by Eva Gordon
Steele cocked his head. “She is the new Mr. or rather Ms. H.?”
“Her death would be in the best interests of many, from the Keep, enemy spies to packs that want to cut all ties to humans, including Milton’s pack and…”
“My brother.” Steele frowned.
“King Conan is not a fan of human involvement, but understands the necessity of having a human spy watch over our best interests.”
“Where is she now?”
“The Bay Area. California, some horse competition. She left right after her father’s funeral. We are short on available team members, so I ordered Nik to leave Prague and take Emma to a safe house.”
Gaby swallowed. If Tomlin had his way, Emma’s horse would have crushed her, most likely in front of an audience. “I take it she agreed to keep the lycan secret?”
“From the age of sixteen,” said Rylee. “At the funeral, she thought we failed to protect her father.”
Gaby had found the entire werewolf society shocking, yet, how well had Emma taken it at such a young age? “And marked as well?”
“Yes, she’s my human,” said Rylee.
Gaby absently rubbed the gooseflesh on her arms. Why couldn’t Rylee say she worked for her instead? How did Emma feel about being owned by a werewolf? Technically, Steele owned her, but that was just a formality. Nonetheless, she’d overlook the semantics to avoid going crazy.
“How many amongst us know her true identity?” Steele asked.
“She will be formally introduced to the LIA soon enough. For now, just us, my archivist Jesper and Nik know of her.” She narrowed her eyes at Gaby. “You will not speak of Ms. H. to anyone.”
“No problem, ma’am.”
Steele’s tone remained dark, no doubt focused on the queen’s assault. “What will happen to Makayla?”
“She is in the tundra, a natural wolf.”
“Werewolf lobotomy?” Gaby asked.
“Believe it or not, she agreed.”
“Did she murder Camden?” asked Steele.
“Yes, but she swore under hypnosis, she thought she was only sedating him on orders by Milton and Kiara. Some drug without a detectable scent.” Rylee’s unreadable face showed no emotion, but her wolf aura raged red.
“I volunteer to hunt the oath breakers,” said Steele.
“Your job is to remain at headquarters.”
“Why?”
“I promised King Conan.”
“He may not feel so protective when he learns Gaby and I are together.”
“That’s where Lunara and Professor James Clayworth come in.”
Gaby raised a brow. “Wow, I could understand a shaman and even a doctor, but your kind includes professors as well?”
Rylee answered, “Actually, Professor James Clayworth is human and an alpha’s human companion.”
At least she avoided saying, “owned.” “You mean pet?”
Rylee smiled. “Chandra, the alpha, is technically mated to a beta, but only to save face.”
“So they don’t…”
“It’s complicated. I’ll call in Lunara and James to explain.” She turned to Lev and Manny. “You can go.”
They bowed and left.
Gaby gave Steele a questioning glance. Although, Kiara was out of the picture, would he still be expected to mate a werewolf to save face, while keeping her as a companion? What woman would ever want either alternative?
Chapter 26
Steele waited until Lev and Manny left, and then addressed Rylee. “No matter what happens, Gaby and I will never part.”
“That’s between the king and you.” She lifted her chin and smiled. “I’ll support you any way I can.”
Lunara and Professor James Clayworth entered and bowed to Rylee and then to him. The shaman smiled. “Prince Steele, a pleasure to see you again.” Lunara turned to the professor. “You remember James.”
“Of course.” Steele shook his hand. Gaby had been forced to learn their wolfish behaviors, so it was only fair he practiced the same. “How is Princess Chandra?”
“Expecting her first litter in the next month.” James smiled, proud as if he were the father.
Rylee smiled. “I heard Chandra and Oak set up a den along the Canadian border.”
Gaby gaped. Her expression conveyed a mixture of curiosity and horror. Steele gently elbowed her. “This is Gaby, my wife.”
James offered his hand. “A pleasure indeed.” He quipped. “Welcome to the human married to a werewolf club.”
Gaby shook his hand. “Nice to be the newbie member of the club.”
Rylee pointed to the chairs. “Please sit. We have good news concerning the question of wolf-segens.” She gestured to James who nodded and turned on the wall screen.
They sat and waited. Steele took Gaby’s cold hand and squeezed it. Don’t worry, love.
James proceeded with the first slide, showing a manuscript written in what appeared to be Latin or what they often referred to as old Wolfish. “This is the original Edict of Segner of 1592, specifying death to all wolf-segens, no matter the cost or effort.” He advanced to the next slide. A partially charred scroll. “This manuscript was removed from the Pentad Treatise of Conduct during the Edict of Segner. It contradicts the edict.”
“How so?” Steele asked.
“One of Stallo’s potions, prior to his creation of our kind enabled a person to charm wolves away from sheep herds. The spell gave the person the power to enchant all animals. He allowed his nephew, an apprentice, to use the spell. The apprentice known as Jonas, met up with Stallo years later after Stallo became the Wolf Wizard. At that time, Jonas discovered his power to see the wolf within the man as did his seven children who passed on the trait to their offspring. In the beginning, the original lycan pack, the Pentad allowed wolf-segens also called wolf charmers to act as intermediaries between humans and werewolves. It appeared the original spell allowed wolf-segens to mate werewolves. Their offspring were rare, but when blessed with children, they were born human, but with the ability to recognize a lycan as well as charm animals.”
Steele smiled. “That’s a good thing.” He’d given up on the idea of having children, but if there was a remote possibility to have a baby with Gaby, he’d welcome him or her.
“In the beginning, it was. Until Pack King Morpheus demanded werewolves only mate with werewolves. An attempt to keep the bloodline pure. During this time, wolf-segens were already being burnt at the stake as witches and only a few remained. The few surviving wolf-segens were banished from the packs. The werewolves that had taken wolf-segens as mates were hunted and killed. The king ordered all packs to keep their relationship with humans to a minimum such as trade or commerce. Years later, vengeful wolf-segens helped villagers identify lycans who came into villages to trade hides and woodwork. So began the werewolf hunting years in Europe and our darkest times.”
Lunara stood; her shoulders sagged. “We should never have broken away from our wolf-segen kin.”
Gaby raised her hand as if Lunara was a classroom teacher. “Does that mean the sins of our fathers no longer matter?”
“Yes. It was wrong to hunt wolf charmers to extinction. I for one am happy to hear we failed to kill all of you.” Lunara smiled. “Best of all, it means you and Steele are bonded mates. The council has agreed to accept you as his mate and the only true wolf-segen left on Earth.”
“And my brother?” Steele asked.
“Unfortunately, a prince of the realm can only mate a lycan. You must produce a litter to remain part of the royal family.”
Rylee scoffed. “Even in modern times.”
Steele was not surprised by her reaction. Rylee and half of the lycan council were not fans of the lycan monarchy. What did she want, elections? Or worse, back to the bloody days of a challenging the king or queen for pack dominance.
James clicked the remote to the next slide. It displayed a list of over a thousand names, male and female. “This is the list of every wolf-segen wiped out during our global
hunt. After our culling, no werewolves were persecuted or wolf-segens left to charm pest animals away from farms.” He glanced at Gaby. “You are one of a kind.”
Steele smiled. “She certainly is, but how do you know there are no others?”
Gaby answered, “Giles who adopted me searched the world looking for others but came up empty. He said even my relatives had no trace of this charm. I might have been a genetic throwback.”
James smiled at her. “I would love to dig further, that is if you don’t mind.”
“I don’t.”
Steele’s mobile buzzed and he read the text. Shit. A long detailed text. “The king sent his helicopter to pick me up.” He stood. “I’m sorry. Time I face my brother.”
Rylee nodded. “No worries. Report back as soon as you can.”
“I’ll be flying to Wildwood Island to meet with him and his immediate family. I suspect I’ll be there for a few days.”
Gaby gave him a worried look. “He wants you now?”
“We need to discuss family matters and my decision. I promise I won’t be long.”
“Got that right,” said Rylee. “I want you back for further briefing.”
Steele lifted Gaby’s chin and met her beguiling green eyes. “I love you and you are mine.” He kissed her forehead and then left.
Gaby stepped out of the elevator with Lunara and James. Rylee went to her ready room to follow up on other Team Greywolf missions. The wolf shaman appeared young, but had the calm veneer of a wise crone. James was maybe mid-thirties, good looking in a bookish sort of way. Hipster glasses, blond hair and a crisp British accent. She understood Chandra the alpha werewolf’s attraction.
Lunara turned to James. “Why don’t you share your experience living in our community with Gaby?”
“No problem. We can hang out in one of the study rooms in the library.”
Lunara smiled at Gaby. “Steele will return. Don’t worry. No one stands in the way of soul mates.”
Gaby trusted Steele wholeheartedly, but not King Conan. He had forced Steele to take Kiara as a mate. No doubt, he had another princess in line for him. She blinked. “How do you know we are soul mates?”
“You shared dreams.” She narrowed her eyes. “When you had sex, you experienced being in Stallo’s forest, did you not?”
Gaby’s cheeks burned. Thanks for being blunt. “Not sure about the forest name, but yes.”
James chuckled. “You’ll find that lycans tend to be less repressed about discussing sex than humans.”
“Duly noted,” Gaby muttered. “What about the king? Can he stop Steele from taking me as a mate?”
“King Conan can pressure his brother. Our royal bloodlines are supposed to remain pure, but it’s Steele’s choice. Trust me, his wolf has claimed you.”
The king took away Slade’s title when he chose Cricket, a runt. They didn’t seem the least bit bothered by it. “Will the king take away his title?”
“Yes. Although according to our lost treatise, the king could have you both banished. I think the council will need to vote on that, however.”
“Meaning no contact with the packs?” Part of her wanted to live far away, just him and her. Yet, she knew how much Steele enjoyed being part of the team and pack.
“Severe as it seems, yes.” She gazed at her watch. “I’ll see you both for the evening meal?”
They nodded.
James guided her. “The library is on the right.”
They walked a few doors down and entered a giant hall. She gaped. Three stories of bookcases. On the arched ceiling was a mural depicting what looked like their entire history. Stallo, the Wolf Wizard, in his alchemical lab, the transformation of the five. It would take hours to study all the details. “Wow!”
“Most of the collection was brought from England during the Victorian era, but we’re amassing more books each year.”
“I didn’t know werewolves were such big readers.”
“They are. The more they know, the more they can pass on to their offspring.”
“You believe in inheritance of acquired traits hypothesis, disproved long ago?”
“Not genetics. Magic. Like your ability to charm animals.”
Well, duh. “After all that’s happened, trust me, I’m a believer.”
“Come. Let me show you a relevant part of the mural.”
Gaby followed James, distracted by the row upon rows of books. How had they amassed such a collection and how had they started the library?
James stopped and pointed to what looked like a scene of men and women burning at the stake. “Many were lone wolves, but there were cases of entire packs wiped out. Even a few innocent men, hermits living in the woods. People demanded all werewolves hunted, even when most had moved to safer territories.”
She stared. One scene depicted the title Edict of Segner. Underneath, wolves devoured people who must have been the wolf charmers. Many had their entrails dragged out. Others beheaded. “I’m surprised wolf-segens chose revenge after being thrown out of the packs. They must have known the werewolves would retaliate against them.”
“I’m going to dig into their lost history. I suspect a wolf-segen leader instigated others to out the werewolves for political gain or to rid the world of the lycan kind.”
“At least they missed killing my line.”
“According to our records, the last wolf-segen was killed in the year 1767. At least, so they believed. Maybe, one of your ancestors made it to America, not knowing they carried the trait.”
“I am definitely going to have the lab analyze my DNA.”
“If you don’t mind, I would love to see your results.”
“No problem.” She liked James. Friendly and the go-to-man on how to marry, or at least, have a relationship with a werewolf.
“I heard you paint wildlife.”
“It’s my passion.”
“I bet there’s some wall here or elsewhere that could use a mural or canvas.”
“I would love that.” She followed him down the hall.
“There’s a room with coffee and other refreshments.” He opened the door to what looked like a help yourself café. The tables had outlets for computers. No one occupied the space so they’d have privacy to enjoy a cup and answer her hundreds of questions.
“Coffee or tea?”
“Coffee.”
“I could have guessed. I seem to be the only fan of tea around here.”
They sat and Gaby added sugar and cream to her coffee. “The pack seems cool about our marriage.”
James tilted his chin down and frowned. “At least you got to experience the soul mate bond.”
Gaby gave him a quizzical look. “Yet, you love Chandra enough to stay?” She wanted to add and allow her to bear the pups of another male. Awkward.
“Chandra is brilliant.” He smiled as if she’d just walked in. “She is stunningly beautiful, smart and witty. I love everything about her.”
“Even in wolf form.”
“Everything.” He shrugged. “Naturally, we are not intimate when she is a wolf, but our love runs deep, beyond the physical.”
“Sounds like you are soul mates.”
“I believe so, but not according to lycan society.”
“Dr. Becker has chosen life with a werewolf as well.”
“Indeed. We are a small number, but to go back to a normal human, at least for me, is out of the question.”
“I couldn’t agree with you more.”
He sighed. “You must think I’m crazy to accept Chandra mating a beta and having his pups.”
“It’s none of my business.”
He continued anyway. “Dominic our enforcer was ordered to mate Chandra, but instead, he made her a blood sister.”
Cricket told her how Dominic had fallen in love with a human, Mia, who carried the Stallo gene. “But why make her a blood sister?”
“As a member of his pack, it allowed her to avoid punishment for loving a human by mating one of Dominic’s
betas.”
“I can’t imagine sharing Steele.”
“In the beginning, I felt the same way, but I knew all along Chandra always wanted to be a mother. Though we talked about adoption, I knew she wanted her own litter. Oak, the beta, is built like Steele. Big and powerful. A perfect sire. He is also gentle and has a great sense of humor. He is as protective of me as she is. My best friend, actually. We are a happy threesome.”
“Do you…never mind.”
He laughed. “No, we don’t have threesome sex.”
She reddened. “Not that I see anything wrong with it.”
“We are simply not into that sort of thing. Oak loves her as much as I do.”
“And she loves you both equally?”
“Our love is romantic, but she loves Oak as the sire to her children and as a friend. He knows and accepts it.”
“As long as it works.” No way would she share Steele. Although, who knew if his brother would convince him to sire a royal line of pups with some available princess.
“Out of the box or rather out of the den, but we are quite happy.”
“I hope the king accepts Steele’s decision.”
“Lunara had an audience with the king and his council. I’m not sure he’ll be swayed to accept your mating, but he cannot force him to leave you. He might even suggest he mate a she-wolf but keep you.”
Not happening. “Good to know.” Guilt tore at her heart. How much would it cost him to be with her? What was the harm of letting him have one litter to please his family?
Chapter 27
Steele boarded the king’s private helicopter and returned to LIA headquarters. It had been a long week since he’d seen or even talked to Gaby. He looked forward to holding her in his arms and making love to her until the crack of dawn. His meeting with his brother went as expected. Conan ranted about Steele’s disloyalty to their family legacy and threatened revocation of nobility if he chose Gaby over a proper royal she-wolf. Steele was prepared to lose his title, but despite the shame of being deemed disloyal, he had no qualms about his decision. Choosing Gaby meant choosing life, happiness and the spiritual fulfillment knowing he’d mated his soul mate. After their heated argument, all ended well. Sort of. Steele agreed to all the terms. Loss of title, banishment from the king’s family territory and worse, pack disownment, meaning he could no longer claim the king as his brother or be the uncle to his nephew and niece. This required the removal of his Wildwood name from the family pedigree, and from now on, he’d be known as Steele of No Pack. It broke his heart to say goodbye to his family, but no matter, he’d always care for them.
