Circle of Wolves

by Jacqueline Roth

  “You’re right. Not about the money,” she said quickly, her lips pursed in agitation, “but about us not telling you what you needed to know. It’s an old habit, an old instinct really. A survival instinct. It’s harder to hunt a prey you don’t know.” She stepped toward Evan. “I thought you knew how our Families work.

  “Evan, in a pack or in a Family, the system is the same for both kinds of wolves. The firstborn grow and become members of the pack or leave to form their own. Two alpha personalities in a wolf pack could not coexist. So by the time the Alpha pair is ready to step down, which means when they die of natural causes or from a challenge, it is the youngest born who will still be around to assume leadership.” She laid her hand on her mate’s arm. “For many years that burden has lain on my shoulders. Technically it still does until Nico successfully completes his hunt. Then he will stand second to my father and you and I will move down the Family rank to stand between my brother’s families.”

  “That’s why they defer to you,” Evan shook his head. His impatience with their secrecy aside he should have known this. He’d studied wolves early on in his life, trying to ferret some meaning from their behavior he could apply to himself. But as he’d gotten older he’d pushed that line of thought away. The only time he’d almost harmed someone had come because he thought he understood the wolf and could control it. After that, he put the books away, caged the wolf and focused on his magic.

  “Evan, would this have made a difference? Any of this?” Her fear was as clear in the breaking of her voice as it was in his mind. “Would you have answered the mating questions differently if you had known?”

  Evan pulled her into his arms and she found comfort for a moment in the passion that filled his lips as they claimed hers. She found reassurance in the arms that held her tightly to him. He brushed his lips up over her cheek to nuzzle at her ear. “It doesn’t matter. I love you, that’s what matters. I’ll come around on the money. My mother would have been ashamed of me. I’m sorry, darling, it was a stupid knee-jerk reaction. The other doesn’t matter.” But along with his love deep in his heart, she also found that sliver, that tiny bit of uncertainty that he could not hide from her.

  A knock sounded in the distance. She kissed him once more and forced a smile to her face. They didn’t have to say what they both knew. She had felt his hesitation and he knew it. He released her and she hurried into the small sitting room. Evan closed the door between the rooms and picked up the phone.

  Alexi’s words tumbled out before she’d even yanked the door open. “There was trouble last night, Kira.”

  “Yes, I know. He attacked Evan.” Her voice was calm and cool. She could feel Evan’s tension level rising dramatically.

  “We know. He told us. He had to. The one injury that we can’t heal quickly is the bite of another Wolf and he has your teeth marks in his thigh and a nice jagged scar on his face courtesy of Evan. Father is furious, at him not you, of course. What’s more, because he was injured he did not bring back prey. He failed in his hunt.” The words carried an embarrassed hush. “Father and I both think that he intended to bring Evan back as his kill.”

  This was not news to her. Kira’s voice was thick with her anger and her embarrassment for the boy. But deeper was the sense of dread she was fighting. If Nico didn’t pull it together several of her dreams were going to collapse. Just when they were in her grasp they were going to disappear. Just as they always did. She sighed. “He will have to try again at the next moon. Without us to distract him, perhaps he will be able to stay focused.”

  “For your sake I hope so,” Alexi responded. “You want to be free of this burden and I don’t blame you. I am grateful to the bottom of my soul this responsibility does not fall on me. You would be a great leader, Kira but your marriage…the people would accept it because they had to. In time they would accept it because your mate is a good one. But would Evan accept such a role? I believe in my gut he could but would he?”

  “He could if it were needed of him. He’s stronger than you think. He’s stronger than even he knows. But it would mean staying here. It would mean we couldn’t go back to his world but for a visit. It would bind him here when his home is somewhere else.” Kira reached out and took her brother’s hand. “Alexi, Nico must not fail again. He gets only three tries and then…”

  “And then Father will be forced to cull him. And the little fool would never take exile. He’d challenge it.” Alexi shook his head. “I hate myself for the thought but…”

  “No!” Kira interrupted him loudly, turning to check that the door remained closed and her outburst had not brought Evan to check on her. She continued in a hushed voice, “Do not even think those words, Alexi. To think it is to invite trouble. We do not need to borrow more than we already have.”

  “You would hate it that much?” Alexi lifted a brow as he examined her face. It told him what he already knew. It was what she had been reared for. She was their father’s successor by spirit and by heart. It would be hard for her to relinquish it, hard for her to obey Nico. He nodded. He was right. If Kira was not to rule, she needed a life beyond the Wolf or she would grow restless and Nico wasn’t the kind to be tolerant and understanding. He would take it personally and no matter what she told herself, when Nico rose to his rightful place, Kira would have trouble releasing control. He’d miss her horribly but he had his family to distract him. They were his purpose, them and the business. And now Kira would have something to focus her, as well. She would now become emissary to the gifted and that, along with her new mate and their family, would fill the void for her. At least he hoped it would.

  The door to Kira’s office opened and Evan stepped into the room. His face was grim and an angry flush filled his cheeks. He looked from one sibling to the other.

  “We have a big problem.”

  Circle of Wolves

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Preparation

  Surrounded by so many Wolves, Evan’s sense of smell was so overloaded that he was having trouble concentrating. Kira’s repeated mental nudges had so far kept him focused but he was fighting his instinct to stop and categorize each scent that was new to him. As Stanislav Gregoravitch, Sonya and William spoke quietly into their cell phones in disparate corners of the room, the remainder of the Wolves present stayed silent. Evan could hear snatches of conversation from the three as they checked the information he’d just given them with others. Stanislav spoke quietly in an ancient language on a conference call to members of the Were council. Sonya spoke to her father, checking on mage activity in her home area. Had they heard the same?

  The only conversation Evan could follow was William’s. He’d not taken the Babel Potion, it had not occurred to him he’d need it. William, who was visiting his grandparents along with his sister Elisabeth and his friend Kelan, spoke in English to his mother, Sonya and Alexi’s oldest child, who acted as the Watcher for the British Isles. She coordinated all Wolf activities, safety and enforcement of the rules of the council and the Alpha. Evan was just beginning to realize how far-reaching the Gregoravitch control really was. Just moments ago Kira had explained stiffly that except for some parts of Asia, including Siberia and a few rogue isolationist packs in the U.S., her father acted for and with authority over almost all of the Wolves. The responsibility would be daunting.

  Evan looked at the faces around the room. It was much different from what he’d imagined the inner sanctum of the Gregoravitch family would be. With their wealth and Ivanna’s personality, he’d expected a cool elegance. He’d been wrong. The room was darkly paneled and filled with soft muted fabrics. The large sofas faced each other, forming a “u” with two comfortable chairs flanking a small table before an empty hearth. Ivanna sat in one chair with Johannes on her lap. She glared whenever her eyes fell on Evan but the looks she gave the rest of her family were filled with warmth, love and concern. She rocked and cuddled the young boy. Evan was going to have to rethink how he saw her.

  And Nico. The bo
y sat at his mother’s feet. All need to assert himself over Evan forgotten. Though the angry slash that was healing slowly aged his face, he still looked very much like his twenty-four years. Just barely more than a boy who was hearing something that frightened him, while he tried very hard not to show his fear. His bravado was cracking but everyone seemed to be politely ignoring it. He would someday rule this family, Evan realized. How much more daunting must this all seem to him? As he watched Nico, the boy turned his eyes to him. Just like his mother, the blue eyes suddenly filled with malice. His thoughts were clear to read. This is all your fault.

  It took only seconds after Stanislav ended his call for the others to terminate their conversations. He walked back over and stood behind the empty chair. “There is no one who could get help to us quickly enough. The nearest Were clan is a group of Bears nearly three hundred miles to the east, a ‘back to basics’ sort of group living without technology. I doubt help would be available even if they were closer. The council sees this just as I expected them to.”

  “As a Wolf problem?” William asked. He sat beside Elisabeth, a lovely blonde who looked very much like her grandmother but she had smiled welcomingly and offered Evan her hand when they were introduced. Both were well older than young Nico.

  “No.” Reading her great-grandfather’s face, Elisabeth answered her brother’s question. “A human problem. Since the mages plan to attack the area outside the gate, they would be attacking only curse wolves. Only humans.”

  Stanislav nodded. “Even Damian Santiago, from the Cougars agreed with the council. The Cat actually laughed. Said this is what we get for our blindness. If we’d been more reasonable about magic we’d be prepared to meet the mages.” There was a collective wince that rolled around the circle almost like a wave at a sporting event.

  “A human problem,” Kira repeated, shaking her head. “And if we try to intervene, it gives them an excuse to turn on us. We would be seen as interfering in a human matter.”

  “Then I say we don’t interfere,” Ivanna said coldly. “The curse wolves are their problem. It’s why they have their hunters, or at least why they say they have them. We would not take kindly if they tried to protect a feral Wolf, so why should they welcome our meddling?”

  “But Elena and her family.” Kira’s blue eyes flashed and Evan felt the rise of her fury far beyond any mild sign of agitation that showed. “They’ll be slaughtered.”

  Ivanna simply shrugged her shoulders.

  “Mother!” Alexi and Kira both rose to their feet.

  “We can warn them, I’m not suggesting we let them be caught blindly by the gadje killers. But what they choose to do with that knowledge is up to them. They will fight, flee or die. It is not our problem.”

  William rose abruptly to his feet, his face flushing angrily. “Grandmother,” Elisabeth’s voice was carefully controlled as she placed a restraining hand on her brother’s arm, “Kelan is outside that gate. He came here with us, under our protection. How can we let him face that?”

  “That is your fault, not mine,” Ivanna countered icily.

  “We could let Kelan inside the gate. Zev could watch him.” Nico offered in a soft voice. “I mean, we’re letting Kira keep her pet human safe, why not let Elisabeth and William’s in.”

  Evan had to grab Kira physically to stop her launching herself at Nico. He’d never seen her so angry, so out of control. The yelling began with Alexi making threats to Nico and Ivanna countering them. William was arguing with Elisabeth who seemed equal to Evan in determination to hold on to the angry Wolf in her grasp. Katerina was standing beside her Aunt Sasha, vibrating with rage while the older woman held her hand.

  His arms wrapped around Kira’s waist he held her tightly to him, her back to his chest. She wasn’t yelling, she was growling low in her throat. That was worse. He knew how angry Kira was. He felt it inside him and it was causing an adrenal surge in him as well. And he knew how close she was to physically rebuking her brother and that would mean a challenge to her mother.

  Evan met Stanislav’s eye over the head of his warring family. The questions in the large brown eyes were clear. Are you worth this? How much blood will you cause to be spilled? How much blood are you worth? Evan knew the answers. He was the cause of this and he was not worth the death and rage that the situation promised. There would be no pending attack on the small community outside the gate if he’d not come here. There would be no feud erupting within this family if he’d not stolen the heart of the woman in his arms.

  “Enough,” Evan said softly. No one listened. He spoke the word again at a roar. “Enough!” A shocked silence filled the room. A shock that deepened at his next words. “Madame Petrov is right.” He used the correct form of his mother-in-law’s name. “Nico is right. This is not your fight.” Kira went slack in his arms and turned to stare at him. He looked into her lovely eyes and said firmly, “This is not your fight.”

  “Evan…” Alexi started to interrupt him.

  “No, Alexi, this isn’t your family’s fight. It’s mine. It’s theirs.” Releasing his hold on the now still Kira, he gestured in the direction of the houses outside the gate. “It’s us they want dead. If you get involved it makes this a war. Right now it’s a brutal action by a bunch of fools, one that will backfire on them. They’re counting on you not staying out of it. They’re counting on you coming to the rescue. They’ll use it to justify claims you’re deliberately infecting humans to build your ranks.”

  “That’s ridiculous.” Kira shook her head. “We would never…”

  “I know that.” He took her hand in his reassuringly. “But it’s an old argument and if you try to protect the people out there, it will give it credence.”

  “We can’t leave them to die,” William insisted.

  “No and I won’t.” Evan looked down at the floor and took a deep breath. “But neither can everyone suddenly pack up and leave. They’ll have someone watching. They know this won’t be a surprise attack. They’re counting on you knowing about it.”

  “Evan,” Stanislav spoke slowly, his brow furrowed with a sudden troubling thought. “The mages in your circle, your friends,” he spoke the word tentatively as if it had a bitter taste, “where do they stand on this? Would they join the attack?”

  “No,” Evan shook his head. “Carsten was able to get a slim majority vote but not a consensus. That means each circle is free to decide for itself.” He wished he could categorically state that Ryder would not back this action but he couldn’t. Ryder had protected him but when it came down to it he wasn’t sure his master would see protecting the people outside the gate as a natural extension. They were his family, they cared for him. But they did it despite his affliction. Tolerance not acceptance and there was a big difference between the two. Still Ryder would protect his own interests. “My master isn’t about to do anything that would make Carsten seem right. My circle will not participate. In fact Seth, our water mage, said it would only be a small group, Carsten’s circle and maybe two others. They don’t intend to actively engage the blood Wolf but to provoke you into an action that will give them grounds to go back and get the consensus they lacked.”

  “They will not join the attack but, Evan, would they facilitate it? Would they feed you this information that you believe we are meant to have just to ensure we received it?” The dark eyes held a shrewd and calculated look.

  Evan opened his mouth to deny it and stopped. Could he honestly say that Seth and Marcus wouldn’t do that? Arianna, never. But Arianna hadn’t been there today when he’d spoken to them. What exactly had they said?

  “Evan warn your Wolf friends that the attack is coming and then get the hell out of there and home. Bring your damned girlfriend if you have to but get your ass out of there.”

  “She’s my wife, Marcus. Wife. How the hell could this happen? What was…”

  “Evan, listen to me.” Seth had demanded and from force of habit, Evan had obeyed. “I don’t care if she’s your wife, your girl
friend or your tax attorney, just grab what you can’t live without and get your ass home. Now!”

  The silence on the other end of the line had been deafening when he’d told them no. Now he had to admit it seemed high-handed even for his friends. The two had actually agreed on something and said almost exactly the same words. Beyond their hate for Julien Amiens, that never happened. Seth was pure water, Marcus was pure fire. They disagreed and fought out of habit and nature even when they saw the reason in the other’s argument. He and Arianna had always been the buffers. Poor Arianna. Just slightly more air than water. It was this odd mix that let them coexist more easily than Seth and Marcus.

  “They wouldn’t do anything to help promote Carsten, of that I’m certain,” Evan spoke with assurance. “There is no love for him in my circle and if I’m right, I believe he may have been behind the death of my master’s sister.” Seth’s tone when he told Evan about Celie’s “accident” had clearly said he thought it was decidedly not an accident. “But it would not take much to figure out they would warn me.”

  “So what do we do?” Kira looked at her mate. His face was flushed and his eyes seemed tired. He looked much older than his thirty years at the moment.

  “We do nothing,” he told her sternly. “I go down and warn them. I’ll help them prepare. To leave or to fight, whatever they choose. And tonight at moonrise, I’ll stand with them.”

  “We’ll stand with them,” she corrected him.

  “No, Kira…” Evan shook his head. He couldn’t let her do this.

  “We, Evan,” Alexi cut in. “There’s no way I’m going let you get yourself killed. I love my sister too much for that.” There was a sad but wicked twinkle in his eye and it reminded Evan of one important fact he’d almost forgotten. If he died, Kira died.