Jessie must have been hearing things. There was no possible way that both of her subordinates could possibly be taking to their allies in such away – and in her presence. As much as she didn’t want to admit it though, as soon as Askan spoke up though anger sparked in the pit of her stomach warning bells also went off in her head. He has a point. Emerald eyes swept back towards the pair in front of her, lips pursed. If they had left as soon as the child had gone missing, the scent would have been fresh and easy to follow, it would have been easy for them to determine that Risaela was within their borders and the girl might not have even made it there. Still, after the death of the one wolf that truly held their alliance together, Jessie was cautious to walk so blatantly on eggshells.

What shocked the Rye Queen more was the dark man that Askan very well called his lover. If anything, Jessie would have thought that he was well-mannered – perhaps more violent – but smarter when it came to the affairs of the pack. She was quickly proven wrong. Now, Jessie probably wouldn’t have gotten too angry had it not been for the fact that Reyes brought Kisla into the mix of things. Disbelief clouded by anger flashed in the alpha’s eyes. Where had these two come from? Jessie had thought Askan learned his lesson and well, that Reyes just wasn’t that stupid. Something that the man said did stuck out to the pepper-and-salt colored woman though and she kept that in mind when Reyes sidled up closer to her. His words were the other thing that were keeping him from receiving a good whacking.

His words were a warning to her, though it was unwarranted. The Tainn went through life being careful and she would have to be even more so now with the way her two children were speaking to their visitors. And she thought she had enough pups to deal with per her current liter and Risaela’s presence. His last words struck a chord with her though and her lips twitched. They might as well know. Her words were a soft whisper, meant for the ears of her two subordinates, “Listen up, you two. Be quiet. I don’t want this meeting to go any worse than it’s already going to go. Risaela wasn’t going anywhere, even if they did show up and after all of this is over and done with, the three of us are going to have a nice little chat.” A cold glare was sent towards both of the men before she straightened up, rolled her shoulders back, and turned her attention back towards their guests. Goodness, I hope that Lilya is the one that succeeds Kisla. If not, Jessie might have a lot more damage patrol to do on her part.

Oh, she held her tongue, but only to give the others an opportunity to lash out at her dear subordinates. It had been a common trade in Oak Tree Bend, one she enjoyed, especially when someone she did not quite like stepped out of line. Everything was going fine. Inna had been responding well to Jessie’s answers and condolences and everything seemed to be in order, except for the big elephant in the rye. It all went to shit when Askan had to open his fat ass mouth. As she turned back to Inna, a smile – that was anything than real – greeted her and Jessie couldn’t help the pit that settled in her stomach. She opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off again by Inna, a flash of irritation sparked in the Tainn’s eyes.

And then it all turned to complete shit – at least in Jessie’s eyes. This was the very thing that Jessie had been trying to avoid, confrontation, because it was going to make what she had to tell them all the more difficult. Hopefully, Drestig would be able to smooth some things over since he should have arrived in Hearthwood around now. One thing that Jessie had learned not to do was to assume how the dead would have things done. A blaze of anger sparked inside the Tainn, but she reminded herself that it would do no good for her to shout curses at their allies. She bit her tongue, her anger coming to a boil as the bitch’s mate took over. Not bitch – Inna Baranski. Kisla’s child. The reminder calmed her, but only to a degree.

While there reassurances about Risaela were something to keep in mind, it would do nothing to sway what the girl wanted and Jessie would stick by what she was told, despite what these idiots may think. She was appalled by the two and if things resumed between the two packs she would be sure to tell Lilya or Lach that she never wanted either of them at her borders either again. When she finally spoke, her voice held none of the compassion it had before, “And I am disgusted that you think you can tell me how to run my pack, when you have the opportunity to lead, let me know how you do.” She paused for a moment before continuing, “If you must know, Reyes was informing me of why Aleksei left Hearthwood River. Congratulations on your first litter. And I was informing these two of their incoming punishment. I apologize for their rudeness and insubordination but I don’t make a habit of embarrassing and punishing mine in front of others, especially when there are other important matters at paw.” Of course, Jessie was referring to Risaela.

However, at the thought of Risaela, Jessie’s eyes softened once again, and her voice took on a more hesitant note. “As for Risaela, she made it clear to me that she doesn’t want to go back to Hearthwood at the time being. I am respecting her wishes because she doesn’t need any more trauma to go with what has already happened. When she does request to return, I will escort her back myself. She has her brother and I here to take care of her, along with the support of the rest of Wild Rye Fields.” And she was sure her children would love another playmate. Jessie was more concerned about the reactions of these two fools in front of her. Next time, she wanted real scouts on her footsteps. She at least deserved that. Emerald gaze turned cold again when she spoke, “As for the alliance, I will not severe anything between Hearthwood River and Wild Rye Fields with you. As I said, I will punish my subordinates accordingly after you take your leave and should Lachesis or Lilya feel the need to severe our ties well, I hope to see one of them at our borders.” It was a risk, claiming that Lilya was the lead of Hearthwood but the Tainn hoped she was hitting the nail right on the head. Inna, perhaps still too young to understand the concepts of pack relations and Lorcan the bastard that one of her boys was always bitching about. Either way, there was no way she was doing negotiations of any kind with either of them. Oh Drestig, I hope your meeting is going better than mine.

Had Jessie been able to hear Askan’s thought, she might have laughed, but then she would have smacked him. His added on inquiry was unnecessary and once more proved how awful of a listener he was. The woman’s tail flicked out in an attempt to lash the male’s side, her claws digging into the earthy ground beneath her to keep her rooted. This day is just getting worse and worse. At least Reyes had half the mind to keep his mouth shut. Jessie had always thought him the smarter of the two. But oh, she would be dealing with the two of them later. If they thought they had seen her angry before, well, they had something coming for them. The monochrome woman kept her attention on the wolves in front of her – specifically Inna.

She had started speaking again and oh did this woman love to speak. Jessie couldn’t remember anyone in the Tainn lineage that quite liked to talk so much, even Risaela was a timid little thing. At the mention of Oak Tree Bend, Jessie almost lurched forward but she forced herself to stay in place, a look of longing passing through her eyes before it returned to its neutral state. Family. Her mouth went dry. Inna even went on to elaborate her reasons and as she concluded Jessie’s resolve in her decision only hardened. Her thoughts turned to Percy, the mother’s stomach giving a lurch. Just as she could part her jaws to respond, the Baranski woman continued on. Dear Gods. Jessie suppressed any irritation she may have felt.

If there was anything she hated more than not being heard, it was not being able to even get her voice in. There was a feeling of satisfaction that settled in Jessie as Inna continued on. You certainly were out of line. The pepper-and-salt colored woman’s nostrils flared. Jessie had certainly made it clear that she would be taking care of her subordinates after they parted. Her blood pressure did lower with the apology that followed, however, and Jessie dipped her head in acknowledgement. Not yet trusting her voice to deliver such a thing. Doing her best to prepare herself, the Rye Queen swallowed to moisten her throat and licked her dark lips.

She took a deep breath before she spoke, “Everyone mourns in different ways and Risaela is young. She still loves her family. A name doesn’t matter, I do not doubt your love for your sister but she just needs time to heal in the way she wants to.” It was certainly much better than her own methods of mourning. She continued on, “My daughter lost her memory, and to answer your question, no, I would never want my daughter away from me but I’ve learned that it’s not about what I want but about what my child needs. And my daughter had to leave in order to heal from that.” She inhaled sharply. Jessie had not dared talk about Phoenix’s departure to anyone. The thought of it hurt enough but perhaps it would help bring some context to these River wolves. She cleared her throat, “I do not expect you to lie to Lachesis. I would want my alpha to know exactly where my child was if they were missing.” Jessie could only assume that the children were his, after all, he was the alpha male of the River.

She allowed silence to pass between them all but her gaze snapped towards the male, her gaze softening again. She did not want to deny their request but…she shook her head. “She is resting right now. She only got here the other day and the traveling was hard on her. I do not want anyone disturbing her.” And she certainly did not want them to know where she would be resting until she was ready to go home just in case they decided to disobey Ris’ decision. She watched the two wolves, seemingly ready to leave, when a thought struck Jessie and an anxiety overwhelmed her. Inhaling sharply she finally stepped forward, her voice frantic in panic, “WAIT!” Her heart beat quickly in her chest. She continued quickly, “Will someone tell Serach – Oak Tree Bend,” she corrected, “about what has happened?” He had every right to know. They were siblings. The Tainn did her best to calm her breathing, to regain control. Maybe she would have to make a trip over the mountains again sooner than she thought.