Wolf's Strength

by Kirk, Ambrielle

  On instinct her palm covered the wound on his side. She closed her eyes as Blake’s curdled blood marred her fingers. The distinct but sweet smell of it caused her mouth to water. A ripple ran through her spine as his fingers caressed her face. Her lips parted and her breath rushed out forcefully. In display of her trust in him, she lifted her chin, exposing her neck. He didn’t hesitate as his mouth closed on her throat showing his dominance over her.

  He used pressure, nipping her softly and kissing her sweetly. No canines. No breaking of the skin. He only tasted her as he always did.

  With her palm held over his wound, she healed him, sending positive vibes to the root of the pain. When he was mended, she stepped back a little to view him again. “Feel better?”

  “Now that you’re here, yes. It’s been ages since the last time, hasn’t it?” A corner of his mouth lifted in a teasing grin.

  She swatted at him playfully. “It hasn’t been that long.”

  Three weeks to be exact. It wasn’t like it used to be when they met once a week. Their moments together grew in length with each meeting, becoming riskier. The grudge between the two Packs could not be ignored. Not with him being a Caedmon Council member, and not with her being pledged to serve Arnou as an Elite. Instead of counting the hours left until she saw him again, she counted the days since she’d last seen him.

  “Seems as though we’ve both been busy.” She pressed her body into his warmth. “I miss you too.”

  “Why, Naomi? Why do we have to go on like this?”

  She swallowed. “There are a million reasons why, and you’re aware of every single one of them.”

  “Let’s run away. Somewhere far…and then we won’t have to worry about it.”

  That had been the plan when they were young, but now they were adults with important responsibilities.

  “Stop talking nonsense. You know that’s impossible. You have your duty and I have mine.” As she said this, she glimpsed a bit of remorse in his eyes, but there was something strange mixed with it. “You’re different. Your eyes are…”

  “Then the news hasn’t reached your Pack?” he inquired.

  “There are traitors among Arnou. Tristan and his Council are selective about whom they share information with.” She peered across the other side of the building, sensing her brothers had not left the area. “I have to go.”

  “Wait!” He tightened his grip on her hand and lifted a brow. “What do you mean traitors?”

  She nodded. “Real traitors. Apparently, vital secrets were released about Arnou’s plan for our Pack. Tristan has interrogated many suspects. He threatens the life of any who cross him.”

  Blake’s nose flared and his fingers tightened on her waist. “Get out before it’s too late.”

  “It is too late,” she said firmly. “Back to the subject. What news are you referring to?”

  “I don’t want you concerned.”

  “Really? Or is it because you think word will reach Arnou after you’ve told me?”

  Blake grinned but only for a split second. “Trust me, your leader knows what happened. Maybe he’s ashamed to admit his failure to his followers.”

  “What failure?”

  In that moment his eyes grew red and he stared at her under heavy dark eyelashes. She tried to pull away, but his firm hold on her prevented them for parting.

  “What’s been missing for centuries that both Alphas want?”

  Naomi narrowed her eyes. “They both want absolute power of the North American territories. But what do you mean? What has been missing?”

  “It’s been so long, but have you forgotten already?” He lowered his voice as he spoke this time.

  “As an Elite we’re handpicked to guard the Alpha, eliminate his threats, and clean up after his messes. I’m not paid, nor do I make it my priority to delve into anything else.”

  “Ah…is that so? You and I both know you don’t follow Arnou’s rules to the T.” He slid his nose against the side of her neck, causing her to shiver against him. “I’m a threat to your leader and the pledge you made to him, am I not?”

  Naomi bit her bottom lip as Blake’s canines replaced his nose against her throat. “Just tell me what the fuck you’re talking about. What is missing?”

  His manhood hardened against her belly. “What should I do with that naughty mouth of yours, huh?” He pressed his hot tongue against her pulsing jugular.

  Her knees buckled as he released the pheromones from his tongue and awakened her wolf. It was his way of marking her internally, and her hungry pores absorbed all of it.

  “Tell me,” she urged.

  “I—”

  A long howl from the distance startled them both. It was Nathan warning her she needed to hurry.

  “Come with me—permanently,” Blake demanded without releasing her. “And you’ll know everything.”

  “No.” She pulled out of his embrace. “I have to go before someone discovers us. Why are you still here? You’ll get caught too.”

  “I know the sheriff downstairs. We’ll handle the cover up.”

  “Must be nice to have ranking in the human world.”

  His lips spread into a smile. “The sheriff isn’t humankind.”

  “Figures.” Caedmon royalty had connections like that inside as well as outside the shifter world. It almost made her think they had more of a chance than her Arnou leader.

  Blake frowned. “How do you expect me to protect you from so far away?”

  “You left me years ago.” She pointed at his chest. “You should have thought about that before you made that decision.”

  “Don’t…” He tried to reach her, but she continued to back away. “You still want to use that against me? We agreed to a plan years ago. You didn’t follow through.”

  She swallowed. He was right. At the last minute she’d all but betrayed him. “I would go with you, but just like it was years ago, there is more than my life at stake.”

  Nathan howled again, but this time a little louder.

  “You’ve made my decision tonight. Next time I come for you, it will be without warning.”

  “Don’t do it,” she warned. “Now isn’t the time.”

  “Arnou has sent many of his Elite on a mission to end my life. They’ve all been unsuccessful. I’m tired of playing games. I refuse to live my life in jeopardy and without my mate by my side.”

  “Blake…” She shook her head, contemplating a way out of this mess without the loss of her loved one’s lives. Distraught and panicked, her brain refused to function. She exhaled roughly. “I have to go.”

  Blake disappeared in the shadows. “The man is patient, Naomi, but the wolf is not.”

  Naomi welcomed her wolf to the surface yet again, and with this transformation her powers emerged. She leapt off the building, landed hard on all fours, and rushed through the forest to meet her brothers.

  They were waiting in human form in a clearing beside a trench.

  “What took you so long?” Nathan asked sharply.

  She shifted to answer him. “I dropped my dagger when I jumped.” The lie flowed from her lips naturally, which surprised her. “I wasn’t leaving without it. No one saw me.”

  “Let’s go.” Nathan placed a hand firmly to the center of her back and pushed her toward the direction of the pier where their limousine waited to escort them to Arnou territories. They’d taken the normal route on their way to the club but after what just happened, a shortcut through the trees was a lot safer. “You should have left the dagger. It was too risky,” he snarled under his breath so no on overheard him.

  “You should have never let anyone in the crew come. You knew the club was in unmarked territories,” she replied quietly.

  “I’ll argue with you later.”

  Because so many of her Elite brothers surrounded her, she held down further protest. She didn’t want to show disrespect to Nathan, the leader of their circle, because it was likely to cause more physical disputes. There had been enough mayhem
already.

  “What the heck happened? How did this start?” David asked Jeremy when they were a substantial distance from the club.

  “You should be asking Ruby that question.” Jeremy hissed. “She can’t keep her fucking legs closed.”

  Ruby halted in her angry pursuit, turned, and struck Jeremy across the face with an open palm. Naomi heard the slap and grimaced. The force left a lasting red mark on his cheek. “Bastard!” she shouted before taking off ahead of them.

  Jeremy growled deeply, his canines pressing against his bottom lip. “She needs to be disciplined.”

  “No.” Nathan blocked Jeremy’s path and cupped his shoulders. “You deserved what she gave you. Calm down and watch your mouth. We’ll head to the Compound before something else blows up.”

  Jeremy shook off his anger, and his expression transformed from rage to composure. The crew had settled, but Naomi was certain this fight would continue beyond that night.

  Chapter Three

  The triplets were sound asleep in their cribs. The sound of crickets filled the night atmosphere and gusty breezes flowed through the open window nearby. Fall was beginning to set in, and each night the temperatures dropped lower than the night before. For Tamara Caedmon this was the best time of the year. As soon as winter came, the mountains would be covered with thick blankets of snow.

  Tamara tugged her robe tighter across her midsection and watched her children as they slept. Each baby boy inherited a thick head of curly dark hair from his father and honey-colored skin from her. They looked peaceful as they slumbered. The small grins on their faces were the result of sweet dreams. They didn’t have a care in the world. No worries at all. They were oblivious to the upheaval in the society in which they’d been born.

  Tamara would do whatever was necessary to keep her babies safe. They were precious gifts, and she’d let no harm come to them.

  The door to the nursery opened and closed softly. She heard her husband’s heavy footsteps prodding across the hardwood flooring. His spicy scent and gentle arms wrapped around her.

  “Devin,” she whispered, turning to face him.

  “Tamara.” He bent low to kiss her forehead.

  “You’re home early.” Her fingers gripped his bulky biceps. Despite the chill outside, a fresh coat of sweat dampened his skin. “But I can tell you’ve been working hard.”

  He smelled of cedar and paint. His dark hair was tousled on his head. His clothes were covered in paint smudges and dried caulking. If there was one thing Devin Caedmon loved doing, it was building a home from the ground up. Despite his current role as Caedmon Alpha, he loved getting his hands dirty in his construction business.

  “I helped the crew with a deck expansion out by the lake. I left after Blake called. Is everything okay here?”

  “Yes.” She swallowed, suddenly worried something had gone wrong. “Is there a problem?”

  “I wanted to check on you and the boys before heading out.”

  She waited for more explanation, but none came. He had a staged calmness about him which worried her…because that meant he was troubled about something. He moved from crib to crib, leaning in to stroke the forehead of his offspring.

  Devin admired the babies. “I can’t believe I’m a father.”

  “An excellent one.” She joined Devin beside Ashton’s crib. “They will be as ambitious as you are.”

  Born just over three months ago, the triplets were imprinting on their new surroundings.

  Ashton was the oldest and resembled Devin the most. He was the quieter than his siblings but definitely was not one to be underestimated. When things didn’t go little Ashton’s way or his feedings weren’t on schedule, he protested the most. Boyd was the middle baby. He loved receiving attention and enjoyed being cuddled close to Tamara’s heart. Channing was born just an hour after his older brothers. Before he made his presence into the world, everyone knew he would be stubborn. It took ten times more effort to please him than his brothers.

  “I know they will.” Devin slid his palm down the small of her back and pulled her into his embrace again. “My ambition combined with their mother’s intelligence makes for a busy future ahead of us.”

  “I can see us now.” She chuckled. “It won’t be long before your sons start walking.”

  “And then…” He brushed her hair off her shoulder and kissed her softly on the neck where she bore his mark. “We can get started on the next three.”

  “Devin,” she protested. “Three more? Are you serious?”

  As a young child playing house with dolls, she’d always dreamed of having a big family. When she discovered she was pregnant with Devin’s triplets, it was her dream come true. It was a relief to know he’d only have to go through pregnancy once. It was a difficult nine months and for most of it, she remained on bed rest. Inactivity didn’t suit her well, and she’d always felt as though she was missing out when she wasn’t teaching kindergarteners in the Caedmon village private day school.

  “I haven’t forgotten about your wishes for a girl.”

  She smiled. “We’re still lucky and fortunate. Just think, you have three sons to carry on your work and family’s legacy.”

  He traced her shoulder with his mouth, pressing kisses onto her. “This is a tough time for our Pack, but not for long. It’s my responsibility to make sure of it.”

  As a result of increased warring between Caedmon, Arnou and Other, most of the Council’s efforts were focused more on Pack protection and less on Pack growth. The greedy struggle over territories in North America had led to perilous feuding between the leaders of each group. In the process, alliances were broken and lives were lost.

  As mate and wife to the Alpha, Tamara was often privy to information about the happenings in the community and most of the Council plans. Recently she learned the Alpha to the Arnou Pack had emerged as a formidable enemy to Caedmon everywhere. Tristan, with the help of his Elites, was the spearhead behind several attempts to strip Devin of what was rightfully his. After Devin and the Council took ownership of long lost Caedmon powers, it not only fueled Arnou’s aggression, but the rivalry from the Other clan grew as well.

  They had to believe better days were ahead of them.

  There was a rap on the door. Elisa, Devin’s half sister, crept inside. She glanced between Tamara and Devin, likely trying to read their expressions, at which she was quite good. Elisa was the Pack’s youngest Seer, but she kept many of her visions concerning the future to herself. From Tamara’s understanding, most of the Seers—both past and present—followed the same protocol. Seers either interfered with the natural course of things or they let the events play out as they would be.

  “Sorry to interrupt,” Elisa said. “Nick and Selene are here.”

  As Elisa checked on the babies, Tamara gave Devin a questioning glare. Whenever Devin and Nick, the Caedmon Pack’s second-in-command, met late at night, the matters tended to be serious.

  “Blake called an emergency assembly. Something happened tonight in the city. We’re meeting Aiden and Jayson at the old mansion,” he said, his lips set in a thin line.

  “You usually work until midnight at your construction business,” Tamara said. “So this was why you returned early?”

  “Yes.” His eyebrows came together and he diverted his gaze toward the carpet. He wasn’t in a position to talk about it yet. His body language had suggested this the moment he strolled into the room.

  Just as Devin turned to leave, Tamara grabbed his forearm. “Emotions,” she reminded him. “Don’t let bad emotions override your good judgment.”

  A slight grin disappeared from his lips almost before she noticed it. “You’ve been hanging around Aiden too much.”

  “We’ll talk when you get back.” She loved being the person that Devin could talk about anything with. With his Council members, he was expected to maintain the position of authority…and he maintained it well. As his mate and wife, she made it her priority to support him on an emotional and c
omforting level.

  He nodded, gave her a kiss on the forehead, and just like that he was gone.

  Nick’s mate, Selene, came into the room seconds later. From the expression on her face, Tamara knew her best friend already had the information she sought.

  It was going to be a long night. And probably the start to something momentous. Tamara was certain of it.

  Chapter Four

  The impromptu Caedmon Council meeting turned out to be an all-nighter. It had taken some time to round up the Council members on such short notice. All six of them were eager to come to a consensus and to try and understand what had happened to instigate the club fight.

  Devin’s chair scraped across the floor as he pulled it out. He took his seat at the end of the table. “What happened out there in the streets? Rumors are flying through the village like a disease.”

  “Dawson helped me secure a deal in the area and then we decided to come back to the village. We were in Caedmon territory but when we heard the woman scream that was all it took to veer off into unmarked regions.” Blake paused, waiting for the Alpha to reprimand them for delving into territories that didn’t belong to them. When Devin nodded without fuss, Blake continued, “We raced up the alleyway and saw the woman in distress. The man was murdered before we arrived. It was Richard Westcott, one of the few doctors who worked outside of our village. Oddly enough, his office is within five hundred yards of where he was killed. It sounded as if he came to aid the woman who was also Caedmon.”

  “Damn it.” Devin slammed his fist on the table. “And you’re certain the killers were from the Other clan?”

  “They had a strange aura to them, Brother,” Dawson said. “But the powers they flaunted were similar to those the Others possessed.”

  “Has Westcott’s next of kin been notified?” the Alpha asked, looking from Blake to Dawson.

  “Yes.” Blake swallowed. His chest became heavy as he recalled telling Mrs. Westcott she was a widow. “It was one of the hardest messages I’ve had to relay.”