When they announced your sister would become a breeder, you had hope. Out of all the occupations available to those who will never attend a ball, breeder is the most highly exalted. It came with the promise of finding love in your children and watching them go off to the dream of immortality, which a breeder could one day achieve as a drone. You thought, after the trauma Gianette endured with her vamp, she'd embrace the quiet, nurturing life of a breeder and that it would be okay for you to leave her. However, it's clear she hasn't recovered and you cannot allow her to suffer alone like she did when her lord died.

Gianette had started out like any other young hopeful in town. She dreamed of the day she'd attend the ball and often played dress up with you when you were both children. You'd both pretend to be off traveling the world, seeking adventure as a vamp's chosen companion. When your sister hit adolescence it became clear that her beautiful and vibrant spirit would easily earn herself a master. Then when she was twenty-one and the ball was made available to her, she was granted a mask within minutes of stepping onto the dance floor.

She had been living the dream.

Gianette wrote to you fairly often once she became a feeder and entered immortal society. She wanted to prepare you for your new life just as your older brother—one that you never got to know due to your age gap—did for her. So she regaled you with nights dancing with her lord on the deck of great ships sailing towards far off continents. She wowed you with descriptions of sandy deserts, icy mountaintops, and lush plains. She teased you with anecdotes of living in a luxurious mansion, pampered daily and served by a loyal staff of drones. She also hinted that she saw the day she'd become a vamp drawing near, certain her dear lord would convert her soon.

But, then the letters stopped.

When you saw Gianette again, she looked older, wiser, and beaten. Her vampire, like many others before him, died during in-fighting. You don't know exactly how it happened as she would never say, but based on gossip around the town, he was one of a high ranking duchess's allies and a rival clan slaughtered the duchess and her comrades in one fell swoop after infiltrating her palace. They say no one made it out of the palace, including feeders and drones. Gianette was simply lucky that her lord disliked taking her on political trips.

You couldn't comfort her when they were packing up her things for her return to town. You couldn't hold her close when they told her there was no room for her as a feeder anymore, as it was distasteful and unacceptable to claim a feeder that has been bitten by another. You couldn't dry her tears when they stole her dream away. This time though, you have a chance and Gianette is the only family you've ever known. So you take out your work clothes, strapping on a sturdy pair of boots and throwing a satchel over your shoulder.

You glance over at your formal clothes and the silver pin you had bought with Ailisa earlier. You snatch up the pin and thrust it in your bag as a reminder of the dream you are leaving behind. You don't know where following Gianette will lead you, but you're prepared to cross the road, no matter how rough it may be.

You head back down the stairs and as you pass through your kitchen, you think to grab something else to help you on the journey. You don't want to weigh yourself down with too much and you also need to hurry if you are going to catch up with Gianette before she leaves forever. After a quick scan of the room, you grab a waterskin hanging on the wall. Whatever happens or wherever you go, you know you'll need water to survive and you have a feeling Gianette isn't going to come back home quickly. Better to be prepared than lost outside the town's borders without fresh water to drink.

You head out into the street and turn for the old mill up on a distant hill. You make your way towards the abandoned building, only to hear voices in the trees lining the fields. Not expecting company, you jump at the sound and look around to find its source. As you settle, you recognize that one of the voices is Gianette's and that she isn't far from where you stand.

Taking a few tentative steps forward, you draw closer to the tree line. You spot two shadowed figures arguing in the gloomy fog that hangs close to the ground around the edge of the woods. One is the lithe figure of your dear sister, while the other is a towering, burly man that could snap Gianette in two.

"I cannot abide by this, Gia," he growls, his large hands balling into fists. "I will not allow it."

"I will fight and I will earn my place," she hisses, not so much as a tremble in her adamant voice.

"You think it wise to argue with your future alpha."

"When I am one with the pack, you will be my master in everything I am and everything I do. But, when we are alone—when it is just you and I—I speak to you as an equal. I will not be a plaything again."

"You are not my toy," he replies, his stance loosening as his hand rises up to brush her cheek. "That's why I can't let you go through with this. We can get around tradition if you swear to be my mate. Mates are accepted without question by a pack and you..."

"I will not be brought in as a companion." Gianette bites back an emotion that threatens the corners of her eyes. "I will not have the others see me as a simple lover; as a queen given a throne purely for the heirs she may bare and not the wars she can win. One day I will be your mate, Colin. But I want to be respected by the pack first. I can't serve them as I should if I'm not." She then takes a deep breath, clenching her fists and gritting her teeth. Then with renewed resolve and a steady hand, she looks up at him and makes her last appeal. "I will not circumvent the rules just because you love me too much to hurt me. The pack deserves better."

"You do this and I will not hold back. They'll know, Gia."

"I expect nothing less," she answers.

"Fine," he sighs, running a hand through his mane of thick brown hair. "Then we must hurry to the mill and get this over with if we are to get to the battlefield in time. Before then though..." He pauses and turns to look at the bush you cower behind. "Perhaps your sibling will come out now that we are done."

"How did you...?"

"Werewolves, even in human form have a supernatural sense of smell," answers Gia through clenched teeth. "What are you doing her, Micah?"

"You asked me to come," you answer as Colin heads for the mill.

"But why are you just standing there listening?" She groans before walking over to join you. As she escapes the shade of the trees, you notice the embarrassed blush coating her cheeks. "Don't speak of this to the other wolves," she commands, grabbing your arm and tugging you up to the mill. "Colin has worked hard to create a loyal pack, but vampires aren't the only ones who struggle with in-fighting. An ambitious wolf may take his devotion as weakness."

"When did you...?" You struggle to form the question. "How did you come to this?"

"The road back to town was a long one. I met many along the way. Colin was one of them." She doesn't seem interested in sharing more than that and as you draw closer to the pack, you realize there are more pressing issues to address.

"What is it that you are trying to avoid? He mentioned a battlefield. What are you about to do?"

"First, I have to prove my worth in the pack by battling the alpha. If I put up a valiant effort, then I will be made a wolf. After that, we will strike the vampires and I will prove myself further by luring the bloodsuckers out into the street where the pack will have the advantage."

"You... You're planning to kill the vamps? You didn't mention that before."

Gianette, however, doesn't respond. Instead she gets into the middle of a ring formed by the bodies of the pack. They hoot and howl, eager to see blood drawn and a new member earn their teeth. The alpha begins to bring order to the wolves, but you notice that there is one wolf who stands outside the ring, watching with a nervous bite to his finger.

"Everyone quiet down," orders Colin with an authoritative timbre. "Gianette Dupree will perform the rite of initiation and, when she succeeds, our pack will be that much stronger for the battle ahead!"

A hardy hoorah follows Colin's declaration, except from the wolf quaking outside the ring. Instead, he raises his hand to call the alpha's attention.

"My alpha, I must voice a concern," he says, the volume of his voice rising as he finds more confidence with each successive word. "This battle will be the greatest our pack has seen and the initiation will delay our plans and potentially endanger our victory. Please, let me go ahead to begin our battle so that we suffer no such delay. By the time our new sister is welcomed, I can have the battlefield ready."

"I do understand your concern, Velt. It is one that I too share." He casts a sideways glance towards Gianette, who grows red with shame. "I did, however, want Gianette to take this role as it is one that is both valuable and lacks the need to take a direct part in battle. It is a good first task for her as an initiate wolf."

A rumble of conversation begins to bubble over the pack and Gianette pinches her lips to keep herself from demanding her chance. You, however, aren't tied to any wolf politics. You could speak up for her, defend her honor, and rally the wolves in support of the alpha's original intentions. Or, you can do even better and offer yourself to do this role that Gianette was supposed to play. If it is one that shouldn't see combat then it should be something you could manage without taking away any of the wolves from the battlefield.

Of course, it's clear Gianette wants to prove herself on her own. If you insert yourself into this, it may damage her pride or her chances of being accepted by the pack. Perhaps it's best to remain a bystander and let the pack decide what is best for themselves.

- Support Gianette: ch 169

- Volunteer your Help: ch 170

- Stay Silent: ch 171