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Chapter 18
Day 160 of the re-emerged Hat Island pack, Thursday, Nov. 14, Penticton
Ryder was having coffeewith Jessie. They were seated around a small table in one of the cabins, and for a moment it felt so normal. Just a man and woman having coffee and breakfast.
Neither of them were morning people so he was able to sip his coffee in silence.
It was damned early to be up, but truth was he didn’t trust those damned recruits camped out in Duncan’s front yard. Wolf’s Head? Really? He shook his head. Duncan had more chutzpah than he’d realized.
Last night Ryder had gotten the recruits settled into tents,made from blankets and rope from Duncan’s closets and dead-fall limbs from the trees out back here. Shifters didn’t need much protection from the elements, after all. And then Titus had sent him to bed. “I’ll keep watch,” Titus said. “And when I can’t, I’ll wake up Benny, and he can take a shift. But you need to be at your best tomorrow, boy, and right now you’re looking pretty haggard.”
So Ryder had slept in a cabin out behind Wolf’s Head with his mate. And now there was coffee. Really, life was a lot better than he had ever expected it to be.
Benny slouched into the cabin, and Jessie got him a cup of coffee with cream without Benny saying a word. Benny took a big gulp and sighed. Then he took another slow, satisfying sip. “So Duncan is watching over your recruits,” he said, emphasizing the ‘your.’ “That was quite the speech you gave last night. They’ll follow you anywhere —like lost puppies finally given some kibble.”
Ryder looked at his brother sharply, but there was respect in his eyes. And kindness. So Benny had realized Ryder was speaking from his own experience. Ironically, Ryder hadn’t even known he felt like that until he started talking to those young men.
“So do we know where they came from?” Ryder asked, blowing on his coffee. He didn’t like cream or sugar in his coffee — in part because they usually had sweetened condensed milk for creamer when they were out on patrols, and that stuff was nasty. But coffee taken black was too hot to drink at first and you had to wait until it cooled. Trade-offs for everything, he guessed. At least this wasgoodcoffee.
“A third house,” Benny said. “And I’ve got a name for you. A Campbell, no surprise. Rory Campbell. Duncan says he’s another of the old man’s grandsons.”
“So not young,” Ryder said.
“No, not real young anyway,” Benny agreed. “I think the whole Campbell family is planning the coup. Probably chafed under McKenzie’s rule for a long time. Well, who wouldn’t? If you had any amount of sense, John McKenzie would grate like hell on your nerves. But McKenzie was dominant, too dominant for any of them to challenge and win. So they waited. Then this happens. And they figure if they can take out the no-account wolves from Okanogan, they’re sitting pretty. I’m guessing the Campbell family might have been in charge of training the recruits —probably had something waiting for us at the lodge tonight. Oops!” Benny said cheerfully and helped himself to some bacon from the plate in the center of the table.
“So, do we kill them? Or convert them?” Jessie asked, staring into her own cup of coffee. “There’s something to be said for scapegoats. Especially ones who deserve it.”
Benny stared at Jessie, then looked at Ryder. “Do not get on her bad side, bro,” he said seriously. “She’s ruthless.” Then he grinned. “I like it.”
“What are you thinking? Round them up, put them on trial, and kill them?” Ryder asked, thinking it over. “Well, they’re bound to be guilty of something.”
Benny chuckled. “Let’s get to it,” he said. “I say we let the women in the house decide punishment. Hold a tribunal of all these young men, including the dorm and the college house. What do you think?”
“No,” Jessie said. “Not fair to the women. They aren’t responsible for justice. We are.”
Benny stared at her. Ryder watched him carefully, curious now. “Yeah,” Benny said tiredly. “You’re right, we are. So what justice do we mete out?”
“First we get the women the help they need,” Jessie said firmly. “Then we get the other women in this pack their assets back. And then we hold the leaders accountable for what was done to the women. If that doesn’t satisfy? We’ll ask the women if there are men that need to be sentenced to prison — to hard labor.”
