Artiface of Strength Ch. 10

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The Pack Party.
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Part 10 of the 14 part series

Updated 06/07/2023
Created 08/12/2015
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Margie approached the old ship's bell in front of the community hall. With a huge smile plastered across her face, she grabbed the clapper in her hand and started ringing the bell as if her life depended on it-- repeatedly banging it as if to wake the very dead. She knew that the best party in the pack's long history would take place tonight. It was clear to every wolf in the pack that this mating would signal the end of the mating drought. Word always spread like a summer wildfire in a wolf pack, and everyone was sending to one another. They finally had a shaman, their shaman had spoken with the Lady, and soon many of them would have mates...and more importantly, children.

John watched his pack from the sidelines, and as he saw everyone buzzing around like excited hornets, he knew that if Ja-mul's predictions did not come to pass, then the pack would quite cheerfully tar and feather the old man for giving them hope once again. John was torn; he wasn't positive which way he should be leaning. Sure, he desperately wanted to find his mate, and maybe even finally have some children of his own, but the vision of the old bastard being covered with boiling tar and then being rolled in filthy chicken feathers...well, that had some appeal too.

So John chuckled to himself and wondered how much a cauldron worth of tar would set him back. It wasn't that he really cared a great deal; he knew that it sounded like a worthwhile expenditure. Hell, it might even be tax deductable. Maybe I could find a suitable excuse to tar and feather the old bastard even if his predictions do come true!

All of this meant that John was smiling quite broadly as he entered the hall, but then his life took a turn for the worse. Beth and Carol were whispering to one another in the far corner of building. This caused his smile to dissipate as he got that sinking feeling that always accompanied the sight of these two bitches together.

"Caught sight of them plotting, did you?" Jefferson asked with a sardonic grin on his face.

"Any clue what they are up to this time?" John asked his ex-Beta without even bothering to say, 'hello'.

"If I did, I'd be smart enough to deny it, my old friend."

"Jeff, she's your mate. Can't you control her?"

"Not a chance, she knows where I sleep. And John...some words to the wise, they get even worse after you mate them."

John winced at this, but he remembered that he hadn't yet bothered to greet his old friend. His worry evaporated as he grasped Jefferson in a bear-hug and thanked his old friend for coming so quickly.

"Any time John," Jefferson said, "You do know this...right? You act so surprised that we'd leap at a chance to come help you!"

"I'm not used to having to ask for help, Jeff. It feels weird."

"John, every pack in the Americas is in your debt, and the best part is that we are all eager to help you! You are doing me a favour by giving my pack an opportunity to be part of this, and before you say anything else... Yes, Carol is plotting something evil; so just think of her deviltry as an offset for whatever help we provide. Fair enough?"

John chuckled and said, "You've been spending waaay too much time with your lawyers. They are corrupting you!"

"No, that isn't it at all. It's all Carol, even the corporate guys are afraid of her. I caught a couple of them calling her Judge Carol."

"More like Judge Dred," John shot back morosely. "The second nastiest bitch on the planet!"

"...and she's all mine, buddy." Jeff laughed, "She's like a thrill ride that runs twenty four hours a day."

"Physically...or emotionally?" John asked with a knowing grin.

"Both, thank the Goddess!" Jefferson leered back at John-- his face alit with a manic sort of glee.

This caused John to roar with laughter, which unfortunately for the Alphas, clued the two Alpha bitches that the hunters were scouting them.

"Now, you've done it," Jeff hissed, "You've alerted the herd. Now we'll never manage to sneak off for ale."

"Nope, I have it covered today my friend. Watch this..." Then John yelled, "Oliver!"

The overweight wolf waddled up to the two men. "Yes Alpha?"

"Jefferson, this is the most important wolf in our entire Resort. His name is Oliver, and I am putting him at your complete disposal. I was recently informed that no other wolf knows the Resort nearly as well as he does; I'm also told that he knows every square centimeter of the place. If you or any of your men need anything, absolutely anything at all, you just tell Oliver or his man Stan, and they will take care of it. He will also be heading up our Fresno baby-sitting operation, so these two can be tasked with almost anything."

John paused for a moment to let Jefferson examine Oliver at his leisure, and then sending a private message to his old friend, he said, "Here, watch this."

"Oliver, number two."

Oliver heard this and then put two fingers to his mouth and whistled. Moments later, Stan appeared, carrying two large tankards filled with foaming brown ale. Stan nodded respectfully to the two Alphas and then handed each of them a dripping tankard, before moving back and standing at an approximate posture of attention immediately beside Oliver.

That wolf can't weigh more than one twenty five, Jefferson sent back tightly. ...and the other one, he's gotta go 350.

"Thank you men, you've done a great job!" John said aloud to the two mismatched wolves.

"It's an h-h-h-honor sir," Oliver managed to squeak out, "w-w-we'll do a good job for Alpha Jefferson sir."

"Well Jeff," John said, taking a long draught from his tankard. "We've put this off long enough... shall we go see what sort of mischief that Judge Dred and the tornado are causing?"

Jeff also took a long draught, finally saying, "This ale is superb, and that should help us both survive this. You go ahead and lead the way Alpha, that way, those two will prosecute you first."

Seeing the men eyeing them while fortifying themselves with ale, Carol asked Beth, "Do you think those two are up to something?"

"Not a chance; they have beer. They've found someone to bring them more when they run out, and dinner is almost ready. What more could they possibly want?"

"Sex?" Carol shot back, giggling.

"Like they won't get that after the party of the century," responded Beth dryly. "They are wolves, there's nothing else that they could they possibly desire. Of course they are not up to anything; they've already got everything that they want."

"Okay then, our two are here. Where are the other two idiots and our guests of honor?"

"I don't know how they did it, but somehow Sam and Tom convinced the cook to feed them early. It must have taken a Hell of a bribe; she even snaps at John when he tries to go into her kitchen. And then after they ate, they grabbed Ja-mul and headed over to the Clubhouse, and that has me a little worried. Ja-mul has been hanging out with those two since he got here, and all three of them are completely feral... You know, undomesticated. I'm not sure that even the Goddess knows what those three are doing."

Carol laughed at this and said, "...and our loving couple?"

Beth rolled her eyes and said, "Our loving couple is... loving each other I think. I tried to contact her earlier and all I got back was a wave of lust. I suspect that they'll come dragging in here about five minutes late.

Further conversation was interrupted when Pamela, the long-time head cook, shouted everyone in the room into silence, announcing, "Tonight, there is going to be a pack party, and here's the deal; we aint gonna be workin' while y'all are having fun. The kitchen staff has worked all day, and now, we are takin' the night off...starting right now. So everyone, tonight you get to serve yourselves, and when you get done, you can join us down at the Clubhouse. We've already eaten, so we are outta here! Oh, and before I forget, y'all might want to let the visiting Alpha fetch his own food first!" Pamela then tossed her chef's hat into the corner and arrogantly walked her staff out of the building.

"I think I just saw the bribe," laughed Carol.

"Oh no, she's like that all the time. Although," she said thoughtfully, "I'll bet that Sam gave her the idea."

"...and then she reciprocated by feeding them," grinned Carol.

"...and then he chivalrously escorted the entire staff to the Clubhouse?" laughed Beth.

"Yes, completely feral," replied Carol.

As Pamela was storming out of the Community Hall, she saw William and Florence rushing into the building and stopped them on their way inside. "I made sure that the two of you got a special table. Up there on the riser, can you see where we set up that rolling partition? We've set up a table for the two of you. Go push the partition aside and start eating. Make sure that you grin at everyone as the rest of them are looking for tableware and waiting in long lines."

Florence thanked Pamela, and then dragged her mate to the indicated spot. Pushing the partition aside, she found that the cook was as good as her word. There was a table set for two, set with silver platters, elegant china, and food for at least six. There were five differently seasoned mixes of pork, at least a dozen different sauces for the pork, four different kinds of freshly baked bread, and six different side dishes.

William and Florence smiled hungry smiles and dug right in. Looking down from the riser, they made sure to make a show out of feeding one another savory bites while the rest of the pack struggled to find their own food and serving utensils. Florence even made a point of winking at her father as he was somewhat ineffectually overseeing the set up of a serving line.

Carol sidled up to John as he was working and said, "Are you sure that you wouldn't want to eject Sam from your pack? You realize that this has his fingerprints all over it."

"No way," said John with a grin. "What with mating set to begin again, and with his beliefs about having a mate, I'm going to have to keep him around just so I can watch him suffer when his number comes up. You know, like it did with that poor bastard Jefferson. Watching him flail around as his life was ending...that was pretty funny."

"Not nice, John," Jeff harrumphed.

"But you got the cutest puppy doggie eyes, Jeffie," John needled.

"Hey! Why are you picking on me, she started it!" Jeff replied, pointing at his mate.

"You chose to bring Judge Dred with you; that makes everything that she does entirely your responsibility."

Carol's eyes narrowed at her mate as she said, "We've been here less than an hour, and you've already told him about that?"

"Your fame precedes you, Carol," John said bowing gallantly. "May I escort our visiting Madam Alpha to the front of the serving line?"

"Same old John, using his guests to make sure that he gets fed first." Carol said, smiling indulgently.

"I've missed you too," John replied, putting his arm out to escort Carol. "Let's leave these two to fend for themselves."

"He's gotten sneakier," Jeff said to Beth as he watched his mate leaving with John. "He took her jab and never blinked while he threw me under the bus. Is that your influence, or is it Sam this time?"

"Actually, I think it is Tom's doing. John is getting better at observing what is going on around him, and then formulating a theory about what to do about it. We don't have to point him in the right direction so much any more."

"Hmm...maybe that's why he called you the tornado."

"He what?"

"He also called Carol 'the second nastiest bitch on the planet'; I didn't bother to ask him who number one was. I'm pretty sure I knew who he meant."

Beth's eyes softened for a moment as she stared back at one of her oldest friends.

"Yes Beth, you have his full attention. He's fond of my Carol, but his feelings for you are immeasurably deeper. The things that Carol told you in the car, I'm sure that they were all true. More than just loving you, he respects you, and I'm pretty sure that this is why he refuses to tarry with you. He won't do that unless the Goddess affirms it; he's too afraid of hurting you. Now, before they notice us, we'd better go stand in Sam's damned line."

Silent for once in her life, Beth nodded and grabbed Jeff's arm, allowing him to escort her to dinner.

Florence watched the drama going on below her table and sent to her mate, "looks like Carol is up to something."

"Who is Carol," William sent back.

"She is the Madam Alpha from the Virginia pack. That's her there with John. Her mate is the one escorting Beth. They are really old friends; both were members of the Billington pack at one time, but that was almost two hundred years ago. They are like family to me, and they've been John and Beth's best friends forever. When I was just a cub, Carol used to bring me the best presents! Whenever they are here, she unmercifully torments John. There's history there, but no one has ever been willing to share it with me."

"...and what makes you think that she is up to something?"

"She split John from Beth so Jefferson could say something to Beth without John hearing it. Whatever it was, it shocked her; I could see it in her eyes."

"Was it a happy surprise, or a bad one? Could you tell?"

"I'm not sure, so keep your eye on them and let me know if you see anything strange."

So Florence and William watched her parents as they ate their dinner, but as far as William could tell, nothing unusual was going on at their table. It just looked like four old friends catching up on old times and having a good meal. In fact, William had settled in and become pretty relaxed about the evening until the time when Florence chose to drop her bomb.

"Karaoke?! What the Hell do you mean that 'I have to sing to the pack tonight'?"

The hall got pretty quiet after that, and when William noticed that everyone in the room was staring at him, he chose to stop yelling. "I mean..." he said in his inside-voice, "If it's a requirement, I am sure that my mate would have given me more warning...right?"

"Boy, you are so screwed," John sent to William.

Still largely unused to receiving these private sendings, William's face must have given him away, as Florence immediately swiveled her attention back to the Alpha's table. William, seeing Flo's eyes dart away from him, began to back-peddle quickly. "Okay, so how about telling me about this 'must sing for my pack' thing. Will twinkle twinkle little star work? I've never been much of a singer."

Florence returned her gaze to her mate, and with mild irritation still in her eyes, she said, "It's not nice to keep secrets from your mate, but I can already tell that you are not gonna narc out whoever sent you that message...are you?"

William grinned back at Flo and said, "Who me? Drop a dime on one of my pack mates? That would be wrong; I'm all about loyalty and stuff."

Trying to keep the stern look on her face, and failing pretty miserably, Florence began to grin and decided to take pity on her mate. She began describing what William would be expected to do that evening.

"Nice save," John sent with a grin, and this time, William showed no reaction.

"Are you through tormenting the young Alpha?" Beth asked, but John just ignored the gibe and began eating, a smirk written large on his face.

"You really think he's that good?" Jefferson asked. "Have you seen him fight yet?"

"Fight no, but I've seen him spar, both as a wolf and as a man. Florence takes him in human form and I doubt if he'll ever catch up with her, she has years of experience on him, being born Were certainly helps her there. But as a wolf, he is bigger and stronger than she is, and most importantly, he is nearly as fast. He also seems to have that otherworldly sense of what his opponent is going to do, just like Florence has always had. If they fought... really fought as wolves, he'd win. It would be bloody as Hell, but he'd win.

Carol put in, "but as a human, she'd take him?"

"There is no doubt of that one," John responded.

"What about as hybrid?" Jefferson asked.

John grinned and said, "That one is going to have to wait until they have their first lover's quarrel."

"...and you headed that off by whatever you just sent him," Beth said, boring in.

"It's my solemn duty as Alpha, to help the next generation of warriors survive their mate's nasty moods. You know, like with poor Jefferson here. The poor fellow is afraid to open his mouth half of the time. I mean, not that I blame him; his mate is a real..."

But John didn't get any farther as someone kicked him, under the table. John began to rub his shin absently as he looked from apparently innocent face to apparently innocent face. "Yup," he said to himself, "I need better friends."

This time, all three of his companions kicked him, and even harder this time. Nonplussed, John merely dipped into his pork and said, "I'll send Oliver out for some shin guards tomorrow. It's tough being the Alpha."

Oblivious to John's difficulties with the women, William continued to navigate his own difficult course, "So," he said, "If I'm going to have to...umm, I mean... since I get to sing for the entire pack, shouldn't we slip out of here as soon as we are done eating so I will have time to find something appropriate?"

"Will, the geeks will be able to find anything that you might want. They've got full 'net access out there. John insisted on having it installed for the security system, and since the tech geeks all seem to like karaoke, it was win/win for all of us."

"You are not worried though, you already know what you are going to sing, don't you Florence?"

"From the first day that I met you, my love," she responded with a grin.

"So, I've got about an hour to figure out something that you've known for awhile now. Seems fair."

Grinning, Flo responded, "Oh no, you'll have longer than an hour, I understand that in most packs the men wait until they are good and drunk before they sing to their mate, so I figure that you'll have most of the night to work it out."

"Drunk? Yeah... that ought to help," Will grumbled.

"Oh there's no getting out of that either. Your challenges will begin tonight I'm afraid. The warriors are going to start giving you grief in about..." she then checked her watch briefly, "about fifteen minutes ago."

Will glanced up from his dinner saying, "But dinner started twenty minutes ago."

"Grace period. You were still getting warnings sent to you during the first five minutes."

Will never stopped eating, he was getting better at hiding his sendings, but he did take the time to send John a message, "Alpha, I need some advice. Will this be less painful for me if I'm good and drunk?"

"There's no 'if' here Will. The warriors are going to feed you drinks until you drop. There is no way around that, but on the bright side, it takes a lot of drinks to drop a wolf. Just make sure that you smile and thank them every time that they bring you a drink; you'll need their goodwill after you beat them in the ring. Oh, and drink lots of water in-between your drinks, that will help you when you feel like dying tomorrow."

"Shit!"

"Oh, and remember that whoever challenges you to a venom is probably the wolf who will challenge you first on Monday."

"There's no 'if' to that either, is there?"

"Not a chance Will; enjoy your trip."

"Earth to Will, come in Will," Florence said with a smirk.

"Yes Florence," William said, feigning innocence.

"Is Daddy-dearest giving you more advice? And before you answer that, don't bother to deny it. If you'd stuck to one or two sendings, you would have gotten away with it, but holding entire conversations is much more obvious."