Psyche Honor (Psyche Moon) (2 page)

“What are you going to do?” Phil wanted to know. Jason saw
enormous promise in the young man. He didn’t say much, but he observed the
world around him and absorbed it all. Clever and sensible, the Wolf would make
a fine Elder in a century or two.

“I’ll meet with Billie and the Elders, see what we can come
up with. Maybe Richard or Kato can shed some light on all of this.”

“And Sadie?” John asked again.

“We’ll see. For now don’t tell her anything.” Jason said
goodbye and climbed into his truck.

The thought of meeting the Elders without Billie tempted
him, but only briefly. Leaving his Beta out of the conversation would only
cause more problems, and she’d never given him reason to regret naming her
Beta. Before he'd driven two blocks, he made up his mind and dug into his
pocket for his cell phone. He sent a text without looking down. “Meeting at
Billie’s house ASAP. Something’s up.” The text went out to the group, and he
headed to his Beta’s North End home to wait.

He wouldn’t have to wait long with that message.

Jason pulled in front of Billie’s spacious home
overlooking the foothills and leaned against his truck to wait. Before long,
the Elders and Beta arrived. Kathryn stepped out of an expensive white hybrid
as Billie parked behind them in her black Jeep, Richard sitting in the
passenger seat. She didn’t open the door, hopping over the side in her usual
flair. Her lean muscles flexed, flaunting her recovery from a knife wound to
the shoulder. The stunning redhead moved with unusual agility and power even
for a Wolf.

She and Richard came directly from work and wore tailored
suits appropriate to professionals in a prestigious law firm. Kathryn dressed
casually and smelled of floor wax and Human sweat, suggesting she’d come from a
dance studio. The old civil rights activist loved all forms of dance and
channeled that love into organizing events that showcased local dancers while
benefiting a cause. Richard greeted Kathryn warmly, linking arms with his mate
in old habit.

Clearly troubled, Billie acknowledged the others silently
and gazed at the hills behind her home. Far in the distance, she spotted the
outline of an animal trotting quickly towards them. Her expression eased
slightly when she saw him. “Kato is here.”

Jason clenched his jaw resolutely. “Let’s go in.”

They turned as one, filing into Billie’s large home. Richard
and Billie crossed to the kitchen, retrieving water and leftovers from the
refrigerator. As they returned with an assortment of food and drink, a leggy
red Wolf with white on his chin, chest and tail stepped through the doggie
door. Grey hair covered his muzzle, showing his age, but he moved as lithely as
any young Wolf. Ancient eyes locked with every other pair in turn, ending with
a prolonged intent gaze into Billie's troubled green eyes. Those in human shape
settled in the couches. Kato shimmered, changing too quickly for the eye to see
the transition between wolf and human forms. Suddenly an old black man stood
before them completely naked.

His grey muzzle transformed into grey hair and beard,
tumbling in messy strands nearly to his waist. Only the color of his hair and
the depth of his eyes betrayed his age. He stood motionless for a few moments
before settling smoothly on the floor near the others. A fat grey cat
materialized from the shadows and plopped into his lap, kneading his stomach
and purring ecstatically. Kato rubbed her head with a calloused thumb.

Reaching for a food container, Kato tipped his head slightly
at Billie. “Thank you for the meal, Beta. Human food is a delight when in human
form.” She canted her head in reply as Jason handed the Eldest a bottle of
water. She’d have heated the food for him but knew from experience that he
preferred it cold. “Warm food,” he told her once, “is at the end of every
successful hunt. Only in human form do I eat food cold, and that is something I
cherish.”

“I’m glad you were nearby, old friend.” Jason spoke
deferentially to the ancient Wolf.

He nodded and swallowed before speaking. “I smelled unrest
in the wind and have stayed close since before the last full moon.” Billie
didn’t know how the Eldest Wolf knew when they needed him, but he always came.
“Mages are among us again. You are afraid to trust your instincts.”

Jason did not reply, bristling at the truth in the Wolf’s
words - a truth he did not want to face. Kato made him Wolf long ago, mentoring
him for years before naming him Alpha. Only respect for the old Wolf restrained
him from challenging the statement. “Nathan was turned by a Mage's Wolf and may
be collared.” The weight of his words hit the others like a stone in the face.
They all knew the outcome if true. They would be forced to kill Nathan,
hopefully before he killed anyone else. Jason let out a long breath and told
the story as Nathan told him.

Richard spoke first. “Has he shown himself to be collared?”

Jason shook his head. Only those who knew him well could
recognize the unease behind his stoicism. “Nothing definitive. He was forcibly
bitten, so erratic behavior is to be expected.”

Billie bit her lip soberly, remembering the first months of
her new life. She’d have killed someone if not for the guidance of the pack. By
sheer luck Kathryn had found her and brought her home before she caused any
lasting harm. “I’ll work with him and watch for any sign of Mage coercion while
I’m at it.” The word still stung when she said it. She loved and trusted her
mate, yet she still spoke of Mages as the enemy.

Richard noticed. Like her Alpha, Billie exerted confidence
with every movement, and few saw what lay behind it. Richard knew her better
than almost anyone. “Is this something you can do right now, Billie?” Even the
air in the room quit moving as he questioned his Beta’s ability. “Now that you
know your mate is a Mage, do you trust your judgment with this situation?”

The human hairs on Billie’s neck rose. She fought the urge
to challenge him for questioning her ability and for his veiled contempt
towards Sadie. She responded icily. “I think the better question is do you
trust my judgment?”

Richard spoke softly, almost apologetically. For over a
hundred years the Wolf had practiced law, and he spoke eloquently from long
experience with judges and juries. “I don’t know, my friend. I want to, but I
can’t banish the memories. I’ve seen what they can do.” Richard’s world had
once crumbled under the shoe of a Mage. Nearly his entire pack, including his
mate, had been killed by a collared Wolf. The memories still haunted him.

“You know Sadie, and you used to like her. You haven’t even
spoken her name since we found out she’s a Mage. She didn’t even know.” Billie
spoke in an even tone, emotions flat. Only seven days ago she’d killed two
teenage boys and watched her mate kill seven more. She’d discovered the love of
her life belonged to a race that Wolves had called enemies for as long as
anyone could remember. Her mate’s people had enslaved and murdered countless
Wolves over the centuries. She didn’t need Richard to remind her how
complicated her relationship had become. She’d thought of little else since the
discovery.

“Mages can’t be trusted,” Richard replied.

Billie’s tenuous emotional thread began to wear thin.
Exasperation and anger bled into her tone, and her jaw tensed. “Her name is
Sadie. She is my mate, and I trust her.”

Billie, are you okay?
Sadie’s concerned voice permeated
her mind.

I’m okay, love. But I can’t talk right now. Elder
Meeting.
Sadie’s voice receded with a mental kiss.

The others noticed their exchange in the way all Wolves
could sense another’s mental presence. Only Billie could communicate directly
with Sadie, and none could explain why or remember that ever happening before.
Richard’s eyes widened at Sadie's sudden appearance at the meeting. Jason’s
breathing deepened, and his neck muscles tightened. Kathryn lowered her eyes in
contemplation but gave no indication as to what she thought. Kato peered
curiously at the Wolves surrounding him, brown eyes bright and clear, absorbing
the entire situation with silent interest.

“We can’t even have an Elder Meeting without her. Am I the
only one concerned about our safety?” Richard blurted.

“Of course I’m concerned,” Jason interrupted with a snarl.
“Don’t forget she saved Billie’s life and prevented exposure to Humans. I made
a promise and will not break it. So long as she does not harm the Pack or
coerce Billie, she lives.”

“She won’t harm us.” Billie spat the words she’d been
repeating for a week. “She felt my distress and asked if I was okay. She was
worried about me. I told her I’m in a meeting and can’t talk right now. It’s
our version of a text message.”

Richard stood and began to pace, looking like a cornered
animal. A slight lilt appeared in his speech, reflecting his Irish origins and
indicating his anxiety. “I don’t like the notion of her knowing Pack business.
I say we do not tell her about the Mage problem or any of our concerns about
Nathan.”

“She could help.” Billie’s eyebrows rose and nose flared,
her one hope for Nathan's situation dissolving in front of her. Among them,
only Sadie could ascertain whether or not another Mage had hold of Nathan. “One
peek and she could tell us for sure if Nathan's collared. We need to know.”

“No.” Jason answered with swift determination. “I agree with
Richard. Keep all of this from her, and keep her away from Nathan entirely.
Warn her away from this information, however that’s done between you. She’s not
to know Pack business.”

“She is my mate. That makes her Pack,” Billie disputed.

“By tradition we have always granted that to Humans. She is
not Human,” Richard replied vehemently.

Kato continued to watch with studious disquiet. Billie
turned to him, her bright green eyes pleading for help. “Kato, Eldest. What do
you say?” She’d come to know the old Wolf since becoming Beta, and she
respected his advice above all others’.

His brown gaze softened in affection towards her before
addressing the Wolves earnestly. “You are afraid to trust your instincts.”

“I won’t lose my mate to this Mage,” Richard stated
contemptuously, his lip curling in disgust.

Billie’s body relaxed, and her shoulders dropped minutely.
The Elders knew her postures and froze while Jason readied himself. Their Beta
didn't tense before a fight - she relaxed. The mannerism didn’t deceive those
who knew her, and they either prepared for a fight or got the hell out of the
way.

Billie's voice deepened and her eyes flashed as she
responded to her best friend. “You would risk the safety of
my
mate?
Sadie is in just as much danger as the rest of us, possibly more. She’s Pack
now. She’s one of us, and we don’t know what other Mages would do to her
because of that. If you won’t let her help, at least let me warn her.”

“Out of the question. We can’t trust her.”

Kathryn spoke for the first time, her voice carrying
serenely into the room. “I trust Billie. Billie trusts Sadie. In the short time
I’ve known her, I’ve found her to be a sweet girl with a good heart. She is not
the kind of person to behave as we have known other Mages to behave.”

Silence filled the room, thick and palpable. No Elder
Meeting had ever been this divided. Conflict had always existed towards
something or someone else, and they came together to resolve it together.
They’d disagreed many times, but they’d never been divided.

“Thank you, Kathryn.” Billie spoke first, emotion thick with
gratitude towards her friend. Her posture eased, alleviating some of the strain
between the Wolves. “I know Sadie can help us with Nathan. She is our best
chance at discovering what the Mages are up to and fighting them.”

“No.” Jason and Richard spoke in unison.

“I agree with Billie. Sadie brings a unique advantage to our
defense against Mages.” Kathryn voted.

All eyes turned to Kato to break the stalemate. He remained
thoughtful for several long moments, searching the faces around him. He sniffed
the air and cocked his head before speaking. “You want guidance but do not ask
for it. I offer it anyway. Trust your instincts.” In the blink of an eye, he
changed into his wolf form. The sleeping cat on his lap startled and raced out
of the room. Without a glance backwards, he left.

The others watched him duck through the doggie door, shocked
by his abrupt exit. By tradition, the Elders advised. Though the Alpha could
choose the course he or she believed best, Jason usually acted on the majority
opinion of the Elders. With a stalemate, Jason became the tie-breaker.

“That was unusually obscure, even for Kato,” Jason remarked.
He spoke to Billie, his decision made. “Work with Nathan, and keep all of this
from Sadie. I know she’s your mate, but she is still a Mage. She does not
belong in Pack affairs.”

“I do not agree, but I’ll do as you say,” Billie replied
with stiff formality.

Jason, troubled by his Beta's response, only nodded in
acknowledgement and addressed another question. “Billie, have you recovered
from the knife wound?”

“Completely,” Billie announced.

“Good. Tell me how you nearly lost that fight. You’re better
than that,” Jason asked, his expression neutral.

Billie bristled and cringed. He had every right to ask his
Beta why she failed to win against such easy opponents. “They were kids. I
hesitated,” she admitted.

Jason accepted the explanation readily and impartially. He’d
have hesitated as well. Speaking to both Kathryn and Billie, he turned the
conversation back to the Pup. “Come to John and Phil’s house before dusk. We’re
taking Nathan for his first run.”

They agreed. They’d need several strong Wolves to control
him if he panicked during his first shift. Not if ... when he panicked. What
Kathryn lacked in strength she made up for in her ability to breathe calm into
any distressed creature. Without her talent, it would be a very long night.

The meeting ended. Billie said goodbye to her friends and
packmates, the people she trusted and loved most in the world second to Sadie.
The only bond stronger than Pack was a matebond, and her own instincts told her
to prioritize Sadie ahead of even her pack. She would follow her Alpha’s
orders, but she didn’t like the distrustful and aggressive attitude towards her
mate. She could feel the wall rising between them, and she didn’t know how to
dissolve it.