Shattered Pack

by Erin, Aileen;

  She nodded. “Don’t worry. It’ll get easier.”

  “I hope so.” It honestly couldn’t get much worse.

  “This pack can be right assholes, but your run-in with Vivian…” She started laughing. “That was the best thing I’ve seen in years. Good on you for taking her down a notch.”

  She hated Vivian. I hated Vivian. It was a match made in heaven. And now I could possibly get some actual information about rumblings in the pack. “Does everyone realize she’s a mad wolf?”

  “No. That’s the sad bit. Not everyone knows. Wait here. I’ll grab you a plate and then I can fill you in on some of the pack drama.” She disappeared back into the kitchens, and I relaxed into the chair.

  Getting some intel on pack drama was going to be key. And I’d actually made a friend. A little food and a nap and I’d be set.

  For the first time, I felt like joining this pack wasn’t going to be all bad.

  Chapter Seventeen

  At a pack run, most Weres shifted together, but I didn’t want to get naked in front of anyone I didn’t know. Instead, I opted to shift in Donovan’s rooms and head down to the lawn as a wolf.

  Sure, maybe they’d think that was lame, but I didn’t care. They were already judging me enough without seeing me in my birthday suit.

  I moved through the hallways beside Donovan. He was in a robe, bare feet not making a whisper of noise against the stone. Years of hunting and fighting had honed his skill. I’d always tried, but even my brothers were quieter than me.

  When we reached the castle’s main exit, Donovan laid a hand on my back. Stay by me. If you want to turn back at any time, just let me know and I’ll join you.

  I huffed a wolfy agreement.

  We stepped outside and stopped at the top of the stairs leading down to the massive driveway. Two pyres holding cloth-draped bodies were placed in the middle of gravel entranceway. There hadn’t been much left of John or Thomas, so I assumed they’d made it seem like there was a body under the wrapping. I wasn’t sure whose job it was to make the pyres, but whoever it was had done a good job considering the time constraints.

  A man stood off to the side, holding up a burning torch and waiting for the right time to light what was left of the pack’s second and their young teen. The rest of the pack had gathered at the foot of the stairs. All of them stood quietly in their robes as they waited for Donovan to speak.

  Donovan waited a moment before starting. “Tonight we run for John Nolan and Thomas Moore. Their losses weigh on us all, and only together can we mourn them and overcome our grief. John was my closest friend through centuries of happiness and sorrow. Battles and victories. I feel his loss all the way to my bones.” He paused. On the outside, he seemed fine, but inside, there was so much heartache over the loss of John, that I was worried for him.

  As a wolf, there wasn’t much I could do, but I pressed my body into his leg, trying to give him something to lean on. I was here for him.

  Donovan sunk his hand into my fur and then continued. “Thomas was a bright, young star. We were all looking forward to seeing the man that he’d grow into. We’ll never get the chance, and for that, I’ll be forever sorry. I urge all of you to reach out to Tadhg and Elizabeth. Their grief is a burden we must all help carry. We’ll not let them down.”

  The last bit was a little reprimand. It was deserved. I didn’t know what the rest of the pack had been thinking last night, but the fact that the pack should support a grieving Were should’ve been a given.

  Donovan was silent for a moment, giving his words time to settle before continuing. “When we hit the eastern edge of our lands, the three relief patrols will go relieve the Cazadores who are securing the village. Whoever did this to our people is still out there. One thing can be certain. The beast that killed them is very powerful. Please be careful and cautious. If you see the fey beast, do not engage it alone. Only together can we defeat him, and I don’t care to lose another of my wolves.”

  With that, Donovan shed his robe, shifting at the same time. By the time the robe hit the ground he was on all fours. The rustle of cloth filled the night as all of the pack members shifted except for the man with the torch. He lowered the flame to each pyre in turn and stepped back as the fire caught.

  Donovan started a cry, howling into the night and letting his power and reassurance seep into the rest of the pack. He was directing his power mostly to them, but it came through the bond. The feel of his reassurance was so comforting, it was like coming home. Despite everything we had going against us, he was making me feel safe. Like everything was going to be okay and that he was going to take care of everything.

  But I knew that wasn’t accurate. He had no idea who was doing this. Neither did I.

  And we’d probably lose more wolves before it was done.

  The pack answered the call as one. I wasn’t sure if it was because I was in wolf form or because all the wolves were united in their grief, but through Donovan, I could feel their ties. The little bits of power and energy that connected every Were to each other. The tie between Donovan and me wasn’t as strong as it’d be after our ceremony, so I wasn’t getting the full effect. But, for the first time since I got to Ireland, they actually felt like a real pack.

  Wolfy-Donovan turned to me before taking off down the steps. I had a second to think before running after him, keeping pace beside my mate. The pack parted to make way for us as we moved through them and around the other side of the castle. We hit the edge of the forest at a sprint.

  The pack stayed back to howl a few more times before following us. Then, the ground rumbled as wolves gained on us.

  I heard one wolf getting closer. Very close. Their paws thumped the ground faster than anyone else’s. Assuming someone wanted to be closer to Donovan, I moved a little to the side. Pack members got a little energy off of their Alpha. Sometimes when something bad happened, Weres who weren’t that dominant needed to be closer to their Alpha to get through it. So, I didn’t mind moving.

  But as the wolf finally reached us, my instincts kicked in. I felt the weird tingling that told me I was about to get jumped. I’d done too many drills with my brothers to let someone sneak up on me as a wolf. Especially after the welcoming I’d received.

  I dodged to the right.

  The wolf missed but managed to claw my hind leg as it flew by to crash into a tree.

  I didn’t recognize the attacker’s scent, but that didn’t matter. I’d asked Donovan later. What really pissed me off was that they were being disrespectful to John and Thomas’ memories, and it wasn’t a full moon. Still, I growled, ready for a fight. If someone wanted to challenge me, I wasn’t about to back down.

  Donovan skidded to a stop and let out a deafening growl. Power rolled through the pack until everyone but me was whimpering on the ground.

  He came beside me and licked the gash on my hind leg, before nuzzling against me. I let out a little yip to tell him I was okay.

  Honestly, my brothers had done much worse over the years. The only downside to being scratched was that the cut was supernatural and would heal slowly. Like human slow.

  But I wasn’t going to let that bother me. The pack was still cowering from the aftereffects of Donovan’s power display. They could stay there for a bit for all I cared. The curse had kept me bound as a human for so long that now I relished changing whenever I could. My sharpened perceptions. The wind through my fur. I’d never take the feeling of the ground underneath my paws for granted. I gave Donovan another yip and took off again, knowing he’d be right behind me.

  Eventually, the patrol groups broke off from the main group. After talking to Lucas, I wasn’t convinced we’d stand a chance against the fey beast. I hoped the Cazadores didn’t find their quarry, and that Bhrunyz was locked away in his lair, far away from the village and us.

  My muscles grew hot and loose as we moved off the pack lands and deeper into the forest. Slowly, smaller groups started breaking off until only Donovan and I were left. He nipp
ed at my hind leg, and I yipped. I spun to find him sitting on his haunches, tongue lolling out of his mouth.

  When he took off running again, I followed not caring where we were going. I was just enjoying the scent of the Irish countryside. A few animal scents caught my attention and the urge to hunt kicked in, but Donovan ignored the trails. He was on a mission to somewhere and I wasn’t about to abandon him.

  All of a sudden, I slammed into something.

  I growled, rolling back until I got my feet under me. It took me a second to shake off the hard fall before I realized I’d run into Donovan. He’d shifted back and was standing in front of a fey.

  A tall, dark-skinned man handed Donovan a robe. His hair was long and fell down his back in one thick braid. He wore a three-piece black suit that was expertly tailored. If I couldn’t smell the sage, narcissus, and something else floral that I couldn’t place, I would’ve known he was fey from the way he glittered in the night.

  I wasn’t sure if I should shift. It felt like I probably should, but I’d rather give up chocolate for life than stand naked in the freezing cold.

  Shift if you want. Qusay’ll have a robe for you. Donovan said through the bond.

  That decided it. At least as a human, I could speak up if I wanted to.

  I shifted and sure enough, out of thin air, Qusay had another robe in his hand. It was white, thin and silky, and looked too thin to provide any kind of warmth in the cold, but anything was better than nothing. I quickly put it on and was pleasantly surprised. If I had shoes, I would’ve been perfect. I tightened my belt. If I didn’t get to keep this robe, maybe Cosette could get me one?

  “Qusay of the Lunar court, meet my mate, Meredith.”

  He lifted his chin a bit. “Meredith Molloney. It’s good to meet you. I’ve heard the princess is quite fond of you.”

  That was good to hear. “I’m pretty fond of her myself.”

  “I thought you’d still be at the meeting,” Donovan said.

  “I’m back to court for a moment. There was an investigation that demanded my attention.”

  Investigation? About how Bhrunyz got free? That would have to be why he came back. Especially since Donovan had threatened war with the fey over Bhrunyz’s attacks.

  “And?” Donovan asked.

  “It wasn’t us.” Donovan started to speak, but Qusay lifted a hand, cutting him off before he could say anything. “I swear on my honor that the Lunar court was not responsible for releasing Bhrunyz.”

  Donovan crossed his arms. “Then who did?”

  “You might have heard there was a robbery in Dublin? Some ancient Celtic items were taken a few days ago.”

  “I did.” I remembered the massive amount of cop cars swarming Dublin, preparing to go door to door until they found what they were looking for. It had seemed odd then, and it was still odd now. But maybe the fey had something to do with the cops being so obsessed about finding the robbers and missing artifacts.

  “Some of the items taken were ours.”

  What were the fey doing leaving magical items lying around? “You just let your objects sit in museums for humans to look at?”

  “It might be hard for you to understand, but since we can create objects of power, we don’t necessarily value them the way a Were or a witch would.” Qusay spread his hands. “What are we supposed to do with the ones we don’t need anymore?”

  I shrugged. “Put them in storage?” Like a normal person.

  “There’s only so much space to fill underhill and magical objects tend to like toying with each other. It’s safer for everyone if certain things remain with humans. One of the items that went missing controls Bhrunyz. Whoever broke into the museum took the brooch and is using it correctly.”

  “How would a Were know about Bhrunyz, the brooch, and where to find it?” I asked.

  “I’ve a feeling one of ours was telling stories; we’ll continue to look for the culprit, but haven’t yet been able to find out who or when.” Qusay looked to Donovan, who was massaging his temples as he thought. “I was to tell you this and leave.” He paused for a moment. “But you’ve been my friend for many years—perhaps you’d like to call that a debt?”

  “Yes.” Donovan perked up a little.

  “Then I’ll tell you two things before I leave. First, don’t go after Bhrunyz until you’ve found the brooch. He’s built for killing the most powerful supernaturals and would challenge even our best fighters. If you see him and he attacks you, run.”

  “We’ll do just that.”

  “This second piece may not be my place, but I say it because of the friendship that I hope to keep.”

  “Please,” Donovan said. “You may speak freely.”

  “I think you’ve been away too long,” Qusay said. “Bhrunyz is being controlled by one of your own. You’ve got problems, and they won’t get better unless you decide what you really want. It’s been too many years of only popping in when you had a day or two to yourself or when there was a crisis. I tried to tell you it was going to cost you, but you didn’t pay any heed.”

  It was funny how everyone knew Donovan was doing too much, and yet he was a little clueless.

  “You did, but I was too busy to listen. I have the Council to think of,” Donovan said.

  “And your pack. And now, your mate. You have to make a choice soon, Donovan, or you risk losing everything.” It annoyed me that Qusay put me on the list. I was supposed to be an asset to Donovan, not another burden.

  “Maybe.” Donovan sighed. “We’d better get back to the stronghold.” He took off his robe and threw it at Qusay before shifting.

  I caressed my robe for a second, wondering if I could get away with running back in human form, but I’d slow us down too much. I was going to have to give it back. Plus, it was rude to keep it when it hadn’t been offered that way.

  “I’ll have it sent to you.”

  I met Qusay’s gaze. “Really?”

  “Yes. It’s been a while since I made someone happy with something so small. I would be remiss if I took it from you.” He held out a hand. “Go. It’ll be waiting for you when you get back to the stronghold.”

  I bit back a thank you and slid it off my shoulders. “It is lovely.”

  “Indeed.” And with a wave of his hand, the robe disappeared. “As are you.”

  In an instant, my muscles changed and lengthened, reforming until I was a wolf again. It took me a few steps to catch up with Donovan. We ran straight back to the stronghold. No playing or teasing. No chasing any game. I was left alone with my thoughts and as the castle came into view, I wondered if we’d really made any progress, especially when it came to the pack.

  They hated me. I could feel that in the pain that ripped down my shoulder. We had to find the bad apple or else I’d be facing at least one challenge at the next full moon. If I was still alive then.

  The prospect of running into Bhrunyz again terrified me. Qusay said we didn’t have a chance without the brooch. But as I thought about it, I realized that while we didn’t have much to go on, we’d actually been getting little sprinkles of information. And now we knew how Bhrunyz was controlled.

  That gave me hope. If I could find the brooch, then I would have the person responsible and eliminated the threat of the fey beast. I’d kill two birds with one freaking brooch.

  A little bit of time sniffing around the pack members, and I’d be golden. I’d have this wrapped up in a couple of days.

  All I had to do was stay alive that long.

  Chapter Eighteen

  The library was a total bust. After a minor showdown with Feidhelm over the fact that he was still denying me access to the pack’s ancient, circa 1994 computer, the Were-cherub was officially on my shit list.

  I’d tried using my phone to research the brooch instead, but after spending a fortune in data-roaming charges and an hour of my life that I’d never get back, I’d found exactly zero pictures or mentions of a brooch on the museum website or in articles about the robberies.
Basically, I’d hit a dead end.

  I needed this brooch. My life depended on it. But how the hell was I going to find it if I didn’t even know what it looked like?

  Donovan was off checking if anyone in the pack was wearing a brooch. He didn’t want to leave my side, but having him hovering over me made me even more on edge. So, he’d left. I thought identifying the brooch was the best place to start, but if his approach worked, even better.

  I’m not finding anything. Please tell me you’ve had better luck.

  No. I did manage to have an extremely awkward exchange with Lydia. She was wearing a hair clip that looked like it could be a brooch.

  I didn’t know who Lydia was, but I wanted to know more. What’d you do?

  I asked to borrow it.

  He’d asked to borrow a hair clip? Good call.

  I figured it was better than ripping it off her head. Anyhow, I touched it and tried to call Bhrunyz, but nothing happened. She gave me the oddest look when I handed it back to her.

  Well, I don’t want to miss out on watching you being awkward with your pack. Where are you?

  Sparring room. I’m working with Ian. I’m glad you’re coming here. I’d feel much better if you were in my sights.

  He was worried, but I was going to be fine. We’d find the brooch before I ran into Bhrunyz again. We had to. The alternative wasn’t an option.

  I found my way through the stronghold maze with a little help from Donovan. If I couldn’t figure out how to get around, I was going to need him to make me a map. This place was ridiculous.

  At least I didn’t have to find my way to his quarters first. I’d dressed for a fight, assuming I’d find the brooch and our traitor right away. Apparently, I’d been overly optimistic, but the leggings, kicks, layered flowy shirts, and a hoodie meant I was set for pretty much anything. I might freeze my ass off if I had to leave the stronghold, but I was hoping to stick close by. At least for now.