Circle of Wolves

by Jacqueline Roth

  She moved quietly and expertly, circling downwind of the small roe deer. They were diurnal animals and should not have been moving about in the darkness, his brain told him. Or was it hers? He saw her crouch low and take cover behind a bush. He crawled low up beside her. He watched the small animals already made nervous by something they sensed more than any true confirmation of danger. Something had disturbed them. Her nervousness moved through him. She was sensing the danger as he was. Something had forced these animals from their cover and was keeping them uneasy.

  That was when he caught the scent of the cause of the danger. A wolf. A lone wolf was stalking the clearing, circling it, coming downwind as well. His mate’s head lifted and followed the scent. It was moving behind them, moving out of the wind, letting it carry its smell away from them. She edged away from her hiding place and nipped at him, urging him to follow. They had gotten only a few feet when the attack came.

  A white form lunged at him out of the trees, muzzle to muzzle the white wolf drove him into the clearing. He turned and ran, circling tightly until he was facing the creature. It snarled at him with dark blue eyes and bared teeth. It was blooded, he had blooded it. A streak of red marked its muzzle. The taste of the blood in his mouth drove him to reciprocate the attack. He lunged at the smaller wolf and again was muzzle to muzzle, his jaws trying to grasp its neck while protecting his own.

  It was then she joined the fight. She threw herself at the hindquarters of the white animal and sank her teeth into the rear leg. This time it was no game and she bit deeply into the fur and muscle and the white wolf screamed in pain. He backed up to get a better angle at the wolf’s throat but found her standing between them. Her hackles were raised and she was growling. She snapped viciously at the young wolf and drove it out of the clearing. He stood, angry, watching it disappear into the trees. He moved to follow and she rounded on him. Blood stained the white fur on her lower jaw and he was suddenly filled with a resounding, No!

  She had stopped him from his kill, stopped him from destroying the animal that dared to attack him. He glared his anger back at her and she held his eye, chin up. The implication was clear. He would have to let the wolf escape or fight her. Something in him shivered as her fury swarmed in his head. It wasn’t directed at him but it made him lower his jaws. He crept up to her and licked at her chin. She allowed it for a moment, then turned and caught his neck in her jaws, gently holding it for a moment then releasing it. She sat and he carefully groomed her chin, removing the blood, the blood she had shed to defend him. They were a pack. He was a part of their own small pack and she was his mate. And she was a magnificent mate.

  Her happy mood returned and much of the rest of the night was spent running in the moonlight, chasing small animals. Two hares were caught and hunger satisfied. At first he sniffed at the animal uncertainly. She nudged him and he followed her lead, ripping into the creature. It was oddly unsatisfying in an important way, yet his body seemed to need this. It seemed to need nourishment in a way it never had before. This wasn’t what he wanted but it would do for now.

  He let her lead him to the conclusion of their circle, back to the place where he had first seen her standing. She lay down next to him and he rested his chin over her back. The moon was low and its light almost gone. He was sleepy, happy and no longer alone.

  That was when the pain came. A rushing awareness filled him with the pain. Her tongue stroked his muzzle trying to soothe him. He tried to stand and she backed away. It came again as it had earlier that night, the pain, the agony, finally the darkest of pleasures that left him lying naked on the ground panting, sweating, sated and exhausted. She was in his mind only her thoughts felt different. He lifted his head up wearily and tried to find her. His Kira wasn’t there but a large beautiful wolf was. The blue eyes held his. She moved toward him and snuffled gently at his cheek. His hand came up and smoothed down the soft fur on her neck. His mind echoed with her love and her care. She stepped back from him.

  Before he could form the thought that she was going to transform, she had done so. She returned to him and stretched out on the ground next to him. He pulled her close and held her. Her body felt cool where his was heated and damp. “Do you want to rest here or try to make it to the house? The sun won’t be up for a couple of hours and no one will be looking for us until then.”

  “Rest,” he mumbled and moved his hand over the curve of her shoulder and down her arm.

  “Good,” she sighed. “You ran my tail off and I’m beat.”

  “Kira, Nico…”

  “Don’t worry about it now, Evan. I guess it was bound to happen. I was just hoping it wouldn’t. I was hoping he’d grow up. I guess he never will.” Her voice sounded sad and tired.

  “You’re right. Sleep now, darling. Don’t think about it.” His eyes closed heavily and he drifted off. He had never known a moon that had brought such a mix of blessings and curses as this one. And he had never before known one he didn’t regret.

  Circle of Wolves

  Chapter Twenty

  Family Business

  “Evan Forester, how did you ever manage to get yourself out of bed before now?” She tossed a pillow at him and went to yank the covers away. “Some teacher you must be. Did you ever hold a class before lunch?”

  He opened one blue-gray eye and curled his lips in a mock snarl. “There weren’t exactly bell schedules and I did just fine ‘til I had a beautiful woman tempting me to stay put.”

  “No, you don’t. You aren’t blaming me. I’ve been up for twenty minutes.” Her hair was wet and seemed to be a tangle of chestnut curls.

  “Maybe but you were the one who ran me all over hell’s half-acre last night. Damn, I’m stiff.” He stretched reluctantly and pushed away the covers. Her amusement touched his mind and he grinned at her. As so much of his shyness and reserve had disappeared, it seemed so had his modesty.

  “Up, lazy. Get in that shower and get ready before I decide to hell with letting you leave this room and keep you holed up here all day.” Her smile was playful but the seriousness that underlay that statement made his heart start to race. He could feel her in him and he knew she was at least partly serious.

  “Fine,” he grumbled and she laughed softly.

  “Hurry up, I have a bit of something to take care of for Father, you wanted to call home and then we need to make at least one meal with the family. Good thing for you it’s brunch.”

  Evan dragged himself out of bed as she disappeared into the small sitting room. He’d missed one family breakfast and if he missed another his new mother-in-law might just have fits. Completing his shower quickly, he ran water in the sink and pulled his razor and shave foam from the black kit. Something seemed to splash in the sink. Looking back he saw the flicker of a green tail for a moment. Damn! He really didn’t need this right now. He was planning to call Arianna in an hour or so anyway.

  A soft golden glow swirled through the water creating the illusion of a whirlpool in its shallow depths. Evan reached over and pushed the door to the bathroom closed. In the second it took to complete the gesture, a face had appeared in the water.

  “Do you have any idea how rude this is?” Evan muttered to the green-eyed man whose features wavered on the surface. The actions breached more rules of etiquette among the gifted than he could count.

  “Do you have any idea how much we don’t give a rat’s ass if it’s rude?” The voice came not from the face but from the surrounding water.

  The head in the water turned as if to address the drain. “Marcus, I have this. Back off, you’re breathing down my neck.”

  “I’m going to call in a few minute. Let me shave and dress, then I’ll call.” Evan sighed. The head didn’t so much nod as it bobbed up and down for a second and then disappeared. Evan finished quickly and moved into the sitting room.

  Kira wasn’t there. Her suite had three rooms—a bedroom, sitting room and office. It was in the latter he found her. Kira was sitting at a small desk. A discussion was c
oming from the speakerphone on her desk in French. On the wall before her were five monitors. Each showed the face of a different man dressed in only slight variations of the typical navy blue or black suit. Kira was sitting back with arms and legs crossed and her face furrowed in a deep frown. The edges of the knee-length skirt fluttered slightly as she bounced one foot. She looked up at Evan and smiled. He leaned back against the wall in a position he hoped put him out of view of the small webcam on top of the computer monitor before her.

  Evan’s French was a bit rusty but he picked up the jist. They were arguing over a condition Stanislav Gregoravitch had set in the contract they were negotiating. She spoke little but instead seemed to listen carefully. After several seconds she rolled her eyes and, lifting her hand as if to demand silence, she called over the raised male voices, “Ça suffit!” When she continued it was in beautiful, unaccented French he was just able to follow.

  “I’m afraid, gentlemen, that I do not understand why you are wasting my time. I am, in fact, on my honeymoon and you have wearied me enough on this topic. The contract is clear. If you want the loan for the project, you will provide more substantial collateral. What you are offering is insufficient. If you cannot come up with said collateral, you will offer the required shares. The discussion is over.”

  Agreement was murmured by several voices. There was, it seemed, one objector. A short square-looking man whose bright red tie was a near match for his flushed cheeks shook his head vehemently. “This is not your project, Ms. Gregoravitch. You and your father cannot dictate terms of our own venture.” The man’s French was stilted and had a strong German accent.

  Her eyes lost their passive expression. The azure regard narrowed and she shook her head. Stupid little fool, she thought. “You came to us, Herr Bauer. You came to us for our help. We have offered it. If you refuse to take it, we will simply sit by and watch you fail. Once that happens we will gladly move in and offer to finish what you have started. That way we reap all the profits. This way you maintain a portion for yourselves no matter what happens. The choice is yours.

  “Gentlemen, most of you have done business with our family in years past. You know us and you know we are honest but we are not to be taken advantage of. When you and your Board have made your decision, kindly contact my father or brother. I will be out of reach for a while but not before I relay the events of this meeting to them.”

  “Yes, Ms. Gregoravitch,” the oldest of the men rushed to assure her. His voice broke with obvious embarrassment.

  Kira smiled at the men before her. “Forester. Mrs. Forester.”

  The man continued in a conciliatory tone, “Mrs. Forester, we will be in contact very soon, I promise. Allow me to extend my congratulations on behalf of myself and our Board.”

  Kira tapped the touch pad to terminate the call rather firmly. The screens blinked off and the phone went silent. “That’ll shut him up,” she huffed at the computer.

  “And exactly who are we shutting up?” Evan eyed her warily.

  “Bauer. He’s a German businessman who is a waste of oxygen.” She flipped her hand in Evan’s direction and stood up. Her face changed as she looked at him. It became soft and welcoming. “You don’t want to hear about that, Evan. It’s just business.”

  “Try me,” he said, frowning. Kira tilted her head to one side. What was bothering him? He was uneasy suddenly and the unease was growing.

  “The last time I was in Paris, a month or so ago, I handled a bit of business for Father. Mr. Bauer decided he didn’t like the contract and was trying to tell my father I had misrepresented the terms. Damned fool actually tried to blame it on a language barrier.” She frowned to herself. Her German was better than Bauer’s, even if he had been born in Munich. And her French! The man was basically unintelligible in that language.

  “I see.” His tone said he didn’t.

  “Evan, what’s wrong?” Kira could feel his discomfort radiating up the bond. More than discomfort. Concern.

  “I thought you were the archivist. Why is an archivist brokering deals in Paris?” Not for the first time, it occurred to him he knew almost nothing about her life other than the bits he had been deliberately shown.

  “I am the Family’s archivist. But I am a Gregoravitch. Ours is a family business,” Kira answered.

  “I know your family runs Gregoravitch International. But I didn’t realize you were so involved in the business.” Evan could almost hear Marcus’ laughter in his head. Evan really stepped in it big this time. Aw, was it your kind eyes that captured her heart…and her wallet? Yeah, Marcus would have a field day and Seth would be right behind him. “How wealthy are you?” Evan said bluntly.

  His face looked drawn and almost angry but Kira didn’t understand why. “How wealthy are we, Evan. What is mine is yours. Is that not the way of things in your world?” She watched his face carefully, uncomfortable with the level of disquiet she sensed from him through the bond.

  “I make my own way. If you’re my wife, you will share that way. I won’t be beholden to your family for everything we have.” He spoke softly but earnestly.

  Her eyes widened in surprise. “That has got to be the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard you say.”

  He hated the embarrassment he felt but it was there. His mother was not born to a gifted family but was a wild mage, a genetic anomaly caused by some long forgotten ancestor. The gifted genes had slept in her family’s blood, dormant, for generations. So many generations they’d forgotten things like magic and dark creatures existed. She’d always railed against the male dominated stranglehold of the gifted. Feminism had not yet cracked the crystal ceiling. She’d be furious at him right now. The last time he said something like this she made him work at the local women’s shelter for three weeks. He still donated to them and their little garden grew as miraculously as he could manage without drawing attention to it. But…

  “Kira, it’s different in my world. If I were seen to be financially dependent upon you…the world of the mage is still very patriarchal. I know of only five women who lead circles and not one woman stands in the conclave’s masters’ circle.” Evan felt her anger at his words growing. “My master hoped Cassie would be the first.”

  Evan was stunned by the rage and jealousy his last words sparked. Her blue eyes narrowed and her hands balled into fists. Her fury slammed into him through their link. “It is our money. All I am and have I’ve given to you. Is that not enough? What you would take from your Cassandra, you will not take from your mate? It would have been acceptable to you to stand second to your Cassandra but not to me even if it were simply a mistaken impression?”

  “That’s different,” he said, shaking his head. His mind scrambled for a way to make her understand. “Cassie would have earned that right…”

  “And I’ve earned everything I have,” she snapped. Evan stepped back a pace and watched her face. Alexi had been right. She was frightening when she was truly angry. Angry and hurt. “Evan Forester, I’ve earned every penny in my accounts. For more than two hundred years I’ve worked for my family. At first, filling strategic places at the courts of kings and queens, then courting and winning the regard of heads of state. I fought against that stupid human idea that women could not lead, could not hold power. And I thought that I and others like me had won. That I had won not just for myself but for everyone. Now my own mate looks down his nose at me and what I have earned. He cannot even be proud of me?”

  “That’s not what I meant, I am proud of you.” He sighed. His pride ached and he could imagine what Marcus and Seth would say but she was right, he’d known she was well off. What was it about seeing her in this element that made it matter to him? Perhaps that she was so successful at her life without him, while he hardly counted himself relevant? His mother’s voice in his head finally drowned out the imagined voices of his friends and made him feel guilty. He closed the distance between them and reached for her. She stepped backward, not ready to surrender her righteous anger. Her rebuff
of his gesture irritated him. The wolf in him argued that he should appease her. As loudly as it growled for him to take dominance over others, it whimpered for him to placate her. “Kira,” he sighed the word, pushing down his own agitation but knowing she could feel it all the same. “I am proud of you. I am proud to stand beside you.”

  “And if you had to stand below me?” The anger was tempered by tension that filled not just the bond between them but her voice as well. “If I were to become Alpha, would you stand second to me, Evan?”

  Her question surprised him. He’d never thought about her becoming Alpha. “Kira, if anything ever happened to Alexi and you became Alpha, of course I’d support you. That’s not the same as the issue of money…”

  “Alexi?” The shock on her face as much as her abrupt cry, stopped his words. “Alexi?”

  Evan frowned. “What have I gotten wrong now? I swear I’m getting sick and tired of everyone expecting me to know things and then being annoyed or condescending when I don’t.” His voice carried a snap that made her blink. “You know you didn’t exactly hand me the rule book when I arrived. You’ve kept your world a deliberate secret for millennia but I’m expected to just intuit it all. Sorry, Kira but your mate just isn’t that smart.”

  Kira took a deep breath. This was hard for him too, she reminded herself. To this point it had been all him, all about Evan making changes and adjusting to the world in which she lived. She had, just as he said, expected he knew and understood. She thought he knew how the line of ascension worked in the Wolf world. But he was right. They had hidden from the outside for so long now there was no way he could know. In a way that caused her some guilt, his ignorance made her feel better. There was a lot these gadje didn’t know about them. Stunned by her own thoughts she stopped. These gadje? It was obvious who was failing these first steps of assimilation and it wasn’t Evan.