CHAPTER TWELVE

Once he was sure Alrik had returned to the Alpha's house, Gerik redirected his focus to the rest of the Pack, reassuring each of them that the crisis was over. He didn't specify what that crisis was, guessing that neither Alrik nor Brianna would thank him for airing the details of their personal lives to all and sundry. After all, the Pack's gossiping had gotten them all into this mess in the first place.

Speaking of which, Gerik thought it might be worth suggesting to everyone that they back off discussing Brianna becoming the Alpha Female, even amongst themselves. It might appear a foregone conclusion, but in order to reach that happy conclusion, Brianna needed to feel as if she had the freedom of choice.

Gerik quickly showered and changed out of his work clothes, then made his way into town. Most people would need the comfort of their fellow Pack members at the moment, so it was likely the bulk of the Pack would gather at the Fræc Café. Technically, it was closed today, but he wouldn't be surprised if Elise made an exception.

And if the café would be jammed to the rafters, it was likely that Kit would be serving. His heart clenched in his chest when he thought of her, and he didn't know if he was looking forward to seeing her again, or dreading it.

He hadn't been just talking out of his ass when he told her he'd never wanted anyone as much as he did her. He still did. The problem was, whenever he was in her presence, his instinct to possess her overwhelmed his common sense, and he wound up acting like a brute. Then, when he was away from her and rational thought held sway, he couldn't help but wonder in disgust at his own behavior.

Like all Alphas, Gerik was born into his caste, though what they were wasn't apparent until they completed the Change and survived their first flip, even to themselves. Nevertheless, Gerik always had the sense that he was different from the other members of the Pack he was born into. Things seemed to come a little easier for him—school, sports, friends, lovers. Additionally, even prior to Changing, he'd always felt a strong connection to the land, something else werewolves didn't feel until after they flipped, though they anticipated it, by virtue of their upbringing.

Either way, Gerik sensed that whatever it was about him that made him different was something that needed to have an eye kept on—increased strength may make it easier to protect and serve those around him, but if not handled carefully, it made it just as easy to hurt those same people, and Gerik never had any desire to hurt anyone.

So, he'd used his talents to carefully observe his fellow werewolves, measure their reactions toward him and one another, and learned how to interact with them in such a way to best put them at their ease. He quickly gained a reputation for being sensible, perceptive, and, most importantly, gentle, in spite of his strength. Those traits helped him even more when his caste showed itself after the Change, and he found himself to be one of several Alphas born into the same Pack.

The Pack's ruling Alpha wasn't particularly old, but years of fast living had taken a toll on his body. It was expected that he wouldn't live very long, so Gerik was thrown into the subtle competition for successor almost immediately. His rivals were his own brother, Henrik—whom everyone had always called "Hank," and the ruling Alpha's son, Torolf.

In the space of one day, Gerik's relationship with Hank went from a strong bond between brothers to one of fierce rivalry. What made it so bitter was the fact that their parents wanted Hank, the first born and favorite son, to take up the reins of leadership, but the Pack's land had other ideas. The land had rejected Hank as belonging to it once he completed the Change; a century before, when such things happened, the tradition was to supply the new werewolf with whatever he would need for his journey, wish him the best of luck, then firmly push him out of the territory. A Pack was doomed if its land wouldn't support it, and when that land was adamant about not wanting a particular member upon it, there was little a Pack could do except bow to its demands.

These days, Packs played a little loose with the land, allowing rejected members a few years to finish high school, attain what humans considered the age of majority to be, before sending them out into the world by themselves. The sky hadn't fallen on anyone that Gerik heard, so the general assumption was that the land understood its Pack's reasoning, and was willing to be flexible.

But that was all the land was willing to do. Failure to comply would—well, again the sky wouldn't come crashing down on you, but the land might swallow you whole, as it had not six months ago when a sinkhole suddenly opened up beneath Hank's feet, causing him to fall to his death.

The phone call had come early in the afternoon. Already short-tempered from failing to join the corners of a secretary he was building, he hadn't been pleased to hear his father's voice on the other end. It was the first time they had spoken since Gerik left Texas five years previously, when the old Alpha died and the Pack unanimously supported Hank's elevation. Since that would require Hank to stay, in direct violation of the wishes of the land, Gerik left in disgust, and his own family had made it clear that they were more than happy to see the back of him.

So, speaking with his father wasn't high on Gerik's list of things he most preferred to do, especially when the first thing the old male said to him was an order to get his tail back to Texas and take over leadership of the Pack.

"You want to say that again?" Gerik demanded. "Because, and I can't be too sure about this, but I do believe you just gave an order to an Alpha, which you most certainly have no right to do."

"Don't you take that tone with me, Boy," snapped his father. "You aren't so big I can't give you a hiding when you're asking for it."

"I'd love to see you try," he snorted, and hung up. The phone immediately started ringing again, but Gerik ignored it and went back to work.

Alrik showed up several hours later, bringing dinner along with a gripe about having his afternoon disturbed by a series of phone calls. The first three had been, again, from Gerik's father, and though Alrik was fairly laid back about a lot of things, his tolerance for egoistical nonsense was even less than his Beta's, especially when it came from perfect strangers. Eventually, someone got the message, because the next person to call was another older male, Samuel, who had been Beta to both the old Alpha and Henrik.

"This Samuel claims he tried to contact you as well, but you didn't answer," Alrik pointed out.

"I figured he might rear his head," admitted Gerik, "but considering that it'd just be more of the same, I didn't bother speaking with him."

"Well, you weren't entirely mistaken, but he at least had the sense to assume a more respectful tone when speaking to me. He has formerly requested that I release you from your duties here so you can return and take up leadership of the Thicket Pack, adding 'as was his right alone when our former Alpha passed on', in what sounded like a sop to your vanity."

Samuel had explained a few more things to Alrik, who passed it on to his Beta, preferring to have all the facts before ultimately making up his mind.

"You know I won't hold you here if this is what you want," he added. "For all my ability to control other Alphas, I'm not a totalitarian."

Gerik had snorted at that, though not in any attempt to mock his Alpha. Alrik knew damn well that the Thicket Pack was in a world of trouble, all which it had brought down on itself. The land was angry with the blatant disregard of its wishes, and acting accordingly. Gerik wasn't sure that going back would do anything to ease it, but was positive that the Pack was treating their current misfortunes as the results of a mere temper tantrum, with Gerik being the piece of candy that would make the land shut up so they could continue doing what they wanted to. Whether it was true or not was irrelevant; no Alpha would take on that mess unless he absolutely had to, and Gerik, thankfully, was not in so dire a position.

No, he had managed to build a life for himself here on Changer Island that matched what he thought of himself, and no way was he going to give it all up to spend the rest of his days fighting a bunch of blowhards who thought he should jump whenever they snapped their fingers.

And then he met Kit, which provided even more incentive for him to stay. If he could only bring himself under wraps and behave as he knew he was damn well capable of.

It should have been ideal situation; she was exactly what he'd been looking for—a strong, kind female who, to all appearances, would welcome the stability and respect he offered. She certainly hadn't gotten any of that from her old Pack, and here, where no one really knew her and all they had to go on was her potential, stability and respect were hers for the taking. Especially since, in the short time that she'd actually been on the island, all she'd shown was that she was hard-working and level-headed.

By rights, he should have approached her as any male would a female. Expressed his interest in her with all due consideration toward her rank and ability, then waited until she made the next move. Gerik truly believed that that was more than just the right way to do things; it was the only way. It was the way Alrik was handling his interest in Brianna, in spite of the expectations of the Pack. And yet he found himself pushing Kit again and again, breaking every rule in the book, simply because he couldn't stop himself.

Sooner than he would have liked, the path merged with the main street, and the café loomed at the end of it. As he suspected, the lights were on, signaling to all and sundry that Elise had opened for business. Through the windows, he could see that a large crowd already had gathered.

Nothing for it then. He'd just have to focus on the matter at hand—settling down the Pack and undoing assuring them all was right with their home and their Alpha. Hopefully, that would be enough to distract him from the object of his obsession.

For at least an hour, anyway.

"Do you have any idea what you've put me through?" Alrik ground out. "I have been going out of mind looking for you! Now for the last time, where have you been?"

"You're white! You're male, and you're white!" she babbled, her eyes wide. "How can you be male and white at the same time?"

It finally penetrated Alrik's brain that Brianna wasn't paying attention to him, so he shook her to jerk her back to the matter at hand.

"I just went for a run! That's it! Now would you please let me go?" she begged, squirming in his grip. Her frightened tone made him flinch, and he involuntarily released her. Brianna's legs gave out under her, and she landed heavily on the floor. She scrambled backwards until she bumped up against the stairs. The line of her body was taut with fear, and loudly promised to shred anyone or thing that got too close.

Immediately, Alrik's anger dissipated in the face of her terror, and he slumped with exhaustion, physical and emotional. No matter how hard he tried, everything he did seemed to upset her, and for a moment, he considered giving up. Just turning around and walking out, forgetting everything he hoped for the two of them.

But it was a momentary lapse; Alrik's nature was too inclined toward problem-solving for that. Set her fears at rest, he told himself, and you'll get the answers you want.

"Brianna, what are you talking about?" he asked tiredly.

"You're white," she repeated in a hoarse whisper. "Your pelt. It's white. It's not supposed to be white."

"Why not?" he wondered, completely at sea. Brianna stared at him as if he'd grown a third head in addition to the second he apparently sprouted only a minute before.

"The legends," she finally said. "They've always been about female white wolves. There's no record of a male white wolf anywhere."

Now he was totally lost. Legends? "What legends?"

"About the white wolves!" Brianna shouted at him. "Quit playing around and just tell me what this means! Is this because you're this Moon Lord person?"

Alrik groaned. Somehow, in addition to all the other things he wanted to tell her himself, she'd heard of that from someone else.

"Lord of the Moon," he corrected. "It's just a stupid name given to any Alpha who has the additional ability to bind other Alphas to him. Brianna, white is just a color. It doesn't mean anything."

She shook her head slowly in disbelief. "You're lying. Wolf Lake has two white females—two. I've seen them. I grew up with them. And they're the most powerful wolves in the entire Pack. Stronger than any of the males, even. They can do things that no one else can do. That's why whatever male they mate becomes the Alpha. They're all like that. The legends say so."

Alrik's mouth hung open in shock. It was the biggest line of crap he'd ever heard, and doubted it would ever be surpassed, even if he lived to be 150 years old.

And yet Brianna wasn't lying. Her scent, her expression, the position of her body—she believed it with every fiber of her being.

Alrik sank to his knees and forced his body to go limp in an attempt to reassure her he meant no harm. Nevertheless, she still flinched when he crawled closer to her. He stopped immediately, and sighed heavily as he rocked back onto his feet.

"Brianna, they're white because they're my cousins. It's a common pelt coloration in our family."

"What?"

"I assume you're talking about Ruby Cates and Sophia Donner, right?" At her slow nod, he continued. "Ruby Cates's mother was my father's sister. Sophia Donner's grandmother was my grandfather's cousin—they shared the same grandmother. She was white—I think her brother was white, too. My grandfather's brother was white. Both my father and his sister are white. It's not a big surprise that two females descended from the same line as me would be white. That still doesn't mean anything."

"But . . . you're all so strong . . ."

"Actually, no. My aunt—not Ruby's mother, my other aunt—she's not all that much stronger than Sarah Hollander, and if anything, her coat's whiter than mine. Any kind of power that we have is just a coincidence. There are plenty of non-white werewolves who have done and continue to do amazing things. There's an Alpha in New Hampshire that has the most boring pelt coloration I've ever seen, and his abilities are damn near equivalent to mine. Who told you these 'legends'?"

"Everyone," she replied in a small voice. "It's one of the first stories they tell us, about how the white wolf brought us to Wolf Lake, and helped us settle the town and . . . survive . . . oh, God. The agreement between our Packs . . . that was your ancestor, wasn't it?"

"I'd need the specifics, but yeah, it sounds like it."

Brianna shook her head in denial, still unable to accept what he was telling her. "No," she refuted. "It can't be. Sherman Blackstone has been Wolf Lake's Keeper since before there was a Wolf Lake. If it wasn't true, he wouldn't . . . He's ancient. He'd know."

"This is what I do know," Alrik said. "The Pack that founded Wolf Lake was made up of werewolves from many different Packs. When they came here, yes, Sherman Blackstone was with them, and they did call him their Keeper. However, he has been associated with different Packs throughout the centuries. He just picks one and stays with them for awhile, then moves on when the mood strikes him. Anyway, he's the one who approached Changer Island with the idea for an alliance in the first place. He's the one who laid out the terms, and talked everyone into accepting them. Why he's decided to withhold this from current generations, I don't know. That's part of the arrangement between the Packs—Changer Island doesn't interfere with the day-to-day life of Wolf Lake. I can ask him, but if he doesn't want to tell me, he doesn't have to."

Not that that would stop Alrik from prying the truth out of the old Keeper using whatever means necessary. Having his desired mate so terrified of him because of his pelt coloration that he couldn't get near her—especially when only the day before, she'd had no trouble publicly humiliating him over a simple miscommunication—was intolerable. Sherman Blackstone might have been the genius behind the treaty between Wolf Lake and Changer Island, but what was done was done; the Changer Island Alpha held sovereignty over both Packs, and he had a right to some answers.

As soon as he could get Brianna to calm down enough that she wasn't in danger of hyperventilating.

"Brianna, this doesn't change anything," Alrik reassured her. "Forget what everyone else wants. Forget what I want. You still have the right to accept or reject me. You will always have that right, no matter what either of us are. In this, we're just like everyone else—a male and a female trying to figure out what's best for ourselves. It doesn't matter who we are or what we look like. And no matter what you decide, nothing is going to change. We'll still be just the same. I promise."

Brianna stared at him, trepidation sharp in her eyes, then ever so slowly, reached out and took the hand he offered.

Kit watched Gerik make the rounds in the café, pausing at each table to talk with and reassure each Pack member that all was well. She'd had a moment of panic when he first walked in, but forced herself to deal with it.

Don't be such a coward. It's a small island. You're going to run into one another eventually.

Besides, if he lost his head and tried anything, there was a room filled with werewolves ready to help defend her. She hoped.

Alrik and Brianna's potential relationship wasn't the only gossip flying around Changer Island. Unlike Brianna, however, Kit wasn't insulated from it. She was well aware that everyone knew something was going on between her and the Beta, and, since there wasn't a big, scary Alpha to keep them on their best behavior, they felt free to ask her for regular status updates.

So far, she'd managed to fend them off with the same pat speech that was, more or less, the truth: that there had been a slight misunderstanding between her and Gerik, and yes, it had been sorted out. No, she didn't know what his intentions were, as he had never voiced them in her presence (also technically true; he'd just said he wanted her, but didn't specify in what exact capacity or for how long). If courtship was what he intended, then yes, she would give it due consideration. Yes, she was fully aware of how great an honor it was, considering he was the Pack Beta and an Alpha in his own right.

Yes, he certainly was very handsome.

As a Morris, Kit was used to having her every action scrutinized. Just not in quite so benevolent a light. She was starting to wonder which she preferred.

The service bell rang, and Kit went to pick up the latest order. Elise was waiting at the window, and placed her hand on top of Kit's when she reached for the plate.

"Everything alright?" she asked, her voice deceptively light. Here was one person who didn't view the situation with amusement. It was a small comfort, but at least it felt as if someone were trying to look out for her best interests.

"Everything's fine," Kit confirmed. "We're all keeping very busy."

"Alright then. You let me know if that changes."

Kit nodded and took the order, delivered it to the correct table, then scurried back to the counter when Gerik came a little too close. To mask her cowardice, she picked up the pot of coffee and made the rounds, starting her circuit on the opposite side of the room as him. Yes, it was pathetic to allow him to intimidate her so, but she was proud that she managed to keep a cool enough head that no one seemed to notice. Or, at least, felt inclined to comment.

Of course, they had their own concerns today, for which she was thankful.

She didn't understand what the big deal was, though. Gerik had explained to everyone when he arrived: he hadn't heard from a few Pack members in a while, and, when he tried to find them, some quirk in the land prevented him from finding them. So, he overdid it a bit extending his power in his search for them. They had since been found, hale and hearty, so there was nothing to worry about.

Of course, Kit knew that the "few Pack members" actually was only one, and given the tense situation between them at the moment, it was reasonable that Alrik would get a teensy bit hysterical. However, Gerik's second declaration to the Pack—that they back off gossiping about Brianna's becoming the Alpha Female—meant that giving any hint that she knew that was completely out-of-bounds. She couldn't even discuss it with Elise and Ben, who, as far as she could tell, were completely discrete.

Kit returned to the service area behind the counter and began brewing a fresh pot of coffee. Elise had shown her how to use the different machines in order to satisfy the individual tastes of the Pack, but tonight, all anyone seemed to want was straight-up Americano, which suited Kit just fine. The last time she tried to use the big copper espresso machine . . .

Well, it was a good thing Elise had a distributer on call, though it would still take a few weeks for the replacement parts to arrive.

For the next hour, she busied herself taking and delivering orders, busing tables, filling coffee cups and, for the lone two tea fanatics, hot water carafes. She almost was able to forget that Gerik was even in the room, so busy were they that night. Unfortunately, it didn't look like things were going to slow down any time soon.

Elise had explained—and Kit had tried to understand—that though Changer Island adored its ruling Alpha, they were afraid of him, too. Alrik was a different sort of Alpha from others of the same caste; how, Elise hadn't specified, and had been so reticent on the subject, Kit didn't press the issue.

Of course, she already was overwhelmed by the idea that Alphas were something different than the rest of their species. She remembered hearing Gerik referred to as an Alpha, and, considering the position he held in the Pack, decided she must have misheard. "Alpha" was just the title for the werewolf leading a Pack, wasn't it? Granted, yes, there was this whole misogynistic view that only males could rule, but Vivian Cates had proved that wrong with her ascension and successful leadership of Wolf Lake. Right?

According to Elise and Ben, that wasn't the case at all. Alphas were born into the caste, though who was or was not an Alpha wasn't apparent until they completed the Change. It wasn't like Keepers, who could be trained into the position, though there definitely were those individuals who had an aptitude for it.

Kit had brought up Vivian Cates, and both the older werewolves scoffed.

"Vivian Cates can call herself whatever she wants, but it doesn't make it true," Ben declared. "Wolf Lake has never had a real Alpha, and the Pack there would have died out long ago if it weren't for ours."

At that, Kit demanded an explanation, and the whole story had come out. The tale was similar to the one she'd been raised on, but taken from the Changer Island perspective, had a whole different meaning. Totally dependent on the Changer Island Alpha's efforts to work with and maintain their land, the Wolf Lake Pack had cut itself off from the rest of the world, and grown stagnant.

"It doesn't surprise me that you were raised to believe that werewolves stick to the territory of their birth," Ben said. "Without an Alpha, your old Pack is very vulnerable, especially after all this time. However, its inflexibility is weakening it, as well. Luckily for them, the only Pack that might pose a threat is Changer Island, and we're too happy with our own little territory to think about expanding."

But what, exactly, did it mean to be an Alpha? That was a question neither Ben or Elise could answer to her satisfaction. It had something to do with how those individuals connected with the land, a concept Kit still found implausible. They assured her it was true, however, and that all werewolves could do it. Ben offered to show her how, which Kit briefly considered taking him up on, but then the banging on the door of the café altered them that the members of the Pack needed to be in each other's company that night, and Elise felt it necessary to oblige them.

It was a lot of information thrown at Kit all at once, and she would have liked a little time by herself to get it all straight in her head. But, the needs of the Pack superseded all, and what its members needed right now was the chance to forget that their ruling Alpha had scared the collective pants off them.

So far, it seemed to be working, albeit slowly.

"When you get a chance, can I have a refill?" a male voice asked. Kit looked up and down the counter. A werewolf a few years older than herself smiled as he waggled his cup at her. She smiled in return and grabbed the coffee pot.

"You doing okay here?" she asked.

"I am now that I've got you alone for a few seconds," he replied with a cheeky grin. Kit rolled her eyes good-humoredly.

"And what is it you need me for?" she wondered, playing obtuse. Obviously, he was flirting with her, and she took that as a sign that the Pack was taking her claim regarding her involvement with their Beta seriously. Otherwise, a male with such a shallower well of power than Gerik wouldn't have dared look at her.

"Well, I was thinking—if you wouldn't mind, of course—"

"Why would I mind it if you were thinking? My mother always said it was a good thing when a male decided to use his brain."

He chuckled, but chose to not respond to that and plowed ahead. "Anyway, you've been here a few weeks now, but we don't seem to know much about you. So, I was wondering if, maybe, you wouldn't mind going for a walk? I'd ask you out to dinner, but the options here on the island are pretty much restricted to the café, and I can't imagine that would impress you very much."

Kit leaned back and pretended to entertain the merits of the idea. "Hm . . . a walk."

"A friendly walk, just to get to know each other," he clarified.

"I don't know . . . would we have a chaperone? Because I'm an old-fashioned girl, and stepping out with a male whose name I don't even know, all by my lonesome . . . think of what it would do to my reputation."

He laughed, but it died in his throat as his focus shifted to a spot above her shoulder. Kit's smile faded as she realized what he was looking at. She'd been so preoccupied with the male, she hadn't sensed Gerik's approach.

"His name is Alec," the Beta informed her in a cold voice, "and I'm sure he wouldn't so much as dream of making any kind of request of you that might put you in an uncomfortable position."

Alec hastily agreed, thanked Kit for the coffee, dropped a few bills on the counter, and immediately left the café.

"Was that really necessary?" Kit demanded out as she turned to face Gerik.

"Yes," he replied, eyes shimmering gold with the strength of his emotions. "You and I haven't settled anything, so until then, you're off-limits."

"Don't I have a say in that?"

His nostrils flared briefly. "If course you do, but you haven't said anything yet. So until you do—" He broke off and cocked his head. Kit felt a buzzing at the back of her skull, and realized someone was speaking to Gerik on a private mental thread.

Gerik backed away from her and rounded the counter, calling for everyone's attention.

"The Alpha has asked me to inform you that—and he apologizes for not telling you this in person—he's decided to move up the date of the Fall hunting trip." A deafening cheer rang out from those assembled. "All those interested in going need to get their names to me by the end of today. The final list of hunters, along with what packs they will be assigned to, will be posted tomorrow. Be prepared to go the day after."