“Really, what does he say no to?” Katalina asked.
Anna smiled knowingly. “Some things aren’t meant to be said, Kat.”
“If you say so,” Katalina grumbled.
“Are you one too?” Tim asked Anna quietly.
“A wolf? Oh God, no. I’m psychic.” She smiled brightly.
“Psychic… right.” Tim looked a little more concerned.
“Okay, well, Cage, do your thing,” Katalina said.
“Me? I thought you were calling him?” Cage answered.
“I will if I need to, but I’m obviously using up all my ‘you abandoned me’ guilt, so we’ll try the normal way first.”
Cage smirked, then stepped away to make the call. He returned ten minutes later. “That took some convincing. I think I just used up the last of my ‘you promised me your daughter and she dumped me’ guilt.”
“Ha! That so isn’t a thing, and you’ve met Anna. If it was a thing, it shouldn’t be now,” Katalina said.
“Whatever.” Cage pulled a face. “He’s at home. I said we’d see him soon. Anna, you can go in the car with Luke.” Cage pointed to the car down the street.
“Kat, go with Anna and Luke. C—” Bass instructed. He then paused, his mouth opened as if to speak but didn’t.
Cage made eye contact with Bass for the barest of seconds, then looked away. Katalina inwardly sighed. Everyone was trying hard to find their footing within the pack alliance, but it wasn’t easy, and it wasn’t always in the wolf’s nature, especially Bass’s. Pausing instead of giving Cage an instruction must have taken a lot of effort. Katalina took his hand and squeezed, silently telling him she loved him for trying so hard for her.
“Go ahead,” Cage said quietly. Katalina met his gaze and smiled.
“Cage, lead on foot, Luke next, then I’ll follow the van behind.” Bass turned and met Nico’s eyes. “Take Olivia home.”
Nico nodded his agreement.
“That all right with you?” Bass asked Cage.
“Yup. Come on, Anna. I’ll walk you to the car,” he replied.
“Is it far?” Tim asked.
“No, not far,” Katalina answered.
“Okay, Eva, get in,” Tim instructed.
Once Tim and Eva were in the van, Katalina focused her attention on Bass. He was having a quiet word with Nico. She caught the tail end of it, “…stay alert, just in case. Make sure everyone takes it seriously.”
“On it, Bass. For what it’s worth, I believe the guy,” Nico said.
“I do too. But I won’t make a mistake again.”
“You haven’t made any mistakes, Bass,” Nico insisted.
“I’ve made many,” Bass said sadly.
Katalina bit off her reply. He wouldn’t listen, no matter how many times she told him Indiana’s attack wasn’t his fault. It worried her the amount of responsibility he was putting on his shoulders. That he held himself to such high expectations. Everyone made mistakes; it was a part of being human.
Chapter 13
After kissing Bass goodbye, Katalina walked over to the car. Anna and Cage were having a hushed conversation, which ceased when she neared.
“Talking about me?” Katalina asked.
Cage ignored the question, and when Anna had climbed into the car and closed the door, he gave her an instruction. “Keep her safe, Kat.”
“We’ll be right behind you, Cage.”
“She’s my heart, Kat, and we live in uncertain times.”
Katalina’s chest tightened; she loved seeing this side to him. The vulnerable, breakable side that only Anna brought out in him. “I’ll protect her with my life if I have to.”
Cage frowned. He opened his mouth to say something, but Katalina spoke before he had the chance. She understood the confliction on his face, the sudden shift in expression. He was at war with himself. Anna was his mate, but Katalina was his alpha’s daughter. “Cage, Jackson would never ask me to leave those weaker than myself in order to save my life. It’s not who I am. So please don’t feel wrong about asking me to protect her. Okay?”
Cage smiled softly and cupped Katalina’s cheek. “You’re important, Kat. Never forget that. You’re more than just his daughter. You are the link.”
Katalina didn’t like the direction this conversation was heading. She had a hard enough time with being an alpha’s mate and daughter. “Then it’s a good job I’m tough,” she said brightly, opening the car door. “Go and do your job, or Bass will start complaining.”
“I make it my daily mission to irritate your mate,” he said with a wink, then jogged away.
Jackson was waiting for them out front of the barn when they arrived. His face held his usual expression—like everything Katalina did was a hassle. “What trouble have you found for us this time, daughter?”
Katalina smiled darkly. “Wishing you hadn’t had me yet?”
“Never,” he replied without pause.
“I must try harder then.”
Jackson shook his head, trying to contain a smile. “You’ll be the death of me, girl.”
Tim had backed the van up to the barn door. Cage opened the barn and looked to Jackson for instruction.
“So, we’re taking in strays now, Bass?” Jackson asked.
“Don’t blame me. This is your daughter’s and Anna’s doing, not mine.”
“Anna’s?” Jackson turned, finding Anna. “Did you see something?”
“Just that he needed Katalina’s help,” Anna answered.
“Well then, let’s get him out.”
Tim, who’d been quiet up to this point, opened the van doors and stood back. He watched as the cage was lifted with his son inside with a mixture of hope and horror on his face.
“So, you can help him?” Tim asked Jackson. “I mean… You’re the a-alpha right?”
Katalina’s heart lurched unevenly. Why do I keep finding more trouble for them? Bass and Jackson got along pretty well considering their history. She wasn’t sure whether they liked each other or whether they just cooperated for her sake. It wasn’t something she liked to think about; enough people had changed for her.
Jackson glanced at Bass before answering. “One of them, yes.”
“There’s more than one?” Tim asked.
“There’s more than one pack, yes,” Jackson said.
Tim didn’t look any less confused. Katalina jumped in before tensions rose. “Right now, you are on Jackson’s land. Cage and Anna are his pack. I’m Jackson’s daughter, but I’m mated to Bass. He’s alpha of the other pack. We’re allies.”
“Mated, as in married?”
“In shifter terms, yes.”
Tim nodded, but Katalina wasn’t convinced he understood the situation, and she couldn’t blame him. After all, she was still getting used to the shifter world, and she’d been here months.
Bass and Jackson put the cage down at the back of the barn. Zackary was snarling and snapping at the bars. He didn’t look as if there was any humanity left in him.
“How we are playing this?” Jackson asked, stepping back and eyeing Zackary. “He yours or mine?”
“W-what do you mean?” Tim interrupted.
“Well, if we’ve any chance of reaching your kid, we’ve first got to control the wolf. To do that, he needs an alpha and a pack if he’s going to survive this,” Jackson explained.
“He won’t ever be able to go home?” Tim gasped, the color draining from his face. “What about school? He’s fourteen. He’s got his whole life ahead of him.”
“Let’s worry about that later. Right now, we need to establish whether there is a part of your son left to save.” Jackson turned his attention back to Bass. “So, yours or mine?”
“He’s on your land,” Bass began.
“Actually, if I could just interrupt, Zackary belongs to Dark Shadow,” Anna stated.
Bass sighed softly before turning to look at Anna. “My plate is quite full, Anna. Does it really make much difference?”
“Katalina is the
one who can get through to him,” Anna said, as if that explained everything.
“Kat’s connected to both packs, Anna. So I don’t see the issue. I can take him,” Jackson said.
Anna’s determination amazed Katalina. It had been present from the moment they’d met. She followed her gift blindly into danger, always having faith that it was meant to be. If someone protested what she saw as the right way, she wouldn’t let it go. This time was no different.
“Katalina’s wolf draws its strength from Bass at the moment. She is connected to both, but for this occasion, she will need the strength Dark Shadow gives her, not River Run.”
And here I was thinking Dark Shadow brought me nothing but anxiety.
They all stared at her, and Katalina wondered what they saw. She didn’t often feel strong. Mostly she felt as confused as Tim. Cracking under the scrutiny, Katalina plastered a smile on her face and moved toward the cage. “Well then,” she said overly cheerful, “welcome to Dark Shadow, Zac, let’s get you out this cage, shall we?”
“Actually, Katalina, I think it’ll be best to open the cage with just me present,” Bass instructed.
“Oookay, let’s clear the barn then,” she replied.
Chapter 14
Bass eyed the wolf who foamed at the mouth as he snapped at the bars like he intended to eat him for lunch. He wasn’t afraid. Zackary wouldn’t get near enough to take a chunk from him. What he was, was tired. Tired of fighting for a simple life. Tired of letting his mate down. Of letting his pack down. He only wanted to give them a better life, one with the simple human joys his father had despised. One where everyone felt welcome and accepted. But mostly, Bass was tired of himself.
He hadn’t realized it, but some of his father’s arrogance had worn off on him over his life. He’d seen his father’s death and Dark Shadow’s takeover as the only option to bring Katalina happiness. He’d promised he’d change their world. But what had changed? They were still at war but just with another pack. Changes had been made, fear had slowly been leaving his packmates, but it had taken one stupid mistake to bring it all crashing down.
Bass had never doubted himself before. He’d never felt lost or out of control. His mask had been an easy thing to wear for as long as he could remember, so why did he feel as if it was slowly draining the life from him?
“You’re not going to make this easy for me, are you?” Bass asked the crazed wolf. “Hmm? I mean, why would you? Nothing else in my life is simple, so why would I think this would be?” Snapping his mouth shut, Bass glanced back at the doors and worried if anyone had heard him talking.
“Get it together, Bass,” he muttered to himself. “You don’t need to be Sabastian Evernight. Plain old Bass is good enough for Kat, so it’s going to have to be good enough for everyone else.”
He flicked the latches, and the cage door crashed down.
Zackary came barreling out and, as Bass suspected, went straight for him. He was small and nimble, his thin scraggily appearance not showing any of the boy’s true potential. Jumping out of the way, Bass spun and waited for the wolf’s next attack.
“I suppose”—Bass slid to the right, dust from the ground creating a cloud around them— “you’ll bring a little more humanity into my pack,” he continued. Zackary leaped for him again. Bass stood his ground and snarled. His foot connected with Zackary, which sent the young wolf tumbling to the ground. “That’s if you have any left.”
Bass’s snarled, allowing all of the dominance of his wolf forward in his mind, but it had little effect on Zackary. While the wolf got to his feet, Bass quickly dropped his jeans. His shirt fell to the ground next as he again maneuvered out of Zackary’s way.
Shifting, Bass met Zackary head on. They slammed into each other, but Zackary went down. Bass’s growl echoed around the barn, his teeth found Zackary’s throat, and although he didn’t bite down hard enough to break skin, it was enough of a warning for Zackary to freeze. Releasing him, Bass rose above him as Zackary cowered, a low, deadly rumble building in his chest. The growl Bass unleashed, vibrated through his own bones, yet it wasn’t enough to make Zackary shift back.
It wasn’t a good sign, but Bass would give the boy a few days to calm down. He’d been trapped in a cage for weeks. It would have made anyone crazed. Turning, Bass left Zackary cowering on the ground and padded over to his jeans. He shifted, keeping the boy in sight, just in case he was stupid or crazy enough to have another attempt at hurting him.
But the boy made no attempts to move, merely watched him with wild wolf eyes. Slipping from the barn, his shirt in his hands, his jeans covered in dust, Bass came face-to-face with many hopeful eyes. He met Jackson’s first out of respect and because he, out of all of them, already understood Zackary’s chances weren’t good. Bass shook his head slightly, letting Jackson know the outcome.
“He respond at all?” Jackson asked.
“Only when I shifted and put him in his place,” Bass answered.
“What does that mean?” Tim snapped. “Did you hurt my boy?”
“Not as much as he intended to do to me.”
“He’s a kid,” he shouted.
“Not anymore,” Bass answered, his voice hard but level. He hadn’t needed to raise his voice; several low growls had sounded at the same time as his answer. Bass hid his smile and glanced quickly at Katalina. Did she realize her father and several other wolves had reacted in his defense, another alpha’s defense?
Do you realize the power you hold, my Winter Wolf? Of course, you don’t, you never have.
With each day their world shifted, their packs became ever more intertwined. Two alphas getting along; it was unheard of. Yet, both Jackson and Bass suppressed their base instincts for Katalina. Because she mattered more than their animals’ need to be on top. She mattered more than anything.
“You need to accept the possibility that the son you once knew may never come back. Your loving, reasonable boy has changed forever.”
Eva, who’d stayed silent and out of the way since arriving, laughed bitterly from her position leaned against the front of the truck.
Bass paused and gazed at her.
“Eva!” Tim scolded.
“What was so funny?” Bass asked.
“The loving, reasonable part.”
Tim’s face grew red as he snapped at Eva. “Stay out of this!”
“What does she mean?” Katalina asked, attempting to catch Tim’s attention, but he was avoiding her, avoiding them all.
“I mean, my brother wasn’t exactly a saint,” Eva piped up.
“He’s been through a lot,” Tim said in his defense.
Eva pushed off the truck, the first bit of real emotion passing over her since they’d met. “I lost her too, Dad! She was my mom too, and I didn’t feel the need to drown in drink and drugs.” Turning on her heel, she stormed to the van and wrenched open the door. No one said a word until her door slammed shut.
“I think we need to hear the whole story,” Katalina said softly.
Tim looked from his daughter to them and then spoke to the floor. “My wife, their mother died from cancer four months ago. Zac didn’t take it very well.”
“That’s to be expected,” Katalina said.
“Yes… but Eva’s right. Zac started drinking at all hours. He was hanging out with older kids and I never knew where he was. When I found drugs, he didn’t even care that I knew he was using. I guess he didn’t care about much after losing his mom. He came home late one night, bleeding. This great tear in his side. I wanted to take him to the hospital, but he was so out of it, and I didn’t want him to get into any more trouble. You’ve got to understand, he was a good kid before all of this, always tried hard in school, respected his mother and me…. Come morning, his wound didn’t seem so bad, and he said he was sorry about everything. I really believe he meant what he said, but then later, he just lost it… over nothing. He ran out the house, didn’t come back until dark. When he did, he was sweating, and his wound had more or less
healed. He kept telling me to help him, then he just, well, he turned, right in front of me into… into a wolf.”
Silence hung in the air. Bass wasn’t sure what he felt, the practical half of him wanted to go into the barn and put the boy out of is misery. The other half, the half that had also lost a mom and knew the grief it could cause, that half wanted to help Zackary no matter how long it took.
It was Anna who broke the silence. “Your son will get over this. Katalina will help him.”
Katalina looked at him in alarm. “Kat isn’t going anywhere near him until he’s gained some control.”
“Agreed,” Jackson said.
It wasn’t always they agreed, but when it came to Katalina’s safety, Jackson and Bass were on the same page.
“Cookie anyone?”
Bass let out a breath and turned toward Karen. She was on the porch of Jackson’s house, a tray of cookies in her hands.
“I’ve made a pot of coffee and tea also,” she added, gesturing for them to move.
“Good idea,” Katalina said. “Tim, does Eva want to join us?”
“I’ll go see.”
Bass wrapped an arm around Katalina’s shoulders and tucked her against his side. Kissing her face, he asked, “You okay?”
She sighed. “I love Anna,” she whispered. “But God, I wish she’d keep her all-knowing wisdom to herself sometimes.”
“Zac isn’t your responsibility.”
“Isn’t he? I kinda of made him just that, didn’t I? Me and my big mouth,” she grumbled.
Bass laughed softly. “Your big heart, you mean.”
“Yeah, that gets me into trouble too.”
Chapter 15
Sneaking from Dark Shadow to River Run had become somewhat of a habit for Tyler. It wasn’t one he was proud of, and he dreaded to think of the outcome if he were caught, yet he continued, day after day, night after night. At first, it hadn’t been that often but as time went on, Tyler found himself sneaking out every night, and even that wasn’t quenching his thirst.
Lost Wolf (A New Dawn Novel Book 4) Page 6