by Jade Royal
“Bliss, Selena, and Gemma were on the dance floor while I was next to the VIP with Rita. I heard Gemma telling someone to back off her, so I immediately went to check it out. It was the human pushing up on her, and I forced him back, but then I heard Bliss scream out. So the human pushing up on Gemma was just the distraction. The other human had grabbed Bliss, put silver cuffs on her and was running off with her.” The pen Kellan had picked up to hold in his hand snapped in two with the force of how tight he was squeezing it. He gritted his teeth, anger consuming him but not trying to let it come out. Kyra kept quiet knowing she was about to get reprimanded for not keeping the she-wolves safe in the first place. No one should have been able to snatch Bliss up. That’s where Kyra had failed.
“What did you do next?” That was the first time Jaxson had said something directly to her. Kyra’s wolf whined and sobbed, hiding her eyes. She wanted him but knew he had caused Kyra a great deal of hurt.
“I told Zander and Niles to get the rest of the she-wolves into the safe room, shut down the lounge and I went after Bliss.”
“By yourself?” Tristan asked.
“Yes by myself.”
“Kyra you can’t do that,” Jaxson sighed.
“Always have back up.”
“Well the last time we were at the lounge, and something went wrong, you went after the hunter by yourself. So am I being treated like this because I’m a woman? Do you think that I can’t get the job done like any male by myself?” There was no answer. Kyra knew they were being biased.
“Kellan, punish me if you have to for letting Bliss get snatched up in the first place. But remember that you’re the one that told me you would not treat me any different because I was a female enforcer. So if I’m reprimanded for going alone to handle business, then you can count me out as an enforcer.”
“What happened to the hunters?” Kellan asked.
“They're dead,” Kyra shrugged.
“I’m not going to punish you,” he spoke.
“I never was.”
“I’m sorry I let her get taken,” Kyra whispered.
“Don’t be Kyra. I’m more thankful at the fact that you didn’t let her get taken permanently. But I will implore that enforcer codes are created to keep enforcers alive. The outcome could have been very different if you went after Bliss but was shot in the heart with an arrow.”
“I understand,” Kyra bowed.
“What do we do now?” Jayce asked.
“Nothing that we can do really,” Kellan sighed.
“Those specific hunters are dead. Like I said before, human hunters won’t ever not be a problem unless we wipe out the entire human race which although sounds good is impossible and cruel for the innocent and the young. So we just have to keep protecting our own.”
“Have you devised a plan for those addresses of the hunter you found?” Jayce asked Jaxson.
“Yes. We’re locked and ready. You just give the order Kellan,” Jaxson responded.
“I will let you know. Dismissed.” The entire room began to empty out but as soon as Kyra went to leave Kellan stood. He went to the door and closed it; leaning up against it.
“Um yes?” Kyra asked, unsure of what his motive was.
“Are you ever going to speak to Jaxson about that incident?”
“Probably not,” Kyra said crossing her arms.
“It won’t do you any good to bottle it up and keep it inside and pretend it didn’t happen.”
“Says the guy that’s happily mated with a beautiful son to carry out his bloodline,” Kyra muttered. Kellan looked at her softly. She knew in that moment she was speaking to her friend and not to her alpha.
“Also says the guy that watched his father get killed and then was forced to watch as his mother was raped before she was murdered. Also says the guy that thought running away from his problems and his fear of becoming alpha because he’d let his parents succumb to such a gruesome death was a good idea. Also says the guy who had to learn the hard way that running from problems only leads to more problems. I may be in love Kyra, but before Bliss, I was only a shell of a man.
Feeling completely hollow and numb because that’s how I forced myself to feel. That’s no way to live your life. Then again, things happen for a reason. Had I not run away from my problems and fear of facing my people as the alpha then I would have never found the love of my life. She brought me back to myself. She brought me back home.” Kyra realized she hadn’t even thought twice about what Kellan went through with losing his parents. He had appeared so strong and to know he was just as weakened as she felt at the moment made her feel almost normal.
“So what are you saying?” Kyra sighed.
“No one is gonna go through life heartbreak free. But just because you’re hurt doesn’t mean you should bottle it up and keep it locked away. It’s not healthy. Things do happen for a reason, Kyra. And the way you and Jaxson feel about each other; that’s a luxury for true mates. Yet, both of you aren’t true mates. Don’t let that slip away because you’re hurt. It will take time I understand, but you have to deal with it.”
“I don’t know if I can,” Kyra whispered, feeling her eyes sting with tears.
“Try. Before it’s too late,” he warned.
“Too late?”
“He’s going to leave the pack,” Kellan said somberly.
“If he loses you he won’t stay. I don’t blame him; I don’t see how he could be in love with someone and know that he can’t have her because of his mistake. I just don’t want two wolves deserving of love to lose one another because of a mistake.” Kellan moved from the door and opened it to let her out. Kyra hugged him before wiping her eyes and leaving the room. She didn’t know why she even cared, but she went straight to Jaxson’s room. Without knocking, she threw open the door. He was in bed looking up at the ceiling but hopped up the moment she entered.
“Don’t speak,” she warned him. He just looked at her, and even in the gaze of his eyes, Kyra had to force herself not to break down and cry.
“Just because we’re broken up doesn’t mean you should do something stupid like leave the pack. They’re your family.” Kyra saw the dread and the hurt in his eyes, and she nearly lost it. She quickly left the room, not having anything else to say. She ran into her bedroom and locked herself in. Before the tears could leak, she drew that back and held it in. Basically the opposite of what Kellan told her to do but she just couldn’t let anything out. Playing strong and unbothered. That’s how she was going to get through this.
Chapter Twenty-One
“So you’re never going to talk to me?” Jaxson paused only for a moment when Mira entered his bedroom. Again, she’d done so without knocking. Jaxson kept his back turned towards her as he continued to get dressed. He wasn’t sure how to speak with Mira without wanting to choke her out. He’d avoided her for two weeks, but that wasn’t enough time to keep her away.
“Nope,” Jaxson responded. He stood from the bed and yanked his boots onto his feet.
“I think you owe me that much.”
“Owe? You wanna talk about owe?” Jaxson was flabbergasted.
“Yes owe! I get embarrassed by fucking you, and you turn around and ignore me like I’m a piece of meat or some shit.”
“Well you wouldn’t have gotten caught fucking me if you weren’t in my bedroom trying to fuck me,” he snapped at her.
“This all started because you refused to accept me you know Jaxson. I’m hurting just as much as she is, yet you don’t care!”
“I’m past caring about you!” Jaxson snapped. “I was always ready to be your friend Mira. I told you the truth. I don’t want you. Kyra is who I want. She didn’t take me from you, she didn’t deceive me, and she sure as hell didn’t warp my brain into wanting her.”
“I don’t understand what the hell you even see in her,” Mira scoffed.
“What I see is the mark I put on Kyra’s shoulder that she covers up because she’s embarrassed to be marked by me. In front of me
, I only see a woman who better leave me the hell alone. Now excuse me. I have a mission I need to complete.” Jaxson tugged his t-shirt over his head and headed towards the door. He took Mira by the wrist and pushed her out of the room as well before he locked the door.
“I don’t know what you want from me Mira, but I have nothing to give you. Kyra is the wolf that I am in love with. You can fuck things up between me and Kyra however much you want to Mira. It still won’t change the fact that I’m never going to want you in the way you want me to.”
“You used to want me,” she said.
“Yeah and there was always something about it that felt off,” he replied.
“Now leave me alone.” Mira stepped in his way when he tried to walk around her.
“Move or be moved Mira,” Jaxson warned her. Glancing behind him, Mira saw Kyra walking through the tunnel. She smiled and continued to block Jaxson’s path. When he went to move her out of the way, Mira wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.
Kyra stopped in her tracks when she saw Jaxson and Mira kissing in the tunnel. Her wolf had accepted the hurt, but she was past it now. She was ready to lay all over Jaxson’s animal and love on his scent and was very confused when Kyra kept her distance. So now seeing him with Mira…again, her wolf saw it as a challenge. Kyra’s eyes brightened, and her teeth left her gums. She stomped directly up to them in time for Jaxson to push Mira away from him. At that point, Kyra wished she had kept her wolf under control, but it was too late. Jaxson noticed her immediately. After she spoke to him about leaving the pack, they never spoke again. They were always part of pack conversation, but he said not a word to her. Kyra didn’t know how to feel. On one hand she was too angry to speak to him, but on the other hand, she was angrier that he hadn’t tried to make a plea to her to explain himself. Now he was kissing on Mira in the tunnel.
“Can we help you?” Mira asked hotly. Kyra ignored her and just glared at Jaxson. He glared right back at her, but he said nothing. His lips didn’t even begin to utter a word to explain why he was kissing on Mira. Then again why should he have to explain it? The way Kyra saw it, neither she nor Mira were his mate. So he could have anyone he wanted. Besides, when his mate did come around, he wasn’t going to pick Kyra, and he wasn’t going to pick Mira. So feeling the need to fight over him was stupid.
“No actually, you can’t,” Kyra said.
“When you’re done kissing on your girlfriend Jaxson, we’re all ready to start this mission.” She looked him up and down before walking away. Jaxson only had to watch as Kyra walked away. With Kellan’s order not to speak to her unless it was enforcer business, he had to remain silent. Even though his wolf was damn near barking at him to go and get her, he also knew an order was an order. It was frustrating, but it was his fault.
“Stay away from me,” he told Mira darkly as he pushed past her. He continued out of the tunnels to where the pack was waiting for him. They had a mission to complete. Even if his heart was heavy, he just had to ignore it and push through.
***
“There’s four shifters in the house,” Jaxson reported.
“One of them isn’t a wolf. But I don’t know what she is.” The men and Kyra of the Phoenix Pack were gathered around the home of one of the human hunters that they’d stopped from selling a shifter. After strengthening their plan for two weeks, Kellan had decided they were ready to make the move. All the she-wolves were safely in the caves with Jayce. The rest of the pack plus Kyra were on the mission. Just like they thought, the humans were keeping shifters locked away. The first human home was empty of shifters, but this time they had struck gold in finding the captives.
“Just like we planned,” Jaxson said. He looked at each shifter making eye contact with them. With Kyra, he lingered on her a little while longer than the others. Two damn weeks. Two damn weeks and they still hadn’t spoken. Not after asking him not to leave the pack. Every day he had to look at her and every day his heart broke a little bit more. Each day she smiled a little when Jaxson was still just a shell of his old self. It was strange because seeing her smile made his heart flutter and pulse happiness through his body. Then she would look at him, and her smile would disappear, and somberness would return to her features. Everyone in the caves was able to give her a small piece of joy again. Everyone except Jaxson. If she wasn’t going to be with him, he knew he at least wanted her to live joyfully and happily. None of those was something that Jaxson could give her.
“Let’s move!” All at once, under Jaxson’s lead, the pack charged towards the home. Kyra, Niles, and Zander ran behind Kellan, Jaxson, and Tristan. Kyra’s job was to find the shifters and get them out, leaving the fight to Jaxson, Tristan, and Kellan.
The hunters jumped up from their spots where they were lounging in the living room. They had the she-wolves dressed in lingerie and dancing for them. They weren’t wearing any silver which was why Jaxson was able to sense them in the first place, but they were immensely weakened from however long they had previously been shackled with silver chains.
With claws and teeth drawn, Jaxson, Tristan, and Kellan fought off the hunters. Kyra knew she had to get the shifters out first but was temporarily distracted when she saw Jaxson hit in the shoulder with an arrow. He went down, but popped up quickly and snatched the arrow from his flesh. Kyra started to run towards him to help.
“NO!” He shouted at her.
“Stick to the plan!” He looked at her for a moment. There was a look in his eyes that told her he was going to be okay. Kyra nodded at him and went after the shifters. Niles carried one of the females out, Zander carried one of them on his back and the other one in his arms. The last shifter left was bleeding from open lashes on her back. Kyra bent down and put her arm around the woman and helped her to stand.
“I got you, come on,” Kyra reassured her. They hustled out of the house trying to avoid the fighting men. One of the hunters fell to the ground and grabbed onto Kyra’s ankle. Before she could kick him off, Jaxson was stepping on his wrist, breaking it.
“Go,” he urged her. With the shifter unable to move any faster, Kyra picked her up and moved quickly out of the house. Zander and Niles was already out of the house and waiting for the rest of the pack to return.
“You have to go back,” the shifter Kyra was carrying coughed out.
“Don’t worry you’re free it’ll be okay.” Kyra just thought the woman was in shock to make any sense.
“No-no…my little sister…she’s locked up in the basement…chained with silver.”
“Shit. Don’t worry; I’ll go get her.” Kyra didn’t think twice to hurry back towards the house. She darted inside; avoiding the fight. She found stairs leading down to a basement and quickly jumped down them. Indeed there was a young shifter chained to the wall staring in space weakly. When she saw Kyra, she jumped with awareness.
“It’s okay I’m not here to hurt you. Me and my pack are here to rescue you.” Kyra let her wolf eyes glow, so the shifter knew that Kyra was indeed a shifter. Kyra gained her trust immediately.
“What about my sister?” she asked.
“She’s already outside. My pack is killing off those humans as we speak. So let’s get you out this place.” Kyra looked around the basement. There were no keys to the chains. With one of her claws, she began picking the lock on the chains. It gave way almost too easily, unlocking.
“That was easy,” Kyra shrugged. She smiled at the shifter until she heard another clicking sound and a timer starting up.
“Oh no,” Kyra gasped.
“We need to get out of here. NOW.”
Jaxson killed the last hunter before yanking another arrow from his back. Tristan was down, wolfsbane smoke coming from his stomach. Throwing Tristan over his shoulder, Jaxson headed for the front door with Kellan behind them. They ran across the large front lawn trying to separate themselves as far as they could from the house. Jaxson put Tristan down.
“Make a fire,” he ordered Niles. He checked to make sure eve
ry shifter had gotten out alright.
“Wait, where’s Kyra?” Jaxson asked. Zander and Niles both looked at each other almost afraid to say anything.
“Where the fuck is she?” Jaxson gritted grabbing onto both of their necks.
“She went back inside,” Niles reported.
“There was another shifter trapped in the basement.”
“My sister,” the weakened she-wolf sobbed. Jaxson let go of Niles and Zander. He began running towards the house. Kellan grabbed onto his arm and yanked him back.
“STOP!” Kellan ordered.
“Listen!” Jaxson piqued his ears and heard the faint sound of a timer beeping. It gave one final beep before going quiet.
“Oh my god,” Jaxson gasped. The ground beneath their feet rumbled before the house exploded in front of them. Even yards away, hot flames scorched their skins as they were pushed back by the force of the blast. The house was eaten alive by flames and dust before beginning to crumble to the ground. Jaxson stared on in horror. There wasn’t a neighbor for miles in this part of town, so the blast probably didn’t affect anyone else.
“NO!” Jaxson screamed. His ears were ringing so bad he could barely hear himself speak.
“KYRA!” Jaxson tried getting up, but his equilibrium was thrown off from the blast. Kellan reached over to him to try and help him up. Jaxson grabbed onto his alpha.
“Is she dead?!” Jaxson screamed.
“Is she dead?!” He shook Kellan trying to get the answers out of him. As the alpha, Kellan should have been able to feel when one of his wolves died.
“Jaxson…”
“Just tell me,” Jaxson pleaded, his body trembling. Kellan looked at him with somber eyes.
“Our connection is gone Jax,” he mumbled.
“I can’t feel her.” Jaxson felt his body physically break. He struggled to breathe, his chest rising and falling harshly.
“No, no. You’re bullshitting,” Jaxson gasped.
“She’s not...no she’s not. She’s my cocoa bean…she’s too strong for death… she can’t die.”
“I’m sorry Jaxson but-”