Pack Bonds, page 2
part #4 of Amarok Series
Viktoriya focused on Rachel, who gave her a finger wave. “Red?”
“Morning, puppy.”
The dark-haired girl put a hand to Rachel’s forehead. “No fever.” Her hand moved down to pull up Rachel’s shirt and Viktoriya leaned forward to sniff at her abdomen. “No trace of the silver. I don’t believe it.”
“Wow. I get laid out for a few days and you grow a whole lot bolder.”
“Wha—I didn’t mean it like that!” She dropped Rachel’s shirt, but the other girl caught her hand before she could pull it back, yanking her forward so they were nose to nose.
“Oh, don’t get shy now. Let me look at you.” Her hand came up, brushing Viktoriya’s bangs out of her face. “Don’t take this the wrong way but the last time I saw you, you looked terrible.”
“That’s because I thought you were dying.”
“Umhmm. I wasn’t looking my best either.”
“Liar. You look great even on your deathbed.”
“Ha. I lucked out with you two. One of my mates sits by my bed devotedly, showering me with praise, while the other searches high and low for a way to save me. It’s enough to make a girl swoon.”
Viktoriya scowled. Rachel poked the wrinkle between her brows. “What? What’s with that look?”
“How much have you heard about your rescue?”
“Rudy gave me a bare amount of details. Why, is there something else I need to know?”
“A little something.” Viktoriya grinned maliciously. “You remember how strange Dean has been acting for the last few days?”
“Yesss, but she obviously was under some serious stress…” She frowned as Viktoriya shook her head. “Am I missing something?”
“Let me tell you about how our third mate nearly got you and herself killed.”
-
Dean was passing by a window on the second floor when she heard muffled voices. Peering through the dirty glass, she made out bright red hair she assumed belonged to Rosa and a tall figure with white bandages over his shoulder. She grabbed the window and forced it open.
Rosa and Dugen looked up as she stuck her head out. The older woman sighed. “You might as well come down and join the conversation. Maybe he will listen to you.”
Dean pushed herself through the opening, landing deftly on her feet behind them. Dugen nodded to her. The guard commander looked worn and tired, but he stood strong. “Dean. I owe you my gratitude.”
“Really? I’ll keep that in mind.” She looked between the two of them. “What are the two of you whispering about? Don’t tell me I interrupted something private.”
Rosa cleared her throat. “Honestly, what has my daughter been telling you about me? I was trying to talk some sense into this idiot. He says he doesn’t want to be alpha of the Freewood pack.”
Dugen hung his head. “I don’t deserve to be.”
“What are you talking about?” Dean growled.
“I killed Franklin. I killed him when there was a way to save him. It was my duty to protect him. A man like that has no right to lead others.”
“…Ridiculous.”
Dugen raised his head. “What do you mean?”
“This is ridiculous. You and this pity party you’re throwing yourself. You feel guilty because you killed Franklin? Why? It was a fair challenge. I hear you refused to pick up a silver blade when it was thrown to you. Your win was honorable.”
“But he could have been saved!”
“And that’s the most ridiculous thing of all.” Dean advanced on him, snarling. “Who said he could have been saved?”
“Your blood—”
“I wouldn’t have spit on that snake! I have no idea why you were loyal to that man. Both of you, overlooking his faults and his blatant betrayals.”
“I agree Franklin wasn’t perfect,” Rosa interjected, “but he wasn’t evil. His motives—”
“Were irrelevant! Do you hear yourself? You’re still defending him, even now.” She swung her gaze between the two of them. “That man allied with the Council. He let them into his house, conspired with them to control every pack in the country. His actions exposed all of us to danger! And don’t tell me his intentions were good. I stopped caring about his intentions when he injected Viktoriya with silver.”
Dean raised a threatening finger. “Let me be clear. Franklin was going to die, one way or another. His fate was sealed the moment he betrayed me to our enemies. And there is nothing you could have done to stop it.”
He stared her down coolly. “If you are trying to get me to shift the blame to you, it will not work.”
“Like I care about your feelings, old man. And if you can’t handle the responsibility, get out. The last thing those wolves need right now is an alpha who’s second-guessing himself.”
“Thank you for your concern.”
“I said, it’s not—”
They were interrupted by a loud crash from inside the house. Dean looked to Dugen. “Time to make up your mind. If you’re going to step up, do it with everything you’ve got.”
“I don’t need you to tell me that.” Dugen closed his eyes, breathing in deeply. On the exhale, he opened them and his gaze was clear. “I have a duty to the Freewood Pack. They need me.”
Rosa patted him on the shoulder. “Great. Now, let’s go in there and handle a crisis.”
-
The three of them went back into the house, following the sound of raised voices to the living room. Its occupants were engaged in a standoff; on one end the able members of the Freewood Pack, the Salvatores and Viktoriya on the other side of the room standing in front of a comatose Izekiel.
Dugen moved in front of the Freewood wolves. “What is going on?”
“Commander.” One of the men broke away from the group. He was a tall, dark-skinned man whose strong physique still showed through the baggy sweats he wore. Black framed glasses sat on the end of his nose and he reflexively pushed them up. “We were simply handling a small issue.”
“Martin Eerie. And what problem would that be?”
“The boy.” Martin nodded his head in Izekiel’s direction. “He’s a halfling and fought on the side of the Council. He has no business in this place.”
“Excuse me,” Rosa said, stepping up beside Dugen. “I own this place so I’m the one who says who stays and who gets hanged by the mob.”
“Even a cat wouldn’t let an enemy sleep under her nose.”
“No, but you wolves did. Hell, I heard you offered them their own room.”
Martin frowned. “A mistake that cost us our alpha. They deceived him. I’m suggesting we don’t allow him to deceive us again.”
“Rosa is correct,” Dugen asserted. “We are her guests and have no right to dictate her guests. If any of you are uncomfortable, there are other rooms in the house you can stay in. We will not be here for long so make do.”
“You…guard commander—”
“Alpha,” Dugen interrupted flatly.
“Alpha,” Martin growled. “Explain to me why you are protecting everyone besides our pack. You stand with felines and my son tells me that you are in secret communication with the vampires.”
“Everything I do is to protect us.”
“It’s funny. Franklin spoke words along the same lines. Then, yesterday, he fought beside the faeries. Should we expect the same kind of betrayal from you?”
“Franklin did not betray us.” Dugen shoulders slumped. “There is something I must explain to all of you. Be silent and listen to the end. It will sound unbelievable, but every word is the truth. Franklin was not acting of his own will when he protected Marquis Law. They controlled him with magic.”
Martin snorted. “Of all the lies to tell to defend him.”
“It is not a lie. Marquis Law subdued Franklin and placed a tattoo on his back that guaranteed his obedience.” Dugen growled as a wave of laughter rose from the Freewood pack. “This is not a joke!”
“Do you hear yourself?” Martin chuckled. “A tattoo controlling a changer? You’ve lost your mind.”
“He’s not lying,” Rosa added. She snapped her fingers toward her family. “Lift the boy and show them his back. Carefully! He’s recovering.”
Jerome and Rudolph bent down, grabbing Izekiel under the arms and lifting him. Clementine shredded his shirt and they turned him around, exposing the blue lettering going down his back.
The laughter in the room died down. Dugen nodded. “Yes. You all saw something similar on Franklin’s back during our fight. It was placed on him by the halflings, restraining his will. He fought the control as best he could but was powerless to resist. In the end, I was forced to kill him.”
“…You’re serious.” Dugen nodded again and Martin’s lips twisted into a snarl as he focused on Izekiel. “The boy dies now!”
“NO! He isn’t the one. It was the halfling called Marquis Law.”
“It doesn’t matter! All of those fae need to die. They can control us? Like hell!” He started forward but Dugen pushed him back. Martin growled. “Get out of my way!”
“I said no.”
“Why should I listen to you? You and Franklin kept this from us!” At his words, the men at his back bristled, their tense postures a clue to their aggression. “What was your plan? To turn us into mindless soldiers for the Council?”
“Franklin knew nothing about it.”
“He invited them into his house!”
“Will all of you shut up!” All eyes in the room turned to Rosa. She stepped in front of Dugen, doing her best to stare Martin down despite having to look up at him. “You’re all focused on the wrong things. Franklin’s dead. Dugen killed him trying to protect all of you. Questioning his loyalty is idiotic. We have bigger problems.”
“Stay out of this, cat.”
“Then leave. You can kill each other outside.”
“That’s a great idea.” Dean moved beside them, eyeing Martin. “This arguing is a waste of time. You’re a changer. Talk through action. If you don’t accept Dugen as your alpha, kill him and take the mantle for yourself. Stop barking like a dumb dog.”
Martin’s hands balled into fists, his eyes hard as he contemplated action. “…No,” he ground out after a long pause. “I don’t believe the guard commander would be involved in any plots. His honor is impeccable.”
“Thank you, Eerie.”
“And you’re correct. We owe the Salvatores a debt. But the boy is an enemy.”
Dugen opened his mouth to respond but Dean interrupted. “And now your problem is with me. I claimed the boy and he’s under my protection. If you want him, you’ll go through me.”
“That boy is—”
“What’d I say about barking at me? I’ve decided the boy will live. You probably won’t care about my reasoning so I won’t bother trying to explain it to you. Just bring it.”
“You think I won’t?” Martin growled.
“Outside, dammit!” Rosa snapped. “I’ve already had one house destroyed in the last 24 hours and if it happens again, I’m seriously going to kill someone!”
A shrill chime echoed through the room. The changers exchanged confused glances. Jerome cleared his throat. “Um, chief? Remember I ordered food for everybody?”
“Yeah. Somebody get that.”
“I’ve got it.” Clementine jogged past the Freewood wolves, returning their glares. A moment later, her voice rang out. “Hey! I need some people to help me carry this stuff in.”
“I believe it would be best if we all calmed and settled down for a meal.” Dugen moved past them, clasping wolves on the upper arm, his strong presence calming their aggression. Martin still looked angry, but he turned away from the room to help.
Dean huffed. “Annoying. If they didn’t have the resolve to follow through on their threats, they should have kept quiet.”
“You are not helping.” Rosa pointed to her daughter. “Rachel, contain her. Jerome, Rudy, come on. We’ll help feed the beasts.”
They passed each other as Dean moved towards Rachel and Viktoriya. She paused as she took in their expressions. For the first time in days, Viktoriya smiled easily, the expression reaching from ear to ear. Rachel, on the other hand, scowled fiercely. It grew fiercer the closer Dean got until she ground to a halt. “Um…”
“I heard something interesting today,” Rachel started, tapping her foot. The small gesture seemed incredibly ominous.
“Oh?”
“Umhmm. Apparently, there’s this girl. Really strong. So strong she doesn’t need her two mates. Not even when she’s lost her magic and can’t change.”
“That’s—”
“Not even when she nearly gets gunned down in the street by a hunter with a rifle.”
“Noth—”
“Not even when she decides to jump into the middle of a fight between Pruella’s lackeys, the Freewood pack, and two halflings. Alone.”
“I wasn’t in danger then!” Dean huffed with exasperation. “I had to get there as fast as possible. Why would I wait?”
“Oh, so you weren’t in danger! That’s great. Vikky must have imagined the silver tipped spears everywhere, the dead bodies, and the blown-out windows. No one was fighting death in that house. It was a dinner party that got a little out of hand.”
Viktoriya laughed, quickly covering her mouth with a hand to muffle it. Dean gave her a droll look, but she looked back as Rachel cleared her throat. “Look, Red. I admit I was a little stubborn. I’m better now. Everything’s alright.”
“That. Is. Not. The. Point! You’re not supposed to come to us only when things are alright.”
“Rachel—”
Rachel growled. The sound was deeper and more powerful than anything she’d uttered before. Viktoriya unconsciously took a step back, not recognizing the sound. Dean stood her ground, but her eyes widened as the other girl’s green gaze turned blood red.
“Vikky. We should go through the other rooms, let them know food is coming.”
“Mmkay.”
Dean inclined her head toward Rachel as the two girls passed. Viktoriya raised her eyebrows and shrugged, her smile gaining a mocking edge.
Shaking her head, Dean moved to Izekiel’s side. Leonardo sat on the opposite side of the boy. His face was conspicuously blank as he faced her. “That went better than I thought it would.”
She snorted. “You trying to tell me I should be glad she didn’t try to kill me?”
“Yeah.”
The deadpan response made her look to him. “…You’re serious.”
“My sister has a terrible temper. I mean bad. You know those claw marks on her door in the old house? We had an argument that got out of hand. I escaped into her room and she almost knocked the door down to get to me. If Ma hadn’t been there to restrain her, it would have gotten ugly.”
“What did you do?”
“Don’t know. I think Buck had the night off and got all of us to drink with him. The night is a little hazy before Rachel tried to strangle me. Sobered me up quick.”
“Huh. Well, I’m not you.”
“Yeah, you don’t have to worry about getting strangled, but I bet you she plans on getting even. And she holds grudges. Forever.”
Dean turned away, face pensive. She could understand why they were angry. During her crisis, she had been vulnerable. If the situation was reversed, Dean knew she’d be angry with them for endangering themselves. She could admit to that now.
But everything had worked itself out. Her strength was back, Rachel had been healed, and she’d saved the Freewood wolves. Rachel wouldn’t stay angry at her for long. The gods knew she couldn’t stay angry at either of them. She’d give her some space, let her cool down. Forever couldn’t last that long.
Chapter 2
Katherine parked her car haphazardly, the front wheels going onto the lawn. She left the door wide open as she ran out, fumbling her keys for several seconds before she managed to get them into the lock of the front door. “CAY!”
She slammed the door and tore through the house. “Cayden, where are you?”
Her brother’s door opened as she rounded the corner to his room. Cayden was dressed in pajama bottoms, rubbing his eyes sleepily. “Kate? What’s going on?”
“Good, you’re awake.” She pushed him back into his room, threw open his closet and tossed him the first bag in sight. “Here. Pack this and then we’re out.”
“What?”
“This isn’t the time for questions!” She went to his dresser and randomly threw clothes over her shoulder. “He’ll be coming for me.”
