Psyche Shield

by Chrissie Buhr

  Kathryn sat opposite the strange Wolf, a hesitant look on her face, while Amy anxiously checked him over. She couldn’t smell the Medic’s fear, but she knew her friend could hide it. The newly freed Wolf sat like a spring ready to snap. He watched Amy with wild eyes, and Billie vowed to get her friend away from him as soon as possible. Jason appeared to feel the same way, hovering over the Wolf and ready for anything. Graham sat on the arm of the other couch, alert and watchful. Amy finished her assessment, pronounced him uninjured and left quickly. She nearly ran into Stephen in her hurry to leave.

  Billie introduced herself as soon as Amy left. “I’m Billie, Beta of the Boise Pack. Welcome to my home.” He glared at her rudely.

  Stephen glanced at his Alpha and tried. “What’s your name?”

  “Winston.” He answered the other Beta’s question but continued to glower at Billie.

  Jason narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. “Winston says he’s been passed from one Mage to another. Always the same family.”

  The implications of the statement hit Billie. “Sadie’s family. Gods. She said you were collared forty years. Can we expect more of her family to show up?”

  Winston refused to answer her, and Jason’s voice rumbled. “Answer her question.”

  “You’re a fool.” Winston didn’t take his eyes off of Billie as he snarled at Jason. “I don’t know what game the Mage is playing, but I won’t be part of it. I won’t talk to her pet.”

  “I’ve already explained Sadie to you, and I won’t repeat myself,” Jason’s growl deepened. “Answer my Beta’s question.”

  “No. I’ve been doing her family’s dirty work for too long. I’m done. If she comes near me, I’ll kill her.” His eyes grew even wilder with desperation and fury.

  “Good luck with that,” Matthew murmured from his vantage point against wall.

  Billie stifled a grin and tried a different tactic. She glared down her nose at him and spoke sharply. “Do you remember me? Do you remember biting me eight years go?” The statement startled nearly every Wolf in the room. They refrained from commenting, their reactions subtle.

  “I remember,” he spoke slowly, not breaking eye contact.

  “Why? Why bite me and leave me? If a Mage wanted to make me Wolf, why not come back for me?” She’d wanted those answers for a long time. Defiantly, he refused to provide them.

  Jason and Graham exchanged a look. Jason ordered Matthew and Kathryn to stay with the insane Wolf. The Alphas and Betas stalked out the front door and crossed to the other side of the lawn where they could speak privately.

  Billie kept her voice low so no one would overhear, stating what none of the others wanted to voice. “He thinks they did come back for me. Especially since I’m with Sadie. I don’t think I’d believe it either.”

  “I’d think the same if I didn’t know Sadie,” Jason agreed. “He’s not going to talk with you or your mate around.”

  “I think we’ll be fortunate if he doesn’t attack one of you.” Stephen glanced towards the house.

  Jason concurred and ordered his Beta to keep her distance. “Both of you. No point in feeding the fire. Absolutely do not leave Sadie unprotected until he’s gone.”

  Billie hadn’t planned on it. “I won’t. I want Matthew with him at all times. He’s too unstable,” she suggested.

  “He needs a pack, but he can’t join mine for obvious reasons.” Jason looked pointedly at Graham.

  “I’ll take him,” Graham decided grimly and somewhat reluctantly.

  “He’s off his head,” Stephen warned his father.

  “Maybe.” The Montana Alpha reserved judgment.

  “Sadie said the same thing,” Billie warned them. “She said he was collared too long and the damage to his mind is extensive. She couldn’t repair it. She warned me to be careful, he’s insane and dangerous, ready to snap.”

  Graham thought he deserved a chance. “He won’t get it here. Not with a Mage around.”

  “I’ll try to find out what happened eight years ago,” Stephen offered.

  “I appreciate it,” Billie replied. “And last summer. He bit Nathan too.”

  Jason curled his lip at his Beta, unaware of the Wolf’s history with Nathan until she mentioned it. “I want to know if more of Sadie’s relatives are going to show up.”

  Billie cast a concerned glance towards the house as if able to see through it to the backyard where Sadie slept. “Gods, I hope not. I don’t know how much more she can take.”

  “How is she?” her Alpha asked, his voice less gruff than usual when discussing his Mage packmate.

  “She’s completely exhausted. She’s not Wolf, and she’s been trying to keep up with us. We asked too much of her. No more for a while.” Billie set her jaw, determined to let her mate rest as long as needed.

  “She’s done her part. Let her sleep. Unless another one of her long lost relatives shows up,” Jason replied with a grunt.

  Billie’s frustration began to leak out. “Of all the Mages in the world, we get another cousin in our territory. She shouldn’t have to go up against her own family like this, Alpha. No one should have to do that.”

  “You’re right. But something’s going on. It’s been five years since the last Mage. Since your girl showed up, we’ve had four, two of them cousins. Four from our pack and two from theirs have been bitten, collared, or killed by her relatives. What about the ones we lost over the years? Did her family take them from us too?”

  “I don’t know.” Billie pinched the bridge of her nose, grateful that she could answer his question honestly. “I want answers too. She didn’t know anything about her family until she met Cassandra. She may know more from today. I’ll ask her later. I won’t wake her.”

  Graham and his son listened with interest. “You got yourself in a tight scrape here.”

  “Tell me about it,” he grumbled and pointed out. “It’s a tighter scrape with you on our tail.”

  Graham looked at Jason cannily and asked his son. “How’s Bran?”

  “Spitting mad and in need of a long run,” Stephen answered cheerfully.

  “Then he’s back to himself?” The Alpha asked mildly. He still had difficulty believing it possible to free a collared Wolf.

  “So it seems.” Stephen looked nearly convinced.

  “Do you know how long he was collared? Or how?” Billie asked.

  “I haven’t asked yet,” the other Beta replied.

  “Does Sadie know?” Jason nodded towards Billie’s mate in the backyard.

  “She probably knows more than Bran, but she hasn’t said much yet.”

  Graham shook his head. “I never thought I’d see the day when I’d fight on the same side as a Mage. Today was eye-opening. What she can do isn’t right, and she doesn’t belong with Wolves. I don’t want any part of it. You’re fools, but I can see you’re not collared. We’re done hunting you. You gave us a run, though.”

  “And you’re one hell of a fox.” The Alphas complimented each other.

  Billie accepted his admission graciously, insult and all. “I’d offer to put you and your Wolves up until morning, but Winston’s a problem.”

  “We’ll leave right away.” Graham wouldn’t stay any longer than necessary. Billie thought it had more to do with Sadie than Winston.

  Jason concurred, as eager as Billie to be rid of the insane Wolf. “Him here, right now is asking for trouble. Good luck with that one.”

  “Good luck yourself. I’ll take a touched Wolf over a Mage any day. You’ve redefined trouble bringing her into the pack.”

  Jason snorted in agreement. “She’s a Goddamned thorn in my side.”

  “Then why?” Graham couldn’t understand the other Alpha’s decision and demanded an explanation.

  “She’s Billie’s mate. She’s loyal to the Pack,” Jason replied simply.

  “She’s a Mage. You can’t be sure of anything around them,” Graham argued.

  Billie bristled but kept her mouth shut
while her Alpha answered. “I’m sure she’s on our side, and she’ll fight tooth and claw to protect the Pack.”

  “She already has,” Billie affirmed. “You have no idea.”

  “I still think you’re fools,” Graham reasserted.

  Billie didn’t respond to the repeated insult. “Alpha, can I call back our Human packmates and arrange John’s funeral?” The absence of a proper burial for her friend weighed on her, and she wanted to begin making arrangements.

  Jason agreed. “Do it. He deserves a proper goodbye. Plan a long weekend for the funeral and full-moon run. We’ll leave as soon as everyone’s home.”

  Stephen asked about John’s death, and Billie gave him the short story. “A Mage collared Nathan, used him to kill John, and tried to take the pack.”

  “Cassandra, the one Sadie killed.” Graham’s knowledge surprised Billie.

  “Yes. Sadie told you?”

  “A bit. That Mage came here looking for his mother. He said she stole his pet. I reckon he meant Nathan.”

  “You win a medal for worst in-laws in history,” Stephen told Billie, his attitude towards Sadie slightly more open than his father’s.

  “She’s worth it,” Billie informed the Wolf without pause. “I’m sorry about Xan. I’m glad we could settle this without any more casualties.”

  “Same here. I’ll gather my Wolves and get out of your hair.”

  With the truce sealed, they headed back inside. Billie walked past Winston without a glance. A quick hand signal to Matthew told him to stay put and stand guard. Only he and Stephen remained with the seething Wolf. Even Kathryn abandoned her charge and exited with her.

  Once outside under the afternoon glow of the sun, Billie asked Kathryn for an explanation. “I cannot help him. I will go where I can be of use,” she replied vaguely. Shifting back into her wolf form without further justification, she merged with the doggie pile around Sadie. Billie looked longingly at her sleeping mate but couldn’t join her yet. She had a few calls to make.

  “Gary. Ready to come home?” Her greeting caught every packmate’s attention. Her eyes glowed and she spoke to the Wolves as much as to the Human. “The conflict is over. We’re all fine.”

  The Wolves heard Gary’s response. “Thank the stars!”

  “We’ll see you tomorrow, then?”

  “The kids and I will come home tonight. We miss Jazz. I’m sure others will feel the same.”

  “As soon as everyone’s home, we’ll head out for a long weekend. We’re burying John.” Murmurs of approval spread through the yard.

  “I’ll tell the others.”

  “Thanks, Gary.” She smiled as she ended the call. The Pack felt incomplete with their Human packmates absent. With a quick text she sent the good news to the entire pack. Isabel and William entered the backyard in time to overhear the conversation, arms loaded with enough food for everyone. Wolves began congregating around them. Most hadn’t eaten yet, and the sun shone directly overhead.

  “The conflict is over,” Graham affirmed to his packmates. “My mind is at ease that the Mage poses no danger to us, and Jason and I have settled our differences. We leave as soon as you’ve finished eating. Make it quick.” His packmates whooped and stirred.

  Sierra shifted into human form and caught Graham’s attention. “Alpha, can I speak to you?”

  He walked to meet his Wolf where she sat on the ground beside the sleeping Mage. She couldn’t stand without her brace and he didn’t make her put it back on. “What is it?”

  “I wish to stay in Jason’s pack if he will have me.” Her packmates looked up in surprise and Jason joined the discussion.

  “Why? I went to a lot of trouble to get you back,” Graham demanded to know her reason.

  “I have discovered family here. If I stay, I can get to know them.”

  He hadn’t expected that response, and his eyebrows nearly met in the middle. “What family?”

  “Kato is my Great-grandfather.” Light murmuring came from her packmates. Like her before coming to Boise, they only knew of Kato through stories and legends.

  “I was not aware Kato had any children. That makes Kathryn your aunt.” The Alpha darted his eyes towards his old friend. Kathryn blinked in affirmation, her ears resting contentedly. A few of her packmates hadn’t heard of her relationship to Kato and glanced at her in surprise.

  “None of us knew. Even Kato didn’t know until I arrived.”

  “Family is important, and Wolf family is irreplaceable.” She sighed in relief at his understanding. “Do you accept her into your Pack?” Graham asked the other Alpha formally.

  “I accept her. She can’t be a bigger pain than Sadie.”

  Graham laughed heartily. “Then I approve. Take care of her. She has a way of getting herself into trouble.”

  “I’ve noticed,” he grunted.

  Sierra made her first request of Jason. “Alpha, I’d like to go back for Xan’s funeral, show my father I’m alive and well, and collect my things if I may.”

  Jason thought about Sierra’s Sending gift and the havoc she’d created upon discovering her friend’s death. He wouldn’t send her to the funeral without support and made a quick decision. “Kathryn will take you. You can’t drive on that leg yet anyway.”

  Billie listened in, delighted to have Sierra as a packmate. She liked the Wolf, and Sadie had grown quite attached to her new sister. Once she had her Sending gift under control, she’d be an asset to the pack.

  Stephen emerged from inside the house to speak to his Alpha. “We’re ready inside. Matthew offered a ride back to our vehicles.” The Beta lowered his voice to barely above a whisper. “We can’t run from here, but Matthew’s truck won’t hold us all. I don’t think he’ll let his packmates near Winston. We need another option.”

  Jason felt the same way as Matthew and spoke to the pile of fur nearby, sounding somewhere in between a request and a command. “Amy. Kathryn. I need to use your cars.” They lifted their heads in acknowledgement. “It’ll take two vehicles to hold all of you anyway. I’ll drive the other.”

  Kathryn emerged from the doggie pile and transformed, approaching the Montana Alpha and Beta on two feet. “I have been remiss in staying away so long. I will gladly bring Sierra to settle her affairs and would be pleased to visit both of you and your families while there.”

  Graham nodded curtly. Stephen answered for both of them. “I’ve tried to respect your decision to stay away, Aunt. But your family is not all dead,” he chided her.

  She inclined her head sadly, accepting his rebuke. “I wish to stay with my pack through the funeral and full moon. Sierra and I can leave the day after. If we do so, will we arrive in time for her friend’s funeral?”

  Graham nodded again, and Billie saw resentment towards Kathryn in the Alpha’s demeanor. “You’ll make it in time.”

  Stephen ended the awkward conversation by extending a hand towards Billie. “It’s been interesting.” Humor glinted in his eyes and his formality began to fall away. “When your mate wakes, give her my thanks for returning Bran.”

  “I’ll do that.” Billie accepted his handshake. “I’ll contact you if she has any useful information about it.”

  “Until then,” he replied. “Ready, Pop?”

  Sierra promised to see her packmates in a few days. The Montana visitors finished eating and left with Jason and Matthew. In their wake, Billie smiled widely in satisfaction.

  “It’s over. It’s really over,” Sierra sighed in relief. She lay on her back in the grass near Sadie, Nathan’s tail tickling her arm.

  “We did it,” Billie said smugly. “Welcome to the pack, Sierra. You can stay with me and Sadie as long as you like.”

  “Thanks.” Light sadness still hung over her, and Billie suspected she thought about her friend. “I’m looking forward to exploring this area. I haven’t seen much of it.”

  Billie finally let herself relax and sat beside Sadie, running her hand through her mate’s hair. Sadie slept deeply, her mi
nd completely quiet. “I try to get out every weekend. You should join us on our next trip.”

  “I’d like that,” she replied genuinely.

  Kathryn settled onto the grass beside Sadie, her head resting on Amy’s leg. She waved at her mate, inviting him to join them. “I would like to see my grandson tomorrow. I will not have another opportunity until we return from Montana. Would anyone like to accompany me?”

  “I would,” Sierra replied quickly.

  “If I can get away, absolutely. I bet Sadie will say yes even if I have obligations here,” Billie replied.

  “And what of the new couple?” Kathryn asked of Amy and Nathan. “Would you join me?” They looked at each other and agreed in silent wolfish communication.

  Chapter 16

  Jason and Matthew’s return woke me, and I opened my eyes as they entered the backyard. I’d slept without dreaming, though the weight of the day never truly left. Billie noticed and kissed me on the back of the neck. “You’re awake sooner than I expected.”

  I sat up, disturbing the furred masses that surrounded me. My mind felt thick, and I looked around in a state of confusion. “The Montana Wolves left.” I murmured. The yard felt empty despite the handful of Wolves still present.

  “A couple hours ago.” Billie answered as I sat up. “They couldn’t stay, not with Winston.”

  “I’m glad he’s gone. Did you tell them what I said about him?” The events prior to my exhausted collapse began to come back.

  “I warned them.” She assured me.

  Amy shifted back to human form so she could speak. “He’s creepy.”

  “Very.” Billie told her. “Kathryn didn’t even want to be around him.”

  The Elder shifted into human form so she could respond to the comment. “My efforts on him did no good, and his presence unsettled me greatly.”

  “He’s insane.” I announced with much less tact. “He was collared too long.”

  “How long?” Amy asked.

  “Forty years.” I informed her, and she paled.

  “No wonder.” She muttered. “How are you feeling, Sadie?”