Heron Lake Plateau Everything means something and something has occurred

If Towhee had wondered why she'd sought out Quixote first (and she had, several times over the course of this endless conversation), this was why: she'd sensed something amiss with the way Niamh's demotion had been announced—not by Niamh herself but by the Alpha. If there was any question as to whether it had been voluntary, he put it to rest. By the time his latest soliloquy came to a close, Towhee's face was hard.

He insisted he had only Niamh's best interests in mind, which made Towhee's eyes flash. It sounded like he'd made the decision in the heat of the moment, out of anger (justified or not). He wasn't a counselor or mental health expert, as far as Towhee knew, so who was he to make the call on those grounds? And why strip her of her rank regardless? It came across more like a power play than anything. Maybe Niamh had been emotional and tired, perhaps she'd made some bad judgment calls. But it sounded like Quixote was equally guilty of making rash, spur-of-the-moment decisions that didn't make much sense, no matter how blue he went in the face trying to explain them.

"One last question," the remaining Beta said in her stony timbre, "why wasn't I consulted in any way about any of this?"