Lula stayed in mist form, hiding her scent behind Jenna’s. Her heart ached as she listened to her mother’s story of her birth and what her family had done. She’d known they couldn’t go to the Dragon Realm, but she hadn’t known why. In her heart, she’d always thought she would be able to travel there at some point. Meeting her family had been a childish dream, one that was squashed like a bug under her huge dragon feet. She thought of her beautiful strong mother being exiled all because of her scales, or rather because she’d decided to keep her. If Lula hadn’t been born, would Belle have found love with another dragon, maybe had other dragonlings and found happiness? Dragons that weren’t…wrong, damaged. No, she couldn’t think she wasn’t good enough, not when she was the spitting image of her mother, but maybe if she’d chosen a different path, chosen not to have Lula, her other children would’ve been normal, not like Lula.
She blinked, tears almost making her lose the form she was in. As Jenna began to disappear, she too, became mist. No way could she go to her mother and tell her she’d found her mates, not when her own mother had lost hers because of Lula. No, she couldn’t find happiness when her mother had suffered without a mate of her own, all because she’d chosen a child instead of love.
Her dragon felt a tug, parts of herself she’d gifted to others alerting her she was needed. “Thank the Goddess,” she whispered, flashing to the mountains of South Dakota, glad she had someone else’s troubles to focus on instead of her own, for a little while at least.
The beauty of the Fey Realm disappeared, replaced by tall trees and the wonderful scent of wolves. It took her a moment to zero in on her dragon essence. Her heart lifted as she materialized outside the alpha’s brother’s house. Sensing Sky, the little wolf who had a bit of Lula’s dragon in her after she’d almost died, her heart lifted, knowing because of her, the little wolf was still alive. Here, at least, she was needed and wanted. Instead of barging in like she’d have done before, she knocked.
“Why are you knocking?” Niall asked, his large form filling the doorway, his face appeared as though he hadn’t slept in days. Ah, the Mystic Wolves were so similar to the Iron Wolves, yet different as well. Alpha males were wonderful, but wolves were not her mates. The thought sent a shaft of pain through her, until she pushed it to the back, where she could function without falling to her knees.
Lula shrugged. “I was being polite.”
Niall narrowed his bright blue eyes, staring behind Lula. “Has Hell frozen over?”
With a growl, Lula shoved him out of the way. “I will burn you, wolfie. Alpha or not. Have you smelled the scent of burning fur? It’s not a pleasant scent, trust me. Now, where are my girls, and don’t get lippy with me. I’m not in the mood for stupid males.”
A female she recognized stepped into the hallway, sighing loudly. She then turned, facing Lula with a squeal. “Oh, thank the Goddess. It’s your turn. Go in there and let her squeeze whatever part of you she wants.” Alaina Malik, mate to the alpha was shaking her arms. She too didn’t appear as though she’d slept in quite a while.
“What the heck is going on here?” Lula looked from Niall to Alaina, not understanding how the two of them could be so drawn, when neither of them were in labor.
“Niall, we need more…stuff,” a male roared.
“Zayn, I’m fine,” a female murmured.
Lula raised her head and breathed deeply, trying to find Sky’s scent through the chaos. “Where’s Sky?”
Alaina flapped her hands in front of her. “She’s in the master bathroom. Go on in and see if you can…help.” She moved behind Lula, shoving her toward the door she’d just exited.
Although she could’ve prevented the other woman’s actions, Lula decided to go along with her, and see what was going on behind the door. The first wave of pain slammed into her as soon as she entered. Not her own, but Cora’s. Zayn’s mate who was clearly in labor and trying to stay strong. A contraction had the poor female’s face twisting in a grimace.
She’d watched many births, had even helped a few babes come into the world. Yet, none of the females she’d witnessed had been as pained as Cora. Without asking, she allowed her essence to float into Cora, checking the mother for issues, finding none. Next, she went to the babe. Her heart lurched as she recognized what the issue was. Within the tiny female, she used her golden light to adjust the cord that had wrapped around the infant’s neck. His blue eyes, alpha eyes like his father’s stared at her. Lula blew him a kiss and couldn’t wait until he was born so she could kiss his chubby cheeks in reality. With a last sweep of his body, she gave Cora extra strength from her own stores before flowing out of her.
“Thank you, Lula,” Cora sighed.
Lula staggered and would’ve fallen, but Niall caught her. “What did you do?” A worried frown creased his face.
She patted his arm as she took the seat he gave her. “The babe was in distress. His cord was around his neck, which was preventing her from pushing him out. I just fixed it and eased Cora a bit.”
The door to the bathroom opened, Sky walked out looking ashen. “Lula?”
No sooner had she said her name than Lula recognized why her dragon pulled her there and why poor Sky wasn’t so well herself. “Congratulations, Sky.” Her voice broke, joy and happiness bringing her out of the chair.
Sky held her stomach. “Are you sure? Is it a wolfagon?” Her lips trembled.
Lula smiled, placing her palm over Sky’s still-flat tummy. “You’re most definitely having a wolf, no dragon.” She allowed her magic to settle Sky. “Where are your mates?”
“Oh, they’ll be here before too long. I couldn’t help but call out to them when I was…getting sick.” She grinned.
She laughed, imagining exactly how Sky had called out to her mates, and how they both handled that little bombshell. “Are you better now?” She took a deep breath, feeling less nauseous herself.
“Thank you, Lula. I owe you so much. We all do.” Sky’s arms went around her abdomen, just as Cora yelled from the bed.
“I should be going.” Lula moved backward.
“Oh no you don’t. You stay,” Zayn ordered.
“Please stay,” Cora begged between pants.
The room was filled with Mystic Wolves and their mates, yet they made her feel welcomed. Lula gave a nod, taking a spot next to Sky. Shifters were used to stripping down and shifting in front of one another, so giving birth in a room full of people clearly wasn’t uncommon. Lula had encountered many species who did the same, and others who didn’t. To her, it was a sacred thing, witnessing new life being brought into the world.
Ten minutes later, Cora and Zayn welcomed their son, a healthy baby boy with a head of dark hair and blue eyes. When Niall held the child, his son Nolan gave a little howl, then the entire pack followed suit. Lula wished she had a little bit of wolf in her so she could join in the howling. Again, she felt like an outsider, always staring in. She shook the feeling off, not wanting to taint such a beautiful moment with her own sorrow.
Nolan was the first to stop, his gaze catching her own. He crossed the room, and took her hands in his. “Thank you for saving him.” His young voice strong like his father's. He’d make a wonderful leader one day.
Lula nearly faltered, wondering how the young boy knew, since he hadn’t been in the room until just a few minutes ago. However, she regarded him and the baby, recognizing the connection between the two, sort of like the relationship between Niall and Zayn. Had the baby who’d yet to be named shown Nolan what she’d done? “It was nothing,” she said.
“I like to introduce you all to Zed,” Zayn announced. His eyes were suspiciously wet while he held his son.
Lula turned to stare at the little family, her dragon approving of the name they’d chosen. It was a strong name, not too fancy and not too strange. A door crashing in the other room had Sky straightening next to her.
“Oops, I think my mates are here,” Sky murmured.
“River, Raydon, if you fucking brok
e anything, I’ll beat both your asses,” Niall boomed.
The twin mates of Sky stopped inside of the doorway, their eyes darting around the room until they landed on Lula, then Sky. “Is she okay?” they asked in unison, their question aimed toward Lula.
Lula nodded.
“Hello? I’m right here.” Sky held up her arm and waved it in the air.
Both men moved quickly, covering the space separating them in a few steps. Lula moved out of their way, instinctively knowing they wanted to touch their mate. Again, her heart panged. Jeez, she was becoming one of those whiners who thought of what she didn’t have instead of what she did. She thought of all the things she’d been blessed with and mentally kicked her own dragon ass. While the wolfies were all busy congratulating the new family, and Sky was clearly being loved on by her mates, Lula flashed away, not wanting to bring any negativity to such a wonderful moment.
Atika woke with a raging headache. He raised his head, searching for Abyle who he knew had to be feeling just as bad as him. Sure as shit, his brother was half on, half off the other sofa. “What the hell were we thinking?” he mumbled, his mouth felt as dry as if he’d had a cotton ball stuffed in it.
Abyle lifted his head then dropped it back, throwing his arm over his eyes. “We weren’t, but damned if it wasn’t good to not think for a…few hours. Shit, is the sunup?”
“No, asshole, that fire burning my retinas is a lightbulb. Of course, the sun is up.” He rolled off the couch, landing on his hands and knees, groaning at his body aches. “How much did we drink, and how far did we run?”
Again, his brother lifted his arm, red blood shot eyes meeting his own. “Why do you keep asking me stupid questions, like I should know the answer?”
Atika got to his feet, glad he was able to stay upright, especially with his head pounding like a motherfucker. “I think I got an idea while I was somewhat lucid. Did we discuss it, or did I imagine it?”
Abyle mimicked him, rolling to the side trying to get to his feet. “You said something about Iron Wolves and heading south. I know our new sister is a wolf, and I like her and all. But…why we going to go visit a bunch of wolves?”
Atika walked into the kitchen; the large open area allowed him to watch as Abyle struggled to get his feet below him. He’d have laughed, but he wasn’t in much better shape, and the thought of his own laughter made his sore head throb. Damn, those mountain fuckers sure did make their moonshine potent. Mentally he noted they were never going to drink with them ever again. Ever.
“What the hell kind of rot brain did they give us last night?” Abyle asked, leaning on the counter that separated them.
He grabbed a couple bottles of water out of the fridge, tossed one across the short distance between them to his brother, keeping one for himself. “You called it right. Shit, they must’ve been fermenting that shit for the past couple hundred years.” Twisting the cap off, he chugged the entire bottle in one go. “So, we heading south or what?”
Abyle finished his drink before answering. “You think them Iron Wolves have an answer as to how to find our dragon?”
Atika shrugged, liking the sound of their dragon coming from his twin. “That’s what my foggy mind says, but again, it could be bruised, or mushed from whatever the hell was in that shit we drank. Tell me again whose idea it was to challenge them to a drinking contest?”
Abyle tipped his lips up in a grin. “We won, didn’t we?”
He lifted his empty bottle toward his brother, tapping the plastic together. “Damn straight we did. Now, let’s go find our dragon.”
Hours later, they drove up to a set of huge iron gates with claws on them. “These look like a warning to you?” he tapped the steering wheel as his truck sat idling.
The words Iron Wolves MC letting them know they were in the right place. Abyle nodded at him, then tipped his head toward the parking lot that was filled with a myriad of vehicles from jacked-up trucks, to motorcycles, to a tiny VW Bug which was about as out of place as a school bus would be. Their truck looked like it would fit right into the motley crew, with their big ass tires meant for the snowy north. Of course, their lift had more to do with the fact they were bears and big men.
“Let’s do this. Warning or no, they got answers we need. They’re wolves; we’re bears. Pretty sure we out-predator them.” Abyle punched his fist into his pal, his lips tipped up in a grin that had been described as shit-eating.
Atika snorted. “There’re two of us. I sense at least a couple dozen of them and…maybe some cats. Aren’t wolves allergic to cats?” he asked, grabbing a Kleenex out of the glove box and wiping his nose.
Their truck rolled into the lot, wondering why they had the gates if they didn’t lock the fuckers. The big V-8 rumbling loudly, announcing to all they were there. Of course, they were wolves. Surely, they’d scented bears on their land as soon as they’d entered their property.
Atika backed into a spot, making it easy for them to leave if shit went sideways. Shit tended to go sideways with them. Fuck. Abyle hoped that didn’t happen, at least not until after they got a clue as to where their dragon was.
Chapter Three
A door opened with a crash. Abyle’s bear recognized the alpha as soon as the huge male appeared. Dark hair hanging past his shoulders, electric blue eyes trained on them through the windshield, and fists hanging loosely at his sides like he wasn’t the least bit worried. “That must be the alpha. He sure as shit don’t seem very friendly.”
Never the smart one, Atika shoved the driver’s door open. “Well, let’s go say howdy to the male.”
“Don’t be a dick until after we get what we came here for,” he warned.
His brother raised his fist, giving him the bird then strolled forward. His shitkickers kicked up dust in the gravel parking lot. “Howdy, wolf, how’s it going?”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” the alpha roared.
Abyle sighed, jumping down to follow his clearly not-so-bright brother, knowing shit had already started going sideways as soon as he saw the other man. The alpha of the Iron Wolves started to shift, his claws not that of a regular wolf, but fucking the alpha Iron Wolf. Fucking A! He let his bear claws extend, clacking them together, the iron tips sparking. “Let’s not do this, boys. We came here to talk and see if you could help us find our mate, not start a war,” Abyle said, his bear rumbling as more shifters poured out behind the male.
“Holy shite, what are those?”
Abyle stared at the man who spoke, then at the alpha. “Claws,” he answered the wolf.
“Fucking iron claws, but you ain’t a wolf, you’re a bear. Kellen, what’s going on? You gots some ‘splaining to do, brother.”
The one named Kellen glared at the other, snarling a clear warning he’d done a lot, “Xan, shut your trap.”
“I’m just saying. He’s got those Freddy Kruger fucking claws like you.” Xan pointed out.
“For fucks sake, why am I the only one who seems to have brains and brawn?” Kellen asked, turning his head up toward the sky, then aiming his laser blue gaze back on them. “Now, before your blood is spilled on my lot, I suggest you start telling me who the fuck you are, and why you’re here.”
The last was growled so low and deep, if they’d been lesser bears, they might’ve run for the nearest tree and climbed it. Of course, bears like them didn’t climb trees, and they’d never been the type to run from a fight, not even from a pack of wolves.
“Well, you see, our mate did a runner, and we followed her to here. Now, why don’t you tell us what you know before I start to lose my patience.” Atika braced his feet apart, his arms held loose at his sides. His brother’s claws were itching to mark some wolves. A low growl rumbled from his chest.
Atika didn’t flex his claws again thankfully. Abyle didn’t think drawing attention to their claws was too wise, nor was it was a contest to see who had the bigger claws. They were bears after all, clearly, they were the bigger apex predators, he hoped. Fuck, the wolf in front o
f them was the alpha so he might be like their brother and out size them for all they knew. Except when they got mad.
Abyle moved up beside his twin, allowing his claws to scrape him slightly in warning. “What my brother is trying to say is, albeit a bit poorly, is that we’d appreciate any help you could offer where our mate is concerned. However, you need to know we don’t have any intention of sharing her with any of you, and our bullshit meter is really good. You don’t want to fuck with two bears on a mission.”
“Is she like your Goldilocks? Only she’s lost in someone else’s woods and like…sleeping in someone else’s treehouse, maybe sampling another bowl of porridge?”
This time it was Abyle who growled at the not-so-innocent question asked from the female who stood in front of a big male. Abyle inhaled, scenting bear. “You’re not a wolf?”
The male behind the female growled as well, his green eyes narrowed. “My mate is not your concern, beasts. I suggest you watch your tone, or Freddy fingers or not, I’ll wipe this lot with both your asses.”
Atika tilted his head to the side. “Hmm, you can try, wolf, but you won’t win unless you bring all your friends, and your mate to help you. She’s a grizzly, so she probably kicks your ass, but rest assured she’s no match for us.”
“We didn’t come here to fight…but we also didn’t come here to be turned away without answers.” Abyle met the alpha’s stare with his own,. “What’s it to be, Kellen? We gonna war, or talk?” They’d faced similar odds before, maybe not with an alpha who was similar to them, but they also didn’t have the same thing on the line before.
“Everyone inside. Let’s see what these boys have to say before we make them into rugs.” Kellen’s lips went up into a smile.
A Cursed All Hallows' Eve Page 123