Gabel may have underestimated me, but I never underestimated him. I could not figure out if he was cruel, insane or misguided. Perhaps he was all of those things. But I never dismissed him.

"What's this?" I asked.

"A phone."

"I know that." I said, annoyed.

He gave me a look like an explanation would only confirm my stupidity, and then he walked away.

Back in Shadowless only ranked members had had phones. Or adults that "needed" them. Shadowless had thought that youngsters should be able to function without a GPS, or instant communication. Planning ahead, being resourceful, all those things. I had not given needing a phone much thought in Iron Moon. I had never needed one before.

I shuffled through the phone's contents. There wasn't much I hadn't expected. The only thing that seemed out of place was the large list of contacts. As I scrolled through them, an uncomfortable feeling took up residence in my belly.

I recognized some of the names. Alpha Jermian. My father. Alpha Anders. Alpha Travis. Hix. Flint. Even Platinum. Dozens of other names I didn't know. Were they ranked members of other packs?

Did all of Iron Moon have this information, or was this some kind of trap? It had to be a trap. Gabel had to be testing my loyalty. Because here was all I would ever need to betray Iron Moon.

I didn't have time just then to think about it. I was expected on the training field, and Master-At-Arms Flint did not suffer anyone being late.

Gabel watched from his office. He always watched. I knew he watched, even if he didn't want me to know, and even if he didn't want to watch. I didn't know if it was an unwanted instinct that compelled him to be worried about my safety, pure curiosity, disgust or hope that I would accidently die.

I was pretty sure he would have welcomed my death. It was hard to say, though. For all I angered him, I think part of him had started to enjoy the challenge. It wasn't just the Bond he had to fight. Now I was an adversary.

Trust me. I wasn't thrilled with the upgrade. I think things were less dangerous when Gabel had thought I would be his plaything. Any smart wolf would agree that being Gabel's adversary was akin to being his prey.

Part of me could not accept Gabel would ever turn on me. He was my Bondmate. There was the Bond between us. When that moment to bite through my neck came he wouldn't be able to do it.

Another part of me said to put no faith in faithless creatures.

It would have been much easier to put on my fairy princess hat and tell myself he wasn't such a bad guy, and he was just misunderstood and one day it would all end well. It also would have been a crock.

"You look grouchy today, Hix."

Hix always looked grouchy. He hated being my training partner, and my statement just made him glower more. It had become a ritual: I showed up to train, he glared, I told him he looked grouchy, he just became even grouchier.

His face compressed into a scowl. "Hello, Lady Gianna."

He was always polite too.

I had gotten used to the crowd the sessions attracted. I wasn't very good. I was laughably bad by anyone's standards. But I had heart, as Flint said, and that could not be taught. I had started to enjoy the training. Scratching and clawing and wrestling and fighting.

I feared it was Gabel's violent nature corrupting me.

So I told myself it was just that it made me feel powerful and because I got to choose. I would not have chosen even being in Iron Moon, so this was something I chose.

Still hurt when Hix popped me in the nose.

I sneezed out some blood. It ran down the back of my throat when I inhaled.

"Shake it off!" Flint shouted. He wasn't talking to me.

Hix stood back and glared at me.

"Come on!" I snapped. Everytime he landed a good shot on me he fell back instead of pressing forward. He was supposed to push the attack! Instead he'd just step back like a surly donkey until Flint yelled at both of us.

Hix grumbled at me.

I clenched my throat. Anger bubbled up from inside me. How dare Hix disrespect me as if I was weak! I could handle a bop on the nose, or an elbow to the gut or a neck crank. He wasn't going to hurt me.

Well he was. But not harm me.

I didn't need love-taps.

Before we could clash again a commotion by the house drew everyone's attention. Hix grunted and his dark eyes left me for the house. "They're back."

Who were they? I tried not to look like I had no idea what he meant. Six young men that I presumed were Iron Moon warriors came along the back of the house. Hix rumbled a sound, something between anger and foreboding. To me it translated as this will not end well.

From the distance I could not make out very much. The warriors had not gone in the front, nor through the kitchen entrance, but instead through the little-used side porch. That opened onto a large mudroom. Nobody went in that way unless they were bleeding or covered in filth.

Not unless they crawled home with their tail between their legs.

Flint barked at us to focus. The report would wait.

The report on what I didn't know. Gabel had his fingers in so many pies I shouldn't have been surprised when another one came to light.

Not long later I became of aware of an intense roiling within me. At first I thought I was going to be sick because I had worked too hard or Hix had punched me in the belly too many times. It took a moment to realize that it was an oil black like Gabel's wolf fur, and not physical.

A whistle split the air. Hix and I came to an instant stop.

I dropped to my knees and panted. I fell forward onto my palms and struggled with the sick feeling. Sweat poured down my scalp, between my eyes and off my nose.

Gabel was angry.

Mysteriously, furiously angry.

"Lady Gianna," Hix told me. He nodded to Master Flint and exited the circle.

He was always so worried about hurting me in training, but left me gagging and panting on the grass? Jerk.

Despite this I tried to warn him: Gabel was angry. Be careful. I gagged instead.

MAster At Arms Flint came over to me. He pulled me back to my feet. Flint was respectful, but not terribly sympathetic. "More cardio for you, Lady Gianna."

I tried to tell him it wasn't cardio, but gagged again. Gabel's race built and built, magma pouring from a chamber and overwhelming me. How could anyone be so angry? So malevolent?

His anger was like the Tides.

I focused on it like it was the Tides: riding, drifting, moving where it took me.

But unlike the Tide, this anger wasn't meant to be ridden. It wanted to consume and burn.

Master-At-Arms Flint looked towards the house with a concerned glance. Those were his warriors. He took no pride when they returned with their tails between their legs. He gave my forearm a final squeeze, then spun around. The hem of his kilt brushed my legs. "Back to it, wolves! You don't want to crawl home like those pups!"

The tattoos on his back clenched and rippled, shining with sunlight and sweat.

Where had Gabel found him... and why did Flint, who had commended his body to the Moon's service, stay with Gabel?

I needed a bath. I stank, and my insides were still a mass of churning serpents.

I entered the house through the kitchen. Cook looked spooked as he chopped lettuce for dinner.

I rubbed my neck and wondered if my nose was as swollen as it felt. Probably not.

The house was silent, but I knew the storm of Gabel's anger was contained somewhere within it.

I wanted to see this anger for myself. I was Lady Gianna, and I was entitled to know. I couldn't save the wolves from Gabel's rage, and maybe I wouldn't want to, but I should know what had driven him to such fury. And what mischief he might have been up to.

There was no time for that shower or to change. I would have to go like i was. There wasn't anything wrong with them seeing me muddy, filthy and a little banged up, right?

I was improving myself.

The stench of bloodied, humiliated warrior led me to the drawing room at the far end of the first floor.

I expected shouting. I wanted to hear shuting.

Instead, I walked into a room filled with Gabel's hot, silent fury. I gulped around the miasma.

I didn't recognize the six warriors on their knees. They all looked young, male, in kilts and stripped off their shirts. Those sat in rags on the floor beside Hix's feet. Their bodies were marked with healing scratches and bruises, their faces battered but everything was old by at least a few days. Maybe even a week. They reeked of defeat, despair and absolute fear.

Gabel stood in front of them. His shoulders trembled in rage. His head jerked to the side to look at me, and his blue eyes burned. "What are you doing here, Gianna?"

"Come to see our returning warriors." I stepped up to him with caution. Hix stood to the side and wore a more intense version of his usual scowl.

Gabel spit, "Warriors! These aren't warriors. I will forgive your ignorance of such things, Oracle. These... things..."

He growled, unable to form coherent words

The walls all but trembled. My skin tried to flee my bones.

The kneeling males made no attempt to defend themselves. They just cowered obediently.

I wasn't sure if I should know what crime had been committed. Gabel hadn't told me. Was it safe to ask? Probably not. Even if Gabel explained it to me, the words might enrage him further as he recounted their failings.

What would an angry Luna do? Or QUeen? It was hard to think through the haze of his fury, and I had never had much of a head for politics. Gabel was so mad.

If I had had any good sense I would have run out of that room. But part of me was numb to the nightmare beast that had bitten me back in Shadowless.

"They smell terrible." I decided on a truthful observation. They smelled repulsive.

Gabel laughed. I paled. His laugh ran all over my skin as if his claws had raked me to the bone. It was a big, huge, horrible, awful laugh from the maw of a dark moon.

Without thinking, I shot a terrified look at Hix. He did not react.

Gabel's hand shot forward towards me. I squeaked. His huge palm caressed my cheek gently, "It isn't so much what they did, my dear BondMate."

"No?" my voice trembled.

"No," he spoke so gently, so tenderly but there was a crazed look in his eyes, as if the blue were churning seas, "No. It's what they didn't do. They failed. They failed the pack, they failed me, they failed you..."

What did I have to do with this?

"They were sent out two weeks ago. No... perhaps three," he mused. "Before Anders came."

Anders. Platinum entwined with Gabel, giggling at Anders as if she were the one who mattered. How dare Gabel tell me these wolves had failed me, when he had humiliated me in front of another Alpha.

Gabel released me and turned back to the wolves.

/***

OH HAI THERE

You thought I had forgotten about you? I haven't! I've been so busy I just really haven't had time to write. But now I've got to make up for lost time. ^_^

Cheers!

Merry

(Your loyal pantster)

***/