[HOURS BEFORE PAUL SEES RAVEN IN THE CELL] Paul and Dom led the enforcer group to the central-west club. Down near the old Canadian National Expedition western gates. Streets, small, reminiscent of horse-drawn carts, not cars. Street cars ran east to west on the streets and buses north and south. These were not streets where wolves could wander free in their fur, let alone tear one another apart. But since the city grew past the tiny villages and hamlets into each other and became towns, then cities, and now the Greater Toronto Area, GTA. Wolf shifters and others lurked on every street with businesses alongside those belonging to humans. The social club was one of those businesses. It claimed to be a member only social club. What they meant was they were a social club for supernatural creatures. Here, long before it became legal, alcohol, and gambling ran. People here gamble with more than money. Alpha Jones could buy many things and his buyers often
Hilary stayed on the outskirts and the hidden spots near the Pack House until Alpha Jones departed for business. Hilary entered the Pack House. She couldn’t find Raven anywhere to deal with her. No one would speak to her about Raven. Hilary knew no one would have a problem with her removing her competition from existence. Raven was no competition as she wasn’t a Pack member, but a possession. Alpha Jones’s attention Raven stole from Hilary’s caused her problem. Hilary couldn’t learn about what business Alpha Jones went to deal with or how long he’d be gone. She didn’t know what to do. They didn’t want trouble, so they gave her what she wanted. How could Alpha Jones act like that to her? She had beauty and breeding, unlike Raven, the gutter trash wolf. Raven was all but a rogue. If Hilary spoke, Raven would turn rogue. Hilary knew what it took to lead the Pack. Her mother drummed everything she needed to know into her at an early age. Born and raised
“No, I don’t want you. Leave me alone.” Alpha Jones pushed her away again before he turned to his Beta. “Paul, get me my Pet. Only she is allowed to care for me. It’s her job. Tell her I command it if she gives you any trouble.” “But I’m here to help and care for you Alpha. Me, Hilary. I’m here and I want to assist you like a chosen mate should.” Hilary realized her mistake when speaking to her injured Alpha. He tried to sit up but failed and Hilary cried out in surprise at his actions. The enforcers the Beta mentioned entered to see their Alpha lunging at him. “He’s delusional. Help me.” Hilary said. As she burst into tears as she cried out. “I said LEAVE Hilary! I meant it. You aren’t welcome here. Paul, remove her and ensure she doesn’t return.” “You need someone watching over you Alpha. She’s willing.” “I said bring me my Pet now. She will look after my needs.” Hilary’s outrage packe
Raven didn’t argue with the Beta. She felt glad to leave the cell behind. The stairs were a lot. The Beta led her by the arm. He’d focus on scolding her first, which meant he’d keep hold of her and prevent her from falling. Four floors later, Raven entered Alpha Jones’s living quarters, and the Beta led her into the Alpha’s bedroom. “Where’re the guards? They should be here guarding the Alpha.” He grumbled under his breath. The Beta’s anger was visible to Raven as he pulled her along. “I’m sorry. I don’t know where they are.” Raved had wished to ask why they guarded inside the Alpha’s living quarters and not outside the entrance to it. Raven got her answer when she saw the Alpha in his bed. Alpha Jones looked pale. He’d the look of a wolf in a forced healing state. As an Alpha, his importance to the Pack meant he couldn’t afford downtime for illness or injury if a healer could avoid it. Reality lent its science to this aspect of shifter
“It’s simple. I’ve never had the power to resist in this group. Without Pack status, there was nothing to protect. If I had fought back or tried to defend any claims.” Raven said. She shrugged her shoulders as she watched the Alpha hold her hand. “I had to care for my little belongings, as nobody else would. No, it wasn’t easy. I had to search beyond the Pack to stay alive. If I retaliated against Hilary, I couldn’t control my anger. I’d have killed her.” Her emotion went unnoticed by Paul, which was not to his liking. His wolf’s instincts screamed in his brain that the missing emotion was a red flag. She avoided saying something to him.“The Alpha claimed you refused to join Pack or him. Paul said. He felt his curiosity rise when it appeared as if her words and the Alpha’s didn’t match. He wanted to know how she explained the conflicting explanations. “Is that what he told you? I wonder if he knows how wrong that is. Or did someone lie to him about that, and h
“This is insane. How dare they invade and establish themselves in our territory? Alpha Klyne asked. “The nerve of these humans was unbelievable to him.” Local humans hated the Red River Pack so much that he’d do anything to push them out of the area. The Pack needed their territory and baring keeping that, they’d need fresh territory. Yet, the Humber Valley Pack had already established their claim on that territory. “They claim they inherited the property and have reclaimed it.” Dale, his Beta, spoke over the phone with him. Alpha Klyne felt disheartened and annoyed with Alpha Jones. He’d never expected things to unfold as they had, and he’d come unprepared for a fight. “That’s ridiculous. It’s impossible. Our Pack has existed in this territory for five generations. Shifter generations, not humans. These humans are liars.” Alpha Klyne said. He protested the unfair treatment of his people by their long-time neighbors. The humans screamed and complain
Raven sat beside Alpha Jones as he rested on his bed. She couldn’t do anything else because he wouldn’t release her hand. He gripped it to his chest, relying on it as a lifeline or tether. Releasing it would mean being lost somehow. That’s the impression Raven had of Alpha Jones’s actions. Raven doubted he knew how his wolf acted. She was unsure if he acted as a wolf and his wolf tried to claim her as his. While his human half ignored and resisted their mate bond. When Alpha Jones awoke, Raven knew nothing had changed between them. No one told her how he received his injuries or what state his injuries were in. So, there she sat. Watching him to ensure that he didn’t take a turn for the worse. Unknowing, what would signal a turn for the worse? Raven could feel an ache in her heart from the fear she might miss something. She had no right to demand answers or actions. She was to blame for putting herself in a position like this. Nothing new there. Rav
“I’m on it. I’m sorry and I’ll get this fixed right away.” The Delta returned to his computer and began working. He should his head in disbelief at what he’d learned. Alpha Jones had announced yesterday that he didn’t have a chosen mate. Hilary campaigned to ensure every Pack member knew she believed herself the next Luna by becoming his chosen mate. “I want her confined and waiting for Alpha Jones before he awakens. Am I understood? I need to know who disobeyed my command. Heads will roll. Hilary disobeyed my command for the third time. I won’t have her running around her attacking people and lying about her position within this Pack. Get this fixed.” He left the command center. The kitchen was his next stop, and it didn’t take him long to have a tray of food prepared and he delivered it in person to Dom’s living quarters. When he entered, he found Dom sleeping undisturbed, with Raven in what appeared to be a death grip. She slept on top of the covers at an awkward angle, not
“Raven, I’ll say this right now. I’m looking to make a shift away from it and while some people will not like this I don’t care. But I won’t tell them why because I don’t want to put you in danger. If one of my enemies or rivals decides to use, you against me or use your abilities they may try to kidnap you. So, we’ll say nothing to anyone outside of our Pack and we’ll speak with those within the Pack that must know.” Dominic said. He tried to assure Raven about her safety and his sincerity. “Dominic we can’t tell anyone about what I can do. For one thing, no one would believe it. For another, you’re right they might try to use it. I never thought they might try to use me against you by kidnapping me.” Raven felt stunned at the thought that she was agreeing with him and accepting her. “So, what do we do now? You say I’m the important one, but I don’t feel like it, and I don’t know how to proceed. Or do I say, how we proceed with this.” Raven looked to Dominic a
“We couldn’t help Tom?” Kelly asked. She’d missed their arrival and Tom being bundled off to the healing center. “No, we couldn’t. Those arrows hit him when he was in this realm. We couldn’t do anything about the poison. Even in the Dream Realm the poison would kill him, and his mate must be a Dreamer to bring him back. Everything and everyone have limits no matter how powerful they are. Well, that’s what I’ve had to come to terms with.” Raven watched Brigid’s haunted face as she said this. The other dreamers were there with them now and they’d been discussing their abilities and learning about what they could do. Their situation within the Dream Realm and how much danger they were in. What dangers came from the realm and what came from the Fae. “I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m exhausted. There’s just too much to take in. I need time to take this all in.” Raven wanted to spend time with Dominic. She had so many questions for him. How had he
Their arrival didn’t go unnoticed for long. Which they were all thankful for. Brigid, though, was in a panic. She could do nothing in this realm to help save Tom. The arrows were poisoned. At the first mention of poison, the trickle of people became a flurry. Lily got word out to the closest healing center to expect him and arranged a mage portal to get him sent right there. In moments Tom and Luke were gone with two other wolves from their Pack. Raven watched as people moved about all weary of Brigid. They were unsure how to respond or interact with her. Did they worship her? Treat her as a ruler? Approach her as a friend or an enemy? What did they do? How did someone interact with a being they thought of as a god for thousands of years? Especially, when they’re standing directly in front of them looking rather bedraggled and lost. “Reality is never what the stories tell us. I wish it was. A goddess in one realm is a nobody in another realm. What c
Dominic’s mind was still scattered, but he could move, and he did. He knew who he was and who Raven was. What was different was more than he had time to think about as they made their way back to where they needed to go. They had found their objective, and he had to push his mate to get them out of there. The enemy was in there and they now swarmed over the land searching for the small female with them. If they found her, then they’d find Raven. Both were creatures who could twist the very air of this realm into whatever they wanted. Goddess, he’d been killed hours ago. He remembered the searing pain as the Fae tore into him with a magical wild-fire spell. Dominic remembered his body being torn apart and burned piece by piece. These sick creatures created a spell that could keep their victims alive until the last piece of them was consumed. Yet, the Fae creature hadn’t realized his mate was a Dreamer and there. Brigid walked Raven through recreating
“I still don’t know if I can do this.” Raven listened to Brigid’s words and instructions about how she was supposed to build a new body for Dominic. She claimed he’d be the same as he was before. If that’s what she wanted. Oh yes, she’d hinted at the fact that Raven could tweak things if something needed changing. But she’d warned her that it couldn’t be too big of a change. Raven didn’t know what Brigid meant by that. But she was still having problems believing she could do this. How could this be something she’d be able to do? If she didn’t Dominic would stay dead. If she didn’t try, he’d be dead when they returned to their reality. If she tried and failed, at least she could say she tried. If she succeeded, she’d have Dominic back. What did she have to lose? Other than hope. “You won’t know if you can do anything the first time you try to do anything until after you’ve tried to do it.” Brigid said. She was being humorous and smiled at her in a mo
Raven didn’t know how long or where she was. But she knew something was wrong long before her mind was fully functional. When she realized that she couldn’t find Dominic that Raven knew something was wrong. When Luke noticed Raven was awake, everyone moved to her side. “Hey, hey, Luna Jones, are you back with us? Okay, take it easy. Breathe. Breathe. Calm yourself. You’re okay. It’s not what you think. We need to talk, but we can’t if you get upset again.” “Where’s my mate? Where’s Dominic?” Raven sat up from where she lay on the ground in a strange place. “Where am I?” At least she recognized Luke and Tom, but she didn’t recognize the female. “Please Luna Jones, stay calm and relax. We need to explain this to you. There’s a limited time to change the outcome and we can’t stay here long. Please listen to this. It’s unbelievable but it’s a miracle. Just listen to her.” Tom begged Raven. She didn’t know what Tom was speaking about, but sh
Raven didn’t know what happened to Dominic or how to get him back. He and the guard he’d attacked were fighting in the cage on top of the column. “How do we get Dominic down from there?” There was no way she would leave without her mate. Tom and Luke turned on her. “Luna Jones, we understand our orders and your feelings. There’s nothing we can do. You and the lady here are our priority to get out of here.” “I’m going back in there to get him back. Our Pack needs him.” Raven found Tom holding her back with the help of the female. “No, you can’t. Only a living person can switch places with him. Also, the Keeper will return at any minute. He won’t let the guard, or your friend live long.” The soft voice of the female had Raven’s reacting violently to this. “We can’t leave him behind.” As we spoke in hushed tones the creature Raven assumed the female called the Keeper returned. Raven panicked and she had to get to Dominic now. So
One cage was left up on a high column with a lone occupant. Raven gasped when she saw the being move. “They’re alive up there Dominic. She’s up there. That’s her. I know it. I don’t know how, but they won’t let us use our abilities here. So, she can’t rescue herself. They’re practically tapping her of everything she has because they’ve used up or killed all the others.” “These were the others I assume.” “Yes, I think so. At least, most of them.” “Looks like someone was angry. How are we going to reach her? They shattered all the other columns.” Tom asked. He tried to work out a way to get to her, but like everyone there it was one of those monumental tasks. “We don’t have climbing equipment, and the column is solid stone. I don’t see any cracks or veins. It would take days or weeks to work our way up making footholds if we had the gear. That’s if anyone knew how to use it. I’ve only gone to a rock-climbing gym a few times.” “
Raven stepped away from the others without a word. The males debated what they found lying on the ground, but they found nothing long or strong enough to work as the tools they needed. Luke went through his pack searching for anything. “Need out strips want. Function and form are one. Take from the scrap and bring it value, beauty, use, and form.” Raven said half to herself. She muttered under her breath as she stared at her hands as if the debris in her hands was an object to study. Her hands moved over it. Pressing, pushing, and pulling at it as she tweaked the object. The object glowed with a faint light that pulsed with each movement of her hands. “This should work to pop the hinges out.” Raven returned to Dominic’s side, and in her hands lay a thick rod and a heavy mallet. She offered them to Tom who hesitated to take them. “Uh, thanks.” When he did take them, his features changed to show a look of surprise. He felt the weight of the mallet and