The Wolf you Feed

Chapter 45

Rowan was grateful to whoever had planned ahead far enough to turn the air conditioning on. The church was the only building large enough to hold the entire population of Alexandria. And Deanna had insisted that everyone be present. Even if it meant they had to squeeze in and sit shoulder to shoulder, which they were. And bring in a row of extra folding chairs, which they had. Rowan sat between her father and Daryl. They were near the wall, sitting towards the back of the room. Both Daryl and her father liked to sit where they could see the door. Rowan stayed facing the front of the room. She felt secure squished between the two larger men.

A mix of curiosity and apprehension filled the room along with the soft steady hum of life. A man cleared his throat. The woman next to him twirled a strand of her hair, nervous to hear what Rick and Deanna had to say. Somewhere in the back of the room, a baby was fussing as its mother gently rubbed it's back in an attempt to quiet the child.

Rowan rested the back of her open palm on Daryl's thigh. He grabbed her hand with his and gave it a reassuring squeeze. They already knew why the meeting had been called. They had been in Hilltop when the deal was struck. Rowan was curious to see what everyone else's reaction would be. But in reality she knew the meeting was not much more than a formality. Deanna and Rick had already accepted payment for the task that they had agreed to complete. Rick had not even wanted to call this meeting. He had suggested that Deanna keep her hands clean and simply let him take care of the dirty work. But that wasn't Deanna's way.

"I didn't want to call this meeting," Rick began. His voice was loud and anyone that was still chatting or shuffling around stilled themselves. "But if there are repercussions for doing what needs to be done, they will affect all of us." Rick paused and glanced at Deanna. She nodded for him to continue. "So before we take action, we all need to agree that it's the right action to take."

Deanna stepped forward. The woman was an accomplished public speaker. Her tone and mannerisms were calming even if what she was saying was scary. She explained that Alexandria's food supply was running out. Alexandria would not make it through another winter if they didn't strike a trade bargain. Many members of the town had already suspected this was the case. Deanna simply confirmed their fears. Rowan could feel the nervous energy in the room increase. But only slightly. Because Deanna had mentioned that she already had a solution. The trade bargain she mentioned. It also comforted people to see Rick and Deanna as a team. There was no struggle for power. They appeared to be in complete agreement. Even if that wasn't always the case behind closed doors.

Rick stepped forward once Deanna was done. They had divided responsibility before the meeting. It was Rick's job to explain what needed to be done. They were going to have to take out another group. They were going to have to kill people. Rowan thought he laid it on a little thick when he started talking about the saviors. Rick made the other group seem like they must be pure evil. But Rowan believed they were most likely just people that had found their own way to survive. That way just happened to be by bullying other groups and stealing from them. Not the most honorable way to survive but her group had been no better before they came to Alexandria. If there was a single person left in the world that had never done wrong they were only alive as one of the dead.

"This is how we do it," Rick finished, "This is how we survive."

He stepped back next to Deanna. She was waiting patiently. Deanna knew that people were still absorbing all the information they had just received. The woman was sure there would be questions and opinions coming soon. She just didn't expect who the first one would come from.

Rowan felt her father move, rising from his seat. Daryl squeezed her hand again, this time taking comfort from her instead of giving it. Rowan's father knew what they had come to the church to hear. Nothing that Deanna or Rick said should have come as a surprise to the man. Rowan and Daryl had already told him everything before they left the house. He had not offered an opinion on the matter then. So Daryl had no idea what the man was about to say now.

"I am Grey Wolf, leader of the wolves," he announced. At the mention of their group, the former wolves in the room began to also rise from their seats. It happened one at a time, the show of unity cleared unplanned. Though they were standing together, it made Deanna happy to see that the wolves were not all sitting together. They were mixed throughout the crowd, sitting with their new friends and family from Alexandria. What did not make her happy was when her son stood up with them. Spencer's hand was holding tight to Rosie's. He was holding her daughter with his other hand, supporting the child's weight with his forearm. The child was fast asleep, her cheek resting against Spencer's chest.

Deanna stared in shock at the only child she had left in the world. Her son was not a wolf. He was her son. The son of two college educated parents. The prep school he had attended cost more than most people made in a year. Deanna took a deep breath. Now was not the time to deal with her son's sudden declaration of allegiance. And she needed to hear what Rowan's father was about to tell them. His opinion carried more weight with her people than Deanna liked to admit. She now regretted not talking to him before the meeting. She just assumed that Rowan and Daryl would have come to her if the man had a problem.

"The wolves stand with Alexandria," Grey Wolf announced once all those that he considered his people were standing. He could feel Rowan next to him. She was holding her breath in fear of what he was about to say. But still she stood with him. He reached over and grazed the small swell of her stomach with the side of his hand. When she let out the air she had been holding in her lungs he felt ready to continue.

"We stand with Deanna. And with you Rick." Rick gave the man a small nod of gratitude. "We stand with you but we cannot fight with you," Grey Wolf told the crowd. This announcement caused a shocked murmur to spread throughout the crowd. People in Alexandria had varying opinions on the wolves and on Rowan's father in particular. But the common thread tended to be that the wolves protected them and kept them safe. Rosie's brother even served as Rick's second in command. He was in charge of security when Rick was gone. He still had that crazy feathered mohawk but he also wore a police uniform. The same one Rick wore. If the wolves wouldn't fight, Alexandria was significantly weakened.

Grey Wolf waited until the crowd quieted back down from his previous announcement before he offered up an explanation.

"I swore a blood oath to my only daughter that I would never again hunt the Wendigo," he informed the group. "I swore that the wolves would never again hunt the Wendigo." The man turned his attention towards Deanna and reminded her of a private conversation that the two of them had in her living room when he was given permission to make his life in Alexandria. "I swore to Deanna that the wolves would live in peace here."

Deanna didn't speak at first. She turned to Rick, trying to gauge if the man had any idea on how to handle the situation. He looked as lost for words as she felt. She took a moment to collect herself. While she appreciated that Rowan's father had taken their conversation seriously, she also knew that if the town was ever directly attacked the man would have no hesitation to murder anyone that threatened them despite any promise he had made to her previously. She guessed that the oath he made to Rowan was the real issue. The man was deadly serious about his now mended relationship with his daughter.

"As I feel the saviors are a direct threat to Alexandria," Deanna answered, "I feel that eliminating that threat and defending our community would not be a violation of our agreement." Deanna heard Rick's sigh of relief. He and Deanna were at odds as often as they were in agreement. But he still held a massive amount of respect for the woman. How she was able to remain calm in almost every situation was beyond his comprehension. She always seemed to know the right thing to say.

"That's right," Rick announced, "We must protect ourselves." After a moment he glanced towards the slender woman standing between Daryl and Grey Wolf and added, "Isn't that right, Rowan?"

Many in the crowd nodded in agreement. Rowan stood next to her father. She had hoped that Deanna releasing him from his promise was enough. But now she knew it wasn't. The attention of the large group was turning towards her. People were even turning around in their seats to look at her. She felt her chest getting hot, the redness creeping up her neck and coloring her cheeks under her many freckles. If she hadn't been wedged in the middle of what now felt like about a thousand people, she would have taken off running. Why do I have to decide what happens? Wasn't agreeing to this violence enough? Rowan's hand came up to grasp at the crystal around her neck. She felt a flutter in her stomach. Her baby was reacting to the sudden stress. Everyone was staring at her. Her tongue felt like it was glued to the roof of her mouth.

Daryl nudged her gently. When that didn't produce a response he whispered to her, telling her to say something. Say somethin' The problem was she didn't know what to say. Horrible memories were flooding back to her. All the people her father had killed in the name of righteousness. Derek's face covered in warpaint. Somewhere in the back of her mind a baby cried. Rowan closed her eyes. She silenced her mind. Then she opened her eyes and looked up at her father. He was staring down at her, waiting for her response. His face was calm and relaxed. He was not the man he was at the beginning of the turn. Rowan realized something in that moment that she hadn't before. She trusted him again. Fully. With all of her heart. She didn't need an oath to protect her friends in Alexandria from her family. He could choose on his own to do what he felt was right.

"Give me your knife," Rowan asked. She held out one slim tattooed hand towards her father. The man hesitated for just a moment. Then he pulled the razor sharp weapon from his belt. The handle was made from the leg bone of a dear he and Daryl had killed together. Rowan's father handed her his knife and held out his hand, palm up. Rowan took a deep breath to steady herself. Then she brought the tip of the knife down and made a small incision in the middle of her father's palm. A line of red blood immediately welled up and began running from the cut. When she had gotten up that morning, Rowan had not planned on doing blood magic in front of a live audience. But it was too late to turn back now. She handed the knife back and held up her own palm for the small sacrifice the breaking of the oath required.

The knife was so sharp that Rowan didn't even feel the cut until after she saw the blood. Her father gripped her hand in his, pressing their palms together. He waited for her to speak the words.

"I, Rowan of the wolves, now release you from your oath."