Page 14

Cedric Raine

Coming to the Human Wolf Kingdom isn’t something I generally enjoy doing. I find this side of the Veil to be overly complicated. Shifters drive in their small boxes, preferring human convenience over the strength of their own bodies. But ever since the Eastern rebels have managed to find a way to cross the Veil undetected, it has begun to cause problems.

King Erik Wild has been more than cooperative, but the rebels are sneaky and able to cover their tracks. The Eastern Kingdom has had no choice but to cooperate with us, given the forcible trade restrictions I’ve imposed upon them. Four years ago, they tried to resist when I launched an investigation. It didn’t take long for them to bend when I showed up at their palace with another squadron.

Oh, Vivian protested, as did Bella, but their adamant displeasure made the entire thing even more satisfying.

Compared to the human world, time flows differently on our side of the Veil, especially the phases of the moon. The full moon takes place only every three months. Four times a year, a female shifter has the ability to conceive. In these past eight years, I have not touched Vivian once. The elders have fought and raged, but they can’t force me to fuck the woman.

And it’s not like Vivian hasn’t tried. She has slipped me aphrodisiacs, shown up in my room in scant clothing, but nothing has worked. It also doesn’t help that she only sees me for a total of three months each year.

Bella has been equally vocal about this, but once she lost favor with me, her importance in the castle waned.

Ever since I lost Leanna, it feels like there’s a gaping hole in my life, one I’ve never been able to fill.

Fighting at the border has made it easier over the years. I don’t like returning to the castle because I see my fated mate in every corner. I have to look at the woman wearing her face. Even now, sometimes the faintest trace of Leanna’s scent tickles my nose. I’ve tried to become accustomed to it, to ignore it, but when that small wolf pup peeked at me through the window of Erik’s office, his paws on the edge of the sill, I felt my heart crawl into my mouth.

That scent! At first I thought I was imagining it, but then the wind shifted, and I knew.

The wolf pup must have noticed that it got my attention because it let out a small squeal and raced off. But I wasn’t letting the little pipsqueak get away. Ignoring Erik’s startled yell, I leaped out the window and chased it down. As soon as I grabbed it by the scruff of its neck, one close sniff convinced me.

The child scent was intermingled with my mate’s. I had so many questions. What was going on? How?

“Finn Avery!”

The familiar voice had my wolf sitting up and alert. There was no possible way. I was frozen place, unable to move, when somebody snatched the pup from my hand.

Leanna.

She’s alive. She has been alive all these years.

The events from the garden are still playing in my head on repeat. How is this possible? She met Erik. She had a child with Erik.

Why didn’t she come find me? Why did she—

I bury my head in my hands, staring down at the floor of the hotel room.

My mate has been alive all these years, and she has a child.

I can’t process it.

I want to feel betrayed, but the look in her eyes when she glared at me was filled with fear and anger. Never before has she looked at me like that. My mate was always submissive. Sure, she had teeth, but she was very careful about showing them. This woman, this Leanna, she’s a stranger.

But she’s still my Leanna, isn’t she?

She’s alive. She’s well. If Erik had a mate, I would have known about it. If he had a child, I would have known about it. What if she’s lying? What if they’re both lying? I need to know.

Getting to my feet, I pace the length of the VIP suite, my wolf anxious to go out and hunt her down. She thinks I tried to kill her. Once she knows that’s not true, won’t she understand? Won’t things be alright between us?

I just have to convince her, right?

But what about that child?

There’s a knock on the door, and Harriet enters. “Your Majesty, word has come from—” She pauses when she sees the look on my face. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

I stare at her, trying to find the words to tell her. “Leanna.”

Harriet sighs, and her voice becomes gentle. “Oh, Cedric—”

I shake my head. “Harriet, she’s alive. She has a child.”

My attendant takes a step back, shock all over her face. “Are you sure? How can that be? Where is she?” She looks around the room as if expecting Leanna to pop out from behind the curtain.

“She’s with Erik. She—She’s had a child with him.”

Harriet pales. “No. She wouldn’t do that. She wouldn’t—”

“Wouldn’t she?” I ask bitterly. “You should’ve seen the way she looked at me, Harriet. She despises me. I tried to talk to Erik, tried to get the truth out of him, but he told me to leave. I should’ve gone after her. She has been in the human world all these years. She’s been alive.”

Saying it out loud makes it all the more real for me.

“If she had a child with King Wild,” Harriet says shakily, “you would have felt the fated mate bond disappear. Can you still sense it?”

I search deep inside and feel the faint flicker of warmth that I’ve always associated with the fated mate bond. “It’s there.”

Even when she died—when I believed she had died—it never truly vanished. That’s the curse of the fated bond that ties two wolves together. The bond exists even beyond death. If I had given Leanna my mating mark and she had truly passed on, my wolf would have withered away. It strikes me that if I had given her the mark, I would have known.

I would have known that she was still alive. I could have looked for her. I could have found her and brought her back and fixed everything. But it’s too late. Years have passed. Because I wanted to humiliate her on the day of our mating ceremony, I never gave her the mark, and as a result, I lost her.

“If I can feel the bond,” I muse, pondering Harriet’s words, “then she didn’t have Erik’s child?”

“That is usually the case.”

“Usually?” I echo.

Harriet looks uncertain. “Leanna’s body had been ravaged by the poisons she’d been fed over the years. It could also be that her physiology was affected. You should demand a blood test.”

“But if it’s not Erik’s child, then whose—” I feel myself go cold. “She and I never slept together on the night of the full moon. If you’re thinking—”

“I’m thinking we should not jump to any conclusions till you know for sure,” Harriet says firmly, but I can see how rattled she is. “I’ll ask Rothan to look into her. King Wild is probably going to try to prevent any meeting between the two of you, so let’s see if we can find a way to contact her outside of his control.”

I give her a dazed look. “And if she refuses to see me?”

Harriet presses her lips together into a thin line. “She won’t refuse to see me. You’re going to have to be patient, Your Majesty. The situation is very delicate. We need all the facts before we proceed. Also, we’ll have to make sure we keep this entire thing under wraps. If word gets back to the elders, Bella, or Vivian, we may no longer be able to control the situation.”

I agree with her.

She takes a few steps toward me. “Cedric, it’s going to be alright. We’ll get her back.”

She cups my face in her hands, and I close my eyes. “She thinks I betrayed her.”

“But you didn’t!” Harriet says fiercely. “You didn’t, and once she knows the truth, she’ll come back to you.”

I recall the way Leanna glared daggers at me, the confidence in her eyes, the way she carried herself. “She’s not the same Leanna we knew,” I murmur, my heart sinking. “Even if she believes me, she may not choose to come back.”

And come back as what? My mistress? A whore?

Erik’s words return to sting me. If I bring Leanna to the Northern Wolf Kingdom again, what will her position be? If I reinstate her as the queen, then Vivian will have to be removed, and that will cause a disruption among the elders. It will also eliminate the leverage we have against the Eastern Wolf Kingdom.

But even as I think that, my jaw hardens. Then so be it. Whatever the repercussions, I will not live without Leanna now. I want my mate back.

Even if it means raising a child that’s not mine.

There’s no record of Erik having a child.

It takes two days to confirm that bit of information, and it sends me spiraling. I walk through the streets of this human city, feeling overwhelmed by everything that is happening.

The last eight years have taken a toll on me. They’ve also shown me a side of myself that has me feeling nauseated. Eight years is a long time to examine my interactions with Leanna. I was so cruel to her in the beginning. She never complained. She never said a word. But it wasn’t because she didn’t feel the hurt and humiliation. It was because she had no other choice.

I know how different the human world is from life on the other side of the Veil. If Leanna has lived here for all these years, she has had no restrictions on her. I am a man deep-rooted in tradition. Will she ever want to leave this life and come back with me ? I can’t see that happening. And even if I did convince her, what could I offer her? How would she ever believe me?

I’ve always been a confident man. Being a powerful king inspires confidence. I have always been able to get people to do what I want. But now, when it comes to this woman, I have no control over her. I can’t forget the look in her eyes, the sickening fear, the hatred.

I come to a halt on the sidewalk, my wolf miserable.

Rothan and Harriet have not been able to find Leanna’s home address. I managed to confirm that she doesn’t reside at the palace, so she must live somewhere else, but Erik has her personal details protected. The only way to get her alone will be to find her and follow her home. But she’s going to be vigilant. I’m sure she’ll hide out at the palace where nobody can approach her—

The thought has barely crossed my mind when I spot a familiar face walking down the street.

I go still. Am I seeing things?

It’s Leanna. She’s wearing a leather jacket and black pants. Her clothes are form fitting, and she looks dangerously sexy, so unlike the demure woman I remember. Her hands are busy tugging on dark gloves as she crosses the street.

For a few moments, I stare at her, mesmerized. There’s nothing weak or fragile about her anymore. She carries herself with a confidence that I’ve never seen in her before. Her beautiful dark hair has been cut off and is now a light shade of brown, and the ends of it brush her shoulders as she walks with purpose.

This new look, this attire, I can’t help but think it all suits her. But where is she going at this hour of the night? She looks over her shoulder before darting around the corner into an alley. I follow her carefully, making sure to stay downwind at all times, across the road, concealed behind the trees.

She stands outside a window and takes out a strange device before holding it up to her eye. It makes a clicking sound. It’s oddly familiar. It takes me a couple of seconds to realize that I’ve seen it somewhere before. Humans take portraits with it. Who is she taking portraits of?

A camera. That’s what it’s called.

She stays there for a few more clicks before lowering the device and checking something on the back of it. Once she’s satisfied, she tucks the camera into a small bag attached to her hip and hurries out of the alleyway. She returns the way she came, and I realize that at this time of night, the only place she could be going is home. If I follow her, I can find out where she lives. Despite this opportunity, I feel a flicker of irritation. Why doesn’t Erik keep her in the palace, where she would be safe? Why is she roaming around like this? Anything could happen to her.

Leanna has taken a couple of steps when she pauses and glances around, clearly unsettled. I’m still hidden behind a tree on the other side of the street, but she must have sensed my presence.

She doesn’t look in my direction, though. Her eyes flit over her shoulder first, and then her head tilts back and she looks up at the roof of the building she’s standing next to. I follow her gaze and see nothing. But when she breaks into a run, a bad feeling forms in the pit of my stomach. Something has her on edge. That’s when I see someone jump down from the side of the building and give chase. A growl leaves my throat, and I sprint after them. There are still humans on the sidewalks, so I cannot shift into my wolf form. Leanna seems to have come to the same conclusion.

She zigzags through some parked cars and crosses a street, heading toward the dark woods. Initially, I thought there were only two people chasing her, but it hits me that there are more than just two. They’re coming from all sides, wearing dark clothes to blend in with the night. She’s leading them into the trees around the area, probably planning to shift and attack them. But if these are shifters, she won’t be able to take on all of them at the same time.

As I chase them, I note that her speed and stamina have improved. As much as I would like to get rid of those following her, I decide to wait and see what she plans to do. See how much she really has changed. I have a feeling this may be the only chance I’ll get to figure that out.

Leanna leads them deeper into the forest, and I count the figures chasing her. There are at least eight. They were clearly waiting for her. They must have known where she had planned to be at this exact time tonight.

She finally turns around and shifts in the blink of an eye, all dark fur and dangerous, glinting eyes.

When her pursuers shift as well, she lets out a low warning growl, her hackles rising. She knows she’s outnumbered, and she believes she’s on her own. I conceal myself behind a tree, watching and waiting. I want to see what she’s going to do before I get involved.

The first one jumps at her, and she lowers herself to the ground, making her attacker crash into the wolf behind her. As he does, she jumps to her feet and sinks her teeth into his tail, ripping it off.

My brows arch at the vicious nature of her counterattack. It’s effective. The wolf falls to the ground, howling.

But that was just one wolf. She still has the others to contend with.

When the rest realize she’s not going to be an easy target, they converge on her all at once. I straighten up. If they think they can touch her while I’m around, they’re going to learn a very painful lesson soon enough.

Two wolves jump on Leanna, and I’m about to intervene when I see her kick one of them with her rear leg and bite the snout of the other one in front of her. She fights dirty, I realize, feeling a sense of pride.

As the others rush at her, I know that now is the time to step in. She’s starting to get overwhelmed, unable to watch her back for attacks from all directions. Revealing myself, I go for the two wolves sneaking up behind her. I don’t even bother shifting. I grab one by the neck and slam him to the ground on his back. The sound of his spine shattering fills the clearing. He goes limp.

Leanna glances over her shoulder, and when she sees me, her eyes widen. However, she doesn’t have time to react much more than that because another wolf darts at her. As she avoid his attack, the one intending to ambush her bares his teeth at me, saliva dripping from the sharp, pointed edges of his teeth. I wait for him to come at me. He clearly thinks he has a better chance than his companion did because he attacks me with full force.

I grab his jaw and rip it apart.

He goes down instantly, his body twitching, gurgling sounds emitting from his throat. Just then, I hear a pained howl, and I look over to see that one of the wolves has gotten Leanna in her underbelly.

His teeth have sunk in, and Leanna is trying to get rid of him, but he’s hanging on. The smell of her blood is ripe in the air, and fury fills my every cell. Howling in rage, I shift forms in a heartbeat and jump on the wolf. After tearing out his throat, I go for the one that’s sneaking toward Leanna from the other side.

These wolves are nothing compared to the monsters I fight on a daily basis. Within minutes, I’ve dispatched them all, but Leanna is still on the ground, her body quivering. Her eyes are unfocused, and as I rush to her side, I curse myself. What the hell was I thinking, letting her deal with them? These individuals were skilled fighters. Even though she got a few of them, she was still vulnerable.

Her blood is pooling around her. That one wolf got her deep in her belly.

“Shift back, Leanna,” I tell her, back in my human form now. She gives me a dazed look, and I see the hint of fear in her eyes. I stroke her fur, forcing my voice to remain calm. “Shift back so I can take you to a healer.”

Panic is filling me. If I don’t get her to a healer, she’s not going to make it. When she resists, I can’t help but snarl. “You have a child to think of! This is not the time to be stubborn! Shift back, you damned woman!”

The mention of her child has her closing her eyes, and with a shimmer of light, she shifts out of her wolf form. She promptly passes out, her tolerance for pain much lower in her human form. There’s a strange vibration coming from her pocket, and I reach for the source of it. I recognize the device for what it is: a cell phone. The name on the screen is Maya, and there are plenty of missed calls from her. Maya? Is she a healer?

I accept the call and press the phone to my ear. “Are you a healer?” I demand.

It’s a woman on the other end, and she splutters, “What? Who is this?”

“You’re wasting my time,” I bark. I decide I’ll have to take Leanna to my hotel, but it’s on the other side of the city.

The woman on the phone interrupts my thoughts, saying quickly, “Wait. Is something wrong with Leanna?!”

“Yes.”

“I am a”—she hesitates on the word—“a healer. Bring her to the house. What happened to her?”

“She has a fatal injury to her stomach! And I don’t know where the house is,” I growl.

“Just track my phone. Use the GPS.”

“The what?” This whole conversation is confusing me. “What’s the GPS?”

She hisses. “Okay, just stay there. Stay where you are. I’m coming to you.”

She’s coming to us? She must be a wolf.

“And keep the phone on you, doofus!” she snaps.

The line goes dead, and I stare at the device in my hand. Doofus? Is that supposed to be an insult? Did this healer just insult the King of the Northern Wolf Kingdom?

Choosing to ignore the slight, I consider the situation before me. I’m not going to leave Leanna here in the middle of the forest. Picking her up carefully so as not to aggravate her injury, I head out of the trees and move closer to the side of the street. It’ll be easier for the healer to find us here.

Leanna is bleeding heavily. I take off my shirt and press it against the wound. If I were in the North, I would howl and one of my healers would be able to locate me. But I have a feeling if I howl here, the city noise will drown it out. Maybe I should get one of these cell phones. They are confusing contraptions but useful for communication.

A bright red car pulls up on the other side of the road ten minutes later, and a woman hops out. She stares at her phone and begins running in my direction. Then, she suddenly comes to a halt and looks around.

“You are Maya?” I growl from the shadows. She nearly jumps out of her skin and squints into the darkness until she finally sees me.

“What are you doing skulking there? Bring her to the car!”

She opens the back door, and when I lay Leanna across the seat, she examines her. This woman doesn’t smell like a shifter. She’s a human. But her name was in Leanna’s phone, so she must be someone my mate trusts.

“We need to go to a healer,” I say harshly.

“I am a veterinarian,” she says. “That’s as good as a healer.”

“Is that what the wolves call healers in the human realm?” I’ll have to learn more about this world that Leanna lives in.

Maya hops into the seat in the front and then stares at me through the opening. “Well, are you getting in or not?”

When I move to follow her into the car, she looks angry. “Unless you’re going to sit on my lap, get in the passenger seat.”

“The what?”

“Over there, you idiot!”

She leans away from me and opens the door on the other side of the car. I don’t like her insults, but Leanna doesn’t have the time for us to argue. I quickly run around the car and get in. It’s an uncomfortable fit for my long legs.

As Maya starts the car, she demands, “What happened? She was just out on a routine surveillance. How did things go this wrong?”

“She was attacked,” I say shortly. “We don’t have time to waste. Why are you taking her to another location when you can just heal her here?”

Maya gives me a sharp look. “All my equipment is in my bag, which is at her house. I’m going to have to stitch her up.”

“Stitch her?” I frown. “Just heal her.”

“It’s not that simple. I’ve left a message for her healer. Since he’s not available, she’s going to have to make do with me.”

“You’re a human. What can you possibly do to help her?” Suddenly, I realize I may have made a mistake. I should have taken her to Healer Pat at the hotel.

“I deal with injuries like this regularly!” Maya says fiercely. “Believe me, I’m more than capable of helping Leanna. And who even are you? Why were you with her?”

“That’s none of your business. If you can’t get in touch with her healer, then I need to contact mine.”

The woman hands me her phone. “Call him.”

I stare at the contraption. “How?”

“What do you mean how?” She glares at me. “Dial his number and give him a call!”

“I—” I’m beginning to feel a little humbled now. “I don’t know his number.”

She stares at me for a brief second. “You—” She’s about to say something nasty. I can see it on her face. But her expression flickers for a second. “Who are you?”

“Is that important?”

She brings the car to a screeching halt. “You’re not from here, are you?” Fear floods her face now. “No. How did I not see it before? You look just like him.”

My jaw tightens, something tingling in my brain. “Like whom?”

She refuses to answer. “Get out of my car.”

I narrow my eyes. “I’m not leaving Leanna alone with you. I don’t trust you with her.”

“And I’m not taking you to her home,” she retorts harshly. “You’re Cedric, aren’t you?”

So, this human is aware of who I am. Leanna must have told her about me. “If you know who I am, then you know how easily I can kill you,” I snarl at her. “Start driving. I’m not going to have Leanna die because of your carelessness!”

“I’m not bringing you to her house.” Maya grips the steering wheel tightly, her knuckles turning white.

I’m not about to waste any more time. Unsheathing my claws, I press the tips of them against her neck. “Drive.”

I can hear her heart start to race, her fear giving an acrid edge to her scent. “No!”

My claws bear down against her skin, breaking it slightly. When she realizes I mean business, she starts the car.

I don’t remove my hand throughout the ten-minute drive. By the time she pulls up in front of a house, her face is white as a sheet.

When she doesn’t move, I snarl, “Unless the healer has arrived, let’s go!”

She seems so hesitant to save Leanna, and that makes me want to kill this insignificant human. But she flinches and gets out of the car. I follow suit, proceeding to carry Leanna up the steps of the small house.

This is where my mate has been living all these years? In this tiny little hut? How could she possibly be comfortable?

When the door doesn’t open, I kick it. My foot splinters the wood.

Even the door is weak, I think in disgust.

“What are you doing?!” Maya cries out in alarm. “I have a key! You brute!”

She shoves past me and inserts a key into the lock. I refuse to feel bad and enter the tiny house with long strides. “Where do I put her?”

“Down the hall, first door to the right.”

I follow her instructions, bumping into the furniture as I walk through the front room. For a man of my size, this place is highly inconvenient. I am used to large spaces where I can move about with ease. This tiny house is cramped and uncomfortable.

“Stop breaking stuff!” Maya says, her voice distressed. “All these things are important to Leanna!”

Hearing her say that, I try to step more carefully. The first door on the right leads to a bedroom. It’s much smaller than the one I used to share with my mate. In fact, the bathroom alone back at the castle is twice this size. But as I lay Leanna down on the bed, I realize this whole house smells like her.

Maya follows me, carrying a black bag now. After putting on gloves, she touches the hem of Leanna’s shirt before glaring at me. “Would you leave the room so I can undress her?”

“Go ahead.” I cross my arms over my chest. “It’s nothing I haven’t seen before.”

“Get out.” She stands up, facing me. “I’m not letting you take away her dignity.”

I look at my mate, and my jaw tightens. “Fine.”

As I walk out of the room, Maya says out of the blue, “Just stay out there in the hallway. Don’t go opening any other doors.”

I shut the door to the bedroom and park myself outside it. Where else would I even go in this cramped space?

However, curiosity gets the better of me, and I look around. There are small things littered everywhere.

I recall how reluctant Leanna was to decorate her room in the castle, or even our room during the time she was with me. But here, she’s made this place her own.

I don’t know what this strange ache is in my chest as I rub it. What does this tiny hut have that the castle didn’t?

I hear soft footfalls from down the hall and then the sound of a toilet flushing. A door opens, and a young boy walks out, rubbing his eyes. “Mom? Why are you making so much noise?”

That must be Finn, the young wolf pup. In his human form, he looks to be around seven to eight years old. When he lowers his hand from his face, I get a jolt. Those eyes!

It can’t be. Amber eyes?

Erik said this child was his. But Erik’s eyes are green, and Leanna’s are brown. This child’s eyes are amber. Like mine. And he has dark curls, the same color as mine.

“Boy, come here.”

The child focuses on me and freezes, terror written all over his face. He takes a step back. “M–Mom?”

I see the fear and panic in his expression, and I know that he’s about to make a run for it. Before he can, I grab him by the front of his shirt and lift him in the air till we are nose to nose. “Who’s your father?”

Tears well up in his eyes. “I don’t like you!”

“I asked you a question!”

“I want my mom!” he whimpers.

I give him a little shake. “Men don’t cry like this!” Exasperation fills me. “When I was your age, I was out in the battlefield, not whining for my mother. Are you a suckling fool?”

He sniffles. “W–What? What’s that?”

“You, apparently,” I say gruffly. “A boy your age should be protecting his mother, not calling out for her to protect him.”

He wipes his eyes. “I can protect my mom.”

“You don’t look like it,” I comment. “Scraggly little thing like you.”

“I’m not scraggly!” he protests, and this time I see the fire in his eyes. “Let me go!”

“Why?” I raise one brow. “So you can go crying to your mother?”

“I am not a crybaby!” He sniffles again before kicking his arms and legs, forcing me to release him. To his credit, he doesn’t make a break for it.

“Who’s your father, boy?”

“My name is not ‘boy.’ It’s Finn.” He’s trying very hard not to tremble in front of me. “And I don’t have a father.”

“What do you mean, you don’t have a father?” I stare at him. “What about Erik?”

“King Erik?” Finn blinks. “He’s mom’s friend. I don’t think he’s my dad.”

“Dad?” I try to figure out what that is. “You mean father?”

He gives me a strange look. "Yeah. I asked Mom about my dad, and she said she forgot.”

“She forgot?” I stare at him. “And you bought that? Are you stupid?”

Finn bristles. “You’re stupid! And your face is stupid!”

I glare down at the boy. “Show some respect!”

“You called me stupid first!” He sticks out his tongue at me, his previous fear forgotten.

“I’m not the one behaving like a child.”

“I am a child!” he retorts.

He’s got a smart mouth. “How old are you?”

This has him holding out his fingers, and he counts. “Seven.”

I crouch down next to him so that we are at eye level. “Boy, do you want to see something interesting?”

Finn gives me a suspicious look. “Interesting?”

I reach inside my vest and pull out a thin dagger. His eyes widen, and I hold it out to him. “Let me show you a trick. Children like tricks, don’t they?”

From the look in his eyes, he clearly knows better, but curiosity seems to be fighting for dominance. When he nods his head slowly, I feel a smug sense of satisfaction.

Got you!