Chapter 4: The Notice

Trudy came back from town on Saturday morning with a bag of groceries and her jaw set hard.

She dropped the bag on the table and put her phone down next to it.

"Read it," she said.

It was a photo of the notice nailed to the door of the Stone Hall.

The Stone Hall was where every Redwater wolf's name was cut into the wall at birth.

The notice said that Freya Dahl was struck from the Stone, for letting rogues through the line at the ford.

It was signed by Luther Ellerby, Beta, for the Alpha.

I read it twice.

"Letting them through," I said.

"That's what he's telling the town."

"I took a silver blade for this pack."

"I know you did." She pushed her hair back with both hands. "He can't strike your name for being brave, so he's striking it for being guilty."

Hoyt was leaning in the doorway, listening.

"Market day's at the Moon Hall steps," he said. "Whole valley comes. Every family in the pack."

I looked at him.

"I'm not asking you," he said. "I'm telling you where they'll all be standing."

It took the three of them to get my chair into the back of Hoyt's truck.

I didn't help. I let them, because I wanted my arms for later.

We parked at the edge of the square at ten, with the stalls open and the whole pack out with baskets.

People saw me before I got the chair on the pavement.

A woman I had once helped through a hard birth turned her back on me.

Two hunters standing by the Moon Hall steps lifted their heads and put their hands to their belts.

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