Finding the Power Within

by C. C. Masters

  There were quite a few murmurs of surprise from all around the room. The government contracts had been a major source of income for the pack for years now. But we had come to the point where our businesses and jobs here in the states could support us for now. I was relieved to be bringing my entire pack home.

  I had thought I would be bringing them home to safety from the chaotic Middle East, but with the events of this morning I wasn’t sure it was going to be safer here for them, after all. I wasn’t willing to let Froston keep Anna from us. He had acted like a caring father while he was here, but why did he really take her against her will? There was more to this than we knew. Whatever the reason, I wasn’t sure we would be able to get her back without a fight.

  I waited until the pack had settled once again. “Our brothers will be home within the month and will need us to help them reacclimate to being here in the U.S..” I saw quite a few knowledgeable nods around the room. It wasn’t easy for everyone to come home, there was an adjustment period that could be more difficult for some.

  Rich raised a hand cautiously and I nodded at him to give him permission to speak. “Do we need to prepare accommodations for them?”

  I frowned. My original plan had been to ask Anna if she would be willing to open up her former home and Evelyn’s house to two of the teams coming back. Evelyn’s home wasn’t far from here, but Anna had lived forty five minutes away in Port Idris. Port Idris was through the tunnel and to the west, closer to the center of our territory and only an hour from Emporia. That would give that team the ability to cover the western portion of our territory. The third team would be able to stay here with us in the mansion. But now that Anna was gone… we had bigger problems to worry about.

  “Details will follow on that, Rich,” I assured him confidently. “I will be assigning work details to prepare a place for them in the near future.”

  Rich nodded, reassured by my words. He had probably been concerned that I was considering splitting up the overseas teams and placing them among the existing teams. That would be far from ideal, as each unit was close and it was difficult to integrate new team members into a tight knit group.

  I looked around the room to see that most of the pack was settling down with the news of reinforcements coming. Tony caught my eye and asked for permission to speak. I gave it to him with a nod.

  “But we’re going to get Anna back?” He asked hesitantly.

  “Of course, we’re getting her back,” Trevor grumbled. “We don’t leave our pack members with the enemy.”

  “Is it a rescue mission or a war?” Henderson asked cautiously.

  Tension rose again in the room at the mention of war. A war between supernatural races could be disastrous and everyone knew it.

  I raised my hand for silence. “Right now, it’s just a rescue mission,” I assured them. “A rogue fae has taken one of our females and we are going to get her back.” I honestly hoped that was the case.

  “If we don’t get her back, we are never going to get another female to join the pack,” Henderson said forlornly. “If we can’t keep our females safe…”

  There was silence in the room. I was a little surprised to hear that members of my pack craved more females after our previous failure, but I could understand the desire to have more females like Anna. However, there was only one Anna and we needed her back.

  “While we are working to put together a rescue team, I need everyone on alert.” I told them firmly. “Anna is smart, and she will find a way to contact us if she can. Stay aware of anything out of the ordinary, anything that could be a signal or a message.”

  James stepped forward. “Trevor and I will be meeting with each of your teams to give you specific assignments and work details to prepare.”

  I gave him a nod. “The meeting is adjourned for now. I need you to stay on the premises until your team meetings are complete.”

  I turned on my heel and walked out, the room exploding into conversation after I left. I was leaving them in the capable hands of Cody and James for now – I had called a meeting with the council. I deflated a little as soon as I was out of sight. It wasn’t easy to project an aura of confidence when fear for Anna’s safety had taken root within my core. I was worried about her and I was worried for her.

  There were many reasons why Froston might want to take Anna. I was hoping that the affection he had displayed for her in our meeting was genuine, but he had been difficult to read. There was a pit in my stomach that churned with worry. I hated to even consider it, but usually when a rival pack would take a female it was for breeding purposes.

  Anna was a young wolf in her prime and many would want to possess her as a status symbol because of her beauty and her pure white coat. Anna was so much more than that to me, I could care less what color her coat was. What made Anna so beautiful was the pure soul that shined from within her.

  I also worried because it was well-known that females went into heat twice a year. Most females experienced their fertile weeks in June and December and December was approaching quickly. I felt sick at the thought of anyone using Anna like that. I hadn’t confessed any of these concerns to my pack-mates and I doubted that these thoughts had occurred to everyone.

  The twins fell into step behind me, I had decided to bring them with me to the council meeting as my security. Their emotions were running high, and I didn’t want that energy feeding into the already frenzied energy swirling around the pack right now. They were another reason why I needed to appear absolutely confident that we could get Anna back. I needed the twins to believe in me and follow my lead.

  Mason and Jason were on edge and they needed a time-out from the pack. They needed to feel like they were doing something to help Anna. Otherwise, their restlessness would result in them acting out. The last thing I needed was the two of them abandoning the pack and embarking on a rash and unplanned rescue mission. If we wanted Anna back, we were going to have to work together.

  We climbed into Cody’s SUV with Mason driving and Jason in the back. I waited a moment, knowing that an inquisition was coming. Their hearts were in the right place, and I would be lying if I said that I didn’t feel the same combination of loss and frustration as they did. They just needed a little guidance on how to manage those emotions.

  The twins flicked glances at each other, obviously conversing silently with their bond. I sat back and waited for them to finish, I was guessing that Mason was going to be their spokesperson.

  “So, boss,” Mason started cautiously. “What’s the plan?”

  “The plan is to consolidate our allies against our enemy,” I told him calmly.

  “So we just leave her there? How can we just abandon Anna? We need to get her back now!” Jason shouted from the backseat.

  I met his eyes through the rearview mirror. “We don’t know where Anna is. Just where are you going to get her back from? We can mount a half-assed rescue attempt that is going to fail and leave us in a worse place than we are in now. Or, we can gather intelligence, get our allies on our side, and get our girl back.”

  He settled back in his chair with a sigh of frustration and rubbed his face with his hands. “We need her back.” I could see the desperation and the helplessness in his eyes, so I didn’t hold his outburst against him. Deep down, I felt exactly the same.

  “We are going to get her back.” I told him softly. “Anna is tough and she’s smart. We know that she has not just survived a lot, she also managed to beat all the odds against her.”

  Jason gave a nod, but his teeth were gritted in frustration. “I just need to do something now, I can’t just sit here and pretend that everything is fine.”

  “We are doing something.” I told him firmly. I already had Trevor’s team prepping for a mission up north. I had a feeling that Anna’s story had begun in the Arctic wolves’ territory when she was born, and that’s where she was now. Telling the twins that they had to remain in Seaside while I sent another team up north for Anna was going to be a fight for a
nother day.

  The twins were a valuable asset to the pack, but they were still young and could be emotionally volatile and impulsive at times. We needed cool heads and rational thinking to get us through this. In most circumstances, I could trust James to be the voice of caution and reason, but time would tell if he could maintain a level head when Anna was in danger. I had never seen James let a female into his heart before and I was worried about what Anna’s loss would do to him. He was usually tightly controlled, but dangerous. Would losing Anna make him lose control? Could I stop James if he lost all sense of caution and went on attack?

  Jason sat back in his seat and crossed his arms with a scowl. Mason watched his brother with a frown. He was drawing back into himself, no doubt he was thinking the situation through.

  Crisis averted for now, I settled back in my own seat and pulled out my phone. I could only handle one problem at a time. Right now, I needed to make a plan for how I was going to get the council on my side and willing to take on the most powerful creatures I had ever encountered. The fae might seem invincible, but everyone had a weakness. I just needed to find it.

  Chapter 4

  Anna

  I paced anxiously, waiting for Froston to return and give me the answers that he had promised. When the door opened, it wasn’t Froston that stepped over the threshold, it was a teenage girl with bright red curly hair and blue eyes. She was barely over five feet tall and had a dainty bone structure that made her light on her feet. She was wearing an old fashioned blue dress, something I would have expected a woman to wear in the medieval ages, not now.

  I watched her cross the barrier easily as if it weren’t there at all and I huffed in frustration. I really was the only person that couldn’t cross the stupid thing. The girl entered cautiously and gave me a shy smile before she curtsied. Once again, I was at a loss as to how to respond appropriately so I gave her a smile.

  “Good evening, my lady. I was sent to dress you for dinner?” She kept her eyes down as she spoke but peeked through her lashes at the end to gauge my reaction.

  I perked up. Was I going to get out of this room? “Thank you, but you can call me Anna,” I said politely.

  She brightened up at my answer and gave me a huge smile.

  “What’s your name?” I asked curiously.

  She giggled. “My name is Caylee. I was hoping you would be nice.” Her curiosity seemed to overwhelm her shyness. “You just came from the human world, didn’t you?” She asked eagerly.

  I nodded, looking a little closer at her. She looked and felt completely human, I didn’t sense anything to tell me that she was a supernatural. “Is that where you’re from?” I asked gently.

  She flounced towards me, her shyness completely forgotten. “Yes! I was brought here for good luck, you know, on account of my red hair.”

  I blinked in surprise. “Do you like it here?” I asked cautiously.

  “Oh, yes,” she told me enthusiastically. “I’ve been here since I was just a child, but I never want to leave.” She shuddered in horror. “I can’t imagine going back there.”

  My jaw dropped in surprise and she smiled at my reaction. “It’s going to be even better for you, because you aren’t a human at all so you don’t have to be a servant.” She leaned in to whisper conspiratorially, “And I heard that Prince Mandrake has his eye on you.”

  I inhaled a sharp breath. “Could you tell me more about him and the rest of this world? This is my first time here.”

  Caylee giggled again but happily started to chatter away as she went over to the wardrobe to look through the dresses there.

  She told me that Prince Mandrake was the youngest son of the king, and all about how handsome he was, and how every female in the kingdom wanted his attention now that the other two princes were wed.

  I cleared my throat to interrupt. “So, we’re in the king’s castle?”

  Caylee laughed. “No, silly. This is your father’s castle. Prince Mandrake is visiting, it’s a great honor to your father to have him request to meet you.”

  “So, if my father has his own castle, then he must be important?” I asked hesitantly.

  Caylee giggled. “Your father is one of the nine lords that answer directly to the king. They have castles that circle around the edges of the king’s territory and protect our lands.”

  “Protect us from what?” I asked curiously.

  Caylee shrugged. “Whatever is outside?”

  I frowned at her, that wasn’t much of an explanation. “So, there’s a king, three princes, and nine lords. What about everyone else?”

  “Well, there’s a bunch of minor lords who answer to the lords like your father. But there are also ‘lesser fae’. They don’t have all the magic like the lords do, but they can do little tricks like shapeshifting.” Caylee shuddered. “Usually you can tell the difference because the lesser fae aren’t as beautiful and some of them are considered to be deformed.”

  I frowned at Caylee, but she hurriedly reassured me. “I’m sure that a lady like yourself won’t have any dealings with them.”

  This was incredibly uncomfortable, I felt like I had stepped out of reality and into some bad romance movie. I did not belong in a castle, or with a prince. I belonged at home with my pack.

  A sharp pang of longing shot through me as I wondered what my pack was doing now. Were they in a panic after I disappeared? Were they worried?

  “You look sad,” Caylee said softly. “Do you already have a love?”

  I nodded. “I do.”

  “Is he… a human?” she asked with wide eyes.

  I couldn’t help but smile. “No.” What would she think if I told her I had more than just one love interest? I decided not to say anything more on the subject. I had never met her before, and I didn’t know if I could trust her. Plus, this time alone with her was valuable. I needed to gather as much information as possible.

  “What dress do you think I should wear?” I asked thoughtfully, gazing over her shoulder into the wardrobe and trying to draw her attention away from my love life.

  That did the trick, because Caylee went right back to chattering away with her bubbly enthusiasm about what dresses would most please the prince. I fought the urge to roll my eyes, I would prefer to wear a dress that would repulse the prince, not attract him.

  “Who else is going to be at the dinner?” I asked Caylee once she had paused to take a breath.

  “Just you, the prince, and your father,” she said breathlessly. “This is your chance to entice him while you don’t have any competition.”

  I sighed. Great.

  “Tell me more about the fae. How big is this kingdom? How often do people travel to the human world? How many humans are here?”

  Caylee paused and gave me a strange look.

  “I don’t want to look uneducated in front of Prince Mandrake,” I told her, trying to look self-conscious about my ignorance.

  She nodded wisely. “Yes, you want to make sure that you don’t give him the impression that you’re stupid. I heard that he prizes wit among his lovers.”

  It took everything I had not to roll my eyes at that, and I tried to look interested.

  “There are quite a few of us humans here,” Caylee said thoughtfully. “Most of us were taken as children and work as servants. Some of the lucky ones are taken as lovers once they are old enough.” Caylee leaned towards me. “Usually if you have a child for one of them you are taken care of for life, you get the choicest positions here.”

  “What about the children?” I asked curiously. “What happens to them?”

  Caylee sighed. “Some of them have magic and get to be guards or special assistants to the fae. Those without magic are just the same as us regular humans.”

  “How often do people visit the human world?” I asked curiously.

  Caylee giggled. “Only the princes and those who have the king’s permission can go.” She tugged on the strings to lace up the corset on the dress and I grunted as it cut into my ribs. I
was definitely not a fan of fae fashion.

  Caylee motioned to the vanity. “Sit, so I can do your hair.”

  I gently lowered myself to the stool and struggled to breathe as the corset pressed on my lungs. “Any chance we can loosen this?” I gasped out.

  Caylee eyed me critically. “You are already more… curvy than most of the fae females. I don’t want the prince to think you have a thick waist.”

  I raised my eyebrows and struggled to get the words out. “He’s already seen me without a corset, so it’s too late for that.”

  She took in a sharp breath and looked dismayed. I stood up so that I could talk and tried to reassure her. “And I’m fine with the prince thinking I’m thick.”

  Caylee looked so scandalized that I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Honestly, Caylee, thank you for trying to make me look attractive, but I would rather be able to breathe.” I turned around to give her access to the laces in the back.

  She pinched her lips together but started to loosen the corset. I sucked in a breath of air in relief once I felt the corset give enough for my lungs to expand completely. Caylee didn’t seem too upset, because she went right back to chattering away at me as she brushed out my hair.

  I didn’t get any useful information on how I could get out of here, but I tried not to worry. Caylee tried to be as helpful as she could, but court gossip wasn’t what I was looking for. I didn’t care which males were the most handsome, or who was looking for a new lover, or who was sleeping with who.

  “So, the fae don’t marry?” I asked Caylee curiously.

  She shrugged. “Not really. They don’t really form emotional attachments like we do, they are constantly switching alliances and taking new lovers.” Caylee paused. “I guess the exception are the princes and the nine lords. They are expected to marry and have powerful babies to serve the kingdom.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “But do the humans in this world marry?”

  Caylee looked at me in surprise. “Some do when they give up hope of getting a fae lover. There’s no point in having human babies, they’ll just grow up to be servants.”