29. Tradition
Disclaimer: the characters and all recognisable situations belong to Stephenie Meyer or Charlaine Harris - this is a work of fan fiction, except for the legends and histories of the Quileute that, of course, belong to them. I pay my respects to their Gods.
Alcide was overseeing a pack meeting. It could probably be better named as a small claims tribunal. People came to him as their leader with niggly little complaints; things that only related to the Were world. He was bored today and trying spectacularly hard not to look it.
He almost groaned when he saw the next petitioner. This guy was exhausting normally, but he really wasn't sure he was up for his antics today. The pack inherited a few members stationed at the Barksdale Air Force Base in Bossier City. Weres were often found in professions that required strength and stamina. Sometimes they were slow to assimilate into a new pack.
"Giles Renault," he greeted him. "What is your complaint?"
"You defeated a challenger in single combat last week, pack-master."
Rather easily as it turned out. Alcide could have guessed that this was his complaint and he could also guess the rest of Giles's issue. "Yes, I did. And," he prompted; knowing there was more to come.
"It's your duty as a full blood Were to lie over a woman," Giles blithely stated.
There was an odd pause in the conversations in the room. People who hadn't really been paying attention started to do so now.
"So you think that because I won the battle, I should have fucked some young were girl?"
"It is tradition."
"Are you accusing me of not fulfilling my pack duties? I am breeding for the pack. Twins." He looked so pleased.
"It is a standard custom, pack-master."
"Yeah," Alcide looked doubtful. "I just don't think that would be a good idea."
"Tradition, pack-master."
Christ, the guy was like a broken record. "Oh yes, I understand that." He paused. "It's just …I don't think my wife would like it."
"Other pack-master wives tolerate it."
"Yes, they do. But if it took, she wouldn't be pregnant for long," Alcide pointed out. "Or alive for that matter." He paused. There were some small snickers at the back of the room. "I'd give her what, five minutes to bleed out, Jannalynn?"
Giles looked clueless.
Jannalynn, his second snorted. "Or less, if she ripped her throat out," she suggested wickedly.
"She?" Giles asked.
"My wife, Leah. She's really not happy about women standing within two feet of me, let alone fucking me on the floor of the pack combat room. I'd be in trouble, but they would be dead. And I just don't think we can afford to lose any more females, Giles." He sounded perfectly reasonable. But he suspected Giles wouldn't let it go.
"But it is the tradition…" Giles argued.
"Honestly, Giles have you met my mate in her wolf form?"
He shook his head.
"Do you want to?" asked Alcide. The snickers were louder now. This guy was startlingly, maybe fatally stupid; how had he survived this long?
Something about the eagerness of the others in the room finally got through to Giles. "I-I don't think that will be necessary pack-master," he blustered looking around at the eager faces of other pack members.
Alcide leaned forwards. He did not look friendly now. "Good. Because she's different; she's not like other shifters. Her wolf is very close to the surface; she doesn't need a full moon to shift easily. And it takes almost no energy for her to shift back and forth. And she's big Giles. Her wolf is bigger than probably all the males in our pack. Isn't she Jannalynn?"
She nodded vigorously. She looked eager to let Leah tear this guy apart. Bouncing on her feet a little with her excitement.
"Leah would tear apart another female if they even touched me, let alone bore my child. She's pregnant with twins right now and I suspect she might still be capable of that. In fact I think she'd be worse now. The pregnancy has brought out the mother thing."
Giles looked like he was going to roll on his back or piss himself or maybe both.
"And I'll tell you something else, Giles. If you upset her, and she shifts now and we lose my babies, I'll tear apart whoever caused it."
Giles nodded.
"So, as my second is female, and physically unable to do it for me, I am sure there is another wolf that would be happy to oblige. Maybe the new enforcer? He's tough, strong and unmated. It could be a permanent mating. And that would be a good thing for the whole pack. But I suggest we leave it until after the next unsuccessful challenge."
"Yes, pack-master."
Giles scuttled away.
Alcide's concerns about Jannalynn being overworked had set into him appointing a new enforcer. She was a little disappointed but he had explained that he didn't want her burning herself out. And running the Hair of the Dog was almost a full time job for her. Let alone being his second. He promised to let her smash a skull in occasionally. She eventually agreed because it gave her more time to spend with her Sam.
The meeting wound up and eventually Alcide and Jannalynn were alone.
Alcide spoke, "You know I think I can see Leah's point; if she touched someone, I'd kill them, so why can't she argue the same thing? Even if it is supposed to be fathering new Weres."
"The whole pack system is run by males, Alcide. It's not going to change easily."
Alcide nodded. "We cling to these traditions that stop females being pack masters, simply because they can't fuck the willing girl and there is no point to having a willing guy."
"True. Look at Giles. He's clinging to his tradition with no real clue as to why it exists."
"A pregnancy for a female pack leader would be the kiss of death. It would be perceived by all challengers as a weakness. So as a female, you can't embrace the traditions. Not even if your life depended on it."
He thought of his children and he hoped that things would have changed a little more for them, by the time they were both accepted into the pack. Assuming Sookie was right and they were both Weres. And he wondered again about the other children that he hoped would follow.
He felt a twinge of guilt. He had embraced the custom eagerly in the past. In the aftermath of a battle, with blood spilt on the challenge floor and the scent of adrenaline invading his senses. He had done his duty. But as far as he knew, no children had eventuated. So the argument that it might breed more Weres was not so true either. Just as well. He could not imagine Leah being pleased to hear about that now.
And he would refrain now. It just didn't appeal to him anymore. He was a mated male and he was happy with his wolf partner. Now if she was happy to go for it on the challenge floor, he'd have no problems performing at all…
FF_2154210_ - 11/09/2011 01:57:00 PM
