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Grand. Elder Council was going to be busy. Plus a distinct possibility it would descend into total, abject chaos.
Marcella said, “I take it you have neverbeenthere, and know nothing about it beyond it exists.”
That sounded like a loaded statement, but I’d go with it. “Correct.”
“Where are we going?” Searle inquired.
“The Archives,” Marcella said.
“I’m not following.”
Marcella, annoyed, told her First Beta, “The species’ Library of Alexandria. All our history.Thatis what the Chronicler actually oversees, along with a never-ending series of translations as language evolves. All the records the Chroniclers and Adjuncts have are copies of the original. It’s existence isonlyknown to Elder Lunas, Alphas, Adjuncts, and the Chronicler. No one else. Except certain nosey she-wolves.”
“I found out by accident.” I hadn’t beensnooping. I did notsnoop. I hadneversnooped. At least not in the Archives.
“I doubtanythingyour father told you was an accident.”
“You think hewantedme to find out?”
Marcella didn’t hide her aggravation. “Rodero didn’t make mistakes. At most, he made minor miscalculations, like his miscalculation of the Elder Council’s response to Cerys’ petition for Sterling and Rodero’s use of DNA testing.”
“Wait, Sterling’s parentage was proven through DNA?” Searle asked.
“Sterling is thereasonthe Elder Council banned DNA testing,” Demetrius told him. “And why they decided to pay more attention to emerging science. In fact, the situation was so serious, as I understand it—because it was before AmberHowl’s elevation—that Elder Luna Autumn was at her husband’s inquest to pass judgement, with Winter at her breast, having been born just a few months before.”
I ignored Searle’s shocked look and told Demetrius, “Cerys still has the letter that got sent. My mother was in fact at that inquest, and so was I, apparently. She voted, reluctantly, for my father.”
“Interesting. Not full support,” Marcella said.
“I know. That stood out to me too. Along with the absolute monstrosity of the rest of the letter. Have you seen it?” Embers of anger get me warm, but under it was the howl of my soul for the mate that had left me. Equal parts utterly pathetic and justifiable.
“No. We know what the resolution was, but haven’t seen the primary documentation.”
“Pure garbage. I can’t believe my mother signed on for it.”
“Your mother, given what we now know, might not have had a lot of choice to go against Rodero,” Demetrius said grimly.
That too. Had my mother chosen my father, or been forced to? Mom had always been so careful about using her seal. I’d been too young to remember or know much about my mother as an Elder Luna, but I’d heard over the years howaloofshe’d been, and trying to get her to take something up had been difficult. Nobody had ever accused Mom of being a coward or lazy. She’d been considered very wise and thoughtful, and when shehaddecided to wade into the fray, it meant something.
Had Mom been so careful because she’d been terrified of pushing the SilverPaw too far, and her own past with Birk being revealed?
The only living person who would knowandtell me the truth about if my mother hadchosenmy father, or been forced to, was Aunt Spring. There was no way for me to safely and discreetly contact her, and I wouldn’t put her in a terrible position again just to satisfy my curiosity. Maybe it was better I didn’t know.
“With a newborn pup at her breast and a presumably fragile arrangement for that pup’s safety, I understand her predicament,” Demetrius added.
No matter the circumstances of how Mom had ended up back in SilverPaw, she’d still been living with Birk's death, having had a violent war fought over her, a bastard pup (Jerron), and a pup (me) protected only by an extremely dangerous arrangement with a wolf who wasn’t her true mate when most of the population of two packs knew there was some doubt about who was mated to whom. That had been herbestcase emotional scenario.
It only got worse from there.
“I am still stunned she was at that meeting at all,” Marcella told Demetrius. “When ours were that age, I was barely coherent from lack of sleep, and she packed up a baby and a toddler and sat in the Council.”
Demetrius put his hand on her thigh, and they exchanged a somber look for my mother.
My mother, under her softness, had been made of steel.
Marcella turned back to me. “At most, your father made minor misjudgments. But his ability to control outcomes and manipulate players was legendary. We’re still needing to outsmart him from beyond the grave.”
True. Very true.
