by Elle Boon
He turned back to the door, knocking lightly. It opened several seconds later. “Hey, Sheila. This is Lyric and baby Harlow. They wanted to come by and say hi. You up for company?”
“God, yes,” Sheila said, smiling brightly as she held the door open.
Arynn whispered close to Lyric’s ear ‘thank you’, knowing the other woman heard him but that Sheila wouldn’t. The fact she’d thought to come and set Sheila at ease made it easier for him to leave. “See you in a couple. Lyric, if you and Rowan would like to eat with us, we’re going to grill up in the courtyard.”
“Oh, that sounds great. Let’s invite a few of the others, too. I know you’re just getting settled, but really, Sheila, it’s best to just get r done, like ripping a band aid off.”
“Oh, don’t worry about a thing, Arynn. We’ll take care of it. I’ll just shoot Syn and Lake a text and it’ll be done. Now, shoo, let us have some lady time and not in that way, sicko.”
Arynn tossed his hands in the air and walked away, laughing as Lyric and Harlow walked in, shutting the door as they began making plans.
Upstairs, he headed straight for the club, feeling the pain of one of the pack members, the ache nearly sending him to his knees. It had taken everything he had to continue talking to Lyric as if all were normal. When he walked into the back of the club where the cage fighting was held, at first, he’d thought one of the fighters had gone too far, but the shifter laid out on the floor wasn’t beat up from fists or claws. “What the hell happened?”
Kellen looked up from his squatting position, meeting Arynn’s gaze. “He was attacked outside our boundaries. A group of mercenary type men grabbed him about an hour and a half south of here. They said they knew he was a shifter. How the fuck would they know he was anything other than human? Shane and Leon have lived so far outside pack life for years it doesn’t make sense.”
“Have you looked at his memories?” Arynn bent down, taking a deep breath and allowing the other’s pain and injuries to flow into him, the crushing ache had him gritting his teeth.
“Oh shit, I shoulda tried that. Why didn’t I think of that?” Kellen growled.
Sweat beaded on his brow as he kept taking on Shane’s pain. He hadn’t seen the other shifter in a few years, but a bond was never severed unless you were exiled from the pack. Shane and Leon had left of their own accord, keeping the alliance with the Iron Wolves while living in the human world. “Sorry, alpha, try now. I’ve got him in a sedated state until we can get him to Lake.”
Kellen gripped his shoulder. “Nah, it’s me who was being a dick. Let me see if I can get anything.”
Arynn sat back on his haunches, peering over at Leon who looked as though he’d been through a lot, but not nearly as much as his partner. “How’re you feeling, Leon?”
Leon gave a stiff jerk of his chin. “I’m fine. If I hadn’t come home when I did—suffice it to say, we wouldn’t be here.”
“What the fuck?” Kellen roared, standing quickly. “When did you two become part of a coven?”
The other wolf took a quick step back, falling into Wyck who’d come up behind him silently.
“A what?” Leon looked around wildly.
Kellen flexed his fingers, his alpha power flaring around them. Arynn watched as all in the room fell to their knees, showing their necks to the Iron Wolf as he stalked to where Leon cowered, only standing because Wyck held him up by the back of his shirt. “I asked you a question, and I suggest you don’t lie to me, boy. You see your partner there.” Kellen pointed to where Shane lay, his breathing coming a lot easier, since Arynn had healed some of his internal wounds.
“I’ll start with him and make you watch while I get the answers I want. Yes, I could barrel right through that fucking skull holding what you call a brain and pluck the information myself, but I want you to tell me. Now,” he roared.
The acrid scent of fear and possibly piss filled the air. Leon, glared down at Shane, before he gazed back at Kellen. “They’re our friends. They’re not real witches or anything, they just pretend. We’d have recognized it if they had real power.” He shook as he spoke.
Kellen grabbed him by the front of his designer shirt. “You two wouldn’t know your ass from a hole in the ground. That coven, is not only filled with Dark Fae, but they’ve been sucking power from the both of you. Haven’t you felt weaker than normal? What about him? When’s the last time you both shifted?” Kellen fired the questions at Leon.
Leon shook his head in denial. “How?” he whined.
“Because you both thought you were too good for our pack and decided to go out on your own. I let you, which in hindsight, I should’ve checked up on you both. I fucked up, but I’m a fast learner. Now, you both have been compromised. My pack has been compromised.”
Wyck held his hand up. “Alpha, I can guarantee nobody followed us here. When they called for a pick up, I was aware of the risks and took measures to protect the pack.”
The larger than life alpha nodded. “You I trust, Wyck. These two idiots,” he pointed toward Leon then Shane. “I wouldn’t trust as far as one of my kids could throw them. Get them out of my sight, but I want them on lock down.”
Wyck held Leon by the back of the neck. “I’ll see that it’s done. My mate and I’ll watch over them while you decide what to do next.”
“I don’t want to risk your mate, Wyck.”
The big man smiled. “Trust me, Kellen. Lou is every bit as mean as I am, if not meaner.”
A feminine grunt interrupted them as the woman in question came forward. “I think I’m much meaner in some cases. As for these two—boys, I don’t think we’ll have any issues. Will we?” Lou came to stand in front of Leon, her towering height had her standing eye-to-eye with the male.
Leon lifted his lip in a snarl. “I’m not scared of you.”
Lou didn’t say a word, her head tilted to the side, and then, she exhaled, loudly.
“Ah shit,” Wyck said from behind Leon.
Faster than the human eye, Lou’s hand shot out, surrounding Leon’s throat and lifting him off his feet. She held him suspended in the air without straining while he clawed at her arm. “Now, I’ll ask again. Only this time, I want you to think really hard about the proper answer. Are we going to have a problem, Leon the Limp Dick Loon?” she asked casually.
“I suggest you answer my mate. She tends to get angry when you don’t give her what she wants.” Wyck’s words were filled with affection.
“This is her not being angry?” Kellen asked.
Arynn laughed, loving the fierceness of the woman and the ease with which she held Leon. “I’m giving you about thirty seconds before you pass out, then I’ll just go inside your tiny brain and make sure neither of you are a threat to us ever again,” he warned. As the Omega, his abilities led more toward the compassionate, but he could do much more. Since he was able to tap into others’ emotions and their pain, he could manipulate them as well. It was something he’d never done, nor did he plan to this time either, but Leon didn’t know that.
“We won’t be a problem. We never meant to be in the first place. Hell, we’d only wanted to go where we’d be—accepted as we were. Love each other freely, unlike how we’d be seen here,” Leon cried.
Kellen unfolded his arms, walking up to where Leon was now standing with his arms wrapped around his middle. “What do you mean? You and Shane were never cast out of the pack for loving each other. Love is love, no matter who or how you love. The fact you’re both men didn’t matter to me or the pack. If you two got any flack for your relationship, you should’ve brought it to me or Xan. I can guarandamntee you, neither one of us would’ve allowed anyone, pack or not, to demean you or your relationship. I can feel the bond between you two, which is to be celebrated, not berated.”
Truth rang out in every word, making Arynn proud to call Kellen friend and alpha.
Leon swallowed audibly. “But we’re not like you.” He waved his arm around the room. “I mean look at us.” He ge
stured up and down his body. “We’re not big bad fighters with tattoos who have a thing for leather and motorcycles. We didn’t fit in here.”
In stunned silence, Kellen eliminated the space between them, locking his right hand behind Leon’s neck, lowering his head until their foreheads touched. “Leon, in every family there’s differences. Look around you. Do we all look alike, talk alike, walk alike?” Kellen didn’t allow Leon to move from his hold. “The very fact that we’re different but alike on the inside, is what makes us family. What I mean is, we all have blood running through our veins. Shifter blood mixed with Fey and human. Or, we could be human mixed with Fey, or even Dark Fae, vampire, demon, angel, hell the list can go on and on. No matter what, we all have blood running through our veins. We all bleed red. We all breathe the same air and as long as we all have the same goals, and that’s to keep one another safe from harm, we’re on the same page. My job as alpha is to see to the happiness and safety of all my pack, including you and Shane. You both fucked up. At the center of both your beings, I know you didn’t have anything to do with what’s going on. However, you didn’t trust me or the pack, which has made you both a risk. Now, you may have had some help in your reasonings, and I will get to the bottom of that. For now, you are both on lockdown and are going to be watched by Wyck and Lou. I have to make sure the pack as a whole are my top priority. Until I’m one hundred percent sure neither of you are a threat, I can’t allow you the same liberty as I would’ve before this happened.”
Shane groaned, drawing all their attentions. “He’s right, Leon. We...we were wrong. Goddess, I hurt.”
“Can I go to him?” Leon asked.
Kellen squeezed the back of Leon’s neck, then stepped back. Arynn could see the effort it took for Leon to look directly at Kellen. Even as the Omega, it was hard for Arynn to hold the alpha’s stare.
“Wyck, do you and Lou need help getting these two to the holding cells?”
Hearing the words had the desired effect on Shane, Arynn was sure as the injured man stiffened.
“What do you mean, holding cells?” Shane whispered.
“We screwed up, so now, we have to be watched like traitors. Come on, let me help you up so they can get us settled. I’m hoping these cells have at least a bed he can lay on to rest?” Leon asked, tears sparkling in his dark eyes.
Arynn nodded while Kellen crossed his arms then nodded as well.
“Let’s go, boys. Lou, you want to get the door?” Wyck asked his mate.
They waited until the foursome left before Kellen jerked his head toward his office. Arynn sighed, wanting to go see Sheila and his girls.
Kellen chuckled, the sound one of real humor. “I’ll make it quick, so you can go see about your females.”
Unable to keep the grin from splitting his lips, Arynn tucked his hands into his pockets. Goddess he couldn’t wait.
Sheila was sure she was in a dream world. Having a feeling there was more to the world than met the eye was one thing, but knowing was a completely different ball game. Meeting Lyric’s blue gaze as she held the adorable little tyke Harlow, Sheila felt another loop in her perfectly crazy world unravel more.
“I’m glad you agreed to let us come in. I was already forming plan B, which my best friend Syn says is never a good thing.” Lyric sat Harlow on the floor.
Rebel and Romie came into the room, both stopping by the sofa.
“Lyric, these are my daughters Rebel and Romie. Girls, this is Lyric and her daughter Harlow,” Sheila introduced the girls.
Rebel got on her knees and crawled toward Lyric. “She’s like me?”
A gasp escaped Sheila’s mouth at the bright blue eyes staring at her from Rebel. Yes, her daughter had blue eyes, but the ones staring at her were almost glowing.
Lyric got up and knelt next to Rebel. “Has your wolf emerged yet?”
Rebel shook her head. “I can feel her, but I—don’t know how to let her out.”
Sheila wanted to cry at the sadness in her youngest daughter’s voice. “It’s okay, Rebel, it’ll come when the time is right.”
Heck, she didn’t know what nonsense she was spouting.
Romie put her hand on her shoulder, leaning into her where she sat on the sofa. Without thought, she wrapped her arm around Romie’s waist. “Did you two get your things settled?”
“It was so hard, mom, I mean, like hours to unpack a backpack,” Rebel joked. She winked up at her mom, letting her know she was kidding.
“When things settle, we can get together and make sure you have all the things you need. For now, let’s concentrate on keeping you all safe,” Lyric said.
The authority in the younger woman’s tone eased some of the tightness in Sheila’s chest. Why she wasn’t pushing back, when she normally wasn’t one to allow anyone to handle things for her, she wasn’t sure. However, watching the easy acceptance from Rebel made Sheila instantly like the other woman. Plus, little Harlow was too cute for words as she used Rebel as a jungle gym.
“Why don’t you go meet little Harlow?” Sheila whispered to Romie.
Romie shook her head. “You heard Rebel. She’s like her, not me. They wouldn’t want me down there.”
Rebel’s head snapped up. “Don’t make me bite you, Ro.”
Lyric laughed. “Oh, I like these girls. They remind me of Syn and I. I can’t tell you how many times I threatened to bite Syn or vice versa. Needless to say, I think we did bite one another a few times. Ah, those were the good days,” Lyric sighed.
“If she bit me, would I become a wolf like her?” Romie’s question caught Sheila off guard and clearly had Lyric tongue tied.
“Um, Romie, I don’t want Rebel biting anyone right now, not even you,” Sheila answered.
Rebel stood up, little Harlow quickly crawling toward her legs and climbing onto her foot like a baby monkey, making her laugh. With a slight limp, Rebel walked with the little girl wrapped around her left leg to where Romie stood. “Ro, I love you and would totally love for you to be just like me. But, we don’t know what I am exactly. I can feel it beneath my skin, scratching, and sometimes, it feels like I’m going crazy. I don’t want to do that to you until we know I’m not...you know, going crazy,” she whispered.
Sheila leaped from the couch, careful of little Harlow and pulled both girls into her arms. “You’re not crazy, Rebel, and it’s not an it, but a part of you. We’ll figure out how to merge you with your wolf so you’re complete. Right, Lyric?” Please let the other woman say yes, even if she were to lie.
Lyric was standing, her arms were pressed to her chest while she had her fingers pressed to her lips. “Yes, we most assuredly will, Rebel. Romie, for one to become a shifter, it’s a huge decision, and one that isn’t to be made lightly. You’d need the alpha’s permission, and trust me when I say, he doesn’t say yes without a lot of consideration. This isn’t something you can decide to undo or take back later. For Rebel, it’s something that’s in her blood, just like it is with me and Harlow. We were born this way. Rowan, my mate, he was made by me—” she took a deep breath. “I didn’t follow the rules, but there were extenuating circumstances. Even so, had my alpha decided I was in the wrong, he could’ve decided to terminate Rowan’s life. You see, in our world, the alpha is law. There are no if, ands, or buts about it.”
“You mean he would’ve killed your mate if he decided it was best, and you couldn’t do anything to stop him?” Romie asked, brown eyes wide with disbelief.
Lyric nodded. “That’s how it works in our world. Before you get to thinking Kellen’s a bad man, let me tell you he’s one of the greatest men you’ll ever meet. As the alpha, he has to make hard decisions in order to keep the entire pack safe. If one is a danger to the entirety, then he’d have to decide what to do. Most times, decisions aren’t life and death, but if it came to that, he’d be the judge, jury, and executioner.”
Romie swallowed. “I’m scared, mom.”
Sheila ran her hand up and down both girls’ backs. “Lyric, I th
ink Rebel and Romie have heard enough.”
Lyric nodded. “I understand, but I wanted Rebel to understand she can’t go around and turn others without realizing the consequences are great. There’s also a chance that the one you bit wouldn’t survive. Not all humans can handle the transformation. It’s truly a brutal and sometimes devastating thing to see. When Rowan went through it, I wasn’t sure he was going to make it, and in all honesty, I wasn’t sure I could survive watching him suffer.”
Rebel nodded. “I understand what you’re saying. I won’t bite Romie or mom just to make them like me.”
The shifter woman came to stand next to them, placing her hand on Rebel’s shoulder. “You’re a great female, little Rebel. And you, Romie, you have much strength inside you as well. What you will become is yet to be decided, but you too are a great female. Of course, having a mother like yours, it was a no brainer you two would be extraordinary young ladies. Now, me and little Harlow are going to go and get things for the barbeque. Would you two like to go with me? That is, if your mother says it’s okay?” Lyric bent and picked up Harlow from where she still sat on Rebel’s foot, gripping her leg with both chubby arms around her calf like a lifeline. Gizmo sat next to Harlow, his huge body acting as a pillar or guard, possibly both.
Sheila opened her mouth to deny the request but could tell Rebel and Romie both wanted to go. “I’ll go with you as well if you don’t mind?”
“Not at all. Why don’t you give Arynn a call and let him know? Those males can get a little snippy if they don’t know where the little ladies are at all times.” Lyric grinned like she enjoyed messing with said males.
Sheila paused as she realized she was becoming accustomed to the terminology of males and females instead of men and women. How strange her life had become in less than twenty-four hours.
“Bring your guard, too. Looks like he enjoys watching over little ones.” Lyric patted Gizmo’s head. As she bent to pick up her baby, Gizmo placed that huge head over her daughter’s, giving Lyric what Sheila termed his most endearing puppy dog look.