I wasn’t prepared for the raw anger I felt as I saw the Ocean Shore’s Beta. In my mind, I saw him attack Ramses, and my wolf wanted his blood. I made sure to keep a distance from Finlay. I was convinced he was just as angry, and the risk was that I would start a loop of anger if I touched him. The last thing we needed was to feed our anger. We needed to keep a cool head.

We were standing in the room we had been in when discussing the reunion of the packs. Alpha Ryder and his Beta stood at their pulpit, and I forced myself to focus on something else.

“Alpha Finlay, you have asked for a formal complaint to be made due to the incident in the game yesterday. The report we have gotten from the field is that Ocean Shore’s Beta attacked a member of the Blue Mountain pack. The injuries were of a serious manner, but not lethal. Beta Karo claims it was in the heat of the moment. The Beta from Blue Mountain was a witness to the incident and claims there was intent behind the attack. Is this a fair summary of why we are here?” the head of the council asked.

“Yes,” both Finlay and his brother answered.

“At least we agree on some things. Good. Then let’s start from there. Beta Karo, please tell us what happened.”

“Thank you. I was selected to be one of the seekers for my pack. The game had been ongoing for about an hour and a half, and I had had great success in finding hidden wolves. I saw the member of the Blue Mountain pack when he shifted hiding spots. I wanted to make sure he was a hider, not a seeker, so I followed him. When I was going to howl to mark my find, my hunting instincts took over. I’m sorry he got hurt, but my wolf is strong and his instincts are pure,” the Beta said.

“And you tried to catch him?” a council member asked.

“Yes. I grabbed his shoulder and my claws extended.”

“Thank you. Beta Armeria, we believe your opinion on the given situation is different, is it?” the head of the council asked.

“Yes, it is,” I confirmed.

“Please tell us your view on the matter.”

“I had just switched hiding spots when I heard someone coming. I realised it was Ramses, the now injured wolf. Almost at the same time, I saw the Beta from Ocean Shore. He saw Ramses and I thought he was going to howl. Instead, he started to run towards my pack member. His intention was clear. I mindlinked Ramses and then my Alpha as I jumped down to help Ramses. During the time it took me to land, the Beta had attacked Ramses. If it hadn’t been for my warning which made Ramses turn, the Beta's claws would have gone around the throat and Ramses would have been dead. When Beta Karo got a hold of Ramses’ shoulder, he didn’t let go. I could hear the joint pop and I heard the bones crunching, and still he didn’t release my pack member. It wasn’t until my wolf landed on his chest that he let Ramses go.” I glared at the Beta and then looked away. “I would like to point out that instinct is a poor excuse for such a long assault. My instinct was to rip the Beta’s throat out the second I landed on his chest. I could have; he didn’t see me coming. I didn’t, because my wolf’s instincts don’t drive me. I am in control of my wolf, not the other way around. I backed off and protected my wounded pack mate.”

“Where were you hiding?” a council member asked.

“In the tree above where the incident happened.”

“How high up?” the head of the council wanted to know.

“Approximately sixteen feet above ground,” I told him.

“And you jumped down?”

“My pack mate was in danger. And the Beta cushioned the impact,” I said. I saw a couple of council members smile.

‘Really? Are you trying to piss him off?’ Finlay mindlinked me.

‘If he comes after me I can claim self defence and go at him,’ I replied.

‘You and that temper of yours is going to be the death of me.’

‘Have to live up to my reputation as a redhead.’ I could feel the strength it took for him not to roll his eyes.

“The Blue Mountain pack allowed one of our healers to examine the wounded wolf. Healer Amir, could you give your report?” the head of the council asked.

“Of course. I examined the wolf in question. He is healing, but the wounds are clearly supporting Beta Armeria’s version of the event. The claw marks start at the base of his neck, like they would if the target was the throat rather than the shoulder. The shoulder has ligament tears which indicate a dislocation, and the bone has been put under enough force to splinter it. If this was instinct-driven, the wolf causing the damages has little to no control of his inner wolf and has no place taking part in the game,” the healer told the council.

“Alpha Finlay, what is your demand of the Ocean Shore pack if we find this was a planned attack?” the head of the council asked.

“I would ask the council recognizes this as evidence of how dishonest the Ocean River pack is, and by recognizing this, you would revert the former decision regarding a forced reunion of our packs. I would also like to see some punishment beyond the fifty percent point reduction. Due to their pack member's actions, one of our participants may not be able to participate in the rest of the games. This puts us at a disadvantage. All our hiders were also revealed as they came to their pack mates’ aid,” Finlay said.

“We will consider all of this and make a decision.” We were let out of the council chamber. This time, both Finley and I had a hard time sitting still. Instead, we took to wandering around the waiting area. Alpha Ryan and his Beta stood looking at each other, probably mindlinking. It didn’t take the council more than half an hour to call us back inside.

“Thank you for your patience. The council have decided Beta Karo did attack the wolf Ramses with intent to cause harm,” the head of the council stated. I was relieved. At least they didn’t dismiss it. “There is no evidence this was a premeditated strategy which involved more members of the pack than Beta Karo. We, therefore, can’t accept the first suggestion from Alpha Finlay. Our former decision stands.”

‘It was worth a try,’ I mindlinked Finlay.

‘I was hoping they would go for it,’ he replied.

“We do think there should be additional punishments for the pack. If a Beta has so little control that they attack another pack’s members in the game, it needs to be made an example of. Beta Karo is banned from the game, from today and for the rest of his life. He may not be a participant, and he may not be support staff. We are also placing the Ocean Shore pack on notice. One more morally dubious decision or action, and the pack will be disqualified from this year’s game. This is the council’s decision.” We bowed and left the chamber.

‘It went better than I feared,’ I told Finlay.

‘It did. Being on notice will make my brother think twice. I think it was the best outcome we could hope for,’ he agreed.

‘I have to report back to Dad when we get back home, or else he will call me and use my name, and I will feel like I’m five and got caught stealing cookies,’ I told him. Finlay chuckled. ‘And I’m going to ask Elder to set up a meeting with James on our next day off,’ I added. Finlay's chuckle died.

‘Are you sure I shouldn’t join you?’

‘I’m sure. I’m thinking we should use a place in the communal area. Safe and private. I want this over with, so when the games are over, I can end this with as little drama as possible.’ There was a pause as we continued walking to the cabin.

‘It feels like you had more to say,’ Finlay said. I sighed.

‘Yesterday, seeing my mom with dad and Elder with Becky, I felt jealous they had the person they love with them, as I was there alone despite you being just downstairs. I hate the feeling of having to hide. At the same time, my core rejects the idea of being open about my feelings to you while being mated to someone else. I’m just tired of being confused,’ I admitted.

‘Amie,’ the mindlink from him was soft, like a caress. ‘I don’t like it either. I want to be able to growl at everyone that looks at you the wrong way. I want to be able to bring you to family dinner without having to explain why. And we will have it, but you are right. We can’t have it as long as one of us is bonded to someone else. Our time will come, and once it does, I will never let you go. You will be sick and tired of me because I will follow you wherever you go,’ he promised me.

I stopped walking and smiled at him.

‘I will remind you of that promise,’ I told him.