by Marissa Teng
Lucia whined at him and went to go around him. She let out a yelp when her paw touched the floor. It was a lot more hurt than she had anticipated. It was then she noticed that inside the house were five other men all shirtless and in pants. They all watched her curiously but with great concern. The bear in the back was shifting back into his human form and Lucia saw it was Holden. He grabbed some pants from a nearby laundry basket and put them on.
“She killed him, Jaxson. We won’t get—” Holden started but then stopped when Jaxson shot him a glare.
“Lucia, you’re hurt.” Jaxson said again in a soft voice to Lucia trying to get her attention back on him. “I need you to shift back so we can fix it.”
Lucia whined again pointing with her nose at the door. They needed to get Stellan. Jaxson had to know that. He had to know that she wanted to go find her little boy.
“I know, Lucia. We will get him back. Tonight, we are taking more than half our pack and we are going to get our son back. But right now, I need you to shift.”
Lucia looked up at Jaxson and she saw the red in his eyes. Had he been crying? Lucia began to shift and the second she was back in her human form she was covered in a blanket and picked up by Jaxson. He took her to their room and placed her on their bed.
“He took Stellan.” Lucia told Jaxson, crying. “He wasn’t supposed to take Stellan. He was supposed to take me!”
“No!” Jaxson said as he examined the wound now on Lucia’s wrist. “He wasn’t supposed to get either of you! He wasn’t supposed to get this far into our territory. We will get Stellan back. Sterling has started a war with us now, Lucia. A war he cannot, and will not win.”
“I still don’t know how he made it past our borders. We were all patrolling, especially your house today.” Holden said handing Jaxson some bandages. More of the men entered the room. One of them held out a set of clothes for Lucia, which she took in surprise.
Lucia heard more people enter the house, but seeing as Jaxson didn’t falter from his work on her wrist, they must have been people he knew.
“Sylvia! Is that you?” The man who handed Lucia the set of clothes called out.
“Yeah, It’s me, Jess and Lily!” A woman answered.
“Our mates.” The man informed Lucia’s confused look. “I hope you don’t mind, Asteri, but I thought you would be more comfortable with women around and—”
“This isn’t a damn powwow, Charles,” Jaxson said. “My house isn’t big enough for the whole pack. Round everyone up outside.”
“Yes, Alpha.” Charles said with a blush. He quickly left the room along with everyone else except Holden.
“Jax…we’ll get him back.” He whispered. Jaxson didn’t say anything. He just continued to wrap Lucia wrist in bandages as she cried softly. When he was done, he helped her get dressed, got himself dressed and he held her tightly in his arms. Holden stood by quietly watching his brother probably thinking of what he could tell him.
“My own son was taken by someone right in front of me. I will not rest until he is back in his mother’s arms and that bastard of a man is brought down.”
“There’s the Alpha I know.” Holden said.
“Is everyone ready?”
“You know it.”
“Good.” Jaxson pulled away from Lucia and wiped her tears. She had prepared her argument on why she needed to be brought with them. She couldn’t stay behind while they all went to fight a war that brought to their doorstep by her.
“Jaxson I—”
“Stay by my side at all times.” Jaxson cut her off. Then he kissed her quickly but softly.
“Always.” Lucia answered.
“Let’s go get our son.”
Twelve
Jaxson held Lucia close to him as the rest of his pack surrounded his small cabin. He saw in their eyes what he felt in his blood: a need for vengeance. And for the first time, he was both proud and ashamed to be their Alpha. They felt his rage, pain, failure, and might have even felt Lucia’s and they all felt it as their own. So, they wanted to help.
“Jax! How do you want to do this?” Holden asked once all thirty-five of bears that were able to fight had arrived. About seven of them were sows but Jaxson knew that even the females in his pack were strong. Three of the sows were black bears while the rest were grizzly bears. Jaxson knew in a fight that once they were all shifted, there was no way the wolves could beat thirty-five bears. Lucia might be scared but Jaxson knew Sterling couldn’t have a bigger army than fifty wolves. He also knew that most to them did not respect him, they feared him.
“Have the Legion Bears responded to our request for aid?” Jaxson asked instead of answering. Holden smiled.
“They said they could be here in two hours. That was over an hour ago.” Good. The Legion bears was another bear pack about the same size as Jaxson’s pack but they were all polar bears. They lived higher into the mountains and Jaxson knew one of the sows from that pack was killed by Stirling himself a few years ago. Jaxson knew once he told their Alpha, Slater, that he wanted to go to war with Sterling, he would hope he would have gained an ally. Looks like he did. “They are sending twenty of their best fighters including the Alpha.”
Perfect. That brought up their numbers significantly. “Call them. See how far away they are. Maybe we can meet them at Sterling’s territory border.” Holden nodded then walked away from the group as he pulled his phone out of his back pocket and began scrolling through it. Jaxson then brought his attention to his pack. They were all either standing around his porch or on their SUVs or trucks watching him. He realized this was the first time they were all meeting Lucia, his mate, their Alpha female, their Astreti. He looked over at his mate and found her looking out over the entire pack. That surprised him. He expected her head to be down or for her to have a worried look on her face because he could feel how worried and scared and wrong, she felt. But then Jaxson noticed the vacant look in her eyes. She wasn’t looking at the pack, no, she was looking past them, through them, at nothing.
“Baby, I need you to come back to me.” He told her, grabbing the nape of her neck. Lucia blinked, looking at him. The pain in her eyes didn’t clear but the fog began to clear. “We’ll get him back.” He promised because Jaxson would get their son back. Stellan deserved a normal childhood and a normal life as did Lucia.
Lucia’s lips quirked and he knew she tried to smile. The thought that she even tried to for him in such a situation, swelled his heart. He saw that she trusted that promise and she trusted him as her mate. He would not let her down.
“They can be at Sterling’s border in forty minutes. It takes us about the same time to drive there.” Holden called out breaking the moment between them. Jaxson kissed Lucia’s forehead before he turned and addressed his pack.
“We are about to go to war with a wolf who calls himself Alpha Sterling. I know many of you know about his sadistic reputation, and I have to tell you that all the rumors about him are true. The bastard had my mate trapped in his damn compound for years until she was able to escape three weeks ago. I found her and her son, who I have claimed as mine now, on the verge of death. Now he has come back and has tried to rip apart my family. I will not stand for it. I will not stand for anyone who hurts my mate or son. I will not stand for anyone who hurts my pack!” His pack roared their agreement so strongly the cabin porch shook. “When we get there, show them all no mercy! Tonight, we will bring down the who hurt my family and we will show him that he messed with the wrong pack!”
The pack moved as one, getting into their vehicles and revving up the engines. Jaxson led Lucia to his truck while Holden and Charles jumped into the bed. Jaxson put the truck into drive and pulled out of his driveway with the rest of the pack pulling out behind him.
The sun was setting as they came out of the trees and onto the road that would lead to the mountain that would lead up to Sterling’s territory. Jaxson’s hands gripped on the steering wheel as he saw a group of people blocking the way up the mountain though.
>
“We’ve got trouble,” Jaxson called out to Holden and Charles.
“We see them,” Holden called back. “They’re wolves.”
Jaxson ground his teeth in anger and he thought about speeding up and just running them over. He still had that thought in mind when a big burly man with striking blond hair pulled away from the group and stood in front of his oncoming car with his arms crossed. Two more men of almost the same stature and same colored hair, though they looked significantly younger, mimicked his stance. Well, looked like they were all going to die—
“Stop the car!” Lucia shouted. Startled, Jaxson did just that.
“It could be an ambush, Lucia. We can’t—”
“I think…they don’t mean us harm.”
“How can you tell?” Holden asked pulling open the back window to talk to them.
“I…I can almost hear them talking to me,” Lucia said and she tilted her head trying to listen. Jaxson looked at the men who were now walking slowly closer to his truck. He did not like that at all. He wanted these men no were near his mate and was about to turn the truck back on and run them over. To hell with—but then Lucia opened the door and ran out.
“Lucia!” Jaxson roared in such panic laced with anger that his bear nearly pushed fully out and he had to force down the shift. Jaxson ran out of the truck with Holden and Charles on his heels and met Lucia at the front of the truck. He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her to his side. He wanted to throw her back into the truck where she had an extra layer of protection but now the wolves were too close. So instead, he placed her behind him and bared his teeth at the wolves. “That’s far enough.” Jaxson warned as Charles and Holden flanked him. He also heard cars behind him stop and open doors. The rest of his pack was here. Good. “Who are you and what do you want?”
“I…” The man started and he kept trying to look over Jaxson’s shoulder to Lucia. Jaxson’s bear did not like that at all and he let out a warning growl. “I am Alpha Luke.” The man finally said.
A gasp came from behind him and he turned to see his mate covering her mouth with her hands.
“What’s wrong, baby?” Jaxson asked. But Lucia didn’t look at him, she looked around him and looked towards the man and tears began dripping from her eyes.
“Daddy?”
Thirteen
“Are you sure he is your father?” Jaxson asked. “Do you recognize his scent?” The man’s face wasn’t familiar. His scent wasn’t familiar. But then again, the only scent that Lucia really was familiar with was Stellan’s and sadly, Sterling’s. It was like forgetting someone’s voice.
“I…the name. My father’s name was Luke.” Lucia answered instead.
“You got her out?” Alpha Luke asked, his sad, gruff voice breaking into their conversation. Jaxson let out another warning growl. He still hadn’t taken his eyes off the Alpha wolf and he and his two men still protected Lucia. She put her hand on his back, trying to calm him though she herself was wary. If this man was her father, why was he here? He had given her away to Sterling once, was he here to try and give her back to him a second time now that she escaped?
“She got herself out.” Jaxson growled. “But you wouldn’t know anything about that, would you? What kind of father gives away his daughter to a monster like Sterling?”
Lucia tried to remember her family. She remembered her mother, vaguely. Did she sing? Did she laugh? Her father. Did he lift her into the air and laugh? Her memories had all left her and she couldn’t remember much after Stellan was born because that was when her life really started. That was when she stopped surviving and starting fighting. Did she have siblings? Yes, she had two brothers and maybe a sister. But were they older or younger?
Lucia’s hands went up to her head and her fingers tangled in her hair. Why couldn’t she remember?!
I’m so stupid! Why can’t I remember them? I can’t even remember my family.
That’s because Stellan became your only family after they abandoned you.
“I don’t recognize anything but his name.” Lucia told Jaxson truthfully and now with more strength in her voice. “My father was called Alpha Luke and I do vaguely remember having brothers.” She looked at the two men with Alpha Luke, one who bore a striking resemblance to him…and also Stellan. So much it was frightening. “I…think I had a sister too.”
As if he knew she needed comfort, Jaxson stepped back so that his back was touching Lucia. She knew he would have turned and hugged her if he didn’t have this potential threat so close to them and therefore didn’t want to turn his back to such a threat. But it was more than enough. Lucia felt his strength that Jaxson pushed through their bond and she leaned against it, letting it hold her up.
“Arabella” One of the men said breaking her from her reverie. “Our sister’s name is Arabella. We were both eight when you were taken. Do you really not remember us?” his voice sounded hurt and it stung her a bit. “I’m Apollo. You used to sing to me.” She looked up and saw the hurt in the young man’s eyes. But there was also a kindness in them and it had nothing to do with the fact that she had looked into those eyes every day for the past six years, because those eyes…those eyes were Stellan’s eyes.
Had Lucia really sung to him? Had she sung at all? She couldn’t remember singing. She could only remember being quiet. She did hum for Stellan though. Whenever Sterling wasn’t around, she would hum a tune for him. Never the words, just the tune. The melody made her feel safe, she remembered, and she wanted Stellan to know that he was safe with her.
No, she couldn’t remember anything. Trying to think back was like stepping into quicksand and she didn’t want to sink.
“I…don’t remem—”
“Lavender’s blue dilly, dilly, Lavender’s green.” The boy, Apollo, started with an urgency behind his words that shook the song’s melody deep into her soul.
“Apollo!” Shouted Alpha Luke, trying to interrupt “Now isn’t the time nor—”
But Apollo continued.
“When I am King dilly, dilly, you shall be Queen.” The words and the tune reminded her of the safe space she had once had and the space she tried to make for Stellan. Lucia shut her eyes, not wanting to remember but at the same time, trying to grasp at a memory that was floating in front of her hand. Instead, she grabbed onto Jaxson’s forearm for strength.
“That’s enough Apollo!” Alpha Luke shouted once again. This time he grabbed Apollo as the other man and Jaxson’s men looked on with a mixture of fascination and fear. Sensing her unease, Jaxson bared his teeth at Apollo and Alpha Luke wanting to attack but also not wanting to leave his mate’s side.
“Shut that boy up before I rip out his throat!” Jaxson shouted. But still, Apollo did not stop even as Alpha Luke and the third man started pulling him away.
“Who told you so, dilly, dilly, who told you so?!” Apollo shouted as his father used his hand to cover his mouth, silencing him.
Anger and unease were felt from both ends now. Most of Jaxson’s pack had gotten out of their cars and were now lining up on either side of Jaxson and Lucia. Wolves that Jaxson and Lucia both had already sensed, were coming out of the surrounding trees and bottom of the mountain. Concern laced their faces but they looked ready for a fight if need be.
Tears stung Lucia’s eyes as she heard Apollo’s desperate song being muffled. It dug deep into the corners of her mind like a nail forcing its way in.
A memory that wanted to be remembered.
A memory that needed to be remembered.
And there, under the chaos, pain, and fear, that memory chose to arise and, like a dam breaking, her wolf released the memories that she felt were better left hidden so that Lucia could push forward and survive.
“T’was my own heart, dilly, dilly that told me so.” Lucia sang and looked up and now saw her brothers, yes both of them because she remembered now, Apollo and Lukas. Then she saw her father and he still held the same anguish on his face that he held the day he had to give her away to Sterlin
g.
Lucia looked over all their faces and tried to remember as much as she could as all the memories came flooding back. She knew Jaxson could feel the rush of her emotions because he swayed a bit and grabbed his head before righting himself and her.
Her eyes sought out Apollo’s. Her younger brother who she did remember singing to and his eyes were red with tears. She thinks that it was him she missed most. Not that she loved her other siblings any less, but Apollo, though he was six years younger than her, always took her side. No matter what argument, he was there with his chubby cheeks and his chest puffed out claiming that she did nothing wrong or that someone else was at fault.
He would often sneak into her room with Arabella, claiming it was his twin that was scared but Lucia knew Apollo was just too scared and too proud to admit it.
That was when she would sing. She would sing to both of them until they fell asleep on her bed. She never minded. She loved them and they loved her.
“Do you…do you remember me now, Lucia?” Apollo asked pushing himself away from his father and brother.
“Stellan has your eyes.” She managed with a sob. Feeling her trust towards the men through their bond, Jaxson nodded to his pack and they stepped back then he gave Lucia a light push forward and that was all she needed. Lucia ran towards her bother and he met her halfway, wrapping her in his arms as they both embraced. In the next second, her older brother Lukas joined the hug followed quickly by her father.
“Lucia, Lucia my sweet girl I’m so sorry.” Alpha Luke cried. He managed to move Lucia so he could cradle her face in his hands. “Not a day went by that we didn’t try to get you.” He turned to Jaxson who was not even a foot away from Lucia. “He has the biggest army this side of the mountains. My pack is forty wolves who are ready to fight but Sterling has at least one hundred. Who are you anyway, bear, and how did you manage to get my daughter out of his fortress? It’s impenetrable.”
“He is my mate, Jaxson.” Lucia answered removing herself from her family then walking back to Jaxson’s side who held out his hand for her. “A few weeks ago, Stellan shifted and attacked Sterling.”