Page 7 of The Girl in the Forest

“There’s nothing natural in prejudice and falsehoods,” Fallon chided, looking down her nose at the elder more than twice her age while remaining above him in stature and influence. “You’ve argued against superstition in the past, so your concern now sounds insincere.”

“My pardons.” Mosbach twitched with malice. “I meant no insult. We all understand failles cannot help what they are. But as elders, we are within the law to question leadership. Challenge the decisions that brought wreckage and death.” His gaze skated back to me. “You promised Azul would remain immune from attack. But we sit in the middle of a disaster caused by your promises.”

Behind him, members of his clan shifted uneasily, and I wondered what they were expecting.

I leaned forward. “I can forgive an elder for protecting his people. We’ve all suffered losses, but if not for Noa Bishop, those losses would have been worse. Do not expect me to sit here and listen to you attack her. Not when she left for the same reason that she stood and fought beside the people here today. She did it to protect the pack, so I would not test my tolerance if I were you.”

“It has always been an honor to have your tolerance,” Mosbach said with a lip curl that everyone watching understood.

“Your attitude has been noted,” I said cooly, although my underlying threat was anything but cold. “If there is a challenge to be made, make it now.”

“I do not challenge the Alpha of Sentinel Falls.”

His smile flashed, a predator who thought he’d cornered the prey—and I knew where the greatest threat hid an instant before Mosbach said, “I offer the traitors.”

He flicked an imperious hand, motioning toward a group of men standing at the edge of the crowd. They marched forward, dragging two women between them—Jo-Rae Bell and Karla Asper. They’d belonged to Mosbach’s clan before moving to Sentinel Falls. Mace had lectured them on pack etiquette after they insulted Noa and bullied Oscar. The same morning when we’d found the carnage at Leo’s house, and I’d forced Noa into the high mountains.

The pack’s attention sharpened on the fretted breeze. Both women were disagreeable troublemakers. Jo-Rae Bell stood inches taller than her friend—Karla Asper, the female who’d used the worst slurs to insult Noa. They’d dressed in modest clothes, long pants and blouses buttoned up to their throats. Jo-Rae’s red hair was drawn tight against her head in a knot at her crown. Karla’s mousy brown hair hung in a limp braid that brushed her shoulders.

Neither woman nodded nor so much as lowered their gazes as the males dragged them toward the dais. Karla openly glared.

“You’d think they’d be more respectful,” Mace murmured, “considering their elder just called them traitors.”

And considering the punishment—death.

Which explained the anticipation oozing like thick oil from Mosbach. Protocol was to inform the Alpha in private. To allow him—or her—to determine guilt. But by announcing the information himself, the elder circumvented the chain of command, bypassing me as if I was irrelevant.

He’d also defied me without the risk of blood. His blood. Attacking him now would anger the pack, since insults, while unsavory, did not rise to the level of an alpha challenge.

I scanned through the pack bond, catching fleeting thoughts from unsuspecting wolves. It wasn’t my custom to listen in uninvited. But courtesy would not give me an advantage in this game Mosbach played. While I could tap into the pack’s mood, know their level of concern, approval or revulsion because I had the alpha’s privilege—the elder had to go on expressions alone.

Mosbach said, “When Keelan Ross was Alpha, he confided in me.”

Keelan Ross had been my alpha too—until he ordered me back from the front lines. Asked me to sit at his bedside during his last hour. He’d whispered his secrets. Then, in front of witnesses, he held my hand, spoke the ritual words that proved the power of the Alpha had already passed to me. And when the final word faded, the wolf tattoo appeared on my skin, making the decision irrevocable.

I looked at the various elders, restive in their seats. Most were unwilling to give Mosbach their approval. But some remained undecided.

Such a dangerous game he played.

“Keelan warned me of threats coming from within the pack.” Mosbach preached to the crowd, his voice rising with conviction. “Over the months, I’ve caught details others have ignored. I sent these females to Sentinel Falls because they were untrustworthy.”

His tone dripped with regret while he spread his arms wide. “I submitted my reports. I confided in the alphas—who disregarded my opinions. And I offer my deepest apologies to the pack for not expressing my concerns when I should have, but I respected the alphas. Believed they would follow through.”

He gestured toward the watching wolves—a movement smooth enough to fool those who did not see him as I did. “The error was mine. If I’d come to you, revealed what I discovered, the death and destruction might never have occurred. Instead, I relied on our three alphas, hoping at least one of them would have given my warning the concern it deserved.”

Interesting that he chose to attack all three of us.

I glanced first at Fallon, who was scanning the audience, her expression unreadable. Hard lines creased Mace’s face. He sent a quick question through the pack bond—already a step ahead of me—and I answered with a sharp affirmative.

“We’re eager to know what we’ve overlooked,” Mace said, his tone too amused for the request.

“These two women betrayed the pack.”

“As you’ve said.” I waved an indolent hand, but the Alpha’s order I gave him was direct. “Present your evidence. One can hope it is more compelling than the arguments against my decisions.”

“I have their written confessions. All you offer is hearsay from a dead man. Jo-Rae Bell admits to talking to the Alpen about the faille you allowed into the pack. Karla Asper has confessed to being paid for information on Azul. Alpen is our enemy, but your failings are at fault. You left us vulnerable to attack. Keeping a faille for your pleasure was disrespectful, but excluding wolves from Azul, while your favorites came and went as they pleased, caused nothing but resentment.”

I stretched one leg out, leaning back, curious and darkly entertained by the elder’s strategy. Mosbach had put a lot of thought into his mutiny. By pitting those who knew about Azul against those who didn’t, he could divide pack loyalty while protecting himself. He had confessions, and the women, who stood in front of everyone. All I had was the word of a dead man.

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