by D. Fischer
Ben sets me on a stool next to Kenna and he goes in search of Evo for an update. I’m thankful I don’t have to tag along. I’m not sure how much more I can deal with tonight before I fly off the handle.
Kenna doesn’t spare me a glance as Kelsey sets a mug of hot cocoa in front of both of us. Kelsey looks from me to Kenna before speaking, “How are you guys dealing?”
I run a hand through my wet, semi-frozen hair. “I’ll be fine. I just need some sleep.” Kenna scoffs and turns her head away. “What?” I ask Kenna.
Kenna growls and whips her head back to me. “I’m so glad you’ll be fine. It must have been so exhausting for you to know your mate was okay the entire night,” she says sarcastically. “Meanwhile, I’m stuck here, feeling my mate’s emotions and not having any fucking clue what’s going on. Because the one person I could ‘count on,’” she finger-quotes, “couldn’t seem to let me know what was happening to my mate during a double-fucking-challenge.”
I stare at her in shock. “Are you fucking kidding me?” I whisper.
She narrows her eyes. “No, I’m not,” she says before roughly scooting back her stool. “I thought I could count on you, Bre. I was so sure you two girls had my back. Kelsey spent the evening trying to calm me—she had my back. But you … you fucking disappeared. You selfishly left me in the dark about my mate—the father to my unborn child—and the well-being of my Pack. So, no … I’m not fucking kidding you. I’m down right fucking pissed.” She growls before leaving the kitchen.
I turn my shocked expression to Kelsey. “She’s … ah … a little hormonal right now,” Kelsey says.
“Right … ” I say distractedly.
Chapter Eleven
Benjamin Grobin
Toying with Evo’s paperweight, I sit in front of his desk while Evo sits in his office chair. A few days have passed since the double challenge and my injuries are on the mend, thanks to Bre’s insistence that I do minimal tasks.
Throwing the paperweight to my other hand, I ask Evo, “When do they plan to move in?”
A few Gray Pack members plan to move to our territory and join our Pack. They didn’t have many wolves before we marched onto their territory and now they have even less because we killed a few of their wolves and some have completely disappeared from the territory. We were told they slipped off the property the night after the double challenge and never returned. That is problematic, but the reasoning for their disappearance will have to be solved later. For the remaining Gray Pack wolves, Evo and I have been conducting interviews with each of them to make sure they are suitable for our Pack. Like Darla, they seem to be innocent bystanders under the rule of an unstable Alpha. I completely understand that.
Evo places his feet on top of his desk and folds his arms behind his head. “I’m giving them time to adjust. They can move in when they’re ready, but I’ve given them a time limit to decide. I don’t want a bunch of new wolves randomly coming in as Kenna’s pregnancy progresses.”
“How’s your prickly mate doing?”
Evo breaths deep. “She’s pissed. And hormonal. Whenever she’s angry, she cries. I don’t know what makes her more upset—knowing her body is doing this to her or having no control over it.”
I set the paper weight back onto the desk and pick up the ultrasound photo. “Is she still not talking to Bre?” I ask. I already know the answer, but felt it appropriate to ask, hoping he’ll have more insight to my mate and Alpha female’s spat.
Evo frowns. “Yes, but it’ll blow over. She’s mad that Bre didn’t keep her updated during the double challenge. I know it’s more than that, but that’s all she’s verbalizing. I’m guessing she’s projecting her emotions onto Bre. She was scared and found someone to blame.”
I tip my head toward the picture in my hand and change the subject. I’m glad to get more insight, but continuing this conversation will lead to gossip. Gossip is where I draw the line. “It looks like a bean,” I comment.
Evo grabs the picture from my hand. “Give it a few weeks, it’ll start looking like a baby. Reese and Irene should be back by then for another check-up.”
“So she’s due late spring?”
Evo smiles as he continues to fawn over the picture. “Yeah. Kenna is still not set on a home birth, but Reese has told her she’d consider bringing in supplies for pain management. We should be able to convince her if Reese can pull it off.” He places the picture back onto his desk. “How’s my sister doing?”
I sigh and rub my hand over my face. “She’s been with Flint every chance she can get. If she’s not at work or with me, she’s with him.”
Giving me a thoughtful look, Evo comments on my emotions, “There’s no need to be jealous, Ben. I’m not sure what, but something has happened between Brenna and Flint that’s brought out a friendship. She cares for him, but not in the way that should make you feel threatened. Just as you see it, that’s one of her wolves … but he’s also her friend. She makes a hell of a female Beta, you know.”
“I know. Do you think Flint will ever shift back?” I ask, leaning back in my chair. “What do you feel from him?”
Flint has continued to stay in wolf form. His wolf growls at anyone who comes near. The bars have continued to hold, though he occasionally attacks them. The only person he tolerates more than the rest of us is Bre, but he still growls at her.
Evo leans back into his chair. “I can’t get past his wolf’s emotions. His wolf feels betrayed by his own species. He recognizes Pack, but he’s so damaged that he distrusts everyone. It may take some time before he comes back.”
“And if he doesn’t?” I ask softly, scratching my neck as an uncomfortable gesture.
Evo remains silent with a grave expression. I know as well as he does what a danger Flint’s wolf poses to the Pack if he’s to remain in this state. If he somehow got out, he could injure or kill any one of us.
A knock at the door breaks our silence. Dyson swings it open and uses his crutches to aid himself inside the spacious office. “I’ve officially been released from bedrest. What do you need from me? How can I help?” Dyson asks, exhaustion showing by the dark circles under his eyes.
Dyson had been going stir crazy in his bed. He had begged Reese to give him something to occupy his time every time she checked on him. He needed the rest, but he was determined to remain distracted. Eventually, we had given him his laptop with a stack of games because we were all sick of the begging. We haven’t heard the full story yet as to what happened to him and Flint on the Gray territory. Dyson had told us that they demanded their names. Dyson felt no harm in giving it to them, but when Flint wouldn’t supply his name, they had separated them. He didn’t know everything they did to Flint, but they had given Dyson a good beat down just for the fun of it.
Dyson also said he had heard their plans for Kenna. After George received Kenna, he had no intentions of keeping her. Jazz had indeed been a part of the many catastrophes lately and had conspired with George to retrieve Kenna for her. Nobody knew what she had planned to do with Kenna once she got her, but I imagine that it wouldn’t be for a cup of tea and chatting about nonviolent conflict resolutions.
I am, however, a little curious as to why he didn’t go visit Flint’s wolf first instead of coming straight here after being released from bedrest. They’re best friends, but Dyson seems to be avoiding Flint’s circumstance.
Evo nods to Dyson. “Good, I could use your help. Can you check on Darla and Kenna for me?” Evo asks.
Darla is still unconscious and has been placed in Evo’s guest bedroom. Kenna hasn’t left her side since Jacob brought her into the house. She worries over the mother she’s never met, and just like Bre with Flint, she hasn’t left her side, except when necessary.
Dyson nods and heads back out the door, shutting it on his way.
“What did Reese say about Darla today?” I ask. Reese plans to go back to the Riva Pack territory this evening. She’ll still make trips back to our ter
ritory often to check on Darla, Flint, and Kenna. Irene, however, will be the main care provider for Kenna’s pregnancy. Reese has placed Irene in charge of her care, with Reese only checking in every now and again.
“She’ll survive, but their bond was stronger than I had anticipated. Reese said it could be a while for her body to adjust to the broken bond,” Evo says.
My eyebrows draw together. “I wonder how Jazz survived it.” Jazz had managed to escape off our property before we could even catch her after we killed her mate. Darla, on the other hand, had fainted from the pain almost immediately.
Evo grunts. “I wish I knew. Some of the wolves in the Gray Pack said she was a frequent visitor to their territory. She would head straight into the Alpha house surrounded by Rogues as bodyguards. No one has any idea what they met about, but I can bet that Darla will know some details.” He shrugs. “We won’t know until we talk to Darla.”
I nod. “It’s a problem we can’t solve right now. Even if we do go look for her, there’s a chance she’s nowhere around here. If she’s smart, she’d have tucked tail and ran as soon as she learned we killed her pal.”
“That’s my thought, too,” Evo said before losing himself in his own thoughts.
Brenna Johnson
“I don’t know if I’m ready for this,” Kenna whispers to herself and nervously fidgets with her gray knit sweater.
I sigh. “Oh, come on. A gunman you can face but not a room full of people? It’s not like we don’t know anyone out there. We just have to walk to Ben and Evo, and then it’ll be done.” I take a chance and grab hold of her hands, placing them inside mine. “Look, baby doll. I’m sorry I didn’t respond during the double challenge. I was having a hard time focusing. So much was going on and I didn’t mean to be selfish. Will you please forgive me?”
Kenna’s eyes fill with tears. Much to her dismay, she’s done a lot of crying lately. Not to mention the constant morning sickness and the several naps a day while she sits in a chair at her mother’s bedside. Pregnancy hormones will do that to you.
It’s been a week and her mother still hasn’t woken. It’s the same with Flint—he shows no signs of returning and I’m at a loss of what to do. I sit and talk with him every spare moment I have, but all he does is quietly growl while he watches me from the corner of his eyes.
Ben and Evo saw how much stress Kenna and I are dealing with. They decided we needed something to take our minds from it by throwing a unity service in our large heated garage.
A unity service is like what humans do when they get married. We go down an aisle full of our Pack, friends, and family, and eternally bind ourselves through a ceremony. The only difference is that it’s a binding of a whole different level.
Jacob has gracefully let us borrow one of his acquaintances. Only a witch can perform such a sacred event. This ceremony ties us to nature and witches draw their magic from nature. Without a witch, it can’t be done.
Kenna pulls me into a hug. “Of course, I forgive you. I’m so sorry, Bre. I’ve been acting like a petty little bitch. This pregnancy is turning me into a hormone casserole.”
I rub her back soothingly. “C’mon. Let’s put all this behind us and go meet our men.”
Kenna sniffles and grabs my hand. Together, we open the sliding glass door of the house and make the short distance to the garage.
The snow sparkles in the moonlight as we walk through it. The blizzard from the other night had dropped a foot of fresh white snow and it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.
We open the garage door and several Riva and Cloven Pack members cut their chatter and turn to face us. A wide path is made for us to enter and walk through. We step inside and my breath seizes in awe of the decorations.
Twinkling white lights and white see-through cloth hang from every inch of the ceiling. With the dim garage lighting, it creates a calming sight, like seeing the clouds and stars at the same time. I’m not able to see Ben or Evo through the sea of people, but where they should be standing is several of the same lights and cloths dangling from the ceiling, creating a flowing back drop.
Kenna shuts the door behind us and the crowd smiles reassuringly. Jacob appears through the crowd of people and approaches us. “Ready?” he asks.
Kenna rocks unsteadily on her high heels. “If I fall, I’m blaming you, Jake.” Jacob and I laugh softly at her whispered empty threat. Kenna hates heels, but Kelsey had encouraged her to wear them on this special night.
Grabbing each of our arms, he hooks them through his and guides us through the path of people. As soon as we turn the corner, I catch sight of our men against the flowing backdrop.
Evo matches Kenna in a gray knit sweater, while Ben matches his long sleeve, button-down shirt with my red turtleneck. Both wore black pants which compliment their colors.
A woman stands between Ben and Evo—the witch who will perform the Alpha and Beta unity ceremony. A small book is in her hand and she waits for us to walk to the front. She has long black hair that reaches to her waist and wears a long sleeve black winter dress that brushes the floor. The crest of her coven is painted on her forehead in black ink—a half moon with a strike through it.
Ben’s eyes are set on mine, a small smile playing at his lips, as we make our way to the front. Through our connection, I feel his never-ending love for me. It’s amazing to feel such love directed at me—it never gets old and it’s just as shocking as the first time he verbally told me he loved me.
Jacob hands Kenna to Evo first. Evo grasps her hand and guides her to stand facing him. Doing the same with me, Ben’s smile grows as I step in front of him.
The witch clears her throat and begins to speak in a loud clear voice, “Tonight, we bind two pairs of mated wolves to our Mother Earth. It is the most sacred of moments that a mated pair can share with their Pack, friends, and family.”
You ready for this, baby? Ben asks.
Instead of answering telepathy, I give him a watery smile and nod, not willing to trust my verbal or mental voice to stay steady.
“I ask that you join hands with your fellow wolves as we begin the Unity,” the witch continues.
Ben takes both of my hands in his while we stare into each other’s eyes. The witch begins using the language of her coven, of which I can’t understand. A warm flowing sensation trickles over my skin as her magic calls to the Earth. Heat grows between mine and Ben’s hands and our eyes begin to glow wolf. Uncontrollably, a force physically pulls us together, like magnets, until I’m flush against his body. The heat between us flows up my arms and down to my core. Inside me, my wolf closes her eyes as the sensation reaches her. Her content rumble fills my chest and spilling out my mouth.
As the magic calls on our wolves, our bodies begin to shift against our will. All around me I hear the wolves in the audience’s bones crack and reshape. The Unity is almost over—the last step in her magic is what produces the forced shift.
Instead of being painful, the shift is soothing, even as my bones crack, reshape, and settle. When it stops, my white wolf stands in front of Ben’s black wolf.
The witch snaps her book shut and throws her hands up into the air. Howls erupt through the silent space and the door Kenna and I entered flies open from the magic the witch produced.
“Mother Earth has recognized this Unity and the sacred mating. Go! Celebrate!” the witch bellows, her voice echoing unnaturally over the wolf howls.
Evo and Kenna’s wolves race out the side door. Ben and mine follow close behind them. Quick on our heels, our Pack and friends race after us into the dark star-filled night. Leaving our worries behind, leaving our troubles for another day, we run as one through the Cloven Pack territory.
*****
To my lovely readers:
Thank you for reading the first book of the Cloven Pack Series. I hoped you enjoyed it.
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About the Author
D. Fischer is a mother of two busy boys, a wife to a wonderful and supportive husband, and an owner of two hyper, sock-loving dogs and an attention-seeking fat cat. Together, they live in a quiet little corner of a state that’s located in the middle of the great USA.
D. Fischer dedicates her books to those exhausted fathers, mothers, and hard-working citizens who just want to come home, sit down, and relax into a world that isn’t their own.
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Titles by D. Fischer
A Gifted Curse (The Cloven Pack Series Book One)
Caught in the Crossfire (The Cloven Pack Series Prequel)
Out of The Darkness (The Cloven Pack Series Book Two)
