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Yet you’re alone.
Not alone. I choose a solitary path to keep focused on the job.
So, he thought this was a choice. But she knew the truth even if Seth didn’t know that this was an old survival skill he’d learned early on and still employed, to go it alone, always alone.
And she wasn’t much different.
Is your Vampire Guard nearby?
Out patrolling. I’ve given Aaron and Charles a full update. They’ll be checking in soon. But whatever is going on here, I can’t take the risk of leaving the rest of the realm unprotected by bringing the Guard here.
Of course not.
We’re almost at Big Timber. How are the frequencies?
Easier to manage since I separated them. But the hostility is unbelievable.
One more ridge.
He rose high in the air, crossing the tallest mountain yet. The rugged peak was well above the timberline so that they passed over a smooth white expanse.
As they descended and the central, ancient conference grounds came into view, Lorelei drew in a long breath. “How beautiful.”
Big Timber was an expansive complex built of a variety of modern, log structures, including several massive outdoor platforms with enormous burning fire pits and huge torches circling the perimeter. As a famous realm conference center, all sorts of organizations used the complex throughout the year.
She saw at once, however, that in a large central area, male shifters, in t-shirts, leathers, and heavy boots, shouted at each other.
Seth slowed his flight, easing them toward the earth. I’ve never seen them like this. What the hell is going on?
With the packs all carefully aligned with their alphas, Lorelei could see that something very territorial in nature had set the packs against each other. But she couldn’t imagine what she could possibly do to relieve the horrendous tension of the situation.
Some of the shifters strained to do battle, held back by others. Shouting filled the space.
And deep within her shifter DNA, she wanted to join them.
Chapter Four
Seth landed in the very center of the turmoil knowing his shifter fighting force was a hair’s breadth away from a free-for-all. Centuries of working to unify the pack-loyal brigade had almost completely disintegrated. The male warriors behaved as they had long ago, tempers volatile, loyalty to the pack set far above the well-being of the realm, and the female shifters not far behind.
Lorelei stepped away from him, turning in a circle. He felt her distress, even her uncertainty, a mirror of his own response to the situation.
But he hadn’t been a leader of warriors for centuries without knowing where, at least, to begin.
In a loud voice, he commanded, “I want the alphas here with me right now. The rest of you, fall back into pack formations beyond the central communal area.” He then assigned what appeared to be the closest fire pit for each pack.
But the alphas didn’t move and each regiment stuck close to its leader. Even Ephyx, who always obeyed, stayed frozen in place, his eyes wild with shifter-rage.
Seth rarely employed his rank, but he did it now, adding a powerful vibration to his voice, as he shouted, “Do it, now!”
The tension in the ranks around him rose to a sharp, sudden peak but almost as quickly subsided. The alphas, responding to his authority, each gave a signal and their grumbling forces retreated. Pack organization relied heavily on chain-of-command.
And Seth was at the top of that chain.
Some shoulder bumping went on, as well as heavy, bass growls. Many of the shifters showed fur on their hands, and some around the neck, a typical reaction of strong emotion. But for the most part, the retreat rolled out the way he needed it to.
Ephyx spoke in a loud voice. “Territories were violated during the prime call.”
Seth stared at him for a long moment. “What do you mean, ‘prime call’? I’ve never heard that before.”
