“Surely they will not force you to continue with this.” Joseph asserted.
“I made a promise to the king, and unless he rescinds his request, I will fulfill it.” Karli sighed. “Then there won’t be anything anyone can do to stop us from having our bonding ceremony and being mated.”
Someone started pounding on the door. Rowl stood with Karli in his arms while Joseph went to open the front door. Whoever it was on the other side kept whaling on the door until Joseph swung it open, ready for an attack—only to come face to face with Karli’s irate parents. Without missing a beat, Atilia and Ferone stormed past Joseph, who Karli could tell was holding back his anger, and started in on her.
“Look what you’ve done,” Atilia spat out.
“What I’ve done? Rocco was the one who tried to put a spell on me with dark magic,” Karli responded in shock. Why were her parents attacking her?
“You forced him to do that, with all your foolishness with these two. What else was he supposed to do?” Ferone yelled.
Karli could feel the electricity in the air and began to draw it to her until the tips of her fingers began to spark. A warning of sorts that her parents might finally understand they’d gone too far this time. Everyone turned toward her as the little sparks of lightning zapped around the room.
How could they be this way? Is there no love inside them for me? Have I been fooling myself all these years?
Rowl held her tighter to his chest as Joseph came over to stand in front of her. “Easy, Karli, they’re not worth it. All that matters now is our family. We love you.”
“Love? Only a word,” Atilia snapped. “You could have had riches and power, but you were too stupid to take advantage of it. How did you even know the bracelet was cursed?” Even as her mother asked the question, Karli got the distinct impression Atilia already knew the answer to that.
“Any omega would be able to feel that much dark magic,” a deep voice said from the doorway.
Joseph stepped aside, allowing Karli to see the new arrivals. Aldric stood with his brother and beta, Godric, arms crossed and murderous looks on their faces.
“And why didn’t it work?” Ferone asked.
“Were you hoping it would?” Rowl growled.
“Well, it would be preferable to this,” Atilia said as she waved her hand at the three of them.
Karli was stunned. Her own parents didn’t care if dark magic was used against her, as long as they got what they wanted. How could she have been so wrong?
“That’s it. The two of you are now confined to your temporary house. You’ve caused enough damage,” Aldric ordered, and two guards walked in behind him and Godric.
“Take them into custody,” Godric said, his voice deepening the closer his wolf came to the surface.
“You can’t do this. How dare you,” Atilia screeched.
“No, how dare you?” Joseph bellowed. “How dare you use your daughter as a pawn? How dare you be so selfish to not even care that she was attacked with dark magic? How dare you even claim to love her?”
For the first time, her parents actually looked frightened. It was about time. They took a step back away from Joseph. She couldn’t see his face, but from the rage pouring off of him, it must have been deadly.
“Take them,” Aldric commanded, and her parents were forced out the door.
Karli wiggled out of Rowl’s arms. She wanted to stand on her own two feet. She needed fresh air and to feel the ground beneath her paws. Her body demanded she shift. “I’m going for a run,” she said as she walked toward the bedroom, Laura on her heels. Karli thought it better to take her clothes off in private or her men may have gone ballistic. Even though nudity amongst shifters wasn’t unusual, the fact that they hadn’t mated yet made her men extra possessive.
They left the door open a crack so they could get out in their wolf forms. Neither spoke, for which Karli was thankful. She’d had enough for one day and wanted to let her wild nature take over. She undressed and seamlessly shifted into her wolf form. Karli glanced over at Laura’s golden-streaked white wolf and smiled, but in wolf form, it was more of a grimace and tail wag.
She nudged the door open with her snout and padded into the living room, where both Rowl and Joseph stood waiting, having shifted into their wolves. Karli’s men towered over her in both forms. Each took turns rubbing their scent on her before the four of them ran for the open door, leaving Aldric and Godric standing alone in the house.
Karli felt the grass under her paws and warm breeze flowing through her thick fur. Freedom. As they were about to cross into the thick forest, another large black wolf came running toward them. Joseph and Rowl pushed her and Laura behind them. It wasn’t until the wolf got closer that she realized it was Alpha Dedric, and her men calmed. Laura ran forward and rubbed herself against Dedric’s side, mixing each other’s scents. Laura glowed with happiness, and Karli was happy for her friend.
Rowl licked her muzzle as Joseph brushed against her side. Flanked by her men, Karli took off into the forest. Birds abandoned their nests and took to the sky as the wolves raced through the trees. Leaping over fallen logs and gliding through the long grass had always been exhilarating. Karli’s heart raced, her blood pumping as hard as her legs, making her feel alive.
They ran into a small clearing and stopped to rest. Karli lay down on her side with her tongue hanging out and looked up at the sky. This was where she found peace, out in the middle of the forest. She rolled onto her back, all four paws up in the air. Joseph and Rowl lied down on either side of her, and for the first time in days, she could breathe again.
Chapter Four
Rowl walked onto the training field, sword and shield in hand, emotions all over the place. It had been days since the incident with Rocco, but he and his wolf hadn’t calmed one bit. Joseph was addressing the warriors in training while Rowl paced. He didn’t understand why the two remaining alphas were still coming. He’d thought that after the Rocco disaster, that would have been the end of this. He’d been wrong.
“Listen up, warriors. Rowl is itching for a good fight,” Joseph warned, getting Rowl’s attention. “The first warrior to take him to the ground will be able to forgo today’s ten-mile run.”
That got the men moving as they circled around Rowl, trying to decide which of them would be the first to try. Rowl could feel his blood pumping through his veins, his senses sharpening as he brought his wolf close to the surface. He sliced his sword through the air, loosening the muscles in his arm, and brought his shield into his body. Rowl needed this. He had to work off his frustrations and fears. It was time to have some fun.
It wasn’t long before the first man stepped forward, sword held high and a grin on his face. Rowl would be wiping that off shortly. He didn’t wait for his attacker to reach him. Instead, he stormed forward and brought his sword down on his opponent’s shield repeatedly until he had the man pinned against the ground.
“Yield,” Rowl demanded.
“Yield,” his opponent responded quickly.
Rowl turned and was attacked by a second warrior. He brought his sword up and blocked the hit, pushing the other man back across the field. Rowl could feel his muscles flexing, and by the time he made it to the eleventh man, he was hitting his stride when he realized he was running out of men to fight. Suddenly, Joseph was standing before him, sword and shield at the ready. Yes!
He smiled at his best friend. They were equally matched when it came to strength and fighting ability. This was going to give him the workout he needed. Both crouched low, circling each other, waiting for the other to attack. Joseph made the first move, bringing his sword crashing down onto Rowl’s shield. He pushed Joseph back and began his own attack. The sound of clashing metal filled the air as Rowl felt the exhilaration consuming his body. They traded blows, both seeming to need to release their pent-up emotions.
It could have been fifteen minutes or three hours, but Rowl knew he was weakening. Joseph didn’t look any better. Their strikes were
short and became sloppy; both shields lay in broken bits on the ground around them. But neither would concede defeat. Rowl rushed Joseph and took both of them to the ground, where they lay on their backs, gasping for breath. The other warriors gathered around, cheering and clapping, but all Rowl wanted to do now was find a hot shower.
Joseph began laughing, and Rowl soon joined in. “So, you feel better now?”
Rowl had to admit he did. “Yeah, thanks.”
Joseph and Rowl stood and brushed the dirt off of themselves. Rowl turned to the men and ordered, “Stow your weapons and ready for your run.”
The group dispersed and Joseph turned to him. “Are you really okay?”
Rowl took a deep breath before answering. Was he really fine? “As good as I’m going to get until this is over.”
“Why don’t you head home, have a shower, and relax? I can take care of this.”
Rowl thought about it for a moment. All that was left was the ten-mile run, where the trainees didn’t have to be supervised. “Yeah, I guess that would be best. Thanks.”
Joseph hugged him and patted his back before Rowl walked toward home. He loved Joseph and wondered why they’d never become lovers over the years, but wasn’t brave enough to broach the subject. Sexual orientation among shifters wasn’t a concern. All that mattered was the love. He walked past Karli’s parents’ house, where two warriors stood guard. He felt better knowing her parents couldn’t get to Karli any longer. At least that was one worry taken care of. He waved at the warriors, both trained by him and Joseph, and carried on. By the time he stood on his front porch, he was ready for that shower. His muscles were tightening up.
Rowl stripped naked on his way to the bathroom. He turned on the rainfall shower fixture, waited until it was hot, and stepped in. He groaned deeply as the hot streams of water slid down his body. Rowl picked up the bar of soap and began lathering it against his chest. His mind wandered to his love. He couldn’t wait to share showers with her. He dreamed of running his hands all over her wet body, trailing kisses as he went.
His cock began to harden, and he couldn’t help but reach down and wrap his soapy hand around it. Moaning, he began to pump slowly, visions of Karli filling his mind. Her soft, milky skin under his hands and lips. Her gorgeous red hair flowing around them as their bodies tangled. Another set of hands wrapped around Karli from behind, and Joseph began nibbling on her neck. Imagining the three of them together was all it took for fire to race down his spine and through his balls as he came in streams against the tiled wall.
He groaned deeply and leaned against the opposite wall, trying to catch his breath. Rowl’s heart was racing and his body shook slightly as he recovered from one of the strongest orgasms he’d had in a long time. There were still tiny stars floating around in his vision as his body relaxed. After a few moments, his legs felt steady again and he finished washing his body.
On his way back to his room, Rowl had an uneasy feeling, like he was being watched. He scanned the room; nothing was out of place and there wasn’t a soul in sight. He couldn’t shake the feeling but continued on to get dressed. He had finished buttoning up his jeans when he heard something smash in the living room.
He ran down the hallway and rounded the corner. He felt the pain ripping through his chest before he heard the shot. He dropped to the ground and pressed his hand to the wound on his chest; it came away covered in blood. Rowl heard the front door close and knew his attacker had left. Funny, he hadn’t scented him in the room.
Rowl was losing strength fast and attempted to shift into his wolf to heal, but nothing happened. He’d already lost too much blood to complete the shift without the help of an alpha or mate, and he didn’t have one of those yet. The front door slammed open, but he was too weak to turn his head to the side and look.
“Oh god, Rowl,” Joseph gasped as his head popped into view. “You’ve got to shift.”
“Too weak, need the alpha to help.”
More people came running in, but he didn’t scent his alpha as one of them. Shit, is this the way I die?
He scented Karli before she came into view. Tears were falling from her eyes as she knelt by his side and took his hand. “Why isn’t he shifting to heal?”
“He’s too weak. We need the alpha for this.”
“He’s gone to deliver Rocco to the king.” Karli cried, “Laura, please try.”
Laura knelt beside Rowl and placed her hand over the hole in his chest, and he felt warmth spreading through him.
“I can’t heal him. It’s too extensive. I can only buy you time. You have to get him to shift,” Laura explained.
Rowl knew he was getting close to the point where nothing would save him, even if he managed to shift. He looked at Karli and Joseph, the two most important people in his world. “I love you guys.”
“No. Don’t give up. You fight,” Karli sobbed as she grabbed Joseph’s other hand so the three were connected. “I love you. We have a fabulous life ahead of us. So you’re not going anywhere.”
“I love you, Rowl, and I’ll be damned if we are going to lose you. Shift,” Joseph ordered in a firm voice.
“Shift,” Karli repeated.
Rowl used every bit of strength he had left as Joseph and Karli kept ordering him to shift. He held their hands tightly and pushed hard, rousing his wolf enough to begin his transformation. The pain was excruciating and his screams slowly turned into howls as his shift finally took over. The last thing he remembered was Karli and Joseph holding him close before everything went dark.
Karli sat wrapped in Joseph’s arms beside the bed, where the large dark wolf lay unmoving. Rowl had been unconscious for nearly twenty-four hours, and the longer it took for him to heal, the higher the likelihood of permanent damage to some part of his body. She looked up at Joseph. His face was stoic with dark circles under his eyes. Neither of them had left Rowl’s side since he had been shot.
“Who would want to shoot Rowl?” Karli must’ve asked and answered the question inside her head four hundred times. “I don’t understand any of this.”
Joseph held her closer and buried his face in her hair before taking a deep breath. “No one that I can think of. Your parents are under guard and the warriors have scoured the pack lands and found no one out of the ordinary. That can only mean whoever did this is able to teleport or is already here and possibly a pack member.”
“Aldric, Ceva, and Lothar should be back from dropping Rocco off at the palace anytime now. Maybe Ceva will be able to help Rowl in some way.” Karli curled closer to Joseph. “I need him to wake up. Now.”
“So do I, love. He’s strong, he’s a fighter, and he’d never leave us,” Joseph assured as his eyes filled with tears.
“He loves us.” Karli took a deep breath. “He’s not going anywhere.”
There was a knock on the front door, and Laura rose to answer it. Karli needed to be closer to Rowl, so she slid off of Joseph’s lap and crawled onto the bed beside her beloved wolf, running her fingers through his thick coat. The bedroom door reopened, revealing the alpha and Ceva, as if talking about them had made them real.
“How is he?” Aldric walked into the room as Joseph stood to greet them.
“He was shot in the chest. Doc said it missed his heart but did a lot of damage. He’s been unconscious for almost a whole day,” Joseph explained.
Ceva and Aldric rounded the bed to get a better look at Rowl. Ceva placed her hand over the wound and began chanting. Moments later, she pulled her hand away and the wound was healed.
“I’ve been told the two of you were able to force him to shift,” Ceva stated.
“Yeah,” Karli answered.
Ceva looked unsure before stating, “The two of you shouldn’t have been able to do that.”
“Well, I’m glad we managed it somehow,” Karli muttered as she sat up on the bed, leaving one of her hands buried in Rowl’s fur and the other taking hold of Joseph’s hand.
“So am I. But the fact remains that only an
alpha or a mate can force the shift. So either Joseph is an alpha, or the three of your wolves have already accepted each other as mates, which changes a few things.” Ceva tilted her head to the side. “Ya know, I think it’s both.”
“Both?” Joseph looked at her as if she were lying.
“If you were given your own pack, no matter how small, your alpha tattoos would rise and so would your powers. You are a true triad—alpha, beta, and omega,” Ceva explained.
“Does that mean I can stop being courted by other alphas and mate the men I’ve loved all along?” Karli dared to believe, while afraid she was asking for too much.
“Yes, in essence, but he would have to be given a territory,” Aldric explained.
“Let’s not worry about that right now. We need to concentrate on Rowl and his recovery.” Karli’s head was spinning as she released Joseph’s hand and curled around Rowl.
“We also need to find out who’s responsible for this. I will have my revenge,” Joseph growled. “As head of this family, it is my right.”
“And you will have it,” Alpha Aldric swore.
“I want to fry whoever it is from the inside out,” Karli inserted. She usually wasn’t a violent person, but this time, she’d make an exception.
Everyone around her continued to talk, but she ignored them and concentrated on Rowl. His chest rose and fell with every breath, and she placed her hand there to further reassure herself. She loved her men and couldn’t imagine a life without both of them in it. She was done trying to keep a promise to make her parents happy. They’d never be happy. Now with the possibility of Joseph and Rowl receiving their own territory, no one could try to split them again.
The longer she laid there, the heavier her eyelids became, until she gave up the fight and fell asleep, her face buried in Rowl’s thick, dark fur.
A warm, calloused hand gently stroked her cheek, waking her instantly. She opened her eyes and found herself looking into Rowl’s deep, warm gaze. She couldn’t help her tears.
Karli's Resolve (The Black Ridge Wolf Pack Book 3) Page 5