Page 29 of Artemis’ Bow (Halfling Academy #5)

“Hold on. I think I have an idea,” Raven says. “Wolves respond to dominance, right? They have to obey the most dominant. Have you tried to force the pups to shift back to human?”

“Yeah, but nothing I do works… Oh shit.” Tristan’s eyes widen as he glances between Raven and Greyson. “Why didn’t I think of that?”

“To be fair, you only realized he was stronger a few minutes ago.” Raven grins.

“What am I missing?” I ask, glancing around at my friends.

Jayden shrugs. He clearly has no idea what’s going on either. Adrian nods emphatically after a second.

“It could work,” Adrian agrees.

“What could work?” I throw my hands up.

“Greyson, will you see if you can force the cubs to shift?” Tristan asks.

“Raven, you’re a damn genius,” I say with a grin. “You said it yourself; you’re more than a wolf now, and an alpha wolf basically just submitted to you. It should work.”

“Yeah, I can try. We’re staying the night anyway. It’s not a permanent fix, though. I don’t know what will happen when we leave in the morning. They won’t be able to shift until we get Artemis back.” Greyson rubs the back of his neck.

“Got it, but if it works, it will keep the pups from going feral until you rescue the goddess.” Tristan nods and strides to the back of the lobby.

“Where are the pups being kept?” I ask.

If he has them in a cage in the basement or something, I may just gut the alpha. They may be animals right now, but they are still babies and they don’t deserve that.

“They’re in the presidential suite on the top floor. I’m probably going to have to repair it and have it cleaned when this is all over, though. Wolf pups can be unruly at best.” Tristan pushes a button for the elevator.

“Are we sure the elevator is a great idea with spotty electricity?” I ask, eyeing the box with trepidation.

“Do you want to climb the stairs to the eighteenth floor?” Tristan asks.

“I climb twelve flights of stairs several times a day.”

“What?” Tristan eyes me up and down in disbelief. “The elevator is fine. The backup generator is the best there is on the market.”

“It’s fine, Beth.” Jayden grasps my hand and tugs me against his side.

“Famous last words,” I mumble.

It’s odd to think that I used to trust elevators and technology in general, but now… When did that happen? Maybe it was the demon pigeons. Yeah, that’s a good thing to blame it on. Those bastards were vicious.

Tristan pulls a card from his back pocket and swipes it across the electronic scanner. The light flashes green and the elevator lurches unexpectedly. I lose my footing and stumble into Jayden who wraps his arm securely around my waist, steadying me.

“Thanks,” I mumble.

“Anytime, love.” He kisses my temple.

“You two are sickeningly sweet,” Tristan scoffs.

“You’re just jealous,” Greyson taunts him.

“Hell yeah, I am. Look at her. She’s beautiful and powerful.” Tristan throws his hands up.

“She’s also standing right here.” I scowl at the two shifters.

“Sorry, Beth.” Greyson hangs his head.

“Yeah, sorry. It was totally a compliment, though.” Tristan winks at me.

Jayden growls and tugs me closer to his side, staking his claim. I rub a hand over his chest and when he glances down at me, his eyes are swirling with shadows.

“Hey, Jayden, stay with me. Tristan is an ally. Not a threat to us. Do not lose control.” I tilt his head so he’s staring into my eyes.

“Sorry, baby. That shit pissed me off and my magic was hard to contain.” Jayden shakes his head, probably to clear it from the thought of killing Tristan.

The elevator dings and the doors slowly open. A second later a tiny furry body launches at me. I scramble to catch the small ball of fur with a giggle.

“Colby, I have told you a hundred times, you can’t just launch yourself at people,” Tristan scolds.

I scratch the small wolf behind his russet ears. He’s the most beautiful red color. Colby barks, the high-pitched sound the most adorable thing I have ever heard.

“Oh my gods, aren’t you precious?” I coo at the little furball.

I step out of the elevator with my new little friend and several other small wolf pups tiptoe into the room to investigate the noise.

Two of them are so similar they have to be related.

They have silky light-gray fur and blue eyes.

There is a pure-white pup that would probably be camouflaged in the snow falling outside.

The last one is black—so dark it almost looks blue—with bright-green eyes. He peers at me with an inquisitive gaze before trotting over and sitting right at my feet. He growls and barks at Colby who returns his bark with the most adorable howl I have ever heard in my life.

“Okay, pups. This is Greyson and his friends. Alpha Greyson is going to try to force your shift,” Tristan says.

Colby squirms in my arms and I set him down on all four paws. He rushes over and sits directly in front of Greyson, ready to get out of his wolf body after being stuck for days. He must be terrified. How do they communicate in that form? I’ll have to ask Greyson later.

Greyson squares his shoulder and takes a deep breath. “Colby, shift. Now.”

Again, I have to fight back the urge to show Greyson my throat in submission. His dominance is no joke, especially considering I’m more powerful than him. The little red wolf pup whines before his body transforms before our eyes into a little red-haired boy of about five.

“Shit,” Tristan says, throwing a blanket at Colby. “Sorry, shifters don’t care much about nudity because we shift back to human naked. Clothes just get in the way.”

“It’s fine. Now that I know to expect it, I can just turn away when they shift back,” I say.

“Thank you, Alpha Greyson,” Colby says, his lip trembling. “I was so scared.”

“You’re welcome, Colby. You were so fearless. You volunteered to go first and that’s really brave.” Greyson crouches next to him.

“How can I be brave and strong if I’m scared? Daddy says to never show weakness,” Colby says.

“You know, I read something in a book once that said, ‘Bravery is not the absence of fear but the action in the face of fear.’ You showed that today.” Greyson smiles.

“You really think I was brave?” Colby asks.

“Hell yeah, little man,” Raven cheers.

The little black pup trots over and nudges Colby before sitting in front of Greyson and yipping at him with excitement. Everyone chuckles as Greyson pats his dark head.

“Okay, okay. Let’s get on with it. What’s this little one’s name?”

“Tanner. He needs to learn some patience.” Tristan sighs.

“They have been stuck like this for days. It’s okay that he’s a little antsy to get back on two legs,” I defend the little guy.

This time I’m ready when the pup transforms, and I turn away before he shifts. Tristan hands him a sheet, ready for them this time.

“Thank you, Alpha Greyson,” Tanner says, bowing his dark head.

“You’re welcome, Tanner.”

“Can you do Chloe next?” Tanner asks, pointing to her. “She’s really strong and she’s scared no one will be able to make her wolf listen.”

I glance at Raven and grin. Clearly, the little nine-year-old has a crush on the white wolf. It’s freaking adorable puppy love.

“Sure, buddy, I can try Chloe next. Can you get her to come over here?” Greyson nods.

“Hey, Chloe, it’s okay. Alpha Greyson is really super strong. It will work. It doesn’t even hurt, I promise. It’s just like a normal shift.” Tanner moves closer to the cowering white wolf.

“It’s okay to be scared,” Colby says. “Alpha Greyson said it’s okay to be scared but you’re brave if you do the thing that scares you.”

The little white wolf hesitantly trots over to Greyson. Greyson holds out his hand so she can sniff him, and a whine escapes her before she rolls on her back, showing Greyson her belly.

“Chloe is my niece and she’s an alpha. Her wolf is hard to control on a good day,” Tristan says.

“Chloe, shift. Now,” Greyson commands just as someone barges inside the room, out of breath.

The man’s eyes are wide as he sees the children back to normal but shakes himself out of his shock a second later. “Boss, you need to come quick. There’s been an attack. It’s bad. Really fucking bad.”