Night Born

by Godiva Glenn

  The four elders stood off to the side, conversing with Ian and each other. Their faces were painted with dark red ancient runes, an indicator that they were present on some form of pack business.

  Kyra repressed a shiver that threatened to expose her fear. Mikos took her hand and tried to pull her behind him, but she refused to hide. Stomping forward, she lifted her head and called out, “Looking for me?”

  Her father walked forward, barely enough to stand out and not need to raise his voice. “They’re here for Mikos,” he said in a hushed tone. He glanced over his shoulder where the elders still spoke, seeming to ignore them, and continued. “There’s been enough discussion that—”

  “They’re going to force me to choose a mate right now,” Mikos finished. “I can guess.”

  “What?” Kyra looked between the men.

  “When we came back from Ross and Thea’s, I was told, ‘Pick anyone.’ Send you away.”

  She stared at him, wanting more of an explanation. Her blood raced, and questions filled her mind, but she held the accusations on her tongue.

  Her father stepped back. Whatever caring he’d held in the moment seemed to dissipate the moment he joined the crowd.

  Mikos squeezed her hand in his. “You asked why I was there last night. I went to the river looking for you and ran into them. You arrived while I was trying to think of an excuse to leave.”

  She looked down at their hands. Her heart fluttered and somehow, that managed to strengthen her backbone. She narrowed her eyes at the crowd and cleared her throat. “Mikos Fekete will not be choosing a mate, because he already has one.”

  The voices of her pack rose in a wild din. Mikos pulled Kyra’s hair to the side and yanked the over-sized shirt away from her shoulder and neck. Silence gradually crept through the crowd as they realized they were being shown a wolf mating bite. Mikos ripped his shirt off and tossed the torn fabric down.

  Kyra stifled her own gasp as he pointed to his chest, indicating the long, pink scratches that ran from collarbone to navel. He turned and revealed more on his back, these ones layered and raised.

  Kyra whispered, “When did those happen?”

  “Round five? You were sleepy but still wild and needy,” he responded, not bothering to whisper.

  She blushed as memories poured forward. Damn. That was a long night.

  “The marks haven’t healed,” he announced, ignoring the rebuttals that overlapped from the pack. He pulled Kyra close and smiled as he addressed the pack. “If it wasn’t a true mating, mine would be gone now.”

  “So?” Sierra’s incredulous voice rose above the rest. She glanced to the council, who now all stared at Mikos and Kyra with unreadable expressions. “She still can’t transition. She is still eparatos and can’t offer her lineage to the pack. She has nothing to give us.”

  Ian and two elders walked forward. This close, Kyra could tell who they were. One was Mikos’s aunt Clara, but she doubted that would weigh in her favor.

  Clara appeared to roll her eyes at Sierra, who continued to repeat her argument to herself and those close to her. “Sierra makes a point. Our pack is more than family. It is protection. If Kyra cannot give this pack her bloodline, she gives us nothing that we don’t already have.”

  Mercer, the other elder, added, “This is not a decision made to cause discontent. Perhaps it was a mistake to have chosen you two at an early age.”

  Ian joined the two elders, holding his hand up and silencing further discussion from them. His face was a furious scowl. “This has dragged on long enough. Mikos, if you have truly mated then you have shamed the pack and must leave as well. But your better decision would be to stay and face punishment.”

  “You’d let us stay?” Kyra asked with disbelief.

  “Banishment for the eparatos, and in time the mate bond would fade,” Ian corrected.

  Kyra glared at Ian. “What you mean, then, is that Mikos could stay and you’d turn me out and wait for me to die.”

  “Perhaps you have forgotten that being lupine means putting the pack first. Why wouldn’t you sacrifice your lesser existence for his?” Clara asked, indicating Mikos.

  Frustration muted Kyra. Her hands, tight fists, shook at her sides.

  “Her eyes glowed. The wolf is awake,” Mikos said.

  “Show us,” Ian requested. He and the elders looked her over.

  With all eyes on her, Kyra’s anger faded into a rush of confusion. There was nothing to show. Something felt different within her, but she hadn’t actually felt her wolf come forward. If not for the marks on Mikos’s body, she wouldn’t have believed it possible.

  Yet that night was a blur. She had no memories of shifting in any way, not that she thought Mikos would lie. There was no reason why her wolf should hide now, but that’s what it felt like she was doing. Closing her eyes, Kyra tried to seek out the connection, but nothing came.

  “I can’t seem to change anything right now, but I’m sure come the full moon—”

  “Even before the moon pulls, you should be able to do something. You know this. We have children that can change their eyes or see the color of their fur,” Mercer interrupted.

  “Then we will go together,” Mikos growled. “I take my lineage with me. You’re foolish to think I’d kill my mate.”

  “I’ll have your throat eparatos. So selfish that you would steal from the pack rather than accept your banishment in peace?” Sierra shrieked. Her friends appeared to be holding her back.

  “Brother, don’t be foolish.” Viktor stepped through the crowd. “This woman is not worth your family.”

  Sierra nodded to his words.

  “This lupine is my family,” Mikos countered and smiled down at Kyra.

  The air around them changed as if nature sensed the moment rage took over reason. The elders had turned away in discussion, and behind their billowed robes, Viktor’s clawed fist shot forward, seeking to take Mikos by the arm, as if he’d rip him away from Kyra.

  Kyra snarled and slapped it away with a strength she didn’t understand. The sound of rushing blood and a distant howl crowded her mind, but she lashed out at Viktor again, this time catching his cheek. It tore open in three red lines. Triumph! She stumbled to the side. The voice in her head was not her—but was her at the same time.

  “You will not touch my mate,” she growled. The guttural accent to her usually soft voice startled her.

  Looking down, she stared at the short charcoal fur that covered her hands. She held them up and turned them. Longer white tufts surrounded the pads of her palms, and at the tips peeked out black claws.

  The world grew quiet, and then sound rushed back like hitting a wall. Mikos held her up while she shook her head and trembled. His touch roused awareness within her. She was no longer alone. Her wolf paced behind her eyes, and with each deep breath, they became one.

  They watched Viktor, daring him to attempt to separate Kyra and Mikos again.

  The pack could not deny them now, and though there were still some angry voices, there were also words of encouragement and mention of a celebration. Ian’s frown relaxed but didn’t vanish completely.

  “There are still acts of disobedience that must be handled,” he said.

  “We’re leaving,” Mikos said in reply.

  The excitement around them faded immediately, and Ian narrowed his eyes. “You’re abandoning your pack?”

  “No. Starting our own.” Mikos’s voice gained an edge of cockiness. “The pack is too large. A split is inevitable and has been put off for too long. You could have allowed Viktor to lead, but you didn’t.”

  Ian spoke through clenched teeth, “An alpha needs to be mated. It is an example—”

  “And I am mated. I am also immediately next in succession. By those laws, you don’t rule me any longer. I am alpha of my own pack. The split has begun.”

  Kyra froze at the twist that she should have seen coming.

  “You and a mate don’t qualify as a pack, nor would that help in splitting
the pack,” Ian replied. “A clever attempt at a loophole, but with a massive flaw.”

  “Your pack is already split,” Peter said from off to one side. “My mate and I will go.” He and Laurel moved to stand behind Kyra and Mikos.

  “You should have been more proactive,” Mikos muttered to Ian. “But at the very least, you still have Viktor. You still have one powerful bloodline.”

  More lupine divided from the crowd to stand near them. Some were faces Kyra didn’t recognize at all.

  “How...” she whispered, looking at Mikos.

  His eyes didn’t leave Ian, but he responded gently, “I’ll explain everything later.” To Ian, he said, “We will gather the rest of our pack and be gone shortly. Perhaps in time, we can form a more cordial alliance.”

  Ian didn’t respond, only turned away to meet with the other two elders. Kyra wasn’t sure why they hadn’t participated, but it was a mystery for another day. After a long, hard stare, Clara patted Kyra’s head but said nothing, and she and Mercer walked away.

  Kyra’s mother and father had not moved towards them, and Kyra fought tears over their choice. Perhaps it was to be expected. She didn’t know if she could forgive them anyways.

  Mikos swept her up and carried her away, despite the protests of those who wanted to congratulate her.

  “I know what you’re thinking,” he said quietly.

  She stared at his jaw and had the urge to lick it. “You sure?”

  “Just because we were ordered to shun you, didn’t mean you lost every friend. We were waiting for you.”

  “I know you said...”

  “But you never really believed, I can tell. I wouldn’t lie to you. I’m going to take you home—to my home, which isn’t a silver nugget of tragedy in the middle of nowhere. Then I’m going to clean you up. Then I’m going to make you very dirty. Then you’ll bathe, and you’ll have a celebration with those of us who wanted nothing more than to do this three years ago.”

  Wrapping her arms tight around his neck she marveled, “Is this real?”

  “I sure hope so. I’d hate for all of my planning to have gone to waste.”

  SEVENTEEN

  Standing at the edge of the Sarka pack’s territory, Kyra scanned the land with the bittersweet haze of nostalgia over her eyes. This land was supposed to be with her until her last breath. It was supposed to be where she raised a family. Now she would leave it behind forever.

  She adjusted the backpack digging into her shoulders. They would only bring what they could easily carry, which wasn’t much. They would travel for several weeks, and when their journey ended, they would build. She wasn’t sure what to expect. No part of her upbringing had prepared her for this. Moving into the world of humans was one thing, and that had been a possibility she’d wrapped her head around, but this was an entirely different challenge.

  Not only new land but a new pack. One that didn’t even have a name. One with no history or legacy except for what she and Mikos and the rest would put forth over time.

  “I’m sorry about your parents,” Laurel said from beside Kyra. “I kept thinking they would change their minds.”

  “It’s okay.” Kyra glanced over. “I spoke to my father. They are torn, but they agree that my future is my own.”

  That was the short story of it, at least. There was too much guilt and regret to expect to unpack their problems in a few days. She couldn’t stick around solely to try and solve everything. She had to move on. They could follow and see if everything would work out, but that wasn’t happening, and she couldn’t expend more energy worrying about it.

  She wanted them to come, but she also didn’t. Her heart was torn. With everything else, she didn’t need that sort of distraction.

  “Do you think it’ll feel different?” Laurel asked. “I’ve never spent time away. I’ve heard others say that it’s terrible being cut off from the land.”

  “Maybe it’ll be strange at first. But we’ll have our bond to each other to keep us strong.” Kyra dragged the toe of her boots in a line through the dirt. “The ancestors are everywhere, and once we claim our land, we’ll be able to connect with them again. Our new land will welcome us, and I bet it’ll be even better than here.”

  “I want to be brave but I’m shaking inside. My wolf is restless,” Laurel admitted.

  Kyra looked around. “You should stay close to Peter.”

  “I will. But I have a duty to you. By the time we reach our new home, I want to have caught up with you.” Laurel smiled. “Eventually you’ll cave.”

  The walls that kept Kyra from welcoming Laurel in were already in the process of crumbling away, but she was hesitant to admit it. “I’m a little overwhelmed. I went from being ‘the filthy eparatos’ to an alpha’s mate in a matter of minutes,” she reasoned. “Ian’s mate hides. I don’t want to be like that.”

  “I’ve never understood Ruby’s desire to avoid any council events. To me, it always seemed as if she didn’t support him.”

  “Exactly,” Kyra agreed.

  The problem was, Ian had been the alpha her entire life, which meant she’d been raised seeing his mate as a shadow on the edge. She didn’t know what being an alpha’s mate meant. If there were duties, she wasn’t aware. More importantly, beyond whatever responsibilities may crop up, she didn’t know what to expect from her relationship with Mikos.

  As the alpha, would he slip back into his old ways? Obsessed with tradition and rituals that didn’t have the future in mind?

  “You know the worst part about us elderly setting the pace?” Ross asked, walking up. “It means we have to walk through the spiderwebs first,” he finished with feigned annoyance.

  “We also get the luxury of having everyone watch us trip and stumble,” Thea added.

  Kyra chuckled softly. The number of lupine who had chosen to follow Mikos had shocked her—nearly two dozen—but the biggest surprise was that Ross and Thea had volunteered to join as well. They would be the elders for the time being. Until they got annoyed with the young pups, as Ross said.

  “I should go check with Mikos. It’s almost time to leave, but I can’t tell if this is everyone,” Kyra said. She walked away, searching the faces and trying to remember names. This was her pack now, and it felt strange not knowing everyone. Many of them came from the new clans that had merged recently, which made her wonder of their loyalty.

  Perhaps they wanted better than what Ian offered, and assumed Mikos could do that.

  “Kyra.”

  She stopped and turned. Thea was walking behind her, and once she caught up to Kyra, she lifted her chin and stared into Kyra’s eyes. They stayed that way for a moment in silence, until Kyra grew impatient.

  “Thea?”

  “You reminded me of my sister.”

  “I know. You told me. And I’m sorry what happened to her... Mikos told me.”

  “I suppose I should have known that eventually, you would hear of Ana.” Thea frowned slightly. “It was hard to see you with Mikos when I thought I knew what would happen. I could not imagine an outcome where you would not break his heart.”

  Kyra let the words sink in. “Break his heart? I didn’t even have it for the longest time.”

  “Says you. And says him,” Thea said doubtfully. “I may be old but I’m not crazy, nor am I blind. He’d let slip of seeing you with humans, and I heard the jealousy in his murmurs. Jealousy that made no sense if he didn’t care about you.”

  “Oh.” Kyra hadn’t even considered that, and Mikos had admitted as much already.

  “The night Mikos brought you to my home I saw it in his eyes. Heard it in his pounding heart. He loved you. And I thought for certain it would doom him.”

  “Is that why you were...” Kyra searched for a polite word. “Upset?”

  “Upset. Unpleasant. Rude,” Thea said with a sigh. “It was terrible to lose my sister the way I did, and because I was ignorant of the council’s ‘tests’ I thought she had committed suicide. That level of disrespect for life..
. our pack didn’t even bury her on our land. She was carried away from our ancestors.”

  “I had no idea,” Kyra whispered, horrified. To be buried off of their land was practically unheard of.

  “I tried to forget her name. We weren’t to speak of her. Then years later I married out of that pack. I joined the Sarkas. In time, Ross became an elder. He discovered that foul ritual and he told me the truth.” Thea’s eyes grew steely. “Even though this was before Ian’s time, I have never trusted him or the rest. How can I? Ana wanted nothing else but to be fully lupine and those charged with protecting her are the ones that destroyed her body and spirit and gave her a criminal’s burial.”

  The levels of hypocrisy and corruption that plagued their “noble” pack still shocked Kyra. “I had no idea. I’m so sorry.”

  “Seeing you... I was angry because I didn’t want to witness Mikos’s pain. But I was also furious at myself for how I’d turned my back on Ana. I didn’t want to face it.” Thea shook her head.

  “Mikos is strong.”

  “Yes, but I had always worried about your effect on the boys.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Viktor and Mikos, both.” Thea rubbed her neck. “You may not know, but when you were born you were promised to Viktor. It wasn’t until you were about three or four that it was determined that Mikos would be a better match.”

  “I don’t remember that at all,” Kyra said, her mind railing at the thought. “I know that our lines were intended, but I assumed I had been born too late to be bound to Viktor. I thought it was decided to be Mikos before I was born because he would be closer to my age.”

  Thea shrugged. “The difference in age was not the determinant. For lupine, and especially in the case of trying to tamper with fate to save bloodlines, age is rarely even an afterthought. What changed your cards was temperament. Viktor showed no interest in caring for you or even getting to know you.”