Dawn of Light: Fated Darkness Book 3

Chapter 5: Burdens

Emery was downstairs with Kaleb getting caught up on Twilight Moon pack affairs.

So far she had learned that the Vampire's numbers continued to increase. Although they still made no move against their territory or the wolves on patrol, no one was fooled. Wolves know better than to pick a fight with the blood suckers unprovoked and even vampires were weary of her kind as well.

But other than that, the rest of the information consisted of food shortages, a well on the territory going bad due to a deer carcass polluting the water, and a small forest fire that wiped out half of their garden that supplied the pack with it's vegetables for the winter.

Emery stared at the reports, rereading the notes and shaking her head. "How are we running this low on food?"

She stood in the center of the kitchen speaking with Ms. Lena who oversaw the kitchen staff and supplies and the head chef who prepares the menu. They barely had enough supplies to cover the next two weeks and for whatever reason the next delivery was delayed by another two weeks. Feeding over two-hundred wolves at any given time is a struggle but without the proper supplies, it's impossible.

"We placed the orders, Ms. Emery, but they've been getting delayed," Ms. Lena said.

"Delayed, why? How?" Emery asked, handing the elderly woman her clipboard with their shockingly low food stock.

"Some of the trucks simply don't make it. A few times they've arrived spoiled. The meat stinking, vegetables rotten, and canned goods damaged," Andrea, the head chef said in his thick New Yorker accent.

Emery frowned, cataloging the food they already had stocked and how quickly those numbers would dwindle with each passing day. It wasn't enough.

"And the well?" Emery looked to the Beta.

"We cleared the carcass from the well, but the water is still tainted and diseased. It's no longer usable." Kaleb handed her his own reports on the matter which she scanned over quickly.

Emery appreciated the thorough notes and nodded her head handing them back. "Well, this is precisely why we have back up wells taped into. Get one of them ready for use. Enlist as many wolves as you need, this is our top priority," she instructed Kaleb who gave her a formal nod of recognition. "As for the food shortage, contact outside suppliers. I don't care if we have to use other packs as points of contact. And I want a team of wolves escorting the truck. Dress them as civilians, but they stay with the truck at all times. I don't know if someone is screwing with us or if it's a string of bad luck but we can't take the chance when it comes to the safety and security of our pack."

"Yes, ma'am," the three of them said in unison.

Emery turned her head to Kaleb discreetly, lowering her voice, "Does my father know about this?"

"The well he was made aware of earlier today. The food, no."

Emery chewed that over, gnawing on the inside of her cheek. There was enough going on with her parents and the baby that she didn't feel the need to involve them. What with the baby coming and vampires threatening both packs, they had enough occupying their minds.

She could handle this.

"This conversation does not leave this room without my say so," Emery commanded them. Her eyes felt like pins and needles were piercing her cornea, stinging and uncomfortable. Without even needing to look in a mirror she knew she would find her eyes glowing a brilliant gold due to the fact that the three wolves before her were bearing their necks in submission.

It had been happening more frequently since her eighteenth birthday. The command wasn't as powerful as her mother's, but it did the trick whether she meant it to happen or not. Usually it left her feeling unclean, like worms wriggling beneath her skin.