Voljaki glanced at Kroi and Allison, who were holding hands and gazing into each other’s eyes. His lip wrinkled back in scorn, and Treffon knew why. Kroi was neglecting his duties; a cyborg could have strolled right past them, lasers blasting, and he wouldn’t even have noticed the smell of burning flesh.
Treffon bent down, picked up a small rock from the ground, and hurled it full strength at Kroi, who was gazing deeply into Allison’s eyes and ignoring the crowd that he had been assigned to watch. The rock bounced off the back of Kroi’s head.
Kroi fell back with a snarl, looking around. His claws curved from his fingertips, and fangs shot out.
Treffon stalked over to him with Zura trailing close behind. “Who threw that stone?” he demanded.
Kroi went pale and stared at the ground. “Reginar. I…I do not know,” he said.
“Were you alert? Were you eternally on guard? Were you protecting your pack? Your pair-bond?”
Kroi stared at the ground, inclining his head to the left and exposing his throat in submission. “No, sir,” he muttered. “I have failed our pack. What is my punishment?”
Treffon saw Zura tense up. When it came to matters of the heart, she tended to be far too forgiving, but she knew better than to interfere in matters of pack discipline.
Treffon’s father, who had died thirty years ago at the hands of the Wor-Lans, would have eviscerated Kroi and made Allison watch. Fortunately for Kroi, Treffon was not quite so brutal as his father. However, that did not mean that he was soft.
“Twenty-four hours separation from your true mate. You will go back to level one training and work your way back up.”
Level one was cub level. It was an insult. And the twenty-four hours of separation would be physically and emotionally agonizing for Kroi, since he was still in the throes of the Var-hool.
Then again, if Kroi’s lapse of duty had cost pack members their lives, he would have suffered even worse agonies.
“Leave now.” Treffon grated out the words. He scowled at Allison. “Return to your quarters and wait there.”
She bit her lip and nodded, her face pale.
A look of misery crossed Kroi’s face, but he didn’t argue.
Kroi and his woman hung their heads as they slunk away, glancing back longingly at each other. Zura shot Treffon a look of disapproval but said nothing.
Just then, Madok and his son Reznik came striding up. Zura inclined her head stiffly. “Father,” she said coolly. She didn’t even bother to acknowledge her brother.
Reznik glowered at the retreating couple. “Seeing a human with a Thorolf is almost as bad as seeing a Wor-Lan mated to a Thorolf. We are no longer keeping our line pure.”
“Idiot,” Zura scoffed at him. “Since the humans geno-morph into Vulfans when they become pregnant, what difference does it make? Hundreds of cubs have been born due to the human females mating with our men. Our pack is strong again. Before, we were dying, and losing many good men to madness because they never found mates.”
“It’s still not the same,” Reznik said sulkily. “Thorolfs should not mate outside the pack. They should be willing to die rather than pick an inferior mate.” Easy for him to say; he had found his true mate.
“Should the entire pack have died rather than mate with outsiders?” Zura scoffed.
“We would never have died. We are the strongest. We are superior.” It came out as a high-pitched whine, and Reznik had a look of sulky rage on his face. Treffon saw Zura roll her eyes and look away, and he knew what she was thinking. He agreed with her. Reznik was like a whiny, undisciplined pup who threw tantrums when things didn’t go his way.
“What’s done is done,” Madok said to his son with a frown of reproach. “The decision was made by the Reginar. We will abide by the decision.” He glanced at his daughter. “And you. You should show more respect to your brother.”
“I show respect to all who deserve it.” Zura flicked another look of annoyance at the Wor-Lan guards. Voljaki, as if sensing her contempt, glanced over at her, then looked away.
Treffon, who could sense emotions in those around him, stifled a growl. The undercurrent of anger and contempt was calling out to his beast.
His claws were curving out of his fingertips again.
“You should spar,” Zura said to Treffon.
He knew why she was saying that. It would bleed off some of the dark fury that was building up inside him. It would delay the inevitable.
“I will spar with him,” Reznik said. He inclined his head in a show of respect. “If you will consider me as your sparring partner.”
“Accepted,” Treffon said to his cousin. “We will fight in human form.” He pointed to a nearby grove. “There.”
