Chapter 182: A Good Time to Get Out of Town

Jude POV

Just when he thought the Cresta clan couldn't have any more intrigue, they managed to make waves again. He could hear the howling in Crimsontail territory all the way in Graywolf City. And his council certainly let him know about it when he walked into the Council Chamber with Bram.

"What do you mean, Alpha Jiro and Luna Garnet are hiding a human?" someone on the council shouted.

The head of the council, Vuk Ramsdale, crossed his arms. "It was one thing to host royal representatives and the humans attached to Alpha Talon and Luna Kelara... but THIS?"

Jude rubbed his forehead, feeling a throbbing headache coming on. "Lady Genevieve Montcalm Blackthorn IS attached to Alpha Talon and Luna Kelara. She's Talon's former wife and the mother of William, a future Alpha."

That shut up the council for a moment. They all smelled embarrassed, a peppery scent. 

Jude looked at every member of the council sitting at a semicircular silver table in the gray and gold octagonal chamber. "And the Crimsontail Shadows don't have to answer to us."

"They have to answer to the Shifter Federation," Vuk pointed out. With a bristly gray beard and close-cropped hair, he looked like a porcupine. But he served the council well and faithfully.

"And since Bram and I will be going to the next session of the Shifter Parliament next week, we can face any fallout at that time, alongside Alpha Jiro and Beta Barrett," Jude replied. "And I will tell them exactly what I'm telling you now. Protecting Lady Genevieve is the right thing to do. Would you rather that she, an Alpha's former mate who bore a future Alpha, be killed like an animal by a brutal human?"

Silence reigned in the chamber.

The council member who had shouted so loudly before, a woman named Silvia, persisted in her outrage. "And your passionate defense has nothing to do with being related to Alpha Jiro and Luna Garnet?"

"That is a nonstarter," Jude shot back. "Of course it plays a role. As does the strength of our relationship with the Crimsontail Shadows Pack. But more than that, supporting the Alpha's and Luna's decision is the right thing to do. If you had heard the stories of how Genevieve Blackthorn suffered at the hands of Edmund Wilhelm, and how her son, a future Alpha, suffered, you would change your thinking in an instant."

Again, silence spoke volumes. 

Vuk asked, "How is it that Alpha Talon protects his former mate so fiercely, given that the divorce ..." He wrinkled his nose in disgust at the word. "Given that the divorce was so bitter?"

Jude rested his hands on the smooth tabletop. "Alpha Talon's parents chose to reject the tradition of fated mates when they selected Lady Genevieve for him."

"HUMANS," someone muttered.

Jude laughed with irony. "Not unique to humans, as my own story attests."

"And his choice was out of grief," Silvia pointed out, her thin lips quivering with distaste. "Some wolves, especially Alphas, will select mates for their children solely based on political considerations, or who can produce an heir! They will even set aside fated mates, which we know always brings the displeasure of the Moon Goddess upon the family."

Vuk absorbed that. "And this Lady Genevieve ... her parents also wanted an advantageous match. First with Alpha Talon, and then afterwards with this Edmund Wilhelm?"

Jude nodded vigorously. "That's about the size of it."

Ravyn's voice echoed in the council chamber. "And unlike Alpha Jude, Talon's parents continue to act like humans. They refuse to accept Lady Kelara."

Jude brightened, seeing Ravyn stride into the chamber. "They continue to act like the worst kind of humans. Not all humans are that blind."

Ravyn grinned. "We're making progress. Apologies for being late, everyone. I was finishing our preparations for an important trip, which we're informing the council about now, and seeking your blessing. But it seems we have this other matter to put to bed."

Silvia, indignant, bared her sharp teeth. "Alpha Talon's family has lived among humans too long. Even the most stubborn wolves eventually bow to the will of the Moon Goddess when a fated mate is involved. We should kidnap them and take them to shifter lands--"

"And bring the wrath of the humans upon us?" scoffed Vuk.

Ravyn grinned. "We do have King Odd and Queen Giselberthe on our side ... but kidnapping is probably not the wisest course of action here."

Bram pointed out, "Besides, if this Edmund person is still looking for his wife, he's probably tracking her down, stalking her, following every trail. He would lurk near her parents in the hope that she would return to her ancestral home."

Jude howled softly, impressed by Bram's reasoning. "So ... we simply keep Genevieve in the shifter lands where she will be safe. Are there any objections?"

* * * * *

Ravyn POV

The entire council had no leg to stand on after Jude's explanation. They simmered down quickly and ceased their howling. Now, with that matter done and dusted, she and Jude could broach the subject that was uppermost on their minds.

"You said you had another matter to discuss," Vuk said, redirecting the meeting in a deft way.

"A trip," Ravyn said succinctly. "To the Ember Faeries, based on a vision Jude and I had of an evil Dark Fae with red eyes, fangs, and what looked like wings or big ears or even possibly horns growing out of the sides of her head."

An alarmed murmur passed from one council member to another till it went all around the table. "Is it that Queen Ylavi Crystalsprite that Alpha Jude rejected?" Vuk asked.

"She wasn't my fated mate," Jude reminded him, a blush creeping over his pale cheeks. "I'm sorry if her feelings were hurt. But it's been weeks--perhaps time has lessened the sting. Or perhaps she has found someone else, although we've heard nothing on that score."

Vuk turned to Bram. "What do you think?"

Jude and Bram had already discussed this particular trip, and Bram didn't have the same reaction of dread to the proposed journey to the Ember Faeries. Bram answered Vuk, "I support what my father and mother want to do. I support whatever the Alpha and Luna wish to do for the good of the pack, to confront an unknown danger."

Eirika Argad, who had sat silently up until this point, lifted her head to opine. "You are wise, young pup. There is more to this vision than a scorned female and rejected would-be mate. Alpha Jude and Luna Ravyn will find danger and opportunity at the Ember Faerie Court. Therefore, I move that they go there immediately and return before the Shifter Parliament meets next week. But they must take warriors with them for protection, and Luna Ravyn must not endanger the pup."

"I second," a male named Sterling spoke up. 

Vuk gazed at each of the council members in turn. "All those in favor?"

"AYE," most of the council said, Vuk and Sterling included. Silvia was among the few council members who scowled.

"All those opposed?" Vuk said, unnecessarily.

"NAY," Silvia and two others shouted. 

Hades, who had been spent through all of this, commented to Jude and Ravyn in their minds, "They're nervous. They don't want you to go to see the faeries--any more than Bram wanted you to leave on your dangerous quest. But the faeries are a known quality and potential danger. They can't reasonably say no."

Vuk puffed out his chest. "Well, Alpha Jude and Luna Ravyn, you've heard our voices. If you must go to see the faeries, be careful, and may the Moon Goddess protect you."

Jude and Ravyn looked at each other, feeling victorious. They didn't know what awaited them at the Ember Faerie Court, but they'd set their course for adventure.