Werewolf in Denver (27 page)

It was a question designed to break the ice, and a ripple of laughter eased the tension before all delegates focused on Kate.

“Of course I would mate with him,” Kate said. “You’re talking about the future of both Weres and humans. In that case, there is no choice. But ask me if I’d choose Brad Pitt, who is gorgeous, over an old, somewhat mangy Were who is not, and I’d choose the Were every time. Our kind needs to band together, and that includes mating.”

The Howlers cheered and howled their approval.

Neil turned to Duncan. “Substitute Angelina Jolie in that question and give me your answer.”

“I doubt there’s a male alive, Were or human, who hasn’t at some point fantasized about having sex with Angelina Jolie. And if she’s the only female, then, as Kate said, the future of our species, as well as humans, is at stake. We’d have to help each other repopulate the world. Which is an interesting thought, because we’d be doing so in partnership with humans. What a different world that would be.”

“But not better!” called out a Howler.

“How do you know?” responded a Woofer.

That challenge was answered by shouted insults from the Howlers and corresponding jeers from the Woofers. Neil tried to quiet them, but he didn’t have the kind of personality that could handle a rowdy group.

Duncan finally decided he’d had enough of the chaos. It was really Neil’s job to control it, so Duncan decided he’d have to take over Neil’s job for a moment. Stepping out from behind the lectern, he closed the distance separating them.

Neil’s eyes widened as Duncan reached over and unclipped the mike from Neil’s lapel. It was still attached to the battery pack so he and Neil were linked together, but that couldn’t be helped.

“Silence!” Duncan’s command, delivered with his strong Scottish brogue, sounded like the battle cry of a warrior. Even Neil jerked in surprise.

And silence descended on the group.

“Now.” Duncan pitched his voice low on purpose. “Kate Stillman has labored for months, along with her grandmother Elizabeth Stillman, to plan this historic meeting of Weres from around the world. You would think that we would all be grateful to be here and would want to take full advantage of the opportunity. You would think that we would refrain from wasting our valuable time in Colorado by squabbling like children. However…” He surveyed the audience.

Neil cleared his throat and leaned over to speak into the mike Duncan still held in his hand. “Let’s try it again, shall we?”

That suggestion was greeted with a smattering of applause.

With one last survey of the group, Duncan gave Neil
his small mike and returned to the lectern. Not long ago he’d been nervous about the possibility of mob rule, but something had shifted in him, and now he’d be damned if he’d let that crowd run the show. Kate had put her heart and soul into this event, and she deserved to have it turn out better than the circus it had become.

“Next question,” Neil said. “And this one goes first to Duncan. Although Were-human mating is not common, it has taken place. Half-bloods are among us. If they mate with Weres, they still have a fifty percent or better chance of producing Were children. If they mate with a human, that percentage goes down. Logically, isn’t it possible that, with interbreeding, the Were strain could eventually die out?”

“Yes, I suppose it’s possible.” Duncan knew that wouldn’t be a popular answer with his Woofers. “That’s where our mission statement comes in. And to be honest, that’s where dating sites like Furthebest can help. We do need Weres to mate with other Weres, provided it’s a love match. We can encourage that, but please, let’s not forbid Weres to marry the humans they’ve fallen in love with.”

Neil nodded and turned to Kate. “Your rebuttal?”

“I think Duncan has made my point for me. There are far more humans in the world than Weres. The more we accept Weres mating with humans, the more it will happen and the more half-bloods will be born, then quarter-bloods, and so on. It may take hundreds of years, but eventually, the Were strain will die out and we will have lost…everything.”

“But what about Weres like your sister, Penny?” Neil asked. “Would you deny her the love of her life?”

Kate flushed and lifted her chin. “Was that question on your cards, Neil?”

“As the moderator I have the privilege of inserting questions of my own, and this seemed the perfect opportunity to do so.”

Duncan’s fist clenched. He longed to plant it right in the middle of Neil’s smug smile. The bastard had planned the order of the questions precisely so he could put Kate on the spot.

Kate straightened her shoulders and looked Neil in the eye. “If my sister had never met Tom Rivers, she might have mated with a Were instead. The more we encourage Weres to become intimately involved with humans, the more likely these conflicts will arise. Why not encourage Were-Were mating instead? The Were population still provides plenty of mates to choose from, but if we continue to mate with humans, that will change.”

Neil paced in front of the audience, grandstanding, as usual. “With all due respect, Kate, you haven’t answered the question. Would you deny your sister the love of her life?”

Kate took a deep breath. “I don’t believe in that concept.”

Duncan blinked in astonishment. Truly, she did not? He went back over their brief conversation about it. She’d said that she liked him for believing that lovers were destined for each other, but she hadn’t mentioned her opposite view on the subject. It made sense if she was determined to stamp out Were-human mating. She couldn’t let a silly thing like destiny interfere with that campaign.

“I thought you might say that,” Neil said. “In the interests of hearing the whole story, I’ve asked Penny to speak on the subject.”

“No!” Kate went white. Then she whirled toward
Duncan, her blue eyes blazing. “You knew about this, didn’t you?”

“No, lass, I did not.” His heart ached for her.

“I don’t believe you. I think you and Neil cooked this up as a stunt to win the debate for the Woofers.”

“No, he didn’t, Kate.” A tall, striking blonde with shoulder-length hair walked down the center aisle toward them. She wore a black jersey dress, four-inch black heels, and simple gold jewelry. “I only spoke with Neil.”

Duncan could easily see why Penelope Stillman had been the first choice to take over from Elizabeth. She carried herself like a leader, and intelligence gleamed in her hazel eyes. Kate would make a fine pack alpha, but another ten years of seasoning would give her the kind of confidence Penny had now.

“Oh, Penny.” Kate’s voice shook as she came out from behind the lectern and went to her sister. “It’s so good to see you.”

Penny opened her arms and the two sisters exchanged a fierce hug. Anyone watching would know that they hadn’t been together in a long time, and, despite their differences, they were devoted to each other.

Duncan was so engrossed in the reunion that he didn’t immediately notice that Angela Sapworthy had motioned her camera crew over so they could film the whole thing. He could interfere, but that might create more problems than it would solve.

As Kate and Penny drew apart and wiped their eyes, Neil moved in. “I believe you wanted to add something to this discussion, Penny.”

“I do want to add something.” She glanced over at Duncan. “But first I want to denounce that Were.” She pointed an accusing finger in his direction. “His
unscrupulous behavior dishonors all of us. My sister would
never
go against her principles. I don’t agree with them, but I’ve never once questioned her loyalty to her beliefs.”

“Nor have I,” Duncan said quietly. He doubted it mattered what he said, but he refused to stand there mutely, as if he’d done something wrong. Where the bloody hell were the Wallaces?

Penny turned to Kate. “Mind if I borrow your spot for a few minutes?”

Kate shook her head, her eyes still teary.

Duncan longed to walk over and gather Kate into his arms. She looked utterly destroyed by this surprise visit. After hearing of her fear for her sister, Duncan could only imagine what was going through Kate’s mind. He doubted she was worried about losing the debate. She was probably far more worried about the danger Penny had placed herself in by coming here.

She would have had to make up some story to tell her mate, Tom, and their children, some really good excuse for why she’d gone to the lodge. He wondered how many of those lies had piled up over the years, and what it had done to their relationship. Maybe he was about to find out.

Penny took her place behind the lectern and adjusted the mike, because she was taller than Kate. “I’m glad to see that this conference is so well attended, and I congratulate my grandmother and my sister on a successful event.”

Everyone could applaud that uncontroversial statement.

“You are dealing with some tough questions, and although I have to be very careful how often I check the news in the Were world, as you can imagine, I’ve
followed this growing debate as much as I dared. I have a huge investment in the outcome.”

Woofers gazed on her as if she were an angel from heaven, while the Howlers remained openly suspicious.

“As some of you may know, when I married Tom—excuse me for using human terminology, but I’ve grown used to it—I made the decision not to reveal my nature, which would force him to keep the secret from his family and friends.” She gazed around the room. “In my mind, it was that or give him up.”

Then she looked over at Kate. “Begging your pardon, little sister, but you don’t know what the hell you’re talking about when you say there’s no such thing as one true love. Tom is mine, and if you’re lucky, you’ll find yours. I hope for your sake he’s Were.”

Kate said nothing, but her jaw tightened. Duncan also hoped her one true love would be Were, because he couldn’t imagine the conflict in her heart and soul if he happened to be a human. It could tear her apart, and he couldn’t bear the thought of that.

“I will say, though,” Penny continued, “that having this lie between Tom and me gives me great pain. Many times I’ve been on the brink of confessing everything, but then I realize that would be selfish. I’d only transfer the burden from me to him. But I would love to think that someday I’ll be able to tell him the truth because Weres and humans will have come to accept each other. I pray for that day. Thank you.”

The Woofers cheered, woofed, and stomped their feet as she made her way back to Kate. They exchanged another tight hug, and then Penny walked back down the center aisle. She paused to embrace her grandmother before leaving the ballroom.

The Howlers sat there as if they’d all been shot with a stun gun. For that matter, Kate didn’t look much better. As she took a deep breath, her body quaked in reaction. Duncan decided enough was enough. She could barely stand, and he couldn’t in good conscience continue this debate.

He no longer cared whether he was following protocol or Neil’s schedule as he spoke into his microphone. “I don’t care if you’re a Howler, a Woofer, or someone who’s in between—you have to be touched by Penny’s story. To me, it illustrates the complexity of this issue and the problems Weres face, especially female Weres, when they choose to mate with a human. Forget the slogans and the sound bites. We need to go back to the drawing board and brainstorm real-life solutions, not just concepts that sound good on a blog or in a book.”

Kate walked back to her lectern and spoke into her mike. “Does that mean you’re conceding this debate?”

She was one plucky lass, all right.

“You can’t concede,” Neil said. “From my perspective, Penny’s touching story put you way ahead of Kate.”

Duncan shook his head. “No, it did not. That’s what I just tried to say. This issue is not as simple as I’ve made it sound, or as simple as Kate’s made it sound, for that matter. Let’s lay down our weapons and just talk to each other.”

“But…but we still have time left.” Neil waved his stack of index cards. “We still have questions. I’m sure everyone would like Kate to respond to her sister’s heartfelt plea for openness and sharing. I’m sure—”

“I concede.” Duncan turned to her. “I concede because I have nothing more to say until I’ve considered the matter more thoroughly. The debate victory is yours,
milady.” He hadn’t meant to add that last endearment, but she tugged at his heart as she struggled to cover her vulnerability with righteous indignation.

Her blue gaze challenged his. “You’re not deliberately taking a fall, are you?”

He lied with a clear conscience. “No.”

“Because if you think that surrendering in this debate will make up for that blog, you’re sadly mistaken.”

“I know it won’t.” He was afraid nothing would. She might listen to the Wallaces if they came up with proof that he wasn’t guilty. But once Kate got an idea into her head, she didn’t let go easily. It was one of her best traits, but also one of her worst.

“Then I accept your concession,” Kate said. “Any Howlers who care to come are invited up to my suite for a victory celebration.” She gathered up her notes and started down the aisle trailed by Heidi and a group of Weres in purple shirts.

Elizabeth stood. At first Duncan thought she might go with Kate, but instead she walked up the side of the room toward the front row and took a seat. A few other delegates left, but most of the Woofers stayed in the room. Duncan didn’t have a suite to invite them to, so he was about to suggest buying a round of drinks in the bar.

Before he did that, the Wallace contingent arrived through a door at the front of the room, the same one where Duncan had intercepted Kate earlier when he’d hoped to have her listen to his story. Howard led his two sons, Aidan and Roarke, and their mates, Emma and Abby, inside.

The cavalry had arrived, but they were too late, at least for this round. Kate and her followers were on their way upstairs, and he wasn’t going to chase them down,
especially when he didn’t know what Howard had to say. He and Aidan might have found nothing at all.

Elizabeth came to join the group at the front of the room, too. “What’s going on, Howard?” she said. “Looks like you have the whole family here.” She smiled at Roarke and Abby. “Good to see you two. I’ve been so busy we’ve barely talked.”