Blackshadow (Kingdom of Wolves #2)

We have had a couple of incidences when male rogues, not from around here, have come across us bathing and we’ve had to fight, or be claimed unwillingly. That is something none of us want. Florrie, two years ago, killed herself when she was claimed against her will. Neither she nor her wolf wanted to remain tied to the horrendous male that had found her alone picking nuts and berries. The only good thing that came of that was Gamzin killed the rogue male and left his body to rot or for the wild animals to eat.

After returning to my shack, I sit outside drinking a chamomile tea, listening, but hearing only murmurs as people speak quietly to each other.

Smiling as I see Swift walk towards me, handing me a plate with a nice portion of meat. “I brought down a deer. It was old, and I thanked Selene for the offering. We will all eat well tonight, Hope.”

“Thank you. I’ve made some healing lotion today, and I’m drying out some sunflowers. We’ll have enough to store some seeds for planting next year.”

“How many do you think are now living around here?” Swift asks, taking me by surprise with the question.

“I don’t know.” I look down at her where she’s sitting cross-legged beside my rickety stool.

“We’ll never become a pack, and we’ll always be under the orders of the likes of Gamzin. We will end up either having to take a chosen mate or being forced to mate, never having a real chance of finding our soul mates. I think we’ve got to give the Blackshadow Pack a chance, Hope. If it doesn’t work out, we can always renounce the pack and come back to the Parklands.”

Nodding because Swift is only saying what I have been thinking and worrying about. “Yes, I agree. We could end up in no-man’s-land if some rogue gets hold of us. That’s what happened to Dilly’s daughter, if you remember. Dragged away screaming for her momma, while her momma was crawling forward badly injured trying to save her. We never saved Dilly from those injuries, and we never saw her daughter again either. That could be any of us, Swift.”

“I reckon there has to be between thirty and fifty shifters or humans in this area now. But you know only one or two would try to come to our aid if anything happened.”

Sighing, I reply, “Yeah, I know. Let’s do this together. Let’s see what it’s like and if we decide to join that pack, we’ll stick together watching each other’s back.”

“Agree,” I hear from behind me and turn to see Jessie standing with Antica, Lorna and Clover and all are nodding in agreement.

“Shall we all go then, check it out, but make sure all of us stick together?” Swift asks.

One after another agrees, and I have to admit I feel lighter thinking that I’ll have people I know and trust moderately well to go with me. Swift must know my thoughts as she squeezes my knee and gives me a tiny smile of encouragement.

Clover surprises me when she asks, “Shall we take what belongings we want to keep with us and not risk coming back here? If we decide not to stay we can carry it all back again.”

“Okay, I’m good with that,” Antica states.

“I can take some, but what about all my herbs and the equipment for making my lotions?” I ask, because my herbs, flowers and my equipment are how I earn the food I eat and provide myself with the clothes on my back.

“We will ask to come back with help to dig them up and take them. If they won’t, then they are not the pack we want to be involved with. We will all stay or we will all come back. That is my promise to you all who I see as the only sisters I’ll ever have.” Lorna looks at me with such a serious face that I stand and grab ahold of her, hugging her until she laughs and states she can’t breathe.

“Oh, can you put some cream on my leg, Hope? Because I cut it while I was in the forest and it is red,” Jessie asks, and hoists up her pants leg.

I hiss as I see it is swollen and infected. Pressing on it has pus oozing, but thankfully, it’s not too much. Bustling into my shack, I pick up tea tree oil and, taking a jar of boiled water, I place a few drops into the water. Picking up the chamomile lotion too, I rush back outside and cleanse the wound with the tea tree solution until no pus is found. It looks clean now, and knowing it’s ready, I place a good amount of the chamomile lotion onto the cut. Swift has found some clean strips for us to wrap it up with, and I’m pleased now that I’m always trying to think ahead for what we may need.

By the time I lay down on my bed of straw, I’m tired, but optimistic that we may at last get out of living like this. Remembering I have not blocked the door, I quickly jump up and place a chair under the handle and lodge it so it won’t open easily. A hefty shove would open it, but it would at least give me time to get off the bed and even shift into my wolf, Briar.

‘Are you okay with leaving here, Briar?’ I mind link.

It’s about time you moved your ass from here. Something bad is going to happen one of these days. I’ve told you we need to leave, but so far you have not listened.

‘I’m sorry, Briar. I didn’t want to leave momma.’

Momma is gone now. She would not want us to be here and be mated against our will, injured or murdered.

‘You have been quiet for a long time Briar, are you sure you are okay?’

I’m good. I had nothing to say. But now we are going to move from here, I’ll have much more to say about what happens to us.

‘Good night, Briar,’

Good night, Hope.

Chapter 6

CONNELL