Chapter Eleven
Hours and several lists later, Lily stepped out onto the front porch and into the noonday sun. Amalia and Chris followed her as she headed for the community center to attend the scheduled meeting with the entire pack. Smiling faces greeted her as she crossed the courtyard. Greetings and introductions were made as she went. Children laughed and squealed as parents corralled them onto the playground directly beside the meeting hall. The side of the building facing the playground stood with its sliding wall of glass opened wide.
Members of her pack mingled and laughed but no matter what they did, the unease and stress in the room was palpable. Lily spotted her mate hunched over a stack of maps alongside Thomas and two older shifters. She could feel his concern and quickly made her way through the crowd. Jensgar opened his arms wide as she neared and soon she found herself tucked into his side. The others backed away from the table to give them privacy.
“So how mad are you?” he whispered into the side of Lily’s neck before kissing the spot where he’d placed his mating bite.
“Don’t even try to distract me. You should have woken me before you left our bed,” Lily growled before turning her head up for a kiss.
Jensgar’s firm lips took hers in a demanding kiss, as if he hadn’t seen her in days instead of hours. More than a few people smiled as she looked out upon the group once her mate had relinquished control over her lips.
“You need as much rest as possible, because I predict it will be in short supply soon enough,” he explained while turning his attention back to the discolored papers spread out along the table.
“Don’t think I’ve forgotten my new babysitter, but we will discuss that later. What are these?” Lily asked as she ran the tips of her fingers over the diagrams.
“Each of these are farms that have been affected by decreasing yields and drought. Not one farmer has escaped being affected by whatever is going on here. The darker the color of the land in these diagrams, the closer that field is to death.”
Lily looked down and began flipping through page after page. The sheer amount of ink covering the paper was telling. The outlying fields were black, while on a gradient scale, each consecutive field leading to the center of town was a little bit lighter.
“This is no freak occurrence or act of nature. There’s no way to reproduce this kind of conformity in the natural world.” Lily felt the truth of it as soon as the words left her lips and the dread that soon followed. “This is intentional.” She glanced up at her mate’s troubled eyes.
“Yes. That would seem to be the most logical explanation. But why? What could these people have done to cause this kind of retribution? There’s a lot more going on here than meets the eye.” Jensgar didn’t bother to lower his voice.
The room grew quiet at their declaration and people began taking their seats. Thomas returned to Jensgar’s side as Chris and Amalia returned to Lily’s. “But white witches and omegas have come to help. Hell, even Ceva’s taken a shot at it, and nothing has changed.”
“I don’t know, but together we have to figure this out,” Jensgar said before raising his hand to get the pack’s attention. “My pack, as you already know us from our previous introduction, I would like each of you to stand and introduce yourself to us if you haven’t already had that chance. Also, I would like to announce that Thomas is our choice for beta of the Evergreen pack.”
The shock on Thomas’s face would have been comical if they weren’t in such dire straits. Lily and her mate had discussed the position of beta and both agreed that with Thomas’s knowledge and abilities he would fit the part nicely, even if Jensgar refused to acknowledge the budding relationship between his daughter and the new beta.
“If any of you have concerns about our choice, let them speak now,” Lily demanded, mainly because she didn’t wish to hear about it later. They had so much more to get through first.
No one spoke or raised a single hand. Overall, it was a good sign. One by one, every member of the pack stood and introduced themselves, along with their families and positions within the pack. Of course, she and Jensgar had a master list but wanted to put faces with the names. Given the number of pack members, many of whom showed up, this took a long time.
When it came time for a younger-looking wolf shifter to stand, he rolled his wheelchair out into a pathway between the rows of chairs instead. It took quite a lot to cause enough damage to paralyze a shifter, but according to their records there was no mention of him. Which Lily found odd and concerning.
“My name is Bain, and I live in one of the rooms in the pack house.”
This was news to Lily and obviously to her mate, as Jensgar looked at her in question. She could only shake her head. Sure, they hadn’t had time to explore the entire pack house but this was something that should have been brought to their attention.
“I have been logging the decay and events leading up to it for the past two hundred and eighty years. I was hoping to have the opportunity to show you my findings.”
To say she was shocked by his age was an understatement. Lily wouldn’t have pegged him for above one hundred at the most.
“It’s nice to meet you, Bain. We’ll gladly have a discussion with you after the meeting. Do you mind sticking around afterward?” Jensgar asked, and Lily agreed wholeheartedly. Mystery man, not on pack census as a member and has a hobby that pertains to all this devastation. Yep, she was more than a little curious.
“Yes, Alpha,” Bain answered before rolling himself to the back of the community center.
Lily kept an eye on the man while the rest of the pack carried on with introductions. There was something about him that set off all of Lily’s warning bells.
Several other pack members voiced concerns, all of which Amalia wrote down so that Lily and Jensgar could have one-on-one conversations to discuss them. As soon as the meeting was over, many of the farmers headed out to their fields, while others gathered their children, opened their stores or continued with their duties elsewhere among the pack.
Amalia would handle scheduling appointments for those needing them and Lily was reminded once again of how fortunate she was at having chosen her daughter-in-law to be at her side. Truly, Amalia and Marcus had been so supportive during every agonizing misstep on Lily’s and their father’s way to finally become mates. Marcus stood at the back of the room along with the warriors that had joined them here in Evergreen.
Once the room had cleared out Thomas rolled up the maps and placed them inside a cardboard tube for safekeeping. Marcus and the warriors came forward, awaiting their instructions. Jensgar slid his chair out from under the table and stood. He presented his hand to Lily, which she gladly took. They both made their way around the head table to stand in front of their warriors. There were fifteen in total—four women and eleven men, including Marcus and Chris.
“We believe it’s best if your team mingles amongst the pack members,” Jensgar began.
“So that they become accustomed to each of you and ensure they seek you out in times of need. As you are doing this, I’d like a report on all security concerns and any requirements that you deem are necessary to protect this pack,” Lily continued.
“Once we have the opportunity to get a better handle on the housing situation, we’ll be able to confirm your personal and permanent housing. Until that time, each of you will remain living in the main pack house.” Jensgar finished before handing out cellphones to each of them.
“These belong to you and you may add whatever you wish,” Lily explained. “Each phone is connected to ours so that any of you can reach us and other warriors if need be. All the phones have GPS.” Lily couldn’t help but enjoy the satisfaction she received from co-leading this pack. No longer omega, and not born alpha, she was a mix of the two.
***
Jensgar sat behind the large oak desk in their office. It felt strange and he immediately lifted the chair and brought it around to the other side to sit beside Lily. Bain arranged the files he�
��d pulled from the messenger bag hanging over the back of his wheelchair. He couldn’t help but notice the man’s agility, and knew it was a safe bet that his chair didn’t encumber Bain. The thing even had slightly wider tires with large-tread wheels and bars on the front and back to prevent tipping.
“Can you shift?” The question was out of his mouth before he had the chance to censor it. “I’m sorry. It’s none of my business.”
“You, and Alpha Lily, have every right to ask. You both need to know each of the pack members’ abilities,” Bain replied. “I can fully shift and have full use of my body when I do.”
“We have a lot of questions, the least of which is why there is no record of you anywhere in this pack’s history,” Lily stated. Even without his mate’s ability to feel her emotions, Jensgar knew she was suspicious of the man.
Bain’s dark eyes flashed in anger, causing Jensgar to lean forward and slightly to the right to protect his mate. Bain’s eyes softened almost immediately, as if catching himself in a show of anger embarrassed him.
“Evergreen is not my birth pack and I’m not a ‘productive’ member of the pack.”
Lily was up and out of her chair before another word was spoken. “Who the hell decided that?” Her eyes shone with the luminescence of her wolf and her muscles flexed. She was breathtaking in her indignation.
Jensgar raised his hand to her lower back, rubbing soothing circles into her tense muscles. “Easy, mate, this will be rectified.” He wasn’t surprised by Lily’s reaction. She’d always stood up for what she believed was unjust.
Bain appeared to be confused about the situation, as if her anger was a surprise to him in some way. He spoke up. “The king’s advisor responsible for overseeing the pack after the alpha was killed.”
“I need a name,” she said.
Jensgar knew what she had in mind. “You can’t hunt down the king’s advisor.”
Lily turned to face him and asked, “Then how am I going to kick his ass?”
“Although I do love your protective, bloodthirsty nature, I don’t think that would help our relationship with the king in any way.”
“King Leonidas would agree with me,” Lily persisted before sitting back down in her chair with a huff. “This isn’t over.”
Bain watched, seeming unsure for the first time. “You’d do that for me? Don’t get me wrong, the members of the pack have always been kind from the day they found me in the forest when I was a young child. It’s that the only examples of authority that I’ve ever known always viewed me as ‘lesser’ in some way.”
“You are no lesser than anyone in this pack. I want to make that clear.” Jensgar growled at the thought. “Now let’s go over the information you collected and perhaps we’ll get a better idea of what’s going on here.”
“Do you know or remember who your parents were—are?” Lily asked, obviously not willing to let go of the matter quite yet. “Surely they wouldn’t leave a child in the forest alone even if he was a shifter.” She glanced over at Jensgar with an unrepentant smile. “Okay, after he answers that we’ll get back to the research.”
“No one knows who my parents were, and no one had reported a child missing, so I was raised by the pack. But I was wearing this when he found me.” Bain pulled a gold chain out from under his T-shirt. It had an obsidian stone with tiny silver specks arranged in an odd pattern. There was a smile on Bain’s face, the first honest one Jensgar had seen.
A soft knock on the office door preceded Katrina’s entrance. She carried a tray of pastries and sandwiches as well as bottles of water over and set them on the desk. When she turned, her eyes rounded when they fell on Bain and her cheeks turned pink. Interesting. Was this actually going to happen twice in a matter of weeks? First Amalia and Thomas, and now this…whatever this was.
“Thank you, Katrina,” Lily said in a tone much lighter than moments before. “Have you had the chance to meet Bain? He is helping us try to figure out what’s going on with the land.”
Katrina raised her hand to shake Bain’s. “It’s nice to meet you, Bain.”
Instead of shaking her hand, Bain lifted it to his mouth and kissed her knuckles. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Katrina.”
The young woman seemed frozen to the spot for a moment before she made a hasty retreat out of the office.
Seriously—was it spring? Have the stars aligned? Was there truly a “love bug” to be bitten by? Every time Jensgar turned around someone else was coupling up. The low growl he released was met with Lily’s tinkling laughter.
Chapter Twelve
Days later, Lily found herself staring down at a wilted, lifeless seedling she held in the palm of her hand. Only yesterday, it had been alive and flourishing. This was the sixth field to have its crops die overnight. No matter how hard Lily tried to reach out to the flora in the area she’d felt nothing in return. Even though she knew she had no powers, the flowers back at Black Ridge had seemed to respond to her still. She had to try.
They’d gone over all the data Bain had collected and had been able to discern somewhat of a pattern. Yes, the land seemed to be dying from the outskirts of pack land, inward, but a section in one of the forests, in the center of the map flourished on. Suspiciously, the same part where the previous alpha’s body had been found and years later where Bain was discovered.
Lily had intended to explore that area of the forest but had been delayed by her other responsibilities with the pack. Looking around she realized that their group wasn’t far from that location. Jensgar was still at the last field they’d visited, while she, Amalia and Bain, plus two warriors, carried on with the inspection of damaged fields. She’d finally been able to convince her mate that she no longer required a personal bodyguard. Chris was now happily making and implementing security features throughout the pack in case of an ogre attack.
Lily walked over to their small group and jumped on one of the ATVs a warrior had used to escort them through the fields. “I’ll be right back.”
“It may not be safe for you to explore on your own,” one of the warriors named Edward said while moving closer to her.
No way was she going to be coddled like a child. “Edward, who am I?”
The man looked confused but answered, “Alpha Lily.”
“And as such I am completely capable of making my own choices. Now, as I was saying, I’ll be right back.”
Lily gunned the ATV without waiting for a reply. The forest wasn’t even a half mile away and she ate up the distance quickly. Having vented most of her frustration during the ride, Lily hopped off the seat and took a few steps into a dying forest. The area she was looking for was somewhere east of her current location.
While she understood everyone’s need and desire to keep her safe, there was no way in hell she was returning to the time when she was an omega. Constantly guarded, monitored and debilitated by rules, to which she had to adhere. Not anymore. She was her own person capable of taking care of herself.
She kept her senses open to the slightest of changes in the forest, but as of yet everything she encountered was decayed and lifeless. Trees in different stages of their decomposition, some still stood tall though their limbs hung feebly by their sides, while others had snapped and plummeted to the forest floor into splinters. An inky darkness seemed to cover the ground like a blanket. Withered leaves and vines spider-webbed across the gaps that once held life, but the most telling sign to Lily was the silence.
Nothing. Not the chirp of a bird, the rustle of leaves, the crunch of the branches underneath her boots, not even the sound of the wind seemed to penetrate this part of the forest. Her hike seemed to take hours when in fact only minutes had gone by when she checked the time on her watch.
The pull was the first thing Lily noticed as she roamed deeper. It began as a slight buzzing in the background of her mind until now it sounded more like a room full of people all talking at once. Then she heard it, that bubbling of water against rocks, and a few steps later she walked out i
nto a live forest, streams, animals and life all around.
The chirp of birds shocked her as she moved further into what could only be described as a mirage, but she wasn’t in a desert. One moment she was in a world of death and destruction, the next felt more like a cornucopia of abundance.
Flowers bloomed and grass grew. Thick tree trunks supported a heavy canopy of leaves while small forest animals scurried across the long branches. The warm breeze caressed her skin as she walked further into what appeared to be a paradise of sorts. Large vegetables and fruits grew everywhere, while honeybees pollinated and collected the sweet nectar from flowers twice the size of anything she’d ever seen before. All the plants reached out to her as they had done before when she was omega. The part of her that missed the connection settled for the first time in a week.
The air was fresh and fragrant with the heady smell of a warm summer’s day. She had the urge to lie down on the bed of green grass, and watch the thick, white clouds drift across the sky.
A small lake came into view, the fish so abundant that they splashed along its edges. The sheer beauty surrounding her was in direct conflict with the rest of the pack lands. Why?
The pull and voices were even stronger now as she followed them along a small stream branching off from the lake. Chipmunks and squirrels raced through the trees, chattering as they went. She’d even caught sight of a brown rabbit racing into its den.
How was any of this possible? With the land surrounding it dying at an increased rate, how did this part of the forest survive? That was what she needed to find out so that she could replicate it on the rest of the pack lands.
Hello. A soft feminine voice whispered through the trees.
Lily spun in a circle but saw nor scented anyone in the area. Her teeth lengthened into sharp points, and her claws burst through the tips of her fingers. “Who’s there?”
Who are you?
Lily's Trust Page 10
