Blackshadow (Kingdom of Wolves #2)

“I didn’t think you were into she-wolves, Hope,” I hear behind me and whirl around to see Baildon standing, watching me with amusement in his eyes.

Slamming my hands on my hips, I squint my eyes at him and take a step toward him. “Where the heck have you been? I’ve been looking for you because I need to know what you are doing about this meeting with the Blackshadow Pack on Saturday.”

“I don’t know, and I’m not sure any of us should join a pack.”

Baildon is 6’ 2”, dark hair and eyes, and his wolf is all black apart from a tip of white on his forehead and tail. His wolf Jet is forceful, confident and strong. He is also loving towards me and Briar, seeing us as a sibling, the same as we both see him.

“I can’t live like this forever, Baildon. The rogues of no-man’s-land are getting more aggressive and although they don’t bother us too much, they have pushed forward at the packs, particularly the Spirit Walker Pack. Do you honestly think they’ll not come, and either kill us all, or make us join them?” Dropping my hands from my hips, I give Baildon a pleading look. I can see he is considering what I’m saying and knowing him well, I give him the time he needs to decide.

“Okay, I’ll come with you, and more to protect you than anything else.”

I step to him, wrap my arms around his waist, hugging him tightly. “Thank you, brother.”

“You know you always call me brother when you get your own way.” Baildon chuckles, returns my hug before stepping away and looking down at me. “What are you doing outside of Suella’s shack?”

“I was looking for you as someone told me you’ve been spending time with Suella. Now, you know if your mate finds out you’ve been spending time with another she-wolf, she’s not going to be happy and you don’t want her rejecting you because of it.”

“I don’t think I will have a mate, Hope. Let’s face it, who the heck would want a rogue like me.”

“I would,” I say, because Baildon is a good person and he’d be one heck of an excellent mate to have. “Don’t sell yourself short brother, you are a catch for any she-wolf, and if she doesn’t see that, then she’s not worth having.”

Gamzin steps out of Suella’s shack, fastening the fly on his pants. I screw my face up in disgust, and when Suella herself steps to the doorway, I give her a look of distaste. She is standing with her dress hanging open and her breasts hardly covered. Thankfully, she is gripping it together at her stomach level or we’d all get to see something I don’t even want to imagine.

“You coming inside?” Suella asks Baildon and I whip around and give him a piercing look.

“No, thanks,” Baildon responds, and I note he has a tint of pink on his cheeks with embarrassment. Good, I’m thinking, it serves him right after the conversation we just had.

Gamzin is grinning at the unease that he picks up on. “It’s okay, Hope, us males have to have some fun.”

“If you call sticking your dick in that, fun, you’re easily pleased. That’s all I can say.”

“Well, at least I’m getting some, that’s more than you are,” Suella squeals in what I suppose is her version of sarcasm.

“If and when I want some, Suella, it’ll be cleaner and in better shape than what you’ve just had.”

“I could teach you a thing or two with it,” Gamzin snarls.

“Believe me, there’s nothing that you could teach me other than how to throw up.” I mime throwing up and I hear Baildon laughing.

“You will be rejected if your mate finds you, and finds you are spending this time with Suella. It’s a good thing as wolves we don’t get diseases as the humans do or you’d be riddled with it and so would you, Suella.” That has Gamzin’s face setting, and he takes a step toward me, but Baildon steps forward too, making sure nothing happens to me. Suella closes the door to her shack, and if the door was strong enough, I’m sure she’d slam it.

“You need to be careful what you say, Hope, or you could find yourself in deep trouble,” Gamzin snarls.

“The truth is all I’ve said, and if you can’t understand that, then it’s your problem and not mine.” I snap, turn from him and walk back towards my shack, with Baildon right behind me.

“You may be right that it’s time to move on. Not sure it’s joining a pack, but it is as far as getting away from Gamzin. He will never leave here and I think Suella will stay, too. But if our guess regarding the rogues of no-man’s-land is right, then it’s not going to be safe much longer.”

Friday morning, we set out in wolf form and quickly get into an even stride. Trotting is easy for a wolf, and we can travel for hours at this speed.

Swift, Jessie, Antica, Lorna, Clover, Baildon, Chaz, Alan, Drew, Chester, Walim, and Stephen are traveling beside me. Another group is traveling behind us and I’m more than a little surprised so many are interested in checking out this pack.

We stop at a stream and take a drink, rest for twenty minutes and then continue onwards. Covering the miles, we continue throughout the day and into the night, before finding a safe area to curl up in our wolf forms, to remain warm, and at the ready for any trouble that may come to us.

Jet sleeps next to Briar and rests his head on our shoulders, making sure if he feels us move, it will wake him.

Stopping at the town of Wolfsfoot, we know it’s now a pack, and we are careful how we speak if we are spoken to. I have enough to buy a breakfast for Swift, Baildon and myself and we all three were needing it too.

Once everyone is ready, we make the last part of the journey and stop once we reach the Blackshadow Pack border. Waiting for a patrol warrior to arrive. We know it won’t take long and some shift to human form while I stay as Briar.