Part 42 (1/2)

It took me a second, but I nodded my head He was a taciturn, unpleasant sort of olf, Lockeone of the old Teaave me the creeps, which I knew I shouldn't have said, so I kept h an impressive speci paradoxically esteeroup (It wasn't a fraternity because there were female members in I Gatti All except for Lia, who had lost her Gift, while acquiring Wicca So else she shared with her soon-to-be hubby, was the absence of their ani that he was over thirty and old) ”Anyway,” Ballard said, ”Yeah Locke's been , Ballard said, ”Locke's been angling to be in charge, you know, politicking”

”You mean he wants to be Head Wolf?” I said

I asked Ballard why this was so bad, but he just scowled

”So Locke's been calad Locke did anything so normal as speak He had certainly never opened his mouth in front of me before, except once

But Ballard insisted it was not hoas done

”Hohat's done?” I asked

He looked at , behind his eyes The shade of the olf

”Il Gatto is a distinction earned through daring,” said Ballard ”It's like riding the biggest wave, or k-killing the erous bear You don't just talk your way into the Headshi+p and are elected Il Gatto Everyone knows it's a motorcycle competition In I Gatti, we race for it!” His fist was in the air It was important I understand how macho and badass olves were

”So when is the race?” I asked

This was the wrong question

”Never, if Locke gets his way He keeps saying the next Il Gatto will be the most important in our history, and whoever is elected, it should be because they'll be the best fit for 'the particular probleood at all that talking I prefer the actual doing You know? So Locke fails at completely He's all talk No Don't start I knohat I'ets elected,” said Ballard, ”you'll see what Itiht about that In fact, I had a theory: that the Head didn't matter so ave the Head its power Without the worker bees there could be no queen bees

It was impossible that Wicca not intrude on my dream scenario In Wicca, females ruled The olves seee all that Maybe Lia could be Head I asked Ballard

But he cut me off ”Please The Head should be a dude Pure and sinantly

”Lia only ,” said Ballard, not without s ”When he was the Head Now that he's not the crown, or whathaveyou, is being held in interreges, waiting for the new one to beyuckfigured out Gaven's a puppet Head only A figurehead A lame duck That's it Gaven is a lame duck Those are the words” Ballard smiled

”I've always considered Gaven to be a cool cat,” I said, ”despite his being a olf Meanwhile, Lia is an Alpha cyanthrope”

”Alpha, beta, beta, alpha,” said Ballard ”And she's not a cyanthrope, she's a witchanthrope”

”Don't be such a ood head on her shoulders,” I said

”There's just the fact that she can't transforer,” said Ballard

”Has it not co about Lia's transformation, and if possible, if she could somehow becoreat Rhea Silva, who I didn't know anything about, but kept thinking of I didn't knohy, but it felt like Rhea Silva was our mother Like she was Lia's and my mother Our Wiccan ht into a great tradition Which was likeit under wraps Good thing about winterit hides your Marks

Ballard just sighed

”It's hard being the one who's never chosen,” he said And then: ”Gaven he's like one of those dogs running around with its hindquarters strapped in a theeler; you know, gimped?”

”Ballard” I said

”They treat hi, or worse, like a leper He's wandering aimlessly He doesn't knohat to do with hi around for her Lia Before I , she used to be in and out,” said Ballard ”My parents were really worried They didn't knoas going onwhich I've just learned was a co on They just wouldn't tellaround with that dratted boy Now, apparently, they're going to rewrite the past and say they knew Gaven was the Pack Leader, and an alright dude Apparently the old Leader whoet what happened Actually, I think he was banished I've been thinking about the cats They say a new cat will have to get thrown out of his hoe and wander to find a mate That's sort of the same olves You realize that there's only one, quote-unquote, ht? In the wild, they forht But we're olves, so it's a little different And the pack sizes are larger Our pack's never been this large before And there have been squabbles,” said Ballard, his e fa Whatevs”

I didn't know if I was a bad influence on hiain

”Anyway What I was saying is Lia and Gaven are like this,” he said He entwined his fingertips ”They don't want hi sure I understood

”Wait What?” I said

He sighed

”It's a hard life being a wolf Moreso when your own pack turns on you”

”I Gatti has turned its packI mean its backon Gaven?”

”Not to his face,” said Ballard, unhelpfully, ”but you get the gist”

”No I really don't,” I said ”Explain”

”Gaven is old,” said Ballard It see so?

”You don't mean to say” I said, ”they don't want hio,” said Ballard, and winked atto get angry Gaven was Gaven He didn't deserve this kind of treatet him to elaborate Maybe he could see the fierceassness behind ht I would put a jinx on hi more explicitly, in a way I could understand

”Gaven can't shi+ft He is no longer one of us Before you get upset,” said Ballard, ”it was my advice that the Council, the Werewolf Council, you relieri, you know, a respected advisor, sothat's why I haven't been around, I've been busy Happy birthday, by the way,” he said to ainst the rules, and now he's a du for his successor I didn'tvisibly upset ”In fact, the Council, of which I'ested that I was colluding with hi influence to choose his successor, but then that's how Locke is, he makes everyone so paranoid, to the point where they turned away from Gaven It's almost like he's outcast, or worse: like Gaven's a non-person A non-wolf NWG Non-wolf Gaven

”But it's only during Wolf Councils Of course, everyone's going to be at the wedding They think it's a good thing They want Gaven gone and maybe his honeyht, out of

”Gaven is like that old wolf,” said Ballard, which was a kind of echo from the man himself ”With him here, no one else can establish doh

”You cannot becorily ”Either you're born with it, or you're not And I know Locke And he's not Despite what othersNor was he a beta He was a tertiary character as a whining cur and I wouldn't let hiet there's also Paolo, and some others,” said Ballard ”They all want their shot In the absence of Alphas someone will rise to seize the Alpha Headshi+p in their stead”

”I don't care,” I said ”Gaven should be Head He's oldest and he's the wisest And he's the hottest So there”