Pack Bonds, page 30
part #4 of Amarok Series
“No, but we can squeeze you in the trunk I think.” Dean snickered as she was shoved forward.
They climbed into the car, Dean handing the keys over to Viktoriya as she climbed into the back with Lorna, Rachel taking the passenger seat. Behind the privacy of the tinted windows, she relaxed.
The rays of light disappeared and the pounding in her head multiplied tenfold. Dean groaned and leaned against the car door.
“Hey, you okay?”
She waved off Lorna’s hands. “Fine, fine. Just tired. That took a lot out of me.”
“Yeah. You were great! I mean, you’ve always had a presence but then, you were larger than life. It was almost like I could feel you talking.”
“Hmm.” Dean looked up, seeing two gazes looking at her through the rearview mirror. She inclined her head in an ‘I’ll explain later’ and they turned away. Sighing deeply, Dean closed her eyes and rested while the car pulled away.
-
Dean watched from the doorway as Lorna moved deeper into the room. She had to constantly remind herself that the girl smiling softly as she took in the sparsely decorated space wasn’t an apparition. That her sister had waltzed out from under the haze of her doubts to appear before her, whole and healthy. A fact that had nothing to do with her efforts.
She didn’t believe she could ever let the perceived failure go, but it didn’t press as strongly on her conscience as the night before. Viktoriya was right. What mattered now was the future.
She could take this. After all the misfortune doled out to her through her life and the trials she would undoubtedly face later, Dean reassured herself that she was allowed this great mercy.
“...Sorry, Dean.” Lorna looked over her shoulder with a slight wince. “I have to admit, a part of me was thinking the same thing as Lamar.”
“What do you mean?” Dean moved forward, guiding her to sit on the edge of the mattress, putting an arm around her shoulder.
“It was so hard, Dean.” Lorna’s eyes grew distant as a memory haunted her. “We ran for so long. Lamar tried to find a new place for us, somewhere secluded enough where we could rest for a while. Just long enough to catch our breaths.
“But we couldn’t find it. City after city. Mountains and valleys. It didn’t matter. It was like Uncle told us. We were surrounded by enemies, whether they attacked outright or we had to bear the weight of their stares as they waited for an opening. The proud blood wolves reduced to thieves and vagabonds as we scraped up resources to survive, waiting for the next shoe to drop.
“After that miserable existence, I saw you. Gods, I was so happy but a little part of me saw something else. Saw you smiling without the shadow in your eyes we all have. Saw your clean clothes.” Lorna scowled as she looked down at the mismatched, oversized clothes she’d scavenged. “The two of you started arguing and…I resented you. Just a bit.”
She hung her head, waiting to be judged. Dean shook her head, trying not to feel offended. At least she’s being honest about it. Leave it to an Amarok to be direct. That’s all it took for the faint stirrings of anger to melt away. Her family who she never thought she would see again was sitting beside her. Who could be angry in the face of a miracle?
“I can’t imagine what you’ve gone through and I’m not going to bother trying to measure our hardships against one another. What’s the point? It won’t change what we’ve been through. All I care about is that we’re alive and together.”
Dean squeezed her in a one-armed hug, making Lorna look up at her. She squirmed as her sister’s eyes watered. “Come on, don’t do that. You know how bad I am with tears.”
“That’s because you suck at comforting people,” Lorna said with a sniff, wiping away her tears with her sleeve.
“Vikky tells me the same thing.”
“The hell? You making your mates cry?”
“Hey! That wasn’t my fault. Gods, what do you take me for?”
“I believe you. I completely believe you don’t think it was your fault. Whether or not you were actually responsible though…” She snickered at Dean’s obvious offense, but the sound petered off as she put a hand on the wrist hanging over her shoulder. “Do me a favor. Remember what you said. All that matters is that we’re alive and together.”
“You’re talking about Lamar.”
“Father used to talk about it. Him and Lucien. I heard them once. They both knew that one day the two of you would fight it out.”
Dean shook her head. “That was never my plan.”
“Maybe not, but that’s what it would have come to. Well, maybe not if you joined the Scouts but you liked being doted on too much for that kind of lifestyle.”
“Doted on?”
Lorna snorted. “Don’t act surprised. You were the biggest princess in the compound. Loved having your ego stroked if you know what I mean. The size of it, it’s a good thing you’ve got two mates.” She waggled her eyebrows and Dean shoved her away.
“I am no princess.” Dean huffed. First her mates and now her sister. What did she need to do to get a proper reputation as a fearsome alpha, skin a changer and wear its fur? Drink fresh blood every morning from a human skull? “And as for your concerns about our cousin, I can’t guarantee that everything will be alright.”
She nodded at Lorna’s frown. “Yeah, I know that’s not what you want to hear but I won’t lie to you. We’re changers. More importantly, we’re Amarok. I have a way that we may settle this without it coming to death but if blood is required, I will spill it. Even if I cry afterward.”
They stared at one another, each of them absorbing the conviction behind her statement. Then Lorna let out a deep breath, falling backward onto the mattress. “Suppose that’s the best I’m going to get from you. Cool. Let’s talk about something less depressing.”
She rolled onto her side, propping her head up with one hand as she waved the other. “Mate bond. Details!”
Dean laid down, mirroring her position as she smiled. “Didn’t you get your fill of this from the girls?”
“Yeah, but now I want to hear it from you. This has got to be interesting for you, being tied down in a relationship after--”
Dean’s hand snapped out, covering Lorna’s mouth as she looked back toward the door. Her ears strained to hear if anyone was close enough to have overheard their conversation, breathing a sigh of relief when all she picked up was movements downstairs.
She scowled at Lorna’s mocking grin as she removed her hand. “Judging from your reaction, I’m guessing your mates don’t know about your sordid past.”
“It is not sordid.” As a powerful dominant, Dean had always been popular amongst the blood wolves. That took on a different meaning when she reached puberty. Changers weren’t known for subtlety or reservations.
“Then why did you freak when you thought your mates might find out? Is one of them the jealous type? I bet it’s Vikky. She looks like the type to claw someone’s eyes out.”
“What does that mean? No, nevermind. Like I could understand your crazy logic. I’m not hiding anything from them. That’s a touchy subject.”
Lorna gasped. “You mean you haven’t sealed the deal?” She reached forward, turning Dean’s head back and forth until her hands were batted away.
“What are you doing?”
“Looking for the zipper, cause obviously you’re someone wearing a Dean suit.”
“Oh, haha.” Dean smacked her reaching hands away. “Quit it, you brat. It’s different with them. I can’t just…” She made twisting gestures with her hands.
“Performance anxiety?”
She snapped her teeth at her sister. “I will hurt you.”
“Aw, Dean’s shy.”
“Do you think you can fit out that window? I do, but I doubt it’ll be comfortable.”
“We sound like we’re having a fun conversation.”
Dean swore softly as Rachel and Viktoriya walked into the room. The redhead took a seat next to Lorna while Viktoriya sat behind Dean, leaning against her back. “Rare thing to see our grumpy alpha all flustered. What are we talking about, little sister?”
Dean glared at Lorna but her sister’s smile widened. “Oh, you know. Dean’s declining sexual prowess.”
Dean groaned as both of her mates perked up, each with different expressions on their faces; Rachel looked interested while Viktoriya bared her teeth. She grabbed Dean’s arm, leaning over her shoulder as she said, “Oh? Enlighten us.”
“There’s nothing--”
“Shh!” Rachel hooked her arm with Lorna’s. “What was this about sexual prowess?”
“Dean was quite popular back on the mountain. And you know, in a community of changers with great hearing, it's hard to keep any secrets.”
“You little--”
“My sister’s got some interesting tastes.”
“Gods.” Dean tried to get to her feet, but Viktoriya yanked her back down onto the mattress. “Can we not have this discussion right now? Or ever? This is wrong.”
Lorna ignored her as she continued. “I was saying that I thought she might be an impostor since the Dean I know didn’t let a day pass before getting to the good stuff.”
Rachel looked positively gleeful. “Oh ho. Our girl had a reputation.”
“A reputation. Yeah, that’s one way to put it. Reputation for breaking hearts. I remember someone got her involved in a drinking contest. Dean’s a…friendly drunk. Half the compound could hear what she was getting up to that night.”
Dean groaned in exasperation while Rachel laughed. “Well, I feel downright cheated! All I get is the softie. Where the hell is this animal?”
“Lorna, I’m going to get you back for this.” Seeing that she wasn’t going to escape from the conversation, Dean stretched out on the mattress, laying her head in Viktoriya’s lap. Her mate stiffened briefly before laying a hand in her hair. “Red, we’ve got some priorities to take care of first, don’t you think? Not a great time for distractions.”
“I think it’s a great time for distractions. Vikky?”
The hand in Dean’s hair paused. Dean looked up to see a pair of blue eyes staring at her intently. Viktoriya turned away when their eyes met, biting her lower lip as a heavy blush covered her cheeks. “Um…”
Dean shook her head. “You two.” As if she needed extra motivation to put down the rogues. She moved closer to Viktoriya, nuzzling against her stomach as she threw a lazy arm around her waist. She grinned as she felt her mate shudder beneath her.
“Our victory celebration for kicking out the rogues is going to be a lot more fun than I planned on.” Rachel jostled Lorna. “But enough of that for now. What’d you get up to while that one was cracking heads? Can’t be much to do on a mountain.”
“You’re telling me! But hey, scaring hikers never gets old.”
“You didn’t.”
“Uh-huh. Why do you think we have any idea about anything? Whoever got the best reaction from them got to keep their stuff. A perfect mix of fun and education for blood wolf youths.”
Dean closed her eyes as the three of them droned on, letting the tension from the last couple of days slip away as nimble fingers massaged her scalp. Peaceful times like these were a rarity in her chaotic life and a soft smile graced her lips as she savored the moment.
-
Katherine entered the house after another exhausting day, latching the new lock behind her. Morgan had made good on his promise. It would take a battering ram to knock down the thick wood and she had to admit it gave her a sense of security in the trying times. “Cay!”
“In here!”
She followed the shout to his room, finding her brother sitting cross-legged in the middle of his bed. His features were set in an unusually serious frown as his eyes flicked across the computer screen rapidly. “What are you doing?”
“I got another message from Gordon.”
“What!” She hurried over, dropping down next to him and peering over his shoulder to read the screen. “Where? Let me see.”
“I think it’s from him. It was from a different email address and after I downloaded the attachment, it disappeared. But who else could it be from?” he mumbled, pulling up the document. Katherine pressed closer as she read the short, yet life-changing message.
It is time to choose, Katherine Meadows. Where will you stand in the coming conflict? Our sources tell us that the rogues in the city are preparing for a major show of force. The changers will be forced to respond. We predict the ensuing damage to be substantial in the least.
Their conflict provides us with the opportunity we need. Using your connections, you can record the evidence needed to cement your authority over Freewood. We have sent the supplies you need.
Once you have recorded the proof, send it to the email below. We suggest you move quickly.
We hope you make the right choice, Detective Meadows. Good luck.
Katherine sat back with a grunt. The elderly hunter had used the word opportunity, but the email sounded vaguely threatening. And what did he mean her authority over Freewood? It almost sounded like they wanted her to head a coup. “What supplies?”
“Oh, yeah. Doorbell rang. No one was on the porch, but I saw a box through the peephole. No markings on it. Stuffed full of cameras and wires and shiny lenses. Real spy stuff.”
He turned to her with a serious gaze. “You can’t accept this.”
“Why not?” Katherine was suspicious of the man who called himself Gordon Graft but what he represented didn’t necessarily deserve scorn. It unnerved her to think that humanity was surrounded by more powerful species who secretly controlled their fates.
The hunters claimed to be the only ones trying to rectify that. They seemed to be taking measures to control the inevitable fallout, promoting management rather than all-out war. Their goal was admirable and inclined her to at least consider the proposal.
Cayden’s scowl said he didn’t agree with her way of thinking. “Something’s not right about this. They said this place wasn’t important to them, but Morgan said this city is unique. If it’s important to the…three races he called them? If it’s important to them, I bet it’s super important to this Gordon guy. And I told you before, he’s hiding something.”
“Everyone’s hiding something.”
“Yeah, but he’s the one who hid. Morgan knew what I was. He knew what I could do. Gordon showed there is at least one way to block it so I’m betting he could have left and found a way to talk to us without the human aura reader examining his intentions. But he didn’t. He sat, he talked to us, and he promised to do his best to help us. I didn’t hear the hunters promise your safety.”
“My safety became a bargaining chip the moment I put on the badge.”
“That’s ridiculous and you know it. They’re trying to use you, Kate!”
Katherine popped to her feet, running a hand through her hair. “What do you want me to say? Of course he’s using me. Everyone uses everyone. The question is, is his agenda worth being used for? It has to bother you that a supernatural cabal is manipulating the city, no, maybe the entire country.” Gordan said that between them, the three races had connections across the globe, but she didn’t ponder on that thought too hard. The reality was too difficult to grasp.
“What does it matter?” Cayden shrugged. “You complain about how your bosses are overly controlling. People groan about the government every day.”
“That’s different.”
“How? There are plenty of human organizations that do more monstrous things than keeping themselves hidden. I don’t think it matters who’s in charge, only that they are looking out for the people they are in charge of. Who between Morgan and the hunters better represents that?”
Katherine sighed heavily. “I don’t know. Maybe you’re right.”
“You really should talk to your partner about this.”
The thought made her sneer inwardly though she contained her outward expression to a frown. For all the praises Cayden had been singing for the man who turned into a wolf, the fact remained that Morgan lied to her. For years.
She hadn’t approached him about what he was doing as a detective. After what she'd learned, she doubted that he’d joined the force because of a burning passion for justice.
If he had been perverting the law to protect himself, she didn’t know if she could forgive him, no matter the reason.
“Kate.”
“I need to think.”
“Fine. But I’m going to try and get in touch with Tobias Harmony again.” When she looked back at him questioningly, he shrugged. “I want to know more about myself. I know the hunters offered but--”
