Saviour of the Pack, page 5
I climbed into the car. Greg was already behind the wheel, giving me space to say my goodbyes. ‘You okay?’ he asked, tracing a stray tear that had slipped down my cheek.
‘Yeah. Jess was just giving me some home truths.’
‘She doesn’t often pull her punches.’
‘No, but she’s right. I’ve been avoiding Maxwell and my birth family. I’ve wanted to know about them my whole life – and now that the opportunity is here, I’m being a coward.’
‘It’s not cowardly to be uncertain or fearful. Meeting them is a big thing. You’ll get to it in your own time.’ He started the engine and laced our fingers together on the gear stick so we could hold hands while he drove. It steadied me.
I gave his fingers one last squeeze before disentangling them from mine and pulling out my phone. I hesitated, thinking about my options, then decided to ring my great-great-etc-grandfather. He deserved more than a text message. Even so, I was secretly relieved when my call went to voicemail. ‘I got the prophecy. Call me,’ I said, and hung up. The best voice messages are short and sweet; besides, my vampyr relation had struck me as a fellow who would appreciate brevity.
I kept turning the prophecy over in my head. Maybe it wasn’t so mysterious; after all, I’d been born a fire elemental and made into a werewolf. The bit that gave me pause was the Queen Alpha part. Was ‘Queen’ used simply to denote that I was a female alpha, or did it mean more? And which curse was I supposed to end? There was only one that came to mind: the gargoyles. They were former werewolves twisted and cursed by the witches, but I knew fuck all about ending curses.
What do you think about the prophecy? I asked Esme.
Curses are bad. If we can end one, we should. It was a simplistic view, but hard to disagree with.
But how?
I have no idea, she admitted. But we’ll find out.
I loved her confidence. With my head spinning, I decided it was time to take a nap; sleep always helps me gain some perspective. I settled against the headrest and in minutes I was out. I woke when I heard Greg say, ‘Shit, this doesn’t look good.’
Adrenalin thrummed through me at the abrupt awakening. ‘What doesn’t look good?’ I asked, sitting up and dabbing away a small dribble of drool from the corner of my mouth.
‘There’s something going on at the mansion.’ Greg’s tone was grim.
Through the windshield, I saw a bunch of people gathered outside. People were visibly upset, clinging to each other. Cassie was crying.
I sighed. I had spoken too soon, and by doing so I’d summoned an emergency. Fuck.
Chapter 6
Greg and I pulled up and immediately piled out of Emory’s beautiful car. ‘What’s going on?’ I called out.
‘Alpha!’ Liam said with relief. ‘There was an attack.’
‘Don’t be so melodramatic,’ Seren snapped. ‘It was bullshit. No one was even hurt.’
‘Ares was hurt!’ he protested.
‘None of the wolves were hurt,’ Seren amended.
‘At least three unknown wolves encroaching on our lands is not bullshit,’ Finley added. The former loner looked stressed.
David disagreed vociferously with Seren. ‘They attacked Ares and they pissed on our front door! They’re claiming our lands as theirs, and attacking that which is under our protection.’ I had never seen him do more than make sad doe eyes at her, so it was a welcome change. ‘A territorial dispute isn’t bullshit,’ he went on. ‘It’s war. Good thing Finley, Liam and Daniella came upon them when they did. Who knows what else they had planned?’
We will destroy them! Esme snarled furiously.
‘What they did was quite enough,’ Marissa growled. ‘They hurt Ares!’
‘Everyone calm down,’ Greg ordered over the hubbub. ‘Was anyone other than Ares hurt?’ His gaze swept over the assembled wolves, but they all shook their heads.
‘Ares was hurt,’ Marissa cried. ‘Why is no one bothered that Ares was hurt?’
‘Of course we’re bothered,’ David disagreed. ‘Mrs Dawes is already seeing to him.’
‘Where is he?’ I asked urgently. I scanned the crowd for Ares, but I couldn’t see the unicorn that I’d grown so fond of. A coppery tang hung in the air, and a patch of the gravel was slick with blood. My stomach lurched; that was a lot of blood.
‘He’s in the rear courtyard by the servants’ entrance,’ David told me.
I reached out my mind to Ares’ and found him in such pain and chaos that I instinctively shrank away. It was hard to reach out again knowing the jarring agony that I’d feel, but he deserved some comfort.
I didn’t hesitate in shifting to four – bye-bye clothes – and let Esme take us to Ares as fast as she could. My wolf was furious; someone had dared encroach on our land and hurt our Ares. She wanted retribution.
Later, I urged. Let’s check on Ares first.
I felt her agree. The attackers were gone, so ensuring the safety of our pack was paramount. All that blood… Ares would need a healer. We rounded the corner and saw him lying on the ground, bleeding badly. Mrs Dawes had her hair tied back and was swiftly painting some runes on him.
‘Thank goodness Amber left you some of her gunk,’ I said as I shifted back to two legs.
Mrs Dawes gave a visible start. ‘Alpha! Thank goodness you’re back.’
Ares’ wounds were beginning to close. I gave Mrs Dawes a swift hug, nakedness be damned. ‘You’re amazing! How did you know to do that?’
Mrs Dawes hesitated. ‘Did you know Amelia Jane?’
I shook my head. ‘No, not really. I’ve heard of her. She was a witch. She died a little while ago.’ She’d also deliberately fudged Jess’s security runes so my best friend could be attacked. It later transpired that the poor girl had been blackmailed into doing it.
‘I was friends with Amelia Jane and she showed me a few healing runes – just in case. But I only recently acquired some healing potions. It seemed – prudent, what with all the recent problems we’ve been having.’
Good old Mrs Dawes; eminently practical and always prepared. ‘You should have mentioned it earlier. Think of all of Amber’s invoices I could have avoided,’ I joked.
Mrs Dawes smiled tightly. ‘It’s forbidden to teach non-witches the runes of power. It’s so easy to do them wrongly, and if that happens it can drain all our power rather than take it from the realm around us. I only risked it with Ares because we called Amber and none of the witches could get here in under twenty minutes. I didn’t want to lose him – unicorns are so wonderful and rare. Saving him was worth the risk.’ Her gaze was openly affectionate when she looked at Ares, and she gave him a gentle, reassuring pat.
‘The risk – as in you could get extinguished?’
Mrs Dawes nodded solemnly. ‘Exactly.’
‘If it’s as dangerous as you say, why did Amelia Jane show you some runes?’ I asked.
‘As I said, we were friends. She didn’t want me dying just because a witch couldn’t get to me in time.’
I gave her a warm smile, but it didn’t seem like a likely scenario. We shifters are tough, and it would take a hell of a lot of damage to put us at death’s door. Archie’s ruined torso flashed into my mind, and I forcibly pushed the upsetting image away. Yes, it could happen.
Ares gave a happy whicker to draw our attention back to him. There was a huge pool of blood on the concrete floor, and he rocked back and forth briefly before finding his feet. He stood carefully and took a few steps before he threw his head back and whinnied his triumph.
He gave Mrs Dawes an enthusiastic head nuzzle and pushed her back a few feet. She gave a happy laugh. ‘All right now, Ares.’
As he pranced around us happily, I said, ‘I’m glad you’re feeling better, my friend. What happened?’ I reached out my mind to his.
Instantly I was assaulted by anger, then images flashed through my mind so quickly I could hardly process them. Ares patrolling the perimeter of the mansion and finding strange wolves at our door; Ares rearing and smashing down his lethal, claw-like feet in warning, only to be attacked not by three wolves, as Liam had said, but by seven.
Ares had found the three ahead of him, but hadn’t noticed the four slinking up behind him. They had attacked and ripped his flesh with teeth and claws while he had screamed. He had whirled to face the attack and the wolves had fled from his fury, but the damage had been done. The smell of other non-pack wolves was all round, and a coppery tang of blood scented the air – Ares’ blood. Finley, Daniella and Liam had found him first and raised the alarm.
My mind disentangled from his with difficulty. ‘You’re alright now,’ I said aloud. ‘We’ll find the ones that did this to you.’ I touched my mind to his and let him feel my determination, my need for retribution.
Esme and I wouldn’t let this stand; we couldn’t let this stand. We wouldn’t survive as alpha for long if we let it be known that other wolves could come onto our territory and attack the creatures under our protection.
‘You can pipe,’ Mrs Dawes said with wonder.
‘Yeah, I can. It’s not much of a secret, and a good few of the wolves know about it, but for now I would ask that you keep it to yourself. Discretion is the name of the game.’
‘Mum’s the word,’ Mrs Dawes promised.
‘Thank you.’
‘I’ll clear up the blood here.’ She pointed to the gory pool in the courtyard.
‘Thank you. What would I do without you?’
‘Let’s hope we don’t have to find out,’ Mrs Dawes said with a wink. She pulled out her hair bobble and let her usual bob fall back into place.
Ares and I walked back to the main entrance of the mansion. Tension was still high, but it ratcheted down a level as soon as everyone noticed the unicorn. Those in wolf form came closer to him, nuzzling against his legs and letting out soft whines. Ares raised his head higher, prouder, then did a fancy little dance, picking up his legs in an elaborate dressage-style trot.
Channelling my inner Winston Churchill, I turned to address the gathered wolves. ‘Our land has been encroached upon, our Ares attacked and wounded. This will not be borne. We will find the aggressors, and we will take them to task for daring to attack the Home Counties pack.’
Those who had shifted into wolf form threw their heads back and howled at my promise of retribution. Now all I had to do was deliver. Easy.
‘For now, we institute a constant patrol of our grounds. Greg will set up a schedule, and shifts of four wolves will guard the mansion at any one time. It’s going to be busy for the next few days, so brace yourselves.’
I probably sounded a bit grimmer than I intended, but I had the words of the prophecy ringing in my ears. I was supposed to be Queen Alpha, and I was sick and tired of people seeing my niceness as vulnerability. What did I have to do to make the Other realm realise that I wasn’t to be messed with? I wasn’t sure – but I knew that I would do it. This sort of attack wouldn’t have happened under Lord Samuel’s reign, and I was damned if it would happen again under mine.
My phone rang; it was my mum calling. It wasn’t the best timing, but I’d missed three of her recent calls so I swiped to accept and headed for the privacy of my office. I shut the door behind me. I usually had an open-door policy, but Mum didn’t know that I was a werewolf, and I didn’t want one of the pack hearing me describe them like they were regular humans.
‘Hey, Mum. I’m sorry, this isn’t the best time.’
She gave an exasperated sigh. ‘Lucy, it hasn’t been the best time for ages. I haven’t seen you in weeks – your dad and I are getting worried. You haven’t been the same since you were ill.’
‘Since I almost died,’ I corrected. I’m not one to pussyfoot around.
‘Yes, since you almost died. I almost lost you, Lucy. You’re here and you’re safe, but I feel like I’m still losing you.’
I felt a pang of regret and my voice softened. ‘I’m sorry, Ma. I didn’t mean to make things difficult. I’m still finding my feet, you know?’
‘I know, love, but it’s a mum’s job to help you find them.’
‘I’m an adult now. I’m supposed to find them myself.’
‘No matter how old you get, you’ll always be my darling daughter. I help strangers all day long, so let me help you,’ she pleaded. Mum’s a nurse and a tough old broad; it was rare for her to wear her emotions on her sleeve.
I hesitated, but she deserved to know the truth – or what I could tell her of the truth. ‘I found my birth parents.’
There was a pause, no more than a beat or two, before she replied, ‘Lucy, that’s wonderful! I’m so happy for you.’
‘Thanks, Ma. You’re always so supportive, and I know this must be difficult for you. Trying to find my birth parents doesn’t diminish in any way, shape or form what you and Dad have done for me all these years. You know that, right? You’re my parents, and you always will be. I just want some questions answered.’
‘Of course you do, darling. That’s human nature.’
I wished I could tell her that my nature was fifty percent wolf these days, but the Verdict forbade me from breaking the secrecy that kept the Other realm hidden.
‘So, tell me about them,’ Mum said.
‘They’re dead.’
She gasped, and her distress vibrated down the phone. ‘Oh, Lucy. Oh, darling, I’m so sorry.’
Tears welled up in my eyes and my heart ached. I was so lucky to have my mum, so privileged to have been loved by her and Dad and Ben. Mourning these strangers who had birthed me felt like a betrayal of the family that had raised me.
‘My name was Luciana, and I think they loved me.’
‘Darling, of course they loved you. How could they not? How did they pass?’
‘I don’t know the full details,’ I admitted. I didn’t want to tell her that they’d been murdered, because she would worry about me even more. She’d worry that this digging would put me in the crosshairs of the killer.
I hoped that it would. It was time to start rocking the boat. Come for me, you fucker. I’ll be ready.
We’ll be ready, Esme whispered.
Mum let me turn the conversation away from the topic of my dead parents. Before we hung up, I promised that I would visit soon. ‘Soon’: a term vague enough that I could make sure it wasn’t forsworn.
Chapter 7
There was a gentle knock at the office door and I recognised the rhythm straightaway. ‘Come in,’ I called to Greg.
He sauntered in with a welcoming smile, which faded as he studied my face. ‘Hey, are you alright?’
‘I’m fine. I was just having a chat with my mum. I told her about my birth parents being dead. It’s all quite awkward and awful – I worry that looking into my birth parents might make them feel that I don’t consider them my real parents.’
Greg shook his head. ‘The love you feel for your family is obvious. I doubt they’ll think for one moment that you don’t love them just because you’re investigating your past. It’s something you have to do. They’ll get that.’
‘Yeah, I guess.’ I changed the subject. ‘What do you think about the attack on Ares?’
‘I think it’s a declaration of war,’ he said grimly, confirming my worst fears.
I sighed. ‘I thought you were going to say that. But if they’re declaring war, where’s the gauntlet? How do I know which pack is declaring war on me?’
‘We’ll have to review the security footage, but there’s one that comes to mind.’
I knew who he was thinking of. I didn’t want to jump to conclusions, but not long ago Beckett Frost had dumped a dead body at the mansion with a message that we would be next. ‘Frost,’ I murmured.
‘Frost,’ he agreed.
‘It seems like a weird move to go from threats in a dead guy’s mouth to peeing on our door.’
‘They could have been interrupted before they finished what they started. Or maybe Ares was the real target all along. Unicorns are quite rare – and a docile, tractable one is rarer still.’
I thought of Ares’ red eyes and clawed feet. ‘I’m not sure I’d call him docile.’
‘For a unicorn, he’s positively chilled. He treats us like we’re his herd. It’s a bit off, to be honest – I’ve never seen it before. But back to the attack. Maybe some of the wolves who came in will have distinguishing features that we can use to track them down. Archie and Liam know a lot of the local wolves, so perhaps they can identify them. And Thea and Elena might be able to help if the wolves were sent from Frost.’
‘It feels like a long shot. Elena hasn’t been part of Frost’s pack for years, and Thea was isolated because of her inability to shift. I doubt either of them can reliably identify our attackers, even if they are Frost’s wolves.’
‘Maybe, but it’s our only play until we receive another message.’
I sighed again. ‘Why can’t we all just get along like one big happy wolf pack?’
‘The Other creatures would take issue with that. If the werewolves were united, they’d pose a significant risk to the status quo. At the moment, we’re fairly low on the ladder of Other creatures. That’s why they leave us alone.’
‘Except we’re not being left alone, are we? We’re being attacked. Again. This is really starting to piss me off.’
Greg smiled. ‘You’re new to the throne. Challenges are par for the course.’
We are ready for any challenger, Esme growled.
I don’t feel so ready, but I do feel pissed off.
Anger helps.
Anger leads to hate, and hate leads to the dark side, I quipped.
The dark side of what?
Never mind. Remind me to make you watch Star Wars when this is all over.
There was a quiet, timid knock at the door, and I raised an eyebrow at Greg. I was pretty sure I knew who it was. Sure enough, he opened the door to Thea Frost. He stood back, his arms crossed over his chest in intimidation mode.
I guessed my role was good cop, so I gave her a welcoming smile. ‘Come on in, Thea.’
She tucked a thin strand of red hair behind her ear before reluctantly coming forward and sitting in the chair opposite me. She didn’t return my smile. ‘I thought I could do this, but I can’t.’ She drew her legs up and wrapped her arms around them.
