by S. Young
Caia lowered her hindquarters back in surprise at his interference
And then Jaeden and Sebastian dispelled the moment as quickly as it had sprung up by throwing themselves playfully at Alexa.
She snapped her jaws near their throats in warning. But then flicked a wary look at Lucien before following them into the woods. After all, Alexa didn’t want to find herself out of favor with the Pack Leader. She was smart enough not to antagonize Caia further.
Caia stared up at her ceiling, her muscles weary from the most energetic night she’d ever spent as her wolf self. It was a pleasant physical exhaustion that had taken over her previous mental exhaustion, and for this she was thankful.
Tonight had been unexpected. She had feared losing something special by running with the pack, but instead she had touched what it really meant to be a lykan. There was incredible freedom in being in wolf form. Freedom in expression—to show affection she might not show as a human, a childish, animal friskiness that was frowned upon in human society—and it was the most fun she’d ever had.
More than anything, it made Caia feel a part of something, a part of a family, like she’d felt on Friday night with Lucien and Jaeden’s family. It was intimidating, and scary, and exhilarating all at the same time. She shifted onto her side, her gaze drifting out the window and into the dark of the trees where she had played mere hours earlier.
Still, what was she to make of the pack?
Jaeden and Sebastian, she got. Irini and Aidan, Magnus too, and even Ella. But Lucien? She felt something between them. A tension. Attraction? She wasn’t sure. She had never felt anything like it before. Whatever it was, it made her dream of him. And after tonight and his long, languorous perusal of her, she imagined he’d find his way into her dreams again.
Caia sighed and flipped restlessly onto her back. She couldn’t have feelings for Lucien. She just couldn’t.
Alexa would kill her.
9
By Artemis’s Will
Caia’s friendships with Sebastian and Jaeden deepened quickly over the next few weeks. Jaeden, in particular, was her constant companion. If anyone had asked her a few months ago how she’d feel about that, she would’ve readily replied she disliked the idea of having her privacy intruded upon so much. And to be constantly surrounded by people? No thanks.
But weeks with the pack changed her. If she came home to a quiet house—a rare occurrence—her mood would darken, an inexplicable anxiety pressing on her chest. Part of her resented this chip that had been knocked out of her fierce independence, and another deeper, hidden part of her she was reluctant to accept was glad of the company, happier than she’d ever been.
She also gradually got to know the rest of the pack as they sought advice from Lucien and she’d enjoyed another pack run, this time relaxed enough to interact with members of the pack outside her small circle of friends.
It was beginning to feel like home.
And soon there was celebration within the pack as Aidan and Irini announced their plans to mate. This was followed by Irini arguing with Ella over wedding ceremony and party details. Caia was happy for Irini and intrigued to see what the ceremony entailed. After all, she’d never been to one.
“Is it like a wedding?” she asked Ella one Saturday afternoon as they dress shopped. Caia tried to tell Ella she wasn’t an evening-gown kind of person, and Irini tried to back her up. But Ella put her foot down. “No, no, no!” Caia was to wear a dress in the same shade as herself and Irini. End of discussion.
“So, it is like a wedding?” Caia asked for the fifteenth time. Ella was so preoccupied at the moment, it was like pulling teeth to get an answer from her about anything.
“No, and yes.” She smiled, holding up a bronze silky thing in front of Caia who wrinkled her nose.
“No, and yes how? That’s not really a good color on me.”
“I agree,” she tutted and shoved the thing back onto the rack to shuffle through more options. “Irini, how’s it going in there?”
Irini called from behind the curtain of the changing stall, “I never knew dresses could be this complicated. I don’t think this color will suit Caia.”
“I think it’s going to be difficult to get a color that will suit us both,” Caia replied.
“This is a nice shade,” Ella mused, pulling out a dusty-pink satin dress.
Caia took it and held it up in front of her, studying her reflection. “It’s actually quite pretty,” she relented.
“Ooh.” Irini appeared from behind the curtain, wearing a long, citrus-colored gown.
“Oh no.” Ella shook her head at her daughter’s appearance.
“I know, Mom, told you so. I look like a giant orange. Anyway, I was oohing at Caia’s dress.” She gestured to her. “I like that color. I think it would work with our coloring too.”
Ella nodded, contemplating the situation like the world depended on her decision. “Yes. We’ll find dresses to match.”
“Shouldn’t I try it on first?”
“Well, duh.” Irini laughed. “I can’t believe it. I’m going to”—she stopped abruptly as a saleslady walked by—“be getting married,” she finished instead. “And you’re trying on an evening gown. My world is askew.”
The sales lady through them a smile and moved on out of the changing area. As Caia trundled reluctantly into a changing stall, the salesshe called through the curtain, “You never answered my question.”
“No. It’s not like a wedding,” Ella replied. “There are no vows. Just one of the Elders, in this case, Magnus, reciting the binding ritual in Greek in front of the rest of the pack who stand as witnesses. Then the ceremony is over and we have a party. Yes, like a wedding reception.”
“So … why the color-coordinated dresses?”
“Political propaganda. I suppose they are a kind of like bridesmaid dresses, except we wear the same color as the bride. I want everyone there to see you as my family.”
Caia didn’t know what to say. She would show gratitude but Ella would only shush her. Apparently, she was supposed to be used to Ella’s kindnesses by now—the rest of the pack just expected and assumed such loyalty.
She pulled the curtain back. “So … is it okay?”
Irini and Ella gasped.
Caia’s face fell. “That bad?”
“No.” Irini pulled her out of the stall to look in the mirror. “You look stunning.”
Caia stared wide-eyed at her reflection. The color of the dress was just the right shade for her peaches-and-cream complexion, making her hair seem lighter and her eyes greener. For once, she actually felt pretty.
“It’s nice,” she admitted, nodding shyly.
Ella nodded in agreement. “I think it’s a winner.”
Caia had thought finding one dress would make the task of finding dresses for Irini and Ella easier … but no. By the afternoon’s end, her feet were killing her and they’d been in every dress store in town. They eventually found a dress for Ella, and Irini was in the changing rooms trying on their last three options for her.
Ella, for once, was relaxed. “We’ll get shoes later. I’m too exhausted to go on.”
Thank goddess, Caia thought.
“I just can’t believe this is finally happening.” Her eyes sparkled, an ecstatic mother-of-the-bride. “You know, Irini and Aidan had a thing when they were younger.”
“I’d heard something like that.”
“Yeah, Irini was the popular girl of the pack back then.” She smiled, fondly remembering. “And very sought after. Dermot and Aidan were her avid suitors.”
“Dermot? Alexa’s big brother who …”
Ella nodded, her expression somber. “The very one. Thankfully, Irini had seen past Dermot’s charm and straight into his ambitions. Every time he came around to ‘see’ Irini, he was always seeking out Lucien. But Aidan … aww, goddess, that boy had it bad. Flowers and chocolates, kisses on her hand, gentlemanly, old-fashioned courting … Irini loved it,” Ella tittered, and the
n her expression became bittersweet. “Aidan was so despondent when she left.”
“I’m sorry.”
Ella blanched, realizing her blunder. “Oh no, Cy, no. It’s not your fault. And anyway, now we know the two of them were truly meant to be mates. I’m so happy for her.”
“Me too.”
They were silent for a moment as Ella smiled to herself, and Caia pondered another question. Finally she felt brave enough to ask. “Ella?”
“Hmm?”
“Is it true that … when lykans mate, they mate for life?”
Her adoptive mother seemed startled by the question. “I keep forgetting there is so much about this life—the life that was always meant for you—that you don’t know.” She sighed. “Most lykans find their mate, but not all of us. I was lucky to meet mine, and Irini’s lucky to have met hers. What it means is that we literally can’t have children with anyone other than our mates.”
This news wasn’t a total surprise but confirmation. “I remember Irini mentioning something, but I guess I didn’t really understand. You mean, we can have relationships with other people, but if we don’t find our mate … we can’t have children naturally?”
“Well, it’s more that if Artemis doesn’t bless the union, then you’re not mates, despite what your heart may be telling you … and you can’t have children naturally.”
Caia blinked. “It’s entirely up to Artemis? What if you don’t find your mate? Or, what if you really think someone is the one but Artemis disagrees?”
“Then Artemis is right, and that person isn’t your mate. No children. That’s why it’s imperative that our Pack Leaders find mates. Otherwise Lunarmortes would occur all the time. The pack’s been lucky that way.”
“So Lucien …”
“Will have to find his mate if this family is to continue leading the pack.”
This left Caia reeling. Artemis had really screwed her lykan children over with this. “You can never love anyone again?” She winced when she realized how blunt and insensitive that had sounded, but Ella shook her head, seeming not to mind.
“No, honey. I can love, just not like I loved Albus.”
“It sounds like we got screwed in the relationship department.”
Ella laughed but looked aghast. “Caia, that’s blasphemous.”
“Sorry. I just—”
“Cy, I’m not lonely,” she interrupted. “I have Magnus.”
Caia thought her eyes were going to bulge out of her head. Magnus and Ella? Since when?
“You …”
The Elder was obviously delighted to have shocked her. “We take comfort in one another. He lost his mate when she was very young, and after Albus … we love each other, Cy. Just … not the way we loved them.”
Caia was glad for them then. Ella and Magnus were two of her favorite lykans.
“One day, you’ll find your mate, Caia,” she said, sincerely seeming to believe it.
Caia snorted. “I don’t see that happening. I’m not really cut out for the whole marriage thing.”
Ella chuckled knowingly. “It’s not really up to you, one way or the other.”
Yeah, well, she might be a lykan but Caia still had something called free will. Her future wasn’t set in stone and she refused to let anyone, even a god, dictate her path in life.
Lucien needed to run tonight. His mother was driving him, and everyone else, crazy with this whole mating business. He was happy for his sister and Aidan, he really was, but did it have to be the topic of conversation at breakfast and dinner? His mother even called him at work to ask about icing colors and paper napkins. The ritual couldn’t come fast enough.
He ambled out of the surprisingly quiet house, trying not to look into the kitchen as he passed because it was covered in recipes, cakes, and fabric swatches.
Outside, the breeze was welcome as it caressed his face.
“Heaven,” he murmured and stripped down. He let the change happen, enjoying the burning pain and pressure as always. Without thought, he took off into the dark woods, relishing the freedom and the wind through his pelt as he ran.
Despite the autonomy of the run, his thoughts soon turned to his pack and their problems. Yvana, whom he’d only begun to forgive for her rash treatment of Caia, had asked permission to hire staff outside of the pack for the diner. He was wary of the decision, since many of the pack ate there, and often conversation wasn’t human friendly, but he also realized her need to keep her business going. She was running out of staffing choices within the pack itself. Then there was Morgan, worried that his son, Malek, was indulging in too many casual sexual relationships with human girls. She wanted Lucien to have a word with him about turning his attention to pack girls, where it should be.
And then there was Cera, struggling financially with her three young children since Michel’s murder. He knew her family, Dimitri and gang, were doing their best to help out, but it wasn’t enough. Lucien would have to find a way to give her money without offending her pride.
So lost in these thoughts, he didn’t hear the other wolf until she was nearly upon him. He stopped and lifted his nose to the air. Caia. She suddenly came into view, sliding to a stop before him. His heart gave an unexpected thump.
Lucien watched in amusement as she lowered her head and bowed to him. He admired the way the moonlight shone through the forest canopy and filtered across her blond pelt. Even in wolf form, she looked smaller, more vulnerable than the others. That fierce protectiveness washed over him, and he took an involuntarily pad toward her.
When she raised her gaze, her eyes narrowed warily, as if she’d detected his lingering amusement over her submissiveness. She huffed, pacing in front of him, clearly unsure of whether he wanted her there or not.
He bowed in return, a hoarse chuckle erupting from the back of his throat. He looked up in time to see her fur bristle at the sound. Caia turned as if to leave and his heart stopped. She couldn’t leave. He threw himself into her side to stop her and pulled her unwillingly (at first) into a tussle. Like their first run together, she smacked him back and nipped playfully at him.
And so began a teasing play of rough-and-tumble. He enjoyed this freedom with her, away from the eyes of the pack, but as their play continued, a new feeling rushed through him, and he pulled back. He couldn’t hurry things with Caia; it would only frighten her.
Green eyes seemed to dance mockingly at him, as if she had won their little tug-of-war. He bowed to her in defeat and watched as she suddenly took off with a snort, running fast toward the house. She was incredibly swift, but so was he, and they entered the back garden at the same time. He watched her for a moment, her tongue hanging out in a comically wolfy grin. He laughed. She’d run harder than normal in an effort to beat him.
His hoarse laughter abruptly cut off as Caia padded over to him, and softly, almost a caress, nudged her head against his. His muscles strained in reaction to her touch. Finally, it registered that she was asking him to turn around so she could change. Lucien laughed again. He had already seen her naked at the pack run, and he hadn’t been gentlemanly about looking away then.
But he acquiesced because she’d asked and it was the right thing to do. By the time he turned around again, Caia was already in human form, clothed, and scaling the wall of the house to climb into her bedroom window. Lucien quickly changed and found his clothes lying in the dirt near the back door. Just as he pulled his T-shirt on, he looked up at her window to see her staring down at him. She wore a small smile and gave him a slight wave before disappearing into the darkness of her room.
An ache, a burn, flared across Lucien’s chest.
With a shock of awareness that set him back on his heels, Lucien realized that all he wanted right then … was to melt into the darkness with her.
10
Behind Enemy Lines
Lars stared anxiously at his superior, who, in a matter of minutes, had obliterated the furniture in the room with a flick of his wrist and the point of his finger. Hi
s superior did not care a whit for the nervous fear oozing out of his lackey, who still hadn’t mastered the basic communication spell. While he realized that all warlocks and witches had different levels of talent and ability, it was clear Lars’s did not lie in the communication and transportation division. Surely to Gaia, he could master a basic communication spell!
He let out a slow exhalation, reining his temper back in. He couldn’t truly lay his rage at Lars’s feet. His agent was to blame for his foul mood. She was yet to check in and his patience had worn itself into non-existence.
The phone rang then, making Lars yelp in nervous startlement. With a withering look, he flicked his wrist and encased his assistant in a glass cage so he couldn’t hear him and couldn’t be heard during this very important call.
“Someone is in deep, deep trouble,” he answered with soft menace.
He heard the sharp intake of breath before she hurriedly replied, “My lord, please. I’m doing the best I can. Things are progressing well, I think.”
“No,” he disagreed. “The information you have sent tells me nothing. We have no in yet, and we need an in.”
“I’ll get you an in,” she whispered.
“Oh, you will,” he smiled viciously, even though she couldn’t see it. “In fact, if you don’t get me the information I need to wage war on this despicable race of … of dogs within the next few months, I will go in all spells blazing. And if that happens, my dear little spy, you will be the first casualty.”
11
Trade-Off
The intimate run with Lucien had given him a permanent starring role in Caia’s dreams. Sometimes the dreams were so real, she felt consumed by them, lost in them, finding it difficult to fight her way through the sleepy fog into reality. The fact that the dreams inevitably ended with Lucien kissing her, however, was the wake-up call she needed. Kiss. Bam! She was awake, and Lucien-free.