ELRETH

Elreth's entire body tensed and her heart began to race so fast she prayed none of the elders were paying special attention to her to hear it.

No, no no no no no.

Aaryn had gone very still before Tarkyn's suddenly agitation, but his face gave nothing away. What would he do? Elreth found herself torn—the protective side of her silently urging Aaryn to simply lie, to not implicate himself in this before they'd established him in the hierarchy. Not to let these Anima know that they'd hidden anything. To let them deal with the consequences later.

And yet.. her heart yearned for honesty. She didn't like hiding anything from these people who, she knew, despite their flaws, were good Anima of integrity, who sought to protect and guide all of the people towards health and wellbeing.

She didn't want to deceive them.

But she didn't want her mate vilified either.

She opened her mouth to step in, but Aaryn got in first.

"Before you determine that you understand my people, or my loyalties, or for that matter theirs," he said tightly, "you should know that this afternoon, as a consequence of all that has occurred, I submitted the Alpha authority over the disformed. Their new Alpha is, right now, exploring everything that Hholdyn brought and shared with them before your intervention—which, I could remind you, was supposed to include me, specifically to see if the male had any hidden loyalties or flawed beliefs about our role in the hierarchy."

"I told you, I was led to believe—" Tarkyn began.

But Aaryn shook his head. "I tell you only that I am unaware of any conspiracy to work with the humans against the Anima. I have never even heard that proposed in jest among the disformed. However, just as previous leaders have found, I cannot claim to know everything that happens in the minds and hearts of others."

Elreth's heart sang. He'd found a way to answer the question without lying! But.. who had he given the Alpha to?!

Elreth snapped her head to look at her mate. "Who?"

Aaryn's eyes widened and he stared at her, pleading.

Oh no. What was he going to say?

"When I returned to the disformed to explore.. what had happened, to discuss it with them, I was met with several of the leaders already there and attempting to soothe the people about how Hholdyn was taken. They were.. uneasy, given the prejudice they've faced at times. Afraid that perhaps the force of the guard would be used against all of them. But when Gar and I discussed Hholdyn specifically, everything that had happened.. he didn't agree with me that these circumstances were a consequence of my flawed leadership. When I insisted that a new Alpha was needed, that the disformed needed to better learn to fit within the hierarchy—to follow leaders outside of the disformed—he challenged me. He believed I was the better leader for them.

"What he didn't anticipate was that I would not submit my position, and instead, fought for leadership. Our conflict drew the attention of the others. There were witnesses. It was all appropriate. When I lost, I submitted. And the disformed acknowledged him."

"Who?" Elreth asked, head spinning. "Who did they acknowledge?" He couldn't mean.. he couldn't possibly be saying—

"Gar," Aaryn said quietly. "He fought me for dominance and won. The disformed follow him now. If there is concern that there is a conspiracy amongst them, I can of course ask. But he is the Alpha now and.. with his history, is actually far more likely to hear of that kind of plan among the disformed than I ever was, anyway."

The entire council went silent.. stunned.

Aaryn tried to smile, to break the tension, she thought. But Elreth's insides were roiling.

"Wait," she said breathlessly and with a small chuckle. "I can't.. you are joking?"

Aaryn shook his head. "To be honest, I think he's the best male for the job. Especially if you're serious about making them a tribe. He's one of them, accepted by them, and he lives by their rules—he doesn't shift to use his beast among them. But he's also a recognized male in the hierarchy. The tribes will have no prejudice against him—"

"Except for the fact that he's an irresponsible idiot half the time!" Elreth spat. Her mind was spinning. This couldn't be happening! Aaryn couldn't possibly have set her up for this?!

Aaryn's gaze sharpened on hers. "I understand that he's your brother and you've gotten to see a side of him that most of us haven't—or at least, that we haven't seen recently. But—"

"Aaryn, he sent my father in to interrupt our mating! What do you mean, you haven't seen—"

There were a couple quick snorts, and a chuckle, and Elreth snapped her mouoth closed. For a moment she'd forgotten where she was, who was a part of this conversation. She couldn't believe her mate was so calm! So.. acting like this was normal!

Gar! As a pride Alpha?

Aaryn couldn't be serious?

He'd just derailed all their efforts so far! There was no way the elders were going to—

"I've always thought Gar only needed the right motivation to step into his dominance," Tarkyn said quietly. "Perhaps this will be it?"

"What? You can't be serious!" Elreth spluttered, opening her hands to Tarkyn, who'd known Gar as long as she had.

"Many of us assumed early on that Gar would be the one to succeed your father," Lhern said quietly, his tone pointed.historical

"I'm aware," Elreth snarled. "I've been hearing that my entire life. But you'll notice which of us it was who challenged my father—and won!"

Lhern nodded. "And I believe the Creator led you to this, Elreth. That doesn't mean your brother is incapable, or shouldn't be taken seriously. He has the dominance to be just as strong as your father. He simply hasn't used it."

Elreth gaped, staring around the circle as many of the elders nodded—especially the males, she noticed.

Rage exploded in her chest and she almost gave in. She almost exploded out of her chair and dominated the lot of them, to show them who really was the boss here. But that still, quiet voice in the back of her mind urged caution.

So instead she glared, her mouth open, horrified at what these people were accepting so.. calmly.

"You wanted him to be an emissary, remember?" Aaryn reminded her quietly. "He will be even better placed to do that now."

Elreth growled.

*****

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