Elevated States

Bambi

Stately mountains rolled by outside the windows of the cozy town car as we careened up the narrow ridges of the Austrian Alps.

The stark contrast between the snow-capped peaks and verdant hillsides was of otherworldly beauty. Like nothing I’d ever witnessed.

The picturesque vista might have made for a serene ride after a not-so-serene day-long flight, if not for the firestorm erupting inside the car.

“The hell if I’m going to let a belligerent blowhard like you get a word in edgewise with these parliamentarians. Your brash tongue is liable to blow the whole bloody negotiation,” Leonardo shouted.

“And your purple prose is likely to tie the whole fucking deal up in red tape from here 'til doomsday,” Hunter retorted. “I say we march in there and tell them exactly the kind of help we need. If we get it, great. If not, fuck them.”

Perennial rivals, Alphas Leonardo and Hunter had been at each other’s throats again.

And I couldn't blame them.

Really, the fact they were even on speaking terms was amazing. During the Great War, Hunter had allegedly seduced and killed Leonardo's wife, earning him the nickname “Cunt Sniffer.”

But ever since I’d gotten to know Hunter, I had the sense there was more to the story...

When all of us had met with King Dmitri just yesterday…. or was it two days ago?

(The hell if I knew. I still hadn’t gotten used to the time change.)

Anyway, when we’d met with the King, I was impressed by how congenially they’d treated one another.

I guess it was just an act, because as soon as we all rendezvoused at the Vienna airport, the two were back to their bickering.

Sitting next to me, Ekon massaged his temples, trying to drown out the bickering. However, the strained expression on his face indicated he’d soon reach his boiling point if they didn’t quit.

Across from me sat my best friend and Hunter’s mate, Ela, who was trying to lose herself in some corny romance novel.

Occasionally, she would look up from her book to shoot her mate a bloodcurdling look of disdain.

I didn’t think it was possible for a couple to have a more complicated and convoluted relationship than Ekon and me.

But Ela’s relationship with Hunter was something else. Her feelings for him danced on the firmament of two extremes.

Either she was hopelessly in love with him, or virulently detested him. And usually, her feelings aligned more with the latter.

This was understandable. After all, Hunter’s conduct during the Great War had certainly been questionable.

But even ~he~ had his redeeming qualities. He had proven his valor against Matthias and Devina for certain. But that didn’t change the fact that he was an incorrigible hothead.

“I can’t fathom what in holy hell King Dmitri was thinking, making you an envoy! A cunt sniffer like you is an anathema to any attempt at diplomacy.”

Hunter let out a deafening growl.

His muscles began to pulsate violently beneath his snug grey suit.

~Oh no! He’s going to shift.~

Just as Leonardo was about to return his snarl, Ekon shouted, “Will both of you shut the hell up?!”

And just like that, the two alphas were silent.

“Now look!” my mate continued, “We all know about the stupid beef you two continue to carry with one another. That’s none of my fucking business. But we’re here to get shit done and get back as quickly as possible. And if you two keep up this petty nonsense, nobody’s going to take us seriously!”

Leonardo and Hunter seethed silently for a moment, mulling over Ekon’s loud, but prudent advice.

“Well… as much as I hate to say it,” Hunter sighed, “looks like we’ve got to work together on this one.”

“Ekon is right,” Leonardo replied. “Very well. In this time of emergency, I suppose for now it’s best we let bygones be bygones. For the sake of our packs.”

The eloquent alpha offered his hand.

With a groan, Hunter shook it begrudgingly.

Ela scoffed loudly, “Wow! What do you charge by the hour, Ekon? I can never get him to shut his fucking mouth.”

Shots had been fired.

Rage burned in Hunter’s eyes.

“Now you listen here you smug, shrewd little bi-“

And just as the next Great War was about to break out before our eyes, the chauffeur lowered the partition and announced, “Alpha Vladimir’s estate is just up ahead.”

“Thank you,” I returned calmly.

As if some unseen force had possessed them, everyone in the car strained their posture.

Alpha Vladimir was werewolf-kind’s ambassador to the Supernatural Parliament and member of the Royal Werewolf Council.

He was one of the few wolves respected by every pack and, by all accounts, a gentleman and pundit of rare fashion.

Ekon had described him to me as the “bluest of blue blood,” descended from a long line of Slavic aristocracy.

His family had direct connections to prominent members of other supernatural races, from vampires to satyrs and countless others.

Supposedly, this made him the ideal candidate for parliament and he had hung onto his post, unchallenged, for nearly three decades.

This was an impressive feat, considering how competitive Alphas usually are for such high honors.

After stopping at a security gate, our car ascended a steep driveway to a hilltop mansion.

As we cleared the crest of the hill the estate came into view.

It was a sleek mid-century Bauhaus house, built into the underside of a palisade. The exterior was somehow both austere and refined.

A supervillain from an old spy movie would have felt right at home here.

At the end of a long drive stood a tall, distinguished man in a double-breasted blazer and high, white turtleneck. A well-groomed goatee gave his long, gaunt face a mysterious dimension.

It was Alpha Vladimir.

The five of us filed out of the town car and approached our host.

“Alphas Blackwood, Jedrek, and Knight, it’s been a long time.”

Alpha Vladimir ceremoniously shook each of their hands with demure grace.

His voice was deep and cultured. Although he spoke with a heavy Transylvanian accent, his expert diction made him easy to understand.

He appeared a living antique. His clothes, his decorum, and even his house were of another time.

“And who are these two scintillating beauties who have deigned to grace my modest home?”

Ela and I both blushed as the urbane old man kissed each of our hands.

“Alpha Vladimir,” said Ekon proudly, “I’m pleased to introduce you to my Luna, Bambi Jedrek.”

“Charmed, Luna Jedrek.”

He turned towards Hunter who stood still, unresponsive.

Ela shot him a dirty look and elbowed him in the arm.

“Uhh…. This is Ela.”

“Your Luna, I presume?” Vladimir asked pleasantly.

Hunter nodded uncomfortably.

I tried to stifle a chuckle.

“Enchanted, Luna Blackwood.” The courteous Alpha bowed.

“Oh… it’s Shetty.”

“I beg your pardon, Luna Shetty. My grievous error,” he apologized.

“Please, do come in everyone, out of this biting wind.”

As we stepped inside, I was surprised at just how intimate Vladimir’s mountainside estate was.

From the outside, it had looked so austere and forbidding. But the low ceilings, muted stone walls, open fireplace, and sleek mid-century furniture made it feel like some retro bachelor pad.

“I know we have much to discuss, but I’m certain you must all be enervated after that long flight. Is there anything that I can get for you?”

“A drink, perhaps?” Ekon asked hungrily.

~Shit.~

The alcoholic was rearing his ugly head again.

Certainly, I had no opposition to Ekon enjoying the occasional drink.

But in high-stress situations like this, he never stopped at just one or two. And after a certain point, he was impossible to discourage.

“Absolutely, Alpha Jedrek. What do you fancy?”

“Scotch and water, please.”

“You shall have it.”

As Alpha Vladimir walked into the next room to fetch the drink, I turned and whispered to Ekon, “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“Come off it, Bambi. Just need something to take the edge off after listening to all that arguing on the ride here. I’ll just have one.”

***

~”I’ll just have one,”~ he said.

Bullshit!

Three hours and six scotch and waters later, Ekon’s booze-soaked body is sprawled out across the bed, moaning incoherently.

Drunk off his ass, he had recalled gory war stories in the middle of dinner. And with werewolf-kind’s most important emissary!

I’d never been so embarrassed. Fortunately, Alpha Vladimir was gentleman enough to dismiss Ekon’s indiscretion. But that didn’t change what he had done.

“I can’t believe you Ekon!” I seethed as I buttoned up my silk pajama top, “Of all times to get wasted!”

“Oh! L… leave me alone, woman!” Ekon slurred, “Leo-NERD-o and the Cunt Sniffer had me so fucking mad. Drinking’s the only thing that kept me from killing them.”

That was no excuse.

Although, I couldn’t blame him for being upset with them.

Even at the dinner table tonight, they had kept tossing insults back and forth to one another.

~So much for bygones being bygones.~

And poor Ela.

She was so embarrassed by her mate that she asked to be excused in the middle of the main course.

I was worried about her.

To say her relationship with Hunter was tumultuous would be a gross understatement. It seemed downright torturous at times.

I plopped down on the bed next to Ekon, frustrated.

Nothing seemed to be going right.

And with all the personal drama, it had been difficult to get any consensus on what our plan of attack would be for getting aid.

“Ekon… do you think we’re gonna be able to pull all of this off?”

“Eh?” he questioned drunkenly.

“With Leonardo and Hunter at each other’s throats, do we even stand a chance at getting anybody on our side?”

“Fuck if I know, Bam. Fuck if I know.”

It’s not that I didn’t understand their contention.

Hunter’s questionable past certainly gave her reason for pause.

But all the same, these two were Alphas. Leaders of two mighty packs.

And those packs’ whole livelihoods were on the line now.

All werewolf-kind’s was.

I was worried.

“You think they’ll ever get their act together?”

No answer.

“Ekon?”

I turned to him. He was passed out.

~Figures.~

I leaned over to kiss him on the head and then fell back on the bed.

Tomorrow was a big day.

One that would decide the fate of werewolves everywhere.