In the Eyes of the Wolf

Chapter 28

Chapter 28

-Farley-

We need a table, like a good old-fashioned dining table so that we can all sit around it and discuss important matters. Sitting on the settees and floor, cups in hand, and discussing life-threatening matters doesn't fill me with the urgency that it should. Maybe I was trying to brush off the fact that the conversation was incredibly serious and making excuses about it. Either way, I sipped my tea and listened to Caspian and Clementine go over what Ralph and Aiden told them.

"We can't trust the Fearmast or Herbrogh packs," Clementine stated. "They worked too closely with Kian, or they would use you for the money."

It was odd hearing things like that, that people would actually be getting money for me, dead or alive. It made me want to go back to being a nobody.

"They said that their pack and Karim's would be on our side if there was a fight. That fills me with a bit of confidence," Caspian continued. "We might be able to go to the Westkin pack for help, apparently Waverly's a very nice person. The Chaiseker is a must-try pack apparently. Carme would be overjoyed to help, maybe Arkin from the Snewbrac pack too."

"Haven't we met all of these people?" Rowan asked. His eyebrows were furrowed and a frown settled on his lips. "Don't we know all this already?"

"We didn't know it," Clementine denied. "We weren't even a pack when Aiden and Ralph had trouble a few years back. We just went to a few meetings."

I had only been to one of those meetings before, as a part of Caspian's pack anyway.

"What's your pack called?" Pax asked. His fingers were tapping against the ceramic of his cult, and although it was very slight, he was rocking back and forwards.

I came up blank. "Very good question," I said and turned to Caspian. "We don't really have a name."

Caspian cleared his throat. "Well, names are usually derived from where the pack lives, or their intentions."

That made sense for the Quartvear pack, which is named after the forest they lived in. Though when it comes to the others, I didn't see the connection.

"It works with sounds too," Iris interjected. "If they use harsher sounds in the name, then they tend to be fighters."

Pax made a positive noise in the bath of his throat and looked towards the cup in his hands.

"It'll be something we talk about another time," Caspian said. "Thank you for bringing that to my attention. I suddenly feel very unprofessional."

Clementine and Rowan chuckled. There was an attempt at lightening the mood there, but I'm unsure if it worked or not.

"What did they say about Pax faking his death?" Iris asked in a smaller voice then normal. "I thought that would have been a pretty good option."

Clementine nodded. "They agreed that it's probably one of the easiest ways to get them off our back, but then there'd have to be a body. We don't really have a reason to kill him, or for others to attack him, without leaving his body behind."

I hummed and rubbed my chin. "No kind of mannequin would work. We can't really go looking for a person with similar features either. There'd be too many differences."

The room was full of calculating looks before Iris exclaimed, "This is stupid. This isn't like a territory battle. It's about someone's life and how they should be protected or allowed to live in peace."

"We know," Caspian said. "I could only imagine what could've happened if you hadn't gone into the forest that day."

I didn't want to imagine that either. Whenever I imagined Pax's room, I imagined a dark room with only an inch of light, with barely even a bed in the room. It was a sight I didn't want to see; in fear my imagination would take me even further.