Wolf's Strength

by Kirk, Ambrielle

  “You were going to him, weren’t you?” Nathan asked quietly.

  “Yes.” She’d wanted to escape with her mate, but found herself in a Catch-22.

  Nathan huffed in frustration. “So then, everything is a fluke? All of this was never meant to be?”

  “How do you know Nathan wasn’t supposed to rank?” Senior Valentine asked.

  “I’m not stupid. I asked to see the proof before I agreed. There was no badge designating Nathan as an Elite leader. Tristan ordered one to be made that same night.”

  “This is crazy.” Her father shook his head.

  “This is what you wanted. You wanted to keep our family name high in the rankings. Imagine if Nathan didn’t rank that night. We know leader positions only become available once every other blue moon. When someone dies. When someone retires. Or when the title is stripped. Those things don’t happen often. Your Crew thirty-eight would’ve been handed to someone else, Father.”

  “No.”

  Both her father and brother were in complete denial. Even her brother’s face was expressionless, and his gaze shifted left and right, not focusing on anything. She wanted to hear from her brother the most.

  “I’m out!” she exclaimed. “Don’t expect to hear from me for a few days. I need some time to think.”

  Her father’s eyes were darkened slits by now. “I hope you return with your good sense.”

  “I never said I would return,” she said, meeting his gaze.

  Her father’s expression softened and a visible lump rose on his throat.

  “It’s forbidden,” Nathan said.

  “I’m no one’s prisoner,” Naomi replied and turned swiftly, heading for the door.

  Nathan was hot on her tail. She picked up the duffle bag with her meager belongings and strapped it to her back.

  “You can’t be serious. What are you doing?” Nathan grabbed her forearm, stopping her in the foyer.

  “Something I should’ve done a long time ago.” She jerked her arm away from him and opened the door. If she stayed a moment longer, she would change her mind again. And then what? Spend another few years in this Compound with high ranks and honors that meant nothing outside of these walls. One thing she was not was a traitor. She pledged allegiance to her Pack long ago, but how could she protect them if the limits of her position bound her?

  She’d accept her punishment later, but they had to catch her first.

  “Where are you going?”

  “AWOL.”

  “Naomi!” Nathan’s voice grew more distant as she reached the paved road leading toward the Arnou residences. “Naomi, wait! Please!”

  He never begged. Never said please. He was always the leader and never the follower. That simple word gave her pause, and she stopped and turned.

  Nathan ran out to meet her on the road. “If you’re going to get through the barbed fence, you’ll need this.” He picked up her free hand and placed into it a handmade knife in a shield.

  “Thank you.” She squeezed his hand in a warm gesture as she accepted his token, and then she clipped it to her Belt.

  “I wish I’d done this years ago, Naomi. My path was carved for me before I had a chance to make my decision. What would’ve happened if I’d gone against the grain and broken the tradition?”

  She slid her palm against his brother’s cheek. “No one has the answer to that. Live your life for today.”

  “I’m not like you.” He shook his head. “My bark wasn’t loud enough to speak against a leader whom I respect and whose visions I’ve grown to admire.”

  Naomi smiled. “Then you are loyal to your leader and to your people, and that is something you should be honored for. But remember something, Brother, the strength of a wolf isn’t measured in the timbre of his growl.”

  Nathan’s lips parted as if he wanted to say something else, but Naomi turned and left. If he uttered one more word, especially if it pertained to loyalty, she would have changed her mind.

  She ran. Her strides ate the distance as fast as her breath could catch up to her. The wolf that shared her soul always had been rebellious, so the animal inside Naomi rejoiced as she sought out their freedom.

  Chapter Nine

  “Why won’t you come out?” Dawson Caedmon asked.

  Elisa turned and pressed her back against the makeshift door in the cave. Something scraped on the ground on the outside of the cave. Dawson must have been digging the toe of his boots in the dirt. She hoped he wasn’t trying to dig his way in here. That would’ve been rather stupid and virtually impossible given the amount of mountain rock embedded in the earth.

  “For the same reason why you can’t come in here,” she replied. “I’ve done everything wrong. I could have prevented this.”

  “There was no way you could have prevented this.” Dawson’s voice was a bit muffled through the pile of stones blocking the entry. “Stalled it, yes, but our enemies won’t kill themselves.”

  Elisa rolled her eyes. Leave it to Dawson to crack a joke under any circumstances. “I just wasn’t strong enough to piece my visions together. If I had just known about the Spirit strippings from our past…” When she’d come to learn how to wield her magic, she forgot that her visions were just as important to her Pack. As a Seer with the gift of hindsight, the Caedmon Pack relied on her for pieces of their history. She’d failed them.

  “Listen, Elisa. Roman suppressed the information about his parentage to prevent the uprising of a Pack. That knowledge would have done more harm than good even if it really didn’t make a difference. Devin is our rightful leader.”

  “And the Spirit strippings? Why did he suppress that?”

  “You tell me. You’re the Seer.”

  Elisa swallowed. “Seers are only allowed to execute a binding or stripping under the orders of an Alpha. That information was too dangerous to have floating around. And for obvious reasons…but someone has leaked it.”

  “We get that you’ve taken this whole thing hard. We all have. Roman acted as our father and we all trusted and loved him in that regard.”

  Elisa slid down and sat with her legs crossed. “My mom came to take me away. Roman would have still been alive if I had been there for him.”

  “Come on, Elisa, how could you have known she would come that night?”

  “I was supposed to be there the night he was attacked. I lost track of time swimming out at the lake.” When she smelled the smoke coming from the village, she knew something bad had happened. She raced from the lake to the scene to learn that it was Roman’s house that was on fire. By the time she could process it all, he was in grave danger.

  Dawson thumped on the stone. “Come on out, Elisa. We need you.”

  “I have to try and make this right.” Elisa balled her hands into fists.

  “You can’t do it alone. We have to do this together.”

  An image raced through her mind. The foresight visions Roman gifted her with seemed to come when she least expected them to and not when she wanted them to. But the visions were fairly clear…She sat on a throne. She was sad. Her mate was there too. He was angry. A male stood before them with a gun folded in a white cloth. Blood stained his hands. His lips moved. He was speaking to them, but this wasn’t reality now. It wasn’t the past. It had to have been the future.

  What did it mean? Who was her mate? Why was she mated? Seers didn’t take mates.

  “I can’t make sense of any of this.” She shook her head and pressed her wrists to her temples. “How can I help when these visions make me crazy?”

  “What do you see?”

  “I don’t want to see anymore,” she cried out.

  “I’m sorry, Elisa. If you just concentrate and let us work as a team, we can help you clear your head and figure out what you’re seeing.”

  “It doesn’t work that way, Dawson. There are some things I can share, but there are others that I must not reveal. There’s book knowledge and then there’s inherited knowledge. A Seer must never interfere with the natur
al course of things. And I can’t successfully convey my visions until I get a grip on things.”

  Silence lingered for a while and Elisa wondered if Dawson had left.

  “Elisa…”

  “Dawson, please leave me alone for now. I have to figure out how to control these visions. I can’t even think in the present right now.”

  “Um…you are in the present.”

  “Dawson…” she warned.

  Elisa listened to the sound of shuffling on the outside of the door. She just prayed they would leave her be for now. She would come out of here when she was ready.

  “I’m leaving some food packs and water on the outside of the door,” Dawson said.

  Elisa’s ears perked up. “And the chocolates?”

  “I put enough candy in the bag to last you for one night.”

  Elisa rolled her eyes. “I told you to bring the whole bag.”

  “It doesn’t work that way, Elisa. When you come out, you can get the whole bag. Until then, I will indulge in one piece every hour on the hour.”

  “Loser,” Elisa spat.

  Dawson’s chuckle faded off through the forest. She waited a good while before she began removing the rocks to bring the food and water inside the cave.

  ***

  “How’s Elisa feeling today?” Blake asked, studying Devin Caedmon with remorse.

  The Alpha was devoid of any facial expressions yet he had been squeezing the shit out of an orange ever since he and Aiden arrived to try to console him. Blake expected the rind to split at any moment. The Alpha had done the same to the other fruits lying on the table next to the bowl a servant brought in.

  “Elisa is in a cave near the foot of the mountains, and she won’t talk to anyone. It took us a whole day to find out where she was hiding. Dawson and a few good men are taking turns looking out for her. I’m doing my best to respect her wishes and not drag her out of there,” Devin said without looking up from the table. “I’m the adult. She’s the child. Tell me why she’s so stubborn.”

  “You’ve got another sixteen or seventeen years of dealing with the same scenario,” Aiden replied. “Times three.”

  The triplets, Ashton, Boyd and Channing, were Devin’s first set of offspring. They hadn’t been on this earth four full moons yet, and already they were the talk of the Caedmon community. In light of everything going on, the people had hoped daily for a sign the future would bring brighter days. The birth of not one, but three sons proved to be the encouragement they needed. But now they were faced with the death of a respected Elder.

  “Well, Elisa’s been preparing me for fatherhood for quite some time, whether or not she knew it.”

  Blake pushed aside the empty glass on the table and sat in his chair. “What happened that night had to have been most difficult for her. Everyone’s lips were sealed about the whereabouts of Elisa’s mother. Not even her aunt, who worked under you for a short time, your brother or your father have said a word.”

  “Faydra and her sister were never on good terms,” Devin said. “And if I remember my father correctly, he would’ve forbidden anyone to talk about this. In the past, other people have been banished from the village for speculating.”

  Considering the revelations about who Roman truly was, Blake understood why. One disclosure led to more. If Elisa’s aunt had delved further, Caedmon lineage would have been questioned long ago. Devin’s father would have been challenged for the position as Alpha with evidence that weighed far more heavily than his inability to find a true mate. What would have happened if my cousin, Darius, or even Darius’ father had stripped the title from Daniel? If Roman hadn’t remained tight-lipped about whom he was prior to Devin’s acceptance of the Alpha position, would things have changed?

  “What was Faydra’s real motivation for coming?” Aiden asked.

  Finally, Devin raised his gaze from the table. His eyes were a startling emerald, like his great-uncle’s. “I can only wonder if any of Faydra’s motivations were her own,” Devin replied.

  “Even if someone sent her to do this, there had to have been something in it for her,” Blake offered.

  Faydra disassociated from the Caedmon Pack six years ago. Why would she come back after so long?

  “Roman was obviously her target. No one knew she was in the village. And if she came for Elisa, to do harm or otherwise, Faydra was smart enough to know in order to get to the child she’d have to deal with Roman first,” Blake said.

  The room grew silent as they pondered this statement.

  “A moment ago when you said other people have been banished, to whom were you referring?” Aiden asked.

  Devin swallowed visibly. “Joining her true mate wasn’t the only reason my mother was banished from this village. It’s clear to me now that she knew who Roman was.”

  “How do you know this?” Blake sat up in his chair, his elbows on the table. “How did she know?”

  “Roman gifted Elisa with his memories before passing. Elisa has evidence that my mother asked him one day about his parentage because she saw the similarities between myself when I was a child, Roman, and my father. He confessed.”

  “Then Roman and your mother knew you would be the Alpha one day,” Blake said.

  “But was it meant to be, or was it set up this way?” Devin lifted an eyebrow. “I asked Roman in the past, and he declared over and over again this is what he foresaw. That I would be Alpha. But did he make it so it would happen?”

  “Don’t question it,” Aiden said sternly. “You were meant to be where you are today. No one else could bring the weakened Pack together. Only you. The Caedmon Pack is united now more than ever before. Only those outside of it are causing a major upheaval.”

  Devin brought his fist down hard on the table. “There is one other wolf whose blood is potent with the Caedmon Spirit, and you both know it.”

  Blake leaned forward in his chair. “Before your reign, when the Caedmon Pack began to fall to pieces, Tristan waited on the sidelines. Aiden and I were joined with the Arnou then—the Pack of our birth parents. We knew if the Caedmon Pack fell, that Arnou would rise. Tristan wanted this. His most loyal followers wanted this. But how far could Tristan rise without the support and existence of Caedmon, who are far more copious in numbers and strength than the Arnou Pack ever was?” Blake waited for a reply from both Devin and Aiden, but none came. “Tristan is hardheaded but he must come to his senses.”

  “I’m not waiting another year for him to put two and two together,” Devin said. “I can do this without him.”

  Aiden nearly stood from his seat. “You told us Roman said—”

  “I know what I told you. I know what Roman said. He told me not to fail. I won’t fail. I’ll do whatever is necessary to keep my promise.” Devin’s eyes were smoldering with anger and deep-emerald swirls mixed with hues of red. “My Council will remain intact. My Pack will be safe. My wife and sons won’t live in fear. I’ll keep these promises even if it means rewriting history myself.”

  At this point, the Alpha’s word was final. Neither he nor Aiden could change that.

  Someone knocked on the door.

  “Come in.” Devin growled, turning his attention to the entrance of the library.

  The servant who’d brought the fruit and cheese earlier came inside and handed a letter to Devin. “A personal messenger brought this.”

  Devin’s angry expression disappeared, and curiosity washed over his face. “Thank you.”

  As the maid exited the room, Devin sat with the letter and opened it. His gaze skimmed the small note inside. After the Alpha was done, he handed the note to Blake and Aiden.

  The message was short and to the point:

  This meeting between us is long overdue. Supper is served in the east hall of the Arnou estate at seven o’ clock sharp. Care to join me?

  P.S. My condolences on the passing of your mentor.

  It was signed: Arnou.

  Devin cleared his throat. “I need the two of you to send word to t
he other Council members. I’m going to find out what Tristan knows, but our best bet may be to get out there and find out who’s behind the killing and who sent Faydra here.”

  Blake and Aiden stood. “Yes, Alpha.”

  Chapter Ten

  Tepid winds rushed against Devin’s ears as he ran through thick forests, underbrush and elderberry bushes. He ran as wolf, free spirited and wild. Anticipation beat through his veins like the wrath of the gods. Heated determination wrapped around his skin like a furious burning wildfire. At least a dozen wolves were running with him were. Nick, his trusty second-in-command, flanked the side of the formation while he took the front like the esteemed leader he was. Fallen branches snapped under the weight of their paws and leaves whipped at their fur as they crossed into a territory not their own. They were minutes from their destination—Tristan Arnou’s main residence.

  A couple miles up ahead, a wolf howled. The wolf Devin sent to test the area was reporting everything was safe.

  Tristan Arnou had invited Devin for a discussion over dinner, and it wasn’t a trap. Yet.

  He couldn’t put anything past the Alpha of the Arnou Pack. The guy had a reputation for bait-and-switch games. Devin wasn’t into playing games—at least not where the Caedmon Pack was concerned.

  Devin and the other wolves slowed their pace, detecting the Arnou mansion was ahead. Amid the smell of rain-dampened grass and sweet sap from the trees, he detected the presence of another wolf group.

  As they came into a clearing in the forest, he saw his suspicions were correct. There were six Arnou wolves waiting for them. They must have known Devin and his Pack weren’t far away because they were ready, standing steadfast and alert on all fours.