“Call me Tobias.” The power came through me, not from me, and it was a little overwhelming even from my perspective. I could only imagine how it felt to Ren. I sat again. “You’ll stay here, if you want to, for the next couple of days. There will be a lot of people arriving the day after tomorrow. Did Enzo—the Alpha—tell you about the gathering?”
He frowned. “No. What gathering?”
Great. Obviously he still had a lot to learn about being a werewolf. Maybe Kyle would help out, since he would have more free time than I would for the next few days.
“You know that arkhons are regional leaders, yes?” I said. “Above alphas in the hierarchy, in charge of multiple packs.” Ren nodded, and I took a breath. “Twice a year, each arkhon hosts a gathering of all the alphas in their region. So the alphas can kind of network with each other, and so any conflicts or issues can be smoothed over. Once a year, the Anax hosts all arkhons and all alphas in the country for a similar gathering.”
Until a few years earlier, the arkhons had met separately from the alphas. Two years ago, for reasons he hadn’t explained, my predecessor, Hezekiah Wheelwright, had canceled the national gatherings entirely. One year ago, he had summoned the arkhons and alphas at the same time. I believed his senility had played a role in both decisions: He’d canceled the gatherings two years ago to hide his mental decline, and the previous year he had fallen too far into the depths to care.
This year, having seen that a gathering that included both arkhons and alphas could work and not having the bandwidth to sort out the logistics of hosting separate events, I’d opted to have a single gathering again. Which would mean severalhundred werewolves descending on the hunt house property.
“Once they start arriving, I might need to find you a quieter place,” I said. “I have friends in the Boston packs. I used to be the Alpha of one of those packs. They always hunt here on full moon nights—Enzo explained full moon nights?” I hoped to hell he had.
To my relief, Ren nodded again. “When the moon is full, we have to shift whether we want to or not. And we hunt, but that doesn’t necessarily mean actual hunting. Some people—wolves—hunt for prey, and some just run.”
“That’s right. The gatherings always coincide with a full moon so that the last night before everyone goes home, we can all hunt together.” I felt like I was info-dumping, but these were things Ren needed to know. “The two Boston packs have hunted here together for decades. When I bought the property, I built a separate house for the members of those packs to use during the gathering, and you’re welcome to stay there. I can arrange for you to hunt with them, too.”
“I…” He touched his tongue to his upper lip. “I’m sorry, Anax. Tobias. It’s too much to decide right now. I don’t know them. I know there’ll be a lot of people here. I don’t have to stay.”
“No, you don’t, but youcan.” I wasn’t sure what to say without sounding like I was commanding him. “Ren, you’re under my direct rule, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to boss you around. You have freedom. Choices. This is a place you can stay while you figure out next steps. If you want to remain packless, you can live with me. I have guards, household staff. We could find a place for you. Or I can help you find a place to live that isn’t in a pack’s territory, and you can be on your own. You don’t have to decide any of that right now, but I want you to know there are options. For the moment—”
Before I could finish my thought, Xavier hurried over to the window. “Anax, there are three wolves approaching from the southwest. I don’t recognize them.”
“No.” With a sharp inhale, Ren folded in on himself. “It’s them. I feel them.”
“Xavier, go out and greet our uninvited guests.” I stood againand held out a hand to Ren. “Come upstairs. I’ll put you in a room where they can’t get to you. You’re not a Connecticut Pack wolf. You’re one of mine, and you’re safe here.”
Looking unsure, Ren slowly extended his hand and let me help him to his feet. From outside, a loud growl filled the air. Ren shuddered and nearly fell back onto the sofa, but I steadied him with my hand under his elbow. “Let me bring you upstairs, and then I’ll take care of them.”
Trembling, Ren let me lead him out of the room and up the front staircase. On the second floor, I led him into one of the smaller rooms, which had only one window that overlooked the front of the house. Since the intruders were coming from the back, hopefully Ren wouldn’t see them if he decided to look out.
“Stay…” I stopped. “You don’t have to stay in here, Ren, but you’ll be safe here until Xavier or I come back to tell you they’re gone. All right?”
Hesitantly, he nodded. “Yes. Thank you. I mean it. You didn’t have to help me.”
“Yes, I did.” I tried to smile and failed miserably. “Wait here, if that’s okay. I’ll be back shortly.”
He sank onto the bed without answering. I left, closing the door behind me, and went back down to face those who dared invade the territory of the Anax.
Chapter Three
Threewolves stood on the lawn near the back porch. One, the largest and closest to the house, had dark brown fur and a white blaze on his forehead. The other two were gray, one marginally larger with slightly darker fur than the other. Clearly Blaze was in charge here, but as far as I could tell, none of them were actual pack leaders.
With Xavier close behind me, I walked down the steps from the porch. “You have entered the territory of the Anax of the United States without permission.” I felt like I was repeating myself. Probably because I was. But this time, I sensed an actual threat. “You have no right here. What is your purpose?”
None of the three answered. None of them moved, either, which pissed me off. They had the audacity to enter my territory without warning or consent, and they were just going to stand there? Hell no.
“You will answer.” I folded my arms. “With human mouths. Shift back and give me the information I’ve requested. I can and will compel you, but I would prefer you obey your Anax of your own accord.”
One of the gray wolves whined softly. The brown shot him a look, then jerked his head down and up. Both grays lay down and began to shimmer. After a second, the brown did the same.
Not wanting them to hear, I chose to speak to Xavier through our bond.Did you contact Seth?
Yes. Davion’s on his way.He moved up beside me and surveyed the three partially-shifted wolves.Should I ask for additional backup?
There isn’t time.Even if we requested trackers—basically pack police officers—from City or Berkshires, the two nearest packs, it would take them half an hour or more to reach us.Let’s hope it doesn’t come to a fight.
I always hope that.
