The Alpha's Oracle (SAMPLE, IronMoon #1)

What You Want, What You Deserve

I didn't want to think about Platinum dangling from Gabel's arm. My body filled with a jealousy that had been forced upon me.

I wasn't going to be so childish to say "this isn't fair" but... it wasn't fair.

Gabel had turned his rage on the wolves, and the currents pulled me out of my thoughts. "You fled! You fled like hairless cowards!"

Fled? I couldn't help but think about the wolves that had fled their brothers not long before. My interest sharpened. That explained at least some of Gabel's anger. His warriors had fled from a mission.

Many of the IronMoon members weren't excessively smart, and many were pig-headed violent louts, but they understood things like following orders. I couldn't imagine any members of Iron Moon being so stupid they to think they could flee back home.

No, just keep on running and don't come back.

I had been worried Gabel would be too harsh, but now I wasn't.

None of the six wolves tried to argue, or defend their actions. The smell of fear, however, doubled. Now it was laced with shame.

"A simple task!" Gabel growled. "And you fled! What does that say for this pack!? That my warriors are cowards?!"

Indeed. One of the things about IronMoon being IronMoon was everyone was scared to death of Gabel. Alphas just rolled over. It was fear that kept the violence low. If they saw there was nothing to be afraid of, there would be even more violence!

There might even be war.

"A-Alpha," the one closest to me stammered, "We were spotted! They confronted us and they outnumbered us."

"You fled." Gabel bit out the word. "Look at you! Six I sent, six returned. You're not hurt. You didn't retreat from a good fight. You just turned and ran."

His tone pulled the blood from my cheeks and strummed fear within me. He was also right: from their lack of any real injuries, it was easy to see they had outrun the danger, and had only been scraped up in the process of escaping.

I still couldn't imagine any IronMoon warriors fleeing. They were a violent group. I'd have thought they would all stand and fight and charge right into the face of an oncoming train like a bunch of stupid bulls. But instead these six had just turned and ran for home.

I didn't want to harden my heart, but I had watched RedWater warriors flee, and leave packmates behind. To think my own packmates--because, like it or not, I was IronMoon now-- had done anything even remotely similar made me very angry.

I longed for when my father had shielded me from these matters. Being a ranked adult was overrated.

It felt like so, so, so long ago.

A wave of homesickness hit me.

Gabel shifted as if he had felt it too. I don't think he understood the sensation.

"Where did you send them?" I asked. I couldn't stand not knowing anymore.

"To the border of Sablefur." he answered, "And they let the Sablefur scouts run them off!"

Sablefur! Gabel had not even brought RedWater to heel and already he turned his attention to Sablefur!

It explained Gabel's fury. It had been a simple (if daring and probably stupid) mission, and the wolves had fled when confronted. Fleeing was bad enough. Fleeing like this. I was impressed Gabel had not ripped all their heads off.