Chapter 303
I manage to collect a half dozen brisket sandwiches and a sample of the side dishes on a plate and find a quiet spot to eat before the buffet tables get too busy, a life skill gained during my youth when I was the one serving at the buffet.
Nowhere in the pack is empty today though, not with members of two other packs here expecting to play the game. Halfway through dinner I’m joined by a bunch of the local pack’s children. They seem a bit hesitant about sitting with a stranger here on a big rock at the edge of the tree line, but a smile and a pat of the ground inviting them to join me is all it takes to change their mind.
"Hi lady. My name is Hyena and I’m five. A little boy introduced himself, with barbecue sauce on his hands and face.
"I’m Katrina. Are you all enjoying the barbecue?"
The boy called Hyena nods happily but the others shake their heads. I wonder what’s up, hopefully nobody is bullying the pups.
"The new Alpha is scary, and her pack members are huge. Like, way bigger than normal adults. They haven’t been mean yet, but they’re still scary." One of the other boys whispers to me.
"I’ll tell you a secret. They’re actually really nice. See that big guy over there flirting with the Omegas? That’s Steve. Everywhere he goes he gives one pup who is either really brave or really well behaved a special toy. He keeps a whole storage ring full of them. When he first came to visit my home he gave my friend a big stuffed wolf."
The pups giggle. "You’re silly, why would that scary warrior have a bag full of toys? But now he doesn’t look as scary. I just need to imagine him like our Gamma giving out presents on the solstice."
He points out a red haired guy standing near John. They’re both shirtless and amazingly toned, but side by side John is much bigger. I never really noticed, but even compared to other Lycans in the Divine Planes, the human forms of the Royal Pack are very large. I’m pretty certain that Leanne wouldn’t have taken Steve, much less John in a challenge fight, but she was a match for the Alpha here, and her rage put her over the top.