by SJ Himes
*You’re too skinny to be sharing your kills,* his uncle grumbled, but Ghost gave a semblance of a shrug and watched as Gabe finished the rabbit. Gerald stalked off, mentally grousing about finding another rabbit, but he came back after a minute and stood over Ghost, dutifully keeping watch.
The young alpha needed someone to take care of him for a while. He had the feeling that Gabe was waiting for someone to start yelling at him, to punish him. He was expecting more pain, more fear, even though he was trying to hide it.
Gabe’s behavior when around someone other than Ghost was telling. He pretended well, but Ghost saw the flinching, the nerves in the way he stood and moved, the hitching in his breathing and the wariness in his green eyes. Ghost had no experience to know how to handle Gabe’s mental and emotional injuries that resulted from his kidnapping and assault. River was dealing with the other Suarez wolves, namely the cubs, but Gabe seemed happiest staying in Ghost’s orbit, even though Ghost dropped him with a thought earlier that morning. Gabe had shrugged off his mother’s concern and glued himself to Ghost.
So now Ghost was watching an alpha who had as little control over his fledging Voice as Ghost had over his shamanic powers. He wasn’t worried at all, even content to have Gabe in his orbit if it meant keeping the wounded wolfkin happy and healthy. If sharing a run and a rabbit made the young alpha cheer up even a little, then Ghost would do so every day.
KANE WOVE his mind through the pack links, combining Red Fern and Black Pine together before tossing the multiple minds to Burke, his Speaker catching the collection of wolfkin minds with envious dexterity. Burke’s mind was a beehive of thoughts, lightning quick and impossible to decipher. A near audible buzz of mental energy filled the space around the Speaker. Burke wasn’t even at full strength, the hundred or so minds he shepherded now the smallest portion of his capability. They did not know for certain how many minds Burke could coordinate and track at once; there was never an event big enough among their kind that would offer a true glimpse into Burke’s full range. The closest they ever got was the ambush at Baxter that fateful morning almost fifteen years ago.
Kane could handle twenty minds with ease, and regularly did so when planning and running ops and missions. He started to struggle around forty. Any more than that and Kane couldn’t manage, the collective links collapsing as his mind fought to keep control. To be a Clan Leader he was in the average range when it came to the gift of command. Caius had the benefit of a few century’s experience, but his range was no greater than Kane’s. Clan Leaders either lucked out and had a Speaker, or relied on the most capable of their lesser alphas to coordinate clan-wide mind links, each lesser alpha handling part of the whole.
Greater alphas tended to avoid contributing, as the highly dominant males could never work well enough together to keep things cohesive. The humans had a saying that Kane was fond of, translating it to work for wolfkin, ‘too many alphas, and not enough betas.’ Kane was lucky that while Burke was a greater alpha by the merit of his abilities, he lacked the aggressive and territorial urges of many unranked greater alphas. The greater alphas who weren’t Leaders, Heirs, or Speakers had no ready position in packs and kept to themselves, for everyone’s sake.
Black Pine was huge. Combined with the lesser clans like Red Fern that pledged allegiance to Caius, the Greater Clan and all its member clans were several thousand strong. When the unavoidable day came that Kane was Clan Leader, he would need Burke. The Speaker’s gift of command was extraordinary, and very necessary.
*Burke,* he whispered to the glimmering and vast expanse that was the Speaker’s endless mind, *do you have them all?*
* Yes,* came the serene reply, the chorus of whispers in his friend’s mental voice eerie yet reassuring. It was as if a thousand Burkes all saw him, held his mind, a net of hands and thoughts to catch and hear and control everything. If Burke had been born with the Voice along with his exceptional gift of command, he could have ruled the world.
*I don’t want the world,* a single voice whispered, as if Burke were talking to him from his shoulder. *I have my pack, my best friend, and a life worth living. I don’t need the world.*
*You are far more worthy than me, my friend,* Kane said in return, a common thought of his. *Why Caius never chose you to be Heir I’ll never know.*
* He was about to,* Burke said, surprising Kane enough that he almost fell out of the collective link, and he barely managed to keep his shields up so their conversation wasn’t shared amongst the clan members. *He was about to name me Heir, when his distant cousin in Hartford called, and asked if he would teach her young son how to use the Voice. To Caius, an alpha Heir with the Voice in full measure had more worth than a Speaker. Then I was tasked with pup-sitting a young alpha with too much power and a quick temper, who caught my heart in his adorable little paws. The rest, as you know, is history.*
*Adorable little paws?* Kane mentally sputtered, Burke’s mirth pouring through the link. He sent a wordless growl back but his tail wagged in the snow. *And it wasn’t your heart I caught in my paws!*
*No flirting, you’re mated now,* Burke chuckled, the echoes of his many mind voices bleeding through Kane’s shields. *Don’t make me tell on you. Ghost is scary. He can strike people with lightning!*
Kane could feel Burke’s mental laughter through the pack-links, and he rolled his eyes, not so easy in wolf-form. He was on the hill overlooking the park center, the sky murky black and darkening. The clan was setting up an interwoven patrol system, and the easiest way to teach the Red Fern wolves how to use the Black Pine method was through the collective link.
*Enough chattering, younglings,* a cool and stony voice infiltrated their private link, the White Wolf’s presence as overwhelming mentally as she was in the physical world. *My Clan is ready. Begin your lessons, Speaker.*
*As the White Wolf bids,* Kane said without a trace of sarcasm, the White Wolf’s lupine form impossible to see through the trees and snow. She was there, somewhere, presumably directing her people. *Burke, are you ready?* It was an unnecessary question, as Burke was always ready, but the day he took Burke for granted was the day his best friend ripped him a new one.
*I am, and I’m bringing the Red Fern wolves in one group at a time,* Burke said, and Kane could see in his mind the lights that represented the small packs of Red Fern wolves moving in and out of the bright webbing that held Burke’s consciousness.
As each group of wolves were brought in to direct contact with Burke, the Speaker would ‘give’ them the memory of running patrols in the overlapping, timed patterns that let the Black Pine wolves maintain a close-knit and nearly seamless border for any area they may be holding at any given time. It was a tactic Kane learned over a decade earlier from human military members, adapted for the wolf-form, and it served Kane and his team remarkably well since then. Teaching the long-lived wolfkin new things was always a challenge, since the majority of their people were around the century mark, and took to changes slowly. The most recent generations, the younger wolves, the ones with cells and tablets and e-readers and social media pages took to human innovations and new ways of doing things with an enviable dexterity and little difficulty. He was expecting the younger adults to be leading the way by example, given the chance to shine in front of their parents and elders, and the eagerness he could sense through the links reinforced his expectations.
Kane, secure in the knowledge that Burke had things well in hand, cast his mind out farther, looking for the now familiar silver-white star of his mate. He’d been keeping tabs on the two alphas and his mate since they left, thankful he didn’t need to keep an active mental foothold on Ghost. Their soulbond was deeper than any regular mental connection, serving as both a mate bond and a mind link, the flow of emotions, some thoughts and energy between them constant and ever-deepening. Days into their mating, and Kane was more connected to Ghost than he’d ever thought it was possible to be with another person. Ghost w
as there in his mind, even now, though not actively present in his higher thoughts. Kane was thankful; not that he would keep things from his mate, but having Ghost constantly in his thoughts would quickly irritate them both.
Kane sent a wordless wave of affection and desire along their bond, and a moment later, he got an answer, a twisting river of images, a joyous affection and tenderness and a hint of wild lust, and strangely enough, taste and smells. Coppery blood and the scent of warm rabbit fur tickled his nose, and Kane sneezed, amazed at the breadth and vivid nature of the bond. Ghost let him in with a ready welcome, no words needed between them, and Kane could see his mate sat under the boughs of huge black pines, in a sheltered glen, the scraps of a rabbit between him and the young Ashland alpha. Through Ghost’s senses he knew Gerald was nearby, and Ghost obligingly turned his muzzle and let Kane see the lesser alpha standing protectively over the two younger wolves.
Kane was pleased Gerald was taking his role as his mate’s protector seriously. Gerald’s petulance was gone, Ghost’s sudden reappearance in all their lives seeming to reset the lesser alpha’s attitude. His surliness was still there, and Gerald had yet to reach out to anyone other than his nephew…and Sophia. His First Beta had told him about Gerald’s assistance the night before, in connecting the patrol packs while Kane dealt with Ghost’s injuries and Burke was recovering. The beta and lesser alpha appeared to be getting along better now that Gerald stopped hitting on her and Sophia stopped trying to break body parts. Gerald was running on next to no rest, yet wasn’t faltering. Kane would spare Gerald if he could, but keeping his mate safe and happy took precedence. Letting Ghost out for a quick run while in the company of two alphas, not to mention protected by his own considerable gifts, was the least he could do for his mate.
Ghost must have caught the edge of his thoughts, as he felt his mate’s mental scoffing of Kane’s presumption for thinking Ghost needed to be ‘let out’ with permission for a run.
*Not actually a pet, dear mate of mine,* Ghost whispered through their bond, and Kane shifted in the snow, slightly uncomfortable. *Don’t need permission to do anything.*
*I was being a bit autocratic there, wasn’t I?* Kane returned, chagrined. *I’m sorry, my little wolf. I need to work on that.*
*I don’t know what that means,* Ghost grumbled, and Kane’s view changed as Ghost turned his head again, his nose twitching as he tracked scents on the icy winds. Even with Gerald standing watch, Ghost’s wilder nature kept him at a wary alert, nose and ears and eyes constantly evaluating his surroundings for threats. This cheered Kane despite his uneasiness at having Ghost out of his sight and reach. *Too many words I don’t know,* Ghost continued, breaking into his musings. *Can’t keep relying on your—education? Knowledge?* Kane felt Ghost seeking the words and inflections he needed even as he complained about doing so, and his mate’s frustrations bled clearly through their link, *—to keep me functioning as a thinking…and…articulate?—creature. I should have paid more attention to Cat and Glen growing up.*
*You’re just perfect the way you are, my little wolf,* he said to his mate, sending him a rush of reassurance and pride along their link. Ghost was absorbing so much from him, and Kane kept his mental walls down just for that reason, welcoming Ghost into his mind so that his mate wouldn’t feel inadequate in any way for having been raised as a pet of sorts, instead of a sentient person needing an education. The small shaman’s manner was one of casual confidence, with an innocent obliviousness to social structures, saying what he meant and thought, without filter. It was the wilder side of his spirit, the wolf side, which shaped Ghost’s behavior the most, and the little shaman must find dependency and vulnerability irritating.
*If you want an education, you can go to school,* Kane suggested, thinking of all the younglings, like Gabe, who went to human schools and universities. It was only the very young who were home schooled, since no five year old can resist telling his or her friends about how they can use magic and turn into wolves. *Gabe goes to Boston College, ask him about school. We can forge paperwork and transcripts, and you can get an education in anything you want.*
*School?* Ghost all but squeaked, a difficult feat mind to mind. Kane flinched and was about to calm his mate when Ghost abruptly pulled away from their connection.
Worried he’d made Ghost feel bad for not having an education, Kane was thinking up an apology when Ghost suddenly returned, his mind voice sounding off, distracted.
*Are there wolves patrolling in this area of the park?* his mate asked, his attention drawn outside, away from their conversation.
He heard the crackle of breaking ice under paws and a sudden chorus of deep snarls from the trees surrounding his mate.
*Ghost!* he screamed through their fading link, just before his shaman dropped their intimate connection. He got a glimpse of sleek shadows pouring through the black pines before he lost Ghost’s sight.
*Kane! Wolves near the gates are reporting humans approaching, military-style vehicles, heavily armed!* Burke said urgently, and Kane was suddenly torn—his mate and his people were both in danger.
Kane jumped to his feet, snow flying, and howled in rage, with voice and mind. His cry shattered the mental dance among the Black Pine Speaker and the Red Fern wolves, and Kane could care less—his mate was in danger, and their enemies were already here.
Carnage and Chaos
GHOST LEAPT to his feet, Gabe tumbling in frantic surprise as three strange wolves flowed out from the pine trees. Gerald roared in challenge, immediately engaging a wolfkin as the big brute jumped straight at Ghost. They fell to the snow in a flurry of growls and bloody fur.
Ghost could hear Kane calling him through their link, but he was too occupied with the two other wolves who circled him and Gabe. Ghost dropped his head and pulled his lips back in a snarl, Gabe doing the same on his right side, the strangers both ragged wolves of intermediate browns and grays, a harsh mien in their eyes as they snarled back, saliva dripping from their fangs. Malice rolled off them in a veritable wave, and Gabe moved to cover Ghost, trying to put himself between Ghost and the attackers.
*Ghost!* Kane finally broke through, but Ghost had to ignore him, as both wolves leaped at the same time. Ghost dodged, ducking down, his opponent sailing over him with a frustrated snarl. Ghost spun, putting his back to Gabe, snarls and grunts letting him know Gabe was fighting as well.
*Stop,* Ghost spoke to his attacker, sending the thought as forcefully as he could. The wolf was mid-leap, and Ghost got a glimpse of harsh shock on his face as he went abruptly limp, falling to the ground in a tangle of limbs and tail. Ghost paused, head tilted, and sniffed the wolf. He had no idea what just happened. The strange wolf was still alive, and unconscious.
A yelp sounded behind him, reminding him he wasn’t alone, and Ghost spun back to see Gerald taking on the other foreign wolf, his first opponent laying still in the snow. Gabe and Gerald circled the remaining wolfkin, both alphas bloodied and torn.
Gerald and Gabe charged, and Ghost ran to block the last attacker’s retreat. The coward yelped and made to bolt, but Ghost was on him, pinning his bigger body to the ground, Ghost’s teeth on his throat. He didn’t break the skin, just held him still for the split second it took him to send a snapping electrical charge into the downed wolf. He went limp, much like the first, and the scent of ozone rose as Ghost backed away from the unconscious wolfkin. He snorted, and danced in the snow, looking back the way the attackers came.
*GHOST!* Kane’s mental shout made Ghost jump, and he guiltily remembered his poor mate, who was frantic with worry.
*I’m fine,* Ghost hurriedly explained to his mate, able now to let Kane back in the forefront of his mind. *I don’t know why we were attacked or who they are, but they are down.* Ghost checked the wolfkin Gerald dispatched, and realized he was dead, neck torn apart. His uncle had made short work of the attacker. *One is dead, the other two I stopped.*
Kane’s relief swept through him, the Heir looking through Ghost’s eyes as if to reassure himself Ghost wasn’t holding anything back. Ghost snorted again, and he went to check on the two alphas, both big males sniffing at the downed wolfkin, growling low. From the way Gabe and Gerald’s ear tips were flicking, Kane or Burke must be talking to them as well, the low buzz of their kind’s telepathy fading in and out of Ghost’s ability to sense.
*Get back to Andromeda’s, now! The park is under attack!* Kane cried across their link, and Ghost’s head shot up, and he was off for the park center before he could tell his paws to move. The urgency in Kane’s mind voice was impossible to resist. *Sophia and some Red Fern wolves are coming out to escort you back. Armed humans are at the border near the gates. I’m taking my team to stop them. Remus will not get away with this.*
*Be careful, my alpha,* Ghost told his mate, paws digging in the snow as he flew through the pines, Gerald and Gabe on his tail. If they made it back in time, they might be able to join Kane and the wolves of Black Pine in their counterattack.
Ghost thanked his many years in wolf-form for his reflexes when a handful of furred bodies burst out from the groundcover, fangs and claws extended to slash his throat—Ghost ducked in time to avoid instant death, but got a furious beta on his back instead.
KANE, WITH Burke close on his heels, tore through the gathering winds, the storm screaming across the mountain tops, both alphas heading for the gates where the initial alarm was raised by the sentries. Most of his tactical team was shifted and a few strides back, minus a few wolves who had been on border patrol when Burke sent out the alarm. Ten wolves, all highly skilled fighters and the strongest betas Black Pine had to offer, howled and snarled, their cries echoing through the dormant trees, the bending road beginning to straighten as they rounded the last curve before the gates.