Change

7

I ARRIVED AT Bill and Karen's house Wednesday morning. Bill was the only one there. He took me into his office and asked me to have a seat.

"I asked you to come today for several reasons. First, I want you to understand that because of the circumstances surrounding you and your discovery of the Kindred, you've gotten what some people will consider special treatment.

"I admit, I don't treat you the way I treat most of my pack, or like I treat my own children. If I had to make a comparison, I would probably say I treat you much as one treats a beloved god-child, which is very much how I have come to see you over the years. I wanted you to be aware it may cause hard feelings with some of the rest of the pack.

"Second, you need to understand how the pack works, the hierarchy and structure we live within. You saw a bit of it last week with Brandon. His addressing me as Anikitos, and his differential manner toward me. Those are only a small part of the way the pack works.

"So far, it looks like you'll be Alphic. That means you're powerful enough, and because I know you, I can say, dominant enough to be an Alpha, or other high-ranking pack member. Even if you don't want to lead, Alphic means that you could. You have the power and dominance.

"You already know a pack's leaders, Karen and I, are the Alekto and Anikitos. The second in command titles are the Lysandros and the Harmonia. They, like the pack leaders, are generally a married couple, though it's not required. They are also earned positions. You'll be meeting Hank and Alexis tonight. There are also several other positions, including Theron, which is a pack's chief enforcer, more security positions, elders and others, some necessary, some not. We do have a Theron, and though I'm sure you'll meet him, there's no need now.

"You also need to know Karen and I often have bodyguards around. They're part of the enforcer, or security team. You've never seen them because I've been careful around your father and I've kept them at a distance when he's around. You and he aren't a danger to me and I didn't want you to freak out with strangers hovering around. I'm going to have them stick around so you can get used to them."

"Okay." I blinked as I processed his words. There had to be more about pack structure and life that I didn't know yet, but who knew it was so complicated?

"There's also a lot more to the government, and basically ruling is how it's done. But you need to know Karen and I are in charge of seeing to it our pack follows the rules set down for all Kitsune."

"Set down by whom?"

"By the council. For now, think of the council like Congress. I don't want to give you too much information and overwhelm you. We have a little while before a couple people are coming by, so let's do something else and let the new information sink in."

"What do you have in mind?"

"Have you been practicing your telepathy?"

"Some. Brandon and I went out for a run yesterday. It was nice to be able to talk to him while in wolf form, more than just the barking and tail wagging I imagined."

"Where did you go?"

"Out to the hot tub on Haekel Road. I figured there was lots of space and few people around to spot us in the middle of the afternoon on a weekday."

He nodded his approval. "How did you like running as a wolf?"

"It was fun." She filled him in on the trip the day before up until Brandon's warning about the javelina. "He said even in wolf form it's best to avoid them."

"He was right. They're mean little buggers, and they don't care about size. Unless you want to hurt one or be hurt by one, it's best to just steer clear. Did you take anything to eat?"