Pack, page 12
part #3 of Five Fangs Series
Alpha Thaddeus Quake stood on the front porch waiting for us. He was about Jay's height and size and had rich, dark skin and a soft-looking halo of black hair. I guessed his age to be close to fifty, a little older than most alphas, who usually handed the job off to their sons as soon as they reached eighteen or so.
King Julian said their son, Kayvon, was twenty and more than capable of taking over the pack. Unless I found something to the contrary, he was to be installed as the next alpha.
Mase told me that Alpha Quake was unaware that his beta had asked for our help, but he did know we were coming. In true Mase style, he'd called and made an appointment.
"Alpha Barlow." Alpha Quake held out a hand and I shook it. "It's a pleasure to finally meet one of the famous alphas of Five Fangs, but I don't know why you requested this meeting."
"Alpha Quake." I inclined my head. "Beta Napoleon Brooks contacted us to see if we might know of a way to help his luna."
Way to throw his beta under the bus, boss, Topaz groaned.
Oh. Yeah. Did not think of that.
Alpha Quake's thick black eyebrows flew up.
"He did?"
"Yes, sir. My condolences on your mate's ongoing illness."
"Thank you. I appreciate it. What help do you think you can provide? I've had every shifter doctor I know or could hire, including the royal one, look at Norah to see if they knew of a cure."
"These are Maria Rose and Ariel Harrington, mates to two of our betas." I waved my hand at the girls standing behind me. "They're healers and powerful witches. We think magic may be at play since no shifter doctor can identify what's wrong."
"Oh! I never considered that!" His eyes lit up with hope. "Come on in and meet my Norah."
The alpha led us through the front door and into a spacious living room, where a young man sat on one of the couches and stared at a woman huddled in a recliner in the corner.
"This is our son, Kayvon. He'll be the next alpha as soon as he finds his mate," Alpha Quake told me what I already knew.
I studied Kayvon as he stood. It was easy to see his father in his face, although he was a lot taller, about my height, but lean as a whip. His eyes were honest and his demeanor serious, but not aggressive.
"Alpha Cole Barlow of Five Fangs," I introduced myself as we shook hands. "Just out of curiosity, is that a personal preference or a Cold Moon tradition?"
"Tradition." Kayvon shrugged. "Although I see the wisdom of it. An alpha needs a luna to hold him together, right?"
"He surely does," I agreed. "Without a luna, an alpha falters and so does his pack."
"Exactly." Kayvon's black eyes bore into me.
He knows something, I linked the witches. I'll try to get him alone and ask.
Okay, alpha, they said in sync.
"And this is my Norah." Alpha Quake went over to the recliner and crouched in front of it. "Dear, can you say hello to our guests?"
"Pops, she hasn't spoken for two years." Kayvon ran a hand down his face. "What makes you think she's going to say hello now?"
"Hush, Von." Alpha Quake waved a hand at him. "She'll hear you. Don't hurt her feelings."
As they muttered at each other, my eyes swept over Luna Norah Quake and knew we were too late. Whatever was wrong with her, she was gone. Her lungs might still be breathing and her heart beating, but nobody was home in those brown eyes.
She sat limply on the chair, not moving. A cloth doll sat on the chair next to her, but she didn't pay any attention to it. Her hands rested on the chair arms as if she were the doll and someone had posed her that way.
The witches went right over to her. Ariel stood next to her and held a hand over her head while Maria crouched in front of her and lifted up both hands. The air shimmered with magic.
"It's not hurting her, is it?" Alpha Quake asked as he and his son sat on the closest couch.
"No, sir," I assured him.
It didn't take the witches long to find something.
Alpha Cole, this is not good, Ariel warned me. Her wolf is dead and, for all intents and purposes, so is she. Alpha Quake is not going to take this well.
That's what I thought, I said.
Will Kayvon be able to step up as alpha without a luna, even if it is their tradition here? Maria asked. Or did King Julian leave other orders for the leadership here?
Kayvon will lead, regardless of his mate status. The king ordered it so.
"Hey, Kayvon, while they work, could you show me where the bathroom is?" I asked.
Fortunately, he was smart enough to take the hint.
"Of course."
Wait until I get back to tell him anything, I told the witches.
As soon as we were down the hall, Kayvon stopped me and gave me a hard look.
"She's gone," I told him.
"I know. I've known for a while. Now what? Pops can't end her, and I don't think I can, either, but it's not right to let her continue suffering."
"I'll take care of it," I muttered. "Are you prepared to step up as alpha? I understand your tradition here, but, even if your father wants to live afterwards, he's not going to be able to run the pack anymore."
"I know that, too. I've been to every pack in North America except for yours and Black Night. I'll visit those two and pray my mate is in one of them. But even if she's not, I can lead without a luna. At least for a while."
He took a deep breath and his eyes flicked to the floor before meeting mine again.
"But what happens if I don't ever find her?"
"You've got a few years before it becomes an issue," I told him. "You'll find her before it does."
"I pray to the Goddess you're right."
Me, too, friend.
"Well, you're welcome to visit Five Fangs any time to look for her," I told him. "Uh, before we go back to your parents, I really do have to use the bathroom."
"Sure, man." He pointed to a door on the left. "I'll be in the living room."
"Yeah. Thanks."
He nodded, turned, and left.
I did my business, washed my hands, and headed back, reminding myself to ask the witches if they needed to go before we left here.
When I entered the room, Maria and Ariel stood up and stepped away from the luna. They clasped their hands in front of them and looked at me.
"Let's hear it," I said.
"Alpha Quake." Maria drew a deep breath and looked at him. "Your mate is infected by a parasite. It ate her wolf first. Maybe four or five years ago now. Probably so her wolf couldn't fight it or heal Luna Norah."
"Then it began to eat her," Ariel picked up. "Alpha, I'm so sorry, but there is nothing of your luna left inside this body."
"She is not gone!" he blustered at the witches and looked at his son. "They're lying! They're making it up because they don't know what's wrong with Norah, either!"
"Pops, they're not lying." Kayvon laid a hand on his shoulder. "Mom is gone and has been for a long time. I know it, Beta Brooks knows it, and I think you do, too, somewhere deep inside."
"She's your mother!" Alpha Quake growled.
"She was my mother," Kayvon corrected, keeping his voice even and calm, "and a great one. Look at her, Pops, and remember your mate. Does this look like your luna? Does this look like my mom?"
"She's sick! That's what's wrong. She isn't— She isn't gone!"
"Alpha," Ariel intervened, "we know this isn't what you want to hear, but your denial is only making things worse."
"Could you do it?" Alpha Quake looked at her, then Maria, then me. "Could any of you end your mate?"
The thought of Posy even being sick or hurt speared my heart like an arrow. To think of her dying or needing mercy from one of my brothers or myself? I shook my head. The kind of agony Alpha Quake was in couldn't be imagined, only experienced, and I prayed to the Moon Goddess that I never, ever had to.
"I didn't contact the king because I knew he'd send investigators and that would lead to her death." Alpha Quake glared at his son. "And see? I was right. That is exactly what happened."
I believed the witches when they said the luna was no more, but that wasn't what was going to sell my argument to the alpha. Playing on his heart disgusted me, but if I could avoid a fight or burning a bridge, I would.
"Will you allow me to show mercy to your luna, Alpha Quake?" I asked. "She will feel no pain, I promise you. Only relief from this unending torment."
He dropped his head in his hands and his shoulders shook. Kayvon laid his hand on his father's back and patted it.
How do we do this? I asked the witches as the two men grieved. I mean, I know how to kill her quickly and painlessly, but what about this parasite?
We have a container to trap it in, Maria explained. We'll pull it out and secure it. When we get home, Gelo will kill it.
Do we have to transport it? I was worried about it escaping. You two can't kill it? Can I kill it?
It would latch onto you the second you touched it. Can you kill it without touching it? Ariel asked.
No, I admitted begrudgingly.
And we're not strong enough with just the two of us. If we had even one more witch here, sure. Gelo can take care of it with one shot.
Don't worry, alpha, Maria added. Once it's in the container, it can't get out on its own.
All right, I agreed, convinced it was all we could do.
Finally, the father and son raised their heads, and Alpha Quake met my eyes.
"Make it as painless as possible," he requested in an emotion-clogged voice. "Even if she can't feel it."
"I will," I promised, "and with utmost respect."
Moving to stand next to the luna, I slid my hand under her black dreads and gripped the back of her neck. The sharp metal zipper at the top of her dress bit into my palm and I hissed. It was cold enough to send a shiver through me, but it wasn't as cold as her skin.
Like she's already dead, was all I could think.
Poor thing is, boss, Topaz said.
"Wait, alpha!" Maria squealed loudly. "Let us get the parasite out first!"
"Oh." I jerked my hand away.
"That way we can be sure we got it and it doesn't escape its host," Ariel explained.
"Makes sense," I murmured, distracted.
My palm stung. Glancing at it, I saw a tiny dot of blood by my life line.
Why do women wear such things? I grumbled to myself. Regardless of what the industry says, fashion shouldn't be painful.
I'll heal it, boss! Topaz chirped, and the teeny cut zipped closed with a zap of moon magic.
Thanks, buddy.
He wiggled at the praise and I rolled my eyes.
Turning my attention to the witches, I watched as Maria opened her bag and took out a glass jar with a rubber seal and hermetic metal latch lid.
"Ready, Ariel?" she murmured.
"Ready."
The air once again shimmered around the luna. Maria opened the lid on her glass jar and stood by as Ariel moved her hands in a pulling gesture. After a few seconds, a reddish black mass crawled out of the luna's mouth, and I had to force myself not to throw up. It looked like a giant leech, but stank of evil aura.
That's so disgusting, I couldn't help thinking.
As soon as the fat creature appeared on the luna's lips, Maria swept in. It plopped wetly to the bottom of the jar, and she slapped the lid down and flipped the latch closed.
"Got it!" She held up the jar. "One parasite, secure and contained."
"Do you want to say goodbye?" Ariel asked the Quakes in a gentle tone. "It's safe to touch her now."
"I made my peace with this two years ago," Kayvon said, shaking his head.
Alpha Quake stood and went to his mate, and the rest of us moved to the other side of the room to give him privacy.
"What will you do with that?" Kayvon pointed to the jar in Maria's hands.
"Our cousin, Gelo, will kill it when we get home."
"Your cousin Gelo." Kayvon's flat tone said he was unimpressed.
"He's also known as Angelo della Morte," I said with a little smirk.
"The Angel of Death?" His eyebrows shot up.
"The one and only."
"Naw, bro." For the first time since we met, a little smile curled his lips up. "I can't think of the Angel of Death as Cousin Gelo, man."
"I hear you." I grinned. "You should see him all soft with his mate one minute, then slaughtering his way through a pack of dire wolves the next."
"I'd like to meet this dude sometime," he said.
"Like I said, you're welcome at Five Fangs anytime. In fact, I'd like to offer an alliance if you're interested."
"For real?" His eyes brightened. "Aight. You want to draw up the papers or should I?"
"My brother Wyatt will be more than happy to," I said evilly. "He'll get it to you by next week."
Kayvon held out his hand and we shook again.
"Alpha Barlow," said Alpha Quake as he joined us. "It feels wrong to say thank you to the man taking my mate's life. I know you really aren't, but still. So I'll just say, I am grateful you came here today."
"You're welcome." Jay was so much better at these soft skills, but I gave it my best shot. "It was my honor to help you."
As Kayvon wrapped his father up in a hug, I went over to the luna, put my left hand on the back of her head and my right on her chin. With a quick snap, I broke her neck. Without a wolf to heal her, that was enough to convince her body to give up. I eased her limp form back in the recliner and closed her eyes.
"It's done," I said over my shoulder.
"Thank you, alpha." Kayvon came over to stand at my side. "Ladies, is it okay to move my mom?"
"Yes. We're very sorry for your loss," Ariel said.
"Thank you." He carefully picked up his mother's body, then looked at his father. "Pops. I love you. I'm going to take care of Mom now."
"You do that, Von," Alpha Quake told him with wet eyes. "I love you, too, son."
Kayvon met my eyes and gave me a curt nod. We both knew what his father was going to ask, and I nodded back to let him know I'd take care of it.
"Thank you, Alpha Barlow."
As soon as he left the room, Alpha Quake grabbed my elbow and met my eyes with a steely glare.
"I request the same mercy you showed my luna, Alpha Barlow. I cannot live without her."
"Alpha Quake, you—"
"My wolf won't allow me to do it myself, so I'm begging you to spare my son the task."
Since I'd want the same thing, how could I refuse?
I gave him what he asked for, then we left the pack to its mourning and headed home.
#
Ariel
We were all quiet as the SUV ate up the highway miles.
Learning that poor luna had suffered for years had greatly disturbed Maria and me, and we knew Alpha Cole was affected by Alpha Quake's request to kill him. He'd made us leave the room while he did, but we felt his sorrow in the pack bond.
He was also exhausted from the long drive, and we had hours left before we got home. We both told him that we didn't mind driving if he needed a break, but he just shook his head and sank into silence.
I think he just doesn't want us to drive his vehicle, Maria linked me with a small smile, and I nodded.
Tristan said he's possessive of it. If he starts going off the side of the road, though, we're going to make him stop.
Agreed.
Thankfully, we made it home without incident. It was 5:30 p.m. when we pulled up to the alpha house and saw Tristan and Matthew waiting for us on the front porch.
Grinning at each other, Maria and I unbuckled and leapt out of the SUV as soon as Alpha Cole put it in park, then ran to our mates.
"I missed you!" I laughed as Tristan swung me around. "Even if it was only for a day!"
"I missed you, too, bluebird." He nuzzled his nose in my neck, making me shiver. "Let's head home."
"Okay. Alpha Cole?" I called and watched as he trudged up the walk with sleepy eyes. Poor guy. Eight hours of driving in one day did him in. "You have the container secured until Gelo can come to kill that thing, right?"
He gave me a thumbs up, and I turned back to my mate.
"Let me pop in and say hello to my luna, then we'll go," I told him and he nodded with a smile.
Maria had the same idea I did, so we linked arms and headed for the front door.
"We'll get your stuff out of Alpha Cole's SUV while you do," Matthew said.
"Thanks, puppy." Maria blew him a kiss and giggled when he made a show of catching it.
Luna? I linked. Where are you? We want to chat for a minute before we head home.
You're back? I'm in the kitchen. Are you staying for dinner?
No. It was a long day with all that driving.
I bet it was. Come on in.
We found her standing at the stove and stirring something that smelled absolutely divine.
"Did you have a good day, luna?" Maria asked, running over to hug her.
"Oh, yeah! Wait until you see how cute Reau and Spring are together!" She gave us a big grin. "But I'll tell you about it later. I can see how tired you are. Go home with your mates and we'll catch up tomorrow."
She and Maria pulled me into their hug, and we all giggled as we squeezed each other tightly. Just being around our luna lifted our spirits; hugging her and hearing her laugh made the world right again.
"Posy?" Alpha Cole called. "Come to the living room."
"Sounds like our cue to head out," I said. "See you later, luna."
"Bye bye. See you soon!"
We all hugged one more time, then Maria and I headed for the door.
15: New Wolf
Ash
I glanced over at my mate to find her sound asleep with her head against the window. The drive to Emerson's took about an hour if you weren't speeding like a maniac, and I knew she needed a good nap. We'd kept her up most of the night.
A little smirk tugged my lips as I turned my attention back to the road. If she didn't have a wolf, I doubted she'd be able to walk today. As it was, Wyatt had ended up carrying her down for breakfast this morning. She'd stayed curled up in a sleepy little ball on his lap and let him spoon cereal in her mouth, and only got awake enough to kiss Mase, Cole, and Jay goodbye before they left on their missions.
Ashy wore mate out, Sid snickered.
