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No one ventures to come to Travis’ defense. We all feel the consequences of his ways. His supporters follow his lead, treating us as though we are beneath them and giving us the worst of the jobs, although every one of us pulls our weight.
“I wish Ashe would kick his ass,” Jay mutters with heat.
“I have lived through a leadership challenge,” Jim says. “And they are rarely simple, nor do they resolve problems in an instant, no matter how the outcome falls… I have a bad feeling Travis intends to rescind our protection of Andell.”
“But they have just been attacked by bear shifters?” I stammer. “The bears will move in unchecked. Why would we do such a thing?
Jim shrugs. “Why does Travis do anything? A centuries-old agreement means nothing to him. I have visited the village many times in the last year. They are good people, for the most part, and have honored their side of the agreement by providing supplementary food and wares to the pack. Travis is always looking for an easy option. Ashe said the bear shifters’ envoy was a weasel. Told Travis straight that the bears were playing us, seeking the village and power of their resources only to come for us later down the line.” He shakes his head sadly.
“Do not fucking question me,” Travis suddenly snarls, his voice carrying all the way to the edges of the cavern where we sit. “Do you lead me into a fool’s war so that you might snatch power from me?”
He goes nose to nose with Ashe, and I hold my breath.
“If I wanted you out, I would challenge you,” Ashe replies, his voice lower yet still carrying.
My stomach coils. I should not want Ashe to challenge Travis when bloodshed would likely follow—I’m certain one of them would not survive. I’m also certain Jim speaks true, and any such challenge would be fraught with risks. Yet, do I really want to bring my child up in this pack where these behaviors take place?
I do not.
But something is definitely holding Ashe back. I’ve only heard second-hand tales of his fighting prowess, but I believe he is a stronger male, which only makes me more confused. Perhaps, as Jim mentioned, there are complexities to a challenge, and that is why Ashe holds back.
The two men are talking again, but I can no longer catch what they are saying.
“The bears are not the only ones Travis seeks to form alliances with,” Jim says. “He considers Andell, as a small village, beneath him. There have been other meetings, other human envoys arriving in secret, although I don’t know from where or why. You should let Tavion know.”
Jay nods. “I will.”
Our focus remains on the increasingly tense conversation between Travis and Ashe.
Travis is all about status, never judging a person on their skills or character, thinking only of whether they can shift, and admiring schemers over hard workers. A wise leader sees the strengths of all his people and how they offer values beyond their physical prowess. Everything I hear about him only confirms to me that he is not the right leader and that the pack is weaker because he is in charge.
Travis suddenly lunges, taking Ashe by the throat and reminding all of us that he is a formidable alpha.
Ashe turns his head, baring his throat submissively to the pack leader.
Travis thrusts Ashe away and takes a step back.
More harsh, low words are spoken before Travis dismisses both Ashe and Tavion.
As the two shifters stride off and Travis returns to his throne, the cavern explodes with conversations.
“We need to go,” Judson and Jay say in unison, reminding me that they are twins.
Seeing Doug slip into the back of the cavern, I also make my exit, returning with him to the little cave nook that belongs to us, where I tell him what I have learned.
“Who do you think the new alliance is with?” I ask. “Jim mentioned the bear shifters but also other secret discussions.”
Doug draws me next to him on the pallet bed, tucking my head against his chest.“I do not know. Perhaps Travis pretends alliances are being made to bolster his importance.”
“I don’t like it,” I say. If I thought the pack was fractured when I first arrived, that was nothing compared to what goes on now. I am grateful to Travis. He gave us a home when we had none. But, whatever is brewing, I know that should Travis prevail and Ashe fall, our time here will be up.
“Do you want to leave? Say the word, and we shall go.”
Perhaps had I lived always among the Blighten, I might see this pack in a more favorable light. Only, I can still remember the village where I grew up, how peaceful it was, how all the villagers pulled together when a storm damaged a neighbor’s roof, the celebration and sturdy cottage that was built for the young couple who came of age and committed to one another in marriage, and the shared grief when a young hunter died of the wet lung.
I was only a child myself, yet I saw so many examples of how decent people should act.
It was not always perfect, and there were certainly occasional altercation between families that might cause our village leader to step in. But I crave that simpler life, a smaller community that might never be ours if we remain a part of the life of this pack.
