Wolf of the Northern Star (The Wolfkin Saga Book 2)

by SJ Himes

  “Ham or turkey?” Sophia snapped out, and he sighed loudly. She could damn near hear him rolling his eyes. A chuckle at the door made her look up.

  Gerald gave her a small smile as he eyed Royrick warily. Royrick gave Gerald a thorough once-over, making Sophia bristle and Gerald pale. “Roy, leave him alone. Gerry, you want a sandwich?”

  Gerald tore his eyes away from the frowning clan leader, and walked over to stand beside her. “Turkey, please. No mustard.”

  Sophia slapped the sandwich together and handed it to Gerald on a plate. Gerald flushed, taking it from her while watching Royrick from the corner of his eye. “I’ll just go,” Gerald said quietly, his courage failing him when confronted by Royrick’s displeasure. “Thank you for the sandwich.”

  She snapped out her hand, catching Gerald by the wrist and holding him in place. “Stay right here.” He was startled, but all he did was nod, confused. She dropped her hand and marched to Royrick, stopping a foot away. He towered over her, always had, but she never let it get to her. Royrick was a brat, but he never resorted to violence or laid a hand on her she didn’t invite. His eyes sparkled at her, a small smile lifting one side of his lush mouth. She resisted the urge to sigh and run her fingers over his chin. They hadn’t been a pair for a very long time.

  “Leave Gerry alone,” she ordered, uncaring she was bossing around a clan leader. She knew where he was ticklish and the fact he was frightened by spiders. No mystery left to intimidate her. “He’s part of my pack, my family, and he’s mine.”

  “Yours? Does Kane know you’ve claimed Caius’ castoff?” Royrick frowned.

  Sophia growled. She could damn near feel the misery that rolled off Gerald at Royrick’s callous words. She lifted a finger, claw extended, poking Royrick hard in the chest. He flinched, and tried to grab her hand, but she slapped his hand away and poked him again. “Gerald is more than people think. He’s a decent wolf, unafraid of hard work and willing to sacrifice himself for his family. He loves Ghost like the pup never left, and has devoted himself to Kane completely. All he needed was someone to trust him, to need him, to bring out the best of him. No one is going to disparage Gerald where I can hear, not even you! Apologize!”

  “Sophia, it’s okay,” Gerald interrupted, voice hollow and dulled. She spun on her heel and pointed at him, and he gulped.

  “It is not okay! Never say that again. No one speaks to you or about you like you’re nothing. I watched your father treat you like shit for your whole life and you took it. You’ve only just now started to act like a decent person and I’ll not see you backslide!” She spun back around, making Royrick jump, alarm spreading across his features. “Apologize or I’ll rip your balls off. You’re a better man, a better alpha than that petulant attitude you’re carrying. Where’s the honorable and forthright alpha I nearly mated? Find him again.”

  Royrick hated to be embarrassed. Really hated it. The one thing he hated more than humiliation was being wrong. He prided himself on being someone his wolves could look up to, depend upon, and calling out his honor left him feeling like a failure. He couldn’t stand it, and despite his bratty ways, his honor was his greatest asset and most redeeming quality. She glowered, growling softly, and he straightened from the wall and stepped to the side, facing Gerald.

  “Sophia is right. I apologize. That was needlessly rude and cruel of me. I am sorry, Gerald of Black Pine.”

  She glared at Gerald over his shoulder, and he stood taller. He put the plate down and with some hesitancy, approached Royrick. He halted, just within reach and dared to meet Royrick’s eyes for a long moment before his nature made him drop them away. He nodded, and a fine shiver raced over him from head to toes. “Apology accepted, Alpha Royrick.”

  Gerald was a lesser alpha, almost a beta if not for his size when a wolf and his meager gift of command. His personality wasn’t as dominant as Royrick’s, and it showed. Royrick sighed quietly, shame and regret coloring his features before he hesitantly reached out to Gerald.

  Gerald watched the greater alpha’s hand coming from the corner of his eye, and Sophia held her breath. A verbal apology was sufficient—he didn’t need to touch Gerald, especially since Gerald belonged to Kane and Black Pine, not Royrick’s clan. Royrick cupped the back of Gerald’s neck in his big hand, and Gerald whimpered softly, tipping his head to the side, exposing his neck to the stronger wolf. He settled at the touch of the clan leader, eyes fluttering shut. They breathed, at first at odds and then together. Time fell away and every breath, every heartbeat felt more pronounced. More real. Sophia breathed, filling her nose with the twisting scents coming from the two alphas.

  Hurt and…heat. Vulnerability laced with pain and aching need.

  Sophia blushed, glad neither of the two men were paying attention to her. Royrick was rubbing a thumb along the underside of Gerald’s chin, the lesser alpha’s eyes shut, mouth parted as he panted softly. He seemed to be in a trance, which she could understand completely—Royrick’s touch was something to appreciate. A long time it might have been since they were lovers, but she remembered well the pleasure to be had in his bed and arms. Gerald was lost, neatly pulled under Royrick’s sway and the wounded air he carried about him seemed less sharp, soothed by the attention.

  “He needs,” Royrick whispered. “He feels everything too deeply. He’s vulnerable.”

  Sophia nodded, wordlessly agreeing. She had thought to help Gerald along now that he wasn’t trying so hard to be tougher than he really was, but this was a new and interesting development. She liked the fact Gerald didn’t want to be in charge, that he didn’t need to lead like most alphas—he was content to follow. Royrick was meant to lead, a greater alpha exactly where he was meant to be—clan leader. He needed to lead. He had to lead. He could yield when he must, but his place was at the top.

  Sophia smiled, thinking Fate and their Goddess were far wiser than she would ever be—and she wasn’t one to ignore a chance to find happiness. She looked up at Royrick, who was staring at Gerald in soft wonderment. Gone was the brat. Gerald appealed to him, and from the way Gerald was reacting to Royrick, the appeal was mutual.

  “Why did you come when Caius called?” She asked softly, careful not to break the spell. “There were other alphas Caius approached in the North who would have come to sit on the Tribunal,” She had an idea why, but she wanted him to say it.

  “You were here,” Royrick answered. He tugged gently, and Gerald went willingly, all but melting into Royrick’s slightly bigger frame, tucking his face into Royrick’s neck. Royrick slipped his arm around Gerald’s waist and held him tightly. “I wanted to see you again. I never stopped loving you. Then I get here, and your heart belongs to someone else. I thought it was Burke at first, but it’s this sweet pup, isn’t it?”

  Sophia exhaled, thinking hard, taking in how Gerald clung to Royrick’s body. He needed a greater alpha to support him. Sophia was strong, she was dominant—but she was a beta. She could give Gerald some of what he needed, but she would always fall short in other ways. “It hasn’t been done, not openly.”

  “A clan heir is bonded to a shaman,” Royrick grinned at her over Gerald’s head. “I don’t think anyone is going to notice if a clan leader takes two mates.”

  “Getting ahead of yourself, aren’t you?” She stepped closer, and ran a hand down Gerald’s back. Gerald sighed happily, snuggling deeper, all but plastered to Royrick’s front. She rubbed her hand up and down his spine, and soft grumbles and happy shivers came from the lesser alpha. She grinned, and gentled her touch. It was nice to see Gerald so relaxed and calm.

  “I don’t think I’m getting ahead of myself at all, Sophie. You see it too, I know you do. We could make this work,” Royrick insisted, and he held out his free hand. She stared at it, then up at his eyes. They held warmth and desire, and a fondness she knew would never fade away, no matter how many decades passed.

  “I won’t be a sweet be
ta mate who sits in her den and waits for her alpha to remember her,” Sophia warned. “I will never be like that. Pups would be nice, but I am more than my ability to breed.”

  “I know,” Royrick assured her, hand still held out. “Caius has nothing but praise for his heir’s capable First Beta, and your reputation is known far and wide. I was stupid to assume you would give up your ambitions. I’ve had decades to regret my mistakes. I have no First Beta—the position is yours, if you want it.”

  She looked at Gerald, then back to the hand Royrick still held out to her, enticing and patient. “And the position of mate? What about Gerald? He might not want this.”

  “I want,” Gerald sighed out. He sleepily blinked his eyes open, and his dark eyes were full of desire and contentment. He turned just a bit, and held out his hand to her as well.

  “Alpha Mates, First Beta, lovers. I say we try,” Royrick wiggled his fingers a bit, grinning. “Sophia. You’re far too brave not to try.”

  She glared, but lifted her hands and took both of theirs. They gripped her small hands tightly and she let herself be pulled forward. Gerald shuffled over a bit, and somehow, they both fit under Royrick’s arms, secure in his embrace.

  Gerald smiled down at her, and she relaxed, leaning on them both. “I’m glad I came in for a sandwich,” Gerald whispered, and Royrick laughed, tossing back his head.

  Kane stood beside his clan leader, facing an unrepentant Royrick, who grinned from ear to ear. Gerald all but hid behind the bigger alpha, eyes dropped to the floor, one hand tucked into Royrick’s like a child. Sophia stood next to Royrick, shoulder to shoulder, and while she wasn’t as blissed out as Royrick, the hope and happiness in her eyes made Kane want to smile, too.

  “You come with an honor guard, and leave with two of my wolves? I’m inclined to think you had this planned,” Caius drawled, sitting back in the chair behind Andromeda’s desk in her study. “The best First Beta Black Pine has had since Josiah disappeared, and my remaining son?”

  “Let’s not bullshit here, Caius. You tossed Gerald aside like trash and Kane caught him. He’s Kane’s wolf now, and it’s him I’m asking to release Gerald.” Royrick looked to Kane, who lifted a brow at his boldness. “Kane, Heir of Black Pine, I humbly—,” Kane snorted at that and Royrick winked, both ignoring Caius’ soft growls, “I humbly request that you release both First Beta Sophia and Gerald McLennan from your pack and clan. I would take them home as honored mates.”

  “You left Royrick because he wanted you to only be his mate. You wanted more,” Kane said, directly addressing Sophia. “You left Red Wraith and bided your time. Josiah’s absence gave you the chance you needed. You came to me and asked to be more, to be allowed to have ambition and a place of responsibility and power. Is that what you still want?” She nodded, and flicked her eyes over the two alphas next to her before looking back to Kane.

  “I did. I also know I’ve since proven myself as First Beta. I know my worth, and so does Royrick.” Her voice was steady, sure. He could hear no doubt in her tone. “I can be a First Beta still, and Alpha Mate.”

  “And Gerald? You would share a clan leader’s bed and the rank Alpha Mate with him, a lesser alpha?” Caius asked, and Kane saw Gerald flinch.

  “Gerald is worth loving,” Sophia declared, lifting her chin. “All he has ever needed was for someone to love him, someone worthy of his devotion. He has no desire nor the temperament to lead, and trying to live up to unrealistic expectations soured his personality and left him wounded to the soul. I will treasure him, and Royrick will, too. We know what he needs, and how to care for him. We are both strong enough to welcome more than one wolf into our hearts.”

  Caius’ expression went blank, eyes dark. Gerald shivered, creeping behind Royrick. The reprimand was there in her words and tone—clear as anything, Sophia just called Caius out on his poor treatment of Gerald for the last two hundred years.

  “I release you, Sophia of Black Pine, First Beta. May your new mates treat you with respect and care, worthy of your love and devotion,” Kane declared, dropping his arms and smiling. Sophia breathed a sigh of relief and Royrick grinned. Gerald lifted his eyes at last, hope burning in his dark gaze brightly enough to make Kane feel it in his chest. “I release you, Gerald McLennan, alpha of Black Pine. May your mates be worthy of your love and devotion, your loyalty and heart.” Kane nodded once to Gerald, who smiled at last, eyes wet with unshed tears. Royrick’s smile was near blinding. “Treat them well, or I will head South and break you in half before taking them back. They are priceless. Treat them so.”

  “I swear to our Goddess that I will treasure Sophia and Gerald forever,” Royrick vowed, taking Sophia’s hand in his and squeezing Gerald’s with the other.

  Caius remained seated, but Kane walked around the desk and pulled Sophia into a hug. She squeezed him back, and Kane held her for a moment before letting her go. Gerald was next, and Kane surprised him by reaching out and hugging him as well. Gerald was stiff at first, then relaxed, head dropping to Kane’s shoulder. “Thank you for everything,” Gerald whispered.

  “You’re welcome. Take care of yourself, and each other. You need anything, call me, okay?” Kane spoke quietly, rubbing Gerald’s back. “I am so proud of you.”

  Gerald broke at his words, and he gratefully turned the alpha over to his new mates. Gerald melted into Royrick’s arms and Kane was pleased by how well they seemed to fit. Sophia was teary eyed but smiling, rubbing Gerald’s shoulder and murmuring reassurances to him.

  Caius sat, unmoving, but unlike before, he wore every emotion on his face for Kane to see. “Sir?”

  Caius startled, and sat forward in his chair, coughing. His eyes looked everywhere but at his son, and Kane frowned. *He will never return, Caius. Your children are all gone but for the one here, now, in this room.* Before Ghost, before the last couple of weeks, Kane would not have dared speak directly to Caius in such a way, or say such things. It was true, though—Gerald would never return to Black Pine, not while Caius remained Clan Leader. There was nothing here for him aside from his nephew, and Ghost was far more likely to go to wherever Gerald was than the other way around.

  Caius stood, his usually golden complexion waxy and pale. He stared at Gerald, hands fidgeting, restless.

  “Father?” Gerald said, tentatively. Caius flinched, as if wounded.

  “May I have a moment with my son?” Caius asked quietly. Sophia and Royrick exchanged glances, worried. His tone grew sharp, impatient. “I will return him in one piece.”

  “I’ll be fine,” Gerald told Royrick and Sophia. She hesitated, but nodded, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek before leaving the room. Royrick gave Caius a long, weighted stare, then almost defiantly, tipped Gerald’s chin back with a finger and kissed him. Gerald jumped, but settled quickly, opening his mouth and letting Royrick have his way. They looked great together, honestly—Royrick’s bright blond hair and Gerald’s darker hues of brown contrasted nicely. Royrick took his time, staking his claim for all to see.

  Kane smirked, rubbing at his mouth, and headed for the door when Sophia held it open. She winked at him, cheeks glowing as Royrick released Gerald with satisfied grin. Gerald was flushed and his lips wet, blinking slowly. They left, Kane shutting the door behind them.

  He took a spot along the hallway, and smiled knowingly when Sophia and Royrick did the same, all three of them unashamedly eavesdropping.

  “Father?”

  Caius had no idea what to say, what to do. Kane’s words rang in his mind, and all he could see was the broken and ravaged body of Roman every time he shut his eyes. Roman’s corpse shared equal time with the memory of Gray Shadow’s damaged wolf-form, limp on the rocks along the river’s edge. His daughter’s body, warped, stuck between forms, dead of a silver overdose and wounds she could not heal. His grandcubs, tiny bodies unmoving in their seats, Josiah’s screams of loss and pain ringing in his ears.

&nb
sp; “Father? Are you well?”

  “No,” Caius replied, unthinking. What dignity did he have left after such failures? Why was he trying so hard not to feel when every time he denied his heart and emotions, someone he loved died? Roman corrupted by ambition, striving to be more than he was, to live up to standards Caius never meant to set. Marla dead and her babies with her, and he never told her he loved her that last day. Never took the time to see her off, to say goodbye, too busy with duties he could have passed on to his Heir.

  Shadow, his Shadow. His heart. A chance, many times over, to give in to his heart’s demands and claim Gray Shadow as his mate. They might have made it, against all odds. They might have succeeded, been happy. Instead he clung to duty and tradition, too afraid to try, too certain they would fail, and held the greatest love of his life at arm’s length, torturing himself by simply being friends.

  “I have failed you.” Caius looked up, meeting his son’s shocked eyes. “I am a failure as a father. I have been so consumed by duty that I felt that anything short of perfection was a waste. I saw a lesser alpha, and forgot to see my son.”

  “Father.”

  “Don’t, I must say this. Kane is right. Once you leave, you’ll never return. The last of my children, gone, and I am such a fool. I have driven away all your older siblings, and the one to remain festered evil in his spirit. I saw greed and ambition foul your brother’s heart. Saw his corruption warp you, drive you to the edge, ruin you. It took Kane’s willingness to forgive and move on to pull you back. I did nothing. I turned away, too damn unwilling to risk what remained of my heart to save either of you. I failed Roman. I failed you. And I am sorry.”

  He could not decipher whether it was anger or anguish that twisted Gerald’s face in a grimace, but the tears were easy to understand. Gerald had always been so vulnerable, easy to drive to the emotional edge, and Roman used to tease him mercilessly for it. Caius merely disregarded Gerald, to his shame, and he would never redeem himself enough for his failures as a father.