by S. Young
Secret Worlds
“You nervous about the run tomorrow?” Sebastian asked as he eased back on her bed. She’d been hoping to sleep late, with it being Saturday and all, but Caia had been awoken by Ella, who told her she had visitors coming over. She’d reluctantly gotten up and showered and had a sleepy breakfast with Ella while Irini sipped cup after cup of coffee in preparation for her early picnic with Aidan. Caia hoped Aidan liked grumpy for brunch because Irini really wasn’t a morning person. An hour after she’d gotten up, Sebastian and Jaeden came strolling in, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Goddess, they were superhuman.
“I don’t know. A little.” She nodded from her position at her desk. “Especially after the reminder that we’ll all be naked together.”
Jaeden was on the floor doing sit-ups. She smiled in between each one. “There is nothing to worry about, I promise. It’s a lot of fun, the whole pack running together, the sound of all those paws pounding the ground.”
“All those parts bouncing around,” Sebastian teased.
Caia groaned. “There’s a mental image I didn’t need.”
“Oh, come on, Caia, just keep your eyes at face level and you’ll be fine.”
They laughed together for a moment, enjoying her embarrassment.
“What about the little ones?” Caia frowned. “Who looks after them?”
One thing Caia did know about the pack run, anyone under the age of fifteen was not allowed to take part.
“You mean, like Jaela and Sunday and the others?”
Caia had no idea who the kids were, except Jaela, so she just nodded. “I guess I do.”
“The moms take turns looking after them. For instance, Lucia will look after all of them one run, but for the next one, Cera will, and then Imogen.”
She found herself frowning again. “Who are Cera and Imogen?”
“Cera is Lucia’s sister—and Ivan, Joaquin, and Kerianna’s mom. Her husband died a year back … shot,” Jaeden whispered the word.
Caia’s eyes widened. “Shot?”
Jaeden teared up. “Some stupid human wanted his wallet, and he wouldn’t give it to him. We guess it’s because he thought he could take him, you know, if it came to a fight, but he just pulled out the gun and shot Michel in the head. If it hadn’t been such close range, he would’ve been able to change so he could regenerate.”
“My goddess … how awful.”
They were silent a moment until Sebastian cleared his throat and sat up on the bed. “Imogen is my mom, by the way,” he offered. “Sunday’s my little sister. She’s five. I have another little sister, Seana. And Isaac’s my dad.”
Caia shook her head. “I’m never going to remember everyone, am I?”
Jaeden stopped exercising. “It’ll take time. There’s a lot of us.”
She nodded and was quiet as Jaeden scolded Sebastian for putting his feet on the bed.
“Hey, I have a question,” Caia interrupted their squabble.
“Yeah?”
“Where do we run?”
“At the back of your place.” Sebastian indicated her window with a nod.
“Lucien and my father bought acres of the woods,” Jaeden added. “So we have privacy.”
“About that …” Caia leaned toward them, looking from one to the other. “How come you don’t get caught?”
“We haven’t had any trespassers.” Jaeden looked at Sebastian for confirmation.
He nodded and continued, “Yeah, even in the past, when there have been the occasional sightings, nothing ever came of it. We guessed they just couldn’t believe what they were seeing. There have been teenagers who saw us and told but … everyone just thinks it’s the retelling of the werewolf myth over and over again.”
Jaeden snorted. “We’re safe due to the modern age of cynicism. Thank the gods superstition is out, right?”
Caia didn’t laugh; she had a far more pressing question on her mind. “What about the war?”
Both Jaeden and Sebastian visibly tensed.
“Uh, what about it?” Sebastian asked.
Caia shook her head, her expression pleading. “You never talk about the war—”
“The war doesn’t touch us. There’s no need to talk about it.” Lucien’s voice brought their heads up. He stood in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest, expression implacable.
What was with him doing that? Caia huffed inwardly.
Sebastian jumped from the bed at Lucien’s tone. The Alpha’s eyes glinted dangerously as they flickered over Jaeden and Sebastian.
“It’s not their fault. I asked.”
“Well, stop asking.” His voice was like ice.
She flinched as if he’d struck her. Why was he was being such a jerk when he had been so kind and friendly all week? Now, he had them acting like they’d been caught with their hands in the cookie jar. They hadn’t done anything wrong, and neither had she for asking.
“I have a right to know.” She heard the steel in her own voice, watched her friends react in shock at her challenging tone, but she didn’t care. “I withheld from asking Irini because it seemed to upset her, but I have a right to ask now.”
“No, you don’t,” Lucien countered, stepping toward her. “We do not speak of the war in this pack. We are peaceful wolves and the pack does not need those kinds of memories dredged up at the moment.”
She took a step toward him, refusing to be intimidated. She was tired of the secrets. Of not knowing her own history. “The Hunter was part of the war. He took my parents from me before I had the chance to know them. I deserve to know the whys and the hows.”
“I told you all there was to know a week ago, so drop it.”
She glared at him, the heat of her anger pouring from her body. She was flushed white hot at the feel of Lucien’s anger melding with hers. It thickened the air around them until it was hard to breathe. Realizing Jaeden and Sebastian were visibly bristling with discomfort, effected by her unintended challenge against Lucien, Caia backed down.
She forced a placid expression on her face and willed her heart rate to slow.
But her anger and confusion hadn’t gone anywhere. She’d just forced them into a cave for a while.
Lucien exhaled heavily as he studied her. “Jae, Seb … give Caia and me a moment, please.”
They couldn’t have scrambled out of the room any faster.
“Caia, I’m sorry,” Lucien surprised her with the apology as he closed the door for privacy.
“You don’t have to treat me like a child, you know. Or worse… like the enemy.”
He winced and then lowered himself onto the bed across from her. His eyes were kind, his anger gone. “I know. I am sorry.”
“So, what? I’m not allowed to talk about the past? I have questions.”
“I get that. I do. But …” He shook his head. “I don’t know how to say this without hurting your feelings.”
“You think treating me like an outsider by keeping things from me doesn’t hurt my feelings?”
He nodded. “Fair enough. The truth is I don’t want you mentioning the past, or the war, or the Hunter, because I want my pack to accept you. Reminding them of all that will just make things harder on you. No one else.”
“I thought no one blamed me.” Had everyone been faking it? Even Jaeden and Sebastian?
“They don’t. But they’ve also moved past what happened. Refreshing their memories isn’t going to do anyone any good. It will only upset them and I’m afraid some may focus those feelings in the wrong direction.”
“At me?”
He nodded.
She guessed she understood and was even grateful Lucien was only trying to look out for her. But Caia wasn’t giving up. She’d give the pack time to get used to her, and when enough time had passed, she would search for answers. “Fine.”
He looked relieved. “Good.” He slapped his knees and stood. “Still friends?” he smiled at her.
Caia felt a flutter in her stomach in response. “Still fr
iends.”
“Wow,” Jaeden whispered when she reentered the room with Sebastian once Lucien had departed. Her friends were both grinning like small children. “I’ve never seen anyone stand up to him like that, except for the Elders.”
Sebastian chuckled. “It was pretty awesome.”
Caia frowned. “It was nothing. Really, we’re fine.”
“He got his way, though, right?” Jaeden assumed.
She nodded, staring out into the darkening forest beyond. “For now.”
By eight o’clock the next evening, the pack had gathered at the back of Lucien’s home. Caia strode toward them, Sebastian on her right and Jaeden on her left. Having them beside her was comforting, but it did not diminish her nerves. She took in Lucien, standing tall, straight, and powerful in the middle of his pack, angling his head to listen to whatever Ryder was saying.
Jaeden stopped beside Magnus—deliberately, it seemed—and the Elder smiled at Caia before coaxing her into his side. “You’ll be okay,” he whispered, stroking her cheek. “Your eyes give away your panic. Don’t let them see.”
Caia nodded gratefully, taking a deep breath. She squeezed Magnus’s hand, reassuring him she was all right.
“You okay?” Sebastian asked as she returned to them.
“I’m fine. I promise.”
The pack was gathered in little groups. Irini was cuddled up to Aidan. Ella and Magnus talked quietly with one another. Dimitri and Julia stood with Christian, but Lucia was nowhere to be seen. She’d obviously gotten babysitting duty this time around. Caia’s eyes swept the circle. There was Alexa, Malek, and Finlay standing with their family. Dana and Daniel were with theirs.
“That’s my mom and dad,” Sebastian whispered in her ear, pointing to a young-looking family. “And my kid sister Seana. She’s a pain in my ass.”
Caia smiled, detecting the tenderness in his voice. He waved at his parents, who smiled back and nodded politely to Caia. She returned the gesture. Sebastian nudged her affectionately with his shoulder. She shared a smile with him and then turned her attention back the pack. After a few seconds Caia realized someone was missing.
“Where’s Yvana?” she whispered to Jaeden.
Jaeden screwed up her face. “Everyone heard about how she reacted to you. Lucien banned her from this run as punishment.”
Caia’s eyes widened. She had not expected that. She glanced at Lucien and found him watching her.
There was that odd flutter in her stomach again.
His silver eyes flashed concern, and she gave him a slight nod to assure him all was well. Goddess, they were a protective lot; it was exhausting but undeniably nice. He nodded back and then murmured something to Ryder.
They stood for a few more minutes, talking among themselves, until a hush fell over the pack as they gazed up at the quarter moon.
“Tonight is a special run.” Lucien’s voice echoed through the pack, drawing all eyes to him. “Tonight we run in honor of the safe return of my sister Irini and our brother Rafael’s daughter, Caia.”
Caia felt her face warm as a hum washed around them. She waited for him to say more as he scanned the pack. He was born to be a leader, his magnetism alluring, his strength and assuredness comforting. She could feel it drifting over and wrapping around the pack. They were content with their young leader, she could sense it.
“Artemis, go with us,” Lucien said.
“Artemis, go with us,” the pack repeated, and then they began to undress. She looked away as Jaeden and Sebastian stripped without hesitating, gaped as Irini and Aidan undressed each other, grinning wildly as they touched one another. It wasn’t just them, Caia realized. Couples watched each other as they disrobed, regardless of the other lykans.
Everyone was more than at home in their own skin. There was a sexual element to it among mates.
Her cheeks flushed.
She felt like she was invading their privacy.
Someone pinched her arm. Keeping her eyes at face level, she turned to find Jaeden raising her eyebrows as if to ask, What are you waiting for?
Taking a deep breath, fingers trembling, Caia undressed. No one’s looking, no one cares, pretend this is just an ordinary run, and it’s just you. You do this all the time.
The mantra may have worked, but as her last piece of clothing dropped to the slightly damp earth and goose bumps prickled her skin, she made the mistake of looking up and found Lucien gazing at her. No. Not gazing.
Perusing.
She shivered, the cool night breeze forgotten as she flushed red hot from top to toe.
Holy Artemis.
Lucien’s eyes darkened to a coal gray and his hands flexed at his sides before curling into tight fists. She felt frozen beneath his stare. All except her eyes, which escaped his intense gaze long enough to peruse him return.
Holy, Holy Artemis.
At the sound of what she could have sworn was a low rumble from his chest, Caia mentally slapped herself. She was staring at Lucien. No. She was ogling Lucien. Her pack leader.
Cheeks hot, she tore her eyes from him, and glanced around to make sure no one had noticed their silent but electric interlude.
And of course, Alexa had.
The beautiful wolf glowered at Caia like she wanted to rip out her throat. Caia could almost hear her threatening to tell Lucien about their little incident earlier in the week.
She couldn’t have that. She was still trying to figure the strange occurrences out herself.
Moaning and growling ripped her attention from Alexa.
The pack were changing all around her. Their bones cracked as they contorted and were refashioned. Caia closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind, feeling the breeze on her still hot skin, hearing the whisper of the trees, sensing the transformative glow of Artemis’s moon.
And then it was there, the pelt pushing through, the change burning like growing pains. Before she knew it, Caia thudded to the ground on all paws, her sharp wolf eyes studying her wolf pack.
They were an impressive sight, so much so, she took an involuntary pad backwards, watching them all shift and nudge each other.
A huge black and superbly powerful lykan padded into the center, his silver eyes taking them all in.
Lucien.
She mimicked the others as they bent their hindquarters and lowered their snouts to the ground, bowing to their Alpha. She had very little time to enjoy the spiritual moment. To bow with them all to Lucien affected her more than anything had thus far. She felt part of the pack, part of their history.
No longer a loner.
But just like that, the pack took off, running so fast earth and dirt kicked up in the aftermath. Caia lunged after them. She watched them as they played with one another, touched by the camaraderie and intimacy afforded by a pack run.
Relationships could actually be built out here … like this.
She’d missed out on this for years.
An ache sliced through her joy.
Caia raced from them, exulting in the feel of wind through her pelt. She was fast, possibly faster than the rest. She laughed a little, pleased by the thought.
But her laughter was cut short by the thunder of someone chasing her, and before she had time to react, she felt a weight crash into her side, sending her paws out from under her. The impact didn’t hurt; it barely winded her, but she turned to growl at her attacker in instinct, only to find her nose inches from silver eyes.
Caia stumbled, shocked that Lucien had come after her. She would’ve thought he’d be too busy overseeing the pack. She watched in amazement as he danced around her, butting her playfully with the top of his head.
He wanted to play as she had seen the others play!
Caia sensed his amusement with her uncertainty and couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly when he butted her again and then rolled away from her. He made a choking sound like laughter, and Caia relaxed.
Eventually, without thinking, she was moving forward with great speed and grace, dancing aro
und him, disconcerting him, and in doing so, finding the opportunity to butt him back. Forcefully.
Again, he made the choking sound as he got back to his feet, bowing his head appreciatively at her efforts. Caia had no idea how it happened, but she found herself rolling and tussling in the dirt with this huge lykan, knocking him back just as hard as he did her, enjoying this moment of freedom with one of her own.
But when Lucien nipped her a little hard and she made a noise in response, he was quickly beside her, bussing his head against hers. If that hadn’t been enough of a surprise, he then licked her small wound.
At this, Caia retreated, wary of the intimacy of his action. Was it intimacy? She had no idea. She didn’t know the rules of engagement in wolf form.
Lucien seemed to sense this and gestured with his head for them to return to the rest of the pack. Grateful for the reprieve from their confusing solitary play, Cai ran with him, managing to keep pace even though he was fast. They were upon the pack within minutes, racing by the other wolves.
All of a sudden, she was flanked on one side by a brown lykan female, longer and more languid than her, her laughing blue eyes drifting questioningly between her and Lucien.
A lykan, larger and sinewy, his sandy pelt and blue eyes giving away that he was Sebastian, flanked her other side.
Her friends eased her into the play much more slowly than Lucien had.
And so caught up in her new friendships and this bizarre, wonderful experience with them in lykan form, Caia didn’t notice the black wolf who’d sidled near them before it was too late. She struck out at Caia, who tumbled into the dirt.
Surprised by Alexa’s deliberate trip, Caia shook her head, slowly pushing herself back up on all fours. She was aware of Jaeden’s and Sebastian’s annoyance and the wary presence of Lucien. He silently demanded reassurance she was all right. She nodded and he retreated.
Alexa, just as beautiful as a wolf as she was in human form, twitched her nose from Caia to Lucien, and then her hackles rose, tensed, and her hindquarters bent. She appeared ready to pounce. In the blink of an eye, Lucien was in front of Caia, guarding her as he growled in warning at Alexa.