Page 61 of Eclipse Pack

“Yes, indeed, Luna Taria.”

“Flint, why are we using titles? We don’t generally use them for private conversations. Can we dispense with the banal formalities, please?” Ouch, first point to Taria.

“Yes, we should, Taria. I’m not sure why we are doing so.” Flint is on a back foot already in this conversation, and I relax a little as I grin at his discomfort.

“We aren’t, you are. Now my next question, what information are you confident has been leaked? Not what you think or suppose. What information are you 100 percent confident has been leaked to this rogue leader, Arric?” Taria winks at me and ruffles my hair. What the? Only my mother has ever ruffled my hair, and that was many years ago!

Flint is now a little more flustered, and it’s very clear that he doesn’t have that information to hand.

“If you don’t have a grasp of even that amount of minor detail, how can you presume that there is, in fact, a leak, Flint?” Taria is squirming in my lap, and is fully aware of the effect she is having on me. She is obviously enjoying both her verbal and physical actions right now.

“Luna Taria…” Flint begins but gets no further.

“No, Flint, we are not doing that title thing. You are frustrated, I can tell that. You are finding this whole subject of a Shifter Council spy distasteful, just as much as all the pack Alphas, and we Lunas, are frustrated at Arric having spies within our packs. If we don’t stand firm as a united front he wins. It is just that simple.” I am glad Taria arrived when she did, as I would have probably slammed the phone down by now. “Who are you suggesting as the spy? Have you come up with a suspect yet?”

“You are correct in assuming that I find the whole thing distasteful, Taria. It is, however, a necessary evil that we investigate the matter. We have identified Miles, a council warrior that came from the Eclipse pack, as the spy.”

“Miles? Council Warrior Miles? How in the Goddess Selene’s name has Miles qualified as a council warrior already? He hasn’t been there long enough to complete your selection process, surely? And is he exempt from the training program altogether?He was a warrior here at Eclipse, but he was not an elite class warrior by a long shot. Perhaps he will be a Shadow Warrior next week?” Although this all sounds sarcastic, Taria makes it appear as though she is merely pointing out the obvious without making it offensive. “Someone there is clouding your judgement, Flint, and not only yours but your investigator’s, too. They are pulling the wool over your eyes and I suggest you take a step back and re-evaluate the information you have been fed. If you can verify exactly what information has been passed to Arric, I guarantee that it will be before Miles was at GrandRose mountain with the council. I’ll hand you back to Bronze, I have to go do some Luna chores. Have a good day, Flint.”

“Erm, Taria. Thank you. I appreciate your tact in bringing me back to earth. Some was a bit brutal, but I appreciate it.”

“Anytime, Flint. It’s what we females do best. Corral you males and let you think it was your idea. You really should get yourself a female, you know. We enhance your lives and make you feel whole. Ask Bronze, when I’ve left the office, of course.”

Giving her a hearty slap on her backside as she hops off my lap, she lets out a squeal and then pouts at me. As she leaves the office, I have to smirk as she rubs her behind where it must smart. I know my hand is tingling as I caught her harder than I had intended.

“Are you there, Bronze?” Flint's voice brings me back to our call.

“Yes, Flint. I’m still here.” I feel a lot calmer now and am prepared to carry on the conversation, as long as he doesn’t start with the title stuff again.

“That’s not the first time I’ve become a bit combative when I’ve been frustrated. Bruno, my wolf, has pointed it out on more thanone occasion. I guess he thought you could handle it, as he kept quiet. I’m sorry about that.”

“I should apologize, too. I was getting irate fairly quickly as well. Two powerful males, eh? Not always a good combination when we’re defending our own side.” That’s as far as an apology as I’m going with this, I think to myself. He started it! Laughing at my own childishness, I think it best to call it quits.

“If there’s nothing else, Flint, I must get on with running my pack.”

“Good bye Bronze. You have done well having Taria as your mate and Luna. Bye.” Flint ends the call and I guess that is about as big a compliment as anyone could wish for. Both myself and Taria should be pleased with that. I’ll tell her later, if I remember. Maybe I won’t. I’ll never hear the end of it!

Maya would live on that for weeks. I wouldn’t tell them if I were you.

‘No, you could be right. Maybe I can compliment her in another way.’

HA! Now that’s what I call wolf thinking. I’ll convert you yet.

‘Taria is converting me very nicely, thank you. She doesn’t need any help.’

Leaving the alpha office, I notice the worn sign on the door. I’ll have to commission a new one from Herb, I think to myself. Alpha Office. I’ve always found it amusing that so many people refer to it as the Alpha’s Office. Technically, I suppose it is correct either way, but it was the Alpha office first and foremost because it was the most important office when packs began to use a packhouse. I also know that referring it to the Alpha’s office also makes it sound like some private domain of whoeveris alpha at the time. An inner sanctum of secrets and important decisions. It is that, but only on very rare occasions. For the most part, it is a place where boring admin is completed and day-to-day decisions such as signing off on supplies for the kitchen, gardens, warrior rotas, and even Chef Ash’s menus for the coming weeks, though I never have found those boring.

Knocking on the Luna office door, I wait a second and hear a call of ‘enter, Alpha Bronze.’ Taria recognizes my knock as I do hers. Walking into the office, I halt when I see Gamma Wesley standing before the desk, not seated. Hm, interesting, I think to myself.

“Shall I come back later?” I ask, as I don’t want to step on any toes here. I know that as Alpha, I can just park my backside and be part of whatever is going on, but I like to think I’m above such pettiness.

“Not at all, I was just about to ask if you could join us. I was going to go over Gamma Wesley’s record as my Gamma with him and it would be useful to have your input too.” Taria returns to her chair behind her desk and I note with a touch of amusement that she leaves Wesley standing. I know she is playing with him because if there was to be any form of punishment, it could only come from me, the Alpha, in a situation like this.

Pulling a chair to Taria’s side of the desk, I too sit down and then wait for her to begin.

Listening to her formal tone and the use of everyone’s title, I can understand why Wesley has sweat running down him. She has said nothing as yet, that should have him worried as it has all been complimentary. It all comes down to waiting for the BUT that she is hinting at.

After a few minutes of this torture, she looks at him with such a look of pity that I almost break. “Have you nothing to say for yourself, Gamma Wesley?”

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