Chương 107: Chapter 107: Zero Tolerance Policy

Jude POV

Ravyn defied the bullies. "Your Alpha's children are all wizards. Your Intelligence Chief's children have witch blood. Your enforcer, Dirge, mated with a wood elf–"

"That's just as bad," jeered the lead bully, squaring off against Ravyn. "You and your freak daughter brought all this upon us. We were doing just fine before–"

BOOM.

Kelara's swirling wind blast hit the bullies' leader in the chest at close range. In a twinkling, Talon shifted into his silver wolf form.

Jude transformed as well, claws outstretched. He could feel his fangs thirst for blood. Like toxic smoke, the bullies' foul smells lingered. He wanted to pounce before

Jiro had promised consequences for these bullies. They couldn't say they hadn't been warned.

But as Silverpaw Alpha, he had to respect Dane's authority. Ravyn and Kelara might have knocked the bullies down, but discipline should come from Dane, by rights.

He lifted his head and howled for assistance. Talon's voice blended with his.

"That's the problem with this weak blood," one of the bullies jeered. "Shifters aren't shifters anymore thanks to all this mixing."

Patch's voice rang out, close to the grim scene. "I KNEW their ignorance was going to spread."

Dane's sharp tones made Jude tremble, and they weren't even aimed at him. "It dies here."

Jiro snarled, "You were all warned."

He rotated, and smiled smugly at the sight of Dane and Lilia marching beside Jiro and Garnet, with Patch and Kyon flanking them. His other two fellow Alphas looked livid over shifters disgracing themselves to this degree, stooping to harassing and demeaning their own kind. From Kyon's demeanor, he might just sit on the first bully to mouth off. His sheer size made the bullies shrink.

Cowards.

"Maybe a night in a cell will make you reconsider your attitudes," Lilia said in a no-nonsense tone.

The arrogance fled, and the bullies all suddenly realized the mess they'd made for themselves. With their ringleader and others lying unconscious, they looked like scared prey.

Dane bared his teeth. "Patch, take them to the pack jailhouse."

Patch smirked. "It would be my pleasure."

Jude shifted back to human form and watched as Patch, with enforcers joining him, took the malcontents to the jailhouse. The long way around. Past the crowds, who probably stopped their merrymaking long enough to wonder just what these shifters had done wrong.

Jiro whistled, low. "Leave it to Patch."

"You know him," Kyon said with a wicked look. "He excels at making people's lives miserable when he sets his mind to it. Flattening those bullies would have been satisfying for about a minute …"

Dane smelled like the woodsmoke of the fire, ready to be set ablaze. "And predictable. Jude, you did the right thing, and showed more restraint than I would have."

Jude dared to tease. "No pack war, then, I take it."

Lifting his head, Dane just stared after the prisoners, his profile proud. "Not today."

William scowled. "I wanted to make them sorry!"

Kyon knelt beside the boy, his eyes on Primrose. "You had a much more important job, big man."

The bunny in William's arms gave an enthusiastic squeak, and Primrose buried her face in the bunny's fur. Kyon smiled affectionately. "I think my little girl is tired after all this. Let me take her."

"Not yet," Lilia asserted. "We have something important to do first." She reached out a hand to Kelara, as one Luna to another. "Unless this incident has soured you on our pack and the shifter lands."

Kelara stiffened, her head up high. "HAH! Never."

Talon draped an arm around Dane and one around Jiro. "It'll take more than a band of ratty-furred malcontents to tear us away from our family and people."

Jude reached behind Jiro's slender frame and patted Talon on the back. "Just let them try."

Ravyn joined Lilia in surrounding Kelara, with Garnet in the mix, too. Four powerful Lunas.

An argument erupted in the distance, and Jude tensed.

"You ain't getting anywhere near," the human voice of Aldwin Brocius snarled.

The arrogant voice of Wolfspeaker Alpha Caden Wolfbane answered, "Out of my way, human. This is a shifter matter."

"Those were shifters that just got dragged off by their tails," Aldwin snapped, brandishing a sword.

Jude smelled the silver and he tensed, glancing at Dane, who pulled away and marched toward the quarreling ex-bandit and the notoriously brutal Alpha.

Caden was a cold bastard, cruel and harsh, maybe because of the Wolfspeaker lands, where the shifters fought for every single scrap of food. Yet you knew where you stood with him. A bastard, but one who lived by a warrior's code.

Talon and Kelara approached. "Aldwin, stand down," Talon barked. "This is a fellow Alpha, come to offer his support."

"Hmph," Aldwin responded, brandishing his sword.

Caden leapt at him, shoving him so the silver blade flew from his hands and hit the grass. "Show some respect when you're with shifters!"

Jude tensed, but Talon approached and gripped Aldwin's arm. "Easy, Aldwin," he said in a low voice. "Waving silver around is usually a no-no here."

Aldwin sniffed, his ruggedly handsome face taut with tension as he glared at Alpha Caden. "Wasn't going to attack him unless he deserved it."

Caden's rolling laughter only got under Aldwin's skin. "You'd make some Alpha a cute little omega."

Jude bared his teeth. "Maybe your lands are so cold your brain froze. He belongs to another pack. You don't poach someone from an Alpha's household."

"Two houses, ain't that right?" Aldwin jabbed Caden. "Our little household, and that Crimsontail Shadows Alpha's house."

Dane backed him up. "There'll be no claiming him unless Aldwin wants to be claimed. Understand?"

Caden gave everyone a cocky smile. "At least I'm not anti-human." With a wolfish look, he patted Aldwin's shoulder. "Out of respect for Alpha Dane and Luna Lilia, and because Alpha Jiro is known to be colder in battle than the icy peaks of my homeland, I'll leave you alone. For now. Happy to see your guests are safe and unhurt."

Whistling, he strolled off toward the feast, but Jude grabbed him. "Because you're so intent on making a point, you can stand with us and put that mouth to good use for once."

Ravyn smiled in approval. Goddess, he couldn't wait to be alone with her, but for now, their family had a feast full of bewildered and curious guests.

* * * * *

Kelara POV

In all her former life as a soldier of fortune and wandering freelance spy and adventurer, Lady Kelara Blackthorn couldn't have imagined the intrigue and excitement that unfolded ever since her unknowing bonding with her beloved Talon.

Arm in arm with Lilia, Ravyn, and Garnet, she couldn't help thanking Ravyn and Jude for their own quest. Without them, Talon wouldn't have defied his family's will and embraced his shifter heritage.

And now, some idiots were trying to push them out of the shifter lands!

No. She wouldn't go.

Talon smelled, as always, like the mistletoe she'd grown up with. It centered her, a balm to her senses. His smell had that effect on her, ever since she'd barged into his study on one of her jobs when she arrived in the huge city of Aquitaine. As cold as Alpha Caden, he'd smelled like her childhood memories, yet he'd snapped at her and demanded to know if she was a spy for his enemy and former friend, Lord Blackwood.

An unlikely love story had grown thanks to that mistletoe smell. And it led her to more family than she'd ever counted on. To William, the precious stepson who now held his cousin and his bunny so tightly. To the Cresta family and the Sinsworths.

She marched with her new family to the bonfire, where the dancers milled around, chatting in excited voices about the hateful people that just got marched off by the irrepressible Patch Cresta.

Dane howled loudly, full-throated, and the gathering fell silent.

Staring out at the sea of faces in the firelight, Dane addressed them. "Tonight, a dozen members of our pack disgraced themselves by spewing hatred towards Lord Talon and Lady Kelara. Not only that, towards their son, whose only offense is that he's part human."

Angry and shocked exclamations met his words. Barrett Malone, the Crimsontail Beta, shouted, "Better a human than a fool!"

Dirge hissed. "What's next? Hating elves?"

Paling, Thessi shivered. "People used to say ugly things about us–and worse."

Lilia smiled at her kindly, then sobered up. "These idiots, who have all been thrown in the jailhouse while the Alpha and I decide their fates, hate anyone that isn't a shifter."

Angry muttering from every shifter at the gathering. Bram yelled, "Outrageous!"

Dane projected his voice. "The hatred first showed itself thanks to a kitchen maid who spewed poison and may yet be fired. Now, the wretched souls who embarrassed our pack are in a cold stone cell rather than in this warm gathering. Any of you who are thinking about following their example will share their fate."

"That goes double for the Silverpaw Pack," growled Jude, and Ravyn agreed. Daxius and Marieke stood with them.

Jiro was cool and elegant with Garnet close to him. "No Crimsontail would be that stupid."

All the Crimsontails howled in agreement. Cyran's eyes flashed, and Naomi called out, "Don't do the Dark Goddess' work for her."

Not to be outdone. Alpha Caden and Alpha Raef swore that no one in their packs would get away with shaming their people. Kelara noticed Alpha Caden's eyes on Aldwin. Clearly, HE didn't have a problem with humans. Battle-scarred and tough, Aldwin took the Alpha's flirting in stride. Maybe, as an ex-bandit, he was used to all kinds of situations.

Dane addressed the shifters. "No inter-species hate in our packs. And zero tolerance for it! Are you with me?"

"YES, ALPHA AND LUNA!"

Jude pulled Ravyn forward, and whispered, "Kneel before me."

"WHAT?"

"Just do it."

Ravyn knelt before him and looked up at him.

Jude growled, feeling a huge satisfaction at seeing her, this powerful woman, willingly submitting to him. "Let's do this properly. Ravyn Rolfe, will you officially be my mate? Will you bond with me publicly, here and now, and not wait for our official bonding ceremony?"

Kelara sensed terror inside Ravyn.