Page 59 of Tempest

He supposed it made sense. Their entire territory was set up in a way that surrounded them with nature. All woods and grass and water. It shouldn’t surprise him to learn that most of the pack members preferred not being cooped up inside.

His appreciation for the wildness of the territory was soon forgotten, the meeting turning heated faster than he’d anticipated.

Liam started by briefly explaining the situation, including Ore’s amnesia, his parents arriving, and the threats that his family and others back in California faced from the Enforcers in the Barney Pack. He then very clearly stated the Silver Oak Pack would be helping, and the decision wasn’t up for debate.

Over the noise of discontent, he told them he’d already called his brother and Alpha Kincaid for reinforcements.

More people than Ore had expected seemed upset by that, but what really set off a handful pack members was when Liam said, “I’ll be opening the territory to any of the members of the Barney Pack who would like to take refuge here, either temporarily or permanently. And if anyone has a problem with that, they are welcome to leave my pack.”

Several people, including a familiar voice near the back of the crowd that had Ore inching closer to Cash, said Liam couldn’t just change pack laws and policies on his own.

“As the alpha, I absolutely can change pack law as I see fit. If you don’t like it, you can leave or challenge me for my position.”

When there was movement in the crowd, fear gripped his intestines. Was someone going to challenge him right then and there? What if he lost and Ore cost him everything?

But then a familiar white head of hair and hunched shoulders came into view and made their way to the front of the pack, stepping up right next to Alpha Amato and scowling out at the crowd.

“Anyone complaining about Alpha Amato offering refuge to these avians should be ashamed of themselves,” Pops said, his voice ringing out clearly and silencing all of the chatter. “I remember when this pack wasn’t afraid of welcoming newcomers, and I, for one, am glad we’ll be returning to that way of life.”

“We’ve always been a pack of cats,” someone shouted from the midst of the crowd.

Ore couldn’t tell who it was, but based on the tightening in Cash’s shoulders, he knew them, and he wasn’t pleased with them arguing with his grandfather.

“Yes, we have,” Pops agreed, giving one quick nod. “But we welcomed new ones. We didn’t shun other packs. We had alliances and welcomed emissaries.”

There was a murmur of agreement, especially among the older members.

“When was the last time we allowed a visitor from another pack?” Pops went on.

The same person as before called back, “Kincaid’s Enforcer was here?—”

“Bah!” Pops waved his cane angrily, forcing a few people to step back. “The only reason most of you got on board with Liam agreeing to help was after he pointed out it would be beneficial for Kincaid to owe us a favor.” The disgust in Pops’s voice was clear. “There was a time when we would’ve offered assistance without expecting anything in return, but now we’ve isolated ourselves so completely it has become detrimental to our pack growth.”

A few people in the crowd nodded, faces concerned.

“Our numbers are shrinking. We have more elders than cubs, and we haven’t had a new member ask to join in two years. Two.Years,” he emphasized, giving his cane another shake. “I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty sure that means our pack is dying. It’s slow because we still have a strong alpha—thank the goddess—but if we don’t change things right now, we won’t have a pack for much longer. Maybe a couple of generations, and that’s it, folks.”

There were some more murmurs from the crowd. Most agreed with nods and a few “You tell ’em, Pops,” though a handful seemed to scoff at his warning.

“How much longer do you expect me to act as pack healer?” He raised his bushy eyebrows, meeting the eyes of those right in front of him. “Each year, I get older, and it becomes a little harder to move and see and hear, but there’s no one in our pack even training to become a healer. No one’s interested in the job, and we don’t have any new people joining to fill in these very important positions. If we don’t grow, we die.”

With those ominous words, Pops stepped back into the crowd, planting both hands on his cane and giving Ore a wink.

Liam watched Pops with fondness, but he sobered as he addressed the crowd once more. “Pops is right. We can continue going as we are until we’re so dwindled in numbers there isn’t a pack left, or we can choose to change. We canchooseto become a thriving pack once more. We can help those who need it, and we can build relationships with other packs and covens. We can offer assistance in this tumultuous time of rebuilding… or we can stand on the sidelines and hope the new world we’re about to step into is to our liking.”

Ore was so proud of both Pops and Alpha Amato. It didn’t matter that there were people who were questioning whether what they were doing was a good idea. They both were holdingfirm, showing their support, not just in the pack but in Ore, in his family. He honestly couldn’t be more grateful.

“If we open up our territory,” someone shouted, “what’s to stop terrible people from moving here? People who would steal resources or harm our elders and cubs.”

There was a small rumble of agreement, but Liam held up both hands, and the crowd silenced quickly.

“What’s to stop them?” he asked, a wide grin spreading across his face. “We will.Wewill stop any bad actors who try and come into our territory. This is still our pack, our home, ourfamily. Giving people a door to walk through to join us isn’t the same as completely removing our borders, but if we want to survive, we have to embrace the future and forget the past.”

Chapter 17

Cash

“Wow, that got intense,” Ore said as he led the way inside the house.

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