by Niki Trento
Kane positions himself into a low crouch, arms out ready to grab me. He charges at me like a bull; wrapping his arms around my waist, knocking us both to the ground. Kane has the advantage with me on my back, punching me in my jaw, my head snaps to the side.
The overwhelming stench of hard liquor clouds the space between us. I wrap my legs around his waist and roll him.
His fingers turn to claws, digging into my biceps. I’m able to get my forearm across his throat and press down. His hands loosen as he struggles for breath.
It would be incredibly easy to tear out his throat right now. I fight the urge to clamp my jaw down in place of my arm. Instead, I elbow him in the temple to knock him out.
Donovan's SUV pulls up shortly afterward with Axel jumping out before the truck comes fully to a stop. It’s clear he’s itching to fight Kane, anxious to get into the thick of things. I can't blame him, Axel has never liked Kane.
“Damn, boss! You killed him without me?” Axel toes Kane's body.
“No. Just knocked his ass out. Donovan, do you have zip ties? Let's get him to the cage before he wakes up. I've got to get Celeste and the shopping done. I'll fill you in when we get home.”
“Sure thing, Barin. Goddess! How much did he drink? I don't think even Axel has ever smelled this bad.”
“Twat waffle[1][2],” Axel declares.
Together they tie Kane's wrists and ankles and haul him to Donovan's SUV.
Once I know they have him secure I go to find Celeste.
She is talking to Miles about photography. Celeste looks over when I walk in, a relieved smile lighting up her face; her whole body visibly relaxes.
“Miles has everything ready for us. Are we good to go?” What she means is it safe without alerting Miles.
I nod while I hand my card over and thank the kid for everything. We finish our shopping and head back home.
“So, Kane is in “the cage” passed out?” Celeste uses air quotes, I can't help but smile at how adorable the gesture is.
“Yup. Drunker than a skunk. Who knows what he could have done. What he is capable of.”
“I'm really surprised you didn't kill him. No offense, but I've known shifters that wouldn't have passed the opportunity to shed blood.”
“It was an unfair fight. Considering the situation, there would not be any honor in killing him.”
“You are a lot like my father in that respect. No wonder your shifters are so loyal to you. Well, with the exception of Kane. After what I went through in Europe, it’s great to see an alpha who cares for his pack.”
“I'd like to meet your father. He sounds like a man I could truly respect.” I wink at her as I pull into the carport.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Barin
The next morning the house is a flurry of preparation for my father. His room is ready, the preferred hickory coffee brewing, and everything spotless.
Donovan has meat marinating for dinner.
Celeste is helping with cleaning despite my assurance that she isn't expected to.
I bring a mug of coffee down to the cage for Kane. I figure it best to try to get that situation under control before my father comes. The cage is one of the furthest away from the exit of the dungeon.
“Kane, I brought you some coffee.”
“Why didn't you kill me? It would have been easier than this.”
“Easier than a hangover?” I sit the coffee down in his reach. Kane sniffs at it and his face turns green.
“Sure, we’ll go with that.” He moves to the opposite side, as far from the coffee as he can get. “What do you want, Barin?”
“I want to know what is going on with you. Why did you drink a lake full of liquor?”
“Nothing is going on with me. I don't like you. I don't like these shifters. I thought that was fucking obvious.” He looks disgusted but I can tell there’s more.
“Then why don't you leave? Why stay with a bunch of assholes you can't stand?”
“They won't let me.” He speaks so quietly I almost don't hear him.
“Who won't? The pack?” Kane's head snaps up, wincing at the sudden movement.
“Fuck you,” he spits, “I don't have to tell you shit.”
“All right. I'll send Axel down with some food and I'll leave you alone. When you are ready to get out of here, just let me know.”
I leave Kane to stew in his anger. I hear him punching at the cement wall and cursing. If he wants to be an asshole there is nothing more I can do for him. Axel will find out what is really going on in his head. I envy Axel's gift at times like these. It would truly make an alpha’s work a lot easier. I find Axel in the kitchen talking to Donovan.
“Hey, Axel. Bring some food down to the dungeon and bring back some intel.”
“Jailbird won't sing for ya, huh?” Axel pours a bowl of cereal before going downstairs whistling.
“Did you get anything out of him?” Donovan puts the lid on the Crock-Pot.
“Not too much, but he said that someone won't let him leave,” I tell Donovan all that Kane said. When I finish, he’s deep in thought. “You've got a bone you're chewing on. Care to share?”
“I'm not sure, but I have a theory. We know that none of the pack would keep him here, least of all Pandora. Has he been in the cave as far as you know?”
“You think the elves are behind this? He hasn't been to the cave since Celeste got here, as far as I know. I'll have to check with Spencer on that.”
“It makes some sense if you think about it. He wasn't this much of a douche when he first got here. Troublesome, yes, but not like this. They can control your dreams, and Celeste's. Scared the hell out of her and she is no omega. It isn't hard to believe they've put the fear of the devil in Kane to carry out some crazy plan.”
Donovan has an excellent point. I can't dispute any of it. Kane settled down a bit once he had his place in the pack hierarchy. Then a few months ago is when he started acting more and more like a dick. I assumed he was just not the kind of shifter that took orders well. The kind who thought he was more badass than he really was and thought he should be the alpha.
The elves could have gotten to Kane. But why? More importantly, what is the end game in all of this?
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Barin
Shortly after my conversation with Donovan, my father knocks at the front door. I open it and he bows his head before hugging me. My father is not an alpha but he uses the customary greetings he would to any alpha he visited. I understand it, but he is my dad and it feels weird to see him behave submissively to me. On the phone, he doesn't follow the so-called protocol because they are private conversations.
“My boy! The house looks amazing!”
“Thanks, dad. How was your trip?” I take his bag and beckon him inside.
“It was fine, I always enjoy a nice drive. Your mother is in the car putting on her face. She slept most of the way here.”
“I'm glad mother came, I will escort her in. Donovan will show you to your room.” I hug him again, he only allows it because Donovan is the only one in our company. I don't care how old I am, I'll still hug my father as often as I can. I've seen too many shifters lose their parents, or who had been abandoned by them, to not take advantage of my time with mine.
My mother is getting out of the car when I make it outside. I hold the car door open for her as she gracefully climbs out. Her black hair is piled high on her head. With eyes as green as my own glistening with unshed tears, she looks at me. It has been too long since I last saw her.
“Hi, mom. Did you enjoy your nap?” I wink before kissing her cheek.
“Oh, Barin.” She pulls me into a fierce hug. The kind only a mother can give. A hug so full of love, pride, and happiness it fills you with a euphoria that takes you back to a time when you were young enough to curl up on her lap and all the world's troubles just disappeared. It feels like hours but only a couple of minutes pass by with us holding each other.
We go inside where most
of the pack wait for introductions. Dad comes out of his temporary room chatting with Donovan. My father and Donovan have a close relationship, the only father he has ever known. I stand between my parents and clear my throat.
“Everyone, I'm pleased to introduce my parents Evelyn and Bernard.”
“It's a pleasure to finally meet you both. I am Kathleen and this is Celeste.” Kathleen pulls Celeste with her from near the back of the group where Celeste had been hiding.
“Ma'am. Sir.” Celeste shakes both of their hands then tries to remove herself from the center of the room. She looks unsure, shy, and absolutely beautiful.
After all the names and pleasantries are exchanged, we discuss the latest news of our respective packs; who has mated, who is expecting pups. The normal catch ups. Then the reason for their visit: the elves and the missing tomes.
“Before we get too serious, Barin, why don't you and I take a walk. I would like to see what you've done to the property. Then, we will gather for dinner and talk.”
“Sure, Dad. Mom?”
“Oh, you boys have fun. I would like to get to know your pack better.”
My father and I leave mom to the pack and head out for a tour of the land. I show him the bungalows then we head to the perimeter.
He asks questions about how long the bungalows took to build, how many are being used and some other randomness to fill time. He is working his way up to what he really wants to discuss, a typical dad tactic.
“I know your pack has been working on this with you, however, I wanted to speak to you in private. This is your family history. Once you have the information, it will be up to you on what you do with it.”
“Ok? What's going on, Dad? What don't I know?”
“First, I will start with a little history. About a century ago the elves and shifters went to war. You see, some shifters paired up with elves, which at first didn't seem like a big deal. Shifters had mated with humans before, we weren't prejudiced. The problem came when shifter women had elven offspring. Some of the offspring were your regular run-of-the-mill shifters who carried slight physical traits of the elven fathers, while some were born non-shifters. But some of them had the magical traits of their fathers as well as their shifting capabilities.
“These offspring were caught between everything. They lacked the ability to control their magic, even with training from their fathers. The elves didn't want them because their blood wasn't pure, the shifters didn't know how to handle them. Shifters were being killed by the accidental magic use. The elven fathers tried, most of them did anyway. Mothers and fathers were falling apart, neither knowing what to do with their children. The shifters began to believe that the elves did this all as a plan to rid the world of shifters. The elves who hadn't been inclined to mate with shifters were appalled by the idea of their precious bloodlines being corrupted.
“A war broke out leaving large losses on both sides. The dangerous offspring were killed off by the elves. It was a horrible slaughter, but a necessary one. Once they were wiped out of existence, their objective achieved, the elves called a truce. Neither side was in danger from the...mutations. Their word, not mine.” He pauses for a moment as I let all of this sink in.
“The poor offspring all suffered no matter their magical capabilities or lack thereof. They were easily recognizable by their green eyes.”
The implications of what my father just said freezes me to the core. Not many shifters have green eyes, and it isn’t something I ever thought too much about, until now. My mind quickly tries to recall all the shifters with green eyes and I find myself lacking. There’s mom, me, and maybe two other shifters I have ever met with green eyes.
“Your mother and I should have told you this a lot sooner. We wanted to but were worried about what it could have changed for you. There were still offspring alive after the war, but they weren't viewed as a threat and were left alone. They mated with full blood shifters and the elven blood was diluted more with each generation.” When he stops talking he looks at me with guilt and sadness in his eyes.
“I have elven blood.” It’s more of a statement than clarification.
“Yes. Your mother's great grandmother had mated with an elf. Her mate, from the stories I was told and that are in the first missing tome, was a great man. He left his people for her and their daughter Ruth. Ruth could shift faster than other shifters and could see great distances in her mind.”
“Like me.”
He nods, although I didn't need his confirmation.
Pacing, running my hands through my hair. “All this time you knew. All this time and neither one of you told me! Is this why I was able to see the runes?”
“Yes. Son, we didn't know how this would affect you becoming an alpha. Not one of the original mixed offspring, nor any of their descendants had been alphas. You are the first.”
“What about the second missing tome?”
“That one has the complete family tree up until your birth which includes the elven offspring, the elves that stuck with their shifter mates and the truth of who you are. We knew from an early age the gifts and status you possessed. Your mother and I wanted to be the ones to tell you, not you reading about it in the history books.”
A lot of information to process. How will the pack react? How much do I tell them? The crap with Kane...does that tie in with all of this? So much to figure out and so little time to do it. I have to talk to Donovan, as my advisor he has to have input.
“What would you do, Dad?”
“I'm not an alpha and I don't know your pack. I'm sorry, but I'm of no help to you there.”
“I need to talk to Donovan before I decide anything. Why don't you join mom in getting to know the pack.” We head back to the house in silence.
My father’s mouth opens and closes a few times as if he is looking for something to say. It is seriously getting on my nerves.
I love my father, respect him, but right now I wish he was anywhere but here. Seven failed attempts at whatever he’s trying to say, I snap. “What? What else are you holding back?”
Like a deer in headlights, he stares at me and says, “Barin, when were you going to tell your mother and me that you found your mate?” My turn to look startled.
I shake my head, is it that obvious to everyone? “Umm. Well, nothing is official or anything. Hell, I haven't even had the chance to really talk to her about it. With all this elf bullshit going on, not to mention Kane, we just haven't really had the chance to. How can you tell?”
“I was watching you when Kathleen introduced her. You watched her with pride, the goofiest grin on your face.” He chuckles, his eyes fill with joy. “The same way I've been looking at your mother all these years.”
“My wolf has already claimed her in his mind.”
“And the man?”
“I don't disagree. Celeste is beautiful, funny, and smart. The first day she was here, she and I had a staring contest.” I laugh at the memory as if it happened just this morning. I revisit the memory, sharing with my father exactly what I am feeling, even in the beginning.
“Don't wait, boy. Bring her to your office with Donovan and Kathleen. Tell them what I've told you, see how Celeste reacts. If it doesn't change the way she looks at you, tell her how you feel. Lay the cards on the table. The worst that can happen is she goes back to her father's pack.”
“If she leaves, that will kill me. I can't bear that.”
“If she leaves, don't give up.”
My mind is a whirlwind of what ifs and what could-bes.
He’s right.
Celeste is definitely worth fighting tooth and nail for. And my wolf and I are more than willing to give every claw and canine tooth for the cause.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Barin
Inside, I have my beta, gamma, and my future mate join me in my office. My father gave me the missing tomes when we returned to the house.
Kathleen practically drools at the sight of them on my desk.
Celest
e appears confused about being brought into this private meeting.
I fill them in on everything my father told me, watching Celeste's eyes the entire time. I watch as her confusion gives way to surprise, to pity for the unwanted offspring, to understanding and finally resting on acceptance. A good sign. I wait for what seems like forever for anyone to speak.
“Always knew you were a freak,” chides Donovan.
The girls giggle.
“I think you should tell the pack, except for Kane. I still think, and this kind of solidifies it, that the elves were using him to get to you.” At Kathleen's and Celeste's matching gasps of shock, Donovan explains his theory and what Kane had said.
“It does make sense, but why do the elves want you?” Kathleen asks, scribbling in her journal.
“Not a clue.”
“Unless…” Her head bends closer to the pages as she writes. She sits back tapping her pen thoughtfully on her full lips. I know better than to rush her as she works it out silently, the occasional mumbled words escaping her. “That's it! It has to be!”
“Cut the suspense, woman! What did you just figure out?” Donovan is quick, but he doesn't catch on to what Kathleen just figured out.
“He's an alpha.”
“Right?”
“An Elven Alpha!”
Kathleen makes a connection that not even I’d made. Being the first alpha with elven blood in my veins makes me a target. The question is: why now?
I am a descendant of the product of a shifter and elf mating. Ruth’s life was spared because she didn't have elven magic. To the best of my knowledge, none of her descendants did. The only unique powers I have are the quick shift and the mindsight. I don't think being able to see elvish runes counted as a magic that was a cause for concern.
