“Grandmother.” She bows to the older female whose congregation comes sliding behind her. A big male who looks just like Belac looms over this weathered female, hunched over from the many years she’s lived. All the wolves wait for her sermon to start.
“Belac, you know why we’re here?”
“I understand why. You all must be so relieved.” Her voice is angled her brother’s way. He’s a big, broad-shouldered male, with strong, rigid features. His skin is a shade darker than burnt caramel. He’s a male in every sense of the term. A first-born wolf who knows where his place is meant to be with the way he holds himself confidently.
“We don’t make the rules, Belac. We just live by them.” A gentle hardness of dialect is present in the old female’s voice.
“You knew this day would come. We tried to prepare you. You just never listened to us, always wanting to have your own side hustle. Never really understanding your place.” Twins have a special bond, they say, but this pair looks as if they could sever it at any minute. No love lost between them.
“Oh, I know my place. I’ve been told hundreds and hundreds of times, haven’t I, brother?” She’s starting to take a stance her brother’s way. He’s not backing down from her.
“Don’t do this again, Belac. You can’t beat me.” He heaves a frustrated sigh, as if they have been down this route before. Several spectators stand just behind the grandmother, taking in the show, talking low among themselves. A murmuring of a group that covers their words with hands over their mouths, pointing their fingers at me.
Witch.
Demon.
Monster.
Words that escape on the wind that are directed at me. Dallas gives his growl of terror toward the superstitious wolves. The grandmother whispers words to her grandson while staring at me. He nods his head in understanding.
“I’m not part of your pack anymore. You can’t force me to do anything I don’t want to do.” Hard lines are etched on her face. She plants her feet firmly into the ground. Now Belac rises to her full height, just a few inches smaller than her brother.
“That’s where you’re wrong. I have allowed you to hold that land just to keep the peace between us. Who do you call when you need help? Whose territory do you use to run on? Who loaned you the money for the property? Who has defended your borders? I did. The pack did. You are part of this pack even though you refused to be in it. You were always tied tight to it. It’s time for you to go. It’s better this way, Belac. You are a female. You can’t lead a pack of substance. These will be the only wolves who will ever want to follow you.” Her brother is just throwing out insults to her. No wonder she wanted to get out from under the thumb of this pack. They must have told her continuously that she could never lead, never be better than what she already is.
Family sometimes has a way of breaking your dreams.
“Belac, we will force you if we have to. We don’t want to do that to you. Don’t make us use force.” The Alpha now takes a step toward his sister.
Caleb’s long lengths have him reaching the siblings in a few strides until he’s standing side by side with Belac. She eyes him sideways but says nothing to him.
“She’ll do as she pleases. I won’t mark her if she doesn’t want me to. If she wants to stay and hold her territory, then I will fight by her side.” Caleb lets his eyes hold this Alpha wolf, both large males sizing the other up. Caleb smiles with his teeth, showing this stranger wolf what he might have to deal with if it comes to a fight. The Alpha pays him the same respect back.
A first born facing a well-trained second. I have to give Caleb credit for his display.
“It’s our custom to mark on sight.” The grandmother’s voice hits Caleb dead center in his chest, raising a crooked finger his way. She’s wearing a necklace made of teeth, wolves’ teeth. It is on full display. They look old and yellow. Made many, many years ago.
“We have our own customs that we follow.” Caleb directs his words toward the gathered group. Each pack always thinks that their customs are right; that’s how wars can start, each pack thinking they are the right ones and the others are wrong. That they know the moon better than the other packs.
“Then it’s force. Your choice will be gone soon. We have ways of making that happen.” Belac now takes a defensive stance toward her family. The only male soldier in her army stalks slowly forward from the back of the house, each step soft without any sound. He’s bringing up the rear, knives drawn. This small pack will fight with the captain, but their ship will sink against a whole pack.
Caleb snarls his way but holds his ground toward her brother.
“No need for this, Belac. We don’t want to put your little wolves down. It’s time for you to leave, marked by your mate. If you don’t do this, then we start to take away what you love the most.” With a series of high-pitched whistles, her brother calls out over the pounding surf. Instead of hearing shuffling feet, I feel the ground vibrate with many running pairs of feet. In the distance, I can see pack warriors coming with the speed of swiftness, urgency. He’s threatening her where he knows it will hurt her. She is loyal to these wolves who probably have never had loyalty in their lives.
“So this is how it’s gonna be. This is how it plays out between us? You taking what I have built up. You’re a leech, sucking up everything good that I have.” Her finger pokes him in the chest, pushing him back slightly. Caleb takes a step in front of Belac; he cracks his neck to the side. His eyes are black as night.
The Warriors now half crescent around us. All posturing great intent to hurt.
“I’ll challenge you for your title.” Caleb steps up to this Alpha-born male; Belac gives Caleb a once over. From the tip of his head to the soles of his feet. It’s a slow assessment. I wonder if she thinks he can do it?
“It looks like my sister has the perfect match. Both of you think you’re more than what you were born to be.” Belac places her hand on Caleb’s chest, stopping him from flying at her brother. It holds him in his place. The Alpha wolf turns his fangs toward Dallas, a cunning smirk spreading wide across his face as if he has already won this battle.
“We’ll do a trade with you. We’ll give you back your father…in return, we want the witch. You leave, taking Belac with you.” A crack of lightning flashes above our heads, humming its current.
“No deal. I never knew that my father was being held hostage?” Dallas snarls to this wolf who can’t hold his eyes.
“A change in plans. If you don’t give her to us, your father dies. It’s very simple. You can’t hold us all.” Caleb’s skin is rippling.
“Rya.” Dallas places keys in my hands without anyone noticing. Taking his first step on the deck, he makes it loud, so the cracking of wood echoes out. His teeth are descending down for all to see. Hands are stretching out slightly, claws descending, eyes the shade of deep black staring out into the crowd. Another heavy step on old wood that makes the whole deck groan with the pressure. He looks at each wolf, holding their eyes with his progression toward the steps. He’s taking his time, putting on a great show of dominance.
Leaning into my ear, he whispers, “I’m going to get you to my car. You need to drive away from here as fast as you can. Don’t look back. You keep driving to our pack. I love you, Rya.” He kisses my forehead before he tucks me into his side in protection. The Warriors growl as one body, snapping teeth that want to bite as we step down the stairs.
“I come for you first, you have no chance of living.” The lethal promise Dallas makes has all the warrior wolves taking a step toward him. He takes a backward step off the deck, angling me behind him. These wolves will have to go through his wall to get to me.
“Caleb!” Luna Grace’s voice is tearing through the scene. All the wolves stop for just a second, including Dallas.
“Who’s that?” Belac’s question has Caleb smiling.
“My mother.” Rounding the corner of the house, Luna Grace is terrifyingly beautiful. Wrapped up in a shield of woven silver arm
or, she is the lightning that has come. No wolves’ teeth could ever puncture through.
She’s a weapon of destruction.
Leading warriors behind her, flanked by her sons, it’s architecture of movement. They are one body that moves with graceful fluidity.
High animalistic aggression churns out of this she-wolf as she sets her sights on Caleb.
Carson and Cash are to the right, and left of her, Crane follows closely behind. All these males have their hackles up.
Power has descended on this land, and it’s brought by a female.
“What’s going on here?” she asks Dallas.
“We have no fight with you,” the Alpha announces as he takes in her warriors. Dallas takes this opportunity to direct me behind his three brothers, who all look at my belly in shock. Luna Grace’s eyes linger on the male that’s inside me. I don’t think Caleb gave up that information to them.
Now Dallas takes a position on his mother’s left, having Carson and Crane flank my sides. The warriors in the back are waiting for the sign to launch themselves.
From this view, I see Treajure gripping Belac’s shirt. The tremors of fright are so strong that I’m surprised her legs haven’t given out yet. Her glasses keep sliding down the bridge of her nose that is saturated in sweat. She keeps pushing them up, but every time her head bows down, they try to fall off her face. I wonder if Belac did that on purpose? Having her glasses fit loosely, so she has no choice but to keep her head up instead of always bowed down?
“A disagreement, it’s family business. Nothing that concerns you.” The Alpha male’s confidence has taken a slight shift. It’s barely detectable in sound, but the quiver of tone is there.
“I think this concerns me. My family is surrounded by your warriors. Usually when families have matters to discuss, it’s only with family present. Isn’t that right, Caleb?” Her son’s head bows down slightly.
“Or am I wrong on this?” Her question riles the big male up. She stands much shorter than the Alpha male, but at this moment, she is the fiercest wolf here.
“Watch your mouth, female. We have your mate.” With Luna Grace, the only clue that something is about to happen is when it happens.
With wolves, there are always preliminaries, posturing intent, bluffing, showing off, displaying canines.
Not her, she just does.
She brings her storm. High voltage descends on the unsuspecting Alpha. Grabbing his jaw, she picks him up with the ease of a practiced weightlifter, slamming his head into the ground. His body follows slightly after. A knife is held to his throat. So fast is her reaction to his words that he has no time to react.
“What did you say, male?” Her canines have come out. Fingers clench his jaw until the familiar crack of bone is heard. He doesn’t move because the blade is drawing blood from his throat of life.
“It’s not nice to keep a female waiting on a question she’s asked.” Another crack of his jaw, that just made it impossible for him to answer her back.
She just broke the bones at the hinges.
“If your warriors so much as move, I will destroy everyone in this pack. Nothing will live…do you understand me? Nod your head yes.” Her words are spoken loudly, so every wolf hears her. She does not bluff. This is not an idle threat.
She’s the real deal.
His eyes are unblinking, a slight nod to his head in deep understanding.
Belac is wide eyed at this female who has just taken down the wolf she has probably been fighting against her whole life in less than a few seconds. Extreme reverence filters across her face at this Luna who wears armor of silver.
The color of war has never looked so good.
“Dallas, take Carson and a few others. Bring me your father. It’s time for everyone to go home. Rya, you need to leave with us. It won’t be safe here anymore for you.” I understand her words completely but mourn the loss of a life that I was just beginning to live.
Belac faces Caleb. “I can’t leave without them.”
“You won’t have to. They all come with us.”
“All?” She looks suspicious, as if she doesn’t believe his words.
“Every single one of them.” She looks toward Luna Grace, who gives her a smile before a new line of blood trickles down her brother’s throat. The rest of that pack is immobile with the threat of death that this warrior wrapped in silver has promised with any of their movement.
Looking over at the Wildflower Gang, I see them huddled close in a great discussion about their future.
Caleb is standing to the side, watching them with eagle eyes. All nod their heads in agreement. Dallas takes his keys out of my hand, unhooking a single key from the ring.
“They can all stay at your house.” He tosses the key to Caleb, who looks at it, turning it over in his fingers. A flash of sadness crosses his face. “Are you sure?”
“It’s all yours, Caleb. It just needs to be cleaned out first.”
Cash comes to stand beside me. So does Crane. The little wolverine that I fist fought with flanks behind me. He must have grown five inches since I’ve seen him. He’s still lean but filling out the way young male wolves do.
“Rya, I need to talk with you.” Cash keeps his eyes forward. Belac leads Treajure over to me, putting her behind my back. I can feel her fingers dig into the waistband of my skirt, her head leaning into the curve of my back. I can smell that she has peed her pants. The poor wolf is nothing but a giant ball of fur, struggling to keep her glasses on. Cash takes a quick glance at the female before looking away, as if she really isn’t even there.
“Could you just watch her for me until I get back here?” Belac is entrusting me with her most precious.
“She’s safe with me.” I can’t smell any knives on the female. Belac must have taken them away from her. I think that was a smart decision on her part.
It doesn’t take that long for the caravan of vehicles to pull away from this place by the ocean. The van holding the Silverback leads the way with everyone else following. All the Wildflower Gang has agreed to give this new place we are heading to a chance. I think they can tell by the way Luna Grace greeted them all that this pack’s leadership is unique. Things might be different for them and they’re willing to take a chance on it.
Chapter 23
Lessons
Our group of cars arrived much later than the main caravan that pulled away from the oceanfront house did. I think it was a combination of two things: me being heavily pregnant and needing to get out every few hours to pee and stretch and Caleb not wanting to face the female wrapped up in silver.
Before we left, the Luna grabbed her son by his chin, bringing his face down to hers very slowly. No words were exchanged, just eye contact. Letting him go, she leaned into him.
“We’ll talk when we get home, privately.” Luna Grace walked away.
Caleb paled.
Belac looked on in such reverence to the Luna who’s dressed in the color of war.
“It’s going to be okay, Rya. We’ll figure everything out together.” I like the way Dallas’s voice changes when he talks to me; he’s no longer putting on a show for anyone. It’s just him and me.
Hours and hours of driving do things to me while pregnant. The pressure on my sciatic nerve is constant, making shooting pain descend down my legs. No position in the car is comfortable, and at one point when it’s time to get back into the car from a bathroom break, I refuse, planting my feet, rooting them in their place, making myself unmovable. Everyone in our little group mills around, pacing back and forth while watching Dallas try to talk some sort of reason to a heavily pregnant female who’s refusing to move.
Hysteria bubbles with the thought of getting back inside that vehicle. “I’m not going back in there. I can’t do it.” I shake my head at Dallas while rubbing just to the left of the base of my spine, trying desperately to take the pain away. Dallas walks back into the gas station, gets a bag of ice, and applies it to the worst spot.
“Jus
t leave me here, Dallas. I’ll be fine.” Dallas laughs as soon as my words come out.
“Let’s see if the ice helps.” He holds the bag there. My clothes become wet, and his hand must be freezing, but the pain shifts enough to a tolerable level that I climb back inside with a low grumble instead of on the verge of tears.
Dallas has to drive with one hand on the wheel while his other hand massages my lower back. My head rests on the dashboard facing the passenger side window, watching the winter becoming more and more. The snow drifts get deeper and deeper the closer we get to his territory.
Branches of the pine trees bow, pulling toward the ground with their heavy burden. Ice and snow cling to the landscape. It’s glistening, as if fairies were here and sprinkled the north in magic pixie dust, making it sparkle and shine.
Pulling up to the main house, it looks the way a picture perfect postcard would look, undisturbed snow covering the roof of the house, the chimney billowing out thick smoke that curls up toward the darkening sky. The snow banks are high along the window ledges, as if cocooning the house in its embrace. The porch swing gently sways on its own with the gentle wind. I wonder how many generations it has rocked?
“Let’s go inside. I’ll get the stuff out later.” Dallas shuts off the engine, gets out, and walks toward my side of the car. He opens the door, giving me his hand to help me to a standing position. I can’t help the way I stretch my back then lean over, trying to take the pressure off of it.
“Are you all right?” He’s looking at me funny.
“Yes, I’m fine.” More car doors start to close behind us. The Wildflowers are all congregated behind Belac. Unease cuts through the crispness of the cold.
The door to the house opens wide, Luna Grace stepping outside dressed in a warm, long, deep grey sweater and black yoga pants. She seems so unassuming, but all of us know better than to make that presumption of her.
The Wildflower Series Page 46