by Natalie Shaw
“And I've told you that isn't necessary. You'll soon have children to look after.”
“Well it hasn't happened yet, so until it does, I need to work or I'll go insane.”
“What kind of work?”
“I don't know. I'll have to see what's available.”
“Tell them you won't need the job for long.”
“That will be the first thing I mention.” I rolled my eyes. The man was impossible.
“Bye.” He gave me a peck on the lips. “Have a good day. I hope you don't get the job.”
“Go! Or you'll be late!” I pushed him out of the door.
I'd been a little concerned about how Craven would settle into the new pack. He'd been an Alpha, and although there had been many years in between, I wasn't sure how he'd adapt to being just another member of the pack. I needn't have worried. It was over six weeks since we'd first arrived in the territory, and touch wood, everything seemed to be going okay. Craven respected Zema, and had no problems taking orders from him. Heston was a different proposition entirely. Although Craven hadn't actually said as much, I could tell he had no respect for the Beta.
*********
I'd arranged to meet up with Kata, one of our neighbours, later that morning. She'd moved into the apartment opposite ours a couple of days after we'd moved in. We seemed to hit it off straight away. I didn't know anyone else in the city, so it was nice to make a friend so close by. Kata was a wolf shifter, and about the same age as me. She had no mate, but hinted she had her eye on someone. She was just about to start a new job, and had moved to the apartment to be nearer to her new office. I'd noticed Craven was a little cool towards her, but when I'd asked him why, he shrugged it off, and said she was 'okay'. I suppose I should have been pleased he didn't have eyes for other women. Kata had invited me to join her for a run in the countryside. Craven and I rarely had the chance to exercise our inner-wolves together. Most days he left for work before I woke, and didn't get back until late evening. On the rare occasions we did have time to sit down together, he avoided any talk of his work.
The knock at the door startled me. I hadn't arranged to meet Kata until ten—it was only nine-thirty.
“Hi. I'm early.” Kata was always full of nervous energy. She was hopping from one foot to the other as though jogging on the spot. “Hope that's okay.”
“Yeah. No problem. Come in. Do you want a drink? Coffee? Tea? Orange?”
“I'm good. I don't like to drink before a run.”
“Where are we going?”
“I thought we'd go to Black Woods.”
“Where's that?”
“To the south of the city.”
“I don't think I've been there before.”
“Most shifters prefer the woods to the north, but I've always preferred Black Woods. I think you'll enjoy it. It's usually quiet at this time of day, and there are rarely any humans around.”
“Sounds good.”
I no longer found shifting the ordeal I once had. It was as if my body had remembered how to function again. If only my other memories would come back too. It was frustrating not to be able to remember the period before I disappeared, or where I'd been for the last forty years. Every now and then I felt as though I was about to remember something, but then it slipped away again. Curiously, I no longer had the dreams that had haunted my sleep before Craven found me.
“How's Craven?” Kata asked.
“He's good thanks. I hardly see him though.”
“He's busy, I guess?”
“Very. I hope these long hours don't last too long.”
“I guess it's the Heston thing?”
Craven didn't often talk to me about his work. I got the feeling he was protecting me. I'd tried to tell him that only made it even worse. I'd rather know the truth than let my imagination conjure up something even worse. He had confided that there were rumours Heston planned some kind of takeover—not a challenge—more a coup. That's how Craven had described it. As far as I knew, no one outside of the security council knew anything about it.
“Heston?” I shrugged.
“You must have heard the rumours,” she spoke in little more than a whisper now.
“I don't think so.”
“Come on Louise. Craven must have told you about the rumour that Heston is planning to challenge Zema?”
I didn't believe Heston had the balls to make a straight forward challenge. Zema was still more than a match for his Beta. According to Craven, Heston had something much more devious planned. Heston had his supporters—a relatively small bunch, but dangerous nonetheless.
“Craven never talks about it.”
“Oh.” I could tell by her expression that she didn't buy that, but she let it drop.
“Any joy on the mate front?” I said. A change of subject was called for.
“It's looking promising.” Kata grinned.
“Really? Tell me more.”
“I can't. Not yet anyway. You'll be the first to know—I promise.”
*********
“How much further?” I asked. We'd been driving for almost thirty minutes and had long since left the city limits behind.
“Not far now. Another five minutes,” Kata said.
“We're not leaving the territory are we?”
“No. It's close to the border, but perfectly safe. The neighbouring pack has never transgressed.”
That was good to know. I was all for a good work-out, but I didn't want a confrontation with another pack.
“They say Craven spent forty years looking for you,” Kata said without taking her gaze from the road ahead.
“Yeah.” I wondered, but didn't ask, how she knew that. Although Zema, Heston and some of the other seniors knew about Craven's years as a lone wolf, it wasn't general knowledge. Or at least I hadn't thought so.
“To have a fated mate who gave up his pack to search for you must make you feel very special.”
It did. I still found it hard to get my head around the idea Craven had spent so many years searching. He could have taken any mate he'd wanted, but he'd never given up on me. I'd asked him why, and he'd looked at me as though I was crazy. 'You're my fated mate' he'd said. That had been the end of the conversation. I owed him everything, and didn't think I'd ever be able to repay him.
“We're here!” Kata pointed ahead. “Are you ready for a full-on workout?”
“I hope so.”
Although I'd adjusted to the process of shifting, I was still coming to terms with my inner wolf. Craven had scolded me for holding back. I'd tried to explain it wasn't deliberate. I didn't truly understand my own power or strength yet.
Kata pulled the car off the road and parked behind a small clump of bushes. As we shed our clothes, I noticed once again what a superb human body Kata had. She'd told me she worked out regularly in both human and shifter form. It showed. I wasn't in bad shape—far from it, but I had some way to go to compete with her.
“Let's do this.” Kata's shift was effortless. Her wolf's physique was even more impressive than her human's had been. Far less gracefully, I followed suit.
We headed off across rolling fields towards an area of woodland some half a mile in the distance. Kata had been right—the area was quiet. We hadn't seen another person (human or shifter) or even a car for the last mile.
Although there were still many things for me to master in my wolf form, I was now much more comfortable with communication. I found the 'thought exchanges' between wolves almost as natural as human form speech.
“You okay?” Kata pulled up a few metres short of the woods.
“I'm fine. It's great here. I'll have to get Craven to bring me again. What did you say it was called?”
“Black Woods. The name is very apt wouldn't you say? Are you ready?”
“Sure.” I'd have liked a couple more minutes to catch a second wind, but didn't want to slow her down.
Kata sped into the woods. I had all on just to keep her in sight. I loved the thrill of running
as a wolf. It was an exhilaration the like of which I'd never experienced in human form.
As I reached a fallen tree, I realised I'd lost Kata. With my front paws planted on the tree trunk, I scanned the woods in front of me—looking for any sign of movement. Nothing. Damn it—I had to get fitter, had to get quicker.
I wasn't sure what to do for the best. If I ploughed on ahead, I was worried I might stray out of our territory. I decided to stay put for a few minutes in case Kata realised I was missing, and came back to look for me. If she didn't, I'd make my way back to the car. A short rest wouldn't go amiss.
I was on the point of returning to the car when I caught the scent. I'd not seen or heard him, but his scent was unmistakeable. I spun around to see Heston's wolf charging towards me. I had only a split second to react when he leapt—his teeth bared. It was too late to get out his way, but I managed to drop my shoulder so he hit me on the side rather than on my head. The impact knocked the wind out of me as I was sent spiralling across the uneven ground. My head was still spinning as I managed to get back on my feet. There were two wolves now. Did I have double vision? I shook my head to try to clear it, but there were still two of them. Heston was directly in front of me. The second wolf, I now realised, was Kata. She was standing to my right. I felt a surge of relief. One on one, I'd have no chance against Heston, but maybe the two of us could see him off.
Kata glanced at Heston, and then turned to face me. Something wasn't right. Suddenly she bared her teeth and raced towards me.
“Kata, what the hell?” Her teeth clamped hard on my shoulder sending a shock of pain through my body. I yelped and fell onto my side. Another bite would be enough to see me off. I had to get out from under her or I was dead. From somewhere, I found the inner strength that Craven had implored me to harness. I put my two back paws under Kata's belly, and thrust upwards with every ounce of strength I could muster. She somersaulted over my head, and landed at Heston's feet. My shoulder wound was agony. I had to regain my feet or I'd be dead. Kata was back on her feet only seconds after I was.
“Why?” I said, in disbelief.
She didn't answer, but then she didn't have to. It was obvious now who her mysterious mate was, and how she'd come to know so much about Craven.
“Let me finish her,” Kata said.
“No.” Heston took two steps forward. “She's mine.”
I could have made a run for it, but I'd get no more than a few paces. If I was about to die, I was going to go down fighting. I hadn't planned the growl which escaped my lips. My wolf was in full control now. What would be would be.
Chapter 22
“Craven!” I'd never been more relieved to see him.
The next thing I knew, Heston had been knocked off his feet. Kata took a step back as the two enormous wolves, locked in a deadly embrace, rolled back and forth.
When I realised Kata was about to leap onto Craven's back, my instincts took over. Ignoring the pain in my shoulder, I leaped at her—catching her side-on in mid-air.
I was on top of her now, but her teeth were only inches from my throat. Behind me, I could hear Craven and Heston battling it out, but I dare not glance around. To do so would have been suicidal. Kata made the same move as I'd made on her earlier, and I found myself catapulted over her head. I was winded for a second time as I crashed against a tree stump. Kata was on her feet and headed straight for me. Over her shoulder, I could see Craven and Heston were still locked in battle, but I had no idea who had the best of it. I had to time it perfectly—anything less would mean certain death. As soon as she made her leap, I did the same. Just as I hoped, she hadn't anticipated my move. She tried to adjust mid-air, but I was already on her. My teeth found their mark, and by the time we hit the ground, the life was already pumping out of her. I heard a terrible howl behind me. I spun around expecting the worst.
Craven had one paw on Heston's prone body.
“Are you okay?” Craven asked. One of his hind legs was badly gouged.
“Just about.”
He walked over—limping slightly.
“Are you sure?”
I nodded.
“If we shift back to human form now, we'll be okay.”
The wound in my shoulder made the shifting process much more painful than usual. But it was worth it. As soon as I was back in human form, all of my wounds had disappeared. Craven's had too.
“How did you know about Kata?” I asked, as we made our way out of the woods.
“I've been keeping tabs on Heston. It seems like he and a few others have been planning something for a while now. You and I arrived right in the middle of it. He must have thought that by killing you it would take me out of the picture, and leave him a clear run at Zema. He was right too. If you'd died after all of the time it took to find you—”
“I thought Kata was my friend.”
“That was the plan. Heston must have planted her in the next apartment. I had a bad feeling about her from the first time I met her.”
“What happens now?” I grabbed my clothes from Kata's car and joined Craven who was already dressing. His car was parked next to Kata's.
“I'll drive you home and then I'd better report to Zema. He should hear about this from me directly. Killing his Beta is a serious matter.”
“You had no choice.”
“Still. I need to follow protocol.”
*********
Craven dropped me back at the apartment, and then went to report to Zema. My wounds had healed, but I still felt exhausted and bruised from the encounter. I could live with that. What I was struggling with was the betrayal by Kata. I had genuinely thought she was my friend—she'd had me fooled, but then I guess that was the whole point. If Craven hadn't been following Heston, I hate to think what might have happened. I'd have been dead—that was a given, but what about Craven? I'm not sure he'd have ever recovered. Forty years of searching—only to lose me within a matter of weeks. Strong as he was, I felt sure it would have destroyed him.
I showered, made coffee, and willed the phone to ring. Surely Zema would understand Craven had had no choice. But what if he didn't? I sipped the coffee; it was cold. How long had I been sitting there?
“Damn it, Craven! Call me!” I stomped back into the kitchen, and emptied the cold coffee down the sink. The phone rang, and even though I'd been expecting it, it still made me jump.
“Craven? What's happening?”
“This is Ms Westernhouse. Zema's P.A.” an officious voice said.
“Oh sorry. I was expecting—never mind.”
“Zema requests that you come to his offices immediately.”
“What's it about? Is Craven there?”
“Immediately please.”
“But—”
The line was already dead.
This couldn't be good. Did Zema intend to banish us from the pack? What if they'd punished Craven? What if they'd killed him and were going to do the same to me?
I stared at the phone—what choice did I have?
On the journey over, my mind was in overdrive. I was convinced now that Craven must have been killed, or at the very least, punished and injured. Why else hadn't he made the call himself? The ground-floor receptionist waved me through. I took the lift to Zema's offices where a female shifter, dressed in a charcoal grey suit, sat at a desk. She glared at me through horn-rimmed glasses, and I knew before she spoke that she must be Ms Westernhouse.
“She's here, sir,” the P.A. said into the intercom on her desk.
“Send her through.” Zema's voice came back.
The P.A. gestured that I should go into his office. I took a deep breath and pushed open the door.
*********
“Louise!” Zema stood up behind his huge desk. “Come in, come in.”
I stepped into the office and let the door close behind me.
“Where's Craven?”
“He's all right. There's no need to worry.”
“I want to see him.” I shouldn't have been speaking
to the Alpha in that way, but I was probably dead already, so what did I have to lose?
“Craven is fine. He'll be joining us in a few seconds.”
If Zema was offended by my outburst, he didn't show it.
“Please sit down. Would you like a drink?”
“No thanks.” I walked across the room and sat in one of the two leather chairs in front of his desk.
“Do you like your new apartment?” he asked.
“It's okay. I'm not crazy about the neighbours though.”
“Indeed.” He smiled.
“Look!” My patience was exhausted. “Where's Craven?”
“He'll be with us—”
Just then, the door behind me opened. I spun around in my chair.
“Craven!” I rushed over to him and he caught me in his arms.
“Are you okay?” he said, as he tilted my head so he could look into my eyes.
“Yeah, I'm okay. I thought—”
“What?”
“I don't know. I—”
“Come and sit down—both of you. Please.” Zema pointed to the two chairs.
Craven took my hand and led me over to Zema's desk.
“Louise,” Zema said. “I apologise if I scared you. I should have told my P.A. to make it clear that it was good news.”
“I'm okay.” My heart rate was slowly getting back to normal.
“Craven,” Zema said. “Perhaps you'll tell your mate.”
Craven took my hand in his. “Zema has asked me to become his Beta, but I said I wanted to speak to you before I accepted.”
“If it's what you want, I'm happy for you to do it.”
“Before you come to a decision,” Zema said. “It's only fair I tell you what Craven already knows. It's extremely unusual to appoint a newcomer such as your mate to the position of Beta. In fact, it's almost unknown. There'll be some within the pack who resent the appointment. Heston had his supporters—they may try to stir up opposition. But I'm confident Craven is the right choice. He is a born Alpha. It will only be a matter of time before he is restored to that role. I don't intend to go on forever. In the short term, however, he may encounter opposition. As his mate, you may too.”
“Louise, I won't do this unless you're happy for me to.” Craven squeezed my hand.