Just as he thought this, he sensed another wave of fear and anger coming from Caelyn. Through Caelyn’s eyes, Graham saw the sixth wolf jumping at him. He turned, ready to take his new opponent on, even if he knew that he couldn’t hope to dodge the unexpected attack now.
In the end, the blow never came. Instead, a hidden force struck his opponent, sending him flying into the air. The wolf hit a large tree and, with a whine, collapsed to the ground.
“Oh, dear,” Caelyn gasped out. “Did I kill him? I didn’t mean to.”
Graham padded to the side of the shifter in question and sniffed him. He was unconscious, but he’d be just fine.
As Caelyn released a relieved sigh, Graham shifted back into his human form. “Perhaps now you’ll be willing to listen?” he asked the group.
The biggest of the wolves at last changed shapes and struggled to his feet. “We don’t listen to spies and traitors,” he snapped back, “even when they are Alphas.”
One of his companions turned into his legged form as well, and added. “It’s a sad day for us that one of our leaders has taken the side of our oppressors.”
Graham rolled his eyes. “Must you be so dramatic? If you’d be so kind so as to listen to what I’m saying, you’ll learn that I’m on your side. It’s a little pathetic that Hugh has to rely on pups who ignore their elders for security.”
The larger shifter bristled, obviously not appreciating the reprimand. Graham suspected he might have tried to attack again, but surprisingly, Caelyn stepped between them. “Please, you mustn’t argue,” he said softly. “We’re telling the truth. My name is Caelyn, and I’m Graham’s mate. I’m not a spy, or a danger to you. Neither of us is. We’re only trying to find Graham’s brother, Stuart.”
The two wolves shared a look. “You are mates?” the second shifter asked hesitantly. “Are you serious?”
“Of course,” Caelyn replied. He threw a loving smile Graham’s way, and Graham’s dick couldn’t help but respond.
Arching a brow, Caelyn turned toward the other wolves once more. “I would never joke or lie about a mate bond.”
He spoke so softly, so gently that not even the two skeptical shifters could be immune to it. “Maybe we should allow them to speak to the Alpha,” the smaller werewolf said. “After all, what can they do?”
“I guess you’re right,” the larger of the two said. “The sprite seemed well intentioned enough.”
It was almost ridiculous to see the two pups who’d faced Graham so bravely melt when faced with Caelyn’s loving nature. After all, as much as Graham might have claimed to be irritated by their immaturity, he admired their dedication in protecting their pack. However, it seemed that not all of those present were inclined to be so trusting.
The wolf Caelyn had knocked out using his abilities stirred and turned into his human form as well. “I can’t believe what I’m hearing.” He growled. “Are you people blind? You said it yourself. He’s a sprite. He just loves to create illusions to fool idiots like you.”
“Watch your mouth, Dean,” the first man said. “We don’t know if they’re telling the truth or not, so it would behoove us to learn it.”
Dean glared, not looking convinced in the slightest. Personally, Graham was getting tired of playing games with children. “Come on, angel,” he sent to his mate. “I can easily find Hugh, and I don’t need permission from these guys.”
Caelyn didn’t argue. Instead, he slid to Graham’s side, ready to go with him. The other wolves noticed, and clearly didn’t appreciate it. “Hold it right there. Exactly where do you think you’re going?” one of them asked.
The entire situation would have undoubtedly gone to blows again, if the man Graham had come here looking for hadn’t showed up at last. “Enough of this,” Hugh shouted, appearing from the bushes. “Come on, Graham. I think you’ve caused enough excitement for one day.”
In respect for Hugh’s position, Graham bowed his head slightly, although he didn’t expose his throat as another wolf would have. Hugh’s tone clearly illustrated how this meeting was going to go.
He also couldn’t help but notice that Hugh seemed to have aged a great deal. Had it truly been so long since Graham had come to the one place he’d ever called home? The thought bothered him.
Nevertheless, he did his best not to let it show. It would be hard enough to handle this sensitive situation without bringing unnecessary emotions into it. “Not my fault,” he replied. “Your guardlings are so eager to impress you that they’d even fight an ally.”
Hugh narrowed his gaze at him. “I do believe you aren’t here to talk about the security of my pack.”
“You’re quite correct,” Graham said. When he saw Hugh throwing a distrustful look Caelyn’s way, he rushed to say, “First of all, let me introduce my mate, Caelyn Sutharlainn.”
“Sutharlainn?” The disbelief in Hugh’s voice confirmed Graham’s original suspicions about Hugh’s attitude. “Your mate is a sprite noble?”
“I’ve left that life behind,” Caelyn said in Graham’s stead. “It doesn’t matter anymore.”
“I beg to differ,” Hugh answered. “And you can never change the fact that you’re male.”
All the blood drained out of Caelyn’s face. Clearly, it hadn’t even occurred to him that him being a man would cause a problem, too. It wasn’t an issue for draechen, sprites, and fae. Some magical creatures were a little more squeamish, but not the ones Caelyn had regular contact with.
But Graham would not allow any slight to his angel. “My mate’s gender and my sexuality are none of your business, Hugh,” he said. “I just came to find my brother, who I’m told is here.”
“And how exactly do you know that?” Hugh inquired. “According to what Stuart said to me, you were captured by draechen forces. And now you show up here, with knowledge you shouldn’t have and a male sprite in tow. What would you have me think?”
“I’d have you trust me,” Graham shot back. “If you must know, Caelyn freed me. Now where is Stuart?”
No sooner had he spoken than he felt the familiarity of a presence dear to him. “Right here, brother,” Stuart said as he stepped out of the bushes, followed by Monroe and a couple of other members of their two packs.
Seeing Monroe reminded Graham of Taryn, and he barely managed to suppress a wince. He was distracted from his feelings of guilt when his parents emerged from the forest, joining them.
Violet and Tate Powers had once been among the powerful members of Hugh’s pack. In fact, during Graham’s years here, his father had been the beta. Graham didn’t know if that was still the case, but he decided he didn’t care. His mother was already frowning, and his father’s face had gone red like it did when he was really angry.
“Here we were, trying to figure out a way to save you,” Tate said, “and all this time, you were planning to sell us off. I can’t believe this.”
Graham rubbed his eyes tiredly. “I don’t want to get into this again. I was lucky enough to have a mate who helped me out, and I’m thanking the gods for being captured in the first place. Otherwise, I might not have met Caelyn.”
He took Caelyn’s hand and brought it to his lips, kissing it. “Now that we have things clear, tell me, Stuart. How is the pack?”
Stuart blinked, looking taken aback. “Err… Fine. We managed to escape capture because you distracted them.”
That relieved Graham a great deal. He hadn’t seen any wolves from his pack imprisoned in Sacramento, but it would have been entirely possible for the draechen to send them to other prisons.
“Then we should probably gather around and leave. I do believe Alpha Hugh isn’t willing to keep us here for much longer.”
He was deliberately ignoring whatever doubts his pack might have had about his mating, although he had no doubt that they’d question his authority eventually. Werewolves were like that. Whenever they saw one sign that might suggest their leader was becoming weak, they lashed out, very much aware that the Alpha was the only thing betw
een them and being the draechen’s slaves.
“Wait a second,” Monroe piped up. “If you’re free, where’s Taryn?”
“I don’t know,” Graham admitted, knowing the other Alpha would be furious at the reply, but unable, no, unwilling to lie.
Monroe’s nostrils flared, and he clenched his hands into fists. The scent of blood filled the air as Monroe’s claws dug into his own flesh. “You fled like a coward and left him there? What kind of Alpha are you?”
Graham’s wolf reared up inside him, snarling in fury at the insult. He struggled to calm down his beast and began to explain, “We freed everyone in the prisons. Taryn wasn’t there.”
Monroe narrowed his eyes at him. “He was taken with you. Surely you must know something.”
Graham hesitated. Yes, Taryn had been there, and in the cell right next to him. But after that, he didn’t know what had happened.
“What does his brother look like?” Caelyn asked through their bond.
Graham summoned a memory of Taryn as he had been during the meeting of their packs. He felt a pang of shocked recognition course through Caelyn, and the knowledge of the reason filled Graham’s mind. His mate had seen Taryn in Hareematek’s quarters. Truly, he shouldn’t have been surprised since he’d overheard them taking the younger wolf, but the certainty of it filled him with frustrated anger.
Monroe must have noticed his pause. “You do know something.” He took a threatening step forward. “Tell me.”
Caelyn shared a look with Graham. “Should I answer him?”
Graham was reluctant to put Caelyn in any way in the center of attention. “Let me try,” he replied.
To Monroe, he said, “He was seen in Prince Hareematek’s quarters, wearing very little.”
Monroe’s eyes widened, his skin rippling as he fought the change. “Seen by whom?” he inquired, his voice a low growl.
At this point, there was nothing they could do to hide Caelyn’s involvement in this. Caelyn must have known it because he said, “By me. I’m very sorry. I didn’t know who he was until Graham showed me an image of him.”
“You were there, you saw him in that position, and you did nothing?” Monroe looked a step away from lunging at Caelyn. “What kind of person are you?”
“I think the real question is what my son’s supposed mate was doing in the draechen prince’s rooms,” Graham’s mother said, her shrewd eyes scanning Graham’s face, then turning to Caelyn. “Anything you’d like to share with us, son?”
Graham didn’t even want to think about how his family would react once they learned that Caelyn had been engaged to Prince Shtamakarein. It still didn’t sit well with him, although his reason was, naturally, jealousy.
“They’ll hate me for it, won’t they?” Caelyn asked softly.
“They’re predisposed to hate you either way,” Graham admitted with a mental sigh. “There’s nothing we can do about that right now.”
Caelyn still seemed pained, but nodded. Taking a deep breath, he started to explain, “I was supposed to marry Prince Shtamakarein Tersain. That’s why I was there. Prince Hareematek wanted to throw an engagement party for us.”
“So let me see if I’m getting this straight,” Hugh drawled. “The two of you somehow managed to piss off the greatest enemy of our people. You’ve humiliated the Dog-Catcher in the worst way, and now, he’s likely hunting you down to avenge his honor. And you’ve brought this bane upon us as well by coming here.”
“What were you thinking, boy?” Tate asked. “You know better than to get involved with the whore of a draechen.”
Graham had had enough. No one, not even his father, was allowed to talk to Caelyn like that. Graham could stomach any insult addressed to him, but not to Caelyn. With a growl, he melted in his wolf form. “You’re going to regret saying that,” he sent out. “You’ll regret ever slighting my mate.”
Tate’s eyes widened. He obviously hadn’t expected that reaction from Graham, which was actually kind of foolish. But then, he likely still saw Graham as the young wolf he’d been when he’d left home.
Sadly, Tate also remained as arrogant as ever. Ignoring Graham’s words of warning, he turned into his wolf shape as well and lunged at Graham, obviously believing he could teach him a lesson.
It had been easy to deal with the young pups, and Tate wasn’t much more difficult to handle. He represented a greater challenge from a strategic perspective as his age granted him valuable battle experience. However, Graham had the advantage of both skill and youth on his side, and he was an Alpha. It was foolish of his father to even attempt to stand against him.
Leaping to the side, Graham avoided Tate’s attack. As quick as lightning, he countered his father’s assault, jumping on top of the other wolf’s back. They fell to the ground together, with Graham on top, his claws raking over his father’s side. Tate tried to push him back, and for a few moments, it almost seemed like he would succeed. However, Graham was determined to get his way. Using his superior strength, he succeeded to pin his father down and threateningly held his sharp fangs against the older wolf’s jugular. Not even Tate’s thick pelt could protect him if Graham decided to rip his throat out.
Graham didn’t actually want to do that. He’d proven his point, and he had no interest in committing patricide. Even so, he didn’t immediately let go, instead choosing to telepathically speak to his father. “Yield. Yield to me.”
Fortunately, Tate finally wised up and tilted his head in submission. “Shift,” Graham added.
As his father obeyed, Graham changed shapes as well. “Does anyone else want to challenge me?” he asked. Feeling his brother’s gaze on him, he threw a look toward his sibling. “Stuart?”
Stuart shook his head. “I’m your beta and your brother. Even if I might not understand you, I’ve got your back.”
Thank the gods for small mercies. Graham might have been willing to fight his father, but he wasn’t so eager to do the same thing with his brother. Graham might have been older, but it was only by a couple of minutes. They’d actually shared a litter, grown up together, fought and bled together. Stuart’s rejection would have hurt him far more than that of his parents.
As Graham got up, Caelyn rushed to his side, hugging him tightly. “Are you all right?” he whispered in Graham’s mind.
“I’m fine,” Graham replied. “Just frustrated with this foolishness. I can’t believe my own family is being so absurd, and Hugh even worse than them.”
As if to confirm Graham’s words, Hugh glared at him and asked, “What are you trying to prove, Graham?”
That he was a strong Alpha, a reliable wolf? That mating hadn’t changed him in that regard? That his bond with Caelyn had to be respected no matter what? For fuck’s sake, was it so hard to understand that he wanted his pack and his mate to get along?
Shaking his head, Graham answered, “I have no quarrel with you, Hugh,” he replied. “I’ve done what I came here to do. My pack and I will be leaving now.”
“And still, I have no answer regarding Taryn,” Monroe said. “I’m running out of patience here.”
Graham almost snorted. When had Monroe been patient to begin with? Caelyn, on the other hand, proved to be far kinder and calmer than the rest of them deserved. “As I was saying, I just saw him that one time. I don’t know what happened after that, and I’m afraid that, no matter how much I’d have liked to assist him, it simply wasn’t possible. If I’d said anything at all, they’d have figured out what I intended, and it wouldn’t have helped anyway.”
“Is that what you tell yourself to justify your cowardice?”
“Monroe, I understand your anger and your pain,” Graham said, “but I think we’re running in circles. There was nothing my mate could have done. It’s not like the Tersain randomly listen to the opinions of others with regard to their prisoners. None of this is Caelyn’s fault. Surely you realize that.”
For a few moments, Monroe didn’t speak. Graham actually thought he’d failed in reaching out
to him, but as it turned out, Monroe nodded jerkily. “You’re right. The draechen are the enemy here.”
Finally, someone was listening to reason. Graham almost couldn’t believe it. Stuart joined him, as did the members of his pack who were present. Many of them seemed uncomfortable, but they didn’t look very willing to challenge Graham’s leadership either. Graham knew that he’d won one battle, if not the war.
One of the wolves in question, a woman named Kimberly, said, “Everyone else is still with Alpha Crane’s pack. Perhaps we should go pick them up?”
She said the words inquiringly, almost hesitantly, uncertain of how Graham, or perhaps Hugh, would react. Graham just nodded. “If it’s all right with Alpha Hugh, we really must be on our way.”
The older wolf was silent, but gestured them to follow. As they walked through the forest, Graham held onto Caelyn’s hand, aware of how very self-conscious his mate still felt. “It’s okay, angel,” he whispered through their bond. “The worst is over.”
“Let’s hope so,” Caelyn mused. The whirlwind of emotions inside him echoed within Graham’s own heart, unsettling him.
Everyone remained silent during the walk, but that didn’t mean they’d suddenly changed their minds about the situation. Under the circumstances, it was a great relief for Graham to finally reach their destination.
When Graham had told Caelyn that he’d lived in a town, or even a settlement, it hadn’t been exactly true. Homes weren’t possible for any ninth caste rebel. However, Hugh had endeavored to grant his pack a place that at least gave them a measure of stability. The end result was a sort of camp, with tents that could be gathered and moved whenever the need appeared.
Right now, around those tents, a lot of familiar figures were gathered. Many of them perked up upon seeing him approach, erupting into cheers. That might have made him smile, except those cheers quickly died when they saw Caelyn with them. Did they have to start over with all the explanations and accusations? Graham didn’t think he’d be able to take that without snapping.
Hyacinth, Scarlet - Werewolf's Way [Chronicles of the Shifter Directive 1] (Siren Publishing Epic Romance, ManLove) Page 11
