Wolf Bargain (Wolfish 3)

And they didn’t move a muscle.

They didn’t react.

Not yet, anyway.

The pack members of the alliance whisper behind us as everyone waits in the uneasy stillness. Romulus addresses Remus’ pack, who are moving uneasily and growling amongst themselves.

“The ongoing feud between packs is over. There’s no more need for this bloodshed. All of the packs are part of the alliance now and as such, you will all submit to me now in the absence of my brother,” Romulus says. His tone is commanding, but not cruel. There’s a sadness to it that lends a certain … regality.

He did what must be done.

And that seems plain to all here, even Remus’ pack.

After all, they were not bound by blood and love. They were bound by hatred. By tradition. By cruelty and violence.

Those bonds are not as strong.

“I do not expect you to follow me blindly,” Romulus says, taking another step forward. “But I do promise you, any who dares step forward now will face the same fate as my dear brother.”

The members of Remus’ old pack are nervous and anxious. They fidget like kenneled dogs that don’t know what to do now that the cage door has been left open. There’s still pent-up anger and a thirst for recompense that is stirring among them, and for a few minutes I worry if they will still try to fight.

But then, after a momentary tension, some of Remus’ pack take a knee and lower their heads to Romulus. More and more follow suit until they are eventually all in accordance with Romulus command. Those that don’t slink silently into the trees, but their numbers are far less than I expected.

Those that remain, they will follow Romulus now.

Or, at the very least, won’t fight him.

There was bloodshed here tonight, but the blood spilled was not our own … and it was far less than we expected.

The battle between the packs is over.

We’ve won.

32

Sabrina

All that’s left to do now is to intercept Lydia before she’s gotten too far.

I don’t care if I’m supposed to shift at any moment now.

I don’t have any sense of time. Tonight, the moon will have to stand still until I’m ready for it.

All I know is that I need them. And I need them now.

Romulus expresses his deepest gratitude and thanks to all of the pack leaders and their pack members. Without them, the outcome of this would have turned out much differently and much worse.

And our need for them hasn’t ended on the hill here tonight. We’re not so naïve to think this is the very end of the unrest.

But it is the beginning of the end.

The other packs split in two—some setting up camp around the house to keep guard, the others following Remus’ old pack into the forest. There will be many dues to be repaid in the coming months. But for now, even Romulus feels the tug to find Lydia now … before another moment has passed.

“Do you think Vivian will be able to keep that pack under control until you get back?” Rory asks his father, glancing once behind him as she disappears to follow Remus’ pack back into Free Territory.

“I certainly hope so,” Romulus replies. “Vivian is pretty tough, as we all well know. And Remus’ pack has been given strict command by me that they are to follow whatever Vivian instructs them to do in my absence. Now that Remus is gone, any of the packs that had aligned with him will flee soon … if they haven’t already. If any of his pack members dissent, there will be no place for them to go.”

It sounds a little optimistic to me, but I have to believe him. After all, I’m the new one to this world. I’ve yet to fully grasp the true importance of pack hierarchy.