the most suitable ones. This imbalance I spoke of goes back generations and it’s my belief that it started with the first mate runs. Now we are seeing the culmination.”
Maggie wrinkled her brow, “In the story from the archive, there were eight wolves, which I would expect based on tonight's experience, to be four pairs? Only two pairs were called by Carson. Was it be
cause her physical life wasn't in danger?”
Manna frowned, “I don't think so. What I believe is that those four were called because of the strength of their bonds. It also speaks volumes about those who were not chosen, about the taint that has settled over our people and the imbalance. In a pack this size, I would not have been surprised to see six or eight pairs chosen. That only two were singled out and both of them fairly new to this pack say there are some serious issues in your people, Jeff, and you need to rectify it.”
Jeff blew out a stream of air. He had just come to the realization at the same time. He thought for a long few moments before asking his next question. “How long will they stay wolves?”
“I imagine until the compulsion releases them. In the archive accounting, the guardians, as they are called, were only released from their duty once the dreamer regained consciousness; with danger passed and her awake, they shifted back.” She shrugged. “I’m not sure, of course, but I think the same will work here.”
Jeff jumped up as he tried to assimilate the barrage of information Manna was giving them. It all seemed so unreal but the proof was currently at the healer's hall watching over his daughter. They were doing what he wouldn't do and the thought galled him. Cayson was right. He shouldn't have given in to pressure to force this run. He shook his head, clearing it. He'll deal with his own shortcomings later. Right now, he needed to address the four wolves that were keeping guard over Carson. “Why didn't they listen to me when I tried to make them shift?” Jeff asked. “Even my alpha couldn't force them to listen. It was like the human sides weren't even there.”
“Because when it comes to the five gifts, normally they are equal - one does not overrule the other. However, her needs as a dreamer overrode your authority as an alpha. They were acting in the Calling for her. When the danger is over, which I think is probably when she awakens, they will probably phase back into humans again. As you know, our wolves are stronger than our humans; they are less emotional, less likely to hesitate and act instinctively to do the right thing. Had anyone touched Carson, I feel quite sure they would put their lives down to protect her. The beast in us understands the needs of the heart and more importantly, the need to protect a dreamer.”
A soft murmur raced through the room at the revelation.
Gretchen nodded slowly, “And the reason the new healer was allowed near her was because his gift was needed to help her?”
Manna shrugged. “It very well could be, but I have another theory. However, until she wakes up, we won't know for sure.” She made her way to the door and stopped with her hand on the knob. She looked back at them and a slow grin lit her features as her eyes twinkled with joy. “Either way, this promises to be quite a show.”