by Ellis Leigh
Cassiel made no sound. Luc waited on his knees for her, ready to be rejected but hoping for some sort of sign. It came in a single paw stepping forward. Then another. And another. Soon enough, he was able to sit on the ground and take the wolf in his lap. To wrap all that soft fur in his arms and stroke his hand along her spine to calm her. To calm himself too.
She was just so small.
“Your wolf has always been inside you,” he whispered, nuzzling into the fur on her neck. “She is a part of you but has been neglected for so long. I’m sorry I forced you to shift, but I couldn’t stand the thought of you getting hurt in the fight. Your human side is much weaker than your wolf one. Slower, too.”
Cassiel perked up at that, her ears straightening and her head cocking. Luc would have laughed, but the sounds of Phego doing his job behind him definitely weren’t funny.
“Come, sweet angel. Rest your head against my chest.”
She pulled back as if wanting to look over his shoulder, her body stiffening at the sounds slowly building from behind them.
“This isn’t what you think—those other men, those shifters, had a sickness. Something dark and dangerous building around them and spoiling the whole area. I’ve been following them for a long time, and they’ve been in a lot of trouble.” Luc felt her body relax under his hand, so he resumed stroking her back. “When I first met them, I sensed the feminine spirits of two women with them. I no longer do, and I’m afraid that they’ve squirreled the women away somewhere against their will. That’s why Phego is doing what he’s doing. We have to save those women if they’re even still alive.”
The sound of a bone breaking preceded a scream that made Cassiel shake. Luc needed to distract her, so he did the only thing he could think of—he spoke.
“I was born centuries ago on another continent, in a country that no longer exists. I was raised in a pack but eventually left it and found my brothers. All of us—the men—we’re Dire Wolves, an ancient breed with very few members alive anymore. We used to think we were the only seven left, but we have intel that there may be more in Australia.”
Cassiel curled closer, fitting herself against his chest. Warming him literally and figuratively. That was a sign of trust, a move of acceptance. That was progress.
“We Dire Wolves fight on behalf of the president of the National Association of the Lycan Brotherhood, the ruling party over wolf shifters in the United States. We handle missions for him when there are no other options but for us to go in. The women here, like you, are Omega wolves—powerful in their own right. They are a true gift to the fates. We Dires were alone for most of our very long lives, and then Bez met Sariel while on a mission. Then Levi met Amy. Slowly, each of my brothers found their mates. They fought for them.” Luc leaned closer. “Just as I will fight for you, my angel.”
Before Luc could register any sort of reaction from Cassiel, Phego stole this attention with a quiet, “Luc, it’s time.”
Luc glided his hand over Cassiel’s fur one last time. “I need to handle this in case the man has any info on where the women are. Stay with your dogs—they seem to be taking care of you.”
“She’s got us too,” Michaela said, standing behind the sled dogs with Zoe and Charmaine beside her. “We won’t let anything happen to her.”
Their Omegas were fighting hard for one another. The very thought warmed him.
“Thank you for that, Omegas. We are truly blessed to have you in our pack.” Luc headed to where Phego stood over the shifter who appeared to be missing some skin. A lot of skin. He couldn’t think about that, though. “Where are the women?”
“Please,” the man said, a gurgle sounding from inside his chest. “Kill me. Just kill me.”
“Not until I know where the women are.”
The man rocked his head from side to side, smearing blood on the grass below him. “No women—”
“Bullshit. I sensed them. I know you had women in your pack.”
“Dead. Both dead…but the girls…”
Luc’s heart dropped right there, the puzzle of this pack exploding into place. Girls—young ones. Children didn’t come into their full gender identity until puberty, so of course he couldn’t sense them. Same with the little girl who’d shown up at the cabin, the one Sariel was still caring for inside. He’d sensed no feminine power from her because she was too young to have grown into it. The pack didn’t have women squirreled away, likely against their will—they had little girls. No wonder the Brooks Range wolves had taken on a sickness—acts against children were a crime against the fates. An unforgivable act. An atrocity.
Luc’s inner wolf roared, ready to fight. Ready to kill. But first—
“Where are they?” He kicked the man in the side, his growl deep and thunderous. “Where are the children?”
The man shook his head, fading. Bleeding out.
“Seconds left,” Phego said, watching placidly as if this was something he did every day. As if skinning a man alive and letting him bleed out was normal. And perhaps it was—shifters were hard to kill after all.
Luc crouched down so he could own the man’s field of vision. “One more answer, and you can die. Tell me where the girls are, and you’re done here.”
The man nodded, just once, before he said, “The caves.”
And then he was dead.
Luc searched his mind, his memories of his time spent in the Brooks Range flashing through his head. Caves? They’d already searched out the ones nearby, but that meant nothing, really. There were mountains and hillsides all over the place. There could be hundreds of caves big enough to live in. Searching them all could take them years. Time they didn’t have.
“Get Sariel out here,” he grumbled, rising to his feet. “Now. And bring the girl.”
Bez walked out with his mate, who held the child as if Luc was a threat to them. Something that had not been his intention.
“Please,” he said, giving the Omega her space so she could relax. “He said girls—plural—and that they are in the caves. Please, does the little one have any information about where she’s been held or who was with her?”
Sariel kept her eyes on Luc’s as she leaned down to whisper to the child. The girl turned in her arms, pinning Luc with a look. So very brave and strong.
“Gavreel is back there. Tabriss, too.”
Three. Three children, two of whom were still in danger.
“Do you know how to get back to the cave? Can you take us there?”
The little girl’s lip quivered, and she shook her head. “Woods. There was a lot of woods. I don’t remember which direction.”
Luc sighed, his hope for an easy search smashed. “Thank you—”
“Dina,” Sariel said, filling in the gap for him. “This precious baby is Dina.”
“Thank you, Dina. Why don’t you go inside with Sariel and get something to eat?” Luc held it together until the child was back inside, until Ariel and Thaus had joined them with the baby. Until he couldn’t control his anger anymore.
And then he let go.
All of his power, all of his rage, exploded into the atmosphere, feeding the universe with negativity and anger. He roared to the heavens, wanting to know so badly why the fates would burden him with such a task when he couldn’t handle it. If those girls died, if he couldn’t find them, that knowledge would destroy him. He knew it, his pack knew it, which was why his brothers said nothing as he screamed at the sky above them all.
But Cassiel didn’t give him space. She rubbed her body along his legs, grounding him just enough to come back from the edge of insanity. Giving him a goal to run toward. He finally fell to the ground, pulling her into his lap once more. Burying his face in her fur.
“What if I can’t find them?” He shook his head, that rage building again. “What if I take too long? I’ve been searching for these women for years, but they were already dead. What if my delays cost these girls their lives?”
Cassiel whimpered, rubbing her head against his. Comfo
rting him when no comfort was deserved. He’d failed those little girls. All this time, all the hunting he’d done, and he hadn’t even known they existed. He’d been looking for women—a shortsighted mistake on his point. One that could cost those little ones their lives.
“We’ll find them,” Deus said, his mate Zoe at his side. Both looking determined but fearful. Doubtful. “We have to find them.”
“What caves, though?” Bez asked, sounding far more irritated than normal. “We’re in the fucking mountains. There could be caves all over.”
Cassiel hopped out of Luc’s lap and yipped. Then yipped again. She growled at him and grabbed his hand in her mouth before pulling as if to drag him to his feet.
“What, angel?” he asked, staring at her as she bounced and growled. She’d figured out how to use her legs, that was for sure. “What do you want?”
“I think she wants to shift back to her human form,” Zoe said, staring at the dog. Cassiel yipped and ran to bump into Zoe’s legs then came back to Luc and yipped again. “Yeah, definitely. Make her shift.”
Luc patted Cassiel’s head again. “Are you sure you’re ready?”
She full out barked, the woof sound deeper than he’d expected. Firmer. Cassiel wasn’t playing around.
“Okay then.” Luc rose to his feet, keeping his eyes locked on her little wolfy body. Letting the Alpha power within him build. Letting it grow until it was strong enough to take over someone else’s free will. Until he knew he could make Cassiel do anything he wanted with nothing but his words.
“Cassiel, shift.”
The shift was faster this time, still painful-looking, though. Luc grimaced as her human flesh re-covered her wolf fur, as every pale curve came back into being. But then she was there—fully shifted. And naked. So very naked. Luc definitely didn’t mind, but she would.
Her breaths sounded harsh, and her arms shook as she pushed herself off the forest floor. “I…don’t like that.”
Luc could only smile. “It’s hard the first few times.”
Zoe appeared behind Cassiel and wrapped a cloak around her shoulders, covering her nakedness from the rest of their pack, as the woman rose to her feet. Cassiel glanced over her shoulder then tugged the fabric around her.
“Where are my clothes?”
Luc waved a hand over his own naked body. “They don’t make the transition.”
Moxie jumped at Cassiel, and his mate grinned as she patted the dog’s head. “Are you ready for a run, girl?”
Luc’s heart dropped a little. “A run?”
“Yeah.” Cassiel threw herself into motion, hurrying across the muddy grass and grabbing harnesses from the seat of her sled. “I’m going to need something to wear to drive the sled.”
Everyone froze, all eyes swinging to Luc. Cassiel was leaving. Sledding away from him and back into the wilderness. He had failed her, just as he would fail those children in the caves.
“Whatever you need,” Luc said, his voice dead even to his own ears. His eyes dropping once he caught his pack’s pitying gazes. “You are free to go. Michaela, if you could find her some clothes for the journey, please.”
“Of course,” the woman said, disappearing into the house.
“And Bez—perhaps you can run alongside Cassiel. Make sure she gets home safely.” Because he had a feeling that—if she was leaving—she didn’t want him following her. He would respect her wishes.
But Cassiel took him completely by surprise.
“Home? I’m not going home.” She hooked the first two dogs to the sled before Michaela came out with a bundle of clothes. “Thanks. These should work. Whoever’s coming along might want to throw some supplies in the sled as well.”
“Coming along where?” Luc asked, daring to step closer. Hope filling up his empty chest.
“To the caves, of course. We need to find those girls. Now.”
There was a moment when her words didn’t make sense, when he couldn’t understand the language he’d learned so long ago. But once they fell into place, a feeling of complete peace filled him.
“You’re staying to help?”
Cassiel stopped messing with her dogs, staring at him for a long moment. Then she was in motion, running and diving into his arms. Wrapping him in her warmth and heat.
“They’re in trouble, so yeah. I’m staying to help.” She pulled back a little, just enough to put space between them so she could look into his eyes. “Besides, I have a feeling you need me to stick around. So, I’m here.”
“You don’t hate me?”
She shook her head, the motion slow. Deliberate. “No, though I need more information from you.”
“Anything you want, it’s yours.”
“Good.” She popped a quick kiss to his lips. “Then I want some supplies to take with us and a group to head to the caves. There may be hundreds of little caverns around the mountain, but I know of a few that are huge. If I were looking for a den protected from the elements, that’s where I’d go.”
“You are brilliant.”
She grinned. “I know. It’s going to get dark soon, but I have to imagine you wolves can see at night, yeah?”
“Of course.”
“Good. Then let’s get this party rolling.”
Bez came down the steps from the porch. “You really think you know where these caves are?”
Cassiel winked at Luc before shooting Bez the most sarcastic expression known to man. “I’ve lived in the bush for most of my life, have been all over these mountains for years. This is my land, so I really only have one answer for you.”
“What’s that?”
“Duh.” Her grin exploded over her face, her confidence soaring. “I’m the best bet to find them right now, so let’s go.”
19
The cold, evening air of the Brooks Range tasted sweeter than normal as Cassiel and her team cut paths through the woods and toward the natural caves on the north side of the mountain. Whatever sickness and sense of dread she’d been feeling lately were gone. Perhaps because the pack was dead. Perhaps because she had finally come to accept a part of herself she hadn’t known existed. Perhaps because she had Luc running at her side.
She was a wolf. Plain and simple, no way around it—a wolf. Living inside her was what she had always feared. Though, maybe…
“Do you think the wolf that came to my room was like you…and me?” She looked over to the running Luc, whose big head bobbed up and down in an exaggerated sort of positive answer. “Yeah, I’m thinking that too. All these years, I was so afraid of that vision, but now I’m wondering if they were coming to find me or looking out for me or something. There have always been wolves in my life.”
“We know our kind,” Sariel said from the basket of the sled where she sat with the little girl in her lap. Luc had wrapped the two in blankets before they’d taken off, welcoming Dina into their fold and promising they’d figure something out to make sure she was properly cared for. Cassiel doubted there would be much figuring going on—Sariel seemed to have called dibs, and Dina might as well have been a koala baby, what with the way she clung to the woman. They definitely seemed to be a match.
Sariel turned, catching Cassiel’s eye. “Have you ever noticed humans being a bit cautious around you?”
Cassiel laughed. “Well, sure, but I was the messed-up foster kid and, later, the crazy lady in the woods. I make people uncomfortable.”
“It could have been your wolf. Charmaine looks like a model but can scare a human without even trying. I fit the stay-at-home-mom persona pretty well, but I’ve had people cross streets to avoid walking near me. Every now and then, humans can sense the predator within, and they don’t like it.”
That got Cassiel thinking about her past, about being tossed from home to home as a child, about all the people along the way who had tried to intimidate, overpower, or simply run away from her. Maybe she hadn’t been the problem after all.
The dogs slowed, barking wildly as they raced over the soupy ground. The
y still had a ways to go, but there was no path out there, no way to move through the mud without struggle. This would be an exhausting journey for Cassiel’s babies.
“Whoa, stop. Stop, Moxie.” Cassiel stepped off the runners as soon as the dogs stopped, checking each one to make sure their feet were okay. Luc crept up beside her, bumping her hip as if asking what was wrong. “There’s no path here, so they have to cut a trail. It’s hard work, and I don’t want them getting hurt doing it, so I need to make sure their paws and legs are okay.”
Luc growled softly, making a whining sound at the end. Not that Cassiel had any idea what that all meant.
“I don’t speak wolf, you know.”
Suddenly, a very naked Luc stood beside her, wrapping Cassiel in his arms as if to blanket her. Something she appreciated.
“What can we do to help?” Luc asked, his voice a rough and grumbly vibration against her. One that called to the beast inside her, that made her heart jump, made her crave even more contact. One she didn’t have time to think about right then.
“Unless you can cut a trail through all this underbrush, not a whole heck of a lot.”
Luc looked ahead, then back at his wolf pack, then ahead of them again. “Shouldn’t be a problem.”
He shifted back to his wolf and ran ahead of her dogs, who definitely wanted to play chase the wild animal. The other wolves who’d come with them—Bez, Mammon, Charmaine, Deus, and Zoe—followed Luc, cutting one heck of a trail with their big bodies.
“Welp, guess I should have figured that out earlier.”
Sariel laughed. “This is all new to us. We don’t usually run with dogs.”
“Can I run with them?” Dina asked, looking up at Sariel with a smile.
The woman practically melted right there. “Maybe on the way back, little one. We need you rested to help us in the caves.”
Dina settled against Sariel’s chest, still smiling. “Gav and Tabby will be happy to see us.”
Sariel shot Cassiel a look. One filled with fear and worry—they’d be happy to see the Dire Wolves…if they were still alive. And if the pack could find them. All things still up in the air at the moment.