Chapter 9: A Grand Send-Off

Lilia POV

THE NEXT DAY

The Harvest Festival had drawn Evenhide Pack members from all over the territory. Lilia thought that the Moon Goddess had incredible timing, bringing Garnet and Beta Barrett to New Moon City to make a game-changing decision with the entire pack as an audience.

With Dane and Jiro on either side of her and Kyon and Azandra close behind, she threaded her way through the crowds into the council building and the council chamber, which never failed to impress her every time she passed through the doors. The golden dome in the ceiling still sparkled in the sunlight from the high windows, and the floor was freshly polished, showcasing the tiles with faces of the great Alphas of the Evenhide Pack.

Jiro stood in the center of their group, with Dane and Kyon on either side and Lilia and Azandra at the end. With his head held high and standing perfectly straight, Jiro had incredible poise. Lilia saw the moisture in his turquoise eyes and the way he clutched the turquoise pendant she’d given him.

The solid, hard-working Councilman Nikko, the stalwart Councilwoman Sinapu, Tulaska, and the others settled in their chairs and Tulaska uttered a short invocation to the Moon Goddess. Councilman Nikko cleared his throat and pressed the button on a bronze sphere. A wolf howl echoed throughout the chamber. “Make your voice known so that your packmates can hear your call,” Councilman Nikko said.

Jiro stepped forward, still projecting incredible poise. “I come before you to officially announce that I have accepted the position of Alpha of the Crimsontail Shadows Pack, and to humbly ask for your blessing.”

Sinapu’s scarred face looked strangely relaxed. “Well, we knew THAT. It’s the talk of the festival. Some of us heard the whispers before the Crimsontail delegation even arrived, but one never knows what to believe. It was a surprise when the rumors turned out to be true. This is one Harvest Festival that will go down in Evenhide Pack history.”

Tulaska stared at Jiro with a serene expression. “The harvest is a time of reaping the crops that have been planted. The last time Dane called us together for a last-minute session, he asked permission to declare war on the very pack you’re about to save.”

“I’m not unaware of the twist in this story,” Jiro said with dry wit. “You could call it irony, or unintended consequences, but one thing is for certain: Removing Cyran was the right decision.”

“And selecting you is the best decision they could have made,” Tulaska declared.

Jiro gave her a look of gratitude. “Thank you. And thank you all. This was not an easy decision, but after talking to the people I trust the most, I believe it’s the right one. My Luna, Garnet, expresses her gratitude as well. When the sun rises and when the moon rises in Red Crescent City, part of me will still be here in this pack that I love. I will be right next door, working for the future of both our packs. Garnet and I agree on that. There’s a reason she’s named after such a precious stone… she is a jewel.”

Tulaska grinned. “That last line seals your fate. I vote aye. I think we should vote now.”

Councilman Nikko drummed his fingers on the table in front of them. “Discussion first, Tulaska.”

Tulaska folded her arms. “What is there to discuss? Cyran is still out there. I say we vote and send the new Alpha and his new Luna off with all the honor that they deserve, remind everyone where the new Alpha comes from, and show Cyran that any fantasies he has of regaining power are just that. The fevered fancies of a madman.”

Lilia smiled, feeling the energy of the council shift in that moment and their spirits lighten. Tulaska no doubt had insights none of them did.

Sinapu pointed to her eye. “I got this courtesy of one of the Crimsontails. I respect the warrior who gave it to me, but I’d rather not have a matching scar somewhere else. I’m counting on you, Alpha Jiro, to give some other pack trouble, and keep us on our toes. I second the motion for a vote.”

Lilia wondered if that Crimsontail had dabbled in dark magic. All the more reason for Jiro and Garnet to get the council’s endorsement. Jiro smiled in astonishment. Sinapu was a hardened warrior, so her support meant a great deal.

Councilman Nikko agreed. “All those in favor of officially giving our blessing to Alpha Jiro?”

The entire council yelled, “Aye,” and some of the council members added zealous howls.

Councilman Nikko stood up and proclaimed, “Alpha Jiro, we’re sorry to lose you, and you have our blessing. All our hopes and dreams, and our hearts, go with you. Make us proud.”

Jiro bowed respectfully, then threw his head back and howled in response, with his family members joining him and with Dane’s and Kyon’s arms supporting him, because he looked as if the full weight of his new role had just hit him, and he wiped away a few brief tears. He wasn’t one to cry easily, and certainly not in an official setting.

Seeing him moved to tears, the council members jumped down from the dais and all surged toward him to offer their support and love and respect. Much of it, of course, was because he was one of the Crestas, but Lilia thought Jiro had snuck into their hearts with his calm, cool, reasonable ways. This was one council that valued substance and a high-level view. Quite a few of the council members looked sad, although they did their best to put on a good front.

Lilia’s heart fluttered faster than a butterfly in a meadow full of wildflowers. She now felt the reality of Jiro’s departure. Goddess, she was going to miss him. After less than three months of his steady and unflappable and loving presence, she couldn’t imagine life without it. She felt the deep, deep ache that Dane had to lock inside for his brother’s sake, for the Crimsontails’ sake, and for all their sakes. She rested her hand on his shoulder and felt the tension leave his muscles. They would cry together later, after Jiro and Garnet were safely on their way. But for now, they would celebrate.

* * * * *

Jiro POV

He couldn’t remember when the capital had been so crowded, with shifters lining the square and the streets. He’d never seen so many Evenhide Pack members at once. Children climbed up on their parents’ shoulders like skilled mountaineers and waved to their friends.

He marched out of Cresta House for the last time. He’d already said his goodbyes to every room in the house in his own way, including one early-morning last sparring session with all four of his brothers, a noisy breakfast with the family in which he let everyone talk until their mouths ran out of either words or food, and Garnet seemed to enjoy the family banter even if she sat back and let everyone else hold court.

After breakfast, he and Garnet, with the help of Patch and Dirge and some of the servants, had carted his belongings out of the house, including robes from Lilia for him and Garnet, his favorite books from the library and a pile of gifts from the family and the pack, with strict instructions NOT to open them until he and Garnet could do so in their own home. Oh, and plenty of food for the journey in case wild game was scarce. Serra pointed out where everything needed to go like a general placing troops and horses and arms.

Speaking of troops, six Crimsontails and seven Evenhide Pack warriors lined up in the path through the crowd, standing at attention in either human or wolf form. A full royal escort all for him and Garnet! The supply wagon waited in one of the streets.

Jiro took his place beside Dane, with Garnet and Beta Barrett on his other side. Lilia, Kyon, Azandra, Ravyn, and Tulaska waited beside Dane while Patch, Dirge, Aunt Ilya, and Cousin Reinald bookended Jiro, Garnet, and Barrett on the other side. Anneliese, her parents, and the other witches stood in the crowd, watching the Crimsontails and the Evenhide royal family. Whispers went through the crowd and Jiro caught every one of them.

“A Cresta becomes a Crimsontail?”

“He’s the spymaster, he could help them wipe us all out, I bet …”

“Hah! Loose talk, that’s all. You better close your mouth before insects and pixies swarm in.”

“Attractive girl, I just hope she doesn’t become dark, or worse, turn him …”

Oh, Moon Goddess. Garnet was hearing all this. Her emotions swirled and he couldn’t catch any of them to sort them out, His hand found hers. Soft and yet like an anchor at the same time. Her churning emotions calmed, and her blinding smile coaxed one from him.

The crowd noticed, and the back-and-forth stopped.

Dane took the opportunity to step forward with Lilia, his chest thrust out, his face full of pride. “Evenhide Pack, distinguished guests, today is a bittersweet day, and one that will change the face of the shifter territories. You may all have heard the news already, but I want to announce that my brother Jiro Cresta will make us all very proud and do honor to our pack as the Alpha of the Crimsontail Shadows, especially with his Luna, Garnet Cresta, who we are all delighted to welcome into our family.”

The crowd erupted in cheers and cries of dismay, with the volume of their shouts, howls, and cheers nearly shattering Jiro’s eardrums. Jude Faolan and his Luna Mali and his daughter Emer all applauded the loudest.

Dane’s voice cut through the hubbub. “The Moon Goddess has seen fit to shine on my brother and set him on this journey. Her blessings and her favor will follow him, and so will all our hopes and dreams and love.”

Lilia opened her arms, opening her heart, too. She was wearing a turquoise pendant. “The greatest gift we can give shifters everywhere is a strong and healthy Crimsontail Shadows Pack that desires peace as much as we do. I can’t think of two better leaders to achieve that aim.” She cast an anxious glance at Jiro and Garnet. “Walk in the light of the Goddess, and may your hearth fire burn brightly when you arrive home.”

Kyon stepped forward. “And remember …”

Jiro blurted automatically, “Pack and family forever.”

Patch chimed in, “From the first time we howl …”

Dirge interrupted, “To the last moon we see in our lives …”

Dane added, “May the bond be unbroken.”

It was a chant from their childhood they hadn’t used in a while, but Jiro still remembered. The crowd loved it and started howling until Tulaska silenced them all with a shake of her rattle.

Garnet and Jiro bowed to Dane and Lilia.

“You have a friend in the Crimsontails,” Jiro said in his best Alpha voice.

Jiro drank in the sight of his family one last time, from Lilia’s purple eyes to Ravyn’s smile to Dirge’s pup eyes and Azandra leaning on Kyon. Their faces were damp with tears, although they all played their parts to perfection. They had all hugged long and lovingly before this, and if he hugged them again, he might turn and go back in the house.

With a smile, he turned and walked away with Garnet and Barrett, following behind the shifter guard. They both clasped the hands that reached out for them in the crowd.

Garnet whispered to him, “They love you.”

“They love that I’m with you,” he said modestly.

With a last look at the family and place he loved, he and Garnet headed out of the city.