Page 53

53

Lucas

Tucking Kaylee into bed, I linger for a moment to watch my mate sleep. Dark circles had formed under her eyes these last few days with the battle approaching so quickly. I knew she was stressed out from her duties to Ivory Fangs and thinking about how we would protect our little pup.

I’d caught her many times in the middle of the night, sitting in the living room with a mug of tea in hand, watching the fire in the fireplace. She told me she was thinking about Aspen and any other pups we might have—how she worried about what to do if any one of them had powers passed down from me.

I would sit with her curled in my lap for hours, discussing the safety measures we could implement if our pups showed even the slightest hint of powers. If my own visions led us to discover our pup’s ability to see visions or some other ability before they showed, we could prepare for that day and help guide our pup through it. In the end, Kaylee would fall asleep in my arms, and I would carry her to bed to sleep properly like she is now.

Placing a soft kiss on her forehead, I leave the bedroom and go to the kitchen. Kaylee will want tea when she wakes up, so I fill the kettle before leaving the cottage. Deciding to leave the truck here for Kaylee since she’s restricted to how many times she can shift until the first trimester of her pregnancy ends, I shimmy off my clothes and toss them into a tote bag before shifting into my black wolf form.

Shaking out my fur and stretching my legs, I take a deep breath to scent out anyone lurking nearby. Our pack knows not to disturb Kaylee when she’s home unless it’s urgent, so I’m surprised when I catch Jenny’s scent nearby.

Picking up the tote bag by the handles in my mouth, I trot towards the direction of Jenny’s scent and burst through the tree line into a field of wildflowers. Jenny stands in the middle, her eyes watching four pups run around picking the flowers and squealing with delight. I guess I missed their scents due to the flowers masking them.

“Beta Lucas,” Jenny calls out, smiling and waving at me. I nod, letting her know I heard her before trotting through the flowers that seem to hide even my large frame from view. Reaching Jenny’s side, I place my tote bag down and sit back on my haunches, my eyes watching the pups who wave at me before disappearing into the tall flowers.

“What brings you out here?” Jenny asks, crossing her arms as a gust of wind blows past.

[I was dropping Kaylee off at the cottage. She’s taking a day off to rest,] I answer, watching a flicker of understanding cross my packmate’s face.

“Good. She works so hard for the pack. I never knew how hard she worked until I took over training the pups with Kurt. To think she came up with everything on her own amazes me,” Jenny muses, making me smile with pride.

[Kaylee puts her all into everything,] I agree, catching the look of approval thrown my way.

“She’s changed you for the better,” Jenny says after a pause of silence passes between us. “When I was an omega in Oak Fur, I was terrified of you because of how much you resembled Ramos...in both mannerisms and looks,” she continues, her eyes hardening.

Guilt creeps into me at how I acted after my mother’s death. I took much of my anger and frustration out on the omegas, thinking they were nothing but lowly wolves beneath me.

Kaylee, as usual, took me to the training ring there and happily knocked some sense into me. She was thirteen at the time, and I had just turned sixteen. I was newly shifted, and even then, that no-nonsense she-wolf I’m deeply in love with could kick my ass into next week. After losing to her, I kept my distance from the omegas and used the ass-whooping lesson Kaylee gave me to fight my emotions in the training ring, with her father—Easton Kingsley—being the one to help me through it.

[She’s been changing me since we were pups. I just never realized how good Kaylee was for me until after I rejected her,] I admit, watching as a little girl who looks exactly like Jenny runs up to her and hands her a flower crown.

Jenny smiles, bending down to allow the little girl to place it on her head, and I watch on happily. One day, this will be Aspen and Kaylee running around in the flowers and making crowns.

“I made you one too, Beta Lucas,” a small voice calls out. I turn my head to see a little boy holding out a flower crown to me. His eyes hold a slight bit of fear, and I slowly shimmy my front paws forward, trying not to scare the boy further until I lay on the ground before him. Placing my head on my paws, I wag my tail and watch as the little boy steps closer until he’s right beside me. He tentatively places the flower crown onto my head, his face lighting up in a smile as I slowly sit up to not disturb it.

[Can you tell him I like it?] I ask Jenny, watching a smile light up her face once again. She does just that, and the little boy unexpectedly hugs me before he and the girl, whom I assume to be Jenny’s daughter, run off to continue collecting more flowers.

“That crown suits you,” she states, her voice clear and friendly. Had this been a year ago, I would have thought Jenny was mocking me. But now I know she genuinely means her words.

I thanked her, telling Jenny to be safe out here, before picking up my tote bag and trotting toward the packhouse. I can feel her gaze follow me until I disappear through the trees.

I trot by warriors on patrol on my way to the packhouse. Some comment on my flower crown, to which I proudly state through a link that a pup gave it to me, my tail wagging happily as I pass them. They get a chuckle out of it.

My aunt must have heard through the pack link that I have a flower crown on my head because she meets me by the steps, cell phone in hand, and quickly snaps a picture.

“You look quite dapper,” she says playfully, eyes full of laughter.

[Thanks. Think you can take it off for me so I can shift?] I reply, stepping closer to my aunt and allowing her to remove my flower crown. I shake my fur out, happy to know I brought my little gift to the packhouse safely, when howls ring through the air.

With eyes widening, I open the link to all the warriors and demand to know what’s happening.

[Some wolves snuck into the borders. They’re heading towards the packhouse,] Ryder responds through the link. Aunt Amelia must have heard it, too, as she carefully handed my flower crown to an omega, telling her to take it to my office with my tote bag full of clothes. After the omega had made it safely inside, she shifted into her own black wolf, and the two of us followed the sounds of howls.

Unease begins to fill me. We’re headed in the same direction Kaylee’s and my home is—the same direction where I left Jenny and the pups—the south border.

[Jenny!] I call through the link, hoping to reach her.

[Busy protecting pups,] she replies shortly. I sigh, knowing she’s safe, and look at my aunt. With a silent agreement, we push ourselves to our limits, racing over fallen trees and tall bushes. I pass by the cottage, relieved to see nothing has been disturbed, and pray to the Goddess that Kaylee is safe, still sleeping soundly in our bed. I head towards the flower field to find Jenny and the pups.

The sounds of fighting have grown louder, and as Aunt Amelia and I burst through the tree line, I see how strong Ivory Fangs truly is. Surrounding the five pups is a circle of warriors, both in human and wolf form. Jenny leads their protection, her auburn wolf taking out an enemy that got too close to the scared pups and tearing their throat out. She notices me watching, and I give her a quick nod before joining in the fight.

[Try to keep one alive. We need to know who these wolves are,] my aunt orders through the link, a ‘Yes Alpha’ chorus sounding in response. Taking a deep breath, I scent out ten wolves who don’t belong to Ivory Fangs or Growling Heart. These are our enemies, and I waste no time tracking them down.

More wolves join the fray, and I spot Simon still unshifted. In his hand is a strange-looking gun, and it isn’t until he shoots it at an enemy and they fall to the ground, quickly shifting from wolf to human, that I realize it’s a dart gun. Each dart must be a tranquilizer holding some form of drug to knock our intruders out immediately.

With Simon and his gun in hand, the fight ends just as quickly as it started. Three of the ten wolves I’d scented were captured alive by me, Simon and three other warriors. The aftermath revealed that a total of twenty wolves had crossed our borders, though, and two had managed to escape. The rest had been killed before my aunt could send out her order to keep one alive.

“Take these men to the dungeons and the others to the morgue. I want to know who sent them and what their aim was,” my aunt, now shifted and wearing a baggy shirt, orders.

Everyone is busy cleaning up the mess of blood, fur, and bodies. Some are off to the side receiving medical treatment—a few intruders had wolfsbane on their claws.

Off to the side, I find Jenny still in wolf form. She carefully circles the pups, her eyes watching them as she whines reassuringly. They smell strongly of fear, and my heart breaks to know that these pups, who can be no older than nine years old, had to go through such a frightening event.

[Are their parents on their way?] I ask her, Jenny stopping her circling to look at me.

[They are. Two were actually part of the circle protecting them,] she links, nodding to a pair of warriors that stand to the side, arms crossed as they scan the now trampled field of flowers.

[Who would do such a horrible thing? Attacking helpless pups in broad daylight?] Jenny continues sadly. I find myself sighing and moving to nudge her with my snout.

[Ramos is behind this. He’s after my family’s lives,] I answer in a private link. I know I can trust Jenny. I’ve watched her interact with Kaylee since joining Ivory Fangs. I explain what Ramos is planning and that Kaylee and I plan to take back Oak Fur from him. Jenny is silent, her eyes watching me with fear and hesitation before she turns to look at the pups.

[I know you two will succeed,] she finally says, her trust in me radiating through the mind link. Taken aback by her blind trust, I just nod and thank her before making my rounds to check on everyone.

Ramos crossed a line today by sending wolves on a preemptive strike. Part of me knows he’s testing the waters, testing Ivory Fangs’ strength. But going after pups is just diabolical, even for him.

[We need to have an emergency war meeting,] I finally link my aunt, reaching her side after my final check.

[I know. It seems like our attack will have to move up another few days,] she agrees, her eyes staring into my own.