“Are you sure you are okay with explaining this to the Pack over a video call? What about how the Pack feels? Won’t they feel like they are being dragged down or used? Shouldn’t they have some kind of choice in this?” Raven asked as they settled into a set of guest rooms at the Oracle’s Facility. “Pet, stop it. Packs aren’t a modern convention. Yes, I’m fine with telling them they have a mission over a video call. If they don’t appreciate it that’s their problem and maybe they need to find a new Pack. I’m sick of stepping around everyone worrying about how they feel and how they’ll react. We fucked up and now we’ve a chance to do something to repair our mistake. A Pack isn’t a democracy in a modern sense so it’s not like I’ll be voted out. It’s a lot more difficult than that too get rid of an Alpha, but we still must be careful. Honesty is important. But honesty and how the details are disclosed must be tempered. That’s where the limit is placed. Who learns wha
Raven soon learned the others consisted of four. There were five people who could do what she did and fell within an age range where they could physically do the job. The others were either too young or too old. There were two wolf shifters, a druid, a vampire, and a bear shifter. All they needed to add to the group was a mage and a dragon. Why? To round out the main controlling factions and have most magic types covered. The group would have fourteen going in and scattering to manage different parts of the mission when the time came. But until then Raven and Dominic would need to wait. They’d meet the others so if they encountered them, they’d know they could trust them and how the should expect them to act. Lily still hadn’t found that supposed dreamer who spoke to Raven. This disturbed Raven a lot. She’d almost been sucked in by whoever they were, and she may have gone with her at the time. Or believed anything she’d said.
Raven hadn’t expected training to include fight training for her. She thought she’d learn about building the Dream Realm or maybe interacting with things and creatures there. But it wasn’t, they put weapons in her hands and expected her to learn to shift with speed. When Striker, their head training instructor insisted, she start strength training. Raven lost her mind and broke. Dominic was furious when he found her crying in the corner of the training area. Striker and he almost came to blows three times that week, but now there was nothing Raven could do to stop Dominic from going after Striker. She knew it would be a mess as the two males would be evenly matched. But Raven didn’t want a war happening either from this. So, instead of following Dominic, Raven went in search of Lily to see if she could do something about this. After all, Striker was one of her people. She didn’t want there to be trouble between them from this. “Lily. Lil
“What is going on in here? Has everyone and his uncle lost his mind? STOP!” Lily’s voice rose at a steady pace until she screamed the last word. The protectors and mates were all fighting among themselves. Not sparring or training. They were slugging it out and ripping into each other. Lily knew this would happen it had to. This is what happened when you dropped too many strong-willed leader types into one space. Then didn’t give them directions on where to look for leadership. Lily saw this happening and now she had to deal with it. But Dominic was the lynch pin right now. She had to get him to go to Raven and get them to bond. Without that trust they wouldn’t be able get through this. She wasn’t a large being by anything and getting between several scrapping large almost feral males wasn’t a smart idea, but she did it anyway. She wasn’t sure what she was screaming or who she was screaming at, but Lily wanted them to stop and take notice. It took s
Dominic came barreling out of the training room looking rather worse for wear. He wasn’t sure where he’d find Raven or what mood she’d be in. Lily seemed so sure of herself and what Raven thought. Goddess, he was afraid Lily was right and Raven had kept quiet. She shut down about anything and everything that bothered her. He didn’t know half of what went on in her mind because she wouldn’t tell anyone. It was like she was a scared rabbit in a wolf’s body. It had been all he could do to get her to shift the first time they’d started to train. Now here he was trying to find her to pled with her and reassure her that he what? Would stop saying conflicting things? Doing conflicting things? Fuck. He’d screwed himself up good and he didn’t have anyone but himself to blame. Oh, sure he could blame the elder council for their stupid demands, but he could have shut them down whenever he wanted to. If he’d only stepped up and showed some of his strength and n
Raven sat on the window bench as Dominic loomed over her and yelled at her. She’d never seen him like this. He seemed almost to be in a panic at the thought of her doing something she’d done many times before. Okay, the chances of being killed were higher. Okay, a lot higher. But he was acting like she was important or something. But her reason was sound. Wasn’t it? The Pack needed a leader. If they both died without an heir, or someone set to takeover. Then what would happen to the Pack? Or if she came back without Dominic. Raven was sure they would never forgive her for losing him. “You’re not being reasonable Dominic.” Raven could see he responded to this with his emotions and not with his leadership skills or experience. She knew she must get him to see the serious nature of this. They’d leave the Pack without a leader for who knew how long. “What has reasonable got to do with this? How am I supposed to be reasonable about my mate de
Dominic wanted her to trust him. He admitted his word wasn’t consistent before this. Could she trust him to keep to his word? She had to, now, didn’t she? The way he’d responded to her was when she told him she understood he had responsibilities to the Pack over her. It wasn’t what she’d expected at all. Dominic yelled at her. Raven didn’t think she’d heard anyone say the word ‘no’ so many times in so close a succession over one thing. He’d stomped his feet in his displeasure. Dominic’s wolf’s nature came out and it scared her at first. She thought he’d take his anger out on her. But he was angry because she was sending him away. Not because she was forcing him to forsake his Pack for her. Raven tried to make it easy for him not to struggle decide between the guilt of neglecting his Pack for the mate he didn’t want. Now she lay there watching him sleep as she realized what was going on. He’d been doing everything alone. Trying to take the lead witho
“Where are you going Pet?” Dominic leaned up on his elbow in bed as he watched Raven reach for the door. “I need to see Lily. I have an idea, but something feels off. I want a second opinion.” Raven wanted to be out of there and back again before he woke up. But that wouldn’t happen now. “You couldn’t ask me? I’m your mate. Your partner.” Raven stopped at the door and turned back. She blinked, frowned at him. Her head tilted to the side as she tried to process how to say this to Dominic. She sighed heavily and returned to bed. “It’s not something I would think to talk to you or most people about. It’s about something or someone in the Dream Realm. I wanted to ask her if I should try to contact that girl again and see if I could get some useful information from her. You know pretend she’s my friend and ally. See if she’ll accidentally reveal something else. But.” Raven paused; she didn’t want to sound like she was dismissing him.