Can't Fight the Spark

The Meeting

All werewolves had enhanced hearing. Cici knew that, it was one of the first things that young werewolves would learn. Cici Was positive that the escort didn’t need that  to hear her heart . It was pounding so hard she was worried it was going to jump out of her chest. She could just assume that it was hurting the ears of all the other werewolves in the room. “Will you stop.” Nora hissed in her head “You’re going to make us look bad.” 

“I am trying to be calm.” Cici responded, “It’s a little hard when I feel like I am marching toward my execution.

“Your wolf talking to you?” Nathan askedas he led her through the twists and turns of the council house. His voice snapped her out of the conversation with her wolf.

“Yes.” Cici said, "She has been really loud lately. I don’t know why she decided I need her opinion on everything. But she is sharing it all the time.” 

“It’s probably because your emotions are really high right now. There is a lot going on and your wolf is just trying to guide you.”

“That’s right. Cici. I am here to help you. Why can’t you just accept that?”

“Because it's a little hard when you keep pushing me toward something I don’t want and probably can’t do.”

“You can do it, and I’ll be there to help you.”

“Why don’t we just wait until we see what the council says before we start making plans.” CiCi continued to argue. She was starting to feel a little crazy. She was talking to the voice of a wolf that lived in her head after all.

“Fine.” Nora huffed. Cici was relieved that she had finally won an argument with that stubborn wolf. She was really was happy that she had managed to get her wolf to be agreeable and quiet for once. It couldn't have happened soon enough since they were approaching a door at the end of the hall. She may have never been to the council house before, but his room had “meeting hall” written all over it.

Nathan stopped and knocked on the door and CiCi heard a loud voice say “come in.” Nathan gestured to CiCi that she should go first. She took a deep  breath to try and settle her nerves and pushed the door open.

When she walked in her eyes immediately landed on Lydia. Technically Lydia was her great grandmother, but she didn’t look a day over 25. The werewolf genes and healing were powerful and helped them fight aging. Next to Lydia was a lady with dark brown hair who was looking at CiCi like she might cry and a blacked haired woman who looked ready to jump and attack her. Finally they settled on another brunette who was looking at her like CiCi was a book that needed to be studied. 

Cici didn’t like being looked at like that, so she shifted her eyes away from the high Lunas to the men in the room. She had heard that they existed, but she didn’t know anything about them. She especially hadn’t heard they would be so…perfect looking. They were so good looking it was uncomfortable to look at them so she focused on the wall just behind them. She cleared her throat and waited for someone to say something.

Finally, the man in the middle fixed his gold eyes on her and lifted an eyebrow. “Are you Miss Cecily Swift of the Silverpaw pack?” 

Cici knew that she was going to have to speak. But now that she was standing there and everyone was looking at her she felt like she had lost her voice. She just stood there for a few moments, finally she was able to speak. “Yes.” She was ashamed that it took her so long to answer such an easy question,  but she couldn’t fix it now.

“You are the daughter and now only child of the deceased Alpha James Swift?” 

CiCi’s heart twisted into a knot at the words “only child.” That hadn’t always been the case and hearing that just reminded her of how much she missed her father and her brothers. She nodded slowly and took in another breath. “Yes.”  She really wanted one of them to smile at her or show her some kind of encouragement. She really wanted some kind of reassurance that everything was going to be ok. But they weren’t. They were all staring at her with blank looks on her face. Her stomach kept twisting and she was happy that she had skipped breakfast.

Finally the woman who had been staring the hardest spoke. “This is a very  interesting case, Miss Swift. It might even be unique.” 

“I know.” Cici Said. In the past whenever an alpha wanted to take over another pack  they had been very…thorough. To put it plainly if the bloodpaws had been successful, CiCi would have been killed along with the rest of her family.  But he didn't do that. She was still alive and in her right mind. He hadn’t  even found her to try and force her to submit to him. It had created a mess, and now the council had to untangle it.

“We have been discussing how to best handle this situation.” The woman continued. CiCi nodded. She had hoped that she would have been included in these discussions, but it looked like it had been done without her. Apparently the council brought her to tell her what she was doing, not ask what she wanted. 

CiCi was really anxious and wanted to ask them what conclusions they had come up with. But she held back. There had to be a reason they were taking their time. If she got impatient it would probably irritate them. And they struck her as the type to not do well with being irritated. So she just stood silently and waited for their decision. 

“Cecily Swift.” The man in the center took over again. “Would you accept the honor and the responsibility as the alpha of the Silverpaw pack?” 

CiCi felt her stomach lurch again. Everyone had been telling her that this was an option.  Her mother and Robert had tried to prepare her for it. She thought she was ready, but actually hearing the words made her feel like she was going to be sick. Especially when they were that direct. 

“Say something or I will!” Nora said. CiCi hadn’t realized how much time had passed but it was enough for it to be noticeable. And upset her wolf. 

“I thought you were going to be quiet for this!” CiCi snapped back. This was a hard decision she needed to make. She didn’t want to be pushed into something by a bossy wolf.

“I was, but then you were quiet enough for the both of us! Now say something before they think you are stupid and take it back!”

“Yes. I will.” CiCi finally spoke up. It hadn’t been too long, but to her wolf it felt like it had been an eternity. “If the council has faith in me than it would be my honor to take on the Silverpaw pack.” She was surprised at herself. All the way to the council house she had thought about how she didn’t want to be an alpha. She agreed without thinking as much as she thought she would. But even though they asked, it wasn't like she really had had a choice. If she didn’t take the pack Christopher would. And she would rather die than let that murderer take anything. 

“We do have faith in you.” The man on the right of the table said, “And we have taken preparations to help you ease into that position.”

“You have?” CiCi raised her eyebrows and looked at all of them. They must have been talking about this a lot to already have a plan. 

“Yes we have.” The small woman she was realizing was all business said. “We need to speak to the other alphas and than we will all meet together.”

“Oh. All of us?” CiCi had really been hoping that she would have been able to make it through this without having to see Christopher. But it looked like she wasn’t going to be that lucky. 

“Don’t worry Cecily. We will make sure no harm comes to you while you are here.” The man in the center smiled at her and glanced around the room. “Does anyone else have anything to add?” When no one responded he looked back at CiCi “You are dismissed Cecily. We will see you tomorrow morning.”