Now she couldn’t imagine living without them.
“They let you out alone here? Smelling that ripe?” A man’s gruff voice asked from the darkness. She jumped to her feet and saw a man in blue jeans and a leather jacket step forth into the soft light the moonlight afforded. She didn’t recognize him, but she didn’t know all the wolves.
“Who are you?”
“My name is Gareth. I remember you. You’re the one mated to Kyle and Jake. We’ve met before, at SpiralStone. I was with the wolves that came after Kyle.”
“You’re Hagalaz.” Pure fear shot through her entire system but she held her ground. She knew it was pointless to run.
“Yes, but I’m not going to hurt you. I’ve come a long way to deliver a message, but I’ve been unable to get past the Uruz defenses until tonight.” He sniffed the air. “Everyone is up at the clanhall is my guess.”
“Yes.”
“Listen, I know you have no reason to believe me, but I’m here as an envoy of peace. Not all the Hagalaz are with our half-mad leader. Bane is up to something really stupid, and some of us have had it. We want out, and we need help.”
“I have no power to help you. I’m just—”
“I know. You’re human. But not too long from now, your mates are going to come charging out here after you.”
“How do you know that?”
“If your fear of me doesn’t bring them out here, when I approach more closely, they’ll smell me.”
“And why are you here again? Why are you willing to risk what a hall full of wolves will do to you?”
He was close enough for her to see his eyes, and she saw a sadness in Gareth. “Because this conflict has to end.”
“We’re in agreement. So why you?”
“I followed along with my pack, my Alpha. Bane seemed to have the right idea and I believed in him. I betrayed the woman I love because I believed my Alpha was in the right. And months ago, Bane sent us out to fight for the Fae lord. So many of us died, including my father. I had to watch my mother go mad from grief. I listened to the screaming of the others whose mates had died. And our Alpha wouldn’t stop. He’s planning something else. He sent someone else up to Minneapolis to gain some kind of magical weapon. My cousin followed him to try and stop the transaction from happening but one of the Uruz ended up in the middle of it.”
“That’s how I ended up here. Long story.”
He nodded. “My cousin went north and I came here to try and speak to the Uruz. I’ve been waiting on the outskirts watching all day for an opportunity. All I want is the chance to speak to them.”
“They are going to tear you apart. They are not happy campers in there.”
“Probably. But, it’s better than going home. It’s better than listening to my mother cry. And it’s better than living one more day knowing I betrayed the woman who should have been my mate.” He lifted his head. “Here they come.”
She could feel them, the surge of adrenaline. Jake and Kyle raced into the clearing in wolf form and flanked her, growling at the Hagalaz.
“Jake, Kyle, Gareth didn’t try to hurt me.”
Jake shifted back. He was only wearing his jeans; she knew he must be worked up if he had lost some of his clothes in the transformation. Though she had to bite back a laugh; he’d kept the suspenders.
“Hagalaz!” he shouted.
“Jake, he says he’s an envoy.”
“He tried to kill you. He was there at SpiralStone.”
Kyle let out a vicious snarl at Gareth. The sound was still a little terrifying for her, given that in wolf form she thought Kyle and Jake were the size of small ponies.
“Gareth says there are Hagalaz who want to defect. Wouldn’t it be better to hear him out first?”
Jake growled and looked at Gareth. “Why are you here?”
“My father died working for a Fae lord as a mercenary. My mother went mad, and other mates went mad and died after the battle. And Bane will not stop. Not all of us stand by him. Not anymore. Some of us want peace. Please, just hear me out. We can’t do this alone.”
“Shit.” Jake looked over his shoulder.
“What?”
“They’re coming,” Jake looked back at Gareth.
Ellie could hear the wolves baying. “Jake, this could bring peace. We can’t let them kill Gareth. What can we do?”
“Take me prisoner,” Gareth said, stepping toward Ellie. Kyle jerked forward, snapping at him. Gareth held up his hands in peace. “Quick, subdue me or—”
She heard the low snarling and the thump of paws racing through the snow and then there was a rush of air beside her before another huge wolf leaped onto Gareth.
“Fuck! That’s Matthew,” Jake said as he guided Ellie backward from the fight.
“Well, stop him! He’s going to kill Gareth and then this whole peace process blows up!”
By then the other wolves had arrived. Some stayed in wolf form, others shifted back, including Cassia.
“Cassia, please! He’s here as an envoy.”
Cassia’s eyes were strangely wide. “Is that Gareth?” she asked weakly.
“You know him?”
She didn’t respond; her body was frozen in place as she watched the battling wolves. “Kyle, Jake, you have to stop this!”
“Shit. He’s an Alpha. He’s…fuck. Kyle,” Jake and Kyle met eyes, and she saw Kyle nod once in agreement. Jake shifted back and the two of them launched onto the wolves. The already terrible sound of snarling and fighting got worse, and the watching shifters made an almost collective gasp at the interference. Ellie wondered what kind of trouble Jake and Kyle would be in.
Cassia finally snapped out of it and began muttering something rhythmic until Ellie realized she was chanting some kind of spell. Ellie felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise up the same as they had when Moira had summoned the storm. Rocking back and forth, Cassia’s eyes had gone amber. Her singing increased in volume and she was almost singing along with the fighting wolves until she stepped closer to them. “Cease!” she cried out. She circled them, singing, and Ellie saw an amber glow encompass the wolves until all four of them howled and began to shift back. Jake and Kyle, half clothed, both pulled Matthew back from Gareth by the arms. Matthew was shouting and swearing at the both of them.
Cassia knelt down next to Gareth. He was naked in the snow, bleeding from the wounds he’d suffered.
“How dare you!” Matthew finally stood up. “You attacked one of your own to protect a Hagalaz! You have broken pack law.” Jake and Kyle backed up, still standing between Matthew and Gareth.
Kyle panted. “He is here as an envoy. We need to listen to what he has to say.”
“He’s Hagalaz. It’s a trick.”
“There’s only one of him,” Ellie said. “Why would he risk death coming into enemy territory?”
Matthew turned on her. “You are a bad influence on these two. And on this pack.”
“You’re pissed off and you’re making bad decisions. Listen to what Gareth has to say and then say that again.”
Matthew’s jaw actually dropped.
Taggert came closer to her. “Look, you little bitch. I don’t care how much these two like burying themselves in your pussy. You’re not a wolf. You’ll never be a wolf, and you don’t belong here.”
Jake gave Ellie a stricken look, and she knew all along this had been why they’d kept her from the pack. They were worried she’d be treated like this. Kyle rounded on Taggert but before they could do anything, Ellie said, “Are you always this much of an asshole? If so, no wonder you don’t have a mate.”
Both Jake and Kyle looked at her, a little stunned. Some of the other wolves let out laughs.
“He’ll be all right,” Cassia said softly from the ground. She had been murmuring healing spells, and Gareth stirred. Cassia looked drawn, exhausted.
“Matthew,” Gareth rasped. “I am here in peace. I swear it to you. My father died, my mother went insane from grieving. I cannot stand the we
eping of the mates left behind. The ones who survived the initial grief. I followed Bane, I believed in him, but he has broken faith. He’s gone mad. He’s putting us all at risk. Not all the Hagalaz support him. We need help to break away. Please.”
Matthew let out a roar of such fierceness Ellie blanched.
His eyes still gold, his teeth still run out, Matthew turned to his shaman. “What say you, Cassia?”
Ellie couldn’t miss the tender way Cassia had held Gareth, the way she looked at him now. “I’ve known Gareth a long time. He’s not a liar. He has a temper, and he has done horrific things in the name of following Bane, but he’s here in good faith.”
Gareth leaned over and shuddered, shifting back into wolf form, then back to human form in his clothes. Cassia stood and offered him a hand up.
“What is he to you?” Matthew asked. Ellie heard something in his voice and she wondered if Matthew and Cassia had been together. Matthew sounded jealous, though it was subtle.
Cassia’s cheeks pinked. “He’s my mate. Or he would have been, if he’d forsaken the Hagalaz or if I’d have forsaken Uruz. I couldn’t go with him and support Bane’s atrocities. He wouldn’t abandon his Alpha.”
“You gave up your chance for a mate, for children. You never told me.” For all that he’d been a jerk, Ellie couldn’t help but feel sorry for Matthew, for the pain she heard in his voice.
“It wasn’t your business ‘til this moment. I know Gareth’s mind, even if we parted in anger. He is speaking truth. This could be an end to the conflict.”
Matthew sighed and ran both hands through his hair. “Let us reconvene in the hall. Perhaps a meal before we continue in order to give Gareth some time to recover. We’ll listen to what Gareth has to say.” The crowd began to disperse, heading back to the hall.
Ellie looked over at Cassia and Gareth. The big shifter was holding both of the shaman’s hands and leaning his forehead down to hers. Ellie’s eyes teared up at the sight of the two of them.
Matthew cleared his throat.
“Yes, of course,” Cassia said. “Gareth, are you well enough?”
“I told you, I am fine.”
Visibly gritting his teeth, Matthew turned from them both. “I think we can finish up rather quickly so the two of you can get…reacquainted.” Matthew turned to Jake and Kyle. “You two defied pack law. It was for a good reason, but you still defied our laws.”
Jake and Kyle both nodded slowly.
“I’m beginning to think your earlier assessment is correct,” Matthew said.
“And that would be?” Jake asked.
“You should go back to your human lives.”
Kyle sucked in a breath. “Are you exiling us?”
“You’ve been exiled before as a punishment for breaking pack law before. You slept with a Hagalaz without permission from their Alpha, and your recklessness almost got you and Jake killed. And your mate. You are too impulsive, Kyle.” Matthew let out a growl, clearly frustrated. Ellie saw a vein in his forehead still pulsing. “I’m not going to formally exile you. With what is going on with the Hagalaz—that would be imprudent. But I do not want you living here. Not among us. I will speak to the other Uruz Alphas at the other clanholdings on this to seek their counsel and agreement on this as well. You can still call on us if needed, but you cannot live among us until you can show that you respect pack law.”
Kyle was trembling but stood his ground.
“We will still render aid, of course.” Jake said.
Matthew nodded. “Taggert, though he has been a rude lout about it, probably owes you his life. And we owe you for bringing us this important information. But I don’t think you and your human mate will find it comfortable living among us.”
“Maybe later. When we have kids. If that happens.” Ellie said this at a whisper, but Matthew’s tense posture relaxed just a bit. He gave her a soft smile and nodded.
“If you are so blessed, and you need the protection of the pack, that would be a time we would reconsider this judgment.”
Ellie kind of bristled at the royal “we” but she held her tongue. She’d already spoken her mind on the matter.
“You’re welcome to stay for the remainder of the meeting, if you’d like. Or go, it’s your decision. And Kyle,” Matthew placed a hand on Kyle’s shoulder. “I’ve been hard on you in the past. You lack control. But you’re one of the strongest wolves in the pack. Don’t forget it.” He turned and left them.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Finally it was just the three of them in the clearing.
Kyle gritted his teeth and shifted again. Jake followed him and they reformed with their clothing. “You know, someday I want to understand the physics of how your transformation works.”
“I’m know, babe.” Jake held her tightly in his arms.
“Did you guys get hurt? Are you ok?”
“Just scratches. We’re fine.”
“Kyle, what about you?”
He shook his head. “I definitely was not expecting…all of this.”
“I’m sorry if I got you in trouble.”
“No, sweet. You did the right thing. We did the right thing.” Kyle stretched out. “This really went sideways.”
“You were both worried about me being exposed to the pack because of this.”
“Sort of.” Jake released her from his embrace. “We knew there would be teasing and some disgruntlement from some of them. Teasing because you’re human, because there are three of us. Disgruntlement because we don’t live amongst the pack and we aren’t immediately trying to pop out babies. We didn’t want to subject you to all of it.”
“Are you sure you aren’t part wolf?” Kyle asked, moving closer to slide his arm around her waist. “I’ve seen wolves who wouldn’t hold their ground like you did.”
Ellie finally realized she was shaking in the aftermath of all the adrenaline. “I was worried I was going to piss you off. But I just couldn’t take how they were being assholes another minute.”
“Oh, they were definitely being assholes. They’ll respect you for standing up to them, even if you pissed a few people off.”
“Do you two want to stay for the meeting?”
“I kind of do. But, at the same time, I trust things will work out now that they have Gareth, and if they need our help, they can call us.”
“Let’s get the fuck out of here,” Jake finally said. “I don’t want anyone changing their mind on us.”
Kyle and Jake guided her back to the parking lot. Ellie tossed the car keys to Kyle so he could warm up the car while Jake headed for the cabin. “I’ll get the suitcase into the car.”
“Do you need anything before we go?” Kyle asked. “We can grab some food from the kitchen—”
Ellie shook her head. “I agree with Jake. Let’s just get into the car and go before someone else tries to make us stay.”
“Hon, it’s fine. We’re fine.”
“I just want out of here.” She shivered. “I stood my ground and all that is great, and now I just want out.”
“Ok, sweetheart.” Kyle pulled her closer and kissed her.
Jake popped the suitcase into the trunk. “Why don’t you take the back seat. Do you think you can sleep some more?”
“I could sleep for a week,” she murmured. She’d been running on fumes for the past weeks. “Are you sure you two are ok? I slept half the day, and last night during the drive.”
“We’ll be fine, babe. We got a nap, that’s enough for us wolves. And Jake will take over if I get tired. Right now I’m kind of wired.”
“Yeah, I can imagine.”
Ellie curled up on the back seat. Her thoughts were spinning for a long while and she was sure she’d never sleep, but the rhythm of the car was enough for her to drift off. She was surprised when Jake woke her. “Pit stop?” she asked.
He grinned. “No, sleepyhead. We’re home.”
“Already?”
He rolled his eyes. “You passed out. I’m glad you got rest. I didn
’t realize how tired you were after this week.”
She yawned and stretched. Jake pulled her out of the car and into his arms, nuzzling softly at her neck. Ellie sighed and leaned into his embrace. “I can’t believe how close we came to—”
“It’s all right. We weren’t going to let anything happen to you.”
“We promised,” Kyle said, drawing up behind her to nuzzle at the other side of her neck.
She whimpered at the feel of both of them against her and her ass collided with Kyle’s erection.
“I think we have some unfinished business.”
“Into the house,” Kyle growled.
“I’ll get the suitcase.”
Kyle and Jake ushered her into the vestibule of the apartment. Ellie’s eyes fell on a large cardboard box with her name on it and she let out a squeal in joy.
“What?”
“Are you ok?”
“I’m fine. I was waiting for this.” She raced forward to clutch the box to her chest.
“What’s in it?”
“You’ll see.”
Kyle unlocked the apartment door and Ellie raced into the bathroom. “You guys stay out there.”
~* * *~
Kyke and Jake were left with their jaws dropped. They looked at each other, and then heard the shower turn on. Jake shrugged and flopped down onto the couch, and Kyle joined him. “Must be important,” Kyle muttered, shutting his eyes.
Jake dozed, waking at the sound of the door. Kyle lifted his head and the both of them heard Ellie’s footstep. He turned to her and his eyes went wide.
“What…what is that?”
“You once told me,” Ellie said with a particularly saucy smile, “That if I ever dressed up as Little Red Riding Hood, neither of you would be responsible for your actions. So I did a little shopping,” she caressed her hand down the red cloak, “and I had my friend Jenny in the costuming department make this up for me as a Valentine’s Day present for the two of you.” She pouted. “But the two of you pounced on me early and it wasn’t ready.”
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