Psyche Shield

by Chrissie Buhr

  The sun sat on the horizon when I sensed Kathryn and Jason’s approach. I informed Billie silently. Could her Alpha be here already? I asked.

  If he left immediately, yes. Billie’s tension returned now that the time had come for her to watch her packmates drive off into a dangerous situation without her. “Sierra, Jason and Kathryn are on their way. That probably means it’s time to meet your Alpha.”

  Sierra stiffened, and I felt her anxiety rise and spread to the others. “Careful. Especially tonight,” I cautioned her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her emotions steadied a little, and I nodded encouragingly. Jazz and Gary noticed the exchange but didn’t ask.

  The Alpha and Elder arrived, entering without knocking and meeting us on the back patio. LeeAnn and Dean yelled hello from across the yard, unfazed by Jason’s intimidating show. He wore only jeans, displaying his tattoos and muscles deliberately. He waved back at the kids, showing no affection outwardly. The kids felt it from him and for him.

  Correction. Tattoos, teeth, and attitude. You don’t have any tattoos.

  That can be changed, she teased.

  Growing up around you and Jason, no one will be able to intimidate those kids, I told Billie.

  Nope. The thought satisfied her.

  Jason deliberately ignored the mental exchange. He ignored me entirely. Kathryn politely greeted the children and their parents, clearly distracted.

  Jason’s determination shone in his eyes, and he directed a fierce expression at Sierra. “Graham called. Are you ready?”

  “As ready as I’ll ever be.” She set her jaw as she battled her rising nervousness. “What about Kato?”

  Kathryn extended a hand to the young Wolf. “Kato will arrive in his own way.”

  “Where is the meeting?” Billie asked her Alpha.

  “I don’t know yet. Graham’s cautious. We’re to drive to the rest stop east of Boise and call him.” Jason rumbled at Billie, his order absolute. “Stay here, Beta.”

  “I don’t like this, Alpha. It smells like a trap,” Billie protested.

  “It probably is. Stay here anyway,” he repeated with a long pointed look that deflected any argument.

  Ignoring their disagreement, I hugged Sierra. “I hope this is goodbye, and you get to go home. If it is, you better come back to see us.”

  Billie placed a hand on her shoulder encouragingly. “And if it’s not, you’re welcome in our home. You will always be welcome in our home.”

  Sierra thanked us for our hospitality and followed the Alpha and Elder. Billie began to pace immediately. “They’re walking into a trap, and I don’t even know where.”

  I felt like pacing but planted myself in a lawn chair instead. “They’ll call if we’re needed. Kato will contact me if they can’t.” I tried to assure everyone, myself included.

  Chapter 7

  Kathryn’s hybrid car impressed Sierra. She’d only ever known a moderate lifestyle in a small town, and the majority of her packmates owned trucks or other vehicles that could traverse any of the back roads. She thought about home and her father who had to be worried sick about her.

  She’d called him, but she didn’t lie well. He didn’t know about Wolves, and she intended to keep it that way. Even a partial truth about the car accident would bring him to Boise. Instead of pulling him into the conflict, she told him she’d met new friends and would be gone a little longer than anticipated. He didn’t believe her. Even as a teenager she didn’t lie to him much. Since becoming Wolf, she’d found it necessary at times, and she loathed it.

  When she thought about never returning home, she couldn’t keep the anxiety to herself, and it spread to everyone around her. The more dominant Wolves translated anxiety into anger and overprotectiveness. Her earlier panic affected Billie so badly, the Beta had nearly lost control. She hadn’t had enough time with Kathryn, and she didn’t have control over this thing they called a gift. Hearing how Kathryn helped Billie when she first came to the pack gave her hope that it could someday benefit her pack instead of disrupt it. But she needed time and training to get there. No matter what happened with her Alpha, she had to keep in contact with Kathryn.

  “What do you know of your pack’s history?” Kathryn surprised her by speaking after a long silence.

  “I know we’re one of the oldest packs in the country. It was founded by Isingoma and Kato, according to the stories.”

  “Do you know why it was founded?” Sierra shook her head no. “It was created as a safe-haven for Wolves who did not fit anywhere else. Some of the original members were runaway slaves, accused witches, and interracial families. In such a remote location, we were protected from the prejudices of the outside world.”

  Sierra didn’t see the Elder’s point but found it interesting anyway. “When were you Pack?”

  “I found them just after the Civil War and lived there for many years. Graham was born into the pack, a child of seven years old when I arrived. I sought them out with Emma and Tomas, a lovely couple who took me in as a girl. Emma made me Wolf as we traveled, and I arrived as a Pup. Emma and Tomas bore a daughter a few years after. Hannah and Graham were nearly inseparable as children, and it surprised no one when they became mates. Graham is my oldest living friend, and your Beta my nephew. I left in 1943.”

  “That’s why there are so many people of mixed races in my pack?” Sierra found it strange that she’d never heard this about her pack’s origins before.

  “Yes. Your Beta among them. Your Alpha is no stranger to bigotry. I hope he will see the way Wolves view Mages is no different.”

  Sierra saw Kathryn’s point and considered her Alpha and Beta from a new perspective. “I hope so too.”

  “He is Alpha,” Jason reminded them. “He is obligated to his pack’s safety above all else. That’s all that matters.”

  “I disagree,” Kathryn said simply but did not expand on the statement.

  They pulled into the rest stop, Jason’s senses on high alert. He assessed the nearly empty parking lot and barely lit buildings, his nose and ears tuned into the environment through the cracked window. Sierra didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary and decided it met Jason’s initial approval as well. He stepped out of the car to call her Alpha while further inspecting his surroundings.

  With new instructions, Jason jumped back into the car. Just a little further down the interstate, they turned off onto a paved road cracked from neglect. After a short time they exchanged pavement for dirt, taking them well away from Humans. Finally Jason pointed and Kathryn parked so they could leave quickly if needed. They exited the car warily.

  Rolling desert stretched in front of them with only a few stands of trees in sight. A Wolf could find many places to hide. Sierra couldn’t see or hear them, but she smelled her packmates. She knew every one of them well, and she recognized two friends among them. She thought about Jason’s insult. Her Pack didn’t have strong fighters like the Boise Pack, but only the ignorant would call them weak. Graham chose a meeting place to his advantage.

  Her Alpha ensured any fight would happen on four legs, with teeth and claws, making retreat by vehicle nearly impossible. Retreat on four legs would require him to leave the injured Sierra behind. Even up against someone as skilled as Jason, Graham could outnumber him long enough to put Sierra down. Her Alpha didn’t need to win the fight to win the battle. If the Boise Alpha engaged, she would likely die. She didn’t have much hope of Jason’s willingness to run away. She knew Graham’s strategies, but loyalty held her tongue.

  Her only hope lay in convincing her Alpha that Sadie meant them no harm. She had to convince her packmates that she wasn’t collared. Fear and distrust of Mages ran high among all Wolves, and she fought back her growing panic.

  They stood together silently for several minutes, waiting and scanning the area with their keen Wolf senses. Sierra saw Kato before she heard or smelled him. He trotted towards them casually as if attending a barbecue, not a Wolf standoff. Silently he acknowledged them an
d sat beside Sierra in wolf form, his ears cocked towards the rolling hills. The Eldest Wolf’s presence reassured her, and she rested her hand on his head. With the Ethiopian Wolf at her side and Kathryn’s hand protectively on the small of her back, she felt ready to face her pack.

  Jason noticed her packmates before she did, and she followed his line of sight. Six Wolves approached in wolf form, her Alpha and Beta in the lead. They trotted briskly, alert to everything around them. Four grey wolves and two Ethiopian Wolves approached, fanning out slightly as they closed in.

  Sierra didn’t know if Jason could win six to one, but he seemed to think so. Renowned as the best fighter in the region, few would dare challenge him. He leaned casually against the car, a cocky demonstration with his tattoos and muscles bare to the night sky. Yellowing bruises littered his torso and biceps. They didn’t show injury, a weakness to exploit. Instead, they made him look unyielding and unstoppable, a formidable opponent. Jason’s attitude told Graham he didn’t mind the odds against him. Sierra had never had much use for posturing, but she could appreciate its usefulness at times.

  About forty feet away, they stopped. A large grey wolf with black highlights and silver tips stepped forward from the others, an Ethiopian Wolf two steps behind him. The Alpha’s compact body contrasted sharply with his Beta’s gangly red form. One promised strength and power, the other speed and agility.

  With a rapid shimmer, they faced Sierra and the Boise Wolves in their human forms. Shorter than average but well-muscled like most Wolves, they made a striking pair. Both appeared around forty years old and could be brothers except for Stephen’s darker coloring. Most Humans believed them to be half-brothers, not father and son.

  Kathryn spoke first and with genuine affection. She declined to comment on their challenging stance and yet did not approach them. “Graham. Stephen. It is a delight to see you both even under these circumstances.”

  Her Alpha barely acknowledged his old friend, silently evaluating each of them carefully. Sierra saw the truth in her Alpha’s guarded stance and hooded eyes. They hadn’t come to talk. They’d come to put her out of her misery. Her hopes of a quick solution dissolved, and she dug her fingers into Kato’s fur seeking reassurance.

  Desperately she looked at her packmates as they appraised her through narrow eyes. Her best friend Xan stood to her Alpha’s left, hackles raised so he appeared much larger than usual. They’d run many times together, and she met his blue-eyed gaze in silent plea. Only sorrow and fury reflected back, his shoulders tense. To his left, Melissa mirrored Kato’s wolf form, one of several Ethiopian Wolves in her pack. She crouched low beside Xan, resentful and prepared to act. Her friends believed her worse than dead, and she’d find no help from them.

  “Hand over my Wolf,” Graham demanded, bringing Sierra’s attention sharply back to her Alpha.

  Jason’s lip curled into a frown, his voice low and his warning clear. “Not until I know she’ll be safe with you.”

  Alpha versus Alpha could be touchy in the best of circumstances. Only the most dominant Wolves ever reached that position in a pack, and they rarely backed down from anyone. An Alpha protecting one of his own would fight to the end. True to their nature, each refused to budge. Graham, older and strong in character, had the advantage of position and number. Jason, despite his youth, deserved his reputation. Wolves frequently considered him to be unbeatable in a fight, and the thought brought a little comfort to Sierra.

  An uneasy silence filled the air until Graham finally spoke. “You have a Mage among you. I can only believe you’re all collared.”

  Jason stalwartly defended Sadie’s motives while his aggravation towards her showed through clearly. “Sadie doesn’t collar Wolves. She’s proven her loyalty and stopped three Mages who threatened us just last week. She’s a God-damned thorn in my side, but she’s no danger to any of us.”

  “No Alpha would say that unless collared. You were too young to be named Alpha, and your Beta is a Pup. Now she’s in bed with a Mage. It’s clear what’s happened here.” Graham demeaned the Boise Alpha and Beta.

  Kathryn rebuked him politely but firmly. “You’ve known me since you were a child, Graham. How much time did you, Hannah, and I spend together in our youth? You’d know if I were anything other than myself.” She looked directly into his eyes and held them.

  He searched her gaze for several long moments, longing to see his friend. Doubt weighed on him and he shook his head minutely. “I haven’t seen you much in recent decades. You seem like yourself, but I can’t be sure.”

  “If you cannot be sure, then ask your son if his aunt is the one he remembers.” She inclined her head at her nephew by his side, reminding them of the familial relationship. The Beta appraised her cautiously, and a nostalgic smile graced her face despite the strained situation. “Stephen, you reminded me of your grandfather in your youth, and even more so as you mature. I have been neglectful for not visiting you.”

  Her nephew held her gaze just as his father did, and he too shook his head. “It has been a very long time, Aunt. Maybe too long. I am not sure either.”

  “Then become sure before doing something that cannot be changed,” she counseled them both sharply. “Do not blame this Mage for the action of others of her race. Wolves consider all Mages evil and dangerous because that is all we’ve ever known from them. This is no different from the bigotry our families experienced. Give this girl a chance, and you will see she means you no harm.”

  Graham’s face tightened at her comparison. “This is not the same. You can’t trust someone who can force you to think or do whatever they want. They are treacherous creatures. We’ve all seen it.”

  Sierra stated her case simply. “When they told me about her, I thought she would collar me. I hoped to escape or die trying, but I was too injured to even try to get away. I’m getting to know her, Alpha, and she is like no Mage I’ve ever encountered or heard of. She stays out of our minds and does not read or coerce others. She took in an injured stranger even knowing it would cause conflict with another pack.” Her Alpha stared her down, and she could almost smell him coming to a decision about her.

  Their words fell on deaf ears. Every one of the Montana Wolves raised their hackles, ready for a fight. Sierra curled into Kathryn who stood unwavering beside her. Jason pushed off the car, preparing for an attack.

  After observing the entire exchange in silence, Kato stepped in front of Sierra and shimmered. Suddenly all eyes rested on the ancient Wolf, his grey hair and beard moving in the light breeze. Most knew him only as a legend, a subject of story and myth. Some recognized him as the mirror image of their former Alpha. His appearance stalled the impending fight, and he held their gazes firmly, each in turn. “It is true. Sadie has proven both friendship and honor. No Wolf among us is collared, and one is free because of her.”

  Kato’s transformation had drawn their attention, but his words had a surprising effect. Graham shifted his stance aggressively and his voice lowered. “Now I know the Mage has you. It’s not possible to free a collared Wolf.”

  “It is possible. She brought a lost Pup back to us.” Graham didn’t believe him, and Sierra no longer hoped they’d escape without a fight. She hoped they’d escape with their lives. Kato continued to speak, undaunted by the six Wolves who threatened him. “No Mage has the power to collar me. Nor can they fool me into believing a collared Wolf is free. This was also true of my brother, the Alpha of your youth. Would you wage war on us because you do not believe your own senses?”

  “I would wage war on any Mage who threatens one of my Wolves,” Graham growled, and his Wolves echoed the sound until it rumbled all around them.

  “Then the enemy you seek is not with us,” Kato assured him sternly.

  Graham clearly did not believe Kato or his own senses. He quit arguing and issued a mandate instead. “Hand over my Wolf, or we’ll take her from you.”

  How Kato and Kathryn could maintain calm in this situation baffled Sierra. If she got out of t
his alive, she vowed to learn their secret. Kato didn’t budge but lowered his head warningly. “Sierra is under my protection. You will not harm her.”

  Jason took a step forward to stand beside the Eldest Wolf, echoing Kato’s words. “You will not harm her. Don’t be foolish, Graham. You won’t win this fight.” Sierra saw her Alpha and Beta’s confidence, confirming her earlier suspicions. They didn’t need to win. They only needed to kill her to succeed. They tensed slightly, and Jason noticed. He may have realized their plan, but he wouldn’t retreat. Instead he ordered Kathryn and Sierra into the safety of the car.

  They instantly obeyed. Sierra dived into the back seat, jostling her leg painfully and pulling the crutches in after her. Kathryn sat securely behind the wheel with the engine running before both doors closed. Sierra looked out the window in horror.

  Her packmates in wolf form circled Jason and Kato, hackles raised and growling as they closed in slowly. In human form, Graham and Stephen rapidly moved in on Jason. Kato, suddenly in wolf form, crossed between the combatants before they met. He bolted into the rolling hills, startling everyone with his abrupt exit. Those in wolf form hesitated and two gave chase.

  Jason took advantage of Kato’s distraction, sidestepping the other Alpha and his son easily. He leapt over the hood and jumped into the front passenger seat, closing the door against the oncoming Wolves. Graham darted forward, determination chiseled into his face. He punched the window by Jason’s head, shattering it before Kathryn could pull the car out of reach. Ignoring the flying glass, Jason peered thoughtfully into the irate Alpha’s eyes.

  They sped away from the scene, and the Montana Wolves didn’t try to pursue them. Sierra watched her packmates disappear through the rear window as they fled, her hopes fading away in the distance. Graham and Stephen stood side by side, scrutinizing her in return. Everyone else chased after the Ethiopian Wolf. “What about Kato?”

  “He knows these hills. Your packmates do not. I have no doubt that Kato will escape,” Kathryn assured her.