by Viola Rivard
“Blackthorn raided three of the human farmsteads on the edge of Tye,” she said, breaking the silence. “River and Fern are seeking an audience with Talon, though I doubt they will cease hostilities unless you intervene.”
Asch’s jaw clenched at the prospect. He had sent his best to handle the situation. He hadn’t planned on leaving the valley for at least a few months, and he sure as hell wasn’t leaving when Mila would be fertile any day.
“I’m not the only alpha our pack has. Why don’t you ask Caim to handle it?”
Lotus shot him an impatient look. “Do not patronize me. You know as well as I do that if Caim handled such matters we would never be at peace.”
“And yet you wish it was Caim who imprinted on her and not me.”
It was a low blow, and she immediately fell silent again. His words had been bitterer than he’d intended, and he realized that no matter how irrational it was, Lotus’s rejection stung.
Over the years that they had been friends, and later pack, Lotus had almost always taken his side over Caim’s in important issues. She was a shrewd diplomat and a clever mediator, and always recognized Asch as the superior leader. But while she valued Asch as an alpha, he had no illusions about where her loyalties lied.
“Caim imprinted on her, too,” he told her. He wasn’t interested in keeping up the pretense that Mila had chosen him, when she hadn’t. Instead of being amusing, it was just an irritating reminder that she wasn’t fully his.
“How are you managing that?” Lotus asked, her eyes rounding.
“I don’t think we’re managing to do anything except piss Mila off.”
Lotus laughed then, and the storm clouds that had gathered in her eyes began to clear. Asch felt the strange uneasiness between the two of them begin to wane as well.
“Have you coupled together?”
“A few times. Mila seems to enjoy it, but Caim’s being an overbearing asshole about it.” Asch scratched the back of his neck. “I guess if I’m being honest, I haven’t been a walk in the park either. I probably want to share her less than he does.”
“Mmm,” Lotus said, nodding sagely. “How long until the thrall?”
“A few days.”
Asch had already sensed the changes that were taking place in her body, changes that were beginning to affect him as well. Aside from feeling more possessive over Mila, he had begun fostering a low-level aggression towards Caim that seemed to grow by the hour. He knew that Caim must have sensed it too, though the younger male made no mention of it.
In fact, he and Caim had hardly spoken in days. He knew that it had nothing to do with any awkwardness from their shared sexual experiences. Although he wasn’t about to tell Mila, she was not the first woman they had shared. Not even close.
While it had taken Asch a few years to let go of his human inhibitions, Caim had never viewed sex as a private or personal thing. When he was younger, Caim had often made it into a sort of game. They would compete to see who could last longer, who could make the female moan louder and come harder, and many more things he’d rather not reflect on.
Now that they were both past their wild youths, Asch was more partial to intimacy than pure gratification. He had a few females that he coupled with regularly, usually in a private setting. By comparison, Caim almost seemed to have burnt himself out. For him, sex was a shallow affair, nothing more than a simple release, and he never seemed entirely satisfied.
Lotus placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a tired smile.
“The outcome of this falls on you, Asch.”
“I don’t see why I have to be responsible for everything.”
She shook her head. “No, it is not like that. You think that Caim is ruled by his instincts, but he is the master of them. No matter how affected he is by the thrall, he will be in control. It is you who will have to remember who you are, and what is important to you.”
CHAPTER THREE
Moonlight rippled over the trout’s scales as it swam in place between Mila’s legs. Back hunched and hands in the water, she kept her limbs perfectly still, while chewing on her tongue.
Come on, you slimy bastard.
The trout inched forward, skimming its nose against the rocky riverbed. She tensed as it neared her hands, prepared to snap them closed on the fat fish.
“Oh! Mila! Over here!”
Rosie’s voice jarred her, making her jump. She quickly clasped her hands together, but the fish had already darted away in a flash of silver.
Mila straightened her back and fixed Rosie with a glare. She was sitting on a large rock, legs dangling over the side so that her painted toes flirted with the surface of the river. She pointed enthusiastically at a random spot in the water.
“I saw a herring. Or maybe it was a catfish. Or a bass.”
Mila rolled her eyes. It was bad enough that she was knee-deep in freezing water and trying to catch a fish with her hands. It was downright irritating that Rosie was just sitting by and watching, not because the wolf wasn’t helping, but because Mila still couldn’t figure out how to get away with doing the same thing.
Brae squatted a few yards away, eyes focused intently on the water. Mila watched sullenly as snatched her sixth fish from the river in one, fluid flick of her hand. The fish sailed over Mila’s head and onto the bank, where it thrashed on the ground.
“Don’t worry. You’ll get the hang of it,” she said. “Grab with your claws, not your fingers.”
Mila looked back down at the water, her heart sinking. She didn’t want to ‘get the hang of it’. She had enough things to be frustrated about, and this was not helping. There was a reason that her ancestors created nets and fishing poles, and it had a lot to do with the fact that fishing with one’s hands was pretty much impossible with human reflexes.
“Grip with my claws. Okay,” Mila muttered, bending back down.
This was not how she had planned on spending her night. It had started when she’d come back from peeing. Brae and Rosie were arguing, of course. Apparently each of them wanted to spend the evening with Mila, and neither was willing to compromise. Brae had wanted to take Mila fishing with her, while Rosie had wanted to paint Mila’s nails and do her hair. One option sounded infinitely more appealing, but in the end, Mila had chosen to go fishing.
Naively, she’d assumed that it would give her some alone time with Brae. They could spend an hour or two conversing peacefully, and Mila could talk to her about her problems with Asch and Caim.
Instead, Rosie had decided to come, and rather than picking up on all of the desperate signals Mila was sending her way, Brae had spent the past hour bickering.
“It is cold out,” Rosie whined, for what had to be the hundredth time.
“Then go inside,” Brae hissed.
“I do not think Caim would approve of you forcing his mate to do menial labor.”
Mila squinted as another trout approached, its tail whipping back and forth as it swam against the current.
“Unlike some members of our pack, Mila enjoys lending a helping hand.”
“I am helping. You are just being ignorant!”
A little closer.
“How dare you!”
Mila clasped her hands together. She felt the trout wriggle in her grasp. Reacting swiftly, she dug her nails in, securing the fish in her grip. It thrashed as she pulled it out of the water. It was nearly as long as her forearm, with a smooth head and iridescent scales.
Beaming victoriously, she looked over towards the wolves in time to see Brae yank one of Rosie’s feet, pulling the smaller female into the water. The river swelled abruptly, as the two women shifted simultaneously, snarling and swiping at one another.
Having already learned her lesson not to get between two angry wolves, Mila bolted for the shore. Once she was safe on dry land, she watched them, caught in the awkward position of wanting to stop them but also knowing they probably needed to just fight it out.
Although her build was lithe and streamlined, Brae was
still nearly twice the size of Rosie in her wolf form. After stunning the smaller wolf with a few hard smacks to the head, Brae went in for the kill, gripping Rosie’s neck between her jaws and holding fast. Rosie yelped, kicking at Brae with her hind quarters, but the white wolf wouldn’t loosen her grip.
Mila looked down at the trout in her hands. It squirmed restlessly, its gills opening and closing. She had the sudden impulse to throw him back into the river, but after a moment’s hesitation, decided against it. She had caught him with her bare hands. Weird as it was, she was kind of proud.
When Rosie finally stopped struggling, Brae released her. Mila had expected this. Over the past few days in the den, she had seen a few skirmishes between disgruntled wolves. They could be hair-raising, but they usually ended before any major damage was done.
Rosie scrambled from the river, shaking the water from her matted coat as she came ashore. She looked back at Brae, snarled again, and then took off into the woods.
Brae came ashore with much more grace, shifting as she glided to the river bank. Her expression was nothing short of murderous as she glared at Rosie’s retreating form.
“I cannot stand her,” Brae said hotly. Her breathing was erratic, and she was clearly resisting the urge to give chase.
“I noticed…”
Once Brae had calmed down, she began gathering her fish from the river bank. She tucked them under her arm, while muttering under her breath.
Mila knew she should probably be supportive and let Brae vent to her, but she had waited all night to be alone with the other woman. She had major problems, and she really didn’t have time to deal with Brae’s drama.
“Brae, I—”
“I see, you caught a fish. Good job,” Brae said absently. She headed for the trail, beckoning Mila to follow. “That’s enough for tonight. I’m sure you are hungry.”
Mila trotted to catch up. “Yeah, I’m starving, but I kind of want to talk to you first.”
“I know that I agreed not to fight with Rose. I’m sorry,” she said wearily. “But pack hierarchy exists for a reason, Mila. She is an omega. I can’t allow her to disrespect me.”
“I get it, totally understand, but—”
“Did you know her mother was a dog?”
Mila wrinkled her nose. “That’s possible?” she asked, momentarily sidetracked. “Wait, we can talk about that later. Look—”
Brae stopped in her tracks and sniffed at the air. She blinked thoughtfully, and then sniffed again, before her hard expression melted into pure joy.
“Lotus!” Brae exclaimed.
“Lotus?” Why did that name sound familiar?
“She must have returned with your things. Let’s hurry back!”
Mila sprinted behind Brae, her waterlogged boots squishing. She knew she should be excited that her bags had finally arrived, but instead she felt disconcerted.
Mila was dripping with more than just water by the time they made it back from the den. The air was chilly, but keeping pace with the nimble wolf was tiring.
The bonfire was lit in the central cavern of the den, illuminating the wolves and casting shadows on the walls. She immediately spotted her luggage near the rocky dais. Her four bags had been twined together in two bundles, and looked no worse for wear than when she had left them in the truck.
Any joy she may have felt over the bags quickly dried up when she saw the woman standing with Asch and Caim on the dais. She was tall with long graceful legs, tanned skin, and hair that was an opulent shade of gold.
Mila knew that she had never seen this radiant being in the den before, and that she was undoubtedly the fabled Lotus. She also knew why the name had seemed so familiar to her.
Lotus was one of Caim’s favorites.
This bothered Mila. Way more than it should have. After all, her best friend (could she really call Brae that?) had been one of Asch’s favorites, and they got along just fine. So why did the sight of this woman casually putting her hand on Caim’s chest make her want to growl?
CHAPTER FOUR
“You know River. He’ll keep his distance unless he’s sure to have an in. I would not worry about him,” Lotus said to Asch. She ran her finger up and down Caim’s arm, the way she did when she was talking about something that did not interest him.
Her touch had always anchored him, helping him to focus on the issues at hand, instead of contemplating all of the things he would rather be doing. He did not care for discussing politics and pack relations, but knew it was part of being an alpha, so he endured it with the knowledge that whatever the issue, Asch would handle it.
“I decided it would be a good idea to bring Mila’s things back.”
Hearing the human’s name made his jaw tick, and he remembered why he felt so agitated. For the second time, his needs had been at the human’s mercy, and had gone unassuaged. Then, she had the audacity to tell him, her alpha, that he was not permitted to take his pleasures elsewhere. How did she really intend on enforcing that?
Had Asch not been there, Caim would have dragged her back to bed. No, had Asch not been there, she never would have left the bed in the first place. She had woken with just as much need for him. If Asch would have just let well enough alone, all three of them could have had a satisfying morning.
Still talking, Lotus asked, “And how is Mila adjusting to life in the pack?”
“She is well,” Caim replied without thinking.
Lotus looked to Asch. Caim hated it when she did that. Why was his counsel never sufficient for her?
“She wants to be here,” Asch told her. “I think that’s the most important part. Happiness will come, in time.”
Caim’s mouth flattened. He did not like being contradicted, and for some reason it was even more irritating in this matter. The human never went hungry, she had two powerful mates, and a secure territory. What could she possibly have to be unhappy about?
“Lotus!”
Caim cocked his head to see Brae making her way up to the dais. His eyes did not linger on her for long because the human was trailing behind her, and immediately caught his attention.
Her hair was a wet, tangled mess and her dress was sodden. In her small hands was a fat trout. When he caught her scent, his lips curled distastefully. Usually, the human smelled like things that appealed to him—namely his own scent—but tonight she smelled like fish and dirt. Those were not things that she was supposed to smell like, and he knew that Brae was to blame.
He glowered at Brae as she approached, but she only had eyes for Lotus. He decided to deal with her later, and made his way down the dais to meet the human halfway.
She looked uneasy as he approached, and he found that this bothered him, though he wasn’t sure why. A few days ago, it had pleased him that she was intimidated by him. Now it was yet another thing on the growing list of things that were annoying him.
When he stopped in front of her, she held up the glassy-eyed trout and gave a weak smile.
“Look, I caught a fish with my bare hands.”
She said it as if it were some great accomplishment, which it was not. Had she felled a buck or run a boar aground, he may have been impressed, after he gutted whoever had allowed her to put herself in such danger. But any animal could catch a fish from the river. Not only was it unimpressive, but it was also beneath her station to do such things.
Caim gave her a dry look. “You smell disgusting. You are not to go fishing again.”
Her face reddened, and without warning, she hurled the fish at him. Caim caught it just before it made impact with his chest. He frowned, perturbed by her bizarre reaction.
“I am so sick of you,” she yelled. “If I want to fish, I’ll fish. And if you try to stop me—”
“You’ll what?” Caim asked, genuinely curious.
She blanched at him. He knew that she was just making idle threats, but he didn’t feel any satisfaction at pointing it out. Caim had always enjoyed asserting his superiority over others, but she looked so distressed. He
found it unsettling.
Asch approached then, placing an arm around her shoulders and a hand on her chin. He turned her face away from Caim.
“Mila, calm down,” he coaxed.
Through gritted teeth, she said, “He makes me so mad.”
“I know, but he means well.”
“By telling me I stink?”
They were talking about him as if he was not standing right in front of them. He felt a fine tremor of rage course through his body at the insult. His claws dug reflexively into the fish in his hand.
Lotus came up beside him, but could not take his eyes off of the spectacle before him. Lotus put a soothing hand on his shoulder. The human’s eyes registered the movement, and her gaze flickered between the two of them, her posture stiffening.
“How would you like a hot bath?” Ash asked, recapturing her attention. Her jaw slackened.
“You have those here?”
“It can be arranged,” he said, nodding to Brae.
“I’ll go get some water heated for you,” Brae offered, before departing the group.
Asch motioned to Caim’s favorite. “Lotus brought your bags back from Tye. They’re waiting in your room.”
“Thanks,” Mila said tightly.
“It was my pleasure,” Lotus replied graciously.
The four of them stood in a tense silence for a moment. Caim’s blood was boiling. He wanted to resolve this…whatever it was, so that he could move on with his evening. Instead, he had to watch as Asch led her away.
“Come on. Let’s take your bags to your room while Brae gets your bath ready.”
He stared after their retreating forms, watching as Asch led his mate away from the cavern, away from him. His mate. She was his, and Asch should not have interfered.
Lotus elbowed him in the side. “If you keep looking at her like that, your face will get stuck that way.”
Ignoring her comment, Caim said, “Come with me to my chamber.”
“I do not think so,” she said, pinching him.
Caim smacked her hand away. “Now you defy me as well?”
