by SJ Himes
He passed the council house, the large stone and wood building locked up until this summer’s gathering. A memory came upon him, fast. Kane sat again in that building, surrounded by cubs, as one in particular flirted with him, all sweet giggles and smart answers. He paused briefly, eyeing the structure, memories threatening to again overwhelm. He was prepared for it this time and pushed the grief away. He took to the path again, resisting the urge to look back.
Kane knocked on the front door of Andromeda’s cabin, and it was opened by a young female, her light blue eyes and blonde hair proclaiming her to be one of the Clan Leader’s descendants. She was clad in a dress identical to the one Andromeda had worn the day before, only lighter in color. She looked too young to be a daughter, so she must be a grandchild, or even a great-granddaughter.
“Greetings, child. I am Kane of Black Pine. May I come in?” he asked politely, smiling. He didn’t want to intimidate her, and she blushed prettily at him in return. His smile grew, as she plainly was not afraid of him, her blue eyes twinkling.
“Let him in, Helen,” Andromeda called down from where she was standing on the landing between the first and second floors. The young beta ducked her head and opened the door wider, gesturing for him to enter with a slim hand. She was small, and so similar to her ancestress, Kane couldn’t help but nod back, enchanted. Again with the blush and a giggle.
Young Helen shut the door, and he took off his jacket, which she took without a word. Andromeda watched, her keen eyes tracking him as he smiled at the little one in thanks before heading for the stairs. He heard another giggle and caught a glimpse of the young one darting off towards the kitchen. He looked back up at Andromeda as he climbed the stairs and swallowed nervously at her stern expression.
“Don’t make her fall in love with you, youngling. Your smiles are potent. If I didn’t already know you preferred males, I’d box your ears.” He stopped a couple of steps away, and found he was at a loss for words. He couldn’t help it; wolves either gravitated to him, or stayed away. There was no in between, the power and allure of an alpha both blessing and curse. He probably shouldn’t have smiled at her so much, though, feeling a little bit guilty.
“My apologies, Andromeda. She is beautiful, like her ancestress.” Charm never hurt, and he had plenty when he wanted to use it. He meant his apology, since first loves were always painful, and he didn’t want to make anyone’s life harder. He had no inclination to be someone’s unrequited love interest.
She snorted lightly, but her cheeks tinged with pink at the compliment. “Obvious that she’s one of mine, isn’t it? Father’s blood breeds true, even generations later.”
She gestured for Kane to follow, and she led him up the stairs to the second floor. She was wearing a dress again, the same type as the day before, barefoot and elegant. She turned down one of the halls that branched off the top landing, heading towards the back of the large cabin.
“Daughter?” Kane asked politely, hoping flattery would further soften the older wolf. She gave him a small smile, seeing right through him, but she answered anyway.
“Helen is the youngest of my great-great-grandchildren. She is fifteen years old, a newborn the last time you were here in Baxter. She found her wolf-form about a month ago, and did it seamlessly.” He followed quietly behind her, hands clasped behind his back, head down, doing to his best to keep her talking, sharing. Wolves loved to talk of their children, and Andromeda was no exception. To mention that her descendent found her wolf-form with ease was a major point of pride in her lineage; most cubs found their wolf-forms through a painful, messy ordeal that lasted for hours, even days if an alpha couldn’t be found with the Voice to force the process along. “Her mother let me name her, and she was the most beautiful baby I had ever seen when she was born, so Helen was appropriate.”
He raised a brow at her in question, and she smiled ruefully, shaking her head as they neared the end of the hall and the last door. “I named her for Helen of Troy, youngling. Caius has much to answer for at the apparent holes in your education.”
He grinned at her, thinking she might be right, and she opened the door. If it wasn’t wolfkin history, he had little experience with it. The scent of fear swamped him, and he stepped back, instinctively looking for the threat that warranted such alarm from the wolves in the room. His eyes took in the two wolves present, neither of them the cubs. A young male, about twenty years of age, and grown female, who could be an older sister or his mother. They were both dark-haired, with golden skin and bright green eyes. They looked like Heromindes, and the Alpha’s quick agreement with the plan to get the Suarez wolves out of Worcester to a safer location made a lot more sense. They must be blood-kin.
He saw nothing in the room to warrant their fear, which held a few couches and chairs, a sitting room of some kind that opened up to a balcony that overlooked the same view the kitchen had downstairs, just better. The smell of fear was coming from the Suarez wolves, and the young male stood in front of the female, hands clenched at his sides, eyes glowing as his wilder nature neared the surface. It was the reaction of a wounded beast, and Kane held still, not entering the room.
This was the young alpha, the only alpha of the Suarez wolves to be recovered from the apartment complex. The other alphas, his father and uncles, were missing still. He was covered with bruises and healing cuts, evidence of a severe beating on his lanky body, still thin and with the angles of youth. This young one was too young for Kane to sense if he were a lesser or greater alpha, his abilities not yet fully matured. He was brave, to face down an older, bigger alpha, and Kane met his eyes, unblinking. He would not harm this young one, but he would not tolerate defiance, either. The young alpha must accept that Kane meant them no harm, and then they could begin. He stepped over the threshold, Andromeda moving away, standing against the back wall, waiting. She would not interfere, understanding what Kane must do.
The young alpha growled softly, nervous, fists growing claws, and the female he blocked from Kane’s view put a hand on his arm, as if trying to soothe or restrain. Kane took another step, and again, calm, relaxed, showing he was not affected by the aggression from the smaller male. He was over a foot taller and looked down at the glowing green eyes that held more fear than fight. This wolf was wounded, hurt in ways that Kane saw as shadows hidden deep in the green orbs. He saw a shattered innocence that made him angry, angrier than he’d been in a long time, but he held it back, not letting on he was anything but in control. He could sense the pain and misery under the bravado, and he remained impassive, waiting, his heart breaking. He would not show it, not yet. This wolf needed strength from another alpha, from a power outside of himself. He was lost in his fear and agony, without anchor.
Kane knew he won the brief battle of wills when the young alpha’s eyes filled with tears, the glow fading. His chin ducked down, his bangs hiding his face, and his shoulders drooped in defeat. Kane sighed, and slowly lifted his right hand, moving carefully, so as not to startle the other wolfkin. He brushed away a stray tear that glistened on a bruised cheekbone, being careful not to hurt. He ran his fingers through the youngling’s long black hair, firmly gripping, and tugged him forward. There was no fight in him, and the younger alpha launched himself at Kane’s chest, sobbing. Kane wrapped both arms around the shaking boy and let him cry. This was a morning for tears, it seemed, and Kane fought back his own. This was release for the boy, one Kane suspected would be the first of many tearful episodes to come.
BURKE TRAILED after Sophia, her paws splayed wide as she ran over the snow, kicking it up behind her as she followed a thin game trail through the trees. Her size let her move faster over the recent accumulation, and she had several strides on him. Burke was bigger, and heavier, and he had to work harder to keep up in the wet, dense snow cover. She wasn’t that far ahead of him, and the others were farther behind Burke. They didn’t let the distance get too great, mindful of the safety in numbers, and Kane�
�s edict.
He felt Kane in the back of his mind, not deep enough to speak, but there in case of need. Kane was always there, and Burke was glad for it. The other alpha was the only one Burke was comfortable letting in on such an intimate level, and Kane was the wolf to have on standby if something happened. Burke wasn’t expecting this patrol to turn up anything, as the lady Andromeda and her Red Fern wolves were serious about protecting their territory. Several of her wolves were patrolling the other borders of the park, and he had very politely initiated a discreet mental link to the betas in charge, keeping tabs on their progress so he would know if they came across anything worth noting.
*I’m not a fan of snow, but it is gorgeous here, don’t you think?* Sophia whispered to him, sending him a sly look over her shoulder before she took a hairpin turn around a fallen tree, heading downhill towards the river.
They were heading for the place where the river entered the park, a span of narrow valleys and hidden clearings, and several older cabins used by hunters during the appropriate season. No hunting was allowed in the interior of the park, attributed to the cabins and the humans’ laws pertaining to firing a weapon near places other humans dwelled, but it happened on occasion that hunters broke that rule and wandered deeper into the park. Andromeda had said the outlying cabins were clear, but that was two days ago, and humans were known to break their laws often and without remorse; so the empty cabins could become occupied anytime.
*Snow doesn’t bother me. We live in Maine after all, it would be horrible if it did.* Burke replied, and he put on a burst of speed, the cold air making his teeth ache as he breathed fast, coming abreast of her hindquarters as she slowed her pace. They were near the river. Burke heard the rushing waters that even February temperatures couldn’t freeze, and the smell of small creatures taking advantage of the free-flowing water. Squirrels, rabbits, and somewhere nearby, some muskrats. They were chewy and smelled like wet grass, and Burke’s stomach rumbled as he and Sophia cleared the trees, coming out onto the bank of the river where it flattened out into a snow covered rocky beach.
*Think we can take the time to get a snack?* Sophia must have heard his stomach complain, and he gave her a toothy grin as she sent him an image of a large muskrat with hunger undertones. The other wolves soon joined them, a handful of mixed company, two Red Fern and two Black Pine betas. Burke sent them a wordless message to rest but stay alert and sniff out some river rats if they were hungry.
Tiny prints in the snow revealed the constant traffic of other animals, and Burke trailed them with his nose to the ground, following the nutty and warm scent of a very large squirrel back towards the trees. Sophia was doing the same a few feet away, heading further upstream. He heard a squeak and the snap of powerful jaws a second later, and he looked up to see Sophia settle down to eat a brown rodent. She sent him a wink, a hilarious and difficult action in wolf-form, and he grumbled back, nose to the ground as he sought out his own snack.
GHOST WATCHED as Glen cleaned his gun, the weapon broken down on the kitchen table. He sneezed as the scent of the chemical cleaner crept into his nose again.
Cat was sitting beside the hearth, a fire burning in the grate, her laptop on her knees. She had something she called a satellite link, and she was doing research. Glen wanted her to check police reports for any news about the sanctuary, and both humans got extremely worried when she hadn’t found anything. That sounded weird even to Ghost, since humans made a big deal about other humans killing each other and two men were dead. All Glen said was for Cat to keep checking, and Ghost paced.
He sighed, bored and nervous, wondering why he was in the cabin when his people could be just outside of reach, and all he needed was to run out there and look. He glanced again to the door, latched and locked, the snow falling in sporadic bursts visible through the windows. He was terrified, and he didn’t know why. The night before he thought he heard howling, a distant chorus of many voices that rose toward the cloud cover. He hadn’t left the cabin, shaking on the floor beside the bed where his humans slept. The cries never sounded again, and he went back to sleep, ears pointing towards the door, almost willing to hear them call out again.
Finally, the odor got to be too much, and Ghost sneezed again, shaking out his coat. Glen sent him a sympathetic smile, which quickly turned to alarm as Ghost padded over to the door.
“Whoa buddy, where do you think you’re going?” Glen called out, standing up, pieces of his weapon in hand.
Ghost snorted at the implication he couldn’t take care of himself, and looked at the door. The lock clicked open and the handle turned, and Cat gave a little gasp as the door swung in, snowflakes finding entrance on the breeze. Ghost hadn’t touched a thing to open it, and he walked out on the porch.
“Guess we know how he opened doors the last few years….” he heard Glen murmur before his attention was captured by the view outside the cabin.
The snow wasn’t really falling so much as misting about; buffeted by the wind running through the trees. He snorted, clearing his nose of the harsh chemical, and breathed deep. Clean air, snow, and pine sap invigorated him. His humans came to the doorway behind him, and he looked at them over his shoulder. He whined and shifted on his feet. He wanted to go, but he wanted to stay. He was torn, and he didn’t know what to do.
He yelped when a boot landed on his rear, pushing him off the porch and out into the snow. He spun, growling, and sniffed in disdain when he saw the grin lighting up Glen’s face. He wasn’t hurt, and Cat was laughing quietly.
“Go on. I’m surprised you lasted this long without traipsing out there looking for your family.” Glen waved out towards the mountains, making shooing motions with his hands. “Go on! We’ll be fine here, we’re not going anywhere. I’ve got my gun, and we won’t leave the cabin. Go see if your people are here, and if they’re friendly, bring them back for a visit.”
Ghost wagged his tail once, surprised. Cat was nodding, albeit nervously, but his human alpha didn’t look concerned at all. And he didn’t know what his reception would be, much less how his people might react to him claiming the humans as his packmates.
“Go on, Ghost,” Cat sniffled, but she held back her tears. “Just come back.”
He whined gently, agreeing. He would come back for his humans. They were the only family he had, regardless of who may be out there among the trees.
Ghost went, choosing a direction randomly. He didn’t hear the door shut as he went, and he could feel his humans watching him as he entered the forest.
“I WAS AT school, Sir. I don’t remember seeing them, the strange wolves, before they came for us that night,” the young alpha, who went by Gabe, told him as they sat around the coffee table in Andromeda’s sitting room. Coffee and tea and platters of what remained of their brunch covered the low oak table, and Andromeda had left them a while ago, after making certain Kane and the Suarez wolves would be all right alone.
Kane was sitting in an armchair, across from Gabe and the female who had indeed turned out to be his mother. She held her son’s hand, not speaking, seeming to receive just as much comfort from his hand as he did hers. Kane hadn’t pressed her for her name, as she was obviously frightened of him, not attempting eye contact or even looking at him, which was worrisome after he let her son cry on his chest for nearly an hour. He didn’t push though, knowing she was wounded by her ordeal as well, and he let her be. It turned out that the other youngsters they’d rescued in Worcester were still too traumatized to talk to Kane, and River was adamant they experience zero stress, so that just left Gabe and his mother.
The young alpha had pulled himself together fairly quickly after his tears dried, and was willing to talk to Kane, sharing what he remembered of their abduction.
“You never saw the wolves who took you? Who reported them to the Ashland Alpha?” Kane leaned forward, hands on his knees. The female shrunk back, but the young male was no longer afraid of him, an
d remained still. Gabe shook his head regretfully, and sighed.
“Sir, that would be my father and my uncles. I was at school in Boston, and I came home the night before we were all taken because my dad asked me to come back,” Gabe explained, biting his lower lip, eyes haunted. “He was certain we were about to be Challenged for our territory, and he wanted everyone home in case the strangers made a move on us.”
“They did, in a way. They just wanted your family, not the territory. Tell me about the night they took you.”
Gabe drew in a deep breath, both his hands now holding his mother’s, and he looked down at his lap. His mother gripped their fingers tighter, and he set his shoulders, sitting up straight. Kane gave him a nod of approval, and the younger alpha spoke.
“My dad, my two uncles and most of my cousins were all at our place, discussing what we were going to do about the strange wolves. We’d reported the interlopers to our distant cousin, the Clan Leader of Ashland, and he was sending wolves to help us deal with them.” Kane nodded, his guess that Heromindes was related to the Suarez wolves confirmed. Gabe drew another breath, and continued. “It was after supper, and we were in the TV room. It’s the largest room in the house, with big windows facing the street. We had just finished talking, and getting ready to watch a movie…. when….” Another breath, and he went on... “When the windows shattered, and these big metal objects landed in the room. We all jumped up, thinking it was humans vandalizing, but then the metal things exploded.”
Gabe visibly had to collect himself, tears pooling in his expressive eyes, mouth tightened by fear and remembered pain. His mother was completely withdrawn, almost hiding behind her son, her face buried in the back of his shoulder. She was young to be a mother, and she looked no older than her son. It was becoming very apparent that she was with her son not for his sake, but hers, and he was meeting with Kane with his mother present only because she couldn’t function without him with her. His heart broke for her, and he prayed that her mate, the boy’s father, was still alive. He and his two brothers, the older alphas of the Suarez family, were not among those recovered by Kane and his team.
