When Life Gives You Lemons

11. Lionel

We arrived at a house outside of Detroit, in a rural area. From the outside, it appeared to be very rustic; almost log cabin-like.

I waited for Jack to get out of the car before I followed, slamming it behind me. All of us - except Burnum - were on high alert as we didn't trust the setting.

Casually, he walked up and rang the doorbell. The door opened to reveal a man who looked to be in his early thirties who promptly greeted Burnum with a handshake and nod.

Figuring that there was no immanent danger and we could trust this guy, we walked up to meet him.

Burnum turned around to do introductions. "Miah, Will, Jack Sar - SJ, this is Lionel Le Blanc; he claims to have advice on how to deal with Paramount."

Lionel laughed. "There are no claims, Burnum, just advice." he said with a voice that sounded old and wise. "All of you, please come in."

He stepped back into his house and we all filed in. Rustic on the outside, yes, but very modern on the inside. Inside his door was a living room unlike any one I'd ever stepped in before.

The walls were a cooling shade of grey, with very intricate light fixtures hanging from the ceiling.

On far wall was a large fire place with a simple but stylish white mantle. Chrome hooks stuck out from it, hanging or supporting various decorations.

The squared-off white leather couches formed two L-shaped sections, across from each other, with a large glass coffee table in the middle.

I slipped my shoes off and walked in further, completely in awe. Soft instrumental music played in the background, eliminating awkward silences.

"Please, take a seat." Lionel said.

I did, but not without caution; I was afraid of staining the beautiful leather.

Never the less, I strolled over to the far side, near the fireplace, and sat down. Jack walked over and sat down beside me, draping his arm around me to establish that we were mates. Miah and Burnum sat beside us, and Will sat on the far side of Burnum.

Lionel sat across from us, crossing on leg over the other. "So, Burnum, what is it that you've come to ask me?"

Burn leaned forward on his knees. "Well, I'm assuming you've heard of the plans that the Paramount pack has made, is that correct?"

"I have not," Lionel said; he sighed. "But please, enlighten me."

Burnum breathed heavily before speaking. "Paramount has decided to move in onto other land. They plan to kill off each pack as necessary, expanding their territory as they do so. As you may have guessed, we are one of the packs on the dead list."

"It seems you have quite a problem."

No shit, sherlock. Of course we have a problem; thank you, very much, for stating the obvious.

"Yes, we do, and we would like some advice on what to do." Burnum pushed.

Lionel sighed. "Well, for starters, expand you pack to greater numbers, and recruit a pair of decent Beta's to manage everything."

That struck a nerve. I lurched forward, the only thing keeping me back was Jack's grip on my shoulders. A growl escaped my throat.

Lionel noticed my actions. "It seems that you also have some anger control issues, which need to be addressed, if you don't mind me noting so."

Before Burnum could say anything, I blew. "Anger control issues? Anger. Control. Issues? I have been raped, attacked, abandoned, beat up, heartbroken, threatened with my life and almost killed, so don't you tell me I have anger control issues! I am Beta female of this pack, and I do so adult-like responsibility."