Howl And Growl Complete Collection

by Cloe Cullen

  "Quiet!" A voice bellowed.

  Every shifter in the circle shut their mouth and turned to the Alpha's house. Amara' home sat upon a raised rock, and so her father stood just before the house, arms crossed, his brows furrowed, and Amara's mother at his side.

  "What is the meaning of this?" He shouted, his voice echoing and powerful enough to take most everyone's breath away.

  No one stepped up to answer, so Amara came forward. The crowd around her backed away to give her ample space. Her father's gaze was intense, but she didn't back down. "There's something I need to share with you father, a new danger to the Pride." Amara motioned to the two wolf bodies behind her. "I bring you two dead Changelings, puppets of the Vampires from the Blackwood. I encountered them while I roamed the Oldwood, near the border."

  Her father's frown deepened. "Changelings you say...all I see are two dead wolves."

  "They are Changelings," Amara declared.

  Her father nodded to Darius. "And yet one still lives. Why?"

  Whispering among the crowd irked Amara, but she chose to ignore them and focus on the Alpha. "Because he is not a Changeling, nor is he an enemy of the Pride."

  Everyone went silent as her father stared Amara down. "He is a wolf shifter, Amara. He's not supposed to be in our territory under any circumstances."

  "You need to listen to me-"

  But her father ignored her. He motioned to two cat shifters near Amara. "Find this dog a cave to hole up in while I speak with my daughter. Do whatever you like to him, but don't kill him yet."

  "What? No! Father, listen to me!"

  "I'll listen to you inside," her father replied. "Now, come up here so we can speak as you so desire, cub."

  Amara watched sadly as Darius was led away from her, the crowd jeering and throwing things at him. He looked back at Amara and grinned slightly, to let her know he was okay.

  The other two cat shifters came up to Amara, one held the two cubs in his arms. "What should we do?"

  Amara grimaced. "Come along, and bring the cubs. I'll have need of you all."

  The cat shifters nodded and followed Amara she climbed the rocks to her home.

  ***

  The Alpha slammed his fist down on a table. "Why would you bring a wolf shifter from the border directly into the heart of Red Rock?"

  Amara flinched, and so did the shifters and cubs behind her.

  "Torian, calm yourself." Amara's mother came forward and grabbed her father's arm. "You're scaring Amara and the cubs."

  "And she should be scared," her father snapped. He turned his attention back to Amara. "I raised you right, I know I did. So why in the hell did you bring that beast back here?"

  Amara gulped. "Because he saved my life and the lives of those two cubs." Her father didn't look pleased with her answer, so she kept going. "I met him while hunting for the herbs Sarai asked me to pick up." Amara shot a look at the woman in the back of the room. She stayed well away, keeping to herself, but at the mention of her name she glanced up and met Amara's gaze. "I caught his scent and found him. We fought, but he overpowered me, and he spared my life."

  Her father scoffed and rolled his head back childishly. "Oh, come on." Her mother growled at her father for his reaction.

  "We spoke for a few moments, and then we heard the screams of the little ones. We both raced over, and we found the two cubs being attacked by the two Changelings I brought back."

  Torian glared at his daughter. "Changelings are Vampire pets, Amara. They don't stray too far from their masters. Unless a Vampire was actually there, there's no way your story is plausible..." Amara stayed silent, letting her father's realization sink in. His expression became something new to Amara, a twist of a dozen different emotions all at once. "Amara, are you telling me a Vampire was at the scene?"

  An eerie air filled the room, and sweat dripped down Amara's cheek. "Yes, a Vampire named Orpheus. Both Darius and I-"

  "Darius?" Her father pinched his nose as if he trying to wake from a nightmare. "You're on a first name basis, now, is that it? Gods, don't tell me you've fallen in love with that creature too." Amara's face flushed, and she tried to hide her reaction by turning her head, but her father didn't miss a single detail. Her father shook his head. "I'm gonna kill the dog myself."

  "No! Father, please, he doesn't deserve death!"

  Sarai stepped forward awkwardly from the back, clutching her arms to her chest. She shook slightly, but she wore a pained expression. "Did...did you just say, his name was Darius?"

  "Yes, why?"

  "W-what color is his coat?"

  Amara's father growled. "Why does it matter what color fur he has? What matters is how we're going to deal with him."

  Amara wanted to answer Sarai's questions since Sarai gave her a longing look, but she forced her attention back to the Alpha. "Talk to him first, father. He came here to look for two missing wolves, the very same ones that are now dead outside your door. When he realized they were no longer just wolf shifters, he fought against them. He saved your people! You should be grateful to him!"

  Torian leveled a grave look at Amara, every bit of emotion coursing through him conveyed in that single look.

  "I get that the Pack is our enemy, but we have a new threat to our people. Darius and I fought off that Vampire together, and the Vampire promised to come back. That wasn't just a hollow threat. If the Vampires could wipe out the Bear Clan, then they can surely do the same to us."

  "The Bear Clan was weak," her father growled. "They tried to be friends with everyone, and now they're gone from the world forever." Torian pondered for a moment. "I'll speak to the mutt, and if he gives me any reason to doubt his word, I'll cut him down on the spot. We'll give him a trial."

  Amara sighed in relief. A trial was good enough. Now at least there was a chance of keeping Darius alive. "What about the cubs? We need to find their parents."

  Her father nodded. "Aye, we'll find them. You can leave now, Amara. Just don't go into the Oldwood again anytime soon."

  Amara thanked her father and left, catching his stoic look, her mother's worried expression, and the noble figure of Sarai watching her leave. Amara wanted to stay and speak with Sarai, but she knew Sarai would now give her father counsel. It would be best to come around another time.

  For now, all that was on Amara's mind was Darius.

  Chapter Eleven: Darius

  Red Rock fascinated Darius.

  He knew when he crossed the border that the land would be different in Pride territory, but never did he think it would get this diverse. At first, the Oldwood near the border was the same forest Darius knew from Gray Creek; thick, looming trees that created an endless maze with the thickets and bushes and various flora. But as he traveled with Amara from west to east, the land opened up, became rockier, warmer, the tint of the land going from gray to red. Gray Creek was always misty and cold and Darius found himself panting for longer than usual in this dry heat.

  Even Darius' cave prison was stuffy, causing his sweat glands to go into overdrive. He regularly pulled at his shirt, sitting on the smooth cave floor and sticking his tongue out to get a better airflow going through his body.

  He noticed the six guards on standby at the front of the cave weren't panting or sweating nearly as much as Darius was, and as he looked them all up and down, he grinned, thinking his situation was rather funny.

  "What the hell are you smiling about, mutt?" One of the guards said, his voice echoing. Darius met the shifter's eyes, seeing the familiar contempt in the gaze that stared back at him.

  "Nothing. It's just hot," Darius responded.

  "Aw, does the little puppy not take the heat well?" Another guard mocked. "We could always shave your coat if you like. Turn you into an ugly monster. Not even your own mother would recognize you."

  Darius frowned at the mention of his mother and turned away. The guards howled in delight at his reaction; Darius thought it was amazing how out of all the jests they could have made, one of the first involve
d his mother not recognizing him. Sadly, Darius wasn't sure if she would, if he ever found her.

  "What's the matter, dog? You don't like it when we bring up your mom?"

  More howls of laughter. Darius decided to join them in their laughter, his own deeper and louder than the rest, drowning out the rest of their voices.

  "Stop laughing," the first guard said. "You don't have a reason to laugh. You should be miserable right now."

  Darius grinned wickedly at the men. "Really? I'm not miserable in the slightest. I'm actually grateful to be here. I've never learned so much within a matter of hours before. This is truly the experience of a lifetime."

  "You'll be slaughtered, you know," the first guard continued. "You'll lose your life. Your flame will be extinguished. And you know what the best part about it all is?" The first guard paused for dramatic effect, but he waited for longer than he should have, so Darius rolled his eyes. "There's nothing you can do to stop it. No wolf shifter savage should ever be allowed inside our sacred home, and now you're going to pay for being stupid enough to cross the border."

  Darius chuckled once more for effect, catching the guards off guard. "Wow, you really aren't any different from the wolf shifters back home."

  "Excuse me?" The first growled, his rage apparent in his voice.

  Darius cocked his head. "Back at Gray Creek, most shifters said the very same things you've been saying to me. See, I'm kind of a strange phenomenon, for some reason most wolf shifters don't like me. But seeing how you all react, I can't help but think about the wolf shifters I know. Don't tell me...you're related to those savages, aren't you? It's why you're so similar."

  For a moment Darius thought he had made a terrible mistake mocking the six guards, because each and every one of their faces twisted in pure rage, and they all hissed or growled. A few even looked like they going to shift into their cougar forms.

  The first guard stepped forward. Since his prison was a cave, nothing was stopping Darius from just getting up and leaving...and there was nothing stopping the guards from walking in to beat on Darius. "We'll tear you to pieces for that mockery!" The first shouted.

  Darius leaped to his feet as the guards moved forward, and he readied himself for a fight.

  "Stop right there!"

  Everyone stopped and looked toward the mouth of the cave. Amara stood, hands on her hips, glaring at them all. Darius sighed with relief. "What the hell is going on here?"

  The six guards didn't exactly look happy to see her. "We were going to teach this fool a lesson, for mocking the Pride."

  Amara glanced from the six guards to Darius, her glare clearly for show. "Well, don't. It's almost time for his trial, and my father doesn't want wolf blood smearing across the ground when we drag him from this cave."

  The second guard clicked his tongue. "He won't bleed, we can hurt him and keep all his precious blood inside him." He began to move forward again, disregarding Amara's orders, but Amara leaped in front of him, startling the shifter.

  "I said stop." Amara leveled another glare at the shifter, and for a split second, Darius noticed a frightened look appear on the shifters face, but the shifter quickly shook it off.

  "Why do you even care? What is this shifter to you?"

  Amara clenched her fists and stood the man down. Darius' gaze was entirely on Amara.

  The second guard finally backed down, sighing with annoyance. "Alright, we'll leave the mutt. But when your father gives the order to kill him, I'm going to be the executioner, girl."

  Amara sighed as the guards backed away to the entrance of the cave, turning and coming to meet Darius. She smiled at him, a glowing smile that warmed his heart.

  "You're getting more and more attractive every time you come to see me," Darius said.

  Amara's face reddened. "Excuse me?"

  "Do you know how many female shifters have the motivation to stand up for me?" Darius continued. "Exactly two now, including you. If this is your way to make me fall for you, I'd say it's working."

  Amara laughed nervously, twirling a lock of her hair between her fingers. "I have no idea what you mean...but, unfortunately, that's not why I'm here."

  Darius raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me, my time's up?"

  Amara frowned. "Don't say it like that. It's just a trial. I convinced my father to speak with you first, to confirm what I've told him. All you have to do is convince him that you're not a threat and that everything I told him was true, and you won't be executed."

  "Yeah, I'm sure that'll be easy enough."

  Amara grabbed his wrist, forcing him to stare into her eyes. She looked up at him with the intensity he was beginning to know and love. "Whatever you do, just don't mock him. He's the Alpha, and one word from him and the whole of Red Rock will be literally tearing you to pieces."

  "I know how to handle an Alpha, Amara. I've been handling mine my whole life."

  "And yet somehow, with the way you egged on those guards, I don't see how you'll come out without a death sentence."

  "You heard that, huh?"

  "I did."

  Darius grunted. "Look, why are you really helping me? Why are you giving me tips on dealing with the Alpha? He's your father…"

  "And he's too blind to see the real threat, so instead he focuses all his attention on a wolf shifter that doesn't deserve to die."

  Darius watched Amara step closer, his body tingling at how close she was. Her cat scent filled his nostrils and made him want to go crazy, but he remained still. Darius thought about marking her for his mate, but he didn't quite have that luxury right now. Besides, if he did that, he'd truly never be welcome across the border again, and then he'd have no home...well, Gray Creek never really felt like home. And yet...

  Her grip on his wrist was secure, so with his other hand, he began to slowly peel her fingers off of his skin. "So, when is this trial?"

  "Right now."

  "Oh."

  Darius now held Amara's hand in his, holding it with care. He turned her hand to be palm-up and traced his finger over the lines that formed in her skin. Amara began to giggle, though she tried to hide it. "Darius, please, stop tickling me! Now's not the time."

  "It very well is the time." Darius looked at Amara seriously, as a woman he genuinely cared for. He came to a decision quickly, realizing that for as long as he could remember, he's never been able to just live in the moment. At Gray Creek, Darius was always forced to watch himself, behave around others. Even with Remus and Nyssa, Darius retained a level of respect. But despite their short time together, Darius felt he could share his whole world with Amara.

  Staring directly into her eyes, Darius stated his decision. "When I convince your father of my innocence, I'm going to make you my mate."

  Despite not being able to put his plan into place this instant, he thought he'd at least state his intentions to Amara. Though, her reaction was not what he anticipated. She stood there, frozen like a rock, just staring back, her lips sealed. This went on for so long that Darius thought her heart had stopped. Finally, she shook her head.

  "I'm sorry...I don't think I heard you right. Did you say something about a debate?"

  "No, I'm pretty sure I told you I'm going to make you my mate."

  "Excuse me?" Her face heated up once more. "Darius! I really like you and all, but that would be suicide, for both of us!"

  Darius shrugged. "You shouldn't have made me fall for you then."

  "Don't blame me!"

  "Would you be opposed to it if I prove myself to your clan?"

  "What...I wouldn't...I mean…"

  Darius grinned at her. "How about this? If I survive your father's judgment, and then I protect both our clans from mutual destruction at the hands of a Vampire, then you become mine. If not, you don't have to worry about possibly being branded a traitor. Deal?"

  Amara stared at Darius as if every word he spoke rattled her whole being. She went back to twirling her hair around her finger while she thought until finally, she came to a decision
. "Alright. Deal."

  Darius smiled bigger than he had ever before. "Right, now let's introduce me to your father."

  Amara rolled her eyes but grinned like an idiot as she led Darius out of the cave.

  ***

  It was if the population of Red Rock doubled in size since Darius sat in his cave-prison. Amara led him from the cave to the central circle, as she called it, to where the Pride's Alpha sat in a meager chair, awaiting their arrival. The crowd gave Amara and Darius a wide berth as they came forward, and not a single soul dared to come closer than the ring that had already formed around the Alpha.

  When the pair finally stood before the Alpha, Amara pushed Darius to his knees for effect, he wanted to grin at how well she was acting now, but he dared not under the intensity of the Alpha's gaze.

  Lean and muscular, with a mane of tawny hair that stretched to his upper back, the Alpha gave off an air of superiority, as any leader should. He casually leaned back in his chair, though his veins were bulging as if he was using all his strength to hold himself back from ripping into Darius. For one of the few times ever, a sense of fear announced itself in Darius' mind.

  Silence gripped the crowd as Amara's father glared at Darius. Darius was the first to break eye contact, looking around at the crowd around him. Every cat shifter narrowed their eyes at him in the same way, all wary and suspicious, and ready to pounce if Darius tried anything. Darius very much wanted to praise the Pride for such unity; nothing like this could be found back at Gray Creek.

  Shifting his gaze to the people behind the Alpha, Darius noticed two women. One was beautiful, and muscular, and stood directly over the Alpha's left shoulder; she had to be Amara's mother because the expressions on her face mirrored Amara's - strong, but worried.

  The other women vexed Darius. Just like the first, she was beautiful, almost unfairly so, with red hair and stunning eyes, and she was tall and leaner. Darius felt a strange buzz of deja vu while looking at her, and he frowned trying to place her. Had he seen her before? Where? Why was she so familiar to him?