The Missing Wolf: The Familiar Empire Series

by Bailey, G.

  It’s beautiful.

  “I love the snow,” Mason comments, coming to my side and watching with me. “So does Hex. He can change his feathers to mix in with the environment, and he likes being white, I guess.”

  “I know who will win hide and seek with the familiars then,” I say, and he laughs, a real laugh that I can’t help but join in with. He stops as we are looking at each other and not the snow anymore. He lifts his hand, holding up a brown, handwoven dreamcatcher that gently spins. In the middle is four little blue gemstones.

  “I made this for my sister when I get to see her next. Or ever,” he tells me. “Anyway, I thought it could protect you now.”

  “Are you sure?” I ask, and he nods.

  “Positive,” he answers, placing the dreamcatcher into my hand. I’m a little shocked when he steps closer to me, pressing our bodies together with only my hands holding the dreamcatcher between us. He leans closer and gently kisses my cheek. Just a soft press of his lips is enough to make me close my eyes and enjoy the shiver that snakes over my body. “I like you, Sia, but you should get to bed before I kiss you somewhere else.”

  I bite back the urge to ask where as I open my eyes and walk my coward ass out of the room. Bethany would tell me to go and kiss the guy.

  But my nervous heart tells me to run.

  So I run, because Bethany isn’t here and I’m on my own. The truth is, I’m just not that brave even when I wish I were.

  My protector bites. I think.

  “Hugh wants to see you. He said he called Estelle and told her you will be late today and Raine will drop you off. Come on, I will drop you there on my way to work,” Alex says, making me nearly jump out of my skin as I finish my cup of coffee. Between the last few nights of no sleep and Mason’s comment about kissing me running through my mind, I’m a little more on edge than I would like to be. Shadow watches me through the window today, his eyes so much like mine, searching my soul to see what is wrong. I wonder if Shadow can’t sleep either, or if it’s me.

  “Mason is taking me to work. He is just showering, and I’m sure he can drop me off—”

  “Mason has shit to do and asked me a second ago. Tassie, don’t be a pain in my ass today. Just get in the car,” Alex grumbles. Someone didn’t drink their coffee this morning.

  “Yes, dickhead,” I mutter under my breath as he walks away.

  “You do come up with the most thought out and beautiful nicknames, Tassie,” he says, and I all but growl to myself. I swear Alexander was put on this earth to test every single one of my buttons until he finds the button that blows him into a million tiny little pieces.

  And I would stand on the Alex pieces all over the floor. Maybe. Well, definitely if they could still talk. I wash my cup out and leave it to dry on the rack before grabbing my bag, coat and boots. Sliding into the car, I see Shadow waiting by the side of the house, knowing he will stay close without me needing to ask him.

  Alexander is silent for the most part of the journey, that is until getting closer to Hugh’s, and the change in his whole body is clearly visible. He looks uncomfortable, on edge. “You remember what I told you in the woods?”

  “I hardly forget death threats, Alexander,” I murmur.

  “Good. Don’t breathe a word of this to Hugh,” he demands, actually looking at me this time and not at the road like he should be. “And I mean it. You would drop us all in shit’s creek if you do.”

  I frown. “What did I do?”

  “Nothing for you to worry about,” he replies. I’m frankly over all the cryptic crap he is coming out with.

  “Is Shadow changing forms a thing everyone can do?” I ask. “Because if it is, I’ve missed the memo.”

  “No. Now keep your pretty mouth shut about this, understood?” he growls, his hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly I worry he might break it.

  “Only if you train me and teach me how to control what I did. I like Mason and all, but he won’t show me what you did. Teach me, and I swear I’ll never say a word to anyone about it,” I counter.

  His lips turn up into a sexy smirk. “Are you blackmailing me, Tassie?”

  “Is it working, Alexander?”

  He turns to look at me for a moment, a smooth smirk still on his lips. “Yeah, and it’s fucking annoying.”

  “Do you swear in every sentence you say?” I question.

  “Actually, yes I fucking do.”

  I sigh, rolling my eyes at him even though he isn’t looking as he is driving. “So Sunday?”

  “It’s a date,” he replies.

  “Except it’s not,” I say, and he just laughs like that’s the funniest thing he has ever heard. Breathe, Ana. Breathe. Alex parks his Jeep at an odd angle right outside Hugh’s cabin, kicking up a dust storm as he stops so suddenly. He looks at me once and nods, a reminder without words that I need to keep quiet.

  What would Hugh do exactly if he found out Shadow can do something different? Do I even want to know?

  I slam the car door shut as I get out, and Shadow is by my side in seconds, his fur brushing against my arm as Alexander doesn’t knock the door before walking in.

  “Knocking is a virtue you are yet to learn,” Hugh grumbles, but he doesn’t sound that interested in Alex at all when his eyes are on me. Even though I love Raine and her carefree nature, her dad is another thing altogether. I feel as on edge as Alex as I look around for Hugh’s familiar who isn’t here. Shadow sits by the door, not coming in, but Alex leaves the door open.

  “Why knock when you are commanded to come?” Alex asks with a cocked eyebrow.

  “I asked for Miss Noble, not her friends. You may leave now,” Hugh states, waving a hand at the open doorway.

  “Not a chance. See I’m rather tired, and I’m going to take a nap in this chair,” Alexander says, dragging a chair across the room to the corner where he sits on it. He pulls his hood up, hiding his face as he rests back. “Pretend I’m not here. For you both, that should be easy.”

  “Sometimes you press your luck and place at this empire,” Hugh shouts, slamming a hand on the desk. Alex doesn’t even flinch like I do.

  “Then throw me out. I dare you,” Alexander chuckles, and the room becomes so tense that I’m almost scared to breathe out the air I was holding in. Hugh decides to pretend Alexander isn’t here and sits down on his chair, waving a hand towards the empty chair in front of the desk. I feel like a student that just burnt the school down as Hugh folds his hands, resting them on the desk, and looks at me.

  “Did Keelan wake up at all while you cleaned him up?” Hugh asks, and I try to not fidget, I try to not move as I answer.

  “No,” I say, the lie coming out smoother than the last time I said it. Though I can feel more than Hugh’s eyes on me now. Alex’s are as well, even if he pretends not to be here.

  He watches me, his expression making me wonder if he is believing me at all. “Nothing. No open eyes, no whispered words?”

  “Nothing. He slept and then passed away,” I answer, feeling my hands getting sweaty. I clasp them together, and Hugh watches.

  Waiting until I meet his eyes, he narrows his. “Would you lie to me, Miss Noble?”

  “Have you ever given me a reason to?” I reply.

  “We both know the answer to that lies in your desire to see your sisters again. How badly do you want to see them?” he asks, and my heart pounds in my ears. Every sound from Alex and Hugh breathing, the birds chirping outside, the creaking of the wood in the cabin seems louder.

  “More than anything,” I honestly reply. “I would do anything to see my family again.”

  “Then I’m going to ask you one more time. Did Keelan wake up at all while you were with him?” he leans forward as he asks. For a second, I know he is threatening me, and the silly part of me wants to tell him the truth.

  But the truth might put Shadow at risk, and I can’t do that. I won’t. Shadow has become family just as much as my sisters are.

  “I—”

 
“Enough. She told you he was passed out and then dead. He died, and thankfully we now know that his familiar wasn’t killed first. Keelan was badly injured, and I know you wish you had more to go on, but his body is gone. I’m sure Estelle told you everything,” Alex snaps, standing up. Napping my ass.

  “His body is gone?” I question, turning in my seat as Alex moves behind me. His fingers dig into the back of the chair, resting on my shoulders.

  “Faded into the unknown light, as all do when they die. Sometimes it takes a few hours, and it did in this case,” Hugh answers me. “It’s quite a sight to see.”

  “Right,” I nod, and I stand up, moving to Alex’s side like it’s natural to stand next to him. How Alex became the protector in this room is beyond my understanding.

  Until now, I was sure Alex would rather push me off a cliff than stop me from falling.

  “I see your studies are not going as expected. How is training?” Hugh asks. “Perhaps I should be personally training you instead of Alexander.”

  “Tassie here is a natural. There will be nothing to worry about,” Alexander says in a jokey tone, wrapping his arm around my waist. Seems like someone is a much better liar than I am. “And we best be going. I have work and so does my Tassie.” My Tassie?

  “We will talk again soon, Miss Noble,” Hugh snaps, sounding very pissed off.

  “I look forward to the invite, sir,” Alex replies, his voice dripping with condescension and sarcasm as he turns me around and all but shoves me out of the door before shutting it behind me. “Wait for Raine here. I can see her car coming.”

  “Okay,” I reply, feeling a bit in a daze. I expect him to walk to his car, but he turns on his heel, walking right up to me so we are inches away. Alex smells like fire, apples and oranges.

  And I really like it.

  “One more thing. If you want to live longer than two fucking minutes, learn to lie better,” he harshly whispers to me before storming off to his Jeep just as Raine pulls in with her car. She hangs her head out of the window, grinning at me.

  “Want a detour before work?” she asks. “I know the bakery just got a delivery, and freshly cooked cakes are the best.”

  “Yeah, I really do,” I answer with a big smile, knowing I would be too early for work if we went right there now. As I get into the car, I see Hugh watching me from the window. He waves at Raine like there is nothing in the world wrong.

  But there is.

  There are two missing wolves, and someone’s looking for Shadow.

  And I won’t let anyone have him.

  Death for a pretty girl. Fuck.

  Alexander

  “We need to talk about the girl,” I bite out as I walk into the ruined building that Mason is still cleaning up. I don’t come here if I can help it; it just reminds me of the fucked up mess of the fire. I know it was caused by Dawn to get rid of our tutor, but too many died from it. And I still couldn’t save him.

  I can’t save shit, and this thing with Tassie is going to get us all killed. We three can just about protect ourselves, let alone her. Mason pauses, two burnt bricks in his hands as he frowns at me. Chucking them in the skip, he steps over some rubble and comes to me with Liam following. “And we need to talk about this.” I hold up the ruby red envelope, and they know we have a problem.

  You don’t get a letter like this.

  Ever.

  “Why the fuck would the Dawn send us a letter in here?” Mason snaps, snatching the letter, and he reads it quickly with Liam looking over his shoulder.

  “Shit,” Liam grumbles, rubbing his face. The letter is fucking clear. The missing wolves are being taken by the Dawn, and the warrior they sent has been killed, so now they need us to get what they were looking for. The letter burns in red flames, like they always do when they have been read by the people the letter is meant for. I’m more concerned about the warrior they sent being killed, because I’m sure Hugh would be bragging all over the empire if he managed to kill anyone.

  So who the fuck is looking out for Anastasia and killed the warrior they sent?

  The letter basically states they want Shadow and Anastasia, and what the Dawn want, the Dawn get.

  “What are we going to do?” Mason asks, letting the embers of the letter fall onto the ground. “I am not giving Ana to those lunatics. Why hasn’t—”

  “My mother wouldn’t protect us against them, let alone try to protect Ana. The Dawn always get what they want, but I’m surprised they would get permission to ruin our entire mission for a girl,” I answer. Our mission isn’t done here, and it can’t be for years.

  And if we fail, then we all lose someone we love. For me, the list is short to begin with. It literally is these two idiots, my mother and my niece. And my niece is the life I would lose, which both these tools know. They both have someone to lose also.

  “Considering what you said Ana did the other day, she is just like us,” Liam comments. What Ana did the other day is impossible, and she just did it like it was natural.

  We can change our animals’ forms at will now, but that is because of what we are. It’s because of our bloodlines and the fucked up tests performed on us at birth. And it took us years of training to learn to control the power.

  “Ana is nothing like us, but fuck knows how she did that,” Mason adds. “And I hate that we don’t know the truth. Someone is lying to us. To the empire.”

  “Any luck finding information on her past?” I ask, because some of these answers have to be in her past. “Are her parents runaways from the empire? Which bloodline is she from?”

  “No, nothing more than bullshit about them dying in a car crash. Yet there was no evidence of this crash, the forms all look made up, and overall, I’m not sure. I’m still looking into it,” Liam answers. “The sisters seem normal though. Nothing out of the ordinary in their lives.”

  “It’s only a matter of time before Hugh tells someone high up about Ana,” Mason says, and it’s true. He has always loved to brag about anything special.

  “Wonder why he is keeping it a secret,” Liam muses.

  “You tell me,” I say, rubbing my chin. “But what is our decision? After what happened in our past, we make a united decision or not one at all.”

  “I say screw the Dawn and what they want. I’m not letting them take Ana for tests and god knows what else they would do to her. Our vows are not to the Dawn exactly, and that means we don’t have to listen to them,” Mason grumbles. “If a purple letter turns up, we will figure something out.”

  “Agreed,” Liam simply says, like going up against one of the most powerful companies in our world is easy. The Dawn are powerful, rich and have secrets on everyone, so they always win.

  “Are you out of your fucking minds?” I ask. “Seriously? All for this girl?”

  “Why are our lives worth more than hers when she is like us?” Mason asks, cocking his head to the side. “She doesn’t have a clue, and when she does, it will break her. It broke us, and we’ve known for years.”

  “We are alive, aren’t we?” I ask. “I made that happen when you both wanted to give up. We promised that nothing and no one would come between us again.”

  “Until our vow is called on, which it isn’t in this letter, then we aren’t thinking about it,” Liam states, making it clear this subject is over for now.

  “They will just send more to take all the wolves here if we don’t,” I warn them.

  “Then we protect her. Should be easy,” Mason shrugs.

  “Fuck you both,” I shout, shoving my hands into Mason’s chest before storming off back to my car. I raise my fist and punch the hood of my Jeep as hard as I can, leaving a massive dent. “Anastasia Noble is going to get us all killed.”

  One night of not being Anastasia Noble.

  “Hey, can you tell Mason I’m going out with Raine for the night? I would ring, but we don’t have phones here. Do we have a means of communication other than word of mouth?” I ask Estelle, well aware I’m rambling, and she so
ftly rests her hand on my arm.

  “You’re allowed to make new plans from time to time. I’m sure Mason will not mind,” she says. “And I for one am happy you are going out.”

  “Right. I know that,” I try to smile, but I don’t know why I feel guilty. Mason and Liam are just trying to protect me, and I know that, but it doesn’t help me feel like I shouldn’t tell them every bit about where I’m going.

  “Now go and have some fun with Raine. If there is one thing that girl knows, it’s how to have fun.”

  “Maybe a little too much,” I chuckle, and she laughs as I walk out. Raine beeps her horn at me, and I jog over, sliding into the car and spotting Shadow by the side of the building, waiting to follow me. As I do my seatbelt up, I look into the back of the car to see Kiwi sitting on the back seat, the phoenix even has a seatbelt on.

  “Don’t mind her, she acts like she is human all the time. It’s a common thing for those of us born here with their familiars,” she explains to me. “We need to stop at my house because neither of us are dressed for where we are going tonight.”

  “And where are we going?” I question.

  “It’s a surprise, and only certain people are invited. Don’t worry, it’s safe and Shadow can stay at my house with Kiwi, which is right around the corner from where we are going,” she happily says, all figured out.

  “So you don’t live with your dad?” I question.

  “When I have two boyfriends and we like to fuck near all day?” she replies, and my cheeks light up. Raine laughs as she swings the car into another lane, heading for the middle of town, and I hold on for dear life. I forgot for a moment how fast and carelessly she drives. Gulping down the fear of crashing, I realise Raine asked me another question. “How is the foursome going with the cabin boys?”