“It’s the same for every pack?” Henrey asks.
“Yes. The hierarchy is the same, too. One alpha leading each pack, followed by their betas who handle day-to-day operations, then the gammas who handle any other leadership tasks. It’s very rare for Rawbonds to have such high-ranking instructors. This year’s Trials will churn out incredibly talented Bonded, I can tell.”
“Alpha Stark,” I blurt. They both stare at me. My cheeks heat and I deftly ignore it. “Why is he here, and not on the frontline?”
Aldrich scratches his beard. “I can’t entirely speak to the reasons, other than to say that the Sovereign Alpha makes these choices,” he replies. That could mean he doesn’t know or it could mean he just doesn’t want to or can’t tell us. “But it may have something to do with pack influence. Daemos and Strategos often vie for dominance.”
A power play of some sort? Some attempt to route Daemos to rise in ranks? Wouldn’t put it past him.
Or maybe the Sovereign Alpha just needed a break from her brute of a son.
“You’ll find that Kryptos operates more independently and Phylax maintains careful neutrality, in most matters,” Aldrich explains.
And he goes on. Andon.
I start to zone out, my mind drifting to that vision of Lee again. Killian. Standing there in the dim light of the garden, eyes seeking me out.
Stop, I tell myself.Do not waste brainpower on him.
Aldrich jumps up from his chair, rushing to the board to answer a question Henrey must’ve asked.
“Like this,” he exclaims, drawing a long squiggly line with his chalk. He claps his dusty hands together. “A flowing bond. A connection like a river. Unstoppable. Constant. Ever-changing.”
“Huh?” I grumble, chin resting in my palm.
“The bond you feel,” he replies, tapping his temple. “Your energy. Your souls. Your spirits. Wolves choose their Bonded based on compatibility of that unnamable, many-named part of us that defies all true classification. Theyknow, instinctively, who we are. Every part of us. And that initial recognition, like calling to like, deepens over time, like a river carving a winding path through the hardest of stone. Shared experiences, emotions. Trust. You will only become closer to your direwolf.”
Trust me, Leader Aldrich. It can only go up from here.
What exactly does that say about me? A truly feral, vicious beast took one look at me and thought, “That one. I’ll take that one.”
Then again, she hates me, so maybe she fucked up.
“I have a question,” I interrupt.
Aldrich’s enthusiasm doesn’t wane. He clearly loves discussing direwolf bonds. “Of course.”
“Have wolves ever rejected their chosen riders, after the fact? What happens then?”
He very clearly hesitates. It’s the sort of hesitation that means he’s carefully considering how to respond because the way he answers matters here. “It’s virtually unheard of.”
“Virtually?”
“You’ve seen the wolves in training, Meryn,” Henrey says. “When a Bonded isn’t good enough for them, they know it. The Bonded dies.”
“It’s hardly a choice, on the wolf’s part. More of an instinct to eliminate weakness and protect the pack at large, even if it means their own death,” Aldrich adds. “As you may have learned by now, the wolf/human bond cannot be served once it is formed—and if it is, it results in death for both beings. Sometimes, wolves reject their chosen during the Ascent, but the bond hasn’t solidified at that point and the wolf survives.”
“I meant the spirit stuff,” I say. “What happens when a wolf changes its mind about that part?”
Aldrich stares at me. “That… No, a wolf recognizes all of us from the beginning. It’s not a decision they make lightly. It’s intimate. It runs deeper than whim and passing moods. Just like…” He pauses and turns to the board. “Oh, you’ll find this part interesting. You’ve heard of mate bonds?”
Henrey sits upright immediately. “A bond connection between wolves.”
“Precisely, recognized in moments of intimacy,” he says. “The key of what you just said isbetween wolves. The direwolves, once mated, mate for life. Their riders do not need to be together romantically, although it makes things easier, because the mate bonds have unique properties.”
I hate to admit it, but my interest piques.
“These rare connections between wolves allow their riders to communicate telepathically even across pack lines, without the aid of the Sovereign Alpha. Mated direwolves are cherished because they can protect each other—and in turn, their Bonded riders and their packs—even better during battle. Also because mated direwolves often result in direwolf pups, thereby continuing the Bonded line. However,” he slumps into the chair again, “mated wolves have become more and more rare over the past several hundred years.”
