When the stars stopped flashing behind my eyes and my tears started to dry in salty streaks on my face, I floated back to earth. Larna’s head was still tucked between my legs, gently cleaning me. I felt warm and embarrassed. There had never been so much wetness before. But when Larna looked up and smiled at me with a gleaming face and warm brown eyes, I knew that what we shared had been wonderful.
“I want more,” Larna murmured, scattering kisses across my belly and working her way up to my breasts. “I love your taste, Catie.”
“Not now,” I pleaded. Any more of that would begin to hurt. “But later… definitely. Larna, thank you…”
“You were trusting me. I should be after thanking you.”
As I rested with Larna’s comfortable weight on top of me, I remembered what Ellie wrote to tell me a few weeks ago. Something about knowing you are in love when every moment is happier than the last. Since becoming Larna’s, I understood that feeling perfectly.
Our peaceful moment was disturbed by a noise outside our tent. Larna lifted her head. If she had been in wolf form, her ears would have perked up. “Who is there?” she called out, clutching the blanket to cover our nakedness.
“Elaran,” came a voice from outside. “Jett Bahari wants to see you.”
…
Dressed in fresh clothes and combing fingers through my mussed hair, I stumbled after Larna and Elaran. I saw clearly in the darkness, but Larna’s touch had made my legs unsteady. “What do you think he wants?” I asked, hurrying to catch up with her.
“Something serious,” she said, her face and the tone of her voice revealing nothing, “or he wouldna be calling us in the middle of the night.” She looked curiously at the back of the messenger’s head, hoping that he would explain the summons, but he said nothing.
The rest of the short walk continued in silence. We waited outside as the messenger went in to the wooden building to announce our arrival. He was only gone for a few moments.
“Come inside,” he said.
The temporary headquarters was dimly lit. Candles flickered on the table in front of Jett Bahari. Only he, the messenger, and two guards were there this time. Auriye was probably asleep.
“What do you need from us in the middle of the night?” she asked. She tried to sound polite – deference to her Wyr instincts and her respect for Jett Bahari – but to me, she seemed irritated. I could guess the reason. I had not helped her find release earlier before we were interrupted. She hid her emotions well, but not from me.
“More of your kind have come to camp,” Jett Bahari said, getting straight to the point. “They say that they were your pack. My men are with them now.”
Larna turned to me, obviously surprised and a little suspicious. “Why are they here?” she said to me in a half-whisper. I shrugged. I had no idea why the Farseer pack had come to the rebel camp. When we left them, they wanted nothing to do with us. Something did not feel right.
Jett Bahari cleared his throat, recapturing Larna’s attention. “I wanted to ask your advice before deciding what to do about them.”
Larna’s muscles rippled and tensed and I put a calming hand on her shoulder. “Maybe they want to apologize,” I offered, trying to relax my lover. I had my own emotional difficulties with the Farseer pack, but right now, my priority was Larna.
“Give me your opinion.” Jett Bahari looked at both of us pointedly. “Do you think that this pack is a threat?” His thoughts might have been spoken aloud. A pack of Wyr in the rebellion could be very useful, very dangerous, or both.
“They know where the camp is now, you canna just let them leave,” said Larna. “I will speak to them for you.” She did not seem to be looking forward to it, but she resigned herself to the task.
Jett Bahari stood, bracing himself with his hands on the surface of the table. “I do not want to kill them, but if they act violently, I will have no choice.”
Larna nodded, accepting the decision. “Where are they?”
They were waiting for us just outside of camp, surrounded by guards. At least half the camp must have been dragged out of bed to keep an eye on the new arrivals. The two groups – rebels and Wyr – eyed each other mistrustfully, whispering among themselves.
Everyone turned to watch when they noticed us approaching. My stomach fluttered nervously. I realized that Larna and I were acting as ambassadors and it was a heavy responsibility.
Hosta stepped forward from the crowd of familiar faces. He was still thin, but tougher and wirier than I remembered. I realized that he had a new scar across one cheek. In fact, as I examined the group, I realized that several members of the pack were missing and a few of those remaining sported injuries. That surprised me. Wyr usually healed quickly, so they must have been recent.
Larna stepped forward and I watched as she and Hosta stared each other down in a silent battle for dominance. In the end, neither of them won. “Why are you here?” Larna asked, breaking the silence first.
“We were attacked twice,” said Hosta. “Somehow, the witch keeps finding our camps.”
“I thought that her puppets had trouble tracking us…” I said.
Hosta turned to me. “That was before. Someone is feeding her information or she has found a new magical way to find us. We must kill her.”
Larna’s eyes narrowed. “And you have come to ask me for help?”
“We have come to ask the rebellion for help,” Hosta protested. “They are wanting her dead, too.”
“I speak for the rebellion, since I am obviously not mad,” Larna said coldly, drawing out each word. “Jett Bahari has asked me to decide if you can be trusted.” I could tell that my lover wanted to milk this for all it was worth. Hosta squirmed uncomfortably under her harsh gaze. She bared her teeth in a smug grin, enjoying the role reversal.
“Larna,” I whispered. She turned to look at me and I shook my head. “I expect more of you.” I wanted to let her continue, but I knew she would feel guilty about it later. Power games were not a part of Larna’s personality.
“Even though you exiled me,” Larna reminded Hosta, “I am thinking that the pack can be trusted. I will tell Jett Bahari. But all of you must be tested by the truth-seekers. If what you say is right, there could be a spy for the witch among us.”
“You are still not welcome in the pack,” Hosta said coldly.
Larna bristled, her teeth and fists clenching. The muscles along her back tightened, but there was no fur to stand up straight. “I am not mad and I am not a traitor!” she barked, stepping forward in to Hosta’s space, trying to displace him. He did not budge.
“You were banished,” he said, as if that explained everything. Behind him, the rest of the pack eyed Hosta. Many of them had angry and disappointed looks on their faces. They wanted us to come back. I was not surprised when none of them stepped forward to complain. He was their Alpha. Despite his poor choices, Hosta was a strong, dominant leader and their instinct was to follow him.
“I will still tell Jett Bahari that you should join the rebellion,” said Larna. “You are good fighters. Even though you were betraying me, I dinna think you will betray the rebellion. Do not prove me wrong.” She stormed off, determined not to let Hosta have the last word. Not wanting to be left in an awkward position, I followed her. My loyalty was to my mate.
…
Chapter Seven:
The next few days passed awkwardly. Humans in the rebel camp stared at us wherever we went. The Farseer pack’s arrival made us a popular topic of conversation. Most of the glances were not hostile, only curious. Perhaps having a common enemy convinced most of the rebels to consider us friends instead of a threat. A few, however, still looked at us with hatred and fear. They made me shiver, but Larna and I pretended not to notice.
Hosta’s rejection was harder to ignore. The Farseer pack set up their tents and supplies on the west side of the main camp. They were close enough to be a part of the camp, but isolated enough to say that they were a separate group. Larna and I were clearly
not welcome in their new territory. I did not try to enter it, but Larna, being stubborn, tested the rules. Afterward, she told me that Hosta sent her away.
“I hate him,” I said, angry that we could not see our friends. Being with Larna was enough for me, but I still missed being part of a pack. “Hosta should change his mind. He was the one who came here and asked us for help.”
Larna shrugged. “He is Alpha. Maybe he sees me as a threat.”
“He should.” I frowned, placing my hands on my waist, elbows angled out. “You would be a better Alpha than he is.”
Wanting to calm me down, my lover kissed the very tip of my nose. I went cross-eyed, trying to see the spot that she had pressed her lips against, because I was sure that it was turning red. I could only see a few blurry freckles and I gave up. When my eyes re-focused, I saw Larna laughing at me. She was smiling.
“Sorry, I canna help it. You were making a silly face!”
That made me smile, too. Larna accomplished her goal.
“About Hosta,” she said, sounding serious, “dinna worry over him. The Farseer pack is needing a strong leader right now, but if he continues to make bad decisions, someone will challenge him.”
“You should challenge him,” I said, hoping that she would take the suggestion. I had thought it privately many times. I did not want Larna to be injured in a fight with Hosta, but I knew that it went against my lover’s nature to sit back and allow herself or anyone else to be mistreated.
“I have too many other things to worry about right now,” she said evasively, not meeting my eyes. I was disappointed, but did not push her further. I needed time to figure out why she did not want to challenge Hosta.
…
“Cate! Here!” someone said in a loud whisper. Startled, I whirled around to see who was calling my name. Yerta peeked out from behind a tent, motioning me closer. I edged in his direction. He glanced nervously over his shoulder, making sure that no one was watching. Now that he was closer, I caught his scent. The smell of cooking meat had distracted me. He smelled uneasy, worried.
“What are you doing here?” Yerta’s smell, along with his secretive body language, was making me nervous, too.
“I came to see you,” he said, still whispering.
“Hosta just banished us,” I reminded him. Even though I understood his motive, I was a little hurt that Yerta had gone along with the rest of the pack and shunned us. “He never officially ordered you not to talk to us.”
That did nothing to calm Yerta. “He wouldna like it… my brother…”
“If you are so worried about Hosta’s reaction, why are you here?” I asked, narrowing my eyes suspiciously.
Yerta gripped my wrist lightly, pulling me with him behind the tent and crouching down. Even though I was sure that no one had seen us, I crouched beside him, tucking my loose hair behind my ears so that it would not hang in my face. “Because he is back… he was missing for three days.”
I was surprised, but not sure what the information had to do with me. Alphas rarely left their packs. Without a leader, Wyr had no direction. Their instincts would urge them to find a new one. “He left?” I asked skeptically. Since Larna and I had almost no contact with the Farseer pack, I had not noticed Hosta’s comings and goings from camp.
“He told us before he went… He was leaving Aria in charge.”
Aria was a clever choice. She was too old to challenge Hosta when he returned, but wise enough to lead the pack while he was gone.
“Do you know where Hosta went?”
The muscles in Yerta’s cheeks twitched, as though he wanted to lower his ears and pull a submissive face. “You canna guess?” He let his voice trail off, not wanting to speak his thoughts aloud.
“You think… the witch?” Even though the thought had been tickling the back of my mind, I still found it hard to believe. How could a member of our pack, even Hosta, be a traitor.
“How else is the Witch always finding our camps? Someone is telling her.”
I frowned. “It could be some kind of new magic. She might be tracking us.”
Yerta shook his head doubtfully. The idea sounded weak, even to me. It was more of an excuse. Someone in our old pack was a traitor. I put a steadying hand on Yerta’s shoulder. He looked very pale and his pulse was fast. If his tail had been there, it would have tucked itself between his legs. “I’m sorry,” I said, pushing aside my own feelings. “I mean, your own brother…”
“Doesna matter.” He brushed the comment aside. “You must be telling Larna to challenge him. If Hosta belongs to the Witch, we are needing a new alpha.”
“I talked to her about it. She didn’t want-”
“You were banished,” said Yerta, still pushing. “She must be upset and angry about that. Larna has every right to challenge my brother.”
“I wanted her to,” I admitted. Now, I was not so sure.
Even though I disliked Hosta, I was not sure that he was the traitor. He was an Alpha now. He had the position he wanted and Larna was gone. What did he need Mogra for? Surely he would not want to destroy the pack that he was leading, not after the years he had spent waiting to be a leader.
“What if there is another reason that he left? Did you ask him?” Yerta just gave me a look. I sighed. Pestering your Alpha about his movements, especially if he was your older brother, was considered rude.
“I should be going…” said Yerta.
I waved him away as he straightened himself. I was glad to pull myself out of my crouch. My thighs were starting to ache. “Go. Leave before someone notices that you are missing.”
“Talk to Larna,” he called back to me, keeping his voice soft. With one last look, he slipped away, leaving me alone with my thoughts and suspicions and questions.
Putting my thoughts aside for later, I decided to search for Larna. Like me, she was restless here. She was probably prowling around the territory, trying to burn off excess energy. I could not smell her nearby, only the familiar scents of camp and humans. One particular human was close by. I lifted my head in time to see Elaran approaching me, a smile on his young face.
“Arim dei,” I said politely as he came to a stop in front of me.
“Arim dei,” he said, a little breathlessly. “Where is your friend?” He looked over his shoulder, as if expecting her to be nearby. I understood. Larna and I were almost always together.
“I was just wondering that. She is somewhere around.”
Elaran looked hopeful and I felt a surge of pity for him. “Would you be wanting to eat lunch with me before weapons training?”
“I don’t have weapons training,” I reminded him, smiling to show him the place where my fangs would have been. “But I will eat lunch with you.” His smile grew bigger. “On one condition.” It faltered. “We have lunch together as friends.”
He did not seem to understand. “Yes, we are friends… what do you mean?”
“I mean… not as anything else.”
“What? Oh…” To his credit, the boy tried not to look too disappointed. It was the first time I had been forced to reject a suitor. I felt pity for Elaran, satisfaction at my own ability to handle the situation, and maybe a little bit of pride that someone was interested in me. “Um, I…”
I could tell that poor Elaran had no idea what to say, so I tried to gloss over the conversation. “I am hungry,” I said. “Let me guess… we are having stew. Again.”
“There is meat in it today,” Elaran said, sounding a little more cheerful. “Your pack has been helpful so far.”
I sighed. “They aren’t my pack anymore.” I missed the Farseer pack, despite what they had done to Larna. I did not blame the whole pack. It was mostly Hosta’s fault.
“But you wish they were?” Elaran asked. When I did not answer right away, he looked embarrassed, worrying that he had pushed too far.
“Yes, I do. I miss them. Larna was banished for eating human flesh, but she did it for a good reason. The new alpha was worried that she would challenge
his position, so he used it as an excuse to get rid of her.”
Elaran’s curious expression was replaced by a look of total disgust. “Ugh… I dinna think I am wanting lunch anymore…”
…
Later that night, as I was reading my journal, Larna entered our tent. It was more cramped than the cabin we had shared in the Forest, but still comfortable. To my surprise, I preferred it here to my large, cold room at Baxstresse, even though I missed my friends.
“Ellie is horrified at what I am doing with myself,” I told Larna. Her shape and smell were familiar, so I did not look up right away. I continued staring at my friend’s most recent letter instead. “She demands to know where I am so that she can come take me home.”
Larna did not answer. There was an alluring, heavy musk around the edges of her scent that distracted me. I looked up. Her brown eyes were focused on me. The tip of a pink tongue outlined a soft pair of lips. She looked hungry.
My own eyes grew wider. “Oh!” I let out a soft, startled gasp as she knelt beside me and pulled me into her arms, nuzzling my hair. Her nails scraped against the fabric of my shirt, wanting to feel skin. My journal dropped onto the floor beside me, forgotten.
“Hello,” I purred, running my fingers through Larna’s dark hair. The pads of my fingers brushed her warm cheeks. She shivered in my arms, a low growl vibrating beside my ear. She nipped the lobe, causing me to fall backwards onto our sleeping pallet.
“What do you want?” I whispered, finally finding her lips for a long, deep kiss. She growled again, louder this time. Another fiery kiss. “Tell me.”
She showed me, tearing herself out of her shirt and pressing my mouth against a bare shoulder. I bit down hard and she hissed between her teeth, fingers gripping my back. My warm tongue soothed the bite mark, but her breathing stayed fast and hard.
“What do you want?” I asked again, massaging her scalp with my fingers as my mouth moved over her soft skin. Her muscles seized as I caught a nipple between my lips. She arched, wanting more contact. My hands left her hair and wandered across the broad, smooth muscles of her back. I finally reached around her front to undo the ties on her pants. She kicked them off, crying out in frustration as I switched to her other breast.
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