Chapter 6

Anticipation saturated the air as the sun rose over the sprawling, tree-lined landscape of the Nexus Pack territory. The city was bustling with activity, preparing for a welcome breakfast for our group, the first in an action-packed schedule of activities leading up to the challenge.

We sat at a long table adorned with rich, earth-toned tablecloths, our group looking strangely out of place in our normal clothing. It was clear that the shifters from the slums were not invited to these gatherings, with the tables around us packed tightly with well-fed shifters in their nicest clothing, excitement evident on their faces as they shoveled food into their mouths.

None of these shifters were fat; I don"t know if it was even possible for a shifter to gain that much weight because of our metabolisms, but these were clearly shifters that did not miss any meals or gym days.

The seductive aroma of freshly brewed coffee and sizzling bacon filled the air, mixing with the sweet scent of warm pastries. My stomach gave a loud grumble as I began to pile food onto the plate in front of me. The fruit in the faerie realm was delicious, but nothing could ever beat a heaping helping of carbs.

At the end of the tables stood a grand wooden platform, where Nexus leadership sat. The Supreme sat in the middle, an empty chair directly to his left. On his right sat a large man with close-cropped dark hair and hooded eyes, doing his best to look bored. "That"s Taran, the Supreme"s beta," Lily said, following my gaze. "And Wolfe"s mom should be in that empty one. The Supreme"s mate," she added for good measure.

"Why isn"t she here?" I asked. I don"t know why it surprised me that Wolfe had a mom because, of course he does. What threw me was the fact that someone had to be mated to the man who had probably never shown a single redeeming quality in his lifetime. What type of person could be with a man like that?

"She never goes to public events," Lily told me, lowering her voice as much as she could, even though Wolfe was a few people away from us. He"d been quite popular as soon as word of the challenge had gotten around, and a burly bull shifter named Greg had whisked him away. I"d expected hostility from these shifters, but it seemed an even mix. Some people we passed glared, moving away from us as expected, but just as many people greeted him, respect shining in their eyes.

"I haven"t actually seen her since the last time I came with Wolfe up here to visit," she continued, a frown forming on her lips.

"What is she like?"

"Very proud," she remarked, her words slightly muffled as she talked around a bite of blueberry muffin. "And she rarely speaks. I don"t know that I"ve ever actually had a conversation with the woman." She shrugged, returning to her meal. Before I could pepper her with more questions, the Supreme rose to his feet, the room immediately falling into an abrupt hush. Even with some shifters clearly betting on Wolfe, the Supreme commanded the room without any effort.

"Welcome, pack," he began, his voice cutting through the silence with ease. "This is an exciting time for all, but do remember the treachery that has brought us here. The betrayal, from my own kin no less, who has only come here to spread lies with no merit." The Supreme paused, letting his commanding stare fall on our group. My spine stiffened, hackles raising as I narrowed a look right back. All eyes in the room turned toward us, and I fought the urge to cower under their weight. "In just a few days, I will kill him. Do well to remember that." The last part was directed straight at Wolfe, who held his face still, not daring to move a muscle.

With a final glare at the crowd, the Supreme turned on his heel and strode away, leaving behind only tension in his wake.

The dining hallcleared out shortly after that, the pack dispersing as they went to go on with their days. The next event wasn"t until that evening, a live musical performance by a band entirely made up of shifters, Feral Fusion.

I would not be gutted if we missed it.

As the room cleared, kitchen staff members came and began carting away the plates of food, many still heaping with leftovers. "What do they do with all the food?" I asked Lily as we began to rise, getting ready to explore the city further. Giddiness brewed in my belly. The chance to explore such an interesting city was too good to pass up.

"They throw it away. The Supreme doesn"t allow them to do anything else with it."

Fire flared to life in my gut, and I marched over to the nearest table, my jaw set tightly.

"Rowan?" Oliver called, confusion on his face. Callan watched me with a hooded gaze, no doubt already reading my emotions through the bond.

"What a waste," I muttered under my breath, scanning all the untouched dishes with frustration. "All this food, and he just throws it away? I saw those people in the slums, they"re starving!"

Lily followed, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder, a pitying look in her eyes. "I know. It"s not right."

"Then why isn"t anyone doing anything about it?"

"Disobeying a direct command from the Supreme Alpha comes at a very hefty price," Wolfe said dryly, his arms crossed over his chest as he leaned a hip against the nearest table. "I"ve seen him kill shifters over less."

"He has no respect for what he has," Callan growled, voice low and menacing.

Finn clenched his hand by his side tightly into a fist. "This is really a shame. Rulers who starve their people are not rulers at all."

"Can"t we do something about it?" Nia said, speaking up from her spot on the outskirts. Up until now, she"d only been watching, waiting for the right moment to jump in. "Who cares if the Supreme wants to kill us? That"s not anything new."

Wolfe opened his mouth to argue but then snapped it shut, reconsidering.

"She"s right," I said, my confidence growing that I could get them to go along with this. We had nothing to lose, and maybe it would even help Wolfe in the long run if this was to be his pack. "It"s the least we could do. You can"t just let those people starve."

That did the trick, and before long, Wolfe was handing out orders, helping the group gather up the uneaten food and organize it into containers we stole from the kitchens.

It didn"t take long for us to load up an SUV and drive it down to the slums. Only a few miles separated the slums from the inner city, but it felt like a lifetime, the level of disparity slowly increasing with each passing second.

Dirt-streaked faces peered out from behind tattered curtains, eyes following our movements as we pulled to a stop in the center of the slums, dilapidated buildings surrounding us. We jumped out, and I reached into the back, unpacking one of the heavy trays we"d crammed into the car.

Off to one side, a makeshift fire pit was set up, where a group of young shifters sat gathered round. It wasn"t cold enough for a fire to be lit, but a small wooden board was laid over the top, as they played a game I didn"t recognize, involving a pair of worn dice, five pebbles, and a stick.

"Hey there," I said, approaching them. The small girl in the middle wore a glorified potato sack over her small frame, more dirt on her face than clean skin. Her big green eyes peered at me under overgrown bangs, mistrust written on her face.

She couldn"t have been more than ten.

I pulled the tray forward, gently placing the food onto the wooden board, doing my best not to move any of the pieces to their game. Her two friends were twin brothers, I realized, their wide eyes and crooked noses a mirror image of each other.

"We don"t want no trouble," the girl spoke in a small voice, shaky with nerves but loud enough that we all heard her. Her confidence was astounding for someone so young. Her eyes only met mine for a split second before immediately pinning straight on the ground.

"No trouble," I agreed, giving her the warmest smile I could possibly muster. "We brought food," I said, as I lifted the foil back from the container, revealing the delicious slices of ham we"d managed to cram in, completely filling the entire space.

"We know better," she protested, and I noticed the wide gap she had between her two front teeth. "Stealing food isn"t allowed."

"It"s not stealing," Wolfe said from behind me, and I took a step back from the girl as I approached. Even though she was young, recognition flared on her face as Wolfe knelt down in front of the makeshift table, looking her dead in the eyes. This time, she didn"t look away.

"They have more food than they need up there," he said, meeting the eyes of all three children, his voice low, as if he was letting them in on a little secret. "And it"s a shame for it to go to waste. Eat, please."

He stood, turning and meeting the eyes of other shifters who had gathered to see what the commotion was about. Taking a deep breath, he continued. "We brought enough food for everyone. The Nexus pack may be divided now, but I swear on everything that I am, this is going to change." A hushed whisper rippled through the crowd at his words, shock and awe reflecting back at us. "You deserve better than this. You will have better than this."

No one said anything for a long stretch, letting his words sink in, an unspoken tension building until finally, it popped. "This is delicious," a small voice sounded from behind us, and we turned. The children were unable to resist the food any longer and had dived in. Honey glaze smeared through the dirt on one of her cheeks, a toothy smile on the little girl's face as she chewed.