Karli's Resolve (The Black Ridge Wolf Pack Book 3)

by Lilli Carlisle

The last thing she heard was Joseph saying he’d return with the doctor and the bedroom door closing behind him. In the back of her mind, she couldn’t shake the feeling that the attack of the dyr wasn’t happenstance.

  Doc had given Karli the all clear. She would be fine with rest, and Joseph could finally breathe again. He’d left her to be cared for by Rowl and joined the group filling his backyard. The dyr had finally stopped smoking, the ground burnt black around its body. His mate had fought this beast alone; the thought chilled him to the bone.

  “So does anyone else feel as though my mates are under attack?” Joseph prompted before kicking the beast with his heavy boot. He was frustrated and angry. His beloved mates were in danger and he needed to protect them, but from who?

  Aldric turned to face him. The anger and concern in his eyes were easy to see. “I’ve had Ceva place wards on your house to prevent anyone wishing to harm your family from getting in. You and Godric will conduct a thorough investigation, and until it is determined who is responsible, there will be warriors posted around the area.”

  “You think me incapable of protecting my mates?” Joseph huffed. If he was to become an alpha in his own right, he should be able to protect his own family.

  “Not at all, Joseph. But all great alphas have to learn how to accept help when needed. You can’t allow your personal feelings to cloud good judgment,” Aldric explained.

  Joseph took a deep breath and calmed himself. He knew Aldric was right, even though it would be hard to accept he needed the help. “Yeah. Right. Thank you.”

  Aldric smiled and slapped Joseph on the back. “You’ll make a fine alpha.”

  The rumble of a truck had him turning to see Jerome backing into his yard. The warriors lifted the dyr into the truck bed. He wanted it gone before Karli woke.

  “We’ll take the dyr deep into the forest and bury it,” Jerome assured before he and a few other men jumped into the cab and drove off.

  Joseph looked at the blackened earth and was thankful his mate wasn’t defenseless or the beast would have surely killed her. Who could be doing this? Who had it out for them? One name kept springing to mind—Atilia. But would she really attempt to kill her own child? He could see her having Rowl attacked, but Karli?

  As if Aldric had read Joseph’s thought, the alpha opined, “We have to consider that Atilia and Ferone might be involved in some way. They were past upset they didn’t get what they wanted.” Aldric, Joseph, Lothar, and Godric rounded the house and stood in the driveway.

  “I was thinking the same thing, but would they attack their own daughter?”

  “And how would they when they were under house arrest, or get their hands on a dyr?” Godric asked.

  “They could have hired someone to do it,” Lothar chimed in.

  “No one’s seen them since they were taken to the edge of the territory, but I wouldn’t put it past them,” Joseph agreed.

  “I think I’ll take a few warriors and visit their home pack to see if we can get some answers,” Godric offered.

  “Take Lothar and Ceva with you in case they need more convincing to come clean,” Aldric ordered. “But make sure you return before the bonding ceremony.”

  “We wouldn’t miss that. We’ll be back in plenty of time,” Godric agreed with a smile. “I think the whole pack has been looking forward to this.”

  “If we can manage to keep my mates safe,” Joseph grumbled.

  “Don’t forget you might be at risk as well,” Aldric warned. “If it is indeed retribution from Karli’s parents, you’d be on that list as well.”

  “I’ll keep my guard up, but the most important thing is to protect my mates.”

  “Somehow, I think they would disagree with you,” Lothar laughed. “Besides, they are capable of taking care of themselves.”

  “Yeah, and look how that turned out. Rowl almost died, and Karli could have been killed by that dyr. They need protection.”

  “You think I can’t protect myself or Karli?” Rowl’s angry voice came from behind them. They all turned to find Rowl and Karli lounging on the porch swing.

  “Why aren’t you resting?” Joseph didn’t miss the hurt in Rowl’s eyes.

  Rowl stood with the help of his crutches and moved to the edge of the porch. “Don’t change the subject. If you honestly believe I can’t protect myself, then how the hell do you think I can be your beta? Or were those platitudes used to calm your poor injured mate?”

  “Love, I need to protect the two of you,” Joseph tried to explain, but by the look on Rowl’s face, it wasn’t helping. Karli looked as upset but remained on the swing, her disappointment easy to see.

  Rowl’s eyes changed and shone with his wolf seconds before he shifted, ripping his clothes to shreds. He padded down the front steps using three of his legs and growling deeply as he stalked toward Joseph, teeth bared.

  “No one interfere,” Joseph ordered as Rowl got closer. He knew he’d hurt his mate and would do anything to fix that. Joseph hadn’t intended to cause this; he had the overwhelming need to protect them, and he’d done a shit job of explaining his need. “Rowl, I love you, and I’m sorry if I made you feel incapable of protecting yourself. I know you can, but that’s what a family is for, to protect each other.”

  Rowl didn’t seem to be listening. He continued forward, but it wasn’t anger that was rolling off of him; it was pain. Joseph could feel it as if it were his own. It crushed him that he’d caused his love to feel anything but happiness. When he was a mere three feet away, Rowl stopped as everyone else backed away, leaving Joseph standing alone. He opened his arms wide, ready to accept whatever his mate decided. He wouldn’t fight back.

  But instead of fighting Joseph to prove he was capable of taking care of himself as Joseph had expected, Rowl simply lowered his head, spun around, and looked at Karli before sprinting into the forest. Joseph’s heart fell and then shattered as Karli slowly stood and walked back into the house, leaving Joseph alone with his guilt.

  The house was quiet as Karli stared out into the forest from the back deck. It had been two days since Rowl had left, and no one had seen or heard from him. Joseph had gone looking several times but had yet to find him, and Karli was getting nervous. Joseph had a meeting with Alpha Aldric, after the group that had travelled to question her parents had returned. She chose to stay home in case Rowl came back.

  Nothing felt right anymore. Things had become so confusing and she wished she could turn back the clock to before the dyr had attacked her. She would have never asked to go to the front porch to rest instead of staying in the bedroom. That way Rowl would have never heard Joseph express his need to protect them, making Rowl question his own ability. Karli knew Rowl was more than capable of performing the duties of a beta and had the ability to protect his family and the pack. But the doubt had already been laid in his mind.

  Joseph had been racked with guilt since that day and barely slept, choosing to pace the floors of the living room instead. It felt like her family was falling apart and she was powerless to stop it. Her heart was breaking, and on top of all that, the king was scheduled to arrive in a few days to perform their bonding ceremony. She wasn’t even sure if there was going to be a ceremony.

  Karli took a deep breath and made her decision: she would find Rowl herself. She was sure he would come to her if she howled. She slipped out of her clothes and shifted quickly into her wolf, jumped off the deck, and ran for the forest before anyone could stop her from going alone. She ran for twenty minutes before she slowed down and howled for her mate. It took a few minutes, but she received an answering howl and took off in that direction.

  Her heart was beating with excitement as she raced through the trees and over the rocks. She stopped at the edge of a clearing and scanned the area. She was sure he was close. A moment later, a large black wolf padded out of the tree line and started running full speed toward her, his leg not even slowing him down. Karli took off toward her mate, joy filling her with every step.

  T
hey came together in the tall grass of the clearing, each dancing around each other, scenting one another, and licking muzzles in happiness. She had missed her mate, and the only thing that would make this perfect was if Joseph was here. The three of them were a family and she prayed her mates could work this out.

  After Rowl had thoroughly sniffed and covered her in his scent, she laid down on the soft grass. He snuggled close and settled down behind her, still licking her fur lovingly. After a few moments, the nights of no sleep caught up with her and she lowered her head to her paws, falling into a deep sleep secure in the knowledge that Rowl would watch over her.

  Sometime later, she woke when Rowl’s head popped up and he went on alert. Karli raised her head as a huge golden wolf entered the clearing. Joseph. Rowl didn’t move and neither did she, unsure what to do. Joseph slowly walked forward, his head low. This was the first time Karli had seen Joseph anything other than confident.

  As he got closer, Karli felt Rowl tense slightly, and she realized he was as nervous as Joseph. These two had been together since they were children, friends and now mates. One seemed lost without the other, and that was why they would be a strong alpha and beta pair. They would be able to work in sync without thought. If only they could make it through this rough patch and renew their bond.

  Joseph inched closer until he was in front of them, but instead of joining them, he laid down a few feet away. After a few minutes, she felt Rowl nudging her from behind, a clear request, asking her to go to Joseph. She stood and rubbed her muzzle against Rowl’s then padded over to Joseph and nuzzled his head before cuddling down beside him.

  Karli could see the longing in Joseph’s eyes, and the sadness she felt coming off of him made her whine softly. Joseph immediately comforted her and laid his head on top of hers. Slowly, Rowl stood and stepped closer to them. She could see the indecision in his eyes. He seemed to make up his mind and stepped forward, bringing his head down to Joseph’s and licking the side of his muzzle. Joseph rubbed his face over Rowl’s, sharing their scents and love. Karli was so happy she rolled onto her back and nuzzled both her mates.

  Eventually, the three settled down, one on each side of Karli, and she fell asleep quickly, happy for the first time in days.

  There in the tall grass of the forest, she felt at peace, her men at her side. This was what she had dreamed of every day after she’d been taken away.

  She’d do whatever it took to keep it.

  Rowl watched over his mates as they slept. They both seemed exhausted, and he was sure he was the cause of that. He’d been away two agonizing days, wandering through the forest, trying to come to terms with his injury. When he heard Joseph setting up protection for him and Karli, it hit him hard that his mate didn’t think he could protect himself, let alone their omega mate.

  He had been frustrated, angry, and confused, and he took that out on Joseph. Rowl understood that Joseph had only been following his instincts as a soon-to-be alpha and simply wanted to protect them, but it hurt all the same. Rowl loved his mates, but he was beginning to wonder if he was an equal in their triad any longer, let alone a beta. He couldn’t honestly see where he fit in now. Rowl had always been the warrior, the trainer, capable and strong. Now, he couldn’t walk without assistance, and his mate was questioning his abilities.

  Joseph must have somehow felt his pain and woke, because he was now licking the back of Rowl’s head. Karli was still asleep between them. He loved Joseph, but would Rowl hold him back now from leading his own pack? Joseph deserved to have a beta that was as capable as he was. Karli deserved two strong mates to care for her, even though she was one kick-ass omega defeating a dyr on her own.

  His mate continued to shower him with affection, and he wished they could stay like this forever, but reality would soon creep in to destroy it. The licking suddenly stopped and he could tell Joseph was shifting. Rowl stayed in his wolf form; he wasn’t ready to talk yet.

  Joseph came around to kneel in front of him in his human form. “Love, I’m so sorry. I’ve missed you so much. We’ve missed you.” That was when he realized Karli had shifted as well. He thought she was still asleep.

  She ran her fingers through his fur lovingly and cuddled up to him. “We love you, Rowl. You can’t leave us like that. We’re a family, one unit. It doesn’t work if someone’s missing.”

  Joseph lifted him and placed his body, still in wolf form, onto his lap. Of course, his large body still lay half on the ground, but it felt wonderful being back in Joseph’s arms. He’d missed his mates the moment he’d left, but his pride had kept him away.

  “Rowl, please understand why I said what I said. I have to protect the people I love. It doesn’t mean I think you’re incapable of protecting yourself or Karli. Of course you can. But at that moment, I was so afraid I would lose one or both of you. The only thing I could think about was protecting you both,” Joseph begged and buried his face in the scruff of Rowl’s neck. “You are the strongest man I know.”

  “Please shift, Rowl. Come back to us,” Karli pleaded.

  Rowl couldn’t refuse his mates. He wiggled off of Joseph’s lap and stood a few feet away before he began his shift. As soon as he was finished, he was surrounded and wrapped in his mates’ arms. Karli crawled onto his lap, and Joseph held them both close.

  Karli cupped Rowl’s face and kissed his eyes, his cheeks, his nose and his chin before licking his lips as an invitation to open his mouth to accept her kiss. As soon as she released him, Joseph took over kissing him as if his life depended on it.

  “Please, love, don’t ever leave us again. I don’t think my heart could take it,” Joseph pleaded with such sadness that Rowl immediately embraced both of his mates.

  “I’m sorry to have worried the both of you, but I’m having a hard time accepting my new reality. When you said I needed protection, it reinforced that I’m not capable anymore.”

  “No, Rowl, you’re more than capable,” Karli insisted.

  “Babe, I never meant for you to feel that way. Karli had been attacked, and after your shooting, I went into hyper-security mode. It had nothing to do with your injury. It was my own fear driving me, which was my downfall, not yours. I overreacted, and that’s not a quality of a true alpha.” Joseph hung his head in what Rowl knew was shame.

  “You will make a great alpha. Never doubt that,” Rowl stated as he lifted Joseph’s head to look at him. “You were meant to be one.”

  “If I am, then you were meant to be my beta. The man I trust with my life and the life of our mate and family.”

  “We can work this out, together. Always together,” Karli declared. “You ready to go home now, Rowl?”

  He was more than ready to return home with his mates. “Yeah. Let’s go home.”

  The three embraced before shifting and heading back to their home, together. It was almost dark by the time they padded into their backyard to find Alpha Aldric waiting for them.

  He didn’t look happy.

  This couldn’t be good.

  Chapter Seven

  Karli dressed quickly so she could join her men and the alpha in the living room. She was so happy to have Rowl back home, but her joy had been short-lived the moment she saw the look on Aldric’s face. Something was seriously wrong. She walked out of the bedroom and went to sit between Rowl and Joseph. They were waiting for her, and her mates now looked as angry as the alpha.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked the moment her butt hit the cushion.

  Joseph took her hand before he said, “As you know, we sent a team to your parents’ pack. When they arrived, they found your mother and father had taken ill and were both too weak to be questioned.”

  “Oh my gods, are they okay? What’s wrong with them?” She couldn’t understand. Shifters were immune to sickness and disease. How could they have gotten sick?

  “Easy, love,” Rowl soothed. “It seems reports were greatly exaggerated, considering they are both now missing.”

  “Missing?” Karli shook h
er head. “I don’t understand.”

  “We believe it was a ruse to avoid questioning, and the moment the team left, they vanished. We don’t know how the alpha of that pack is involved, because surely this couldn’t have been orchestrated without Alpha Saxx’s assistance,” Aldric explained.

  “It’s not a large pack, maximum three hundred shifters. But you would think someone would have said something to our team,” Rowl added. Karli was still trying to make sense of everything.

  “So they’re not sick?”

  “No, we don’t believe so,” Aldric responded.

  “But you believe they are on the run, because you think they are responsible for what’s happened here.”

  “Yes.”

  “But they don’t have the resources to make that happen,” she explained. “The more I think about Rowl’s attack, the more I think it had to be a professional attempt. He didn’t see or scent anyone in the house, yet there had to be someone there. I sensed no trace of magic. There is only one species that can pull that off. A reaper.”

  “A reaper? There hasn’t been one seen in decades,” Joseph explained. “The king had the mercenaries imprisoned after they burnt down that church full of innocent people.”

  “There were only twenty or so left, and they always followed their masters’ orders, soulless and without remorse. Could one have gotten away? Without a master, they’d take orders from the highest bidder.”

  “Exactly, and my parents aren’t exactly wealthy. They have no power. So how could they have paid a reaper and managed to get a dyr into the territory unseen?” Karli asked. “I’m not implying they had nothing to do with this. I think they’re guilty as hell, but there has to be someone else involved. Someone capable of doing both those things, someone with power and wealth.”

  She knew she was right, but who and why? The only ones with a score to settle would be her parents. The only other person that could have a grudge was…

  It couldn’t be.

  “Rocco,” she and Rowl half-growled at the same time.