Leader of the Pack Ch. 21

"Okay," Aislinn smiled. "So I'm not getting killed when you get back?"

"Not this time," he said. "Goodbye." Then he hung up the phone.

Cadifor looked at Cullen as he replaced his phone in his pocket with the ringer off. "Well," he said with a superior tone. All the others at the table were grumbling and growling.

"I'll tell you in private," Cullen responded. There was no other way to deal with it. Aislinn's timing had been lousy. But the call had been necessary.

Cadifor's eyes narrowed on Cullen. "Then I suggest we finish the meeting and I'll deal with you afterward. I have to admit Arnauk, you're disappointing me." Cadifor's comment and tone had the other lycans looking at Cullen with delight. Most of them were tired of the favoritism. For once Cullen was on the short end and they were loving it.

Jenna chuckled inwardly. She batted her eyes at Cullen and licked her lips temptingly. Something about him being in trouble with Cadifor was turning her on. She felt her own cell vibrate and she took it out of her pocket under the table. Cullen watched her glance down and read something from the face. She flipped it up and read something else. Then she closed it.

Jenna flashed Cullen another smile as if to say, 'That's how you get a message while in a meeting.'

Cadifor took a good hour asking each lycan at the table questions about the possible druid population on their territory and describing what to look for. "They don't tend to interact in a significant way with anything. They're there for gaining knowledge and sharing knowledge. They know a great deal more than any human you run into and tend to behave as such."

"That's not much to go on," Sean said. "It's not like we can read minds to know who knows the most and then ask if they're a druid."

"The Circle has instructed the ones who need assistance to approach the packs in their areas. They'll find you. I just want you to make sure you're helping the right people," Cadifor said as if that should have been understood. "There's to be no aggression toward them. The Pack Council wants to cultivate this relationship. Answer their questions; participate in the search for their people. But above all there is to be no government involvement with them. If the feds ask, send them in a different direction. Don't deny involvement or outright lie. But don't go leading them to the Circle either. They're set up similarly to us. They each have a 'family' unit that's referred to by a name in each of their areas and they each have a representative on a larger scale similar to our Pack Council. I'm told on some authority," Cadifor said sarcastically, "that we modeled our structure after theirs. So know that if you mess with one group," he looked at several lycans in the room in particular, "you're not only messing with that group but the whole of the Circle and, through our new relationship, the Pack Council. Don't do anything stupid. They've been in your territory for as long as it's been your territory. They're not a threat. But they could be a powerful ally. Am I completely understood?"

Cadifor glared at each lycan at the table in turn. The rest of the Council sat with him showing silent support of his lecture. Cullen couldn't help but think that the show Cadifor was playing out for Jenna was spectacular.

As Cadifor finished the other Pack Council members stood and walked out, leaving Cadifor to conduct any personal business with his group. Cullen wondered if he had ever heard another Council member speak in the whole of the time he had been attending these meetings. Fortunately Cadifor didn't have anything further to add to the meeting this time. Everyone was dismissed from the room, except Cullen.

Cadifor leveled a glare on Cullen that was far from wasted on the men and women leaving the large room. As the last of them filtered out and the door closed behind them Cullen smiled at Cadifor and shook his head. "I don't know if I should applaud the act or cower submissively in a corner."

Cadifor returned the smile. "Was I so transparent?"

"No," Cullen said. "But none of them were present for our prior conversation. And you had me shaking a couple times. I do apologize for the phone call."

Cadifor nodded. "So what was it?" His curiosity was killing him.

"Aislinn had another vision. Do you know how to contact someone named Nora Senach?"

Cadifor's brow furrowed. "Where'd you get that name?"

"A man in Aislinn's vision told her to give a message to Nora Senach."

"Well, then let's go talk to Nora," Cadifor said. "She's upstairs."

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Alright, so it's taking more than 3-4 chapters to finish. But I did warn all of you that it might.

But we are getting closer… This time mean it.

Vote, feedback, you know the drill.