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It hadn’t always been that way. When we were locked in a fierce struggle for supremacy wolves had always been watching and waiting for us, attacking in force. At the first sign of a vampire they would streak across the world and seek to kill us, bringing our lives to an end. They knew they had to strike hard and strike swiftly, showing no mercy at all because if they gave us a single chance to retaliate then they knew we would make it count. Even I, with all my wisdom and prowess, had come close to being torn apart by wolves before. I had felt their hot, feral breath burning my skin. I had seen their claws ripping my flesh apart, dark ichor leaking out. I had looked into their golden eyes and witnessed the ferocity of the beast they sought to unleash. Somehow I had always managed to wriggle away. I left a trail of their blood behind me, the butcher of wolves, a willing soldier in the fight that never ended.
And it could never end, not while there was still a vampire alive. Amara was the last soldier, but she could still cause a lot of damage. Whoever attacked us had chosen the wrong target. I wasn’t the one who was going to hurt them after all. It was always going to be Amara.
We made our way to the Alpha’s abode. Willow knocked on the door loudly, calling out that she needed to speak to Brandon. There was movement inside. He appeared and welcomed us in, wearing a worried look.
“Is the vampire here?” he asked.
“No, but there has been an attack,” Willow said, walking past him and entering the chamber. Naomi was there, and she gave us a vile glance. Willow barely acknowledged her.
“What kind of attack?”
“Last night some wolves attacked us when we were returning from the lake. It was completely unprovoked. They were lying in wait. We barely had a chance to strike back before they left,” Willow said. She then proceeded to lift my shirt without any warning and showed him the dark marks left upon my body. Brandon’s frown deepened and he let out a heavy sigh.
“I made it clear that this was not to be tolerated,” he said.
“Brandon, we’ve come here in peace and for refuge. You can’t expect us to stay here if we’re going to be attacked. I won’t be a victim.”
Again, she implied, but did not say. However, from the glance that Brandon gave her I felt confident he knew what she was getting at. He nodded slowly.
“I noticed you didn’t stay for the whole speech last night. If you had, then you might have heard the discussion people had. It was rather lively. I’ve never known so many people to have so many different opinions,” he said.
“And what opinions would those be?” I asked.
“Quite frankly, people aren’t sure that I’m making the right decision. They think I’m insane for allowing you to stay here when it puts a target on our backs. They believe that you’re going to bring nothing but trouble with you, and the best thing to do is to just shoo you away like troublesome vermin.”
“It’s not the first time I’ve been compared to a rat,” I breathed. This brought a half smile from Brandon.
“I’m not going to let that happen,” he said.
“Why?” Willow asked.
Brandon took a moment to consider the question. His frown lifted, but he still looked pensive. When he spoke it was in a low, thoughtful tone. His words had the weight of wisdom, and I knew that Willow was right when she said that he had matured.
“Because I feel I owe it to you after the way I treated you when we were younger. It wasn’t honorable. I should have acted with more decorum. But also because this is what my father would have done. I,” a pained look came across his face, “did not always see eye to eye with him, but after becoming Alpha I have gained a new appreciation for the way he held himself. My actions define the way the pack behaves and I want them to be better than I have been before. I have left a lot of myself behind in the past Willow, but I hope you can believe me when I say that I want to be a better man.”
They were gentle, thoughtful words, but the impact of them was lessened by a scoffing sound that came behind him. Our eyes turned to Naomi, who had not seemed to want to make that sound out loud. She tried to disguise it as clearing her throat, but it was already too late.
“Have you something to add?” Brandon asked.
Some kind of instinct rippled across Naomi’s features. I thought she was going to press her lips together and remain quiet, but she changed her mind and rose from her chair, walking towards us.
“It’s all well and good you speaking of honor Brandon, but your first duty is to the safety of the pack. I’m not condoning what happened to you,” she looked at Willow and I and spoke in a patronizing tone, “but I can understand where this frustration comes from. We have known peace for many years and the thought of a vampire coming here to destroy all that is troubling, to say the least. I think if you really had the best interest of the pack in mind then you would move on and leave us be.” Her words were directed towards Willow and myself.
“But Amara will come for you anyway. The whole reason why I banished her was because she wanted to renew hostilities with werewolves and cleave a path through the world. My absence won’t make things any better for you,” I said.
Naomi looked away. “I did not say I agreed with it, just that I can understand where some people are coming from. If you will excuse me I have some matters I need to attend to,” she drifted past us, her footsteps lighter than the wind. As she left, Brandon sighed.
“I’m sorry about her. I don’t know what’s gotten into her,” he said.
“She seems the same as she always has to me. Maybe that’s the problem Brandon; she’s stayed the same while you’ve changed.”
Brandon thought on this, although he did not make a comment in reply.
“Look, I’ll address the wolves later. I’ll make it clear that anyone who dares to attack you is going to feel my wrath and will be banished from the pack. I won’t tolerate this infighting, especially not when there’s the threat of a vampire out there. We have bigger things to worry about. Cassius, from now on you can consider yourself under my protection. If anything happens to you then you can come to me and I will make sure that you are kept safe. This is my promise to you, and I’ll let everyone else know this as well. Now please, try and enjoy the hospitality of the pack while I think about what to say.”
I thanked him for his kind words, and then Willow and I left his company.
“I do feel for him in some ways. Many men have struggled with a leadership role before. It cannot be easy managing so many different egos and philosophies,” I said.
