by SJ Himes
Andromeda’s children, some older than Sophia and some as young as Ghost, helped carry in food from the adjoining kitchen. Platters of meat, sandwich bread, and other assorted foods made up their midday meal, and Ghost watched happily as Kane set a roast beef sandwich on his plate before making another sandwich for himself. Kane did small things like that for him, while Ghost had learned in the last several days how to make a sandwich, it tasted better when Kane made it for him and it made his mate happy. The powerful greater alpha was tender and caring, treating Ghost like he was precious. Ghost gave Kane a sweet smile and dug into his sandwich, happy growls escaping as red juices dripped down his chin from the succulent meat.
Caius spoke softly with Andromeda, two clan leaders, one fair, the other dark, heads close together as they ate. Everyone at the table could hear them, it was apparently rude to listen in, but Ghost ate his sandwich and stared at his grandfather and the Red Fern clan leader.
Caius was very like Burke, Kane, and Gerald in appearance, that Ghost wondered at the family ties. Kane was the only child of a distant cousin of Caius, and Ghost didn’t know about Burke’s family history. Kane and Burke were former lovers, so presumably if they were related, it was distant and far enough back not to be prohibitive. Sophia was dark as well, her eyes green and brown, whereas Burke’s were a subtle chocolate brown that lightened to gold when his wilder nature grew closer to the surface.
Thinking about family ties distracted him until a sound came at the door to the hall, and a tall, young alpha slunk into the dining room. Gabriel Suarez was young, only a year or so older than Ghost, and still recovering from the trauma of being held hostage, tortured, and sexually assaulted by his captors. The slavers who purchased Gabe and his relatives were dead, and Kane and Caius had made some noise about finding out if any other wolfkin had been sold to humans in the last twenty years by Roman and Remus Acquisitions.
Ghost jumped up, and went to Gabe, enfolding the newly affirmed greater alpha in a hug, Gabe hugging him back with a tight embrace. Ghost pulled back and smiled up at Gabe, “I thought Heromindes sent you and your family back to Worcester?”
“He did, but I decided to stay. My mother and siblings are already gone, under guard. The other Clan Leaders are coming, and I wanted to be here for the Tribunal,” Gabe replied with a half-shrug, cheeks red. “You saved me, and Kane and Clan Leader Caius can teach me to use….my gift before I hurt someone.”
Ghost tilted his head, searching Gabe’s features. His friend still carried pain and fear in the depths of his eyes, in the tension around his mouth. Yet he had the courage to stay, and defy his clan leader and kinsman. “Come eat.”
Ghost tugged Gabe to the table, a chair was pulled up from a space along the wall. Gabe sat between Ghost and Andromeda as Caius gave him a long, searching glance, Gabe shifting nervously in his seat. Ghost glared at his grandfather, and nudged the plate of sandwich fixings closer to the young alpha.
Kane gave Gabe a short but welcoming nod, and put a big hand on the back of Ghost’s neck, as if placing a claim upon him. Ghost gave a mental snort of amusement. Everyone knew they were bonded, no one was going to poach, least of all Gabe. The young alpha felt safe with Ghost, and Ghost wanted him to get better. Pain hovered over Gabe, in his eyes and soul. Ghost had no idea how to help, his training as a shaman nonexistent, but he still wanted to help. Needed to help.
“Will Heromindes be joining us for lunch?” Caius asked Gabe. Gabe quickly swallowed a bite of sandwich before nervously replying.
“No, sir. He and his honor guard are eating in the mess hall.”
Red Fern wasn’t a large clan, but there were enough members that they typically ate in the park’s mess hall. There was a cafeteria setup that could hold a few hundred wolves. Andromeda’s immediate family ate in here with her in the cabin, though she made regular appearances during the week at community meals. Family packs in Red Fern either ate in their own cabins or joined the community at the mess hall.
Caius frowned at Gabe’s reply, and Ghost wondered. The tribunal would happen once the summoned Greater Clan Leaders assembled in Baxter, and that would be any day now. They were close, and Kane had said they would be here soon. Ghost wasn’t nervous, and he wasn’t afraid. He was confused and frustrated, almost annoyed, by the traditions and Laws that claimed Kane was guilty and that their bond was anathema. How could something created and blessed by the Great Mother, their Goddess, be anathema?
Simon entered the new facility, guards surrounding him. The lab was beneath an abandoned chemical storage facility used by the Science Department at the University of Maine Augusta, and it still stank of sulfur and ozone. A hefty donation to the university guaranteed no questions and kept the curious away.
Shadows moved in the dark as they went down a level, water dripping from exposed pipes in the ceiling. Roman’s few wolves were still around, and while they showed no sign of flipping and revealing the location of the new lab, they were also worthless nasty brutes who snapped and growled at the humans and the werewolves restrained in the silver cages. If they didn’t get too bothersome Simon was fine with them staying—he never knew when the doctors might need new specimens.
He reached the far side of the structure, where it opened to bare support beams and electrical conduits. Medical equipment and machines he had no name for cluttered the space, some still covered in clear shipping plastic wrap. His lead scientists fussed about the machinery, directing technicians to arrange it all to their satisfaction. Armed guards stood off to the side, overlooking the cages that held the living specimens. They were drugged and restrained by silver bars and chains, but Simon didn’t believe in taking chances.
“Dr. Walsh!” Simon barked out, the man in question jumped. He was as rabbitty as Harmon had been, but he was marginally more cooperative and didn’t require hand-holding when it came to the specimens.
“Mr. Remus! You’re…early,” Dr. Walsh stammered, gingerly approaching a few steps before his courage failed him. He eyed the armed guards around Simon with trepidation, but managed to talk. “What can I do for you?”
“How soon until we’re operational again?”
“Soon, sir, very soon. The incubation unit we found in Dr. Harmon’s laboratory made the trip over successfully on the battery backup, and was the first thing we got online and running. The rest will be online by this evening. I can have a progress report for you by tomorrow.”
“Where is this unit now?” Simon demanded. Dr Walsh gulped, but pointed to the corner. The unit was a tank full of a cloudy gel-like substance, and there was dark, indistinct blob the size of a football floating in the slime. The whole thing was lit up from within, highlighting the grotesque contents. He sneered, stomach twisting at the sight of the growing organs and bones. He hastily looked away, and glared at Dr Walsh. “And the data from Harmon’s lab?”
“We’ve been examining the information thoroughly, sir. I believe I have a firm grasp of his procedures and we should be caught up once the rest of the equipment is in place.”
“Good. No more delays. Begin as soon as you can.”
Without waiting for a reply, Simon turned and left, walking past the cages. Soft growls and whimpers came from the specimens, Simon chuckled, unaffected by their anger or fear. One small form darted back from the bars as he passed, a frightened gasp making him smile.
Caius left the cabin, his wolves and Andromeda’s at his back. The Greater Clan Leaders for Dread Claw, Birch Grove, and Red Wraith had arrived, their convoys having just cleared the park gates. They would be there in less than ten minutes. Evening had fallen, the temperatures dropping with the sun, and Caius waited ahead of the crowd. Ghost and Kane stood with Kane’s tactical team, the Black Pine wolves shoulder to shoulder in a show of support. How the other clan leaders would react to Kane not being in custody was unclear—though Kane’s reputation for being a good man and a fair alpha may be enough to temper any complain
ts. Roman and Claire were still locked away in the cellars, the doors guarded by greater alphas loyal to Caius.
The human doctor was under guard as well, and had spent quite some time crying and wailing through the door, alternating between demanding to be set free and begging for a chance to tell them everything he knew. The human was ill-suited to stress, the stench of fear permeated the hall outside the room he was kept in. The only interaction he had was with his guards, wolves who brought him food twice a day and took him to the restroom when needed, not once talking to the human Caius was certain was behind many atrocities. Caius was waiting for the Tribunal to convene, hopefully his attempt at courtesy would shed some favorable light on Black Pine and his Heir from the other clan leaders.
Black Pine was powerful, but on shaky ground. Roman’s betrayal, the killings and abductions, along with the remaining missing wolves, were all black marks on Caius’ leadership. Having solved the mystery as to who was responsible for the ambush at Baxter fifteen years prior was useless since Simon Remus was still free—the human was very publicly known in New England, a rich man who spent enough time on the front page of tabloids to be recognizable, he surely would be missed if Caius had him kidnapped and killed like his older brother Sebastien. Getting retribution for his slain wolves would require patience, but not having anything to show for his restraint would make him, and Black Pine, look weaker than they were—and that left them open to challenges. Whether political or physical, it didn’t matter, any move against Black Pine by another Greater Clan Leader could lead to a blood feud.
The rumble of tires over ice and gravel heralded the arrival of the clan leaders. Caius straightened his back, wiping any emotion off his face. Andromeda silently came to his side, her face just as cold, her formidable strength hidden beneath the willowy lithe grace of her slim frame. They may not be as close as they once were, but Andromeda was his most powerful ally, and they would both need each other if they were to keep Black Pine and their wolves intact once the Tribunal convened. Kane was as much a liability now as he ever was as an asset—his very gift was the source of contention.
The increasing rumble became a long line of vehicles, several black SUVs, and near the end, a long black luxury limousine. The engines shut off, ticking in the cold, the clearing in front of Andromeda’s cabin was silent for a long moment before the lead vehicle’s doors opened. As if a signal, greater alphas all stepped out of the vehicles down the convoy. They all radiated power, that aura alphas carried as a mantle that signaled their rank and strength to any wolfkin.
Caius lifted his chin, his instincts rising to the fore. This may be Andromeda’s land, but Red Fern was part of Black Pine, and having this many greater alphas in his territory that did not answer to him made his hackles rise. His heart thumped with adrenaline, and Caius bit back a growl that threatened to escape. Andromeda’s small hand settled on his shoulder, out of sight, Caius breathed in, trying to settle his more aggressive tendencies.
He was no cub. It was time to show his peers that Black Pine was stronger than ever.
Ghost breathed in, his mate’s scent filling his nose, settling his desire to shift. He was unaccustomed to his human form; living life as a wolf made him suited to handling tense and potentially dangerous situations differently, with fang and claw. Though chasing off a hungry brown bear that wanted to eat wolf puppies was a far different situation than the legion of greater alphas that were exiting the black vehicles.
They were built much like Kane and Caius—big, broad shoulders and chests, heavily muscled, they moved with a grace that was purely predatory. Many of them were dark, from hair to eyes and golden skin, but a few were lighter, hair blond and one a deep auburn. The golden complexion seemed to be very common, with the Red Fern wolves and himself as exceptions. Even Kane, Burke, and Gabe shared the same golden hues to their skin as these foreign wolves.
Ghost breathed in again, catching the scent on the wind of the new wolves. He summoned his Spiritsight, and blinked in surprise. These alphas all glowed to his inner vision, their soul-stars vibrant and pulsing with power. Many of them were the same shades, reddish hues that ran thick with orange and yellow, some even red and deep blues, some shades of purple. Red was a common color then for alphas; Ghost looked at Caius, and even his grandfather’s soul-star burned a deep crimson laced with a smoke gray.
Three of the greater alphas burned with an intensity that matched Caius and Kane; only Andromeda burned brighter to Ghost’s Spiritsight. He smiled at that discovery, and looked back to the three greater alphas that burned the brightest. These three came from separate vehicles, one of them from the rear of the long limo.
That alpha, presumably a clan leader, glowed with a silky rose red and silver—his star was similar in hue to the shade made by the bond shared between Ghost and Kane. He was lanky, and blond, hair the color of wheat and straight. Ghost met that alpha’s eyes across the span, and the greater alpha’s forest-green eyes latched onto his, and Ghost felt a slight mental nudge. He pushed back, not appreciating the attempted intrusion into his mind, and the greater alpha’s eyes widened briefly before he grinned, a feral flash of white teeth that Ghost took as a promise and challenge in one. Ghost curled his lip in response, and the clan leader chuckled before walking up the path towards Caius and Andromeda.
The clan leader at the head of the convoy was shorter than most of the greater alphas Ghost had seen in the last several days, but he was thick with muscle, his suit jacket fitting tightly to his broad chest. He was built more like a bear than a wolf; while the others moved with a loping stride, this alpha lumbered ahead, and Ghost found himself wondering if perhaps a bear cub had been raised by wolves in some distant past, since this wolfkin male was the least wolf-like he’d seen so far. That was until Ghost got a brief glimpse of his inner star, and it burned with an orange and red flame, like fire devouring seasoned wood. An overlay of a great hulking wolf flashed in Ghost’s inner vision, a beast garbed in dark brown fur and gray eyes that stalked prey from the shadows. The vision of the wolf left, and the human form of the clan leader returned. Bear-like as a man, this one was all wolf inside where it counted, his size would rival even Kane’s black beast.
The third clan leader was the auburn-haired male. His hair glinted with fiery highlights in the cabin’s exterior lights, his eyes flashing green and gold as he turned his head. This alpha looked straight at Ghost, unerring and deliberate—he stared back, and this alpha carried a sense of menace about him, a dangerous hint of violence that made Ghost stiffen. Kane growled beside him, but the clan leader spared Kane not a single glance—his regard was for Ghost alone, and even though Ghost felt no mental appraisal, his gaze had a heavy sense of being weighed and measured. This male’s inner star was odd—it was red, bright as berries on the vine that grew even in winter and was poisonous to every living creature in the deep wood. Tendrils of leaf green twirled through the red, and Ghost pondered the disturbing combination. Something inside told him such a blend was unusual, though he had little experience to tell him why. The clan leader looked away, and joined his peers as they greeted Caius and Andromeda.
The crowd parted as the clan leaders finished their greetings, the four greater alphas and the lone female clan leader all leading the way into the cabin. Caius sent Kane a quick glance, and while his grandfather did not use the mental communication of their kind, Ghost and Kane felt their alpha’s desire for them to not follow. Caius looked away, and led the others inside. The door shut, and Ghost could see the assembled leaders through the tall windows entering the living room, the hearth lit with a cheerful fire.
“I feel slighted,” Burke whispered loudly, bumping Kane with his shoulder. “We weren’t even introduced. Ghost got a ton of attention though. Feeling jealous, Kane?”
“Jealous? No. Protective? Yes,” Kane responded, holding Ghost to his side under his big arm. “Julian was looking especially hostile.”
“Which one was Juli
an?” Ghost asked, though he thought he might know.
“The redhead. Clan Leader for Birch Grove. He rules New York City, Manhattan, all New Jersey and parts of Pennsylvania and Delaware. Has a smaller number of wolves in his territory, but his clan is wealthy and has connections to human governments.”
“He carries violence in his spirit,” Ghost mused, and Kane gripped him tighter.
“I don’t think he would try and hurt you, little wolf, but stay away from him. Don’t be alone with Julian at any point. He’s killed several of his own wolves over the years, for various reasons; if he were human I’d call him a psychopath.”
“Why is he a clan leader, then?” Ghost asked, the rueful glances his packmates shared leaving him even more confused. “Why haven’t the shamans stopped him?”
“He’s the strongest in his clan, boy,” Gerald grumbled. “The strongest rule, and whether they are decent beings is irrelevant. And Birch Grove doesn’t have any shamans. If they have need of them, the shamans from neighboring clans travel into Birch Grove territory, then leave when no longer needed.”
Ghost frowned, not liking the connotations he sensed in Kane’s mind when his mate thought of the word psychopath. An animal that was sick like that would be ostracized by its own kind or killed, chased off—not allowed to lead. The humanity wolfkin eschewed had more influence than even they thought, if a madman could lead a clan. And for there to be no shamans in Birch Grove spoke of a sickness on a deeper level, one that left Ghost even more unsettled by the redheaded clan leader.
“Who are the others?” Ghost asked, and Sophia answered. The female beta stood next to Gerald, not quite touching, but closer than she usually was when it came to the lesser alpha.