They stared at each other, as Chris took time to digest the information. "So... it's been awhile... I mean since anyone has called a war council."
Joseph looked incredulously at Chris, "That's all you have to say?"
Chris shrugged, "What do you want me to say?"
Joseph rolled his eyes, "Would it help if I told you that this is your official invitation to the war council?"
Chris's brows furrowed as she looked at Joseph, she turned and sat up facing him. "So a bunch of male Alpha's are meeting to deal with the rogue threat, and you want me to come too? That will blow my cover."
"It is high time that is was blown. You can't keep this up forever, and you can't keep throwing blood pacts at everyone that you see. It is becoming harder and harder to keep your identity a secret. The effort to enforce those contracts is starting to show. You look exhausted."
Chris sighed as she stood up, walking toward the middle of the platform. Werewolves do not normally have magic that they are able to wield. The magic that they posses is in their blood and body which allows them to shift. The magic in their blood is what allows the blood pact to work.
In a normal blood pact there is the contractor and the contractee. The contractor is the one whose magic, in their blood, holds the blood pact in place. They are also the only one that can release the contractee from the terms of the blood pact. There are other kinds of blood pacts where both wolves become the contractor, those are only used between Alpha's when writing a treaty; if they wish to dissolve the treaty both must agree and release the contract together. At first when Chris decided to hide her identity using blood pacts, it worked great. However, the last 6 years her pack has grown exponentially which has increased the amount of contracts she has had to sign as a contractor. She could tell that she gets tired easier, and that she doesn't have as much strength as she used too. Chris has been trying to hide it from others, apparently the sparring this morning told Joseph more than she wanted him to know.
Joseph stood up too and walked over to her, standing just a few steps behind her, waiting patiently for her response.
"It's not safe to reveal my identity. Especially to a group of Alphas."
"It will never be completely safe. You are the first female Alpha, at least the first that I know of- No matter when you decide to share your identity there is going to be others who will push back."
"You don't understand," Chris said shaking her head.
"Maybe not completely but if you don't reveal yourself now. I guarantee that it will come out during this war. The blood pacts can only go so far."
"You don't understand..." She turned around to face Joseph, "what if it's safer for everyone to leave me alone?"
"What do you mean?"
"Trawley called me a few days ago."
"What!?"
"I don't know how he got my number, but now I am sure he is going to target me."
"Why didn't you tell me sooner? Any kind of contact with him I need to know about."
Chris sighed and shrugged; she looked up, examining Joseph's face, "I don't think I should join forces with any other packs."
Joseph's eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched in frustration. "That is just an excuse."
Chris folded her arms over her chest and glared back. "Whether it is or not, doesn't matter. I can take care of Trawley myself. I don't need anyone's help." She turned on her heel and started walking to one of the pulleys that will take her down to the forest floor.
"Then we are all going to die."
Chris stopped as she gripped the rope tightly, staring out into empty space, her heart thudded in her chest, amping up her anxiety.
Joseph chuckled hopelessly as he continued, "The reason why there is a war council is because none of the packs have the resources or numbers to even put a dent in the army coming. It will be a complete massacre."
"I will take care of Trawley. So you can tell them to stand down."
Joseph laughed out loud, he laughed so long, Chris was about to turn around in concern. Then he yelled, "Are you serious Chris!?" Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the rope harder and his footsteps got closer. "You really think that a psychopath like Trawley is just going after YOU?!" He paused letting the words sink in, "even if it is true that he is targeting you and your pack, do you think that he will leave the rest of us alone?!" Joseph grabbed her upper arm to force her around to look at him. Out of instinct Chris pulled his hand into a hold, he countered before she could immobilize him.
Chris locked her jaw as anger and frustration took over, she advanced so quickly that Joseph barely had time to pull up his hands to block her attack. Chris was taught different kinds of martial arts since she was 5, but hand to hand combat happened to be Joseph's specialty. The scrimmage pushed them into the middle of the platform; fists and feet flying so fast that it was hard to tell who was winning.
"Who are you fighting?" Joseph said calmly as he blocked her leg from a high kick. "Are you fighting me? Or fighting the fact that you are losing control over the situation? You may not want us but we need you!"
Chris felt her face go red as Joseph advanced. He was right, and she knew it, she was angry because he was right. All her careful planning, all her precautions, it was all going to blow up in her face.
Chris's screaming muscles finally gave in and Joseph immediately took advantage, flipping her over his shoulder to land hard on her back in the middle of the platform. The wind flew out of her lungs and Joseph immediately climbed on top of her, pinning her arms and legs down. However, the fight was gone from Chris's eyes; she laid there working on sucking air back into her lungs. She was so exhausted she felt like she was either going to pass out or throw up.
Joseph glared down at Chris as her breathing began to normalize. "If he really is the psycho that we all know and love; do you really think that he will just leave the rest of us alone?" He lowered his face to stare at her, their noses almost touching, his voice becoming deep and dark, "He knows YOUR weakness. He knows that you cannot stand innocent lives being snuffed out.... He knows that will bring you down faster than an army." Chris struggled weakly but Joseph held her fast not allowing her to move until he has said his piece.
He sighed with a defeated look, a look so sad that Chris could tell it wasn't just for their situation but it was for her. "Haven't you had enough?" He whispered sadly, saying more with that one question then even he could understand. Chris felt tears form and leaking from the corner of her eyes as she examined his face. Her wolf moaned in grief as his question repeated over and over in her head. Every thing that she has gone through all the death and sadness since she was 16, since she became Alpha. All the precautions to protect her pack... was it enough?
His sincerity and rational thinking was getting the best of her. Memories started to surface, as she clenched her jaw trying to force the tears back down. Joseph's eyes softened as he saw her barely holding back her pent up emotions. "You don't need to hide from me." He said gently, releasing her hands and pulling her up to sit next to him.
Chris looked up at the sky refusing to let the tears fall.
Joseph sighed as he looked up too. "Crying doesn't make you any less of an Alpha."
Chris smirked humorlessly. "Maybe to some."
Joseph pulled a black slightly crushed envelope from his chest pocket and handed it to her. "Your official invite; along with a note of apology from Alpha Terrant for his erratic behavior."
Chris opened the envelope to find a plain black paper with Joseph's pack house address, date, and time. Behind the paper was a folded white paper with a very well worded apology. "Well, Alpha Terrant likes to cover all his bases."
Joseph snorted, "Yeah, he wouldn't have written it if his Beta hadn't insisted. He said his pride was already suffering from his outburst he didn't want to write a lame apology."
Chris smirked, "He seems like a jovial fellow."
They both fell silent lost in their own thoughts. "We will be meeting tomorrow at my pack house. Alpha Terrant will be heading the war council. He has already instituted a 20 year treaty to be signed by all Alpha's that are a part of the War Council."
Chris's brow furrowed, "Only 20 years?"
Joseph shrugged, "It's better than nothing. We couldn't get all of the Alpha's to agree for longer. The normal time period of 50 years seemed to be a little constraining to some Alpha's."
Chris looked up at him and shook her head. Her mind was racing with all the variables that were too hard to control. "I will think about it."
Joseph nodded a solemn look on his face. "I understand. I have said my bit. You can just send word through Peter if you are coming or not."
Chris nodded, "I will let you know."
Joseph stood up and stretched, "I need to go. I have a lot to prep for tomorrow." He walked to the edge of the platform and found a pulley. Hooking his foot in the bottom loop he held the rope and was about to jump off when he paused looking back at Chris. "Either you reveal who you are now on your terms or someone else will do it for you." He stepped out and shot down; the rope squealing as the counter weight slowed his descent to the forest floor.
Chris sat there not moving, just listening as Joseph hit the forest floor and shifted to his wolf form. She heard him run back towards the pack house. Chris looked up at the canopy thinking through everything that Joseph said. She laid back on the platform trying to straighten out her thoughts into a plan, but they just kept running around in circles. Her identity compromised, putting her pack in danger, innocent lives lost, impending massacre, blood pacts, treaties, Joseph, Alpha Terrant, unknown Alpha's who will try to take advantage of her, revealing her long kept secrets. All these thoughts kept chasing each other around; reasons for one were excuses for others. Even her wolf was confused. One thing was for certain, she couldn't make this decision by herself.
She sent a silent message to Garrett and Gia telling them to report to her office and set up an emergency council meeting. She stood up and gazed out at the forest. Chris wasn't especially spiritual but she knew that at some point she needed to loosen her grip and let things happen. So she sent up a desperate prayer to the Moon Goddess for guidance.
Then taking a deep breath she ran off the platform; leaping into open air.
*Thanks for reading! Please vote and comment! I love constructive criticism, however if it becomes mean I will take you down.*
-LostArrow-