The Lunam Ceremony (Book One) (14 page)

“What does arm wrestling have to do with bloodlines?”

“Nothing I guess. Conall was trying to prove that half-breeds are just as strong as purebloods, and he was right. Only the boy debunked his theory in another way. If that boy were strong, in heart and mind, he wouldn’t have let me win.”

“You’re wrong, he was strong in heart and that’s why he let you win,” I tell him.

“So, you’re saying I have a weak heart?”

Jesus, he so temperamental. “No, I’m saying he had a strong heart, too. Sacrificing your happiness for someone you barely know, that takes courage and strength. Let me ask you something? How did Monte and Lowell treat that kid after he lost?”

Dillan reflects for a moment then says, “Not very nice.”

“Imagine what would have happened if you lost?” Dillan flinches at the thought. “It takes a strong person to lose with dignity.”

“See, this is why I love you. You can twist something like losing into a good thing!” Dillan grabs my hand and brings it to his lips.

I’m not sure if his remark is sweet or condescending. I decide not to dwell on it now. “So, why is everyone so afraid of half-breeds? Aren’t we all technically half-breeds?”

“No, we are not. We are wolves in human form with a gene that allows us to shift back to true form. Half breeds are humans with a gene that allows them to shift to wolf form.”

“Sounds like the same thing to me.”

“Well, it isn’t.” Dillan is getting agitated. “And soon we’ll have a blood test to prove purity, and the Shastas will have no place to hide.”

“Why do we need a blood test to prove our purity? Why does it matter?”

“For the merge. We have been trying to merge the packs for decades. We’re finally at a point where that can happen. You being here will make it happen, because you have the blood of both packs. Our children will have the blood of both packs.” I blush when he mentions
our
children. “The pack with the most pureblood alphas leads. Right now Shasta is claiming to have the numbers. But we don’t believe their numbers are accurate. The blood test will show purity, and my father estimates more than sixty percent of the Shastas documented as pureblood will be invalidated, giving the Sierras control of the pack.”

“What does it matter if I have blood on both sides?”

“It’s about council votes. It works like the US government. Republicans and Democrats in the senate. The majority rules.”

Did he really just reference political parties? The idea that we were one big happy pack is starting to dissipate. We’re a species that determines worth on an arm wrestling game. Layla is right, changes need to be made. We are just the women to make them.

We arrive at the campsite, and I find that it is just that. An old abandoned summer camp for kids. The camp sits on the edge of Ice Lake. The name worries me. I hate the cold. We are greeted at the gate by Drake and Tripp. They open the huge metal gate that surrounds the camp, and we pull in. After they close and lock us inside, the guys jump in the back of Dillan’s truck. There are a dozen or so trucks parked in a makeshift lot, but Dillan drives past them to the center of the camp, where everyone is waiting.

Leah, Clio, Patsy, and her mate, Ray, are standing in front of the group. All of the high-ranking Sierra Lunam couples are here. There are ten other adults, and I see a few kids in various stages of childhood. This is my branch of the pack. My new family.

They gather around Dillan and me like we’re rock stars. I look in the crowd for Cassie’s friendly face and remember she isn’t here. I wonder what kind of reception she received in Dunsmuir.

“Hey sis,” Leah greets me, and I put thoughts of Cassie out of my head for now. “I hope you aren’t pissed at me for not telling you at Lunam, but well, you know.”

I tell her it’s ok and that I look forward to getting to know her. She seems happy to hear this. Clio and Patsy offer to help me unpack, while the guys drag Dillan off to tour the compound. One thing Lowell mentioned at dinner last night was that Dillan and I are the leaders of this pack. The older, more experienced members are only here as advisors. We are in charge. After the welcome we received and the doting that’s already begun, I am starting to feel the pressure of being a leader.

I look around and see dilapidated buildings encircling us. Lowell said the camp was rustic, this is barely inhabitable. Even our apartment in Nevada was better than this. “Where am I sleeping? Please tell me it isn’t a tent.”

The girls giggle as they lead me to my cabin, which they tell me is in the back of the campsite, the last cabin before a clearing. About one hundred yards behind the cabins sits a tall tower that overlooks the entire camp. “What’s that?”

“It’s the fort.” Leah laughs. “You know how boys are.”

I ask her if people are really up there on lookout and she says yes. “We are in the middle of nowhere. We need our own security from animals and thieves.”

I guess that makes sense. I shouldn’t look at it as being locked in the compound. The gate is actually here to protect us. I have to stop being so negative. We arrive at my cabin and the girls start to giggle.

“Welcome to your new home,” Leah announces and produces a key from her pocket.

A weathered piece of wood is nailed above the door. It says Iroquois. Clio sees me reading it and tells me all the buildings have names. “I have Mt. Diablo,” she says. “Patsy has Mt. Rainer, and Leah is in Blackfoot.” She points to the cabin we just passed. Looks like Leah and I are neighbors.

Leah opens the door and a rush of warm air smacks us in the face. “Sorry!” Leah runs to the thermostat to turn it down. “I must have left it on when I was straightening up last night.”

“By straightening up she means christening every empty cabin in the camp!” Patsy laughs and Leah pretends she is joking.

“Don’t listen to her, Kalysia. Her family are all known liars.” Leah sticks her tongue out at Patsy.

From the outside you would never guess that the cabin has been transformed into a posh bungalow. “This is amazing.” I run my hand along the plush wine-colored sofa. The art on the walls and the perfectly placed vases on the table have Adel written all over them. Leah shows me the small but completely updated kitchen, and then leads me into the bedroom. The bed sits in the center of a square room. It’s not as big as Dillan’s bed, but it will do just fine. The duvet is made of some sort of luxurious velvet, and there are about twenty pillows laid out in perfect order.

I ask Leah if all the cabins look like this. She says no, but they have been updated with basic amenities. It makes me feel a little bit better. There is just one more room, the bathroom. The last door in the hall is a large closet. “There’s just one bedroom?” I wonder aloud.

“What were you expecting?” Clio asks.

“I just thought, you know, there would be an extra room for…” I can’t even say it out loud.

“For children?” Leah guesses. I nod. “Our children will be in the nursery with the nannies.”

I guess I should be relieved that someone more qualified than me would take care of my child, but on the other hand, it’s so callous. I can’t imagine a stranger raising me better than Layla did.

“It’s the way the pack works. The children are all kept together. It’s a safety issue,” Leah explains.

I hear a knock on the back door, followed by stomping. I leave the girls fussing over the jetted bathtub to see who is making all the noise. I find Dillan and Drake on the back porch, kicking mud off their shoes. Dillan looks up with a smile. “Do you love it?”

I step into his arms and kiss him. “You know I do.” He gives me a good hard squeeze then sets me down. “I should actually call Adel and thank her.”

Dillan smiles and kisses my cheek. “She’d like that,” he says quietly.

The fridge is stocked with food and beer. I pull out a six-pack and hand them out. We settle in the living room, and realize for the first time in my life, I have a place that feels like home. I stand in the middle of the room and raise my beer. “To family,” I toast. Leah puts her hand over her heart and looks as if she may cry.

Dillan stands beside me and raises his beer. “To family,” he repeats, and everyone raises their bottles in unison.

Over the next few weeks, we fall into a comfortable routine. Dillan wakes at the crack of dawn and goes for a run. After he leaves, I get up and shower. I’m still not totally comfortable with him seeing me in my morning state. By the time he returns, sweaty and exhilarated, I am presentable. Dillan usually kicks his running shoes off and pads quietly through the cabin, hoping to find me in bed. One of these days I will oblige him, but for now, I get up to start my day.

Leaving our bed is a difficult task. We aren’t the only ones; Leah and Drake spent three days in their cabin our first week here. Dillan had to pound on their door to get Drake out. I set up a schedule for everyone to follow; this makes everyone accountable for their time, even me. Leah and Patsy are in charge of meals, Clio works in the nursery, and I keep everything in order. We have inventory to maintain, supplies that need ordering, and a large group of betas that need supervising. I know it sounds cold, but betas are a pain in the ass. They literally sit around and do nothing until given a task. But once they have something to do, they get it done. My problem is coming up with ways they can help. I didn’t believe Leah when she told me betas are like a pack of wild dogs, but she was right. When you leave them to their own vices, they will eat, drink, and fight all day long. I don’t think it has anything to do with their breeding, it’s just that nobody has ever made them accountable. They’re followers, they don’t know how to govern themselves. I totally understand, sometimes it’s easier being told what to do. Responsibility is overrated. Layla worked three jobs at times, so making sure we had things like milk and toothpaste fell to me. Learning those things early really helped me get organized. I find myself silently thanking my mother a lot lately.

Our camp is growing very popular in the pack. We have a long list of betas and low alphas that want to transfer in. The betas in our pack are not chosen at random. Monte and Lowell handpicked each one. We have males that specialize in carpentry, electrical, computers, and even some ex-soldiers, Carrick and Sid. They’re from Drake’s family, cousins I think. They stroll around in camo pants and tight army-green t-shirts. Sid is a bit of a flirt. He brings flowers to all the single females, and they follow him around like he’s Elvis. Rusty and Carrick butt heads a lot. Whether it’s about what kind of light bulbs burn longer or which truck gets better gas mileage, they will always be on opposing sides. Dillan says I shouldn’t worry; they will eventually fight it out. I don’t like the idea of anyone in camp fighting, but Dillan says it’s how the males determine their rank. Rusty shouldn’t have to rank, since he’s my brother, Monte’s son. Rusty is a great catch for someone like Cassie. He is the son of a leader, he has pure blood, and he’s a really nice guy. He’s such a workaholic that he doesn’t have time to date anyone. It’s a shame, because Rusty has a really good heart. The only time I’ve ever seen him without a smile on his face is when Carrick is around.

I leave the lodge, the large building in the center of camp, and head out to do food inventory. It’s late November, and the air has turned a bitter cold. I tighten the scarf around my neck and pull my beanie down to cover my ears. Leah said we’re getting low on milk and eggs. The food is kept in the Hopi cabin; it’s the closet cabin to the lodge where we eat. There is a large outdoor dining area, but it is way too cold to have meals outside. Some of the cabins have kitchens, but we prepare all the meals in the lodge. That was one of my rules. It didn’t think it was fair for those with kitchens to take food back to their cabins. Dillan wasn’t too thrilled when I pulled the food and beer from our refrigerator and placed it with the rest of the camp food. I let him keep a case of wine Adel had hidden in a cabinet behind a set of pots that I’ve never used. If we ever do open a bottle, we’ll share it with whomever wants a glass. That’s the way it should be. The food is for all of us, not just the council members. If we want steak, everyone gets steak. Drake and Leah had different views on the food distribution. They felt we should have first dibs. Even Dillan sided with them, although he told me later that he didn’t want to create any kind of animosity between us and them. It’s good to be on opposite sides every now and then just to show we’re fair. I never realized there was such a divide between alphas and betas. It’s strange to have my peers, and members of my pack, look at me differently. I don’t feel more powerful, but I am, and I have to know my role, my place, in order to keep the balance.