"When's Daddy coming home?" came that sweet little voice, a quiver in it at the end.
I brushed his hair with my fingers and followed it with my chin, soaking him in omega scent, an attempt to reassure him. The pup was an alpha in the making, but young alphas found comfort and safety in a parent omega's scent, so I'd discovered. "As soon as he can, sweetheart. But Daddy's trying his best to heal up. We're going to go visit him tonight, okay? You don't have school tomorrow. You can stay up as late as you want."
"Can I bring him a picture?"
Oh, there were tears in his eyes. I swallowed a whine. "You made him a picture, huh? Of course you can bring it to him. But he might be asleep when we get there. Even if he is, we'll leave it for him to see when he wakes up. Okay?"
He nodded and buried his face in my shoulder. I hugged him as tight as I could, wishing I could do more; but what could be done? Hudson would heal when he managed it and I refused to think about what we would do if it became more of an "if" than a "when".
"How about you go help your auntie get your brothers and sisters ready for tonight?" I whispered, putting a spark of excitement into my voice.
Tommy beamed at me, easily distracted like most little kids are, and ran off to do as he was asked. It was only as he was running off that I realized his socks didn't match. Oh well. He wouldn't be in his clothes for very long, anyway. Whenever there was a gathering, no matter if it was a Meet or not, most of the kids ended up in a pile of shifters in their animal bodies, roughhousing and having a great time while we adults tried to sort things out.
Still, this was the worst thing we'd had to figure since I'd joined the pack. I'd heard of other incidents like this, where a shifter accidentally lost control at work or at school, but most of the time it didn't make the news. And the Nightflight's escape into the mountains had made international news.
There would be no way to cover it up and I had a feeling the authorities would start trying to find other dragons; for surely if there were four, there were more. That was human logic. I took one last look at myself; a long-sleeved black dress, my makeup dark and foreboding. The braid I'd managed was a severe thing that made me feel like one of those legendary warrior princess types.
I ruined it all with a smile and shook my head. I was an omega about to go tell a bunch of alphas what to do. I snatched the stack of folders from the nightstand and headed out to help Lillian with the pups. Once upon a time, she'd been our enemy. She'd been the reason I'd ended up at my first Meet, on trial for the crime of being bitten by Tommy; who only wanted a mom of his own. He'd taken a liking to me and, in the simplicity of childhood, had decided to turn me.
Lillian hadn't liked that. Eskal had been judge, jury, and executioner. And when it'd all turned back on Lillian, condemning her, I'd made a bargain with the dragons for her life. I didn't know what had happened to her when the Nightflight had held her captive, but her hands shook a little less these days than they had when she'd first come home.
The nursery was spotless. The kids? Also spotless. Tommy was helping his little sister, Analise, into a jacket against the chill of the night; which was absolutely pointless but still a sweet thought. Werewolves, even pups, didn't really get cold. Lillian looked up at me and smiled. "They're ready to get going if you are. The boys already in the truck?"
"Leo's still making himself pretty, but Gabe and Xav are down there," I said, scooping Norrin up into my arms. I gave him the same nestle I'd given Tommy, though he didn't respond the same way.
None of my puppies responded like Tommy did, which implied they were either omegas or betas. Their alignment wouldn't be evident for a little while longer, but I suspected they already knew. All four of the pups were readily submissive to their older brother.
We gathered the kids between us, Tommy chattering along behind me, and I gently kicked the bathroom door on the way out to try to get Leo to hurry up. The dogs were crated, most of them napping happily. Carrie Ann had her paws up in the air, one twitching slightly as we left.
I climbed into the Hummer, Lillian passing each kid up to me to be strapped in. Five kids, five adults, and a partridge in a pear tree squeezed inside. There were ten of us altogether, but there should have been eleven.
"I know, Sadie," Lillian whispered as she climbed in next to me.
She offered her palm to me. I took it and tightened my grip on her hand. Gabe drove, but he was hesitant to climb into the seat that always seemed to end up occupied by Hudson. I nestled my head against Lillian, who kissed the top of my hair, and off we went.
The trip was a nearly silent one, with only the pups stirring now and then. I fell asleep against her for the last half hour, wanting a rest before I confronted most of our community about something that was not my fault; but something that I was damned sure making my business.
We walked to the clearing as one and I made a mental note to come out and clear the trails that led to the Meet some time in the near future. I took one too many branches to the face as we walked along and, while many of our community turned up already in beast form, there was no reason that those who didn't needed to get lashed on their way there.
So much to do, so little time to do it in.
Corvids, a mixture of crows and ravens, blinked down at me in the darkness as we walked beneath their perch. They were larger than typical birds of the species, marking them as the shifters that belonged in our world. They'd shown up not too long before I had and were exceptionally impressive gentlemen for guys who made their living grifting people at their circus-y-magic-show-thingy.
I don't know, I hadn't been. Okay? I just knew what the rumors said.
Lions, tigers, unicorns, griffins, and so many other species roamed the clearing. Yet the place held by Eskal's Nightflight remained off-limits. It was a high perch of stone above the rest of the ground, a throne-like place for those to speak on matters and for others to listen. Tightening my grip on the folders, I pressed my lips together and marched myself straight to that perch.
Heads turned as I climbed it and, by the time I stood atop it, the clearing was still, silent, and staring right at me.
In the past couple of years, I'd gotten better at speaking in public. With the rescue effort, I'd had to. I'd been in commercials and promotional material out the wazoo.
I still hadn't gotten used to so many eyes on me at once and I felt my skin flush beneath the fall night sky.
"I'm sorry to have called you out here so late," I began. A soft chorus of chuckles, or what served their animal selves as laughter, echoed throughout the area. I smiled. "But I'm sure we all know why we're here. There's a group missing from this Meet and we know why."
"Because the dragons fucked up," Jeremiah called, stomping a silver hoof upon the ground.
I nodded. "The dragons had good reason, but it doesn't stop the situation from being what it is. We're all at risk because of what they've done. And we need a plan to get ourselves out of it."
"Four sets of big leather boots?" purred a tiger, his head tilting. One of his pride brothers licked his ear, clearly approving.
And deep down, I did, too. For their sake, I shook my head. "Maybe I understand doing something crazy for love and family. I'm pretty sure the rest of you do, too. Besides, they've left the area. All of you were there when they promised it and there have been no more sightings. There's no reason to track them down."
"Plenty of reason for me."
The voice came from above. A dragon the size of a freight train whooshed to the ground beside me, nearly knocking me off the stone. I stumbled, dropped to a knee, and held on as she landed. Five others, all as big as she was, dropped behind her. The phoenixes, burning bright in the darkness, stood along the first dragon's back in a row. They were as large as the condors I'd helped rehabilitate as a teenager, if not a little larger. Pair that with the way your eyes burned if you stared at them too long and the phoenix flock was a lot to deal with.
"Pardon me," I said, dusting myself off. "I was unaware we had ano
ther dragon flight in the area tonight. We're happy to welcome you to the Meet. Do you have a grievance with the Nightflight, too?"
"Five more sets of big leather boots," I heard the tiger mutter. I flapped a hand in his direction. We didn't need to antagonize a potential ally.
The dragon, blood-colored and tipped with silver, tilted her massive head down at me. "Eskal is a sentimental fool and so are all of you. You dare to pin him in a cavern and not extinguish that which brings you danger and misery? Idiots. All of you. The phoenixes came to us in order to bring him to justice, dreaming of his defeat. What do you offer to them?"
"Safety," I said, standing my ground. It was nearly impossible. The dragoness was an alpha and every instinct in me begged for me to submit, to give her the floor and let her say her piece. I put it aside, but I still couldn't quite meet her eyes. "I offer them safety and, in time, justice. Eskal hurt my mate, miss. I want vengeance as much as any of the rest of you do."
"Adorable," she sneered. "An omega that wants to fight. Do you think a slap will phase him? A cruel word? I am Alashia Utayi of the Blackwind flight. And you are simply another little wolf in my way." That massive head looked out among the others. Her voice pitched to them. "Are you so weak that you allow an omega to lead you? Or will you find your senses and join we wingsisters under a banner of blood?"
A cheer, too loud and too strong for my comfort, went up from the griffins, yet the others remained quiet. I shook my head at her. "You're calling for a war? Most of us have children! We want to remain hidden in the human world and give those kids a chance to grow up. What you're doing is condemning everyone here to a slow, painful death at the hands of panicked humans. Because even they can miss a war between supernatural shapeshifters."
"What I am doing, little wolf," Alashia said, a paw crashing to ground an inch from my feet. "Is what your pack should have done all along. We cannot hide in a world where we are found out. Eskal has ruined us and for that, his flight must be culled. His eggs must be smashed. But no longer can we tremble in the shadows as humanity casts itself over us."
I stared at her. "You think he was right but you're still going to kill him?"
"It is our way. I do not expect a freshly turned werewolf to understand draconic custom."
My temper got the best of me. I slapped my stack of folders across her nose like she deserved it. The sound echoed across the clearing and, I swear, I heard everyone take a collective gasp. I put my finger in her face and snarled at her. "You aren't going to risk my family to settle whatever stupid feud you have with another dragon. You want to go tear him apart? Great. You do that. The rest of us are going to try to fix what he did. We belong in the shadows, under the light of Her moon, in the darkness where the people can't see. It's where it's safe. It's where we can survive."
"Survival is overrated," she said, sniffing once from my blow. Then her head lifted once again. "My wingkin, I hear you. Come with me into the skies. We hunt dragons tonight, and every night, until we find the Nightflight."
I hissed as she took off, knocking me on my ass. The griffins flew after them, the phoenixes not stationed on Alashia's back following as well. I glanced at the corvids and watched them shift, uncertainly, upon their perches.
"Not a fight we want a part in," croaked their flock leader, a handsome black raven with eyes of brass. "Peace is better. Judgment. Court. Like you always have. Not war. The wolf is right. The humans will see what they aren't meant to."
The tiger from before sighed "It's a problem, but nothing can be done. The Fontaines have the right idea. Let the hot-headed idiots go hunt the distant hills for the Nightflight. We know where they are."
I blinked as I sat there, then frowned at him. "You do? Why not bring this up to everyone before now?"
He shook his head. "No reason to. You aren't getting past the fae. Anyone here remember Aberdeen's sleuth? The bear shifters that had that one go rabid a few years back?"
"They took shelter with the Blackstalk fae," Jeremiah frowned. "You think Eskal did the same thing?"
The tiger looked at the unicorn and showed all his teeth in a cat's smile. "Aberdeen called me from a pay phone this morning to tell me the good news. Turns out the Nightflight and their new human have settled in comfortably under Queen Nerida. We'll never see them again."
"Fae?" I asked, looking between the men. "Someone needs to bring me up to speed on this."
Jeremiah sighed and folded his legs under himself, laying down on the soft, cool ground. "The Blackstalks are soul-sucking monsters attached to the Cold Court, what the humans know as the Winter fae. Only know it myself because I had to go save a friend from them, once. Dunno what the cats have to do with them. This was all before your time, but Aberdeen was a good guy. Made a deal with them to protect his people after things went to hell and we haven't seen them since."
"He sounded as if he was ill, but it is to be expected," the tiger said. "A pleasant ending all in all. The human must have some sort of connection to the supernatural world already, for Aberdeen said she was the one who made the deal with Queen Nerida. The Nightflight is already being punished. The eggs they held so precious, so much worth to throw away their entire lives over, will never hatch around a fae queen that steals life."
"Is Eskal aware of this?" I asked, conflicted.
On one hand, the Nightflight deserved what they had coming to them.
On the other, if they weren't aware of what was happening, it wasn't the justice that I craved.
Silence met me. If either of the alphas in front of me knew, they weren't going to say. I sighed ad pinched the bridge of my nose. I didn't want to go on a frigging rescue mission to save the flight that had ruined so much, but it seemed like that was what we were heading for.
I slapped the folders down beside me and sighed. "Okay, everyone. New plan."
Chapter Four
Xavion
I watched as Sadie gave her presentation, laying out her plans for the remaining shifters to hear. I listened with one ear and thought through the break in the community with the rest. Sadie wanted us to put our best feet forward, especially those who had a public image to maintain. If we could use our money and power to settle down the dragon thing, she thought we might be able to pull the Nightflight in unharmed and bring a human-minded sort of justice to him.
Personally? I thought Alashia had a better idea. She was going to rip Eskal limb from limb and probably Iyadre, Nariti, and Vadriq, too. Hell, she might even eat that science girl and while I was generally against such things, dragons were monsters. And it was up to that big red alpha bitch what she did with her time, not me.
I knew the Blackstalk fae all too well. The Nightflight was in danger that they didn't understand and I hoped, by Her grace, that Sadie wasn't going to send us in after them. But I wasn't going to question my mate in front of the rest of the community. It was hard enough for her, as an omega, to get the attention that she was getting. She'd come a long way in public speaking, but under the eye of so many alphas, several of them without mates, I knew her instincts would be running hard and fast.
"Essentially, I think we can do this without bloodshed if the Nightflight will come along quietly. And if they won't, I don't suppose that there are news helicopters flying around whatever fairyland they're hiding in. Right?" Sadie asked.
Jeremiah snorted. "If there are, they're in all sorts of trouble. Queen Nerida doesn't like humans very much."
"Right. Then that's the plan. I think we can manage it if we're slow and if we're careful. Does anyone have any objections?"
The gathering muttered and eyed Sadie, but no one disagreed. It was solid. It was what our laws said we should do. It just wasn't as satisfactory as ripping their heads off and wiping the human girl's mind. Sadie came back to us and I pulled her against my chest, rumbling into her ear. "You did good."
"I tried," she whispered back, limp with relief against me. "Is it rude if we leave now? We're not hunting tonight."
I shook my head at he
r. "No. It's not. Doctor Ionae's here, but one of his assistants said she'd stay behind and let us in. You sure you're ready to go?"
"Mmm. Mmhm," Sadie sighed, pressing her forehead against me.
I traded a glance with Gabe. He shrugged. Leo, Gabe, and Lillian got the kids while I carried Sadie back to the Hummer, ducking under branches that had overgrown the path. She was nothing in my arms, a feather in the wind, and I wanted nothing more than to throw her down in the dirt and tear that pretty black dress off of her.
But we had other things to attend to. I put her in the back of the Hummer so she could lay down on the bench seat and climbed into the driver's side, cranking it up. The rest of the pack got the kids situated quickly enough, for all none of them wanted to shapeshift back into human children to be strapped in. It took a few minutes, but they gave in; eventually.
Puppy Problems: A Reverse Harem Werewolf Romance (Her Secret Menagerie Book 3) Page 3