Chapter 15

"I have no mate." I said as Ryan gloweringly looked off towards the distance.

With a thoughtful tilt3 of his head, Dylan focused on me. He added, "I'm sorry, free she-wolf, Alyson, without any mate. Hopefully, it did not sound as if I wanted to purchase you. I only wanted to spend more time with you and know the winner better. How about dinner tomorrow?"

Still glaring at Ryan, I said, "Dinner would be lovely. I'd be happy to join you at your table."

Ryan growled in his throat, but he could say nothing to prevent me. It really bothered him, but he never should have tried to forbid it like he owned me. I belonged to no one. What else could I do but go against him to prove it?

The next day, I received several bouquets of flowers, some sweet bread, some rare honey sweets like I'd never tasted before. There were little notes like, I can't wait to see you tonight. Only three hours till we have dinner. The more time passed, the more eager I was for this dinner, not for all the wooing, and I could care less about Dylan Harris, except I wanted to learn more about Clan Alexander.

Ryan seemed to linger around, getting more agitated at every gift.

At the feast of champions, held in honor of the winners at the fight games and to promote peace among the packs, I sat at Dylan Harris' table. There were a sea of tables over the field with servers bringing out feasts. Dylan had a prime spot, off to the side where you could see everything and hear all the clutter of wine goblets and see dancing from the light of torches.

Musicians played upbeat music, and there was joy and laughter in the celebration. I wore my best dress- Donna had made me bring it for this occasion. It was to the ground, light blue with ruffles on the sleeves and lace on the bodice. As I left, Ryan made a point to tell me, "I bought the materials for Donna to make you that dress, and you wear it to have dinner with that son-of-an-Alpha guy?"

After he had not said a thing to me all day, I shrugged, and ignored him. To annoyed at the condescension, I marched myself away from him towards the party lit by a hundred torches on the field.

I expected that Dylan would have others at his table, but he kept it private between us. The nearby torches flickered light over the meats, potato stews, hot breads and cheeses that were being served.

He greeted me enthusiastically, saying, "The most beautiful victor the games have ever seen."

I sipped a little wine, watching him as he spoke to his servers.

"Tell me, gorgeous," he said merrily. "What pleases you most?"

I raised my eyebrows, amused by his direct approach and flattery, "In what context are we referring?"

"In all innocent contexts, of course." He grinned; his oddly sharp teeth made charming by the lopsided nature of his smile. "What do you like to do in your spare time? For example?"

I thought of my spare time. I used to wait, crying inside even when my tears were spent. The long hours would stretch to a bored eternity as I waited for the next time they would exercise or bleed me. I would never say any of that though.

"Lately, I've spent all my time training."

"Naturally," he poured himself some wine. "And that is why you did so beautifully."

I thought of the people I killed; my eyes darkened as I glanced at the meat on my plate.

"Oh no worries, if you're a free-she wolf, no need to ever fight in those to-the-death matches again." He said, leaning towards me, he bumped my arm. "Why did you anyway? It had nothing to do with Alpha Ryan?"

I was shaking my head, "No, he did not want me to."

"So mysterious. I like that in a she-wolf. So, how long have you been part of the Starstream Pack?"

I really wanted to avoid any specifics with him. "It feels like a lifetime already." It had been a good life so far with them, I felt a little bad for walking away from Ryan like I had, but he was being so possessive, and I could hardly stand it.

Dylan and I chatted like this a few moments. I couldn't think of any good way to introduce the topic I was actually interested in, so finally, I asked, "Do you know of the Crowalt Pack?"

He had not expected this by his surprise, but with the wine he'd drunk and his open nature, he said, "Of course! I do a lot of business with them. What do you know of them? Why do you ask?"

"Everyone had heard of Crowalt, and Featherwell," I acknowledged his pack.

He soaked up the flattery with another big smile. He leaned towards me a little, there was a hunger in his eyes when he looked at me, not as deep or unsettling as what I saw in Ryan, a milder, more mannered version.

"What do you trade with them?" I asked.

He leaned in closer as if about to tell me a secret. "Well, that's one reason I'm here. I'm looking to go into business with their black market, but don't tell anyone."

I marveled that people would give up secrets as if they had never been betrayed.

Wanting to know more, I touched his forearm to urge him, "tell me more about that? What is it?"

"Do you know the curse of Clan Alexander? And the pact with the she-wolves of Clan Clark?" He asked.

I nodded, hoping it wasn't too private of knowledge.

He didn't hesitate to continue, "There's this rare herb that grows down here, more south of the Crowalt Pack's territory. It helps the circulation of blood for the she-wolf blood providers so that they can produce more, and not be injured by the letting of their blood. It's so valuable to them, they will pay a fortune for it. It's a lucrative trade, and I want to get some of the proceeds."

He settled back in his chair, looking incredibly proud of himself, and sipped more wine. My head was spinning. Suddenly it made sense, all that tea they forced me to drink all those years. Even when they imprisoned me, but it was so habitual from my childhood, I hadn't thought anything of it.

All the young she-wolves in my family drank it. My grandma made it for us, and we had to drink a full cup of the bitter, vile liquid each morning since I was six-years-old. I remembered asking if I could not drink it because it tasted awful, but she insisted, not allowing me any breakfast if I refused.

"How much of this goes to Crowalt Pack?" I asked.

"A lot. It's more valuable than any drug." He admitted quietly. "You know there are some of the Crowalt Pack here at the game."

I flushed of all color, trying to hide how ill I felt all of the sudden.

"No one particularly noteworthy like the Alpha." He continued, and relief spread over me. I was not ready to face Jacob yet.

I wondered if I could use this herb somehow to control Clan Clark and Clan Alexander from afar. I was not yet sure how to make my revenge on Jennifer and Jacob, but I would definitely need to consider this.

"Do you know the Alpha of Crowalt Pack? And his mate?" I asked, freezing the moment the words left my mouth as if I might be too obvious.

Dylan did not react as if it were an odd question, he happily bragged, "Oh yes, I've even dined with Alpha Jacob and his Luna Alisa Clark Alexander."

The name sent shivers through my body. My name. The name I should have had. My reactions must not have been in control. He changed the subject, "You're so stunning, Alyson. I'm so lucky to have you as a guest at my table."

Still looking surprised, I stared at him.

"Has anyone told you how stunning you are?"

I hadn't even had time to think about that. I hadn't hardly looked at myself ever in my life. I thought my face still looked like my past life a little, especially with the same purple eyes. But the straight black hair altered my appearance significantly enough, I really did look like a different she-wolf. I wondered if Ryan thought I were beautiful. His eyes said it, but he had never admitted as much.

Still, how should I tell Dylan that no one had. I forced a laugh, and said, "Of course. Every day, I look into my reflection, and tell myself."

He laughed much harder than my joke deserved, but I appreciated his demeanor.

"Dylan, you are great company." I said. "Perhaps I could even invite you to the Starstream Pack to stay for a while. It's not far from here, and there might be a good place to see those herbs."

"What about Alpha Ryan?" Dylan asked. "I do not think he likes me."

"Oh, he's never especially friendly, but I'm sure I could talk him into it." I wasn't sure that I actually could, but I needed to know more about this herb.

"Alright, I will take you up on that offer if the Alpha agrees." Dylan said.

We finished the feast, and kept to lighter topics after that. As I walked back to my tent, I passed Ryan's. I could only imagine his anger when I told him that I'd invited Dylan to stay on Starstream Pack territory. I really was going to push his patience on that one.

I saw that he still had a candle lit in his tent. I wondered if I should say good night, and try to make amends after the day. He'd hardly spoken to me, and I wasn't use to a cold shoulder from him. It was sad to not be on good terms, and I needed his approval to have Dylan come and stay with us.

I had earned my place with the Starstream Pack. I longed for Ryan's good opinion, and I worried that my actions might have made him feel differently towards me. It bothered me a lot. I didn't want him to not love me, I realized with a twist in my stomach.

Tonight, would be the best time to make amends.