The Wolves of Glacier Falls

Four: Noel Thayer

Four

Noel Thayer

Noel paced outside of his dad’s office. Ethan Thayer was a man of very little patience. He had very little time and anything that wasted it wasn’t something he liked dealing with. Still, Noel couldn’t shake the feeling that he had to tell his father about Landry, and the necklace he’d given Ellery. Taking a deep breath, he raised his hand and was about to knock when the door opened. “You’re annoying,” was his father's greeting to him from his desk table where he sat, pouring over paperwork, a glass of scotch next to him.

Noel stepped in, closing the door behind him. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine, but I could hear your wolf pacing from out there. You might want to reign it in. Showing your emotions like that could be deadly once you’re alpha.”

He flinched at the mention of his future. It was a catch 22. On the one hand, being alpha was what he was born to be. On the other hand, it meant that he would take his father's place, and his father would be dead. He took a seat in the chair across from his dad. “Something’s happened.”

“I gathered. What?”

“Landry had contact with Ellery Corbin. He gave her some necklace.”

“Yes. I know. He was supposed to.”

“How’d you know?”

“The necklace belonged to Ellery’s grandmother, Sophie Corbin. All the Huntresses wear a golden arrow charm. It’s for prayer. It helps their hunts be truer if you believe the legend. They pray to Artemis, and if Artemis listens, the Huntresses arrows will never miss as long as she has that necklace around her neck. Load of hogwash if you ask me, but it's part of their legend. I suspected the goddess would want her to have it soon.”

“Landry said Artemis gave it to him in a dream.”

“Good. Then, their union has been blessed. I must admit, the treaty happened so long ago I did worry. The goddess might have had a change of heart. But there was so much bloodshed with the Hunters here, and now we’ve finally calmed down, I suspect the goddess will want to continue to protect her child.”

“But that necklace, won’t that give Ellery the strength she needs to be a Huntress?”

Ethan Thayer huffed. “The necklace is merely a symbol. Ellery’s strength comes from genetics. The Huntresses are descended of the goddess Artemis.”

“But I thought the Moon Children----witches, werewolves, vampires----I thought that we were hers. That she made us.”

“She did,” said Ethan, “but once she saw the horrors we could bring, she wanted to make sure she could protect humans too. So, the Huntresses were created. Their power has dwindled significantly over the decades, as more and more gave up the calling because they didn’t like the violence of it. But Ellery is of a new generation of women, one that don’t shrink at violence if needed…things will be different.”

“There were Huntresses before her. Violent ones too, according to legend.”

“Yes, there were. But most grew distasteful of it as soon as they had families of their own. Ellery is going to have different values than the previous Hunters. She might not be so keen on keeping the peace. Times are strange, and darkness is all around us. One hopes she’ll embrace our secret community here within Glacier Falls, perhaps even bring Moon Falls together with its human town. But it’s impossible to know, having not really known the girl’s nature at all. She might decide to end the treaty, thereby destroying us. We don’t know.”

“And you’re sure Landry is the one to entrust with something as important as this?” Noel said.

Ethan smirked. “Jealous you can’t be the one to save the family, son?”

Noel coughed. “No. That isn’t it at all. Landry’s young. He can be rash and foolish.”

“Landry’s twenty-five and you aren’t so old, son. You’re twenty-seven. He’ll do fine. Besides, he doesn’t have a choice in the matter, and neither do you. Especially not since the goddess blessed the mating that we forced on him to keep our family together. Landry understands what it takes to keep the family safe. The same cannot be said of everyone….”

Ethan trailed off and looked up at him.

Noel took a deep breath. “If this is about November----”

“Of course, it’s about November. She’s been of age for several years now, and you still haven’t claimed her. You have no heir.”

“It’s not easy. Madeline was supposed to be my mate. Madeline was killed by that warlock who was obsessed with her. November knows that I was in love with her sister, and it’s all very complicated. Plus, twenty-one is the age of consent, and she does have the right to wait until then." 

“Well, uncomplicate it. Because Landry isn’t our biggest problem, son. Our biggest problem is that we control one of the biggest magic communities in the Midwest, and without an heir, any alpha could try to fight you for my title. It won’t matter that you’re my son if they kill you. It will have to go to them.”

“Fine,” Noel said, “fine, I’ll do what I can to make things better with her. But the last time I saw her, she threw a glass at my head.”

“You told her she couldn’t go out on Halloween because you thought her outfit was too short, and you invoked Alpha Law to force her to stay home.”

“Those younger wolves would have been all over her.”

“Claim her then, son, and solve the problem. Make our family stronger, rather than weaker. I know that you have it in you. I’ve seen it. Show me that determined, young man I raised and win over the woman that the goddess has blessed for you.”

Noel hated how right his father was. The tension with his mate put his family at risk more than anything that Landry had or hadn’t done with one, small interaction with a Huntress. “Of course, Dad. I’ll do whatever it takes to make things right.”