“He’s not ready…” Aster had to lean close to hear her mother’s breathless whisper, “that monster…” Her amber gold eyes opened and locked briefly on hers, “send him… promise…”
And then those beautiful eyes blinked once—like she’d been startled—and slowly closed, her mother’s pale, naked body going limp in her arms.
“No!” She wailed. “No!”
She screamed it up at the heavens until she was hoarse, but it made no difference. The Moon Maiden wasn’t listening. She wasn’t watching over her People. Otherwise how could she have let this happen? Her father had been a good Alpha, her mother a strong partner to him. Together they had withstood the pressures of the times, protected their pack—preserved the civility of their community—only to be swept away by the mistakes of others.
The black wolf stirred and started to approach, but Aster gave him a look of such menace, he stopped in his tracks. He sank down on his haunches where he was, and then slowly pushed to his feet and shook. Aster looked away as he began to shift. Again she felt that intense rush of power, but it was muted now. She watched him out of the corner of her eye as he turned away from them, like he was ashamed of what he had done.
She was aware of him walking back toward the center of the green, but she ignored him and continued to rock her mother’s still form. But a moment later, she heard his unwelcome voice.
“I’m Alpha now,” he proclaimed, his voice booming with the power in a way Aster had never heard. “You are my Pack.”
She shivered, feeling the bond try to slither around her flesh, making her skin prickle. She was aware of his followers surrounding him, helping him to dress. Aster bent over her mother and wept.
She wasn’t sure how long she remained there, but it couldn’t have been that long before Eli approached her from the side.
“Here,” he said quietly.
Aster blinked up to see him holding out her father’s mantle. Together they wrapped her mother’s body while Marten pretended not to notice. He was in the center of the clearing, making housing arrangements for his followers. He would have to find his own cloak to serve as his Mantle of Office.
Eli lifted her mother gently in his arms, and together they joined the group that carried her father toward the burial grounds. Aster felt something cold pass over her. She was almost numb to the grief that tried to overwhelm her. She turned once and narrowed her eyes at the back of the tall, dark stranger who had destroyed her world. He was not going to get away with it. She would make him pay for what he’d done to her parents. But first she had to think of a way to honor her mother’s request. She had to keep Lucas away. Her thoughtful, protective, conscientious brother against this dishonorable mongrel? No way.
As she walked up the path toward the burial grounds, she could hear Lore Master Renau’s voice ring out over the growing muttering of the pack.
“The Law is clear in this matter. An Alpha who has won his place by right of conquest cannot be challenged for six months.”
Aster glanced back incredulously. That oaf had no sense of decency. As she turned back, she wasn’t surprised to find Dean trudging silently beside her.
The muttering grew louder. It wasn’t lost on the pack that their new Alpha would be getting the benefit of the Law while her father had suffered its inadequacies. She rounded on Dean.
“Why is there not some clause that states the fights can’t be back to back?” He was Assistant Lore Master. He should know these things.
Dean winced. “That’s actually a deliberate loophole.” He turned and squinted at the figure almost lost to sight in the center of a growing group of People. “It’s designed as a safety valve—a way to take down a tyrant Alpha.”
Too bad it had been used by the tyrant to remove the true Alpha, Aster thought bitterly. What good was the Law if this was the best it could do to protect its People? She turned to glare at her new Alpha. The group around him had cleared, leaving only the interlopers in the clearing with him. They would follow last. At least they showed that much respect.
The rest of the pack gathered in ones and twos, joining her on the path to the burial ground. Some carried shovels, some carried stones to place on the burial pile. They trudged up the path that led through the woods to the sacred grounds in silence. As the day darkened to the grey-blue of twilight, torches were lit, their warm flickering light glinting against the snowflakes that had just begun to fall. But they were powerless to touch the darkness that descended around them, like a black smothering blanket around her soul.
Chapter 3
Fools Mate: The fastest way to checkmate your opponent involves two essential mistakes on the part of the first player. First he foolishly employs a pawn that would better serve as defense for the King. (Kingside pawn to F3). Then he compounds that error by moving a second pawn, (Knight’s pawn to G4). The resulting hole in his defense allows the Queen to swoop in for victory.
Checkmate in two decisive moves.
— From the Journals of Aster Ardennes
Aster eased into the parking lot of the motel she was staying in and pulled up in front of her room. She glanced around before stepping out of the car. It was late and the parking lot was deserted. Still, she sniffed the air for any scents that didn’t belong and checked the door carefully for signs of tampering before she slipped inside. She inhaled deeply, but only the expected scents greeted her. Stale, air-conditioned air, slightly dusty carpeting—but at least the room was not doused in chemical fresheners.
She headed over to the mini fridge and flipped it open, staring at the contents inside. A moment later, she closed it with a snap and reached for the bottle of cognac set out on top. She poured a small amount into the snifter beside it and settled onto the bed. Thoughts of her mother always brought her spirits low.
She sat there in the dark and took a careful sip, trying to banish the ugly memories. She still had trouble believing it had really happened that way. That Marten had somehow thought he would invoke his rights of conquest. Breeding rights. Aster snorted. As if that wasn’t a euphemism. It wasn’t like her mother had still been a breeding female. She took another tiny sip, letting the rich smoky flavor of the cognac fill her mouth and tingle along her tongue.
That bit of barbarity had almost cost the new Alpha his life. He hadn’t expected her mother to fight. There had been blood dripping from his neck when it was all over. Among other places. But that wasn’t much of a consolation. That night, Aster had become an orphan. Never mind that she’d been thirty years old. She’d expected to have her parents and her nice, safe, comfortable life for many more years to come.
She started laying her plans the morning after the challenge. Keeping her promise to her mother turned out to be the easy part. An Alpha’s son did not defy the Law and issue an illegal challenge. Devastated by the loss of their parents, and lacerated by the way the pack turned instinctively to him to fix things he was powerless to change, Lucas had known he couldn’t stay. The pack would be better off without the strife and confusion of having him around for six long, impotent months. So he’d gone.
Aster sighed and took another sip of the cognac. Lucas had never lusted after the power of Alpha. He was too aware of just how heavy a responsibility it was. How much time and energy it took from their father. And the cost exacted by constantly having to choose the good of the pack over the individual. But he’d known it was coming. He was the obvious choice. He was an uncanny natural leader, even if he couldn’t see it himself.
But the idea of having to fight to the death like some kind of savage for the privilege— well, she could only imagine what that was doing to his head. She would save him from that, at least.
No, it was convincing him to let her stay that had been the hard part. But she’d done it. She’d had to. She needed time to come up with some way to take that mongrel down. Hinting that she needed to stay—and letting Lucas think it might have something to do with taking a mate—that had played a big role. But Aster was done with throwing h
erself at someone who wasn’t interested. She wasn’t a silly college student anymore. Still, the illusion had been useful.
And Lucas had known she wouldn’t be alone. Gage would be there. Someone like Marten might not see her younger brother as any kind of threat, but she and Lucas knew better. Just because Gage spent most of his time joking around, didn’t make him any less effective when he wanted to be.
Not that any of them had been joking. Those had been difficult days. They’d had to sell their mother’s furniture shop for one thing. That had been particularly hard on Lucas. Leanne had had an innate understanding of the comfort the right surroundings could bring to a home. She’d built that store up from scratch, and Lucas had helped her run it for many years. Moving their mother’s most precious furniture for safekeeping had been heartbreaking for all of them. But there was no choice. They couldn’t let those resources default to the new Alpha.
In so many ways, Lucas was more like their mother than any of them. They were both quietly strong and unconsciously nurturing. They had been very close. But Lucas, her kindhearted older brother, had something that went beyond that. A sort of thoughtful analysis, a careful weighing of the options that Aster knew would make him a truly great Alpha. But first she had to get rid of this pretender. Marten.
It had taken time to come up with just the right plan. It has cost her nearly three months of sneaking around, not quite listening at doors, but finally, her strategy paid off. She’d been standing just outside the old log cabin Marten had accepted for his home and base of operations.
At least he proved smart enough not to try to push her and Gage out of their ancestral home. That would have really turned the pack against him. The first three months of Marten’s grace period hadn’t been all wine and roses. Whole families were leaving if they had any other pack they could approach. No one trusted his leadership, but then why would they? They’d seen what he was made of.
The cold January wind ruffled her fur and icy snow chilled her paws even through their thick pads. She could only come on nights when fresh snow would fall before morning to blanket over her scent and cover her tracks. She’d been standing there hidden behind a bush for hours, careful to stay downwind of the cabin. It was cold and uncomfortable, but she was determined to wait for as long as she could.
Over the past three months, she’d gotten hints of secret dealings. Overheard snippets of conversation about humans and projects. Elusive fragments that made her believe that something just wasn’t right, but never enough to determine just exactly what he was up to. One word kept popping up though— labs. And that was enough to get her back here, standing hour after hour, night after night on the off chance that one of Marten’s flunkies would come in with a report.
The wind shifted slightly, and Aster detected someone approaching the cabin. That was Bill, one of Marten’s closest associates. Aster perked up her ears. He had been gone for over a week. She poked her nose into the air, making sure she was still downwind, making sure he couldn’t smell her, but no. He seemed oblivious. He knocked, and at Marten’s gruff call, entered the cabin.
And here was the beauty of this rustic old cabin— it had almost no insulation. In wolf form, Aster’s sharp ears could hear almost every word of their conversation. It helped that both Bill and Marten liked to hear themselves talk. And she didn’t have to wait long. They got right to it.
“Any problems with the delivery to the lab?” That was Marten. She could hear him plunking down glasses on some surface.
“Not one.” Bill’s reply was followed by the clink of glasses.
“You spoke with Dr. Evans?”
“I did.” There was something implied in Bill’s tone that Aster couldn’t identify.
“Don’t go there,” Marten growled. “Any progress on the project?”
“The doctor said something about receptors and environmental triggers. It’s all here in the report.”
There was a short pause and Aster held her breath. The project!
“Good, Bill. You did good. Come and sit by the fire. It’s been a while since we’ve been able to talk.”
“Don’t mind if I do.”
Aster could hear the scraping of chairs across the wooden floor.
“Well, this is the life, huh, Marten? Remember all those Januarys we spent camping in the frozen woods? And you did it. You said you’d get us a pack, and you did.”
There was another clink of glasses, and Aster tried not to gag.
“So, how are things with the pack?”
There was a short pause, followed by Marten’s sigh.
“Not so good, Bill. Not so good. We lost two more families in the time you were gone.”
“Good riddance. If they don’t know a good thing when they see it—”
“It’s not that easy,” Marten interrupted. “My pack is slipping away in ones and twos.”
There was another short pause.
“I think I need to take a mate.” Marten’s voice had an almost melancholy tone to it.
Aster let her mind wander. Marten’s potential mate was the least of her concerns. What could this mystery project be? She was vaguely aware of the sound of tearing paper as possibilities tumbled through her mind.
“Ah… the good doctor is nothing if not thorough.”
There was a short pause, and Aster imagined him scanning some kind of report. Excitement raced through her. If she could get her hands on that!
“Hmmm. There is a request for more material. I think I will send Kenton this time. Have him come see me in the morning. He can handle this next delivery.”
Aster’s ears perked up. Kenton. Tall, gawky, dark hair. Maybe mid-twenties. He’d been one of those who’d arrived with Marten. Not part of the original group of twenty-three. No. That had just been the vanguard. There had been another fifty or so unmated males waiting a few miles away for the outcome of the challenge. Aster blew out a breath. She still had trouble believing it. All those males banding together— it was unprecedented.
But if Marten sent Kenton to the lab, she could follow him with ease. He wasn’t much of a tracker, so he’d never notice. And then she’d find out just what this project was all about.
Could Marten really be providing information to humans that could lead back to the People? If he was, and she could prove it— that was tantamount to breaking the law. For an Alpha to fail to uphold the Law, that was grounds for revocation. Or worse. And Lucas could step into the void. No challenge needed. Her mind raced with possibilities. What would it take? Photos? Video, perhaps? What about those written reports? Yes, perfect! As soon as he left the cabin in the morning…
But Marten’s next words popped her right out of her pleasant reverie.
“I’ve been thinking about it, and I’ve decided the best way to hold the pack together is to take Aster Ardennes as my mate.” There was a short pause. Aster’s heart nearly stopped in her chest. He thought he could take her?
“The new moon is in four days’ time,” Marten’s voice continued. “We’ll have to make sure she doesn’t leave the territory before them.”
“I’ll spread the word, make sure she’s watched. You don’t think the younger brother will cause trouble?”
“That clown? No. What’s he going to do, fight me for her?”
For a second, Aster couldn’t catch her breath. She felt like something was lodged in her throat. He would. Gage would definitely fight for her. And she couldn’t let that happen. She’d have to leave first thing. That made getting her hands on that report difficult. But maybe she wouldn’t need it. Maybe tracking down this lab would be a better way to get the evidence.
One thing she knew for sure. Marten had lost his mind if he thought for one second he would be taking her for a mate. Apparently, the new Alpha still hadn’t learned his lesson regarding the Ardennes women. But he would. She would make sure of that.
The next morning before dawn, Aster had everything packed and ready to go. It wasn’t like the need to leave in a hurry had neve
r occurred to her. All she had to do was add the last few items to her quick release pack. She headed out through the forest in the early morning chill. She needed to visit her parents’ graves one more time before she left. After that she’d hike over to the road wait for Kenton to make an appearance. It would be a simple thing to trail him without being seen. After all, there was only one road in and out of the territory.
She dropped her pack behind an obliging bush and turned onto the path that led to the burial grounds. The early morning air was very still as she hiked along the trail through the frozen woods.
She rounded the bend in the path, just at the top of a small hill, and the ancient clearing came into view. Rounded mounds of rock dotted the clearing, the bleak grey of the stones showing through patches of snow where the wind had scoured it away. The People of the Mont-Tremblant Pack had been laid to rest here for centuries upon centuries. Her parents were side by side on the southern slope, the section reserved for the Alphas and their families.
Aster stood there for a long moment looking down at the hushed clearing in the bleak January dawn. “I will avenge you,” she silently vowed. “I will not let him get away with this.”
She waited for another long moment, letting the image seep into her memory. Bleak. Hard. Cold. And yet— somehow still peaceful. The quiet stones protecting their burdens, guarding the rest of the fallen as the first rays of dawn touched the clearing. She waited there a few moments more, her breath fogging in the chill winter air.
Then she turned and marched back down the path the way she had come. She had a mission to accomplish. Unfortunately, just before she reached her pack, she ran smack into Dean.
“There you are, Aster. I’ve been looking all over for you.” He sounded anxious, and she could tell he’d been rushing.
Oh, crap. Now what?
“Well, you found me.” Her traitorous heart tried to do a little flip at the sight of his wind-ruffled hair, the soft tinge of pink across his boyishly handsome cheeks. Why did his eyes have to be such a beautiful jade green?
Checkmate Page 3