After the fiascos with Clive and Naomi, we decided to have all the interrogations with the prisoners cuffed at wrists and ankles to a bolted down table with their alpha or Zak in the room to control them and at least two guards. We can’t afford to have more people hurt. And we still have two more wolves, plus William and Adam to talk to know.
Clive is in the pack hospital, still knocked out from Brandon’s punch this morning. We have Naomi in a solitary confinement cell until it’s decided what to do with her. Liam and Bhakti want to execute her. She technically killed their pregnant mate and luna-to-be.
But Sandra and Karamea are fighting for her life. Had she not been scared and Karamea’s untrained gift pulling on her emotions, none of that would have happened. We hadn’t had a chance to sit down and talk about what would happen to Naomi, but I think a lot of that is going to depend on how things go
The news that Julian is attempting to bring Mathias and his allies to their side is not good. Not good at all. But we can’t worry about that right now. We’ve got to get the families from Mathias’ pack. We’ve got a job to do. Time enough to worry about the western borders when we get back. “New objective, everyone. Get the wolves we’re there for out as fast as you possibly can. Kill any of Mathias’ men that you have to. We’re not looking for stealth now. We’re looking to get in and out, but also hurt Mathias,” Zak announces to everyone as we are loading into the vehicles that evening. Several of us will be riding to the outskirts of Mathias’ borders today, about 24 hours of riding in the car. Yay. I can already feel my brain melting from boredom. The warriors nod their affirmation and continue packing up the vehicles. We’re almost ready to go. Zak pulls me and my mates aside.&n
We stopped at the border of Georgia and Florida, not wanting to be close enough that the pack would be able to pick up our scents or hear us. We’re technically just inside Blue Crescent territory, but Arya said that they don’t really patrol out here because it is too close to a human town. It puts us about an hour and half away from Mathias’s pack. And 90 minutes from whatever he is burning. Whoever he is burning. Luckily, we have eight four-wheelers with us, which go up to 60 mph. Riding two per vehicle, 16 of us can go through the woods to get to the Blue Crescent pack buildings. The straight shot through the woods will put us there nearly an hour before the APCs because of the twists in turns of the roads. We quickly get Donovan, his crew of four wolves and eight of our strongest wolves and hop on the four-wheelers. Arya rides with Xander, telling him where to go through the woods. The closer we get to
I stand beside the body of Isaac, set on one of the couches in the packhouse. Also in the room are Brandon, Arya, Devin, and Xander. The rest of the wolves are tending the fire, trying to calm the wolves from the three other packs who lost their mates today, and making another search of the territory for any sign of Mathias and his goons. I have no idea how they made it so that Lacey didn’t feel what they were doing to Isaac. Not until his death. It happened at some point while we were in the air. Charlie called us and let us know that Lacey collapsed, screaming in agony before she passed out. She had been distraught since she woke, screaming that Isaac was dead and that her pup would never meet its father. They had to sedate her and keep her in the hospital, hooked up to monitors to ensure that the baby’s health wasn’t compromised. I have never seen anything like what they’d done to Isaac. Not only had they beaten the
This was…the worst, most fucked up thing that I have ever seen. Wolves are fiercely protective of their own and what they claim as theirs, so war isn’t unheard of. Though war has never been brought upon my pack in my lifetime until now, we have been allies to others who have brought us into their war. We have trained all our lives. And some of us are military vets who have been a part of conflict. In Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq. My grandfather is a Vietnam vet. My father was a part of Desert Storm. I was lucky that I wasn’t deployed to any places where I needed to fight during my time in the Marines, but I understand the discipline needed to fight. And we have trained our pack in that vision. Seems that Gael and his bloodline have trained their wolves in the same way. And that’s how we’re training all of the wolves in our alliances now. But no matter where I’ve gone, no matter what I’ve seen i
When we get back to the Diana Pack, Meredith, Declan, and Lucille organize a remembrance ceremony with the other oracles. While we were still at the Blue Crescent territory, Meredith had asked that we bring back a container of ashes from the school. We would dedicate them to the Goddess and set up a memorial to those that died. Everyone, and I mean everyone, that was currently living at the Diana Pack attended the ceremony. Approximately 1,200 wolves gathered on the lawn behind the packhouse. The men who had mated wolves from the Lycaon, Mene, and Cancer packs were still having trouble just standing from the crippling pain of losing the other half of their soul. The other wolves may not have been in as much physical pain, but they were mourning the loss of their pack, their family, just as much. The oracles each wore floor-length, flowing midnight blue tunics, their feet and heads bare. All of the other wolves also had bare heads
We set up in the dining hall, which has become our de facto Alpha Council space. Gael brings Meredith’s chair to the center of the space, helping his mate/Goddess into her seat. Lucille offers the Goddess food and drink, which she declines.Devin and several guards bring in Naomi, Adam, and William. They are heavily chained with silver around their wrists, ankles, chests, and waists. Every inch of exposed skin is wrapped in silver to subdue them. The smell of burnt flesh fills the air and you can see the irritation on their skin every time they shift.The males shoot malevolent glances at the she-wolf, angry with the information that she had given us. But Naomi just stares at the ground, facial expression blank and body compliant.“They won’t need those chains any longer. They will remain peaceful, won’t you?” Selene’s face is placid, but the power in her voice causes all three w
¡Qué barbaridad! ¡Ella simplemente los mató! ¡Ella simplemente los mató jodidamente! ¡Justo en frente de nosotros! (Oh my god! She just killed them! She just fucking killed them! Right in front of us!). I stand there in horror, looking at my mate’s body performing the Goddess’s actions. I can still feel Meredith through the matebond. Still get occasional words from her. But it’s garbled. Like she’s talking to us through water or static. I understand enough to know that she is aware of what is happening. That she is safe. And that she is getting a front row seat to exactly what Santa Madre (Holy Mother) is thinking and feeling. I am so worried about her and our two pups within her. When Santa Madre transformed into her wolf, I thought that Meredith’s body wouldn’t be able to handle it. To cope with the change into the majestic wolf of a godde
I stare wide eyed at the Mother. “W-what do you mean?”The Mother looks into my eyes, her expression one hard for me to read. There’s…fear and…distress. Maybe longing?“Mother, do you want them to win?” My voice is a whisper, but with the quiet in the room, I know everyone hears me.“What?” Selene’s face pulls back in shock. “No! I would never…no. I just…”I kneel in front of her, taking her hands in mine. I stare deep into her black, bottomless eyes and send her all of my love. Through my touch. Through my gaze. Through fiber of my being, I let her know how much I love her.And a single tear leak from her right eye. I wipe it with my thumb, and she catches my hand and nuzzles her face into my palm, kissing it gently before pulling away. “You remind me so much of my mate, Endymio