Night Born

by Godiva Glenn

  Viktor scoffed. “You’re not here for them. You’re here giving that poor girl false hope. Maybe some pity groping, judging by the way she watched you.”

  “You don’t know anything.”

  “I know your scent is in her hair. How close are you two getting? Why is Ross acting like there isn’t an eparatos sleeping under his roof, mooning over his grandson?”

  “Vik... why the fuck are you here?”

  “Ian wants to know your pick.”

  “I don’t have one. It’s not time yet.”

  There was scraping as someone paced. “Bullshit. You have to know. You’re not the type to not have a plan.”

  “I have a plan. When it’s time, then we’ll talk about it. Right now, there are other matters more important than this. My mate is my business. The pack has more pressing concerns.”

  “You say that like you care. If you cared you’d be with us, not holed up on the edge of our land playing house with that,” Viktor said raising his voice.

  “Kyra is still pack,” Mikos countered.

  “Our pack doesn’t need humans.”

  Footsteps sounded down the hall and Kyra opened her eyes to see Thea staring down at her. Whereas Kyra was short and lean, Thea was tall and had the body of a warrior. As was the case with Ross, Thea lacked the appearance of a wolf ready to retire. Not a single silver strand invaded her long black hair.

  “I...” Kyra squeaked.

  “Eavesdropping is not becoming of a lupine,” Thea said simply. She glanced around, her eyes landing on the paper bag. “Mikos brought that?”

  “Yes.” Kyra scrambled to her feet.

  Thea pursed her lips and for a moment stared past Kyra, her gaze burning a hole in the door. “You should go to your room.”

  Kyra opened her mouth to object, but she wasn’t in the mood to start a fight. Everything she did circled around and caused trouble for Mikos. She bowed her head to the old wolf and padded down the hall. Once in her room, she closed the door and collapsed to her mattress.

  Staring at the door she wondered what was happening and waited for Mikos to visit. After an argument with his brother, she would likely be waiting a while. She expected to feel the wall around Mikos, the one that came up when he seemed deep in thought and realizing it was a mistake for them to get close again.

  The door creaked open, but it wasn’t Mikos. Thea entered with a small bowl and a toothbrush.

  Kyra didn’t know what to say. Usually, when they crossed paths it was nothing but dirty looks and thinly veiled grumblings. She had become accustomed to sneaking by and not making noise whenever she dared to venture outside of her room. Then after being caught listening to a private conversation, she hardly expected Thea to have anything but more contempt.

  This was the same lupine who didn’t think she warranted a bed, after all. Mikos had occasionally stayed overnight with Kyra because he felt guilty that he had the guest bedroom. A six-foot-four grown male, even Mikos didn’t dare challenge Thea enough for that.

  “The boys fight over you,” Thea commented, her expression and tone unreadable.

  “I’m sorry?”

  Thea came closer and knelt by the mattress. It was the closest in proximity that they’d been in weeks. “Arm.”

  The single word confused Kyra at first but then she held out her left arm, scar facing up. Thea took it in one hand and the moment she did, something unreadable flickered across her face. Perhaps surprise, but Kyra couldn’t tell. Thea was too unknown.

  Kyra watched as Thea scrutinized the rough patch of flesh.

  “This is a disrespectful mark,” Thea said finally.

  “Uh...”

  “The wolf who made it will live in shame.” Thea dipped the toothbrush into the bowl then rubbed a generous amount of floral-scented oil onto the scar.

  Kyra watched quietly as Thea gently massaged the bristles over the bumpy tissue. Though the area was still sore, she didn’t want to complain. After a minute of focused work, Thea released the arm.

  “Now the other,” she said.

  Kyra hesitated then lay down and pulled up her shirt. Thea clucked her tongue as she pressed her fingers around the tender area. She dipped the brush again and slathered Kyra’s stomach.

  “What is it?” Kyra asked finally.

  Thea sighed heavily, and it wasn’t a pleasant sound. “We do not scar easily. But sometimes we have a need to smooth the skin.”

  “It doesn’t bother me. I can live with these,” Kyra said. “You don’t have to...”

  “You remind me of my sister,” Thea said. Her eyes lifted to Kyra and they made eye contact for the first time. She had the same deep umber stare as Mikos, except hers carried years of weight. “No one deserves this much disrespect.”

  Kyra didn’t respond. She didn’t know Thea had a sister. Didn’t recall ever hearing of or meeting her. The way Thea said it told Kyra that she shouldn’t dig into it.

  She relaxed and tried not to flinch as the brush went over her skin. The scent of the oil was calming. Lavender mixed with something else, something sweet but unusual like pollen.

  Thea finished her work after some time and rose. “Just let it air out. Don’t touch. Maybe nap.”

  “Thank you,” Kyra said.

  Thea didn’t respond, only took her things and left.

  * * * *

  Kyra didn’t intend to fall asleep but had. She woke to a tingling sensation on her skin in the areas where Thea had massaged. Sitting up she rubbed her eyes and guessed it to be the middle of the night. She swung her legs out and stood, then promptly tripped.

  “Hey,” Mikos mumbled.

  Kyra made it to the light switch and gave it a flick. Mikos was on the floor near the mattress.

  “Were you sleeping?” she asked.

  “Until I got stepped on.”

  She grumbled and crossed the room, glancing out the window. “Fuck. It’s late.”

  “It is.”

  “The moon already hit its peak,” she moaned. So much for trying to commune with the ancestors. “Why didn’t you wake me?”

  “I don’t know.” He sat on the mattress then fell back, the heels of his hands pressed into his eyes. “Could you turn the light off?”

  “No,” she hissed. “What’s going on?”

  He groaned until she joined him on the mattress and poked his arm.

  “What happened with Viktor?”

  Mikos painstakingly peeled his hands from his eyes and squinted at her. “What do you think happened? He came to tell me a lot of things I already knew and otherwise be a pain in my ass.”

  “Mikos...”

  “Kyra,” he whined, mocking her. He sucked in a deep breath then huffed. “I’m sorry. He had a lot to say and it was mostly stuff I didn’t want to hear. I came to see you and make sure you were okay, but you were sleeping. I didn’t want to disturb you, and I guess I fell asleep while waiting for you to stir,” he rambled and ran a hand through his hair. “Happy?”

  She stared at the window and the quiet night beyond the glass. “I wanted to be outside tonight.”

  “I know. I didn’t think I’d fall asleep. The room smelled like sleep though.”

  She couldn’t hold him to blame, though it was tempting to. Anything to be able to focus her frustration. Instead, she held up her arm. The skin still slightly shone with oil. “Thea rubbed something on me.”

  “Ah, I wasn’t imagining things. I thought it smelled like her in here, but I wasn’t sure...” He took her arm and peered at it. “What is it?”

  “Something to smooth the scars, apparently.”

  Mikos arched a brow. “Thea came in and treated you,” he repeated. “Not what I expected.”

  “You and I both. It was almost like bonding, minus the talking and understanding,” she joked.

  He sat up and looked at the window. “It’s not too late.”

  “Yeah, it is. I’ve been doing it long enough to know when the timing is ideal,” she said with a sigh. “The moon has to be
just right. I can sense the magic...”

  “I’m sorry.”

  She pulled her hair back in frustration. “Not your fault.”

  “Tomorrow you can try, though.”

  “I’ve never had any luck on the actual full moon. I think the ancestors are occupied. Besides, I’m not sure I want to be naked outside under a full moon just yet,” she said touching her stomach gingerly.

  “Inside, then?”

  Contacting ancient spirits from the safety of a building seemed fruitless but she didn’t want to come across as negative when he was trying to help. “I suppose I can try...”

  “There won’t be anything else to do, will there? You’ve been reading the same book over and over. Unless you take up knitting soon, you’ve got to be bored.”

  She shrugged. Boredom came in spurts. It was easy to pass time when she had so much to think about. She made plans for her future, all of the different possibilities. Besides, even if the moon wasn’t where it needed to be, she could still meditate. “We’ll see.”

  His brows scrunched, deep in thought, though she couldn’t guess what was on his mind.

  “You can run with the pack, you know. It wouldn’t bother me if you left tomorrow night.”

  “I’d rather run with family,” he replied. “They’d never say it because they aren’t the type to bring guilt, but my grandparents miss running with a pack. Couples branch off for the run all the time, but they’ve done that a million times now. They want to run with us.”

  “Nothing stops them from joining with the pack on shifting nights.”

  “Eh. Not specifically. I can’t state this as fact, but I suspect that some of the elders would rather Ross stay as far away as possible. I overheard once that he was considered an influence that could undermine authority.”

  Kyra scoffed. “He doesn’t seem the type to try.”

  “No, but he doesn’t have to. He’s got wisdom oozing from his aura. I know you’ve felt it.”

  She instinctively touched her shoulder where he’d patted her earlier. “True. Something about how he speaks and acts is more welcoming. He doesn’t shun me, though, so maybe I’m biased,” she admitted. “He’s the only one who’s touched me beside you. I don’t mean for bandaging or rubbing ointments. I mean idle touch. And it’s like he leaves a piece of himself. It’s comforting.”

  Mikos reached out and placed a hand on her knee. “I forgot about that, and now I feel like a bastard,” he muttered.

  “What do you mean?”

  “All this time, it wasn’t simply company. It was everything. We need the physical reassurance of the pack.”

  “It’s fine,” she insisted. “I got used to it.”

  “It’s not something you should have to get used to.” His eyes seemed to zoom to where he held her. “The bond is still there. I can feel it. You are pack, even if our laws try to state otherwise.”

  The depth of her blood ties to the rest of the lupine had escaped her pondering. It hadn’t occurred to her that she could feel like pack to others. “If they knew that, it would be harder for them to push me away.”

  “It would.”

  “But I grew up in that comfort bubble. Why does it feel different now?”

  “Because you’re older, I guess. Because your wolf is in there somewhere, more aware than any of us thought.” His hand moved up to her arm and he closed his eyes. The strange heat she was used to feeling from him grew stronger, accompanied by a strange vibration. “Do you feel that?”

  “Yeah. That’s the bond, isn’t it?”

  He shook his head. A golden glow edged his stare. “That’s my wolf. When I’m around you he rubs at me.” He chuckled softly. “Or rather, he wants to rub on you. He’s curious. He doesn’t know what to think of you, I guess.”

  “I thought...” She bit her tongue, not wanting to admit that she had assumed the sensation was something deeper. Something else entirely. “Your wolf isn’t bothered by me? Doesn’t see me as a danger or anything like that?”

  “Not at all.” His touch became a caress and his fingers trailed up and down her arm in reassuring strokes. “He knows you.”

  She placed her hand over his, holding it still as her mind raced. Once again, she cursed herself for staying away from the pack. “I should have stayed.”

  “Yes, you should have. Damnit,” he growled. “If we went by our instincts, what we felt, this wouldn’t be happening. The lupine aren’t supposed to be so political and rigid without reason. If you feel like pack, you are pack.”

  She agreed, her thoughts racing. “Then what if being mistreated is simply hindering me further? What if I need to be with you all in order for my wolf to come?”

  “Then with everything else, maybe she feels unwelcome, regardless of what you want.”

  “We rely on each other for comfort. Pack isn’t only a word, it’s a way of life. Why didn’t I realize sooner?”

  The room swallowed her frustration as if the entire house had gone silent just for her words.

  “I didn’t realize either,” he said. “You can’t imagine how many times I’ve stopped myself from reaching out to you.”

  Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes, but she didn’t wipe them away, not wanting to acknowledge them. Crying over injustice did nothing, she already knew. Blinking down she caught the sympathy on Mikos’s face.

  “I make you cry too often,” he mused.

  She turned her face away. “It’s not for pity.”

  “I didn’t say… There’s nothing wrong with it. It’s not like I can lie and say I’ve never dealt with some unwanted tears.”

  “Sure.”

  “It’s not over, though. I’m still hopeful,” he promised. “We can use everything we’ve learned.”

  “How did everything become so muddled? Shouldn’t they know?” she fumed. “Wouldn’t our alpha know?”

  Mikos didn’t answer, only pulled her to him. He cradled her in his arms and settled down on the mattress, holding her tight. Everywhere their bare skin touched she felt his wolf and knew he did it on purpose. She let her tears fall, dropping the shield she’d held up for long enough. There was nothing sexual about his embrace tonight, only comfort and the love between two pack-mates. The warmth engulfed her completely until she felt safe. She hadn’t known how much she needed to feel safe.

  ELEVEN

  Thea, Ross, and Mikos stood in the shadows, far enough from the cabin that they appeared as vague outlines. Kyra leaned on the porch railing and watched them, a thread of excitement running through her blood. This was the closest she’d been while watching the shift in a while.

  When the moon took them down into their wolf forms, it would be like magic bursting in the air. She could feel it even if she wasn’t a shifted lupine. If she didn’t think Thea would mind, she’d be in the trees with them.

  Glancing up, Kyra’s eyes followed the clouds crossing the moon’s path. She could feel the raw energy in the air but didn’t know how long it would take for them to shift. Some lupine could push off the change, others were drawn to it with no choice. Of course, there was no reason to fight the transformation. There was no pain, and they all embraced their wolf, but it was also a show of power to see who was the last standing.

  In this case, they all began to shift at once. Each tall shape bent down and became softer. An ebony wolf with a white chin stepped out of the shadows and dipped his head. Mikos. Their eyes met, and then he turned. The three wolves bounded off into the night.

  After a few moments of watching with her heart aching, Kyra went inside and locked the door.

  She was no fool. If Viktor knew she was out here, more of the pack knew. She wanted to believe that Sierra wouldn’t try again, and maybe she wouldn’t, but it wasn’t worth risking her life in case any of the rest of her pack was feeling murderous.

  With the house to herself, Kyra wasn’t sure what to do. She’d told Mikos she’d be okay, that she wouldn’t be bored, and that wasn’t a lie. She wouldn’t let herself g
et bored, but she didn’t actually have a plan.

  There were books all over the house, but Kyra was tired of reading. She headed back to her room but stopped in the hallway. Two doors were on the left of her. One was Ross and Thea’s bedroom, and the other was the guest room that Mikos was staying in. She inhaled deeply, and her nose told her which was which.

  Entering Mikos’s room, she tiptoed as if somehow, she’d be caught. Only the light of the moon sneaking through ruffled blinds lit the small room. More than enough for her to navigate across the floor without tripping over the old rug. The bed was her goal. The air mattress was barely better than the floor, and she was drawn across the room by an insatiable need to lay down on something that would support and comfort her tired body.

  She lay on the faded floral blanket and rolled to her side. Mikos’s scent was a spicy lure and she took a deep breath of his pillow. Closing her eyes, she imagined that he was next to her, that they curled up in the quiet room and slept away the stress of everything outside.

  The gentle tick and tock of a hidden clock set a pace to her wandering mind as if aiding the room to hypnotize her. She recalled the night before, how he’d held her and guided his wolf to press against her.

  A presence came over her, and her heart sped. Her wolf lurked somewhere at the edge of her consciousness. Goosebumps lifted the hair on her arms as the wolf seemed to walk the perimeter, testing something or giving in to curiosity.

  The sensation was not what she’d become accustomed to. Usually, there was distance between the wolf and herself, but though she couldn’t see it, the link they’d shared had become stronger than ever before.

  Yet it still wasn’t enough. Kyra reached out and tried to connect but there was nothing to latch onto. She felt like she was running at full speed and getting no closer to her goal. Within minutes her wolf was gone. She hugged Mikos’s pillow to her body and sighed.

  One more moon. One more try.

  * * * *

  The moment the sun crested the horizon, it seemed to send a jolt through Kyra’s body and wake her. She sat up feeling energized in a way that took her by surprise, and when she hopped from the bed, she knew something had changed.