Blood of the Pack

by Jenny Frame

Kenrick gave her a high five. “Fantastic, although we’ll have to have a game of proper football while I’m here.”

  Dante rolled her eyes. “Don’t listen to her, Dion. I’ve had to listen to this since we were cubs. Soccer is for submissives.”

  Kenrick was just about to reply with a witty retort when she saw something in the road up ahead. “Dante, look.”

  Dante slowed as they got nearer. “It looks like someone’s lying in the road.” She pulled over. “Dion, stay in the car.”

  “But Pater—”

  “No buts. Stay here,” Dante said firmly.

  Kenrick got out of the car quickly and hurried over. A woman was lying there, and from her scent, a wolf. She dropped to her knees and saw silver manacles around her wrists and a silver bolt sticking out of her leg. The woman had the most beautiful long dark hair and dark olive skin. Kenrick lifted her hand to take her pulse, and she ran her nose along the woman’s hand, inhaling.

  She was hit with a dazzling array of scents that made her heart thud loudly. Initially she scented the top layers of fear, terror, and loneliness, but Kenrick closed her eyes and allowed her wolf to take those apart and see what was underneath. She saw lush forest, blue sky, the deepest bluest loch—it was home.

  Kenrick’s eyes sprang open. How could she scent Wulver Forest on this probably American werewolf?

  “How is she?” She was shaken from her thoughts by Dante’s voice.

  “Do you have bolt cutters in the Jeep for these manacles?” Kenrick said.

  “Yes, give me a second.” Dante ran off.

  Kenrick scanned the mysterious woman’s body again. As well as the bolt sticking out of her leg, there was blood spattered on her forehead from a head injury, and cuts and bruises over her body. There was a large hill bordering the road, and Kenrick guessed she fell or was pushed down it.

  She traced her fingers down the woman’s grazed cheek and said softly, “What has happened to you, lassie?”

  Dante and Dion arrived back with a bolt cutter and a first aid kit. “Stand back, Dion,” Dante said.

  Kenrick held up the woman’s wrist to give Dante a better angle to cut the restraints. “We need to get her to hospital before that silver bolt kills her.”

  Dante snapped the cuffs and threw them to the side. Suddenly the woman gasped, and her eyes snapped open. They were the deepest shade of brown, like the forest trees in autumn. Kenrick was entranced, but then she saw the terror in them, and that made her angry at whoever had frightened her so much.

  Almost as soon as she opened her eyes, the woman went unconscious again.

  “Let’s get her back to Wolfgang County quickly. Dion, go and open the door,” Dante said. Kenrick put her arms under the woman and lifted her with ease. Dante stopped her and said, “Wait a minute.”

  “What is it?” Kenrick asked.

  Dante pulled a stone necklace from beneath her T-shirt. “This is hematite stone. The stone of the Lupa pack.”

  Kenrick’s stomach fell. “She’s a Lupa?”

  * * *

  Kenrick held the injured woman in her arms with gentleness and reverence in the back seat of the Jeep. Dante drove fast and made phone calls to her elite wolves as they drove. She could feel Dante’s stress and couldn’t blame her. The Lupas attacked her mate and killed her cub, not yet born. But Kenrick could feel no malevolence from this submissive wolf. On the contrary, she sensed the fear and anxiety seeping out of her pores, and looking down at her injured and helpless, all Kenrick wanted to do was protect her.

  They pulled up outside the hospital, and Kenrick saw the Blaze the sheriff, Flash, and Xander—all people she had spent endless summers with—were waiting with guards and looking decidedly serious and ready to battle.

  Kenrick held the injured woman tighter. “Dante, is there any need for this? She’s a submissive wolf, unconscious and dying if we don’t get her help.”

  Dante leaned over from the front seat, looking deadly serious. “Because of the Lupas, my mate was attacked, Caden’s mate was attacked, we lost a cub, and two brave wolves died protecting them. She will get help, but we need to know her story. It’s very necessary.”

  Kenrick nodded. She couldn’t argue with that.

  The back door was opened by one of the elite wolves she didn’t know, and a trolley was brought forward by hospital staff. Kenrick lifted the unconscious woman out and shrugged off the attempts to take her.

  “I can do it,” Kenrick said with a growl. She placed her on the hospital trolley gently and was loath to let her go.

  One of the nurses said, “Dr. Jaycen is waiting for her in surgery.”

  Kenrick nodded and felt her heart tighten as she was wheeled away. Dante joined her and said to one of the guards, “Drive my daughter home.”

  The guard saluted and got into the Jeep. Blaze, Flash, and Xander all greeted Kenrick.

  Dante indicated two faces Kenrick didn’t know and said, “Kenrick, this is Ripp and this is Joel—two new members of my elite wolves.”

  “Good to meet you.” Sensing Kenrick’s dominance, they both inclined their heads in respect.

  “Where is Caden, Ripp?” Dante asked.

  “I called her but she hasn’t turned up yet. I’m sure she won’t be long,” Ripp said.

  She nodded and said to Blaze, “Did you send wolves to our dens in case this woman is a distraction?”

  “Yes, Alpha. Our mates are safe,” Blaze replied.

  “Let’s get inside then and see who and why this woman is here,” Dante said.

  Whoever that woman was, she was frightened, and Lupa or no Lupa, Kenrick was going to make sure she was safe.

  Chapter Three

  Leroux sat in the dining room of the mansion they had acquired in Knoxton—acquired by disposing of the resident owners. She scanned the tablet she had been handed and navigated to the website browsing history.

  “This was found in Zaria’s room,” Ovid said. “She attacked her landlord and put him in hospital.”

  “Zaria is very interested in the Wolfgangs.” Leroux put down the tablet and tapped her claws on the table. “I wonder why?”

  Ovid gave a sly smile. “We’ve finally found where she is, and that’s all that matters. I sent two of our best wolves out to find her.”

  “Then I will happily dispose of her. My mate and cub wouldn’t be dead if it wasn’t for her. No one runs from Leroux.”

  Ovid slammed her hand down on the table. “You promised she’d be mine.”

  Leroux shot up and bared her teeth in an instant. “You challenge me, Second.”

  Ovid lowered her face, eyes to the side in submission. “Forgive me, Alpha. I have been waiting a long time for her.”

  Leroux calmed her wolf. “After all this time you still want her? I know I promised if we found her she was yours, but that was a long time ago.”

  “Yes, Alpha, I chose her, and I want her. We have unfinished business,” Ovid said.

  Leroux thought for a few moments. Maybe watching Zaria suffer would give her some kind of satisfaction, and suffer she would if Ovid had her.

  “Very well, she’s yours, but keep her subdued and under control. That wolf has caused a lot of problems in our pack.”

  “I promise, Alpha. I will control her,” Ovid said with a hint of glee in her voice.

  Leroux heard the front door open and she sensed two of her pack mates coming into the house.

  “Your wish might be about to be granted.”

  Two wolves, a male and a female, walked in and she could smell their fear. Something had gone wrong.

  “Did you find her?” Ovid asked.

  “Yes, Second,” Cero, the female wolf, answered.

  “Well? Where is she?” Leroux said. She could feel Ovid’s anger and frustration building. These wolves better have a good explanation.

  Cero replied, “We had her and put her in the trunk of our car. Somehow she got out. We chased her and shot her with a silver bolt but—”

  “But what?” Ovid sn
arled.

  Artem continued, “She rolled down a steep embankment, but when we got down there she was gone. I’m sorry, Alpha.”

  Ovid launched herself at Artem and ripped his throat out, a wolf’s weak spot. He dropped down dead with a look of shock still on his face. Then Ovid grabbed Cero by the neck and lifted her off the ground.

  Leroux had to step in—she could not afford to lose too many wolves. “Second, put her down.”

  Ovid hesitated.

  “Now, Second,” Leroux growled.

  Ovid did, and Cero gasped for air. Leroux grabbed her shirt and pulled her up to her feet. “Do not fail us again, Cero. Or you will suffer the same fate as him.” Leroux pointed to the bleeding body beside her.

  “Yes, Alpha. I promise,” Cero replied.

  “Get him out of here,” Leroux ordered.

  Once Cero dragged the body out, Ovid turned to her, looking furious, blood dripping down her face. “You should have let me kill her. This was the closest we’ve gotten to her in years.”

  “We have limited resources. Your obsession with her may be your undoing, Second.”

  “She was promised to me, and I want her one way or another, Alpha.”

  Leroux had always wanted to find Zaria and kill her, but their top priority was the Wolfgangs. Killing Dante would change their lives and fortunes. She was worried this would become a distraction, especially sensing the Ovid’s anger, hunger, and obsession.

  “We will get another chance to find her,” Leroux said. “I have a plan. We need to make a journey.”

  * * *

  Dante sat with the rest of her senior elite wolves in the hospital waiting room. The only ones on their feet were her wolves guarding the entrances and exits, and Kenrick, who paced up and down nervously.

  She showed a protectiveness for the young wolf they had found even after they learned she was a Lupa. It was good to show concern for a fellow wolf, and especially a submissive, but that kind of compassion could be exactly what Leroux wanted, and Dante was not going to give Leroux what she wanted.

  Blaze walked through the doors to the waiting room.

  “Blaze, did you find anything?”

  “Not much. But we ran the name on the bank card, Zaria Spero, and it seems she never stays in one place for long. Moves from job to job every month or so. At first glance she doesn’t appear to be running with the Lupa pack.”

  “Appearances can be deceptive,” Dante said.

  Flash nodded and added, “She doesn’t go by the name Lupa then. Interesting.”

  Kenrick walked over to where Dante, Flash, and Xander were sitting. “Spero? That rings a bell. It’s Latin, I think. Give me a sec.”

  Kenrick pulled her phone from her pocket and typed the name in her search engine. It popped up instantly. “Hope. It means hope.”

  Blaze took off his hat and said, “There’s one more thing. There was a reported animal attack on a human male in the apartment building where Zaria Spero lived.”

  “She could be dangerous then,” Dante said.

  Kenrick couldn’t explain why, but that assessment of this woman made anger simmer in her stomach. “Zaria is terrified, Dante. Fear, terror, helplessness, and loneliness were what I scented from her. She’s not dangerous.”

  Dante looked at her silently. Kenrick had probably said too much. This was not her business, not her pack, but someone had to speak up for Zaria.

  Before Dante could reply, Dr. Jaycen came out to speak to them. Dante stood and the others followed. “How is she, Doctor?”

  “I’ve removed the silver bolt and she is responding well. You must have gotten to her soon after she was shot because the silver hadn’t yet progressed too far. She needs some recovery before she can shift and heal. Maybe a few days.”

  Kenrick let out a breath in relief. “Is she awake, Doctor?”

  “No, I gave her a sedative to make her sleep,” Jaycen said.

  Before anyone could say anything, Caden burst through the doors holding Lena.

  “Doctor, the cub’s coming, but Lena’s bleeding,” Caden said.

  Dr. Jaycen and the nurses jumped into action and ushered them down the corridor. Kenrick could feel the fear in her old friend Caden. She had always craved love but loving someone also made you fear you could lose them.

  The younger elite wolf, Ripp, said, “Alpha, I need to go with Caden.”

  “Of course, I’ll follow you in a second.”

  Ripp hurried after them, and Dante called over Blaze, Flash, and Xander. “I have to go and support Caden. Make sure there are guards on Zaria Spero’s door and one in the hospital room.”

  Kenrick said, “Could I sit with her, Dante? If she wakes up, I’d like to be there.”

  Dante hesitated for a few seconds, then said, “Okay, and if she wakes up, try and get her to talk.”

  “I will. Give my best to Caden and Lena,” Kenrick said.

  She prayed to the Great Mother to look after Lena and the cub, because she doubted Caden could live on without her mate. Caden had waited so long to find her mate, and she couldn’t lose her now. When Kenrick’s parents passed on the news about Caden finding her mate, she had been so happy for Caden—but the news also gave her hope that the Great Mother would send everyone their mate, even if they’d nearly given up hope.

  Her thoughts turned to Zaria, the woman she didn’t know but felt the need to protect.

  “I’ll go and sit with Zaria now, Blaze.”

  “Let us know if there’s any change,” Blaze replied.

  “Aye, I will do.”

  * * *

  Zaria walked out of the large wooden hut that was used to school the submissives. She laughed with her friends over something one of them said. Zaria loved school—it was the only place she got to feel light-hearted and relaxed. The den that she shared with her sister was chaotic, and they both lived in fear.

  Her light-heartedness ended when she felt eyes on her. She looked up and her throat and stomach tightened with fear. The pack Second, Ovid, was standing outside the school gate.

  She had been brought up around Ovid, but the last year or more, Zaria had felt her eyes on her whenever she went. It made her feel so uncomfortable. Ovid was ten years older than her, and Zaria knew instinctively those kinds of looks were creepy and wrong.

  Zaria hadn’t told her sister, because she had too many of her own problems to worry about.

  Her friends must have noticed because one of them said, “Just keep close to us, Zari.”

  When they got to the gates, Ovid walked over, and they all bowed their heads.

  Ovid smiled. “I’ve come to walk you home, Zaria.”

  Zaria took a step closer to her friends and said, “We were going to get milkshakes at the cafe, for my birthday. I’m sixteen today.”

  Ovid’s smile didn’t falter. “Yes, I know it’s your birthday, and I think it’s best if you come with me.”

  Fear seeped through her bones. You didn’t say no to the pack Second. She reluctantly walked away from her friends. “See you tomorrow.”

  After a few paces Ovid took her hand and held it possessively. “I thought we’d go on a walk through the forest on your way home,” Ovid said.

  Zaria was terrified. She looked at all the wolves that they passed in the street with a pleading look, but they just averted their gaze. They weren’t going to intervene when the pack Second was involved. Leroux and Ovid ran the Lupa pack with an iron fist, and that bred fear.

  * * *

  Dante watched Caden lean her head against the hospital wall and her partially shifted claws dug into the plaster.

  “Caden, try and control your wolf.”

  “My mate is in there bleeding, our cub is in danger. I should be in there with her,” Caden roared.

  Dante knew not to touch a wolf in this kind of distress. “Dr. Jaycen just wants to look over her without you growling at his every move. He won’t take long.”

  Caden took a breath and got her wolf under control. “I’m scared,
Dante. She’s a human and maybe giving birth to a werewolf is too much for her.”

  “Lena is much stronger than you give her credit for. She helped defend Eden against dominant werewolves. She’s an amazing human. Just give her some time.”

  Ripp, who had been hanging back behind Dante, came to Caden’s side. “If there’s anything you need me to do, just say, Cade.”

  Caden patted her on the shoulder. “Being here helps. Thanks, Ripp.”

  Dante knew Caden was so proud of the progress Ripp had made since joining the pack. She’d taken all of Caden’s teaching to heart and made her transition from human to werewolf using Caden’s blood. It went perfectly, and soon Ripp had made herself an irreplaceable part of the pack.

  When two wolves retired from her elite wolves because of age, Dante had to choose the two most dominant wolves of the next generation, and those were clearly Ripp and her best friend Joel.

  “Who is this Lupa wolf you brought in?” Caden said.

  “We’re making inquiries. Don’t you worry about her just now. She’s well guarded, and Kenrick is sitting in with her.”

  “I forgot that you were picking up Ricky. Is she okay?” Caden said.

  Dante thought of the tender, protective way Kenrick held Zaria. It was something she would have to keep an eye. She couldn’t afford any wolf in her lands to be taken in by someone who could be a danger to her wolves.

  “She’s good. Once your cub is born healthy and happy, we can all run together,” Dante said.

  A nurse came out of the hospital room. “Second, you can come in now. Your mate is about to deliver.”

  Caden gulped and Dante was sure she saw Caden’s hand shake. She remembered that feeling only too well.

  “Good luck, Cade,” Ripp said.

  Caden nodded and walked into the hospital room.

  Ripp growled, “I wish there was something I could do. I feel helpless.”

  Dante pulled her close. “Don’t worry—they will be okay.” She could see tears in Ripp’s eyes and feel her anger.

  Ripp explained, “Cade and Lena have been so good to me, like the mother and pater I never had. I can’t lose Lena.”