Both cars were silent as they waited for Alina to cave.
"Okay! Fine. So basically, you know the Japanese packs have annual meetings, right?" Alina directed this question mainly to the occupants of the car she was driving. There were hums in response.
"Well… last year, the Beta of Moonbound was assassinated on the trip. There was a big hoo-ha after it happened, but people left it alone soon after, but it stayed an open case that the Council never fully gave up on, even after failing to find any leads. There were suspects, but never concrete evidence.
"It was only recently that we realised that there was a possibility that your Alpha was involved, but your pack is like, huge, so it was impossible for us to properly investigate without causing another big hoo-ha, especially since there was a possibility that he had nothing to do with it.
"There's a lot of politics involved in this, along with an obvious lack of manpower on the Council's part and higher priorities, which is why we're only making a move now."
"I was at the meeting," Kaito stated, "to guard the Alpha. He made no move against the other packs, as far as I was aware. And he's not the kind of person who would assassinate someone. He'd fight them in front of everyone else."
Alina shrugged. "If you say so. If he did, he did. If he didn't, he didn't. And the Council will find out. Let's say he didn't, then the Council will apologise and move on, probably leaving behind a warning for attempted manslaughter. But we cannot take the risk of him really being the murderer and letting him go scott-free."
"You realise that if my pack decides that they would still listen to him as the Alpha and not bother about you suspending him from his duties, you can't do a thing about it," Korū pointed out. "That's how fuckin' stubborn they -we- all are."
"If, I mean if, he is found guilty, he'll either hand the pack to the Betas willingly, or we'll have to send someone to challenge him for the position." Alina said.
"Tch. You sound like you can control everything that goes on here."
Alina sighed. "The only reason why the Council is so powerful is because people widely agree and support what we do. It's like why the human governments have so much authority in the first place, because the majority approves. If the majority doesn't approve, a change is gonna come sooner or later."
"Fuckin' democrats," Korū growled.
"Fucking revolutionaries," Alina snarked. Everyone else had just been silently spectating.
"What, so if we don't conform to your rules, we're counted as criminals?"
"No." Alina said exasperatedly. "God, no. This is exhausting." She stopped. "If you mean don't conform as in randomly killing people, then yes, criminal. But if… like… argh, just look at democratic human civilizations." She gave up, slumping back in her seat, eyes still on the road.
Korū was enjoying Alina's struggle to explain the system. He leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes. "Just don't be surprised if Bloodmoon doesn't give two fucks about what you said about suspending our Alpha from duties."
Alina groaned, and both she and Lis said, "Whatever you say."
They couldn't see, but Korū was smirking. Hikari let out an exasperated sigh, and Kumori chuckled. "Dang, Korū, stop killing people's brain cells."
The entire company in the other car said simultaneously, "Never had any in the first place."
"Okay, fine, then stop making people have negative brain cells."
"Already do." came the answer from the other car, "Wait, is that even possible?" Linda asked.
Alina shrugged, "Seems like it."
"Wait, there's normally more to conversations like this-" Kumori started.
"I have depression," Hikari said unhelpfully.
"Yeah, that."
"It's not actual clinical depression though. Actual depression is serious and shouldn't be taken lightly and-" Liam rambled.
���-and you don't intend to offend anyone." Linda helpfully finished.
"How long more?" Cayne asked.
"Five hours. We cleared what was supposed to be two hours in one, because we were going so damn fast."
"Fun. Wanna go faster?" Alina jokes halfheartedly, still not recovered from trying to explain the tip of the iceberg of politics.
"No," Kaito said. "No, in full caps, underlined, bolded, and italicised."
"With a strikethrough?" Alina asked.
"No. Highlighted in bright red."
"With a strikethrough." Alina concluded. "Anyone else other than me needs to pee?"
"What the fuck." That was Korū, not Kaito, because Kaito doesn't swear.
"No strikethrough." Kaito said.
"Kids, we're werewolves. Part wolves. Why would you think that me talking about peeing is awkward?" Alina sang. "I was joking by the way."
"Go and die," Korū grumbled.
"That's not very nice." Alina chirped, now fully recovered.
Linda sighed. "Do you wanna switch?"
"Yes, please." And Alina went back to her earphones as the car was passed into safer, less psychotic hands.
Kaito finally relaxed. The only thought in his mind at that moment was "Thank GOD".
"I heard you." Alina mindlinked him. She really didn't, but she could guess. He didn't need to know that, though.
"No, you didn't," he responded.
"Keep telling yourself that."
He smiled to himself. "Whatever you say."
"Really? Then if I dared you to race me back, would you do it?"
"No. I'm a surprisingly sane person, and I certainly don't have a death wish."
"Shame."
"I'm bored." Cole muttered from the backseat, staring out the window. .
"Too fuckin' bad," Korū snapped. "Shut the fuck up, some of us are trying to sleep."
Kumori and Hikari were passed out in the backseat.
Cayne said even more softly. "You could just get Kaito to turn off the mic, it's not like he's even listening."
"Can't hear you."
Cayne knocked on the mental door to open the mindlink between him and Kaito.
"Yeah?"
"TURN THE FUCKING MIC OFF I'M BORED AND I WANNA TALK." Cayne screeched intentionally, giving Kaito a taste of what he's been missing.
"I'm fairly certain the others in your car don't want a disturbance." Kaito kept his eyes on the road, unfazed by the yelling in his head. "Besides, I'm under orders to keep the mic on so you can banish all thoughts of turning it off from your mind."
Cayne frowned. "Fine." He then mindlinked Cole and Liam.
"We're going on a trip…"
"Ah shit," Hikari muttered. "Here we go again."