Chapter 10

It was the Friday and Jonathon’s meeting with Bill Frawnings would occur within the next hour or so. Jonathon made himself comfortable on the patio and waited patiently for him to arrive.

He mentally reviewed his plan and what he would say to Bill first, and then later his boys.

Matt had been away for the last few days but had arrived back this morning looking a little more relaxed – or rather as relaxed as Matt could look.

He had retired to his room soon after lunch with some mumbled excuse of needing a little rest after the drive back.

Jonathon didn’t have the time to worry about his brother now though, as he heard the car pull in at the front of the house.

He sat up straighter in the chair and waited for his guest to arrive.

“Mr Richards,” Bill Frawnings came and stood in front of him, and half bowed.

“Please do sit down, Bill and call me Jonathon, since we are to be co-conspirators in this little venture of ours.”

“As it pleases you ... Jonathon.”

Jonathon knew that asking him to call him Jon would have been stretching things a little too far, but he felt that Jonathon would be just the right amount of familiarity.

“Now, then,” Jon said once Bill was seated, and he was certain that he had his full attention. “To business...”

An hour later Bill sighed and shook his head tiredly. “I suppose that what you say is the right thing to do, I just can’t help feeling that I could have – should have done more.”

“You did the best that you could and no more could be asked of you, but you do understand just how serious this could get if we sit back and do nothing, now?”

“Yes, oh yes I have been becoming more and more concerned with their increased levels of aggression, I felt like it was only a matter of time before one of them tries for pack leader, and once that happened then any influence I might have had would have been crushed.”

“Yes, and that is why we cannot afford to delay any longer ... we are at that point where literally every day counts.”

“Yes,” Bill sighed again and then sat back and braced his shoulders. “Ok then – we know what must be done, so when and how do we do it?”

Jonathon smiled and leaned forward slightly. “We shall drive over to your home presently, and there we will...”

The house was as foul as Matt had led Jonathon to believe and worse.

“Yes, I think we might be only just in time, here,” he murmured under his breath. He lifted his chin, and a steely glint came to his dark eyes. “Gather your pack Bill, and let’s get this thing started.”

The rag tag bunch of young men who stumbled blearily into the room were fitting for their environment. It looked like none of them had bathed recently, and one glance at them told Jonathon that they spent their time waiting for the full moon by boozing and rotting in this home.

He opened up his shoulders and allowed his disgust to show.

“Just because we can shift into animal forms, it does not mean that we can live like animals!” He snarled as he allowed the anger and outrage to fuel his strength.

The younger pack members looked anywhere and everywhere except at him, and more than one of them actually whimpered and whined a couple of times.

“You are all a disgrace to the human race – to our race!” He turned to Bill, then and further opened up his shoulders and stood up straighter. “You Bill Frawnings – pack leader to the Frawnings pack – have failed in your duty – you have failed your responsibility ... I have no choice but to strip you of your leadership and assume the responsibility myself...”

Frawnings head lowered, and his shoulders hunched miserably, as he seemed to shrink in the face of his superior’s anger.

“Do you accept my decree? Do you release this pack to my leadership – Bill Frawnings? Will you bow down to me?”

Bill seemed to be battling some inner demon, as his pack looked on, in horror, and bewilderment.

Suddenly he sighed and dropped down to his knees before Jonathon. “I do,” he whispered hoarsely.

There were yelps of dismay, and Jonathon turned on them.

“You seek to argue this?” he demanded dangerously.

Ben stepped forward. “If my father is deemed not fit for leadership anymore – then it should be my right – my responsibility to assume the leadership.”

Jonathon towered over him, and his dark eyes blazed with fury.

“You! You think you can lead this pack back into humanity? You are as unfit as the rest of them!”

Ben stood his ground, nervously though and Jonathon realised that if he did not force this issue here and now, then this could lead down a dangerous path.

He leaned forward suddenly, and deliberately crowded the younger man, getting right in his face and allowing him no space to look anywhere or move anywhere or even breathe anything other than what Jonathon allowed him to breathe.

“You think you can do better than me?” he demanded in a low hostile tone. “You seek to challenge ME!”

It hung over them all for a long moment, and Ben tried to brace himself, to push back his shoulders and lift his head, but he could not, Jonathon would not allow him the space to.

For long moments the silent struggle raged between them.

But then like his father before him, Ben lost the battle of wills with Jonathon Richards and his shoulders hunched and his head hung low.

“No, I do not seek to challenge,” he mumbled and there were more whines and whimpers around the room.

“Kneel then – as your father knelt then so will you – all of you; kneel now before my dominion over you!”

They struggled only a little as they slowly fell to their knees in full submission of this stronger more powerful being, one who had bested both the older pack leader and the younger leader still in his prime; Jonathon had bested them both all without breaking a sweat – at least that was how the youngsters saw it.

They bowed down in fear, in awe, in respect of the natural order of things, they bowed down in total submission – which was what Jonathon needed to bring these creatures out of their animalist behaviour and drag them back into humanity’s world.

For long moments he simply stood there wallowing in the strength of this pack. They had so much potential – if he could just channel them properly.

“Now I will tell you soon what is to happen – but for now you will all go and wash and change and become more fit for company.”

They rose to their feet and slowly ambled away – talking and grumbling in low tones, as they went.

There were five of them in all ranging from, he guessed, early twenties to late twenties in ages.