by Megan Smith
“The Blackstar Guardians act the same whenever any of us marries. It’s not just a joining of a couple but of a community, a family” she responded and around her the other’s nodded, expressions of understanding in their faces.
“Our last one was...four years ago so don’t be surprised if the gathering turns extravagant. Plus, it’s Kendrick and the mythical Allandra” Nera tossed out with a shrug and a grin.
Allandra wondered if there was some hidden undercurrent with that statement, but couldn’t detect any animosity in her expression so she smiled back.
“Right. I wouldn’t go so far as mythical-unless Kendrick really has been embellishing things,” she responded with a sideways look toward him, “but, I love attending festivities.”
“Hopefully not as much as Brogan” Cason teased, setting off a round of good-natured ribbing.
She took the time to study the Sentinels, trying to gather pieces of who they were and how that would affect her fitting in.
Declan exuded the quiet confidence of a man wholly comfortable in his own skin with sky blue eyes that noticed everything. Given he was the one Kendrick had chosen to meet her initially, she suspected he was second in command and considered completely trustworthy by his Alpha.
Cason’s golden eyes hadn’t stopped sparkling mischievously since they’d met and while she didn’t doubt that the easy playfulness was part of who he was, she also noted the unconscious tension in his frame-as though he were ready to spring at a moment’s notice.
Brogan had a brooding quality that warned others to keep their distance. His dark eyes watched her assessingly, not willing to accept her at face value. There was an edge of violence to him, no doubt honed during his years during the Hunts.
Garin was rough edged with a streak of wildness in his eyes that spoke of unrestrained living-a fighter and a lover who embraced both with equal abandon.
The two women were opposites of one another with Abbie appearing sweet natured and embracing while Nera, dark haired with ice blue eyes, held herself tightly wound with a natural wall of reticence. Abbie’s face proclaimed her welcome, while Nera’s was much more cautious.
She wondered at their stories-how they had ended up slaves forced into the Hunts and how such a group of disparate personalities had ended up a family. They reminded her very much of her brothers and sisters-in-arms and relaxed slightly, feeling like there was a commonality that could only help her find a place here among them.
When there was a lull in the conversation, she curiously asked how long they’d been together while reaching forward to pick up a roll from the tray and tear off a piece.
“They put us together as a team during the Hunts almost one hundred years ago and we’ve been Pack for over two centuries” Kendrick informed her while exchanging looks with the others filled with remembrances.
Allandra was grateful that Kendrick had others to watch his back and help him survive those years, but couldn’t stop the pang that swept through her as realized she would always feel at least slightly on the outside of this group who had bonded over their shared horrors.
Kendrick’s arms tightened around her waist, as though he could hear her thoughts and she turned her head to find him watching her with a fierce gaze and she smiled slightly, recognizing the silent push of dominance directed not only at her, but at the Sentinels as well.
He decreed that he wanted her wholly integrated and accepted into the Pack-so she would be. No matter what anyone else’s personal feelings were on the matter.
Abbie shifted closer to Brogan, her hand moving to rest protectively over her belly while her head leaned against his shoulder. Allandra realized with surprise that the two must be married after catching sight of the matching mating marks on their palms and wrists-as well as the plain gold bands on their hands.
She wondered at the pairing of two seemingly opposite people before her attention caught on two children-a tall boy of about ten with dark hair and a girl a few years younger with long black hair and sky blue eyes-who tiptoed in from a doorway in the back to sit at the opposite side of the great hall on the hearth, munching on apples and cheese.
She was so surprised to see them that she stood up without thinking, curiosity sparking.
In all the years she’d had contact with the Packs, she’d never noticed children in any of their territories and had assumed, since werewolves were created, that there weren’t any. She’d only ever heard of adults being changed and had assumed it was a natural instinct of the wolf to leave children alone.
The thought of changing a child seemed abhorrent to her-and to those werewolves she’d befriended-so seeing two of them here surprised her.
“Who are they?”
Kendrick glanced back at the other fireplace before answering. “My children.”
Chapter 6
SHE BLINKED AT HIM uncomprehendingly.
“Your what?”
“My children” he repeated before adding, “orphans I’ve taken as my own.”
She ignored the relief that flooded through her that they weren’t biologically his. Just the thought of another woman touching him sent a shaft of rage through her. “How did two human children end up here?” she wondered curiously and there was a moment of silence before he answered.
“They’re not human. They’re werewolves.”
Shocked into silence, she shook her head while trying to wrap her head around the idea of a werewolf child. “Who would change a child?”
“They weren’t changed” he told her calmly.
“Not changed? Then how-“ she cut off abruptly as the truth raced through her thoughts. Her gaze cut to Abbie, whose hand was still resting over her belly-as though protecting something precious. “You’re with child” she stated dumbly and the other woman exchanged a look with Kendrick before giving a tiny nod.
“And the children?”
“Born werewolves” Kendrick answered and his response stunned her enough that she dropped back into the arm of the chair.
“Born” she repeated, shaking her head, “so werewolves are not just humans and Naethyrians being changed anymore...they’re being naturally born. Why do you keep that a secret?”
“We’re hunted daily. When one of the Pack discovered she was carrying a child and her son was born a werewolf, it was a...shock. It opened up a whole new world of possibilities for us-but it also put them in grave danger. What would our enemies do if they knew about those naturally born werewolves? If we are a threat to them simply for being changed, imagine what our children would be? We hide their existence to protect them.”
“I can see that” she responded slowly before looking back at Abbie, “that’s wonderful. Congratulations.”
Abbie smiled sweetly at her, one hand patting Brogan’s arm reassuringly. “Thank you. It’s our first, so we’re very excited.”
“You need to be resting” Brogan growled and Abbie shook her head with an eye roll.
“I’m not an invalid, Brogan” she reminded him even as he pulled her gently to her feet.
“You had the night watch, Abbie” he countered with a hard nod toward the others while tugging her across the room.
As though a silent signal had been passed, the others got up and began to wander away, leaving the two of them alone. Allandra watched them go with bemusement before finding her gaze drawn back to the children on the hearth.
“Tell me about them” she requested quietly, reaching for his hand without looking.
“I found them both about six months ago, alone in the forest. Teagan is ten, Brylee six. Brylee doesn’t speak much, if at all. She’ll communicate with Teagan, but anyone else...” he shook his head with a frown, “Teagan’s mother was a prostitute. She kept him until he was three when she found him changing and realized he was a werewolf. She took him to an orphanage and left him there.”
Pressing a hand to her heart, Allandra’s eyes flooded with tears, seeing a small boy with bewildered eyes watching his mother walk away. She couldn’t eve
n imagine how devastating that would be to a child.
“Did she tell them what he was when she left him?”
“No. He figured out quickly why she abandoned him and learned to hide what he was” he paused with a slight frown, “so far none of the natural born werewolves exhibit the struggle to control their animal side that those changed do.”
“That makes sense. Their wolf half is an integral part of them from the start and they would grow and develop naturally together. Not fight to find balance with their new animal half like changed adults do” she supposed thoughtfully and he nodded.
“It’s opened up a lot of different possibilities. As more and more werewolves find their mates, our population of children grows. In just a few generations, our Packs might have a natural born majority” he supposed with a shake of his head before he looked back at the children, “Teagan escaped from the orphanage when he was four. One of the matrons figured out what he was and called in hunters. He barely escaped with his life.”
“Hunters! For a child? How did he survive? A four year old-let alone a werewolf with no Pack, no idea of what he was” she shook her head in disbelief while studying the young boy.
“Teagan is extremely intelligent and his wolf helped him survive. Both sides balance each other out in a werewolf. That’s why it’s so critical that I find the newly changed as soon as I can-to help them in that process” he admitted, frustration clouding his eyes before continuing, “A few months after he’d left the orphanage, he was wandering the streets and heard yelling. He stopped under one of the windows in time to hear the mother screaming that her baby was a monster. Her husband-who was apparently not the father-told her to be silent unless she wanted to bring Paladins down on them.”
“He said he’d ‘deal with it’ and sent everyone out. Teagan figured out what the man intended, so he snuck in and took the baby.”
He paused and Allandra stared at him. “A four year old living on his own, took a baby and ran away with her?” she repeated dumbly and he shrugged.
“That’s what Teagan told me and I have no reason to doubt him. It fits with my connections to them” he told her and she frowned at him in question, “being the Ascendant, I am connected with every other single werewolf. When they are changed or born, it’s like a rope tethers them to me. I can feel their lifeforce and in some ways I can communicate with them. Unless I’m near them, it tends to be faint, but it’s enough to help me find most of them.”
“So you...felt Teagan and Brylee when they were born and knew to look for a young boy and a baby?”
“Yes. I could get a general sense of where they were, which helped in eventually finding them. It took too long though. Almost six years. They were living in the forest and foraging in the city to survive.”
“I still can’t believe that. How could they possibly survive on their own?”
“His wolf had control for a good portion. For most werewolves, that would be a disaster. Letting your animal half be in complete control is what led to the newly changed running dangerously rampant, but so far for Teagan it hasn’t been a problem” Kendrick commented and she nodded thoughtfully before raising an eyebrow archly.
“When were you going to tell me about them?”
He hesitated before shrugging. “I’d hoped to get things a little more settled before having you meet them” he admitted and she gave a short bark of laughter.
“I think it’s going to be quite a while before things become ‘settled’. Finding out that the man I married has two children changes things” she pointed out.
Nodding in acknowledgement, he looked at her quietly. “And is it a change you can accept? Could you think of them as yours?” he asked carefully.
Drawing in a shaking breath, she considered what he was asking. With no warning, no preparation and not even a hint of previous consideration...was she willing to become a mother to two orphaned children with the new husband the Creators had chosen for her? Taking that step would mean another piece in the puzzle her life was becoming-a tangled web of allegiances and emotions between two groups who claimed her as theirs.
But she couldn’t deny the tug at her heart as she looked across the room at them. Nor the growing sense that the Creators had not only picked Kendrick as her Seraphin, but had placed these two children in her path as well.
And in the end, there really was only one choice she could make.
“Yes.”
Letting out a shuddering breath, he pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her and breathing a soft kiss against her hair.
“Allandra...”
Smiling, she tightened her own embrace for a moment before pulling back. “Take me to meet them.”
Tangling his fingers with hers, he led her across the great hall to the two young werewolves watching them approach with caution darkening their green flecked eyes.
They stopped before them and for a minute there was silence as they all studied each other before Kendrick crouched down before them with the predatory grace all his own.
“Teagan, Brylee. This is Allandra. She is Pack and she is ours” he announced quietly.
Teagan’s toffee brown, green flecked gaze shifted back to her. Caution warred with a desire to obey the silent command from his Alpha-along with a faint flicker of desperate hope. He slowly stood, one hand clenching Brylee’s delicate smaller one. He held out a hand and Allandra smiled gently before bending to face them at their level.
“Hello.”
Chapter 7
“HOW WOULD YOU LIKE to go for a walk?”
Kendrick looked up from where he’d been studying a concerning note that had arrived from one of the Packs in Montaire. The Alpha spoke of rumbles from the surrounding community and attacks that had left several werewolves dead.
His wolf growled in frustration, pushing for action to protect their Packs. Kendrick felt the same but knew it was wiser to wait and search for a solution that would bring lasting peace.
Pulling his attention away from a problem he couldn’t seem to find an answer to, the tension running through his body eased just by looking at the beautiful woman who was his mate. Aquamarine eyes softened at the sight of her sitting between Teagan and Brylee at the wide head table in the great hall, eating breakfast from thick wooden bowls and looking like a family already.
Diners in the great hall had been sparse since Allandra arrived, no doubt the Pack’s idea of giving them space, but he expected that to change soon. One, they enjoyed being together too much to stop taking meals here and second, they were too curious about their Ascendants new mate to stay away for long. For now, it was basically his newly formed family, the Sentinels and a handful of others, making meals considerably quieter than normal.
“A walk?” he echoed and she nodded while motioning with her spoon, eyes teasing.
“An exercise where you use your legs to stroll about outside?”
“I’m aware of what a walk is” he answered drily.
“Oh, good. I think we should take one. As a family” she added, with a glance at the two children next to her. When he raised one eyebrow in question, she explained further. “I’ve been here over a week and haven’t seen much of Kalvara at all. It would be nice to look around, get my bearings.”
She shrugged and he nodded slowly, seeing her point. He intended this to be her new home-the Pack her family-but his need to have her by his side had also kept her isolated from the rest of Kalvara. The instinctive desire to protect and keep her away from other men had faded to the point that he didn’t feel on edge when one of them entered the room, so he felt safe in taking her out among his Pack.
If she were going to start melding with them, it was best to get her-and the Pack-used to one another as soon as possible. His wolf agreed, ready to share his mate with others-at least to a point anyway.
Giving a slight nod, he set aside the note to talk over later with the Sentinels and scraped at the porridge left in his bowl.
“We can go right after the meal” he
agreed and she smiled back before casually reaching over to ladle another spoonful into Teagan’s bowl. The boy shot her a quick look before quickly shoveling it into his mouth as quickly as he could.
Kendrick kept the frown that threatened out of his expression as he watched the children out of the corner of his eye. Even after six months here with him, they were still cautious-and ate like every bite was going to be snatched away.
Allandra had noticed that habit right away and matter-of-factly continued to dish them up additional helpings until they finally stopped. She also blithely ignored the slices of bread and apples that disappeared into the small pouches slung across their chests.
There was still a hesitancy between all of them as they carefully tried to figure out relationships and how this new family of theirs was going to work but he had hopes that the woman who’d captured his heart as a young man and the two children who he loved with a fierceness that surprised him, would find a way.
Even now he could see progress. Allandra made it a point to brush Brylee’s hair every night by the fire and while the young girl had been stiff at first, she now was relaxed and leaned into the brushing with pleasure in her eyes.
Teagan was more cautious with her, but Kendrick had noticed how the boy’s eyes sharpened protectively when others came near to her. He may not acknowledge it, but his actions were of a strong werewolf watching over his own.
It would take time for them to become familiar with one another, but he had every faith that it would happen.
Now, if only the problems with their enemies would clear up as easily. Stifling a growl, he glanced at the note on the table before determinedly pushing away the worry.
Allandra wanted to explore Kalvara, a place of refuge and beauty he proudly called home, and he was just as anxious to show it-and the Pack-to her.
