Pike sighed in relief as he saw Laera's words fall over River. She was an outsider, but her genuine words seemed to soothe him. Gratitude for his new friend welled inside his heart.
We are one pack, a Greater Pack, of True Wolves and Fenearens, Gar reminded them. He looked to each of the dozen or so wolves who watched the exchange. I know you're all frightened, as I am, but we will be prepared for whatever comes. This is our home, and we will protect it for ourselves, and, his gaze fell on Moth, a yearling pup, and for our children.
Soon, River calmed, accepting an offer from Sorrel to walk to the coastline.
You handled that well, Pike said to Gar once the other wolves had dispersed.
Thanks to your help, and Laera's. He nodded to the dog.
She bowed her head.
I do think it's best if we stay close to home for the foreseeable future, though. Gar took a deep, steadying breath.
I could not agree more, said Pike.
Kado growled as he paced a tight circle in the clearing where Katrine left him.
He hated the self-important way she lectured him. He hated even more the pit in his stomach that opened when she left.
It wasn't real, any stirring of affection he felt for Katrine—or this place. This may have been his mother's home, but it wasn't his.
No, these Fenearens only cared about his white coat.
Isaac's ring bobbed against his chest. What would Isaac—the last person to really care about him—say about this? He had a riddle for every occasion, why not this one?
“Who pretends to care so they can use you?” Kado muttered to himself.
Like the trickiest of riddles, this one had multiple possible answers: the Fenearens, Terayan, Enzo Aronak, and gods knew who else.
He stopped moving. Kado held the ring close to his heart, feeling its strange warmth. He was surrounded by people here, and yet he felt so alone.
At least when he was imprisoned he knew his purpose. It was a heinous one—killed or be killed—but still, he did not have time or energy to fight it. Here, in the place he was supposedly free, he felt adrift, like a castaway floating through an endless sea.
What now?
The question hung heavily in Kado's mind. He'd been raised a slave. Choice had never been part of his vocabulary. Everything that had happened since Enzo Aronak's betrayal occurred outside his control. Even his rescue of Katrine and decision to escape had been more instinct than decision.
For the first time in his life, Kado had options.
He just didn't know what they were.
He lifted Isaac's ring to the sky, allowing the garnet facets to capture the sunlight. His teacher's final riddle lay, unsolved, between his fingers. Why had he given this strange token to Kado?
“Keep it with you always,” Issac had said. “You’ll understand one day. Promise me you won’t waste your chance.”
“Remember who the villains are,” Kado whispered, recalling Isaac's last words to him. “Terayan.”
He pictured the Councilor who had taunted him, who had forced him to fight and kill, the monster who had murdered Isaac. As irritating as the Fenearens were with their prattling on about pack and family, they at least shared something in common.
They all wanted Terayan dead.
Kado did not care about his white pelt. If anything, he despised it. Even here, among the monsters, he was a freak. And they did not even know about his secret abilities. Based on what he had learned about the white wolf mythology thus far, he suspected those abilities were rooted in his identity as this fabled hero.
But there was still so much about his powers he did not understand. If he could control them better, then he might be able to use them against Terayan.
Perhaps, for the time being at least, he could accept the Fenearen alliance. He could let them believe he wanted to be one of them, if it meant that when the moment came, they could work together to pursue the only shred of purpose he'd found in his maelstrom of a life.
He would kill Tallis Terayan, or die trying.
The thought of vengeance filled Kado with wild, frenzied joy. He did not fight the primal release it gave him. A howl exploded from his throat as he shifted into his wolf self.
Chapter Thirty
Rayna woke with the sun. Her dream provided as many questions as it did answers.
She dressed quietly as to not wake Mina, considering what she'd learned. Camila had shown her the fourth seer, but Rayna did not know who the third was.
Why had they skipped over whoever she was? Rayna needed to speak with Marielana. But first, she would fulfill her promise to Silver and allow the healers to look her over.
She slipped out of the den, leaving Mina to her rest.
Rayna did not know what comfort she could offer her friend. In hindsight, Mina’s feelings for Roxen did not surprise Rayna. They had spent a great deal of time together ever since Mina had arrived in Fenear.
Rayna regretted not paying more attention. Perhaps she could have warned Mina of the barriers between them before she'd become too attached. But there was nothing for it now. It was up to Roxen and Mina to navigate their feelings. Rayna only hoped they could find a way to be happy, no matter what path they took.
Rayna passed by the rings of dens and central fire pit. Several other pack members were already up, setting about their various chores. She scented Silver was not far, but she would check in with her after the healers. Then she would find Marielana to discuss her dream. Soon she had reached the row of dens dedicated to the healers and those convalescing. She knocked on the nearest den’s frame.
“Come in,” Jaline called from within.
Rayna entered, breathing deeply. Healing dens reminded her of her mother’s scent. Thyme and lavender filled the air.
“Rayna, good.” Jaline smiled as she set down the mortar and pestle she'd been grinding. “Silver said you’d stop by. Sit here and let’s have a look at that shoulder.”
Rayna obeyed, shrugging off her vest and pulling down her shirt sleeve.
Jaline prodded the raised skin that marked where Lurenia’s Amne Vena had sealed the wound. “Does it hurt?”
“It’s a bit sore, like a bad bruise.”
Jaline nodded. “I’ll mix you up a poultice to help with the inflammation. Other than that, I say we let it continue healing on its own. Alvornian magic is a wonderful thing.”
“That it is.” Rayna waited as Jaline mixed and applied the spicy-smelling yellow paste.
Jaline covered it with a cloth bandage and nodded for Rayna to replace her shirt. “There, leave that on for a day and night. Wash it off tomorrow and reapply.” She handed Rayna a jar of the salve.
“Thank you.” She stood, rolling her shoulder to test its flexibility. It felt strange to have someone besides Thera healing her, but Jaline was a worthy successor. As she left Rayna said, “Thera would be proud.”
Jaline smiled. “I hope so, keiri. Now run along, I’m sure you’ve much to do.”
As Rayna left, the strong-smelling salve masked some of the nearby scents. Someone called her name and she had to look up to identify the source.
Kellan waved as he left one of the other nearby dens. “Red! You all right?”
“I’m fine,” she said.
As he approached, she noticed more color in his cheeks and only a slight limp. “You seem to be feeling better.”
“Aye.” He grinned and looked even more himself. “Between the Amne Vena, Fenearen healers, Violette, and this” he produced a leather drinking skin from inside his cloak, “I find myself much revived.”
Rayna frowned. “What is that?”
He handed her the skin. “When I found out there was nothing proper to drink in Fenear, I was tempted to swim back to Halmstead.” He laughed as she sniffed the bottle and recoiled. “But Daveed was kind enough to give me some mulberry brandy before he left.”
“Daveed?” She could not help but return Kellan’s laughter.
“Aye.” He winked. “It’s always the
quiet ones.”
She shook her head. “Leave it to you to find the only drop of alcohol in this country. I hope you can make it last.”
He shrugged. “Now that my people are here, maybe we can introduce you savages to some of the finer things—starting with fermentation.”
“You can try.” Rayna breathed an internal sigh of relief.
If Kellan was feeling well enough to make jokes and drink, he had to be much improved. It was also pleasant to have a conversation with him that did not involve arguing. Still, it felt strange to be laughing with Kellan again, especially considering Channon's strange behavior. If Mina were right and jealousy was at least partially to blame, would it not bother Channon more to see her with Kellan?
“Anyway,” Kellan said. “Now that the healers have cleared me, I’m off to find my new dwelling. I’m told we’ve been given dens south of the central fire pit. Would you mind pointing me in the right direction?”
“Come on,” Rayna said as she started back toward the site's center. “That’s not far from mine. I’ll take you.”
“Thanks, Red.” He fell into step beside her. “How’s everyone else? Laera came to see me, but other than that the healers have kept me mostly asleep over the past day and a half.”
“Everyone seems to be doing well enough.” It was at least partially true. Physically, all their friends and allies were healing.
“What about Kado?”
In all that was happening, Rayna hadn’t thought about the white wolf all morning. “Silver and Violette were going to remove his Monil today. I’m sure he will feel better once that’s done, if it’s not already.”
He nodded. A few moments of silence passed before he asked in a somewhat higher voice, “And Channon?”
Rayna paused, re-playing her kiss and fight from the night before. “He’s…he um…”
“You told him,” Kellan said quietly, “what I told you.”
“Yes. I don’t know why I felt it necessary to repeat Terayan’s lies.”
Kellan eyed her. “He didn’t take it well.” It was not a question.
“Not exactly,” she admitted.
“Hm.”
“What? Say what’s on your mind.” Her voice grew frosty.
He inhaled, as if preparing to speak, but closed his mouth instead. He looked away. “I don’t want to fight.”
“I don’t either.” She returned her attention to where they were going. “Your den is this way.”
They carried on in silence, but as they neared the fire pit, excited yells and howls greeted them.
Rayna and Kellan exchanged a confused glance before running toward the commotion. They made their way through the crowd forming around the central fire pit.
“It’s true!”
“The white wolf—I can’t believe it!”
Kellan and Rayna hurried to the front of the shouting assembly.
Katrine stood with her back to them below the raised stone stage. “Stop this!” She yelled at the group of Fenearens standing on the platform. “Don't you see you're scaring him?”
“Katrine, what's going—” Rayna broke off as she took in the scene before her.
Kado crouched in his human form, surrounded by pack members. The boy's teeth and claws were extended. He glared at the people around him, ready to pounce.
“Why won't you transform?” Tayo, a young hunter, demanded. “I saw you in the forest! Show the others what you are! He's the white wolf!”
Kado turned his mad gaze on Katrine. “You see? Is this the loving home you spoke of?”
Katrine jumped onto the platform. She shoved Tayo away, placing herself between Kado and the others.
“Katrine!” Rayna went to scramble after her, but Kellan held her back.
“No, keep your distance,” he hissed.
Shouts and snarls filled the site as the assembly and the confusion grew.
A deep howl, so loud and clear it cut through the din like a spear, reverberated around the chaotic site.
Rayna instinctively bowed her head, as did the other Fenearens. She had only ever heard her uncle howl like that. It was the unmistakable call of an Alpha.
Silver strode through the crowd as it parted around her. “Leave,” she commanded the handful of Fenearens around Katrine and Kado.
They scattered like beetles beneath an over-turned log.
Silver nodded to Rayna before jumping onto the central platform. Her light green eyes surveyed the crowd with all the restrained fury of a hunting eagle. “I am ordering you all to return to your duties. Our guest Kado Aronak deserves space. I will make an announcement later tonight explaining everything”
As the pack dissipated, she knelt beside Kado and Katrine. “What happened? Are you all right?”
Slowly, Kado's teeth and claws retracted. “I was in the woods,” he whispered. “That boy and his friends saw me shift. They chased me back here, and forced me onto this stage.”
“Oh dear Goddess.” Silver covered her mouth. “Those fools.”
To Rayna's shock, Kado laughed. “I could have killed them all, of course, but why fight it?”
“Fight what?” Katrine asked.
Kado stood, outstretching his arms. “I'm a performer here, too. It's what you wanted, isn't it? For me to stop hiding?”
Katrine backed away. “This isn't what I meant.”
Channon’s leather and pine scent signaled his arrival. He stood on her left, but did not speak to her.
Rayna's heart pounded. Distress and confusion snatched any words from her throat.
“Kado, I promise you, the people that did this will be punished,” Silver said. “They had no right to treat you this way.”
He rolled his eyes. “Like you care. You only wish you could have revealed my identity yourself, to bolster your claim to leadership.”
Silver looked away, but did not defend herself.
Was Silver truly so calculating? Rayna could not accept that.
“My only excuse for my packmates' behavior is that in these uncertain times, your arrival brings unprecedented hope, and questions,” Silver said.
Kado shook his head. “Whatever you say.” He pushed past Katrine and leaped to the ground.
Rayna breathed in Channon's scent, hoping it would steady her, but it only served to remind her of what had passed between them.
Channon glanced around, but did not look in Rayna's direction. “Where’s Roxen?”
Rayna forced herself to ignore the sting his coldness caused.
Mina was nowhere to be found, either. Had the others noticed their closeness, and if so, what would they think?
“I sent him to find the General and Priestess and tell them what all the commotion was about,” Silver explained.
Rayna’s suspicions disappeared as Mina came jogging from the northern trails. “What’s going on?” She asked. “I heard shouting all the way at the archery ranges.”
“Kado's secret has been revealed, in a rather dramatic fashion,” Kellan said.
“It wasn’t a secret, just potentially sensitive,” said Silver.
“Oh.” Mina cast the quiet Kado a warm smile.
He glanced away.
“Well,” Mina continued. “Glad that’s sorted. I suppose all that’s left is deciding what it means.”
“It doesn’t mean anything.” Kado crossed his arms. “Other then I’m a freak even here.”
“You, Kado Aronak, are not a freak.” Marielana’s normally quiet voice cracked like a whip across Rayna’s hearing.
She stood in front of Roxen and Pheros, somehow looking more imposing than the two tall warriors combined. “I must ask you to come with me, Kado, so that I may explain what I know. Rayna, you as well.”
“You know the truth of the white wolf stories?” Silver’s voice was stiff. “Why wait until now to share this?”
“What I have to say, I will say to the white wolf and my fellow twice-blessed seer. I am sorry, Alphena Silverine, but this information is Kado’s to tell, not y
ours.”
Marielana must have deliberately echoed Kado's previous statement. Silver's lip twitched. “But Rayna can know?”
“What I have to say concerns her as well.”
Strained silence passed between the two women.
Kellan cleared his throat. “I need to…be somewhere that isn’t here. Mina, care to join me?”
“Absolutely.” She took Kellan’s proffered arm and left.
Silver sighed. “Fine. Keep your secrets, Priestess.” She turned to Rayna. “I don’t have to tell you that anything concerning the safety of our people is my business. I know I can trust you, keiri.”
Rayna nodded.
Silver gestured for Roxen, Channon, and Katrine to join her. “Let’s leave them to it then.”
Channon’s hand twitched, as if he had been about to reach out for Rayna, but he stopped himself.
Rayna desperately wished he would at least look at her. “Yes, Alphena.” He turned to go and Roxen followed.
“General,” Marielana looked up at the man lumbering above her. “I am going on a walk with Rayna and Kado. I’ll re-join you when I’m able.”
“Priestess—”
She silenced him with a raised hand.
He nodded, molars grinding. “As you say.”
Feeling awkward, Rayna followed Marielana as she led them south of the densite. Normally, her long strides would’ve overtaken the much shorter Alvornian’s in a heartbeat, but she slowed her pace to give Marielana a comfortable lead.
Kado shuffled wordlessly beside her.
Kado was short for his age, at least by Fenearen standards. Likely a product of poor nutrition as a child. His shaggy black hair fell over his broad face in a way so like his father’s, it sent a chill down Rayna’s back.
But this boy was not Nero Geddeont. It was not fair for her to treat him differently based on his appearance. That went for his wolf form as well.
Kado may have been the white wolf—whatever that meant—but he was a scared boy first and foremost.
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