Chapter 24: The Meeting of Moons

The Silverclaw pack was waiting for Kurt when he pulled into the driveway of the same mansion that the werewolves had held their masquerade at.

At least fifty men and women were gathered around the tall fountain depicting a pack of howling wolves with water streaming from their ferocious, open mouths. Some of the men and women stood blowing the steam from their takeaway coffees, and others bit into juicy breakfast sandwiches.

Kurt went into absolute tough guy mode, slamming the door to his sports car and walking like a man on a mission to the fountain. He moved with such vitriol that other members of the pack parted for him, and in a swift movement, he jumped onto the base of the statue, then nonchalantly sat on one of the stone wolf carvings and spread his legs and arms as if he were sitting on a throne.

“The Meeting of Moons is officially in session,” he grinned.

“As our first order of business, we need to address the fact that our pack’s Alpha has been missing for over a week,” he said.

Leon Puck, a man with an eyepatch and long orange hair in a ponytail, stepped forward and said, “Is your brother alright?”

Leon added a deceptive amount of worry to his question, though he was just as good an actor as Kurt.

And Kurt would hope so, since Leon was his right-hand man, informant, and spy. Had it not been for Leon keeping tabs on Amelia and slashing the tire of her car, Kurt never would have been able to execute his plan with such rewarding results, and lure the best friend of Silvana Sparks to his side.

Kurt got serious and said, with a real leaderly charm, “I can only hope that Bruce is okay. I haven’t had any contact with him during his disappearance.”

Bruce’s confidant, Hector Bridges, a lumbering and stout man with a black beard walked beside Leon.

“If anyone were to hear from Bruce,” Hector said, “it would have been either Kurt or myself. If anybody has any word of the Alpha’s whereabouts, speak up now.”

The pack stayed silent while nervous and eager glances were shared.

“Unfortunately,” Kurt said, “I’m not sure where Bruce is.”

He leaned in and put his elbows on his knees.
“Given the extraneous circumstances,” Kurt said, rolling his wrist, “As far as the whereabouts of the pack’s Alpha, I’d say you all are looking at him.”

The pack whispered among themselves.

Kurt, to avoid sounding gleeful about taking his brother’s position, added, “As Beta, it’s my duty to step up. Until Bruce returns, of course.”

Kurt kept his smile in check, although his plan was coming to action in front of his eyes, and he could see the pack was desperate for leadership.

“I for one,” Leon said, turning to face his friends and family, “believe it only makes sense that Kurt assumes the Alpha while Bruce is absent.”

“Complete nonsense,” Hector proclaimed, butting his big chest against Leon’s.

Hector extended a finger at Kurt and yelled, “You’re a liar and a charlatan, and anyone in this pack with a head on their shoulders would see that you’re full of shit.”

“Now, Hector,” Kurt said grimly, standing up and leaping down from the statue. Hector was triple Kurt’s size but Kurt was bursting with so much confidence that he didn’t appear small.

“I would never speak to my enemy like that,” Kurt sneered. “Let alone a member of my pack.”

“Such disrespect should be punished,” Leon chimed.

“Kurt is rightfully next in line for the Alpha title,” snapped another supporter from the outskirts of the coffee-sipping crowd.

“I don’t give a damn,” Hector snarled. “He’s an absolute mess and can’t be trusted. I won’t go along with such mutiny. We must trust that Bruce will be back soon!”

“Bruce is probably off banging his witch bride,” another woman growled. “Kurt has been tried and true and present throughout our struggles.”

“And ever since Bruce disappeared,” another werewolf said, “The crimson lightning and the spirits have stopped.”

Leon tried to rile the crowd by saying, “Bruce and his witchy wife were probably the ones behind the broken seal to begin with!”

“This is madness and treachery,” Hector said. “Bruce has been nothing but honest and helpful to us.”

Hector angrily chuckled, “And Bruce is not having relations with a witch. Such accusations are preposterous.”

“Do you really think I want these things to be true?” Kurt asked Hector, but really speaking to the crowd and trying to win them over.

“I love my brother more than all of you combined, and the very thought of him being involved in activities that would sabotage the pack disgusts, frightens, and hurts me.”

Kurt watched as the faces in the pack, his pack, turned compassionate towards his acting.

“A lot is happening,” Kurt said, gesticulating dramatically. “Between the upcoming elections, the broken seals, the hauntings. We need a leader who helps our pack and keeps everybody safe, united, and informed.”

He smiled bright and told the crowd, “For the time being, I promise to show complete respect for the honorable title of Alpha, and won’t stop searching for my brother.”

Kurt walked through the pack, looking people in the eyes as he declared, “And if the terrible and treacherous stories of Bruce are true, then I will see to it that he is punished accordingly.”

The Silverclaw pack clapped for Kurt, but Hector shouted over their support, “You’re a lying bastard!”

Hector pushed through the pack, and despite some men and women trying to hold Hector back, he broke past them and delivered a mighty punch towards Kurt.

Kurt moved so fast that the pack hadn’t seen what transpired.

But before Hector’s punch could connect with Kurt’s head, Kurt ducked, then grabbed Hector’s arm, contorted it into a hideous position, and broke the bone directly through the skin.

Hector cried out, clutching his arm and staring at his bloody, broken forearm poking from the skin of his arm.

“I won’t tolerate your attacks against the strength of my pack,” Kurt said.

“Leon,” Kurt barked. “Clean Hector up and get him out of here.”

Leon cautiously helped Hector back to his feet and drove him to the hospital. During the drive, Leon used his sympathetic acting skills to apologize for Kurt’s behavior, and to try and smooth over the damage to Hector’s arm.

But the other Silverclaws didn’t need swaying. They bowed before Kurt, thankful that their Alpha could follow through with such a display of strength. Many of the Silverclaws thought that although Kurt didn’t have the raw power of Bruce, he had a speed and agility that was unmatched.

After all, what was a big punch from a large man like Hector if Kurt was too fast to be hit?

Kurt watched as his pack knelt for him, and his smirk overtook his entire face.

The plan couldn’t be going better.

He’d gained Amelia’s trust, taken out Bruce, gotten rid of Bruce’s supporters, and had been crowned the title that he rightfully deserved.

Kurt clenched a fist.

All he had to do now was find a way to kill Silvana Sparks.