Wolfsfoot (Kingdom of Wolves #1)

“I ran because the Alphacalled me to his office. He told me that as soon as I was 18 years old, I’d bemated to Connell, his son. I would sign my inheritance over to Connell and whenI had a pup, they would chuck me out and have to leave my pup behind. But Ioverheard Connell saying that when I have my birthday in five days and turnsixteen, the Alpha was going to cut my hamstrings so I couldn’t run. That’s whyI ran as soon as I could, and here I am.” My breathing is erratic and I’msweating. I feel myself hyperventilating, but Akela steps up to me and placesher palms gently on either side of my face.

“Follow my breathing. Slowlybreathe in, breathe out. That’s it. Follow my breathing. Gently does it.”

Once I’ve calmed Akela leadsme back to the table and passes me a glass of water. “You need to look intoyour parent’s accident, find out what happened. We’ll contact a friend who is acouncil member as he will help get to the bottom of it. In the meantime, you’llstay here with us and if they come around here snooping, I’ll fill them full ofbuckshot, or I’ll bring out my wolf and rip them apart.”

Lykos pats my hand gently.“You’ll stay with us. No arguments. If you want, you can help around here andyou’ll be getting your wolf in a few days, so you’ll need time to get used tohaving four legs instead of two.”

“Okay, I’ll stay until I getmy wolf and then I’ll talk to her and decide what is best for us. Her name isEbony, and she’s spoken to me already, but she’s still gaining strength, readyfor the shift.”

Lykos grins. “Oh, my, yourwolf is a strong one. It’s nearly unheard of to speak to your wolf before youhave your sixteenth birthday. She’s an Alpha for sure and that means you aretoo, and you’ll regain the pack if you want it. If not, you’ll have the worldat your feet.”

The rest of the day, I helpAkela around the farmhouse and in the herb garden. We eat late and when I getinto bed after a shower; I give a long sigh before falling asleep.

Chapter3

TATIANA

Waking in a cozy bed that smells of lavender and violets is somethingthat I’ll cherish for a long time. Turning onto my back, I look around the roomand smile to myself. It’s such a lovely room, sunshine yellow, with tinyflowers on the yellow curtains. Dresser, a small desk and chair, and a singlewardrobe. None are new, but they’ve been kept in good condition, and you cansmell the beeswax Akela uses to keep the wood in glowing condition.

Pushing myself to get out of bed because it’s so comfortablethat I grin when I realize I’ll never again hear Dahlia shouting for me to getdownstairs to make breakfast for them all.

A quick wash in the adjoining bathroom and I head downstairsinto the kitchen. To my surprise, Akela and Lykos are sitting at the tabledrinking coffee and eating bagels with cream cheese.

“Come and take a seat, get yourself a bagel and if you wanta coffee, there is plenty in the jug,” Lykos says, turning back to pick upanother bagel from the plate.

I quickly fill a cup with coffee and sit next to Akela, whoturns and smiles, asking. “Did you sleep well?”

“Yes, thank you. It was great to sleep in that room. The bedis so comfortable and I love the sunshine yellow you decorated the room. It’sbright and welcoming.”

Akela giggles, pats my hand, then leans into me as though she’stelling me a secret. “Lykos hated it, said it was far too girly and looked likea daffodil exploded in the room.”

I can’t hold back the giggle that escapes and look at Lykos,who has a smirk on his face, which turns to adoration as he looks at his mate.

“When’s your wolf due?” Akela asks.

“Ebony will be with me in four days. I can’t wait to behonest. It’s an honor to have her and to have her with me always means I’llnever be alone again.”

Lykos leans forward and takes my hand in his large hands,giving me a tender look. “You’ll always be welcome here. We have never beenlucky enough to have pups, and we’d love to have you as a daughter if you wouldbe happy with that. We are no longer with a pack, so are classed as rogues, andthe bad reputation many rogues have is unwarranted. The town is full of rogues,leaving packs for various reasons but mainly because of poor treatment, shifterlaws not being respected, and women being mated against their will.”

Akela wraps an arm around my shoulders, giving me a gentlehug. “No need to make your mind up on anything. You need to eat, sleep and getfresh air. Once your wolf comes out, we can all sit again and talk aboutanything you want and what Ebony wants too.”

“Okay, my lovelies, I’m going into town. I’ll pick upsupplies, and both be alert, especially if you think the Blackshadow Pack isgoing to come for you.” Lykos kisses Akela on the top of her head and gives mea pat on the shoulder before picking up his cloth cap on his way out the door.

“Let’s get some chores done, Tati. Is it okay if I call youTati?”

“Yes, that would be nice, as I’ve never been called Tatiuntil Ebony did, so it’s like I’m this new person and I really like thisfeeling.”

“Okay, Tati, let’s go attack the weeds in that herb garden.”

That’s exactly what we do for three hours. Once it’s weedfree, we split some herbs and thin out others. Replanting some, we’d splitnearer to the kitchen window.

“We need a break, ‘cause my back is aching and my throat’sdry.”

Washing up in the kitchen sink after Akela, I smile and lookout to see the garden we’ve just finished. It looks good, and it feels likeI’ve done something worthwhile.

I like it here, and these people. We can stay awhileuntil we make up our minds about what to do next.

Nodding, until I realize I need to reply mentally to Ebony.‘Ebony, I like it here and these people seem great. I’m happy to stay herefor a while.’