Free Me From the Wolves

[22] Children of the Moon

After the coven's proposal was explained, Ryder laughed his particular laugh of contempt for a moment that felt longer than its actual ten seconds. "Talking to my pack about Bites is like teaching a class of immature teenagers about Sex Ed."

"Well you're not wrong considering it's basically the same thing..." Trevor muttered under his breath.

"Okay vampires were a sex figure in the Victorian era, so if you want to talk about sex, Versailles—" Ryder began to threaten. I was just impressed with his recall for literature history, but not shocked because I already knew he was intelligent.

"We just need to make sure your pack knows its boundaries," the witch whose name I learned through Ryder's seriously, Greta? laughs.

"Trust me, they know," Ryder rolled his eyes.

"So that's why Stella got bitten, right?" Stormy persecuted.

"She was bitten out of spite and there's not a sure chance that she'll even phase, okay?"

"Okay, she was bitten in spite. But in the days of Zander's reign, half of the pack was bitten for what, arrogance?" Stormy noted.

"I was going to say social inclusion, but that works too," Ryder crossed his arms.

"You're missing my point."

"I'm not," Ryder said. "The boys in my pack understand their restrictions. It's one of the first thing's they're taught in training."

"Training," Stormy repeated. "Like the training Aaron's gotten? Because in that case, there isn't any—"

As they argued, I wanted to blurt out that Aaron had been training with my brother despite all of this. But I knew it would create a bigger problem and threat in Ryder's eyes, so I fought myself as they fought each other. I think the warlock in the room noticed my discomfort and dared me to speak up at any moment just to see what would happen. To my surprise, I didn't. I listened as Ryder insisted that the werewolves' only job was to preserve human life from vampires and now, they were just a formality for the history of Tyriette. But still, Greta insisted that Ryder should make more of an effort to control his pack or at least be more proactive for people like Preston so a situation like Stella's or Aaron's doesn't happen to anyone else.

"I think this should qualify as information I'm disclosed to," Trevor finally suggested.

"How do you figure? You made it clear that there's no clan here therefore there's no restrictions with my pack. So it's none of your business," Ryder dismissed.

"Well I think I'd want to know if some girl was Bitten and roaming school on a full moon week not knowing if she'll phase or not."

"I don't think so," Ryder replied. "I have seven wolves watching over her."

"Plus my brother," I finally added and thought I saw the warlock's lip twitch.

"Your brother?" Ryder looked over at me and I only nodded, already knowing that the miniscule involvement was enough for his possessiveness to be set off.

"Yeah Andrew's been—"

"Why does it matter?" I heard Stormy ask. I thought she was talking to me and Ryder (because I wanted to ask Ryder the same thing because it shouldn't matter who trains Aaron as long as he's trained) but I discovered that she was gesturing to Trevor. Greta chastised her outburst like she had to anyone not putting in a professional effort. "No, Mom. I want to know why Trevor cares. Stella should be none of your concern. She's part of the werewolves' problem, not yours."