Back to Work

       Dinner that night, Ebony sat with her laptop, going over the pictures she took of the campsite.

       “Benedict, your discovery of the poachers. Do you know how many there might be that we’re dealing with? I can’t find anything at the camp that tells me definitively how many there are.”

       “I wish you’d taken one of us with you when you went back. As for numbers, I would hazard a guess of two to four, but I could be underestimating. You know how they work in big operations. With several camps and smaller groups.” Benedict said this while he ate. Peter was still at the stove retrieving seconds of a stew he made earlier that day. Franco was eating and listening.

       Clearly, they were staying out of this conversation for now. She was feeling if they commented she’d be placed in at a disadvantage. “They were long gone. I made sure of that before I came back for my camera.”

       “Still, if one of us was there, it would have been a second set of eyes to find more evidence.” Benedict wasn’t letting it go, and it was annoying her.

       “I made a call, and nothing happened. You won’t get an apology from me because you’re ego’s hurt.” Franco’s fork dropped to his plate, and he looked at Peter. Something went between them when their eyes met Ebony couldn’t read. Clearly, they felt she’d crossed a line.

       “Are you sure it’s my ego that’s hurt? What aren’t you telling us?”

       “You’re here for six weeks of training. Nothing more. Peter, that was good, thank you. I’m going to take the rest of my stuff down to the cabin and get a shower. Benedict, get some sleep. You’ll take the graveyard watch shift. Franco, he’ll relieve you at midnight. Peter, you’ll have the morning shift. I’ll take the afternoon shift while you guys can pick up the supply drop after lunch. Have a good night.” She grabbed the last bag of her things and left the tower.

       Ebony couldn’t believe Benedict’s nerve calling her out like that and questioning her decisions. She was a senior ranger here.

       In the cabin, she threw the bag on her bed and pulled her shower supplies out and a towel. Maybe having a shower will relax her and calm her down.

       “Benedict, you apologized only to irritate her again. What is going on?” Franco asked. He was wondering if they’d ever be able to bond with Ebony.

       “I can’t let her make such irrational decisions. We’re here now and she’s got to understand the decisions aren’t only hers and they affect more than her. She needs us and we need her. I’m the alpha of this bonded pack and she’ll have to accept that I will have input on her decisions. Admit she foolishly took off for a run alone in the woods after she was told that poachers were seen. Then when she finds evidence of that, she goes out alone again. I call that foolhardy, and it’s something I can’t let go.”

       Franco shook his head. He couldn’t argue about his logic. Just the way he approached the conversation. “I get that. The issue I have is with how you confronted her. You embarrassed her, and she had to defend herself. Now she’ll think we are hanging up against her, or gunning for her job. Try to stop being the sandpaper to her splintered wood. Yes, that wood could use sanding, but you’re currently the wrong grain and too course a grit.” Peter gave Franco a warning look.

       “You think I should use a gentler touch? Is that what you’re telling me?” Benedict stood and looked down at his plate. “Fine. I’ll try harder to pander to her sensibilities. But I will blame you if she gets hurt or killed.” Then he did his best to storm out, as well.

       After a minute, Peter said, “You tried. Now, I think it’s up to us to save this.”

       “If we weren’t a bonded pack, I’d swear they were a pair. Gods, they’re both marvellous for how hot they burn.” Franco followed Benedict through the windows of Tower Twelve as he stepped down a trail and into the woods. “But they’re blessed to have us to prevent them from burning up.”

      

       Benedict followed the path for a while. It led to a stream and a stone that stuck out of the water. To him, it was the perfect spot to stop and think. He needed to do that. Benedict was running on instinct and not thinking before he said something to Ebony. How was he supposed to get her to fall for them if she couldn’t stand being near one of them?

       That was the million dollar question. Impressing her by doing her job was out. He was used to leading. It was in his blood. But she was a leader too. It was hard to tell who was in the wrong. Him for insisting on her to consider her safety more? Or her for letting her ego get in the way?

       They were trained and experienced at what they did. She was training them on the terrain and what to expect from the flora, fauna, and land. So, was she their boss or their coworker? She’d been here longer. That’s the only thing she had an advantage over them with.

       Ebony stood under the hot water and let it cascade over her. He had a point, that she wouldn’t deny. But she knew there were no poachers in the area. He was seriously out of line, talking to her like that in front of the others. It undermined her authority and leadership. Yeah, he might be the alpha of their bonded pack, but she wasn’t part of the pack. Heck, they weren’t interested in her that way. That was obvious earlier. So what could they do to prevent this type of confrontation in the future? That was the answer lined in gold. Now she just needed to find it and she’d be rich.