Rille (Tribes, Book 2)

Chapter 22

Preston didn't like leaving Brielle alone, even with Shaw to protect her, but he needed to pick up a few things. Bringing her along into the heart of the Council would be more dangerous than leaving her on the side of the road.

Preston wasn't ready to announce her to the rest of the pack yet. Not that he could hide her for long. Twenty-four hours at most. A human on the Rille reservation? The word had already begun to spread.

The first set of doors were newer, made of steel. Preston pulled them open and welcomed the blast of cooler air from inside the Council's walls.

Through a small foyer, Preston strolled, then through more ancient doors made of wood and gold. These led him into the Chamber, an enormous circular meeting room with vaulted ceilings and pillars lining the perimeter. This was the inner sanctum, the place where Tribe Rille made all their most important decisions.

And it was most definitely where he would find the man he sought.

One of their most ancient tribesmen, Luger, had a knack for special medicines. Especially those involving mating marks and bloodmarks. Preston didn't like leaving Brielle's mating mark unattended. It needed to heal quickly in order for him to have peace of mind. So to Luger, Preston had come.

He had not, however, anticipated to find Luger speaking with Ava's father. Artur. The man who thought he ruled it all.

Tribe Rille respected Artur and the rest of the Bowyer family to a fault. Ava came from a purebred line, with no contamination along the way. Neither did any of their ancestors have a history of taking a human mate. They were as clean-bred as Rille wolves came. And on the Rille reservation, that was a cherished accomplishment.

One that Preston cared nothing for.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen."

Preston decided it was better to address them than to linger as if he didn't belong there. After all, he was the true alpha.

Luger turned halfway, his old bones making it more difficult for him to move swiftly.

Artur's face lit like a lightbulb. If this were a cartoon, his eyes would have lit with dollar signs or some other such ridiculousness. Preston had always known what Artur saw when he looked at him. A way to get ahead.

Too late. Too bad.

Artur held out a hand like a priest asking for someone to kiss his ring. "Preston, you've returned."

"I'm here to see Luger."

A twitch in Artur's nose might have turned into a wince or a snarl, if the man didn't have such spectacular control over his facial expressions. "You'll have to come by and see Ava. She's missed you."

"As I said, I'm here for Luger. I don't have much time." Preston removed his attention from Artur, hoping the man would get the hint and back away.

Artur had never been one to be receptive to subtlety. That became more apparent when he folded his hands and stood by as though he should naturally be a part of the conversation.

Fine. Let his hopes be dashed. Preston would rather break the news to Artur himself than let the rumor mill do it.

So, Preston turned to Luger and offered a tight smile. "I need a jar of medicine for an infected mating mark. Something soothing."

"I haven't made a batch in a while..." Luger scratched the back of his head. "It might take twenty minutes to locate it. Is it urgent?"

"I can wait, but make haste."