Page 59 of Blood Pearl
“How on earth will you have more time? Being Alpha and a mate will surely take more of your time?”
“I won’t be the Alpha anymore, Taria. Gerry will take over as Alpha and I will be the pack Luna. We’ll both be Lunas. How exciting is that?”
“Oh my…Ooops! Yes, that’s so cool. We’ll be able to plan Luna meetings and have days out together with the other Lunas. We can plan mating balls, pack challenges, and things.”
“Well, that certainly set some ‘thought process’ juices flowing. I can see Bronze is going to have his hands full.”
“Can I tell anyone the news? Does it have to go through any formal channels or stuff?”
“You can tell who you like, Taria. I bet Bronze will be first.”
“Heck, no. Tati and Gabe will be first. I’ll grab them now. Congratulations Momma. I’m so happy for you both. Bye!”
The phone goes dead and I’m left bewildered by all the energy that just exploded at me. Wow! I hadn’t been expecting that, and damn, Raina had been right about Taria taking on a father. I’ll bet Gerry will be excited about that.
“What will I be excited about?”
Seeing Gerry standing there makes me wonder, “I didn’t hear you come in. How long have you been here?”
“I just walked in the door. You were thinking out loud, I believe!”
“I’ve just told Taria our news. She was excited about having a father in her life.”
“I always wanted a daughter. I would have spoiled her rotten. She would have been my princess in every way.”
A knock on the door spoils the moment. I’m going to have some do not disturb signs made, one of these days.
The guard looks in, and seeing us both, he looks totally confused as to who to address. “Shadow Warrior Xavier to see the Alpha,” and pops his head back out before we get chance to ask which Alpha.
Xavier walks in laughing and states that he’s happy to speak with either of us, but as the subject was the offer of a job on the Shifter Council, he thought Gerry might have more insight.
As I get up to leave, Gerry gestures for me to stay. “Aurora, Flint asked me to become a Council member as you are aware. You may not know all the reasons I turned him down. Stay, please, while I discuss them with Xavier. It may be important later.”
Once everyone is settled, and I’ve handed out bottles of water, Xavier starts the conversation.
“Flint asked me a few days ago if I would be interested in taking a position on the Council. He didn’t go into too much why or wherefore, just asked me to think it over. I’m not totally against the idea. Then he rang again and asked if I’d given it any thought. I said I hadn’t had the time to give it proper consideration and although he didn’t say much to that, I got the impression he wasn’t happy. Lo-and-behold, he’s left a message for me to ring him and the first thing he asks is ‘have I given it any thought, yet’.”
Xavier looks at me, and then Gerry. “I’ve known Flint a long time and I’ve never known him to be as he is right now.”
“Bear with me, Xavier, and I’ll tell you what I know, as I’ve had similar recent experiences. Flint approached me when I first came to help Blood Pearl with the rogue problem. He knew I’d been thinking of retiring again. I retired about a year ago, but when news of the fighting reached me, I was soon back as a Council Warrior. I wasn’t missing a good battle for nobody! Anyway, once posted here, Flint asked me to consider being a Council member rather than retire again. I said I’d consider it and only a couple of days later, he was quite short when he asked what I thought and I told him I’d been too busy to consider it seriously. Sound familiar? Well, a couple of days, or so, went by and he asks again. This time he also passes on an order from the Council. I witnessed something while completing a mission for the Council and they ordered me to silence. He made it quite clear that I was not to discuss what I had witnessed, whether it be in conversation, direct questioning or any other scenario.”
“Whoa. That sounds like some kind of cover-up. I wouldn’t be happy getting those kinds of orders. My confidentiality should be enough for the council. If they believe they have to order me not to disclose things, then I shouldn’t be doing things for them.” Xavier has sat forward in his seat and is not as laid back as he normally is. “Can I ask what the mission was? Or is that asking too much?”
“I was sent to apprehend Eve Planter, Shifter Council member and return her for trial at the Council. She was charged with financing the murder of Alpha Aurora of the Blood Pearl pack by mercenaries.”
“I was aware of the attempt on Alpha Aurora and that Eve Planter was involved. I was not aware of what happened after that or of any consequences that befell her.”
“She did not have any consequences as such, not from the Council anyway. When I confronted her and she knew she was to be convicted of the crime, she took her own life. She drank a poison right there in front of me, and I didn’t realize what she was doing until it was too late. This is what they want covered up. When I made my initial written report, it was naturally vague. On my return to the Council, I made a full verbal report to Flint. As we discussed what we believed the Council would do, we both had the same opinion. The Council would hold an Alpha meeting, let them know what had happened rather than throw it out to all packs that a member of the Council had first, tried to have an Alpha murdered, and second, evaded justice by taking her own life.”
Listening to the conversation so far had been impersonal, however, this revelation struck home hard. She was so cowardly that she took her own life rather than face a jury of her peers.
Feeling Gerry’s arms wrap around me, I lean into him. He continues talking to Xavier.
“When Flint told me of the Council's decision not to inform anyone, not even the Alphas, and they thought I was the only risk to them keeping it quiet, I quit. I tried to talk to him as his long-standing friend, but he wasn’t interested. I tell you all of this because when I refused to be part of such a Council, he told me he was going to approach you as a back-up.”
“This puts an entirely different light on things, Gerry, and thank you for sharing. I will not repeat anything that you have disclosed, but I will be having a different kind of conversation with Flint. I don’t mind being a back-up, or if the Council members decide to keep their own secrets, so be it. I will not be put in the position they tried to put you in, and I admire you for your conviction.”
“That is exactly what I said, Xavier. I would have done the same, too. I think we may have become three peas in a pod with this situation. I am not upset with Eve’s death. Far from it. The fact that she wasn’t held accountable is disappointing, to say the least. Having the Council try to hide the circumstances of her death and its cowardly manner, I find nothing short of shameful. Alphas and their packs deserve to know what manner of shifters are on the Council and that they are not above our laws.”