Chapter 40

Elena

I could hear them before I saw them.

There were Pack guard cars at the entrance to the trail, and the small parking area was packed with various vehicles. Bumper stickers and flags told you which side each driver was on, and something about the juxtaposition made my skin tingle with apprehension.

I was surprised when I felt the urge to call Killian, just to let him know what was happening. I shook off that impulse, not knowing if he would react with concerned encouragement or harsh criticism of my intellect. Surrounded by my own household guards, I put on a brave face and imagined I was taller than I was.

We heard and felt a humming as we made our way into the trees, a low vibration that was seeming to be swelling. As we got closer to the water and the disputed patch of land, the humming became more distinct as the shouting, chanting, of many voices in conflict. It almost sounded like several different languages clashing into one cacophony, the intermittent growls and howls reminding the forest of the supremacy of the wolf.

Coming over a crest of a hill, I saw the crowd.

Apparently, the night before, a group of young members of Jaxon’s pack were partying out in the woods. They were drinking and running around, mostly being young and stupid as you would expect. But then they wandered towards the small beach cove— knowing about the attempt at neutrality in the area— and trashed it.

They left some choice words of profanity about the members of Waning Moon, that I choose not to repeat.

When a family of hunters found the evidence of their debauchery on an early morning outing, phone calls were made to authorities and the neighborhood telephone chain spread the news across both Packs.

Some people, on both sides, came down to clean up. Others came looking for a fight.

Approaching the group, I stopped at a short distance away. My guards formed a loose phalanx around me, ready to close in and protect me if necessary. Guards from both packs stood in the center, forming a barricade to keep their people from harming or being harmed. But even those had their own prejudices, and would probably join the fray if provoked far enough.

The sun was still low in the sky, the angry bodies backlit in a way that would have been beautiful if it weren’t so violent.

I nodded, and a brief but piercing alarm went off. All in the area were at first stunned, then looked towards the source of the noise. Seeing me, many were quiet but even more were confused. I saw the whispering begin last those who had never glimpsed the real Luna of Waning Moon wondered what I was doing there.

“Good mooning, all,” I said, nearly shouting to be heard. Those who knew me got quieter, other growled louder at my interruption. “I understand we have a problem, and I would like to resolve it. Fading Shadow, where is your Alpha?”

“Like we should tell you!” A young voice screeched from the crowd. Some laughter and jeers followed in agreement.

“Then he is not here?” I made it sound ridiculous. “You mean your Pack members could be in danger, and your leaders won’t come to your aid?”

That changed the tone, and some among my rival’s pack seemed a bit more nervous. Of course, I knew Jaxon wasn’t here. In some trick of irony, I was the reason he was absent.

“No doubt your Alpha has many important matters to tend to,” I said, taking on a maternal quality. “My own husband is away as it is, but I am here to speak for my people. And I would presume to speak for yours when I say that no good can come from this fight today.”

The crowd was loosening, widening more towards an arc as people moved to hear me. I was hopeful it was working.

“This land is sacred, of course, to all of us,” I said, stepping forward towards the center line. “And while we exist in our own communities and follow our own customs, we cannot punish each other for our differences by destroying the land we love.”

Heads were nodding, eyes were softening.

“Something happened last night that was upsetting, and cruel,” I became more authoritative as I continued, “and I will not pretend otherwise. But this is not how we settle things. We have rules and councils and protocols, ones that we have all agreed to follow. Let your leaders handle this, and take yourselves back to your homes.”

For a moment, I thought I had them. Diplomacy and empathy could nip this in the bud.

I was wrong.

“To hell with your protocols!”

I heard the voice almost at the same time that the rock hit my shoulder. It wasn’t hard, but the shock of it threw me slightly off balance. My guards reacted quickly, but I held my hands up to stay with them. I was furious, and my wolf blinded me with rage.

In the blink of an eye, I transformed, my white fur gleaming in the morning light.

At first there was silence, and then shock and confusion. I was just as confused as they were, not used to changing at a time like this. But I stood there, in my rage and power and owning whatever other mysticism lived in this moment.

And then, on both sides, people started to kneel. Not everyone, but enough that I could feel something big had shifted.

Almost to a body, the guards lowered shields and stood at ease. People looked at neighbors and I watched them discover how ridiculous this morning had been. Even my own escort was stunned by my show of dominance, but did their best to remain in control as if I hadn’t just defied their logic.

I watched the crowd disperse. Most headed back up the trail, others off into their respective woods in various directions.

“Tell Jaxon I am looking for him,” I said casually as I turned and walked away.

I stayed in wolf form until we reached the car, then collapsed in the backseat as the adrenaline left my body. The drive back home was silent.

That night, I told Killian about the incident over the phone. It felt strange at first, until I realized that we’d barely ever spoken on the phone and didn’t have a neutral rhythm.

“What did it feel like?” he was asking me.

“Normal, fine,” I said, confiding in the floating voice. “It wasn’t planned, but it wasn’t an accident either. It felt…natural.”

“Incredible.”

And I believed him. I felt a stir in my body, wondering what he looked like wherever he was. Was he also in his nightclothes, or less? I closed my eyes to send the fantasy away.

“I should go,” I said. “It was a long day.”

“Of course, right, you should rest,” he said, his voice softening. “We can discuss it more tomorrow when I get back.”

“Sure, good night.”

“Elena?”

“Yes?”

“I’m proud of you.”

My heart stopped and started again.

“Okay, that’s…nice.”

He laughed gently, and I felt it in my toes.

“Sweet dreams, Luna.”

I held the phone in my hand, staring at the screen as my stomach flipped around. I pressed it to my forehead, reminding myself of the reality of my future with Killian and the mission I was on to change it.

My phone vibrated as a message arrived. It was from Jaxon.

“We need to talk.”

Tiffany

The glow of Tiffany’s computer screen created skeletal shadows on her face. It was late, and she was tired but sleep would not come. After the events of the day, Elena’s triumph and her own absence from the historical moment, her heart rate had not slowed down since lunch.

An image was before her on the screen, taken outside a restaurant. Two people standing close to one another, each holding the other’s hand. From the perspective of the photographer, it looked like the two were sharing a kiss.

In spite of this optical illusion, there was no question as to who the two people were.

It was Elena and Jaxon.

A crocodile smile spread across Tiffany’s lips, and she clicked a single button.

The message popped up in front of her: “Message Sent.”