by Jade Royal
“The recovery houses we’re building is going to need more healers. I know not all shifters are gifted with healing properties, but just like we’re training future enforcers from other packs we can train shifters who’s interested in healing knowledge to be of use to their packs if someone gets hurt,” Selena spoke up.
“I love that idea,” Kellan said.
“I’ll put you in charge of it, Selena. Just let me, Jayce or Rita know what you’ll need.” Selena bowed with a smile on her face.
“Anything else?” No one spoke up. Kellan shifted through his papers and cleared his throat.
“The new and improved lounge is just about finished. With opening night coming up I want every one of us to be there for enjoyment and not for work. With our allies, I seriously doubt that we’re gonna have to do any kind of fighting. But don’t let your guard down completely. Anything can happen, and I want to be prepared no matter what. We definitely need the good time, however.”
“Tell me about it,” Tristan replied.
“None of you can complain. I have a pup in my belly who just loves to kick and kick. Besides, Jayce probably won’t let me go to the lounge.”
“Right about that,” Jayce commented.
“I don’t want anyone bumping into your stomach.”
“That’s not fair,” Kyra spoke up.
“She deserves to have a good time. Besides the lounge is very spacious plus we added VIP sections. No reason she can’t hang out in the sections away from the crowd. If you have any doubts, I will be there to protect her. No one will touch her I promise.” Jayce looked at Kyra for a long while.
“Fine then. But you better stay with Kyra!” he ordered pointing at Rita. She stuck her tongue out at him but smiled at Kyra.
“Now, in terms of the humans we have to be vigilant,” Kellan said.
“They’re buying and selling she-wolves,” Jaxson added.
“No one person is in control of this operation, however. It’s like slavery. Everyone is getting in on it just because.”
“We have to be ready to be called upon in search of any she-wolves that go missing from other packs. I have the two locations of these human hunters thanks to Jaxson for grabbing their I.D cards. We’ll be launching a rescue mission to get any other females they may have stowed away in their homes. Our most important task at hand in the case of protecting our own is Bliss, Rita, and the pups. Enforcers do you have any measures we should be taking?”
“So far things are working out for us. Nothing new needs to be done,” Tristan said.
“That’s not true,” Kyra interjected.
“There needs to be more training among us. All the she-wolves need additional training.”
“You’re the only one out of us all that does training every day,” Gemma said.
“We all need to train just as much,” Rita added.
“So I agree with Kyra.”
“Trainings can be arranged,” Kellan spoke.
“Anything else?”
“Nope,” everyone said.
“Great. Meeting adjourned.” Everyone stood ready to leave and also happy the meeting wasn’t that long.
“Kyra can you go down to the cellar and wait for me please,” Kellan told her.
“Um…am I in trouble for something?” She asked, worried. She thought that he was going to punish her for the shit she pulled with Jaxson and the human hunters.
“You’ll soon find out. Now go to the cellar.” Kyra headed towards the door, but she looked at Jaxson on her way out. She was both afraid and confused as to what was happening.
Jaxson…
Don’t worry cocoa bean I’ll figure out what’s happening. I’ll have your back.
Thanks, Jax. Jaxson watched as Kyra left the room. He was equally as confused as to what Kellan was planning.
“What are you gonna do?” He asked immediately.
“If this is about what happened with the human then I’ll take full responsibility for that and receive punishment in her place.”
“Relax Jax. I’m not punishing her.”
“Then what the hell is going on?”
“The pack has been talking about the issues with Kyra.”
“What issues?!” Jaxson gritted.
“She let me know that something is missing in her life and I don’t want to hold her back from reaching her full potential in this pack.”
“Wait, wait, wait. Please tell me you’re not thinking of expelling her from the pack. Kellan I swear to God if you force her out of the pack then I’m leaving too.” Kellan only gave him a look with raised brows before he left the meeting room. Bliss walked next to him with their pup in her arms.
“Everyone follow me,” Kellan ordered. Jaxson was first in line to follow the alpha. He meant what he said. If Kyra was being put out of the pack, then he was going with her. There was no way he could be without her.
Kyra paced the cellar; butterflies zinging around in her belly. She didn’t know the reasoning behind being asked to come down here and the fact that the cellar was lit with candles made it even more ominous. She tried to recall anything that could have possibly warranted a punishment, but nothing came to mind. She hadn’t done anything. All at once she heard the footsteps of the pack members coming down to the cellar. She stopped pacing immediately and stood stoically with her chest out. Whatever Kellan was going to pass onto her she was going to take it with pride and not show any fear or anxiety.
The pack stood in front of her in a horizontal line. Kyra took in a deep breath and began to wonder if this was going to be her last night in the Phoenix Pack.
“I’m going to ask you a series of questions, and I just need a yes or no answer. Simple. Can you handle that?”
“Yes,” Kyra responded.
“Are you a hundred percent committed to the Phoenix Pack and all its members?” he asked.
“Yes,” she replied without hesitation.
“Will, you ever betray or conceal devious acts to those of the pack and the ones we hold dear to us?”
“No.”
“Can you separate your personal beliefs from any task that you may have to complete?”
“Yes.” Kyra was getting curious. She didn’t know what was the point in all his questions but knew that if she asked then, it wouldn’t be following his orders.
“Repeat after me please.”
“Okay…”
“I-Kyra Lilah Stone-vow to protect, serve, and commit to the Phoenix Pack and all its members up until the day I can no longer perform my duties.” Kyra gasped with misty eyes. Kellan looked stone faced at her so she knew she couldn’t break up the moment with her cries or outbursts.
“I, Kyra Lilah Stone vow to protect, serve, and commit to the Phoenix Pack and all its members up until the day I can no longer perform my duties.”
“I will always put the safety of my pack before others.”
“I will always put the safety of my pack before others.”
“With this vow, from this day forth I will serve my pack as an enforcer,” Kellan said the words for Kyra to repeat while holding out his hand. Kyra took his hand and held back her tears as she repeated his words.
“With this vow, from this day forth I will serve my pack as an enforcer.” The moment the words left her mouth, her wolf awakened from its slumber. The power of the vow entwined an invisible bond around Kellan’s and Kyra’s hands, sealing her new position in the pack.
Her wolf nodded its head and rose to the surface at the surge of power only enough to make Kyra’s eyes glow. Once the vow had clicked into place, Kellan let go of her hand. Because he was the alpha, entwining in a bond with him was entwining in a bond with the entire pack. His eyes were glowing as well as he used his power to spread her vow to the whole pack. As each pack member received her vow, they bowed their heads. Jaxson was the last to receive the vow, and when he did, he cracked a smile at her before bowing.
“Congratulations,” Kellan smiled at her.
“You’re an e
nforcer now,” Kyra shouted in happiness and jumped up and down. She threw her arms around Kellan hugging him tightly.
“Thank you so much! But wait-” she pulled away from him.
“Enforcers have to defeat current enforcers in a fight to become an enforcer. I didn’t fight Tristan or Jaxson.”
“I strongly believed you would have kicked my ass if we did fight,” Tristan said. Kyra couldn’t help but laugh.
“Yeah, how did she become an enforcer?” Zander questioned.
“No doubt I’m gonna get my ass kicked by Tristan and Jaxson fifty times before I even get close to being an enforcer.”
“Well in my eyes; any wolf who can defeat an entire pack by themselves doesn’t need to beat an enforcer to become an enforcer. Time and time again Kyra has been there for our pack, and she deserves the position.”
“This is historic,” Rita beamed.
“No, she-wolf has ever been an enforcer! She-wolf magic!” The she-wolves surrounded Kyra, hugging her tightly.
“I know it’s a big deal,” Kellan spoke up.
“But I’m not giving any special treatment because you’re a woman.”
“Oh I know,” Kyra said.
“I won’t disappoint.”
“Wait, so if I wanted to challenge Kyra to be an enforcer I could?” Zander asked.
“If you think you can beat her, sure.” Everyone thought Zander would challenge and hell, even he thought he was about to challenge, but then Jaxson tapped him on the shoulder.
“She’ll kick your ass bruh,” he said.
“Yeah….she will,” Zander said slumping his shoulders. He knew Kyra was no little fight. The woman was lethal.
“That’s what I thought,” Kellan smiled.
“Anyways, the enforcers have their own meetings. Though you are one of them now, they still rank.”
“Meaning?” Kyra questioned.
“Jaxson is the commanding enforcer. Means you follow his lead and take his direction.” Kyra looked at Jaxson who quirked his brows at her.
“Thanks for giving me this opportunity Kellan. I won’t let you or the pack down.”
“I know you won’t Ky.” He kissed her forehead before reaching for his pup. He held the baby in his arms before talking in a high pitched to the pup as he walked away. Each of the she-wolves hugged Kyra one more time before leaving the cellar with their mates in tow.
“We’re gonna celebrate don’t you worry!” Gemma called out from where she was perched on Tristan’s back as he walked out.
“I’m really happy for you Kyra,” Zander smiled before he left. Once he did, only Jaxson remained in the cellar with Kyra. They looked at each other for a moment.
“Congrats,” he smiled at her.
“For a moment I thought Kellan was about to kick you out of the pack. I was ready to pack my shit and go with you if that was the case.”
“Aw, you’d leave the whole pack on my account?” She asked. Jaxson opened his arms and motioned for her to come to him. She eagerly stepped into his arms. He wrapped them around her and swung her around in a circle. He kissed her neck.
“You’re my cocoa bean, your hold is too strong on me for me not to follow you.” He kissed her nose.
“Well, it looks like you’re stuck with me. I’m an enforcer. Can you fucking believe it? I can’t wait to get started.” Jaxson chuckled at her eagerness.
“ How lucky are you?” Jaxson asked.
“Lucky?” Kyra questioned, looking at him deeply.
“You’re fucking your commanding enforcer. That means he’ll be soft on you.” Kyra laughed before kissing him softly.
“Speaking of fucking…” she groaned.
“Oh, say less baby,” he said hungrily, lifting her in his arms.
Chapter Sixteen
“I swear I hate waiting on women to get dressed,” Jayce gritted as he paced in front of the cave. The entire pack was ready to head to their new lounge. Well the men were, but the women were yet to show their faces even though they were told to be ready by 8 pm. Amongst all the men, Kellan was the most anxious even though he was completely quiet.
“Kell, we said don’t worry,” Jaxson said.
“Me, Tristan, and Kyra talked extensively about our safety measures for a few days. We’re locked down.”
“I can’t help but worry. It’s nothing against you all I trust my pack. It’s the outside world I don’t trust.”
“True. But think about this as if you’re royalty; I mean technically you are. You’re the alpha of a pack claiming dominance in protection. Shifters want to see that the pack won’t eventually die out.”
It was always a tradition for alphas to introduce their pups to the shifter world especially to convey their power. This time though, Kellan didn’t want his mate or his pup out in the world. Too much shit was going on. He didn’t put it past human hunters to try and kill a baby. He was very much willing to stay home with Bliss and his two-week old son if he hadn’t had to go out and show face. It was a good thing that with shifter blood in his veins he was immune to all human diseases that would make him vulnerable as a baby.
“I just-”
“We got your back Kellan don’t worry about it. I mean that is your son, but he’s still our nephew. I need someone to help break rules with when you’re being an asshole,” Tristan added. Kellan finally cracked a smile.
“I hope you’re not still fussing,” Bliss said coming out of the cave. Kellan’s mouth dropped as he saw his mate dressed in a classy, knee length off the shoulder dress. The deep blue of the dress matched the blue that glowed from both Kellan and Kingston’s eyes.
“Damn,” Zander gasped. Kellan smacked him on the back of the head.
“Don’t look at my damn mate,” he warned. Zander backed up and quickly bowed. Niles snickered and laughed at his friend.
“Shut up,” Zander mumbled even though he was smiling. The rest of the females came out all dressed in the same type of dress, but each one was a different color. Every female of the Phoenix pack was dressed to impressed. Even Mira was dressed up. But all Jaxson saw was Kyra. Her dress was the color of hazelnut with gold flecks all around it.
“You look beautiful,” Jaxson commented as he went up to her.
“Thanks,” she smiled. He took her hand and helped her climb onto his back. Kellan held Kingston who was dressed in pants and a blazer that matched his father’s. He strapped Kingston into a baby carrier that he took from Bliss to wear before he lifted Bliss onto his back. The other females climbed onto their mates backs so the men could climb around the waterfall and up the side of the small cliff so they could head in the direction of the human town. Once on flat ground, the women hopped down so they could walk. Jayce held Rita around the waist, clutching her small stomach as they walked through the woods. When Jaxson looked around, he realized all his brothers were holding their mates and Mira was walking with Zander and Niles after having Zander carry her up the cliff. Jaxson didn’t necessarily care what anyone else would say, so he drew Kyra into his body and held her around the waist. She looked up at him and smiled.
“Can’t keep your hands off?” she teased him.
“That’s what happens when you didn’t let me suck your pussy before we left,” he shrugged.
“We can hear you!” Tristan groaned. Kyra laughed out loud.
“You better calm it down big boy,” Kyra said to him.
“Alright y’all let’s get moving a little bit faster,” Kellan ordered. The women rolled their dresses up, ready to run. With the baby strapped securely to his chest, Kellan and Bliss led the run through the woods.
***
“Everything is set. Let them in,” Jaxson gave the order. The rest of the pack was safe in the confines of the VIP section and shifters were waiting to be let into the building. Music was filtering through the building at a decent volume but completely unheard on the outside. Kellan and Bliss stood at the edge of the VIP section with Kingston in their arms ready to greet shifters coming. Kyra an
d Tristan stood on the outside of the VIP section prepared to interfere should anything go wrong.
For the first part of the night, Bliss and Kellan were speaking to endless rounds of shifters and introducing their offspring. It was the business end of packs, one that Jaxson was glad to have avoided. He was standing by the front door watching over the crowd of people. Every now and again his eyes would find Kyra through the crowd. She stood with so much pride ready to protect her pack. It made Jaxson proud himself to be with her.
“That’s close enough,” Kyra warned the wolf trying to get a better look at Kingston. She could feel Kellan’s agitation, but he was trying hard to keep up his diplomatic act. Two hours had passed where people were fawning over both his mate and his baby. Kyra didn’t blame him for wanted to snap at someone. This was supposed to be a night for them to have fun.
“Such a beautiful pup. Thank you, Kellan for helping our packs.” The wolf bowed and continued on. Kyra stepped in front of the thick velvet rope just as Kellan cursed under his breath.
“I say you’ve had enough of the visitors,” Kyra said.
“Thank goodness,” Bliss scoffed.
“My feet fucking hurts.” She went to sit with the other she-wolves. Kingston was fussy in her arms. He’d been asleep for a good portion of the time, but now he was awake and very uncomfortable.
“We’re not doing this again,” Kellan said.
“I don’t like people hovering over my damn kid.”
“Kell I wanna go back to the caves,” Bliss said worriedly. Kellan snapped his head in her direction and hurried over to her.
“Are you okay?” he asked, palming her face before running his hand around her neck.
“My breasts are starting to leak, and Kingston is fussy. The music is at a normal level, but it still might be too much for his senses especially since he’s awake now.”
“You’re right. Let’s go.” The rest of the pack began to stand ready to head back home.
“No not you guys. Stay and have fun. Me and Bliss will just go. I mean we are the new parents, not you all.”
“I’ll take the run back with you,” Kyra volunteered. Jaxson came over just in time to hear Kyra’s volunteer.
“Nope, you stay here with the she-wolves, and I’ll run with Kellan and Bliss. Tristan do a sweep of the lounge, make sure everyone is in the clear. Gemma if you wanna perform we can set that up when I get back just so you have the maximum protection.” Kyra opened her mouth to challenge Jaxson’s order.