The Queen Of Tricks

Fox's Moment

"At least he has a brain. It may be pea sized, but it's more then what you have."

Alf glared at me, but didn't comment continuing on with his spiel. "A pathetic fox does not deserve to be our Luna."

"Clearly the pack doesn't have high standards anyways if a brainless skinny mole is on the council." I looked Alf up and down, so he wouldn't be confused as to who the mole was.

Alf huffed, his face turning red. "Do you know who you are speaking to?"

"Yeah, you're Alf. We literally just went over this." I looked at him as if he was stupid, then my eyes turned harder. "But actually, that's about it. That's all I know about you. Which is kind of sad considering I know everybody. Everybody important anyways."

"Listen here you fox," Alf hissed, forcing me to roll my eyes. "Keep speaking like that to me and I will have you hanging in the gallows by your organs."

Alf clearly forgot who he was talking to. What I could do to him, or better yet at this point what an Alpha could do to him. An Alpha who was known for his cruelty and brutality.

Before his sentence was even out of his mouth, Cassar was on him.

Cassar shoved Alfred up against the bookcase, holding him by the neck. Alf squirmed in fear, his feet not even touching the ground.

In a terrifyingly calm voice that held utter rage behind it, Cassar whispered. "I am tired of you disrespecting my mate, and your future Luna. Do it again, and you will find yourself hanging in the gallows by your organs. And that is a promise."

With one more shove, Cassar let go of the male. Alf dropped to his knees, trying to make up for all the lost breaths Cassar had taken from him.

Cassar just strode back to his chair like nothing had happened. Like that was normal.

A thick silence hung in the air.

When he was sitting comfortably, he looked directly in the eyes of every wolf in the room. Anger simmering behind his lids.

A few of the pack members who wanted to feed me to the lions sat back nervously. Harlen sat down in her own chair smiling smugly. Nora shook her head at the whimpering male. Gage waited, amusement in his eyes. Cassar looked at me last.

"Would anybody else like to add their opinion?" He asked.

It was more of a dare than a question.

No one spoke up. The room so silent it felt like it would swallow us whole. Even Alf had stopped moving. And maybe even breathing.

I looked around the room, checking to see if someone was going to say anything. Only Nora would meet my eyes.

I guess I was going in alone then.

"Well actually," I started. "I would like to reemphasise my opinion."

I could have sworn someone groaned.

"I think we all know your opinion." Cassar drawled.

"Clearly you're not understanding it though," I said easily. Then my stare turned to stone. I braced my hands on the end of Cassar's desk. "I want to warn you."

***

"Warn us?" One of the wolves repeated.

"Yes." I didn't break my steely gaze from Cassars. He tilted his head back, but refused to look away. "Let me go, or I will destroy you."

Cassar was going to interrupt, but I didn't let him.

"Not all foxes lie, steal, and cheat, but I do. I'm actually quite good at it." My voice was low but as hard as granite. Any trace of a grin gone. My face schooled into a look of calm before the storm. My eyes blazing silver. "If you don't let me go, I will destroy your pack.

"I will destroy everything you have ever loved. I will take everything you have ever worked for. Break down everything you have ever built. As you watch your pack crumble before your eyes, you will know exactly who is behind it. But you won't be able to do anything about it.

"If you don't let me go, you will find out exactly what a small pathetic fox like me can do. And you will not like it."

The room had become even quieter. The kind of silence I thought only the dead could hear. Cassar was the one to break it. Slowly he rose from his chair.

Without breaking eye contact, he leaned over his desk mimicking my own stance. Cassar whispered menacingly to the rest of the room. "Out."

With one quiet command every wolf quickly shuffled out of the room, like rabbits away from a fox.

Before the door closed behind them, I heard Harlen speak to the rest of the pack. "Now that is a Luna."

"Now we only need her on our side." Gage replied sarcastically.

The door closed shut, Cassar and I refusing to break eye contact.

"You are really starting to get under my skin." He growled.

"Then my plan is working," I smirked at him.

"And what exactly is that plan?" He said slowly, the shade of his eyes showing how frustrated he was.

My smirk widened. "That's classified information."

"Annoy me until I want you to leave?" Cassar smirked back at me.

"Of course not." I scoffed because that was pretty much it.

Cassar's smirk deepened not believing me.

I growled in response. "Listen here Puppy Boy-"

His cocky smirk fell as he growled in response.

I ignored him.

"I meant what I said. If you keep me here, I will destroy you."

"You like to cause trouble, don't you?"

I gave him a wicked grin. "One of my hobbies."

"You're very good at it." He whispered. "But you need to stop."

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

Being so close to him I could see the dark brown blending into the light brown of his eyes as the colour lightened. Amusement shinning in them. That only frustrated me. My threat was not amusing.

"Were you not paying attention? I thought I made it pretty clear that I'm just getting started."

"I think you think you're just getting started."

"You don't believe me?" I c****d my head to the side.

"You won't destroy your own pack."

"This isn't my pack."

"It can be." He breathed.

"No," I said standing straight, leaving the close proximity of Cassar I didn't realise had shrunk. "It can't."

Cassar huffed. "Why?"

I ignored him, looking over the office again. Staring at the stag that hung behind Cassar.

"Why the fight?" I asked, changing the subject.

He eyed me up and down, deciding if he should tell me the truth or blow it off. If he should accept my subject change, or push more. After watching the internal battle through his eyes, they hardened.

Cassar let out a deep breath, shaking his head. "They have been fighting since you got here."

I rolled my eyes. "So have I."

"I know. I have you ignoring our bond, and them fighting our bond. It's exhausting."

I pouted my lips sarcastically. "Poor baby. All you're doing is punishing myself. Let me go and you kill two birds with one stone."

He gave me a flat look. "Funny." He said flatly. "And only some of them refuse to accept you as my mate. Others are overjoyed."

My face scrunched up. "Idiots."

Cassar rolled his eyes. "At first they were mad you didn't shift."

"That's still a thing in modern day packs?"

It wasn't uncommon for males to see non-shifting females as unreliable wastes. In the past couple of years, most packs had stopped thinking that way, obviously not all.

He rolled his eyes, frustration and anger burning in them. "Apparently."

"I don't know, I've met a lot of non-shifting females, and they know how to handle themselves. The closest I've ever come to death was from a non-shifting she-wolf." I shuddered remembering my blood pouring to the floor.

"Why did she try and kill you?"

"Because she had nice things."

"You stole from a non-shifting female wolf?"

"Of course. I don't discriminate. I was desperate and she was rich." I smiled at the memory.

"How did she do it?" He asked shocked.

I almost told him. Just as I was opening my mouth to tell the story, I stopped myself. He wasn't my friend, he was my captor. I frowned. "Nice try."

"I thought finding out you were a fox meant no more secrets." Cassar frowned at me.

I belted out a laugh. When I calmed down enough to speak I looked back at him. I wiped a fake tear from my eye. "Oh honey, you know nothing."

He frowned but didn't comment, not pressing me for more details. Which I appreciated. He brought the conversation back to our initial topic. "Now some of the council are pissed that you are a fox."

"Why tell them at all?"

Cassar walked to the window, contemplating. "The sooner they know, the sooner they will get over it."

"Wow, your pack really has a thing against foxes." I mused. "It's not surprising, but still."

"Only some," Cassar explained. "A lot of them are old school. They still believe that wolves are the dominant creature."

The way Cassar said it, it was clear that he did not agree. That he was almost embarrassed by them.

"Your pack is known for that opinion," I remarked. A few years ago they some members of the Viribus Pack had murdered hundreds of creatures, their only crime was not being born a wolf.

"That was a long time ago. The job of an Alpha is to lead a pack, not destroy it."

I grinned at him. "No, the destroying is my job."

"Which we need to change."

"Done. Just let me go."

"That is not and never will happen."

I groaned loudly. This conversation was getting old.

Cassar had the audacity to smile at my pain.

I glared at him from head to toe. "Why are you being nice to me?"

"Because you are my mate."

"That's not it." I waved him off. "Today you're different, nicer. Why?"

I noticed it when I walked into the room. He seemed friendlier, and I didn't have a clue why.

He smirked at me, mischief in his eyes. The look was really annoying. "You're not the only one who can come up with a plan."

I rolled my eyes. "What kind of plan?"

"A plan to make you stay."

"Is the blood-tie not your genius idea to keep me here?"

"A plan to make you want to stay." Cassar's smirk deepened. He was so proud of himself, I would love to disappoint him.

"And what would this plan involve?"

Before he could respond the office door swung open. Gage panting heavily behind it.

"Alpha, we have a situation." Gage's eyes glanced between the two of us, nervous about telling me to much.

In a second Cassar was running for the door. His eyes slightly glazed, no doubt speaking through his Pack link.

Just before he ran down the hall, he looked back at me. His eyes now black. His voice full of warning.

"Don't go anywhere." With those final words Cassar was gone. Gage fallowing quick on his heels.

I hadn't listened before, I sure wasn't going to listen now.

While the pack was distracted, I had a favour to fulfil.

Ignoring the alphas orders I walked out of the office. Stepping over the two unconscious guards still laying on the ground.

I was sure I saw their chests rise and fall. I didn't stay long to figure it out. Instead I continued down the packhouse.

The packhouse was huge but empty. Spacious but lonesome.

It wasn't the first time I wondered why only four wolves lived inside. Why would the wolves of the pack refuse to live in the same house as their alpha?

If I stayed long enough, hopefully I would find the answer. It all depended on how long it took to break a blood-tie.

Quickly I went down some flights of stairs and found the back door. I opened it slowly and took a step into the fresh air.

I checked to see if the coast was clear before I started walking east.

There wasn't a wolf in sight. Clearly this situation was a big deal. Quickly and quietly I sauntered across the yard, heading for the eastern woods.

"What do you think you're doing?" My babysitter called from the other side of the tree line that surrounded the backyard of the packhouse.

Of course she had to show up now.

Turning around I gave Harlen an angelic smile. "Going for a walk."

"A walk?" She repeated. "Why?"

"Because I want to get as far away from Cassar as possible." It was not a lie. That guy made me feel weird, for some reason whenever I was around him I wanted to drop my guard and relax. It was very unsettling.

Harlen shook her head. "I don't think that's a good idea right now."

I tilted my head to the side. "Why not?"

"An intruder was caught on the territory. Cassar won't like the idea of you getting caught in the crossfire."

I rolled my eyes, not bothering to ask questions. "To be honest I don't really care what Cassar likes and doesn't like."

She smiled a little. "Actually, I think you love everything Cassar doesn't like."

"I see your point." I laughed. "Besides, it shouldn't matter. You said the intruder was caught, no worries about me running into them."

"There could be more." She said uncertainly.

"Come on, you said I wasn't trapped here." I bargained with her.

"You're not." She looked at me from the corner of her eye.

"You said I was allowed to check out the territory?"

"Right. With an escort."

I could work around it. "Then I propose we go for a walk."

"You want to find the fastest way out of here?" She assumed.

"No. I've known that before I entered your territory." I grinned. "I just want to check it out. I've been stuck in the house for over a week, I need to make up for lost time."

She hummed still not sure.

"I just want to get some exercise. It's good for the soul."

She nodded her head, but still looked at me wryly. "Where would we go?"

"Around." I kept the angelic smile plastered to my face.

To the east. I definitely wanted to go east.

She still seemed a bit skeptical, but she finally nodded her head. "Fine. It's not like you can run very far with the blood-tie."

I frowned at her, did she have to remind me of that?

Now I didn't feel so bad for what I was about to do.

We had been walking around the Viribus Territory for hours. Harlen was getting bored, but she still trailed behind me. Only complaining every once in a while. Keeping a close eye on everything I did, just in case I decided to try something sneaky.

She had no idea why I wanted to take a walk through the eastern forest. She just thought I wanted to get away from Cassar. She wasn't entirely wrong.

But I heard a rumour that something big lived in the Viribus territory. Something big and scary. Something besides the Alpha.

He was one of the reasons I was in the Algoren Pack in the first place. I knew he lived on the eastern side of the territory, but the exact location was still a mystery. I just prayed that it would be close enough that the blood-tie wouldn't become a factor.

So for the past several hours Harlen and I wandered the forest for the hidden caves.

I had yawned a few times during our walk, the exhaustion creeping in. After the last time Harlen smirked at me.

"Feeling tired, Vienna?" She asked.

"A little." I nodded, balancing on a fallen tree.

"I know why you are not sleeping," Harlen smirked, following me.

"Because I was kidnapped and am now being held against my will? Because every second I'm here, I have to watch my back to make sure no one kills me. Because I can't waste a moment and half to keep plotting my escape?" I suggest to her smugly.

She smirked at me. "No. You're not sleeping because your body wants to be closer to Cassar."

"What?" I blanked. If I had been drinking water, I would have done a spit take.

Harlen was right, I wasn't sleeping. Since I woke from my three day nap, I had only been able to get a few hours of restless sleep. But that was not because of Cassar.

"You're mates. Your fox wants to be closer to him." She explained.

I growled. "I'm getting really sick and tired of having this conversation with people."

"The more I think about it, the more I believe you guys are mates." Harlen began.

"Humour me." I didn't really care what she had to say, I just needed her to keep walking.

"It's not impossible for two different types of shifter's to be mates. Incredibly rare, but not impossible. And because you're a fox, and foxes choose their partners, it has never occurred to you about having a mate. A mate is such an abstract idea to you, you can't admit it to yourself. You probably don't even recognise the signs."

"You have nothing better to do, do you?" I grinned.

"What else am I supposed to do when I'm babysitting your ass." She grumbled. "It's not like you provide stimulating conversation."

"Hey!" I shouted offended. "I can be stimulating."

"I'll let Cassar know." She winked at me.

It was automatic for me to start gagging.

She rolled her eyes at me. "Now shut up and listen. Once you realise that different shifter's can be mates, and learn how the mating-bond works, you will finally be able to admit it to yourself."

"Two problems with that." I pointed out. "One, your whole sentence is invalid because I already know shifter's can have real romantic relationships. It's not as uncommon as you think."

"What do you mean?"

"I know a jaguar and a bear that are mated, one of the most beautiful couples I know. Relationships between different shifters aren't as rare as people think, it's just not talked about. A lot of creatures would kill the couples if they found out, so they just lie low and focus on living happy normal lives."

Harlen raised a brow at me. "How do you know this?"

I gave her a small smile, thinking about the older couple. "I've been around."

"Right. So different shifters can mate. What's the second problem?"

"No part of me loves Cassar Salvaterre. Just a lot of hate." I told her honestly. Weren't mates supposed to love each other?

Harlen gave a soft bitter laugh, as if she was speaking from experience. "Mates don't have to love each other V. A bond is formed between the body and the brain, not the heart."

"Isn't that what wolves go on about? The perfect person for them?"

"There's no reason they shouldn't love each other, but it doesn't mean love is always involved. A mate is your equal, you should make each other better, but sometimes it just doesn't work out that way. The bond doesn't force you to love each other, it just makes you need them.

I rolled my eyes. "You just keep giving me more reasons why mates are a stupid bond."

Harlen snorted. "I'm not disagreeing. But they still exist. And unfortunately we still have to deal with them. When you have a mate, you want and need to be closer to that person. It's the reason why you're not sleeping. You need to be closer to Cassar."

"Okay, I'm not saying your right because you're not," I said sharply to her. "But Cassar and I are literally living in the same house, how would that not be close enough."

She gave me a look that was the visible representation of 'duh'. "Because you want to be with him."

Again with those gag reflexes. "Hell no."

"Not having s*x Vienna. Just being with the person. Together." She said, amused at my response.

"Well," I shrugged with a smile. "It's a good thing we're not mates."

"If being closer to him helps you sleep at night, why not?"

After that I changed the subject. Forcing myself not to yawn again for the rest of the walk.

It wasn't long before I knew we were getting closer. Harlen started to realise that we probably weren't going in the safest direction. Harlen tried to convince me to turn around and go back to the packhouse.

The closer we got, the louder she became. I used her complaining like a compass. If she would quite down, I knew I was heading in the wrong direction. Crankier she was, the closer we were.

It worked like this for a long while until Harlen finally growled at me forcing me to turn.

"Yes?"

"It's time to go home now." Her eyes getting darker.

"Oh come on, a couple more minutes." I begged her.

"No Vienna, Cassar is going to come looking for you soon."

That reminded me of a question I had been meaning to ask. As I asked I started walking backwards. "Don't you have to call Alphas by their title? Not their name?"

She shook her head. "It all depends on the Alpha. Cassar gives us the option of what we want to call him. Some call him Alpha, others call him Cassar. It's our decision."

"Well," I started. "in that case I think I'll call him-"

"We have the option between Alpha and Cassar. That's it." She clarified, following me deeper into the forest.

"So I shouldn't call him scum of the earth bacteria? Or Barbarous Bastard? Heartless jerk tard? An inbred Mutt?"

"I dare you to try and see what happens."

I gave her a mischievous grin. "Oh I will."

She rolled her eyes. "I bet he'll love the inbred comment."

"You think so?" My eyes filled with hope. "It really describes his roots. Where he comes from. His heritage, you know?"

She realised I had started walking again. "I know what you're doing. If you keep going I will have to alert Cassar."

"Then I'll be able to try my new nicknames on him." I beamed.

Harlen wasn't impressed.

Then I smelt him. The musky dirt smell became stronger and stronger. I was closer then I thought.

"Vienna, let's go." Harlen knew we were close too.

"Why?" I stalled.

"It's not safe here." She lied. Well it wasn't a lie, but not the whole truth.

"Why?" I humoured her.

"V, there was a rogue sighting in the Algoren Pack the night before you came. Now there was another creature in the territory." She warned. She was trying to distract me from what really lived in these woods. "Who knows what else is around."

I smirked. "There were no rogues."

She questioned me. "What do you mean?"

I just smirked.

Then we both froze. A deep warning rumble came from inside the caves that were in the distance.

Harlen growled back, her now black eyes darting from me to the caves. Her nails slowly shifting into claws. Her teeth growing longer, sharper, into wolf teeth. The body of a true warrior coming through.

I've heard stories about the creature in the cave, and the wolf warrior in front of me. My money was on Harlen.

But that didn't mean I was scared of either of them.

While she was surveying the caves I took that as my opportunity. Swiftly I turned on my heel and ran.

As I ran, I saw the markings on the ground. The little swirls that told me exactly how far I needed to get before I didn't have to worry about Harlen's bite.

A barrier that would not let her pass. I just hoped I could make it. Harlen's loud roar ricocheted off of the trees around us. Deafening anything with ears in a ten mile radius.

With all the commotion I didn't dare pay attention to another roar from another part of the territory.

She ran full force for my back to stop me, but she wasn't fast enough. As she jumped to bite my shoulder which would force me on the ground with a lot of pain, she hit the barrier with a bang.

Just as I had predicted, the barrier flung her back onto the ground. Away from me.

Without a delay Harlen was back on her feet charging for me again. The same thing happened.

I stood on the other side, panting heavily. A smirk on my lips.

Harlen growled at me trying to break through the border. To a random stranger, they would think we stood directly across from each other. In reality, we were worlds apart.

"Vienna, get back over here now." She gritted through her teeth. She glared at me with the full force of the arctic tundra. She didn't even say please.

"Maybe later." I waved her off, walking closer to the dark cave that was on the side of the mountain. Her yelling quieting down as I walked further away from her. To the reason I came here in the first place.

There were a few caves that were attached to the mountain. Some went deep inside the mountain, while others were just a shallow hole. The huge trees were just starting to change colours that surrounded the opening of the cave.

Some of the dirt at the opening was ripped apart. Long scratches marked the trees. The smell of blood stained the air.

That barrier might have existed to keep others out, but its main purpose was to keep something in.

The constant rumbling sound that rolled off the walls of the caves stopped.

"Hello? Anybody home?" I called into the cave.

The only sound that greeted me was the sound of Harlen growling, pacing back and forth on the other side of the invisible boundary, now in wolf form. Barking for me to go back to her.

I was about to call again when I heard a small scratching noise coming from inside.

Before I could blink he emerged. Charging. At me.

I didn't dare move as the truck sized bear ran for me. Roaring at me with saliva dripping from his red strained mouth.

Harlen howled. A threat and a warning. It didn't faze either of us.

I didn't dare move a muscle. Not from her, and definitely not from the snarling bear that was ready to rip me in half. I stood up straighter, showing no fear.

When he realised I wasn't going to back down he slammed his feet into the ground, halting inches from my face. His nasty breath fanning my face.

"So I guess someone is home," I smirked up at the bear. His auburn eyes burning.

This bear was one of the biggest bears roaming the planet. He was known for being one of the most vicious shifters in the unknown world. How he ended up in this neck of the woods was a mystery to even me.

The bear glared at me for a couple of seconds before he slowly lowered his head to mine. He bared his teeth, and then roared.

My hair flying from the force of his breath. The saliva from his mouth hit me in the face. He was so loud my ears started to ring.

He was expecting me to run, to cry, to break down. I just wiped the spit from my cheeks with a disgusted look.

Giving me a final glare, he shifted. In a bright flash, the giant bear turned into a giant Frankenstein-like man.

His golden brown fur shifting into golden brown skin covered in hair. Standing well over seven feet tall, solid mass. He towered over my five foot two, my head at the bottom of his chest.

Thankfully, I've never been easily intimidated.

I also ignored the fact that he was buck naked. Some shifters preferred to stay in their animal form full time. I heard he was one of them. For him clothing would be nothing but a pain.

I had met many shifters who preferred no clothes. At this point, I was used to it. A body was just a body. It made no difference to me if they were wearing a snowsuit or birthday suit. I just kept my eyes trained on his.

He stood five steps away from me. He crossed his arms over his chest. Still glaring at me for disturbing his slumber, or meal. Who knew, maybe I was the meal.

"I have a deal with the Alpha that his pack members would not bother me." The giant bear seethed. His voice gruff, as if he hadn't used it in a long time. "How did you get here?"

"Well it's a good thing I'm not a pack member then."

"You walk on his land. You keep with his warrior." He nodded towards a pissed off Harlen through the trees, growling at the both of us. Close enough for her to see us, but far enough that she couldn't hear us. "Yet, you claim you are no part of his pack."

"I like to think of myself as more of a prisoner of sorts." I grinned.

"You are roaming his land. You are not locked up in a cage. How are you a prisoner?" He pointed out.

"Not all cages have bars and a lock. You should know that." I looked at the forest around us. The small area he was given.

"I choose to be here." He grumbled, turning away from me to go back inside his cave.

"Why?" A simple question.

He huffed in response.