Howler

Chapter XXXIII

"The elders!" I ran my fingers through my hair. "What do you mean the elders are coming!" I screamed. I hated the elders, they were scary werewolf giants who wore weird white robes and every werewolf tribe had three elders. Ours were as follows: Gabriel, Briar and Drew and I had only met them once and they scarred me for life.

"Oh no no no, I am not talking to them" I began to walk away "Abby you have to, they have never had a case of human mateship that didn't end in a casualty, they need to make sure your okay" I rolled my eyes at my dad "no they want me to bring Harry and suss him out" I think my parents thought that I wouldn't figure it out, the elders didn't care If I lived or died but they did care if a human, an outsider spilled the secret of werewolves.

Now apparently that would be disastrous. I swear you get to be elder by having a stick up your butt."They just want to talk" My dad assured and I began to trace lines on my tattoo, the tattoo was just a crescent moon (cliche I know) and I continued to run infinite lines around the shape. "Please Abby, you have to. They want to see you in two days at the pack house and if you bring Harry they may not object."

"For the last time I said no!" I screamed "well you don't have a choice" and automatically that made the conversation cease.

---

The next afternoon I stood staring at my locker, I could tell if I had been there for five seconds or five minutes. "Someone's vain" I turned to see the last person I thought I would see: Tia. She looked like nothing had happened to her, like the whole breakup and events that followed. She wore a strapless sparkly top and slowly Lilian skirt and somehow she looked more put together than I ever did.

And I hadn't experienced a breakup...yet.

"What do you want?" I asked shutting my locker. "I heard the elders are coming to see you" she sing songed. "Is there a reason your reminding me of that?" I asked her "I just can't believe perfect little Abigail is going to get her ass handed to her by the elders oh they might even tell you that they will never accept Harry into the community" I grabbed her arm roughly "now you listen to me, I am not allowed to technically hurt you but Don't think I can't do my damage other ways. No don't mess with Tia or I swear I can make sure that whatever claim you have over your own title but I can make that go away" I was bluffing but she didn't know that.

"Fine but just because I lost Harry to you doesn't mean he will come crawling back to you" she turned and walked away skirt swishing behind her.

Staring up the sky I whispered "why us?" And walked away.

---

The next afternoon I was mere hours away from facing the elders. They made me afraid, I was always afraid of them. Their white cloaks and strange tattoos which were an intricate design of some werewolf history that I barely understood. Their tattoos weren't the traditional black but a soft grey which seemed to represent they were neither apart or a pack or separate from one.

They were the fray of werewolf society but yet they oversaw all of us.

Meeting the elders was the equivalent of going to church and wearing your Sunday best, they demanded reverence and respect. We all had to go, mum and dad were wearing a suit and good dresses but I had never seen them look so nervous, even Mal and Ric were dressed to an immaculate standard and yet I was sitting in my room wearing the ugliest clothes I could find. "Abby... you have put something nice please" I sighed "fine but I was trying to procrastinate" mum threw me a dress and I walked into the bathroom to change.

About 20 minutes later I was shaking. I was about to meet the elders. The elders only come around for about four reasons: to oversea treason cases, to witness the welcoming ceremony of a child that is of royal or alpha status, of war or anything similar are occurring and finally the unique cases like me. I didn't want to see them.

They called us in and we saw them, standing in the living room of our pack house and they looked very out of place. "Ahhh Miss Gilbert" they all turned around in a weird synchronisation and I actually couldn't tell which was the girl.... "Miss Gilbert sit down" there was a certain politeness but sternness laced their voice. I sat down and looked to my parents for guidance.

I didn't want to be here alone.

"Miss Abigail P. Gilbert it has come to our attention that you have a human mate, a Mr Harrison B. Grace, is that correct?"
"Yes that it is correct"
"It also has come to our attention that Mr Grace now knows of your werewolf status and also by the informant, Miss Tia I. Summers it has also come to our attention that Mr Grace rejected your werewolf origins?" I almost choked, Tia had told them? "I-I I can't answer that!"
"You don't have a choice" they mused "no I can't I don't want to talk about this!"
"You have to Miss Gilbert otherwise we can strip your title"
"Now hold on a minute" my father had stepped forward "you cannot strip her title because she won't answer your question that's absurd!" for a split second I saw the elders falter "fine, but obviously since Mr Grace is not with you he clearly has not expressed clear interest and consent into your mateship which poses issue" I stared at them, it was only a minor step back they made it seem so , I don't know drastic.

"So to ensure the safety and privacy of our worlds, you must mark Mr Grace by Christmas or we will forced to take steps and No Miss Gilbert you Donnie want to know what they are"
"But-"
"Our decision is final" and with that they swept themselves out of the room.

Leaving me both stunned and angry.

"Abby" my father touched my shoulder gently "DON'T! You made me meet them, now I have to mark him within two month time when can't even look at me!"

Wordlessly I walked out of the room, I just wanted to go home.