Dragon 1 Chapter 11 (Patreon)

“Order, order.” An older male elf stood, and the lights from the other side of the ring caught his front, giving me a quick glimpse of him.

For that brief moment, I thought it was a sober Simon, but I realized that the elf before me stood mature and sure of himself, instead of a brat drowning his worries in a bottle. But they easily could be brothers from the resemblance.

“We have the matter of great importance. Weres were found using vampires to produce drugs for humans. Worse yet, humans were involved in the operations. A clear violation of our laws.”

“Hold up.” A slight man with a southern lilt to his voice stood, also becoming easier to make out. The smaller man didn’t look anything like Chad, but seemed to speak for the werewolves. “To dump this on the packs is ridiculous. From what we have gathered, it seems like a group of omegas at work.”

“Weres leave their homes and form packs in similar age groups.” Morgana whispered, “That there was such a varied difference in age suggests they weren’t a normal pack. Of course, no one is going to claim them now.”

“Your kind has still created this transgression.” The older version of Simon stated haughtily. His voice alone made me want to ram my boot up his ass.

“If we are laying the crimes of a single member against their whole race, then we have much to revisit and discuss, Sebastian. Wouldn’t we, everyone?” A man stood to speak. Maybe my eyes were adjusting to the light better, but I was starting to see more of the circle of people above me.

The man who had just spoken was flanked by two people I recognized. Jadelyn was there, but scales framed her face, and she wore far too much jewelry. But it seemed almost ceremonial. The other was Detective Fox, but now he had golden eyes and a pair of fox ears matching his red hair sticking out the top of his head. Something moved behind him, but I couldn’t make it out.

The man that had spoken looked similar enough that I figured he was Jadelyn’s father. Which made him a male siren. I would have guessed male sirens would be lankier, but the man that stood there looked like a marble statue of Poseidon come to life. His outfit was complete with two clunky metal bracers. All he needed was a trident to nail the part. I almost started smirking at the thought but caught myself, not wanting to draw the attention of the council members.

His response made Sebastian wrinkle his face in disgust. But the small man who seemed to be speaking for the weres spoke up first. “Besides, it seems that something other than weres were there, evident by the way everything was cooked. Might that not indicate one of the Elven war mages was present?”

Morgana cleared her throat loudly and stepped out into the center. It was outlined as a ring and marked with scuffs and gashes that made it look like more than one fight had occurred on the stage. “I believe I’m here to provide details that would cut through your speculation.”

Sebastian the elf latched onto that, seeming to focus in on Morgana for the first time. “Yes, you did fail to report what caused the fire.”

“I do not speculate in my reports, but there was one among the fight tonight that used fire. I’m afraid we may have to continue speculating; those burned to a crisp aren’t likely to come back and talk.”

I paused. She hadn’t lied, but she’d directed each of them to believe that one of the dead had used fire. She hid that it was me, then again, that might reveal what I was. Based on Morgana’s brief explanation, I needed to be ready to protect myself when that time came.

“Is this what you saw too?” The were asked.

I took Morgana’s approach to heart, working not to lie but not to expose myself either. “Yes sir. Unfortunately, my knowledge of the paranormal is very limited. I can’t confirm what caused the fire.”

“And the weres?” He was still focused on me.

“All wolves. But I witnessed one escape from those that attacked us.”

There was a soft whistle somewhere up in the seated members. Apparently, killing so many weres was worth noting. “I’m surprised your new charge survived.” A heavily accented voice spoke, but no one stood for me to put a face to it. I noted no one commented on Morgana’s survival.

“He’s quite sturdy.” Morgana smiled up into a dark corner. “As to what we found, there was a group of vampires held captive, gagged to catch pans for their saliva. The weres were a variety of ages, but used pack magic.”

“Barbaric.” A pale figure stood, bearing his fangs.

“I agree.” Morgana nodded to him. “The vampires in question have been released. Those that were a part of it tonight and were at the warehouse are dead.”

Stepping forward one more step, Morgana spoke clearly. “I completed the task put before me. However, they were packing up tonight when I arrived, and the werewolves ambushed us.” Her eyes circled the ring above us. “I do not believe the drug operation was fully taken care of.”

I could feel tension in the room as she finished. More than a few of them shifted in their chairs. “It would seem then that we would still have need of your services.” Came Sebastian’s dry voice. “Your usual rate?”

“Fair. But I’ll need access to the packs.”

“You’ll have access to my pack. However, the fledgling pack on campus…” The werewolf trailed off, hesitation in his voice.

“I’ll support them in accessing the pack on campus.” Jadelyn’s clear voice rang out.

“You do not sit here.” Sebastian glared at Jadelyn and her father, who just gave a deep chuckle.

“Then let it be as if I said it. My daughter will support the investigation into the young pack to clear their name. We will also take care of the matter of the local authorities.” The Poseidon imposter shifted for Detective Fox to speak.

“The building is already being staged and set on fire. It will look as if there was a large homeless population squatting and responsible for the fire. Our secret will be maintained.”

All the heads around the circle bobbed. One of the first times they seemed to all agree. With that finished, Sebastian stated. “This matter is closed.”

Chatter began to flow more freely through the space. Jadelyn caught my eye with a smile and pointed back through the door I had come through, holding up a finger as if she wanted me to wait.

“Let’s go. We’ve accomplished what we came to do. They’ll just bicker for the next hour.” Morgana spoke, this time not in a whisper.

“We do not bicker.” Sebastian spat, “But it would be best if you leave the council to our business.”

My mentor only chuckled and swished her hips as she lazily exited the chamber.

As soon as the door closed behind us, I glared at her. “Did you have to antagonize them?”

“It’s what he expects. You give people like that what they expect to keep them predictable.” She grinned, showing her fangs. “Plus, I didn’t want you to have to wait long for your guest.”

Jadelyn exited another door in the atrium and walked to us.

“I’ll leave you two alone. I desperately need my beauty sleep before I go with Brent to interrogate his pack. Just go back the same way we came.” And with that, Morgana seemed to vanish. I was starting to wonder if it had to do with this all being some sort of construct she’d made or if she was just that fast.

“Hello, you seem to be adjusting well.” Jadelyn smiled wide, but it didn’t reach her eyes. She seemed a bit exhausted. I had a feeling there was a lot of pressure on her I had yet to understand. She wore a thin white dress and her neck was laden down with multiple necklaces to the point they were almost an armored collar. Scales dusted across her cheeks and framed her face. The first time I’d seen her looking anything but human.

Though I knew her to be a siren.

I scratched the back of my head. “Something like that.” I noticed her hands stayed behind her back, her forearms clenched like she was holding something.

“Has Morgana figured out what you are?” She asked. It was an awkward moment. Somehow, Morgana being involved seemed to have shifted our dynamic, and we were still trying to figure out where that left us. I wanted to trust her, but for now, I decided to keep our theories close to my chest.

“Some guesses, but so far she’s just pushing me to see if we can’t confirm them.”

“Like what?” She latched onto the potential topic like a shipwrecked sailor would a piece of driftwood. I tried not to wince, but I didn’t exactly want to have the ‘I might be a dragon’ conversation with anyone just yet. I wanted proof before I spilled those beans. Even then, Morgana warned me that half the battle was knowing your enemy. Giving up that identity would forfeit that half to many battles that would come.

“Until I know for sure, I’d like to keep myself from speculating too much.” I answered, trying to be diplomatic about the situation.

“Oh.” She sounded a bit hurt, but smoothed it over. “I understand completely. It must be terrible not even knowing what you are.”

“Yeah. It’s a unique struggle for sure.” I shook my head. “Anyway, you said during the council meeting that you’d help us investigate the college pack?”

I was exhausted, and I wanted to move this along. My bed sounded heavenly at that moment.

“Oh, yes.” She seemed distracted as she said it, her hands behind her back starting to move. “But before that, I wanted to offer you this.” She held up a silver bracer similar in style to the ones her father had been wearing.

“Oh, please, you don’t have to—”

“I promised to offer you a reward if you spared Chad that night. You did, and I am in your debt. Please accept this and remove that debt.” She held it out to me.

I looked at the item, knowing it was likely magical in nature and worth more than my college degree. “What is it?”

“Shielding enchantment. You hold it with one hand while holding the bracer arm up.” She demonstrated with her own arms as if she were wearing it. “It takes both hands, but the shield is strong enough to deflect most spells. I…” She paused. “I heard about the duel that Simon got approved. Thank you for standing up to him, even if it cost you that.”

Part of me felt like it was all a flimsy excuse, and she really felt some sort of guilt for it all. But I’d take all the help I could get. I still felt like I was floundering about in the paranormal world.

I took the bracer and gave her my biggest smile I could muster in the moment. “Not a problem. I think Simon is going to have a bad day on Monday.”

“Don’t underestimate him. Please.” She looked up at me through her eyelashes.

“I won’t.” I knew he’d be formidable, but I had to keep thinking positively.

She nodded along. “Good. Good. Then tomorrow morning, meet up with me at the football field. I’ll take you in to see Chad and the pack so you can talk to them.”

“Of course. Tomorrow morning. What time?”

“They start at six on Saturdays, but let’s let them work off a little energy before we show up. Eight should be okay.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

***

Dawn was just around the corner as I made it back to my place. Morgana’s room was nice, but I just wanted to be home after the night I had. The only people still out were dunkards stumbling home this late, or a few girls carrying their heels and looking over their shoulders like they were ashamed someone was going to see them.

I wondered if anyone else thought I was doing a walk of shame back home.

Not that it mattered. Bored as I walked, I let my eyes wander over those coming and going. Small details caught my attention. When a girl pulled her hair back over her ear, I checked to make sure they weren’t pointed. It was the little details that would mark someone as paranormal.

It wasn’t surprising that they could walk among the rest of the world hidden by those small details that others just didn’t pay attention to. Part of me wondered who else in my life might be part of the paranormal world.

I idly checked my phone and realized I’d missed a number of messages. Frank wasn’t important, though he’d been wondering where I was. Scarlett had texted and confirmed their double date for Sunday night, though where she chose to have it surprised me.

We were going to Bumps in the Night. I nearly groaned. It looked like Morgana was going to get her wish.

The sudden image of Morgana crashing our date flickered through my mind. No, she had more tact than that. At least, I hoped she did.

I shot back an affirmative to Scarlett and headed up to my apartment. As I creaked open the door, I saw Frank and Maddie cuddled on the couch, asleep as the tv continued going.

Smiling, I found myself happy at the simple joy of them being together. If Maddie managed to wrangle Frank into slowing down, that would be good for him.

I tip-toed my way to my own bedroom, making sure not to wake them. Sleep was my top priority. I needed to be on top of my game when I went and saw Chad and his pack in what now wasn’t more than a few hours away.

***

I mussed my hair, still wet from the shower. I’d slept in as long as I could. Which meant my hair was still drying as I walked through the football parking lot. I’d only ever been there for an occasional game day, pre-gaming with friends. It was weird being in the area when it was quiet and empty.

Jadelyn waited with her arms behind her back, idly observing the surroundings. She wore a teal shirt today, one that I realized matched the scales she’d presented yesterday. I looked her over, wondering where else she had scales, but I pushed those thoughts out of my head. I shouldn’t be noticing so much about a girl that was already taken.

“Morning Jade,” I called as I waved to get her attention.

She startled, clearly having been lost in her own thoughts. “Morning, Zach. But I don’t know if Chad would appreciate you giving me a nickname.”

I snorted. “Well, Chad is going to have to get used to it. You’re allowed to have friends, right?”

“Friends.” She spoke the word like she was tasting it. “Yes, I think I’ll have to make him understand that I can have friends. Still, he is an alpha of his pack. Territorial comes with the package.”

She sounded so resigned to her situation that I felt bad for her. I wanted to help, but the politics of all of it were way beyond anything I understood, and I knew that. She was far savvier about all of it, and she still seemed trapped by whatever arrangement was made.

We walked through the empty security checkpoint and into the stadium. I tried to give her some friendly advice. “You should push him to let you have what you need. A relationship isn’t supposed to be so one way.”

“How very… human of you, Zach. The para world works differently.”

I snorted. “You are human, or at least pass for one most of the time.”

She chuckled, but it wasn’t a happy laugh. It was a laugh filled with self deprecation. “My father would make some obscenely racist comment at that. You shouldn’t say it too much, no matter how true it might be.”

“Oh, good. I’m glad the para world isn’t that different from the human one.” I nudged her, trying to lighten the mood. But I couldn’t help myself from adding, “But regardless, you are powerful in your own right. Make Chad give you what you need.” The rest of the conversation was cut short as we stepped out onto the field. Men were running drills in thick padding while a section of girls lounged nearby, looking tired.

For the first time, I really smelled the football team and cheerleading squad. They all smelled like wolves, with a few indistinct notes that had a bit more spice to them. I knew there were more than wolves that were were shifters, but I hadn’t seen any yet.

Jadelyn and my entrance caught attention as we walked onto the field. A few men jogged over, their faces set in a way that made me feel distinctly unwelcome.

“Get out.” Number fifty-three barked as twenty-seven and thirty-one backed him up.

“I’m Jade—”

“We know who you are. You aren’t pack yet. Get out.” Fifty-three clarified with a growl.

The play on the field ended, and all the weres were starting to look our way. Even the cheerleaders were sliding off their bench and coming over.

“I’m your alpha’s fiance. I have every right to be here.” Jadelyn puffed herself up, and I could see her reach for a bracelet on one of her arms.

“Fiance.” Someone snorted behind the three players. “More like a piece to pass around. I can’t wait to get a piece of her.”

“It’s only fair that Chad pass her around, not that she’s ever going to be more than a trophy.”

I wanted to stand up for her, but what had happened with Simon was still fresh in my mind. She was capable of defending herself and after seeing her in the council session; I understood that she must have a decently high standing in the Philly paranormal world.

Jadelyn ignored the comments and looked towards the approaching cheerleaders. “Kelly, good morning.”

The introduction of the head bitch shut up most of the men who’d been jeering at Jadelyn.

“Morning Jadelyn.” There was hesitation in Kelly’s voice. Something was wrong. “What are you doing here on a Saturday?”

“I thought I’d see Chad, as well as talk to him about a council matter that was entrusted to me last night.” Jadelyn held her head high through the comments the men made, but I could almost see a crack in her facade. The comments earlier had gotten to her.

Kelly looked around before she leaned closer. “It’s Saturday.” She spoke it as if it held special meaning, but I was clueless. Her eyes searched Jadelyn’s own and didn’t find what she was looking for. “Shit. You don’t know what he does on Friday nights, do you?” She spoke low enough that a normal person wouldn’t have heard.

Unfortunately, we were surrounded by werewolves. “Oh! This is great. She doesn’t know that it was Fuck-a-bitch-Friday.” Number fifty-three shouted, doing a little dance in his pads in cleats. He looked like a clown.

Jadelyn’s face twitched. “Excuse me?” But the players weren’t paying her any attention, starting to chant ‘Fuck-a-bitch-Friday’ and pushing each other around and pumping each other up.

Kelly grabbed Jadelyn and hauled her away. I went to follow, and Kelly threw me a look. “What do you want?”

“I’m working with Morgana, and the council matter we’re here for includes something she’s working on.”

Kelly’s face paled after hearing that. “M-mor-morgana is looking for the pack?” Her face paled, like I’d just told her ghosts were coming to kill her.

“Yes?” I felt like I was answering more than just her simple question, and it came out as a question of its own.

“Shit.” Kelly pulled Jadelyn out to the bleachers as the players were already putting their helmets back on and starting another play. “Ignore them. They are all freaking boneheads.”

Jadelyn swallowed before asking in a soft voice. “What’s… fuck-a…” she couldn’t quite bring herself to say it.

“You know how packs work, right?” Kelly started, and Jadelyn nodded, dread filling her face. Knowing something and experiencing it first are two different things.

But I didn’t know. “Mind sharing for the newly initiated?”

“Right, well, it’s a mix of human and wolf, just like we are. Wolves establish a dominant pair, or a breeding pair that then produces all the pups for the pack. The rest of the pack is essentially sterile, but they help raise the breeding pair’s pups until they are old enough to go out on their own. The dominant ones then form their own breeding pair and lead a pack one day.”

“Okay, so Chad is the alpha male, and Jadelyn will become part of his breeding pair?” I tried to read between the lines, but there was something she wasn’t explaining. I had a feeling it wasn’t good for Jadelyn.

“No, we are like humans, in that we only have one child at a time. Not to mention, the pack here is almost two hundred strong. No, it’s different in werewolves. Like wolves, only the dominant male is fertile… but in order to create enough children to sustain the next generation’s pack…” She trailed off, a look of pity thrown at Jadelyn.

The siren swallowed. “Ah, so he’s doing his duty to the pack… on Fridays.”

I pieced together what they weren’t saying. If Chad was the only fertile werewolf among the pack of two hundred, and they needed to produce enough children to create a new generation… then that meant he was going to sleep with all the women. “Wait, I thought that the cheerleaders and the other guys were still pairing up, like the two at the clothing store?”

“They do. They even raise the kid themselves. Like wolves, the pack still supports and raises the kids.”

I couldn’t help it. It slipped out of my mouth, skipping that oh so handy brain filter. “He cucks all of them?!”

Several of the girls on the bleachers looked up at me with a scowl. Kelly glared at them and they looked away. “Maybe don’t say that out loud.” She turned back and scowled at me.

That was confirmation if I’d ever heard it before. I couldn’t help but let my vision slide to Jadelyn, whose expression looked like she was going to be sick.

“I’m sorry Jade.” I started, but she waved her hand.

“That’s fine. This is what I signed up for.” She took a deep breath. “Anyway, if we can’t talk to Chad, then I’d like to talk to you about the issue, Kelly.”

“Of course, I’m always here for you.” She said it in a way that meant far more than the current situation.

“Zach, do you have pictures?” Jadelyn asked, sucking in a deep breath and holding tight to the change in subject.

I pulled out my phone and flipped to some very grotesque photos we’d taken after the fight. I really needed to get these off my phone before someone saw them. “Here. There was a drug bust that Morgana and I did last night. A group of wolves had vampires chained up and drooling into catch pans.” I flipped through images of charred bodies.

“I can’t recognize any of those; they are all burnt to a crisp. What the hell happened?” Kelly threw me a strange look.

“There was something there last night that caused the fire. Morgana said she didn’t know what it was, and I certainly don’t know better than she does.”

Kelly’s very human ear twitched, and she gave me a look that made me wonder if I was a terrible liar. “Okay, do you have any that aren’t so… crispy?”

“Hold on.” I flipped until I got to some of them that Morgana had killed, and an image of a decapitated head. “Here. Do you recognize him?”

Kelly stared at the image for a moment. “He’s old enough to be in my grandparent’s pack.”

“He’s not that old.” I commented. The man looked to be in his forties, maybe early fifties.

“They age slower.” Jadelyn provided. “After about 20 years old they, start aging at about half pace. That guy is probably around seventy.”

I looked back at the photo and did the math. If I put him at forty-five, which seemed about right, he’d be a seventy-year-old werewolf. “Then, what is he doing with this other one that looks like he’s not even old enough to drink?” I showed another photo.

“Omegas.” Kelly nodded. Seeing my confusion, she added. “Every generation, the children travel and mix to make new packs. Unofficially, college is where we do that. Those that don’t go to college or do, but aren’t accepted into the pack, become packless Omegas.”

“So, this is a pack of outcasts?” I clarified. “It sounds like they don’t normally become part of a pack.”

“They aren’t a pack.” Kelly said with confidence.

That didn’t make sense with the bits I’d caught at the council chamber. Morgana had clearly stated that they’d used pack magic. I repeated what I’d heard to Kelly. “Sure sounds like you need to be a pack to do that.”

She shook her head. “No, that’s not how it works. They can’t just join up and become a pack.” She fidgeted and looked over our shoulder. Something was wrong; she wasn’t telling me something.

“Then how do they become a pack?” I took a chance and pushed her, but I must have pushed too hard because she snapped at me. “They just can’t. It’s not possible.”

I could almost hear the ‘but…’ on the tip of her tongue, but her mouth snapped shut, and she didn’t speak anymore. I decided there was no harm in pushing further. “Kelly, come on. There has to be some way. Clearly it is happening already.”

“I said no.” She growled the last word, and her eyes became that of a wolf. Several other growls picked up from the bleachers, the pack coming to one another’s aid. The players had paused mid-play to watch us.

Holding up my hands, I made a placating pat in the air and stepped back. “Calm down. I thought you didn’t want the pack and I to have problems?” I loosened the beast a little and growled myself.

Kelly’s eyes changed back, and she looked around, noticing the attention we’d brought. “Everyone calm down. Go back to practice. Everything is under control.” She turned back to me and Jadelyn. “I think it’s best you leave.”

I nodded and pulled Jadelyn along with me. She didn’t put up any resistance and came with me. It wasn’t until we were out of the stadium that I realized she was shaking. Sobs bubbled up from her throat and I did the only thing I could think of doing and pulled her close.

“It’s okay. It’ll all be okay.” I stroked from the back of her head down to the small of her back and kept going as she buried her face into my chest and unleashed the waterworks. She smelled like lilies and honeydew. I couldn’t help getting a full scent on her this close.

“Why?” she cried into my chest, breaking my heart at the same time. “Why does it have to be someone like Chad.” I didn’t have anything useful to say, so I wisely just kept my mouth shut.

She was grieving, while she might have understood the mechanics of how a pack of werewolves worked. Being confronted with him sleeping out on her today must have been too much. Not to mention the antagonizing and talk of sharing her around. It must have felt like she was nothing more than a piece of meat.

“I don’t understand why. Fucking father. Fucking Chad.” She sobbed into my chest, soaking my shirt thoroughly.

I wasn’t sure how long we stood there before Jadelyn started to calm down, wiping at her puffy eyes. “Do I look like a mess?”

“You look great.” I lied through my teeth.

“You are a terrible liar.” She dabbed at her face. “Shit. I’m so sorry that happened. You didn’t need to be there for that.”

“It’s fine. We’re friends right? This is something that a friend is there for.”

She let out a small noise and nodded. “I could use more friends with the way my life is going.”

I did my best to give her a cheerful smile. It was clear that she was on a collision course in her life. She’d have to make some tough calls. And I’d be there to support her as best I could. Beyond challenging Chad to a duel, which Morgana had already made clear I wouldn’t win with his pack around, there wasn’t much I could do.