Chapter 11

Gabriel

I was lurking in the shadows, keeping a watchful eye on the humans.

A group of them strolled along their side of the border, armed to the hilt with guns and other weapons.

My pack’s warriors were behind me, waiting for my command.

My wolf was restless inside me. He was itching to rip the audacious humans apart. Their scent wafted downwind, and it nearly sent my pack into a frenzy.

I growled softly, a warning for everyone to stay calm.

Any bloodshed now would shatter the treaty.

After a few tense moments of watching, the humans finally turned and left.

I shifted back into my human form, scowling into the night.

“That was a close one,” Jason said.

I turned to my beta. “Are you sure they were searching for Ellie?”

“They were definitely searching for something,” Jason shrugged. “And they never bothered the border until that little pup showed up.”

I tried to figure out what the humans were up to.

“What’s our next move?” Jason asked.

“I’m going to visit my father,” I said. “I needed to see him anyway.”

***

First on my list was a meeting with my father.

Each pack had a member of the were-council residing there. They were all Alphas, or at least former Alphas. Once my father passed the title to me, he became a member of the Were council.

The full council only met once a month; the rest of the time they were there to listen, observe, and submit any requests to the Were council that the pack’s Alpha couldn’t handle.

Humans in our territory were one such issue. As much as I wanted to adopt her, the final decision would likely be with my father. Even if I hadn’t been the Alpha, it would have been the same.

Because she was a child, he could make the decision. If she had been an adult, it would have been put before the whole council.

My father had his own office. I could have mind-linked him, but this was official. I was pretty sure he would approve, but there had been times when I was wrong.

I hoped this wasn’t one of those times.

I knocked on the door and heard a muffled ‘come in’ from within.

He smiled when he saw me. Despite him having a home here, we rarely saw each other.

“Father,” I returned the smile, “how’s mother?”

He rolled his eyes. “Complaining she doesn’t see enough of me,” he paused, “or you.”

“I’m sorry, I’ll try and make more of an effort. It’s been a busy time,” I said, feeling guilty.

He looked at me and nodded. “But you didn’t come here to check on the old man, did you?”

He gestured to the seat in front of his desk. Just like he used to when I was a child.

Some things never changed—he was still an Alpha, even if he didn’t lead a pack.

I sat down and looked up at him. He knew why I was here, he just didn’t want to make it easy.

“I’m sure you heard about the humans at the border.”

He nodded, his face serious.

“The humans are getting more daring,” he said. “What do you think they wanted?”

“A human pup crossed the border, my beta found her while he was on patrol.”

He just looked at me and nodded.

“She was shot by her own people,” I said.

He sat up straight; that got his attention.

“We can’t be sure what they wanted, but we can’t take any action,” I said. “They didn’t break any rules. They didn’t cross the border.”

My father leaned back, deep in thought.

“And what about this pup?” he asked.

“She was half-starved and had been severely abused...” I paused, “I would like the council's permission to adopt her.”

My father's face darkened. No werewolf liked the idea of a pup being mistreated. It didn’t matter whether they were werewolf or human.

“Does this human pup have a name?” he asked.

I frowned; I wasn’t sure where he was going with this.

“Always the suspicious one, Gabriel. You were always that way, even as a child,” he smirked.

I sighed, “always the one to never give a straight answer!” I countered, “her name is Ellie.”

He rolled his eyes and pulled something from his desk drawer.

“For the paperwork,” he smiled.

Then he looked up, “You’re sure it's for adoption?”

I frowned, “of course, she’s twelve years old although she only looks about seven. She’d never even seen a strawberry or tasted milk.”

I watched him as he started to fill out the paperwork. He continued talking without even looking up.

“I only mention it because it has been known for human mates to be much younger than their werewolf counterparts. The moon goddess’s way of allowing for the shorter lifespan which humans have.”

I rolled my eyes, “She’s twelve, father. I’m twenty-eight. That would just be too weird.”

My father looked up.

“Very well, the paperwork is done. You will still need to proceed with the blood ceremony to bring her into the pack.”

I nodded. It wasn’t something that I wanted to do, but I knew I would have to. The last thing that little pup needed was someone cutting her with a knife, even if it was on her hand.

“Oh, and Gabriel, make sure you bring her to the house. Your mother will want to meet her latest grand-pup, even if they are adopted,” he chuckled.

I nodded. I knew that my mother would be upset that Jasmine had seen her before she had, but that was just mother. She still acted like a Luna, even though she was a retired one.

I began to stand, but before I had a chance, my father raised his hand to stop me.

“I need to speak with you, Gabriel, about something else, although not too far removed from your little pup.”

I sat back down and waited.

“You are aware that the council has been considering requests to try and reunite with the humans?”

I gave a nod. I’d been aware, in a distant sort of way, that a lot of the pack members were hopeful about the border coming down. My sister was one of them.

“The news about your little pup is troubling. It just confirms what we already suspected.”

My jaw tightened. He knew what was happening? He knew that pups were being harmed and mistreated?

“What information?” I growled out.

My father looked at me, shaking his head.

“You really are protective of that little pup, aren’t you?”

I shot him a glare. “If you’d seen what they did to her, how broken she is...” My voice trailed off.

He stood up, walking around the desk to where I was sitting.

“We didn’t know about the abuse, just that they’re short on food and have some sort of two-tier system going on.”

I sighed. My wolf was still furious about what had happened to Ellie, and I was close to letting him take over.

“We?” I questioned.

My father perched on the edge of the desk.

“I have a team. They’ve made contact with some rebels. We give them food in exchange for information.”

I leaned forward in the chair.

“What kind of information?” I demanded.

My father crossed his arms. “If I tell you, you need to stay calm.”

I pressed my lips together. “Fine.”

He hesitated for a moment, raising an eyebrow.

“Like I said, it’s a two-tier system. Inside the border is a wall, and inside that wall, it seems like the humans are living normally. Pups are being schooled, fed, and so on.

“Living like normal families do. But outside the wall, it’s nothing less than a labor camp.”

I nodded. “I figured as much. They’re using children as a workforce.”

“That’s not the worst of it,” my father said, sighing.

“According to our little rebel spies, once the pups turn eighteen, they’re shipped off. The boys are trained as border guards, the girls...” His voice trailed off.

I felt my wolf stirring, trying to take control. I pushed him down.

“What about the girls? What would have happened to my little pup if she hadn’t run?”

My father stood up, placing a hand on my shoulder.

“Calm your wolf, Gabriel. I know he’s protective of that little pup,” he warned.

I took a deep breath. “Go on, father. It can’t be worse than what I already know.”

He stepped back, returning to his seat behind the desk, but he didn’t sit. He placed his hands on the desk and leaned forward.

“The girls are taken and used to breed the next generation of child slaves,” he growled.

I stood up slowly, my fists clenched as I battled with my wolf.

“Calm your wolf, Gabriel,” my father commanded.

I nodded. “What are you planning to do?” I asked, my teeth gritted.

My father stood up straight, folding his arms.

“The council is working on a plan. We need information before we can act.”

I frowned. “Act?”

My father licked his lips. “We plan to take back the border, free the labor camps. Hopefully, those behind the wall will fall after that.”

“By force?” I asked.

My father nodded. “Yes, Gabriel, by force. We gave in too soon during the Were Wars. We needed brave leadership, leadership we didn’t have.

“No one, human or werewolf, should be forced to live like that. Times have changed, we’re stronger now. It’s time to take back what was ours. Let our young wolves find their mates.

“Stop the abuse of pups, like your Ellie.”

“When?” was the first question that came to mind as I sat back down.

I knew in my heart that Ellie wasn’t an isolated case. Her curious mind had been her downfall, but it had probably also saved her.

My father smiled. “Patience, Gabriel. We can’t do this on a whim. It will need careful planning,” he paused, “we might move faster if we had more information?”

I knew immediately what he was implying.

I shook my head. “I won’t force her to tell me anything. She’s been through enough, and I doubt she understands anyway.”

My father nodded. “I agree, Gabriel, but anything she does tell you, we can probably use. She won’t understand the significance of even simple things. Does she have any siblings, brothers, sisters?”

I nodded. “A brother, older I think. He was also in the camp.”

I sighed. “She’s not simple, father. She’s curious and bright, she just never had the chance.”

My father smiled. “I look forward to meeting her. How about dinner tomorrow? It would make your mother happy.”

I narrowed my eyes and gave him a sideways look.

“Fine, but no trying to pry information out of her,” I warned.

He held his hands up in mock surrender and chuckled.

“I’ll be on my best behavior.”

I stood up, not believing a word of it; at least I could be prepared.

“Until tomorrow then.”

I headed for the door, and as I opened it, I heard his voice give one final warning.

“Oh, and Gabriel, this plan for the border, that’s just between you and me.”

I glanced over my shoulder and nodded before leaving my father to his plans and underhanded tactics.

I walked outside and looked around at our peaceful village. We had everything we wanted: food, shelter, families we protected and loved.

But something was changing.

I could smell it in the wind.

Blood and smoke.

This conflict with the humans would change our entire world...

And I had a horrible feeling that my little Ellie would be caught in the middle of it all.