Chapter Seven

O UR MAIN HOUSING complex had always been a sanctuary to me. It looked much like a small village, only a short distance from Ulaanbaatar. Each family had its own cabin and we all shared the small forest nearby. Beyond that, we were surrounded by meadows and steppes, rivers and other villages, all the way to the mountains in the great distance.

As I entered the familiar cabin I’d been sharing with my father since before I could remember, I realized I’d lost that feeling of being home. Somehow, it had all changed in the span of a few short weeks. Was it safe? To me, it felt like everyone was watching me. Keeping tabs and maybe reporting to my enemies.

Mongolian, Russian, werewolf or human friends, they all looked suspicious to me. Even in my own room, locked away from the rest of the pack, I was still a little paranoid. I tried to tell myself it was all normal, that I’d fended off assassins not too long ago, assassins from my own tribe. I’d escaped, but not damage free.

I took in my room, my eyes drifting over all the knickknacks, books, and photos I’d amassed over the years. It all felt a little foreign, even the posters and paintings I vividly remember buying for myself. I knew where everything was, the large closet, the coffee table, the bathroom on the left side of the room, and the reading nook I had built myself near the window held no secrets to me. So why did it feel like I was seeing it all for the first time?

A soft knock on the door interrupted my train of thought. I rushed to the door to open it, telling myself not to dwell too long on how I was feeling.

“Your father asked to see you,” his old secretary said, looking over her thick glasses.

“Thank you, Mrs. T. I’ll be there in a minute.”

She smiled and brushed away some invisible lint from my jacket. “You take your time, dear. I’ll have coffee and biscuits ready for you in his office.”

I watched her walk down the hallway and into my living room, but didn’t move until the sound of the door closing behind her reminded me I was alone in the cabin again. I gave a final once over my room, feeling relief wash over me at the thought of not being there on my own.

I made a quick mental note to deal with that tidbit of information later, after having talked to my father. I knew I’d have to deal with what had happened to me. I wasn’t too proud to admit I’d been scared for my life, but right now wasn’t the time for that. Finding out who was behind all this was more important to me. I had plenty of time to heal once I knew I was safe.

My father’s office was located in one of the larger cabins in the middle of the complex. He shared it with a few important tribe officials, but other than being a little bigger, nothing would have marked it as an important building. Chinggis never liked to stand out. He believed foregoing luxury made him more approachable to tribe members. I’d always thought the Mongolians in our tribe had appreciated that a lot more than the Russians. Compared with the huge villas and flashy cars of some Russian pack leaders, our complex looked shabby. Some of our members took that as a sign of economic troubles. We’d worked on dispelling them over the years, but the misconceptions persisted, especially among mob affiliated werewolves.

I went through the main entrance, opening the door to the buzzing sound of keyboards and phone calls that I imagined were par for the course for any normal office. I went up the stairs and walked to the end of the corridor to reach my father’s office. I knocked and went in, stopping at Mrs. T’s little desk.

“Go ahead, dear. You know he doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”

She handed me a plate filled with biscuits and shooed me inside.

“Hi, dad," I said, placing the biscuits on his desk, right next to the cups of tea Mrs. T had already brought in.

Father jumped out of his chair, hurried around the desk, and pulled me into a bone-crushing hug. All the air whooshed out of my lungs, but I hugged him back despite the minor discomfort. Chinggis didn’t hug me often, and his words of praise and love were scarce. I learned early on to treasure such displays of fatherly affection. I’d never doubted he loved me, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t have used more proof of that fact.

He tightened his hold, sighing into my shoulder. I didn’t want to squirm or move away, but I coughed and he released me. He took my hand in his and gave it a little squeeze, a warm smile curving his lips.

“I am so happy to see you safely home. Those days when we knew nothing of you were a nightmare.”

I winced and gave his hand a reassuring tug. “I’m sorry, Dad. I couldn’t contact you earlier, it was too risky.”

He clicked his tongue and waved off my concern. “You have nothing to apologize for. But the bastards who did this will pay!”

His hold of my hand tightened, and for a second there I thought I might have a fracture to heal. I must have winced or grimaced, because the pressure lightened and he brought his free hand over mine.

“Do we know who was behind this?”

Chinggis released me and went back to his chair. He motioned for me to sit and poured our tea. “We sent scouts to that mammoth of a building where it happened.” Father snarled, probably disgusted by both the attempt to kill me and the luxurious waste the Russians indulged in. “It had been scrubbed clean. Everyone who attended that meeting was either missing or dead.”

I snorted and shook my head. “It will make it easy for us. I was surrounded by werewolves of all packs at that meeting. It’s hard to tell who was in on it. We can’t question the dead, or tell whether they’d been killed to be silenced or as punishment for their failure. Or both.”

My father nodded and picked up his tea cup, sipping slowly from it. “True, the evidence there is inconclusive. I have other sources I can rely on for information.” He placed the cup back on the desk and crossed his arms over his chest. “Right now, the evidence points to the mob faction the packs. I won’t strike until I’m sure. It’s not hard to pin anything on them, we all think they’re rotten anyway.”

I shrugged and leaned forward, crossing my arms over the edge of the desk. “We have to get to the bottom of this fast. Otherwise we look weak and more of our tribe will think of challenging us. That said, I’d rather be thorough than hasty.”

He smiled, looking too tired for how early in the day it was. “And that is what makes you a great leader.”

“Too bad the Russians don’t think so.”

Father sighed and closed his eyes, trailing his fingers over the closed lids. “They don’t doubt your abilities to lead, son. What bothers them is your ideas about changing the tribe.”

And there it was, our major disagreement, my plans for the future. I snorted and pushed off the edge of the desk, rolling in my chair and glaring at my father. “You think they’d appreciate a leader worried about the future. A leader who doesn’t want us to die off in a few generations.”

“I am not saying your ideas are wrong. Now is not the time for them. You have to implement this change in small steps, otherwise they will reject it.”

I slapped the armrest and grunted. “We do not have time for baby steps. We solve this problem now, or our numbers will be so low, we won’t be able to hold our territories.”

Chinggis shrugged and sipped his tea, his calm demeanor getting on my nerves. “We can approve more requests to turn some humans.”

I rolled my eyes, the gesture met with a disapproving glare. “Except Mongolians can’t turn humans, you have to be born a werewolf. Even if that wasn’t a problem, we both know turning a human is not an easy thing to achieve. They have to be severely bitten, and of the few who survive, even fewer become werewolves. None of the turned can reproduce, so how does that help in the long run?”

Chinggis cradled his head in his hands, letting out a deep sigh. “You claim to be thinking of our long-term future. If you pursue this, in the short-term there will be more challenges, more attacks. We did lose a lot of lives trying to enforce this.”

“Those who would challenge us for this would find other reasons to do it if we relent.”

He looked up at me, his nose and mouth hidden behind his hands. “I don’t want to hand them reasons to assassinate my son,” he said, his voice steady and cold. “We will settle this matter and find the guilty. Once that is done, we can discuss our policy regarding werewolves that cross our territory. There will be an investigation to decide whether we need to kill them or not. That’s all I can give you.”

I opened my mouth to respond, but he made a cutting motion, signaling our conversation was over. Normally, I would have fought him on it. This time, though, it was obvious I’d fail anyway. I left his office without another word and went right back to my cabin, hurrying to seclude myself before rage took over.

Once inside, I steeled myself for the fit of rage I knew would follow. I usually worked that out by punching the bag in our gym. Today anger failed to show up. I stood there, in the middle of the living room, waiting for familiar feelings to surface. Instead, I felt more out of place than ever. As if I (and my crazy ideas) didn’t belong in this tribe. I was the odd one out, the stereotypical black sheep, always challenging our way of life.

I’ve never felt guilty for thinking our way was wrong. It was, simple as that. Antiquated, built on necessities long past, and plain stupid if you asked me. Beyond that, it wasn’t even consistent. We had dealings with other tribes, commercial agreements and such. We attended all tribe leaders’ meetings. We were only cagey when others wanted to step onto our territory, we were more than fine visiting theirs. I wasn’t ashamed of being different either, as a gay dominant wolf who likes to switch roles and be dominated in the bedroom needs to figure out a way to deal with his differences early on. I did feel lonely, and that was the reason why I wasn’t excessively close even to those I called friends. It had been easy with Shiki because he was different from them in how he saw the world.

The loneliness crushed me and I felt I couldn’t breathe, not here, so close to all of them. I stripped, the clothes pooling at my feet, and embraced my wolf. Better go for a run and stay away from everyone. At least in the middle of nature, feeling lonely and insignificant made more sense to me.

***

I jumped at the warm hand on my shoulder and turned to face Dimitri’s shy smile.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you. I called your name, but you didn’t answer.”

I grimaced, thinking I was a poor example of a werewolf if I couldn’t be bothered to hear someone calling my name. “Too deep in thought, I guess.” And I had been lost in my thoughts, I realized as I looked down at my now cold breakfast.

The dining hall had been abuzz with werewolves enjoying the morning feast and chatting. Now it was all but empty and quiet as a tomb.

“I figured,” Dimitri said and winked at me. “Works for me. I’m late for breakfast and I thought I’d eat alone. You know how I hate that.”

“Where’s your lovely mate?” I helped him settle at my table, moving plates and glasses around.

“Woke up early to go to Ulaanbaatar. Shopping trip.”

I chuckled and moved my soggy eggs around, wondering if I should eat them or get fresh ones. “That’s a good woman. Most would have forced you to go with them.”

Dimitri groaned. “I have to go next time. She says I have nothing to wear.”

I gave him an appraising look. “Seems to me you’re not walking around naked. So you definitely have clothes. You have no sense of style, so I sympathize with her.”

Dimitri kicked my chair, almost making me fall. “Shut up. It’s not like you’re into fashion that much.”

I shrugged and took a bite of my cold toast. “No, but I have a Shiki who sends me links to everything I should buy. All online, save me a lot of trouble. And I end up looking like I actually try.”

“You are a smart man to have saved him. He’s an alright wolf.”

I nodded and made a mental note to call Shiki soon. I’d been dodging his calls since I’d gotten back. The reason was pretty simple: Shiki would sniff out the mood I was in and insist on coming to see me. Given the current sentiment amongst my tribesmen, affording a wolf to come to my rescue wouldn’t add to my reputation. On the other hand, maybe I just liked wallowing in my loneliness. I had more sense than prolonging this ad nauseam, so I was done ignoring my best friend.

“Dimitri, is Shiki checking up on me?”

Dimitri shrugged and tried not to smile. “You brought him up, maybe you miss him.”

“True, but you’re generally very cagey with compliments. You’re more likely to roast people you appreciate.”

“Fine,” Dimitri said and sighed. “He is worried about you. So am I. You’re more withdrawn than usual, and for the first few days here, you ignored me. I haven’t managed to get you to one of our dinners at home.”

I grabbed his shoulder and squeezed. “I’m sorry, my friend. I didn’t mean to worry anyone. I just feel… Like I don’t belong. More so than usual.”

Dimitri growled. “You do belong, as much as anyone belongs in this tribe. And don’t be so sure about being the only one to think in a certain way. Remember a few generations ago we weren’t even allowed to mate outside our packs.”

“Packs were a lot bigger back then. There were only a couple in the entire Russia. One Mongolian pack.”

Dimitri shook his head. “Same thing. If you ever caught a glimpse of someone outside your pack and wanted to get to know them, it was forbidden.”

“True, it was a shitty rule.”

Dimitri nodded, chewing his food. “So is the rule you’re trying to change.”

I gripped his shoulder and squeezed. “Thank you, my friend. I wish more people thought that way.”

He tilted his head and stared at me, his face blank. It made me a little nervous, seeing an almost unmoving mask replace his usually expressive face.

“I can’t tell if you are exaggerating or are unaware about how most of our tribe feel,” Dimitri said, his face relaxing into a warm smile.

“I only know what those close by think. The further the packs are from Ulaanbaatar, the less contact I have with them. There are always pack leaders present.”

He grunted and squeezed the piece of bread he was holding. “Even the packs have their oligarch wannabes. They keep a tight lead on what their packmates think.”

I nodded and crossed my arms over the table, pushing my plate away with my elbows. “I know. I had planned to travel more, spend enough time with each pack that I’d get to know them better. A bunch of my hosts trying to murder me in my sleep kind of thwarted my plans.”

Dimitri laughed, covering his mouth with his hand. “Kind of?”

I shrugged and rested my chin on my crossed arms. “I can’t hide back here forever. Once we find the ones responsible, I will go back out there.”

“How about I bring some of them to you?”

I lifted my head and looked at him. “Some of the packs?”

Dimitri laughed again, the sound having a deep calming effect on me. “It would be difficult to house entire packs here. No, I’d get some leaders. The kind that care what their werewolves think.”

“Anytime. My door is always open, you know that.”

Dimitri winced. “The complex is on lockdown. Has been so since the attempt on your life. Unless it’s essential, no one outside the Mongolian main pack is allowed to come here.”

I swore under my breath. I couldn’t fault my father. If the leaders were targeted, he had to keep himself and the tribe officials safe. It didn’t win us any favors or support among those who couldn’t travel as they pleased.

“Don’t worry about it. You set up the meeting, I will clear it with my father.”

“I can get them to come to Ulaanbaatar. Easier to arrange, harder on the security front.”

I huffed, my eyes widening. “Do you really think someone would try something in my home?”

Dimitri stayed silent for a minute that seemed to stretch out to infinity. “I don’t know anymore. That attempt to kill you was reckless. Bold and well planned, from what I can tell. Still reckless. What’s to say they won’t be reckless again?”

I scratched my cheek, unruly scruff meeting my fingers. I really needed a shave. “We’ll find a place that’s easy to secure. I’ll think of some safer options and they can decide what suits them better. With enough manpower, I can appease Chinggis.”

***

The warehouse we’d agreed on was dark and dusty, the recently added heating making it all stink of mold. It was cozy enough, I guessed, now that we had some furniture in it. Nothing much - the table, some sturdy chairs, and the sort of buffet table to the side with were drinks and snacks for everybody. For a clandestine meeting, it was well catered.

We’d agreed on this particular building because it was close enough to the city center, yet remote in a way that was rare for such prime real estate. It belonged to one of the tribe’s logistic companies, so the high-traffic of cars coming and going wasn’t suspicious. We’d opted for vans for a better disguise, and I’d made sure some of our trucks would be coming and going.

I was the last to arrive, as planned. Despite the danger they put themselves in, they didn’t seem to want to put me in harm’s way. As I walked to the table, some of them stood, others straightened in their chairs. It was an unusual sight, all the alphas of the “rebel” Russian packs in the same room. Almost unthinkable, given how an attack happening now would guarantee the other larger packs would be able to assimilate them.

I knew them all, of course, but this was the first time I’d meet some of them in person. Oksana, the only female alpha of the Russian pack, was almost a myth. No one had seen her in years, and to add to the veil of mystery, she only used electronic communication. She even avoided voice calls, which had caused rumors about her having died. Here she stood now, a little smaller and grayer than the old pictures of her I’d seen. But alive and well all the same.

“Good morning all,” I said, hoping that it sounded confident and hid my bubbling enthusiasm. It was a bit like meeting superheroes. The five of them had managed to avoid any kind of affiliation with larger packs, maintaining their independence. Given how ruthless and power-hungry the mob affiliated packs were, that was quite an achievement.

I shook hands with Oksana first, since she was the oldest. As she was the inspiration for the others’ resistance, I knew they all looked up to her and will probably follow her lead in what I was concerned. Kirill, Alexei, Roman, and Fedor shook my hands next, introducing themselves. Fedor and Alexei were the only ones I’d seen before. I was a kid back then, so I understood why they’d assume I’d forgotten all about them.

We exchanged a few pleasantries then sat at the table, and I had to force myself not to chuckle at the old movie mystery the dim light shed upon us. “So, let’s begin.”