Page 31

Yelena

“Luna, would you be able to grab that big box from my truck and bring it over here?” Sonia asks, giving me a tired smile as she rubs her pregnant belly. “I would, but I really need to sit down.”

I shake my head and stand. “You shouldn’t be lifting anything else. Sit there and let us help you,” I admonish her kindly.

She sighs with relief and plops down in the nearest chair. I motion to Tiffany, and she quickly gets her a glass of water.

Once Sonia is taken care of, I hurry toward the gray truck she pointed at. It’s parked on the edge of the parking lot, and sure enough, a large orange box is sitting on the tailgate.

Hefting it with a grunt, I waddle my way back toward the sorting station. It’s heavy, but that just means that we’ve got more great donations.

Our annual School Supply Donation Drive is in full swing and it’s all hands on deck. As Luna, my job is to not only support Austin and our pack but also work with our neighboring communities on initiatives that give back.

This donation drive benefits so many less fortunate children and teachers in our community. It makes me proud to see the generosity of our pack play out in this way.

“Get off me, loser!”

“Get lost, pizza face!”

“Don’t call me that! You’re gonna regret it!”

The sound of a fist hitting flesh makes me whip around and I scan the parking lot, looking for where it came from. Another whimper and then another hit makes me set the box down to investigate. We’re at the community school, and there are lots of places to hide.

I let my wolf guide me as I hurry toward the sounds of the scuffle, my protective instincts kicking in.

In the far corner of the parking lot, I see two young boys, one human, one wolf shifter, facing off.

The human looks older and taller than the shifter, easily outweighing him.

I look on in shock when I realize the human boy has the wolf shifter pinned against the brick wall of the school, his fist drawn back and ready to strike again.

The wolf shifter meets my eyes, and I see the golden glow flashing in them as he struggles to control his shift. If he changes forms here, it could expose us all.

"Hey!" I call out, marching toward them with my shoulders back and head high. "Break it up, now."

The human boy startles, not having noticed my approach, but he continues to lash out.

I pick up the pace, hurrying toward them in shock.

The human boy outweighs the shifter child, and he’s clearly inflicting the most damage. I watch in horror when he succeeds in putting the young wolf in a headlock and begins raining blows down on him.

"Hey!" I shout, grabbing the human boy's arm before he can land another punch. "I said, that's enough!"

The boy tries to jerk away, but I hold firm, using just enough preternatural strength to keep him in place. The wolf boy’s eyes flash amber as he glares up at the human, a low growl building in his throat. I can sense the wolf inside him stirring, ready to lash out to protect itself.

He's just a pup, ten or eleven years old at most. There’s a small rivulet of blood dripping down his cheek, and his lip is split open. Dirt covers his arms and legs, and the white T-shirt he’s wearing is torn in several places.

Sure, his wolf will make sure he heals, but the pain in his eyes isn’t just from physical injury. I don’t recognize him, and I wonder if he’s from one of the other packs.

My heart aches and I turn to the struggling boy in my grasp.

“What do you think you’re doing?” I demand. He just glares at me sullenly, refusing to answer.

"He started it," the human mutters unconvincingly. "He's just a freak."

I level my best mom stare at him.

"I don't care who started it. I'm ending it. You don’t use your fists to solve problems. I never want to see you acting like this again, do you understand me?"

The wolf shifter ducks his head, still breathing heavily. He lets out a vicious snarl at the insult, and I can tell he is struggling to restrain his wolf. I lay a gentle hand on his shoulder, willing him to stay calm.

"I think you both need to walk away and cool down," I say evenly. "Fighting won't solve anything."

The human boy scowls but turns and stalks off. I wait until he disappears around the corner before I crouch down to get a good look at this shifter child.

I soften my voice as I address him.

"Are you hurt?"

He shakes his head, finally raising his eyes to meet mine. I reach to touch the gash on his face, and he flinches, backing away from me. I freeze. Someone has clearly hurt this boy before.

"Let me see," I say gently, putting my hand down. The wolf inside him is still on edge, wary of my touch. "It's okay, I want to help. What’s your name?"

“Gage, ma’am,” he manages, his voice thick with pain. “I’ll just go home. Won’t be no trouble.”

He struggles to his feet, holding his arm at a funny angle, and tries to walk off.

I stand, following him.

“Where are you going?” I ask, worried. “I trained as a healer and am a nurse. I could help you.”

He stiffens and shakes his head. “No, I can find my own way home.”

I continue to walk next to him. “Where’s home?” I ask, eyeing him. “What pack do you belong to?”

He stops and looks out over the parking lot, scanning for something. When he doesn’t find it, his shoulders drop, and he looks down at the ground.

“Highland Pack,” he mutters before taking off again.

Highland Pack. Our sworn rivals. Seeing him here like this puts me on edge, but the boy is clearly the victim in this scenario.

He’s a child, and an injured one at that. I can’t leave him to make his way home. Highland Pack boundaries are at least ten miles away. That’s too far to walk.

“Hey, wait up,” I call after him, digging my keys out of my bag. “I can drive you part of the way.”

He shakes his head and moves faster, forcing me to jog after him. “Can’t you at least tell me your family’s name? Can I call someone for you?” I persist.

He doesn’t answer, just darts across the parking lot.

I curse and give chase. My mother's instincts are screaming at me to protect this child and not let him disappear. I’m so focused on the boy that I don’t notice the two shadows that cross my path until it’s almost too late.

I skid to a stop, narrowly avoiding crashing into two people, a man and a woman.

“Sorry,” I say breathlessly. The hair on the back of my neck prickles.

I look up and find myself face-to-face with Sylvie and her friend from the Highland Pack. They block my path, sneering down at me.

"Well, if it isn't Little Miss Perfect," Sylvie sneers. “What are you doing with one of our pups?”

Her friend sizes me up and down disdainfully.

"Excuse me," I say, trying to step around them.

Sylvie blocks my path. "Don't think you're better than us just because Austin chose you," she hisses.

I hold back a frustrated growl. "I don't have time for this," I say through gritted teeth. "Now move."

Just then, I hear a yelp and see Gage collapsed on the ground, clutching his arm. Another wolf is standing over him, his leg poised to kick him. I look on in horror.

"Please," I plead. "That boy needs help. He’s injured, and he’s from your pack. I was only trying to help him."

For a second, Sylvie softens, glancing at Gage. Then her eyes harden again.

"He's Highland Pack. None of your concern. He’ll heal. Clearly, we raise our boys tougher."

I stare at her in disbelief. "He's just a child!"

Her friend cracks her knuckles menacingly. "Time for you to scamper back to your pack, little Luna."

I feel my hackles rising in response to the clear threat, but I force myself to take a deep breath. Getting into a brawl here would only make things worse.

I straighten up to my full height, meeting their glares evenly. "Gage was being attacked by a human boy. I was only trying to help. The way you’re treating him is cruel. Just help him, or if you won’t, allow me to!”

I look over at the boy again and am gratified that he takes a cautious step toward me.

“It’s okay, you can come over here,” I call out, encouraging him.

Sylvie scoffs. "We don't need your kind of help. We take care of our own."

Her other pack mate grabs the boy by the back of his shirt, tugging him back with a grunt.

I open my mouth to argue, but I hear movement and turn to see who is coming.

I freeze as Cleo's innocent voice reaches my ears. My throat becomes dry. Cleo.

“And then, do you know what I saw, Daddy?” Cleo says happily, “I saw three butterflies. One was gold, one was purple, and one was orange!”

Austin looks up, his gaze meeting mine, and I see the confusion in his eyes as he takes in the tense standoff. He straightens when he sees Sylvie and her friend, his posture taking on that of the Alpha.

Before I can say anything, warn them away, Sylvie whirls around and stalks toward them.

"Well, well, if it isn't my dear ex," she drawls, her voice dripping with disdain as she looks Austin up and down. Cleo stops mid-sentence, looking up at her with interest.

“Who are you, and why are you being rude to my Daddy?” she asks before looking over at me. “Hi, Mama!” she says, waving.

What are you doing here?" Austin asks tersely.

Sylvie’s lip curls in a sneer. “He’s not your Daddy, little mutt,” she growls, crouching down to Cleo’s level.

Cleo's small hand tightens around Austin's. He steps protectively in front of her, forcing Sylvie to back up.

"Leave. Now," he commands. The Alpha timbre rings clear in his voice. “And don’t you ever talk about my daughter that way again.”

Her friend cackles. “Daughter? I thought she was your little pet.”

I feel my anger rising. How dare they speak that way about my child!

Austin growls, the sound reverberating through the parking lot. His eyes flash amber. Sylvie's bravado falters slightly.

Sylvie’s eyes widen in surprise as she looks from Austin to Cleo and finally to me. I can see her mind working, trying to come up with something to say.

"The great Alpha, slumming it with a weak little Luna and breeding mongrel pups. No wonder your pack is going to the dogs," she hisses.

"Get out," he warns again, his voice low and dangerous. “We are on neutral land, which is the only reason you’re walking away from this right now, Sylvie. Take your people and get out or, mark my words, Nightwing Pack will make you leave.”

Sylvie's friend flexes her fists, gears up for a fight. My heart pounds, the tension ratcheting up.

I move swiftly, blocking Sylvie's view of Cleo.

"That's enough," I say sharply. "You heard him. Go. Now."

Sylvie snarls, her eyes flashing amber for a brief moment before she reins in her wolf.

She turns on her heel and stalks away, her friend following with a scowl.

“Get up, you worthless thing,” she spits, grabbing Gage on their way across the parking lot. The small boys' whimpers echo behind them.

I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding.

Austin squeezes my shoulder. "Are you okay?"

I embrace him, pulling Cleo into me as well.

“What happened?” Austin asks.

“That boy is hurt,” Cleo says, staring off toward the place where Gage had laid. “He got hurt in a fight, but he gets hurt at home too.”

I look over at the empty pavement and then back at her. “What do you mean?” I ask her carefully.

“I saw them. They hurt him at his house too. His grown-ups. ”

I turn to Austin, worry in my eyes. “He’s so young,” I whisper, “And I found him being beat on by a human.”

Austin’s eyes darken and the muscle in his jaw tics.

“He’s from Highland Pack. There’s nothing I can do,” he says, finally.

I nod, a single tear falling down my cheek as I look out to where Sylvie had disappeared with him. The idea of adults willingly hurting children makes me sick to my stomach.

“I hope he gets out,” I whisper.

“Let’s go,” Austin says gruffly, reaching for my hand. “If Highland felt comfortable enough to come into town while we’re here to sell their wares, they’re plotting something. I need you and Cleo safe at home.”

I let him lead me back toward the sorting station, stopping only to have him carry the box of supplies to Sonia and Tiffany.

The entire drive home, all I can think about is Gage and the way his little face was marked by pain.