Blackfoot Forest I sense a darkness in you...

She was not surprised that Burke had made herself alpha in her absence; she had been gone for nearly a month, after all, and a pack should not be left without leadership for that long. The Night Queen did not ignore the disdain laced in the emphasis of Alpha before Burke's name. Slade disapproved then? If he thought he or someone else would be a better candidate, then he should have stayed in Blackfeather then.

The Queen did not recognize the name Cry, but she instantly thought of the black, snake-like wolf she had seen in Bearclaw, the one who drew the shadowmark. So he was related to Slade, and closer than she expected. A little plot already formed in her mind, but the Queen pushed it away, focusing on more important tasks ahead. "Ever since you left, Slade, the Dark Brotherhood and the pack have been in decline." Unbeknownst to her, the pack was regaining its strength with both Lusa's pups and five new recruits, three of which were being trained by Burke himself as spies. "Burke was the only one who stayed and worked to bring the pack back to life, as Beta. I never chose him to be my Alpha, for that matter. He only declared himself such as a cause of my long absence." Her eyes betrayed her indignation and disgust as she stared at the dark wolf, her voice coarse and cold as sea ice. "I do not like you criticizing my actions, Slade, after you left the pack without a word for nearly half a year. Perhaps things might have been different if you had stayed."