Chapter 7
The following weeks were a whirlwind of activity. Kane had meetings with the pack lawyer and accountant to go over pack finances and investments as well as completing the mandatory forms to ensure his name was on all official documents for Lycan Link. The question and answer session he’d promised the pack happened and he did his best to ease any fears the members might have had over the transition of power.
Surprisingly enough, it was Helen who had a concern, though she expressed it privately.
“I’ll be packing my things this weekend.” She made the announcement over breakfast one morning.
“What?” He nearly choked on his coffee. “Why?”
“You’re Alpha now. This is your house. You and your mate will need the room.” She made the statement in a matter of fact manner, punctuating it by cracking an egg into the frying pan.
“Wait a minute. What mate? And this is your home, Helen. I’m not kicking you out.”
“You’re a young, handsome and unmarried Alpha. You’ll have a mate soon.” She nodded as she dropped the egg shells into the compost container. “Besides, that suite of rooms upstairs is too big for me.”
“Helen, you can’t leave. I need you.”
“Why?”
“Well...” His stomach chose to growl at that moment and he took it as a sign. “Who will cook for me?”
She laughed. “You know darned well how to cook. I taught you, so don’t try to pull that one on me.”
“Sorry. That was a dumb reason. But...” He tried to think of another argument for her to stay. “I’ll still need a hostess for a while. I’ve no intention of finding a mate anytime soon.”
“John’s Carrie will help out.”
“She’s going to be busy with a new pup.” He stood up and walked over to where Helen stood, turning her to face him and then crouching down a bit so they were eye to eye. “This is your home. There’s no need to leave. If and when I ever find a mate, she’ll be busy raising our pups and helping me.”
“Well…” Helen looked away.
He could sense her indecision, knew in his gut that she didn’t really want to go and was probably offering to leave out of some misplaced sense of propriety. He pressed his point.
“When you and Zack took over, the girls, Ryne and I were already teenagers. Can you imagine how busy you would have been raising pups and being female Alpha all by yourself?”
She considered his words. “It is a busy time… But that suite of rooms holds too many memories.”
“Then switch rooms. There’s a housekeeper’s unit that hasn’t been used in ages. You could move in there.”
“I don’t know…”
“Listen, you’ve taken the place of my mother for years. Hell, you’ve been more of a mother to me than she ever was. I can’t kick you out of the house!”
“Mother? Oh Kane!” Her eyes got misty and she reached out to squeeze his hand.
“You can stay here and be a…a den mother!” He grinned, pleased with his idea.
“I…” She looked about the kitchen. “I would miss this place and I really don’t know what I’ll do with my time.”
“Well, I’m sure your girls would love to have your help, but I need you more. I’m a poor bachelor after all.” He tried to look helpless.
“Ha!”
He laughed and then rubbed his hands together. “Then it’s decided. I’ll get someone here today and you tell him if you want any changes to the housekeeper’s unit. And I’ll inform the Council of your new official title when we meet today.”
“And you can take over my suite of rooms. Maybe even put a doorway between your current room and the one Zack and I used. The whole wing of the house could be yours then.”
“I don’t need that much space.”
“You will.” She gave him a knowing look. “Once you start a family, you’ll be glad to have those rooms.”
He rolled his eyes. Settling down wasn’t on his list quite yet. Getting settled into his role as Alpha would consume most of his time and energy for the foreseeable future. Starting a family wasn’t even on the horizon.
His meeting with the Elders didn’t go quite as planned. Oh, they’d been pleased with Helen’s new role, however there were more pressing matters on their mind.
“Ryne is out to sabotage the pack.” William announced.
“How so?” Kane folded his hands on the table, trying to keep them from tensing. Many of the pack had it in for Ryne, while he…he still felt a fraternal connection that was hard to deny. Yes, they’d fought but he hoped for a reconciliation at some future date.
“Since Zack’s accident, a lot of things have gone wrong around here. Our electricity was turned off for non-payment two weeks ago, even though the bill had been paid,” one Elder said.
“And last week the Fire Marshall was here, wanting to inspect all the buildings because of an anonymous tip,” another Elder pointed out.
William nodded. “We’ve had traps set on the property and hunters spotted on our land.”
Kane shrugged. “Hunters are always a problem.”
“True,” William agreed. “But a scout reported an oil slick near the mouth of the river yesterday. It’s killed off some of the wildlife.”
He felt himself pale at the news even as anger coursed through him. Surging to his feet, the sound of his chair being roughly shoved back punctuated his movement. Hands curled at his sides, he glared at the group. “Why wasn’t I told of this?”
“We’re telling you now.”
“I am the Alpha of this pack.” He pointed to his chest. “The scouts should be reporting to me or at the very least, John.” He swept his eyes over the group. “How long has this been going on?”
“You were ill the first week, Kane.” One of them began to explain. “We felt it best—”
“No.” He brought his fist down on the table. “I’ll not be finding out news second-hand. The Council of Elders is here to advise me, not to filter the information I do or do not receive.”
The group seemed taken aback but nodded.
“I’ll check out the site of the spill this afternoon. As for Ryne being responsible, I’ll assess the evidence myself before coming to any conclusions.” He folded his arms. “You are dismissed.”
He watched as they filed out. William hung back until the others were gone.
“Yes?” He arched a brow at the man.
“You did well, Kane.”
“Pardon?”
“The Council of Elders contains many wise members but, like the rest of the pack, they will test your strength in various ways to ensure you are fit. You passed the first hurdle.” William gave him a wink before leaving.
That was the first hurdle? He rubbed the back of his neck wondering what was next.
That afternoon, he headed out to where the oil spill had been found, hoping it wasn’t too extensive. He had no experience with such an occurrence but the news reports of other spills he’d seen on TV led him to believe it wouldn’t be an easy fix. He’d have to contact an environmentalist to assess the damage, buy some booms to help contain the oil, perhaps hire wildlife specialists to help rehabilitate any animals that had been affected.
It took some time to reach the location, an area where a highway crossed a corner of their property. The distance and rocky terrain meant it was seldom visited so who knew how long the oil had been there. As he surveyed the area, his brows lowered at the destruction before him.
An oil slick covered the water, the iridescent colours slowly spreading outward like a macabre rainbow, eddying around the dead fish that floated on the surface, their silvery white bellies starkly contrasting the evil darkness that killed all it touched. Along the shore, plants were already drooping from the poison while several dead animals and birds lay covered in the toxic sticky goo.
The sight sickened him, a muscle pulsed in his jaw as he took in the destruction. Where did he even start? Mid-thought, a slight movement caught his attention and he slid down the river bank to the location. It was a duckling struggling weakly to free itself. Nearby, its siblings were already dead.
He bent and picked it up, the tiny body seeming even more fragile in his much larger hand. With the tip of a finger, he tried to gently brush the oil from its bill and soft down. Dark button eyes blinked up at him, its fluttering heartbeat visible against its chest.
“Hey there, little guy. Don’t worry.” He kept his voice soft and hopefully soothing. “I’ll take you back to the pack house and get you cleaned up.”
Even as he spoke, the small creature trembled in his hand and then went completely limp, its head hanging lifelessly to the side.
He pressed his lips together. This small soul had been part of his territory and he’d been too late to save it. Rage filled him as he bent to set the dead animal on the ground, his inner wolf howling at the senseless waste of life.
Whoever did this had to pay!
A sound caught his attention and he turned, scanning the trees until he located a flash of blonde hair.
“Marla?” He called out her name.
“Kane?” She picked her way over to him, stepping over logs and ducking under low hanging branches. “I’m surprised to see you here.”
“I could say the same thing.”
She dropped her gaze. “I’m sorry. I…I’ll leave. I know this is your territory.”
“And yours.”
“But…” She looked at him, her head tilted to the side, clearly puzzled. “Ryne lost and, naturally, I was on his side.”
“This will always be your pack, Marla, as long as you want it to be.” He folded his arms and quirked his brow. “I am surprised you aren’t with Ryne though.”
“Oh.” She looked away. “When he lost, he said he was going to leave the area. I was going to go with him but he’s been acting differently lately. I…I’m sort of scared of him.”
“Scared?”
She twisted her fingers. “Ryne’s been talking crazy, more quick tempered than usual. I…” She paused and took a deep breath. “I broke up with him, said I didn’t want to leave. He stormed out and I haven’t seen him since.”
He nodded. Yeah, Ryne wouldn’t take that well. After losing the challenge, having his girlfriend dump him would really tip the balance.
“This is a mess.” Marla looked at the oily mess and wrinkled her nose.
“We just discovered it. I’ve no idea how long it’s been here since no one hardly ever visits this area.” He frowned. “Which makes me wonder why you’re here. You’re not a nature lover.”
“Well,” she began slowly, seeming to consider her words carefully. “As I said, I broke up with Ryne and he left but I think he’s still in the area. I was going to try to talk to him, get him to try and patch things up with you. I know how close you were and this rift must be so hard for you.” She reached out and touched his hand gently.
He nodded, acknowledging her gesture despite his wolf muttering darkly. The animal had been more on edge since becoming Alpha. It would take it time to settle into the new role. And it probably associated Marla with Ryne. His wolf wasn’t quick to forgive. They’d have to have a long talk about that once there was some spare time.
She shrugged. “Anyway, I was following his scent along the highway when it veered from the road and came this way.”
“Thanks for the information, but you shouldn’t be here. Who knows how toxic this area is? I’ll see if I can pick up Ryne’s trail once we get you back to safety.” He began to lead her away.
“You’re so good to me.” She clasped his arm. “You’re going to make a wonderful Alpha.”
“Going to?” He gave her a sideways look.
She laughed. “Sorry. We’ve been friends for so long, its hard to remember you are Alpha.” The smile faded from her face. “The night Ryne issued the challenge I tried to talk him out of it.” She shook her head. “You know what he can be like.”
Yes, he knew Ryne very well…or at least he thought he did. He surveyed the oil slick one more time. Ryne could be impulsive but…was he also vindictive?
The rest of the week was spent getting the wheels in motion to deal with the oil spill. He issued his first edict as Alpha; no one was to use the water until they had a report back on its safety, and no one could go into the spill area without his express permission. Having no idea how far the contamination went or if it had leached into the water table their wells drew from, he’d rather err on the side of caution.
Being Alpha of such a large pack was a busier job than he’d realised. As Beta, he’d had some inkling but being the one responsible for all the decisions was tiring. It seemed he was always on call, everyone wanting a moment of his time.
He yawned and scrubbed his face, his elbows resting on the desk in his new office. It was Friday night and he was thinking fondly of evenings out with Ryne, visiting a local bar for a drink, a game of pool and perhaps a bit of companionship. There was no time for that now. And no brother to do it with.
A knock on the door had him sighing. “Yes?”
William and a few members of the Council of Elders entered.
“Kane, we thought we’d find you here.” One nodded in approval.
“Paperwork.” He gestured towards the stack of reports at his elbow. “What can I do for you?”
“It’s actually what we can do for you.”
A picture was handed to him and he glanced at it then did a double take. If he didn’t know better, he’d swear it was the girl he’d seen at the movies, the one who invaded his thoughts at the oddest of times and soothed him to sleep late at night. But it couldn’t be…could it? “Who is this?”
“She’s yours.” William announced.
“Mine?” He blinked wondering how the Council could know about his secret obsession. “What do you mean?”
“Most wolves, by the time they reach the status of Alpha, are mated. You’re young, unattached and far too busy dealing with our large pack to find your own mate. She’s suitable.” The Elder speaking nodded as if it were a done deal.
“Now wait a minute.” He pushed to his feet. “William, is this another of those hurdles you mentioned?”
“No, Kane. I’m afraid not.” William shook his head. “Our pack is large, wealthy and powerful. You’ll soon be a target for every pack that wants to make a favourable alliance. They’ll find any excuse they can to parade their females in front of you.”
“We’re trying to be proactive,” another explained. “You have no attachment to any of our own females. This girl is from the Rock Valley pack. As you know, it’s of equal status to ours. Her father is the Alpha and agrees it would be a suitable match.”
“I have no plans—”
“Think about it, Kane.” William interrupted and patted him on the shoulder. “It would be good for you to have a mate and an alliance between our packs would make us a formidable force when it came to negotiations.”
The others nodded. “We’ll take you to meet her next week. No pressure.”
He looked at the picture in his hands again. This turn of events completely blind-sided him and he couldn’t even think of what to say. His silence must have been taken as agreement, for the Council left, looking quite pleased.
Once the room was empty, he dropped the picture onto his desk and began to pace. Yeah, just what every man wanted, someone picking out a mate for him. He’d find his own mate in his own time…if he ever had time. His eyes rested on the stack of paperwork just as his phone rang. With a sigh, he answered the call, listening politely as a pack member expressed concerns about some minor issue.
Half an hour later, he hung up and sat down to begin the paperwork he’d yet to complete.
The picture of the girl was sitting on his desk and he picked it up. She really was lovely and, if she was from the neighbouring pack, she could very well be the girl he’d seen at the theatre. He flipped the photo over. Her name was on the back as well as a few other bits of information.
Elise Robinson. Eighteen years old. Youngest daughter of the Alpha.
He shook his head. She was still a teenager for heaven’s sake. How could someone so young be the Alpha female? Setting the picture aside he tried to continue working except his eyes kept drifting back to the photo and her soft, gentle smile. There was a sweet innocence about her that drew him in.
We will teach her, protect her, his wolf whispered.
No, it was utter nonsense. Arranged marriages were archaic. The girl was probably mortified at the very idea.