The boy took a deep breath. “Well! Sunshine is a-wastin’! Let’s head out, shall we?” He exited the house without another word, his lackeys following closely behind.
Nemoy was the first to speak. “Iso, Nate, Ian, Amara, you all will be accompanying me, Nova, and the rest of the Council as our guards for the meeting.” He turned to Callum, one of the younger wolves drafted for the war. “You will lead this unit in Nate’s stead. Assemble a team of your men and women and spread word to the other units: Obtain the highest ground possible. Try to remain unseen, if at all possible. Once in secure locations, half of each unit is to shift into wolf form. If this first contact is any indication of things to come, then rest assured that our meeting with Callahan Vann could go very south, very quickly. We need you all to be prepared for that outcome. Do you understand?”
Callum gave one curt nod, body standing at attention. “Yes, sir.”
Nemoy nodded back in response. “I’m counting on you.” His eyes finally met Nova’s. “Time to head out.”
Nova grinned humorlessly at his brother as the chatter and buzz started up again. “No time like the present.”
Chapter 14
Amara had a hard time fighting off shivers from the wolf boy as he escorted them to the Valley Alpha. He wasn’t quite to Kal proportions yet, but whatever Callahan Vann was doing to his wolves, he was putting them on a fast track to whatever crazy town Kal already resided in. The entire party of valley Wolves that came to lead them was like a giant cloud of brooding insanity, and Amara didn’t need shifter senses to feel their hate wafting off of them with a chill akin to dry ice. It made the walk feel longer than it was, like every step was being frozen in place. She may have been a child of the mountains, but their hospitality was colder than what even she was accustomed to.
Eventually, they made it to the far recesses of the compound. Sitting there surrounded by a display of wilting flowers and long since dead grass was a brick house. A big brick house, Amara admitted, maybe even a mansion. Compared to some of the other houses scattered throughout the compound, it was in very good shape, structurally, not a broken window or leaned door in sight.
The lead boy swung the house’s front door wide, not bothering to stop and welcome them inside. His flunkies filed in behind him and Nemoy led his wolves inside after a safe distance was between them.
The interior would have been beautiful if someone kept up with it. Everything was worn, torn, and dusty from lack of care, the natural hardwood dull and scuffed from years of heavy footfalls. The dated wallpaper was tinted yellow with nicotine and age, its corners peeling back where the adhesive had long since given way.
The boy led then down an equally disused corridor, turning left to ascend a staircase that led to the second floor. They walked down yet another hallway, this one smaller than the first, and stopped at the end.
“Welcome to my Alpha’s quarters,” the boy introduced, voice dripping in mock enthusiasm. “May he give you all the proper welcome you so truly deserve.” Without a goodbye, he shoved past Nemoy, purposely bumping his shoulder as he departed. Instead of following the boy back downstairs, the lackeys stayed behind, three on either side of the hallway and one standing post at the top of the stairs. The militant way that they blocked off their only exit sent a shiver down Amara’s spine.
“May only the best wait for us on the other side,” Neveah breathed, nodding to her son. Amara wasn’t sure if ‘the other side’ referred to the door or the afterlife, but either way, the mantra didn’t make her feel any better.
Nemoy squared his shoulders, his eyes more determined than ever as he swung the door open.
Amara used to think that Nemoy was the most intimidating wolf that she’d ever meet. She didn’t know if it was because he was Alpha, or because he was her lover’s brother, or something else entirely, but the moment she laid eyes on Callahan Vann in the flesh, it no longer mattered.
He looked like an older, brawnier version of Kal, but not much else was similar in father-son duo. In fact, Callahan was unlike any other wolf she’d ever met. The boy that had escorted them here had an air of cold, angry, insanity about him and Kal was completely far gone, manic in his hatred and obsessive in his bloodlust; Callahan had an otherworldly state of calm, but at the same time let off an aura of complete futility. It was as if, from the moment you met him, anything you tried to say or do, any efforts to right a wrong or undo a mistake, they would fail. There was no use running, no use begging or crying or trying to negotiate. The only option was to submit, wholly and irrevocably.
In his appearance alone, Callahan Vann had completely obliterated Amara’s standards for intimidation and rebuilt them in his own image.
He terrified her.
His broad shoulders rumbled in a silent laugh as he took in the Mountain wolves. “Ah, Nova, Nemoy, how much you’ve grown since I saw you last. Quite the dashing young men your father had always hoped you’d become, rest his soul.” His hungry eyes moved from the brothers to their mother. And Neveah, as beautiful as ever. Say, where’s your minion? The stringy one with a bad mood? Don’t tell me that old fool finally kicked the bucket?”
Neveah held her head high and shot him a defiant glare. “He couldn’t make it.” Her voice chilled to the bone, rivaling the day she and Amara had first met.
Callahan only laughed. “Ah, still the same crack whip I remember,” he teased, a wicked grin pulling his lips taut.
He neglected to address the rest of the party before turning directly to Amara. His eyes were alight with devilish glee. “Ah, and I see you’ve brought a snack to break bread with.”
Amara saw Nova bristle in defense on her behalf, and spoke before she was forever cemented as a damsel in distress. “My name is Amara Lowery, mate to the Mountain Wolf Clan beta, Nova Lowery.” She took a page from Neveah’s book and allowed a bit of defiance to fill her eyes. “And yes, I’m human.”
Callahan nodded, clapping his hands together in giddy exaltation. “Yes, yes. I’d heard about this. The clan that violated supreme law by letting not one, but two humans infiltrate the secrecy of the pack.” He grinned at Nemoy. “Word gets around fast in the circles we run in, doesn’t it, Alpha Lowery?” Nemoy only betrayed his anger with a slight flex of his jaw, but it was enough for Callahan to catch. He narrowed his eyes in contemptible satisfaction. “Exactly.”
Amara couldn’t tell if she was following everything fully as it transpired, but from what she could understand, Callahan knew about not just her, but Sadie as well. The only parties that even knew about Sadie were the pack and Kal. Either way, Kal was involved, which pretty much guaranteed that he was somewhere on the compound. She clenched her fists tightly at her side, hoping that the pain of her nails biting into her palms would stop her blood from running cold.
If Callahan noticed her reaction, he didn’t acknowledge it. “Oh, but yes, you’re not here to catch up. You’re here on business, correct?”
Nemoy allowed a bit of confusion to mar his features. “As per your summons.”
Callahan chuckled. “You know, when a pup of mine came to me last night and said that the Alpha of the Mountain was trying to break into my compound, I honestly wasn’t sure what to think.” He steepled his fingers beneath his chin, as if in deep contemplation. “Surely he wasn’t so stupid as to try and ambush my compound. After all, he’s vastly outnumbered after those terrible, terrible attacks on his borders and lands these past few years. Truly a tragedy.
“So then, why was he here, I asked myself. Why was he invading my lands without summons and violating the very treaty that his dear late dad worked so hard to create and uphold with my predecessor? I know you’re far from the little Nemoy that used to trot around at the Summits of yore, but you’d always been such a stickler for the guidelines. Lax though you may be in the rules of your own home,” he said, nodding towards Amara, “it just didn’t seem your style to risk the men of your pack on something that was as destined to fail as lying in ambuscade.”
As Callahan spoke, the gravity of what he was saying weighed heavier and heavier on her chest, making it exceedingly harder to breathe. He hadn’t know they were coming. Was he saying he didn’t write the note? Then who wrote the note?
As if he’d read her mind, Callahan continued. “And then my pup mentioned something… interesting. A note, was it? Say, you wouldn’t happen to have this note on your person, would you alpha Lowery? The note that I’d apparently written and forgotten about?” The unspoken challenge glinted evilly in his eyes, and this time, Amara couldn’t stop the slightest shudder from shaking her frame.
Without taking his eyes off the other Alpha, Nemoy carefully removed a crushed piece of paper from his back pocket. Without a word, he carefully placed the letter on the desk Callahan sat behind. Only when Nemoy stepped back to his original position did Callahan finally seize the note to read.
He read over the words hungrily, and a slow smile spread across his face. “Oh this is nice. Very nice.” He read a bit more and laughed. “Okay, I lied, this is more than nice It’s nothing shy of amazing!” Little bouts of sputtered laughter bubbled over his lips as his eyes scanned the page. He was finally to the bottom when he spoke once more. “Wow. What a read! My signature is even A-plus, top notch!” His tongue ran eagerly over his lips, and as it slid back into his mouth, the smile that was once there finally fell away. “Of course,” he continued, eyes finally meeting Nemoy’s since he’s proffered the note, “Not a single word of this ‘summons’ was written by me.” A ghost of his sardonic smile returned. “But you already knew that, didn’t you, Nemoy?”
“Of course,” Nemoy replied without hesitation. “What I don’t know is who wrote it, or to what end.”
Callahan bellowed another laugh, this one harsher than the ones before it. “Of course! Now we’re getting to the meat!” He ran his fingers over the parchment as he asked, “Nemoy, you know my son, Kal, correct?” He waved his hand. “Oh, why am I asking, of course you do! After all he and your own little brother go way back. Well yes, Kal, my dearest, eldest son, he truly is one of my better masterpieces.” The way he referred to his own child as a product to be created left a foul taste in Amara’s mouth. This man truly was sickening in all the worst ways.
“He truly is a son after my own heart. He admired everything about me. My strength, my cunning, every slightest thing, even right down to my… handwriting.”
With that one sentence, everything slid into place. Kal wrote the note. Kal wanted Nemoy to come to the Valley compound. Kal wanted his father to overreact and assume that Nemoy was leading an attack. Kal wanted war between the two packs because he knew that Nemoy was undermanned and at a disadvantage.
Amara’s stomach flip flopped, and she thought she was going to be sick right there in the office.
It was Kal. It was always Kal.
“If you could easily discern that your own son managed to forge notes to me, then you obviously understand that any threat of war you’d originally thought we posed is now void,” Nemoy said after a brief pause.
“Of course, of course! No hard feelings, as always,” Callahan responded with a grin.
“And you do realize that your son has been charged with multiple crimes against the Mountain Wolf Clan and is subject to a Clan Tribunal to decide his fate?” Nemoy asked. “Remember, Alpha Vann, this is an absolute law that even you cannot interfere with.”
Callahan nodded. “Absolutely.” He smirked at his small joke.
“Then in conjunction with absolute law, I demand that Kal Vann be released back into Mountain Clan custody to await trial. After you agree to these terms, we’ll have no other reason to reside in this compound. Just hand over Kal, and we’ll be on our way.”
Callahan raised an inquisitive eyebrow. “That’s all you want?” He scoffed. “Fine, take him.”
Chapter 15
Nova was dumbfounded when Callahan relinquished custody of his son with little to no forethought. Sure, he’d always known that Callahan was a cold, calculating leader who wasn’t afraid to do the worst if it meant he could make it to the top, but this was his own son.
He narrowed his eyes in suspicious, speaking before he could think to stop himself. “Why don’t I believe you?”
Callahan turned to Nova, an impish grin curling his lips. “I’m genuinely perplexed as to why you don’t, Nova. I’m only making the most lucrative move for my pack right now.” He shrugged. “Kal Vann has failed far too many times to be of any more use to me. I can train stronger soldiers. I can breed better sons.” Nova heard Amara stifle a small gasp.
For one tense moment, the air was filled with shocked silence. As Nemoy opened his mouth to speak, they heard a commotion outside of the room. As Nova turned to see the source, the door swung open, a furious Kal Vann stormed through the doorway in a blaze of hellfire and brimstone. Three of the seven men that were posted outside came staggering in behind him, trying and failing to hold the enraged wolf back.
He brushed past everyone, not even sparing a glance at Amara in his short walk to the desk. He only had eyes for his father. The Mountain Council watched in silence as Kal finally reached his destination before his father. He slammed his hands palm down onto the desk. “What the fuck!”
Nova had known Kal for most of their lives. Their history was steeped in negativity, mostly anger and hatred and jealousy. He’d seen many sides of Kal Vann in all the years they’d shared. He’d seen him angry, sad, scared, and oftentimes on the brink of insanity, but none of that compared to the wash of emotions that muddied his face as he glared down at his father in this moment. No past memory could stand up to the heat that lashed off of him in angry waves like the white-hot crack of a whip. No hatred or jealousy could hold a candle to the hurt in his eyes, or how he used his rage to hide the pain of finally learning the truth. Nova had never seen Kal this way, and the emotion was as jarring as it was sad.
Kal Vann felt utterly betrayed.
Callahan glanced up at his son, unaffected by the rage directed at him. “Speak of the devil,” he said, a humorless grin tilting his lips. This only made Kal angrier.
So this is how it’s going to be, Old Man?” Kal asked, seething. “After all I’ve risked, all I’ve done for you? You’re just going to throw me to the wolves?”
His father barked a laugh. “Good one, son! If only your track record for success was as flawless as your sense of humor, perhaps you wouldn’t be in this situation.” He turned to Nemoy, effectively ignoring Kal. “Here’s your prisoner, as promised and even self-delivered. I believe our business here is done.”
Nova saw the heartbreak on Kal’s face as his father shunned him, and even he couldn’t help but feel just a bit saddened by the turn of events. It was no secret to anyone but Kal that Callahan Vann cared for no one and nothing but power. Everything he pursued was a means to an end. Kal spent his entire life in denial, desperately trying to earn the respect and favor of his father, when it was futile from the beginning. No matter how many times Nova or Nemoy or anyone else spoke out against his misguided attempts to please a father who’d never love him, Kal blocked them out every time. At twenty-seven, Kal was just now finally learning the truth of his world, and as Nova watched the panicked look in Kal’s eyes as his frantic gaze flitted from his father to Nemoy, he didn’t think Kal’s mind would survive the transition.
Gone was the cocky, cruel enemy that Nova was so accustomed to facing. This was the true face of the broken child Kal always was and always would be thanks to his father’s unending abuse.
Nemoy nodded his thanks. Without looking away from Callahan, he said. “Iso, take the incarcerated and put him somewhere secure until we depart. We’ll meet back up shortly.”
Iso nodded, though Nemoy hadn’t turned to see it. “Yes, sir.” He pulled a thick, black zip tie from his back pocket and approved Kal carefully. Kal didn’t fight back when Iso gingerly took each wrist and bound them together behind his back. He only stared at his father in a melancholy cocktail of anguish, loss, an
d disbelief.
Only when Iso started guiding him back toward the exit did he begin to resist. It wasn’t much, just a tug of his arms from Iso’s grip, or planting his feet so it took a bit for effort on Iso’s behalf to keep him moving. “Father?” Kal called frantically as he fought against Iso’s lead. “You can’t seriously be allowing this, father! I’m your son, damn it! Your son! After all I’ve done for you!” He tore himself from Iso’s hold yet again. “All I’ve sacrificed!”
Callahan waved a bored hand at the men guarding the door. “It seems the young Mountain wolf is having a bit of a struggle keeping his charge. Do our pals here a favor and lend him a hand, would ya?” he said, completely unbothered by his own son’s pleas.
“I’ve stolen for you, I’ve killed for you. I’ve broken pack law for you, and this is your thanks?!” Kal kept on, words growing more panicked and fevered as the Valley wolves latched onto him and began pulling him backward once more. “I even chatted up that mangy human hater to get him to spill Mountain pack secrets!”
Nova’s blood froze over, the final puzzle pieces falling into place all at once. Not only had Kal forged letters to Nemoy in an effort to instigate war, but in a desperate attempt to appease his father, he also convinced one of Nemoy’s own to commit treason and leak pack secrets to the enemy. Though if it was who Nova thought it was, it probably didn’t take much convincing. There was only one wolf that knew every secret the Mountain Clan had to tell and also hated humans enough to worth noting.
Council member Isiah Levens.
A quick look around at the rest of his pack confirmed that everyone else had drawn the same conclusion. His mother looked particularly stricken, as Isiah was often seen as her second and closest follower, but Nova’s mind was already in overdrive. He didn’t have time to console her right now.
Mountain Wolf Protectors Complete Series: Books 1 - 4 Page 38
