Gabel probably thought that Flint would cave automatically to his demand I not train. I wasn't there for the encounter, but after breakfast the next morning I felt a churning anger begin in my belly, and slid outwards like poison in my veins. It was a new sensation.

I clicked my teeth together with satisfaction. Gabel must have been fighting with Flint. From the roiling fury, he was losing.

Gabel did not like to lose. I had never felt so much anger from him. It should have frightened me, because it wasn't just anger. It was an Alpha's fury at being defied, mixed with helplessness.

I headed up the main stairwell when the patter of feet on the marble floor below took my attention. I looked down and saw one of the she-wolves, Marcy, hurrying across the floor. She grabbed the banister and swung herself around, and when our eyes met, she raced up the stairs towards me. She grabbed my elbow, "Come on, Lady!"

"What?" I tried to pull away. She tugged harder. She reeked of anxiety, so I let her hustle me up the rest of the steps, down a corridor and she yanked open a small door I had thought was a closet. It actually opened up onto a set of stairs. She pushed me onto the stairs.

I still sensed Gabel's anger, but I didn't feel like I was in immediate danger.

Marcy closed the door very carefully, and hissed at me to hurry up the steps, quietly.

The steps went up to the fourth floor. The hallway was narrow, lined with a few doors, and down the hall was another bathroom. This house had more hidden levels than a bad video game.

She pulled me down the hall to an open sitting area that had a window that overlooked the front drive.

I gave her a supsiscious look. I had seen Marcy drifting around Gardenia's little cluster of bugs. I had not exchanged more than a few words with Marcy since my arrival, so I didn't trust that Marcy hadn't been sent to me with planted gossip or was up to no good.

"Alpha Gabel was just arguing with Master Of Arms Flint," she told me in a hushed voice.

"I figured."

"He is furious." she fluttered to my shoulder and whispered this in my ear.

"I know." I didn't know why we were whispering or why she was so nervous.

"He is furious with you, Lady Gianna."

I almost corrected her for using my title, but decided not to. "He isn't going to hurt me." I tried to assure her. Not with his hands, at least. That would leave marks, and nobody would accept that. At least I didn't think they would.

"He gave ground to Flint." Marcy whispered. "Flint told him only a weak Alpha would be worried about his mate making herself strong."

My eyes widened.

If Marcy was telling the truth--which I was still doubtful of-- Flint had some balls. Two. Very large. That was the anger I had felt from Gabel. And I was sure right now he could feel my shock, astonishment and frankly, fear, even if he didn't know the exact source.

Gabel's rage frightened me. I knew he'd conjure some horrible punishment for me, and I'd have to find a way to fight back, and I didn't like the dark places I went to find a way to fight him.

Marcy, though, was pale white and quivering. Gabel's rage was enough to make the fearful, submissive wolf flee. Gabel had told me he didn't have his dalliances with the females (I suspected that rule had been broken since my arrival), and I didn't think he had physically abused them, but he still had his violent reputation.

I was touched Marcy, although panicked, had thought to save me. Even though I hadn't really needed saving. Even if she was a plant from Platinum, she was genuinely frightened.

Something within me whispered it would be fine. Gabel had gotten exactly what he wanted when he had chosen me: a fight. Way more than he had bargained for, that was for sure. I put my hands on Marcy's arms. "It's fine. Alphas sometimes argue with their advisers. I know Gabel isn't going to hurt anyone over this. He's just angry Flint out-argued him."

I managed to smile.

"He gets very angry, my Lady," Marcy warned me. "I've... I've seen what he does."

"Has he hit she-wolves?" I asked.

"No, but..."

"It is different between defiant males who step out of line, and she-wolves, Marcy." I shook my head. "He isn't going to hurt me."

At least not in a way to leave bruises.

"He disrespects you." Marcy whispered, so faint I barely heard her, her eyes locked on mine as if she expected me to cuff her for suggesting my Bondmate would do such a thing. When I didn't move, she added, "A wolf who disrespects his Bondmate in front of another Alpha could do anything."

My heart swelled for her. Such a timid little wolf, who I had seen fluttering on the edges of Gardenia's group, who had never dared to approach me, finding her courage to say such things? By the Moon, it reminded me I wasn't a cruel wolf, or a mean one, or a vindictive one. This little wolf had found her courage to speak the truth to me, even at great personal risk.

I instantly thought of Amber, and how I had looked up to her as strong and confident and always knowing what to do or say.

"Perhaps," I whispered back. I needed to be careful what I said just in case this all got back to Platinum's ear. "You are kind to worry about me."

She blushed and looked down.

"Thank you." I told her.

I went back downstairs, ears alert for Gabel, but he wasn't about. I was barely aware of him. The storm of his anger must have passed.

Master Of Arms Flint seemed happy to see me when I showed up my lesson. Beta Hix was less thrilled. "I still do not approve of this."

"Noted." Master Flint didn't care anymore that day than the previous day.

Hix grimaced, then turned to me. His left brow twitched. I wriggled my fingers and reminded myself it needed to hurt. Hix would be gentle with me if I whimpered or flinched, and I needed this to hurt Gabel.

I needed Gabel to know I wasn't afraid, I wasn't cowed, and it seemed like his lieutenants weren't either.

Oh, this was going to hurt.

That night I had a bruise on my jaw. Hix had clipped me with an elbow, much to his horror. It hadn't really hurt at the time, but a few hours later and it was sore. Gabel's look of fury when I came to dinner was reward enough. I wore that bruise like a medal on my chest.

"I was too slow." I told Gabel as he turned on Hix, fork clutched in his hand like he'd plunge it into Hix's left eye, pop out the globe and eat it like a grape. "It's not bad. Training doesn't count if it doesn't hurt a bit."

Hix and Gabel both gave me apalled looks.

"I will drink to that!" Master Flint declared at the other table. Fists pounded that table in agreement. "You remember that, runts. When I hurt your little paws you just remember that!"

Chortles and laughter.

Hix and Gabel exchanged scowls.

Instead, a few minutes later, Gabel stood up, and called for attention. "Tomorrow," he informed all of us, "Beta Hix and I, and some of our fine warriors," he gestured to the other table, "Will be going to RedWater. Their Alpha has ignored me. We shall not let him ignore Iron Moon any longer."

Howls and cheers.

I hadn't heard anything about this. RedWater was a large pack, about a step up from my own Shadowless. But RedWater's territory was several hundred miles to the south. It would have taken all day to get there. I couldn't believe that I had not heard a word about this or seen any preparations to move a war party that far south.

"You're going to RedWater tomorrow?" I asked Gabel that night in our room, "How long will you be gone?"

"We are not going to RedWater." he informed me. His lips curled into a predatory smile. "The RedWater are coming to us."

"What?"

"Alpha Travis thinks he is being clever." Gabel sat down on the edge of the bed. He glanced at his phone, then looked at me. He enjoyed my bewildered expression. "You've told me there's no point focusing on Anders. Fair enough."

That's not what I had told him, but his vision had been for him, so if that's what he had taken from it, that was his business.

"He is intending to hunt on IronMoon terriatory." Gabel told me.

"What?" I came around to my side of the bed. I didn't ask how Gabel knew this. I assumed he had scouts in the far south of IronMoon territory, and they had spotted the RedWater party forming up and planning a formal hunt. There were rituals and parties to mark formal hunts.

RedWater wasn't stupid enough to attack IronMoon, but hunting on another pack's territory without permission was a gesture of gross disrespect. Anger knotted in my chest. I was an IronMoon now, and I didn't appreciate some little runty Alpha coming and taking our deer, or mountain goats, or whatever else it was they found to hunt, and leaving the mark on our trees that they had been there.

Then gloating to all the other packs how they had taken our prey right out from under us.

"How cowardly." I informed Gabel. "Not big enough to attack directly, so just going to piss on the trees."

Gabel laughed. It startled me with how big and clear a laugh it was. "Indeed, buttercup. You do have some cute little fangs to you, don't you." he tapped me on the cheek.

Even though his praise and admiration warmed me, I didn't appreciate his patronizing touch. No Seer lasted very long on the Tides if she was a coward. I had never said I was brave nor courageous, but I had also never said I was a coward.

"RedWater," Gabel elaborated, his eyes trailing down my naked body as I slid under the blankets, "Told me to go to hell when I called them. This is how they choose to respond."

Gabel might have been a monster, but Alpha Travis was an idiot.

I caught myself thinking dark, cruel thoughts, and wondered was it my nature as a she-wolf... or was it Gabel? I couldn't decide. It bothered me. What Travis was doing was a typical gesture of contempt, and I should feel that way about it.

No, it had to be because I had seen Gabel's warriors. I knew whatever resistence the RedWater would offer was futile. It was just their dumb pride. They'd be punished for it, and deservedly so. It was one thing to ignore Gabel's summons, or resist his arrogant phone calls, it was another to respond by marching up to his territory and taking his game.

But what was a wolf without their pride? And all she-wolves were drawn to power and prestige, and had natural contempt for weaker males. I had never met Travis, but I knew Gabel.

Oh, I knew Gabel. And Hix, and Flint, and all the others.

My very soul knotted as I tried to figure out where Gabel's influence on me ended, and my own self began.

"You will come with me, buttercup." Gabel informed me. "You should see the southern permiter anyway."

"What? I'm a Seer." I had no business being on a war-hunt. I didn't think Gabel would be satisfied just scaring the RedMoon onto the other side of the border.

"I would have my Bondmate at my side." Gabel smirked. "You will run with me, buttercup."

I hadn't been good enough to be by his side for Anders, but I was good enough to be at his side for a bloodbath, and run right at his shoulder? That would have been my place, had I been a warrior, but I wasn't.

"A future Queen should know her domain." Gabel added.

I chewed on my cheeks. A Seer might not have any place on a hunt, but did a Queen? Yes, I thought I remembered the old stories of Queens being very bold and brave and going on hunts themselves. I didn't give a damn about being a Queen, but I wasn't going to give Gabel anything to use against me. The thought of Platinum being on his arm for another meeting nauseated me.

I couldn't prevent that from happening again, but I could make Gabel look even worse when he did it.

It was hard to tell if he was baiting me, or if he seriously wanted me at his side. His green-blue eyes held no guile, but it was such a strange request.

Maybe he expected me to refuse. If I refused, then he could argue to Flint that I wasn't really committed to being a Queen, and use that against me. Did Gabel want me to release him from the Bond's torture? That would have been interesting.

If I died, he would be free.

I was going on that hunt, and if Gabel was trying to lure me to my death or humiliation, it didn't matter.

 "As you wish, Gabel."

/***

Heeeeyyyyy there!

Emergerd, I got so many great suggestions for where this story could go! I see a lot of votes for Platinum (now officially named "Platty") getting what's coming to her. 

SMIRK SMIRK SMIRK.

The question you guys should all be asking yourself is not if Platty is going to get what's coming to her, but the matter in which the universe will deliver a can of cosmic justice whoopass.

SMIRK.

HAHAHHAHA.

HAHAH-

*cough cough cough*

I am also busy at work on my JustWriteIt entry for this month. Normally I don't do JustWriteIt, but since it's open season and there is a Watty dangling before me, I'm like "OKAY. LEMME AT IT"

The title is (are you ready?) "Trailerpark Dragon"

Stay tuned.

Cheers-

Merry

(Your loyal pantster)

***/