Wolfsfoot (Kingdom of Wolves #1)

Taking the glass of iced tea that Akela passes, we both jumpslightly when the door opens and Lykos walks inside. Carrying a large box withgroceries inside. “How are my girls? Any trouble while I’ve been gone?”

Akela stands and helps empty the box, replying as she works.“No, no trouble at all. We’ve done the herb garden and can move on to thevegetable plot tomorrow. My bones can’t do it all in one day as they used to.”Watching me stand to help, Akela holds her hand up to stop me. “No, take aseat, finish your drink. This’ll only take a minute.”

I sit quietly, watching them work together easily, puttingaway the groceries. It’s so easy to see the love between them. It makes myheart flip thinking maybe one day I’ll get that, but I’m not going to hold outany hopes.

When both Akela and Lykos take a seat, Akela makes sure allthree of us have a fresh drink of iced tea. That’s when I ask. “Can I ask aquestion about mated pairs?”

Both Akela and Lykos nod, looking a little bewildered. “Whatdo you need to know, Tati? You’ve been with a pack and seen and know pack lawon mates, don’t you?”

Lykos grins when Akela calls me Tati and nods his head withher questions, giving me his attention.

“Well, not really that much. I was only allowed to be aroundthe pack when I had to clean something or do what they needed doing. Even onlywent to a meal once with them, and I had to sit at the back of the diner andwait for them all to eat, then what they left on their plate was given to me. Ihad to use the back stairs and never be seen in the pack house. Keep my headdown, never giving eye contact with anyone in the pack. I worked in the kitchenin the morning making sure breakfast was ready for the pack, then I would runto school, which wasn’t a great experience. Once back from school, I had towork in the kitchen washing all the pots and pans used during the day, and backto my room. Each day, rinse and repeat.” I keep my eyes on my hands, which areholding my glass of iced tea as I inform them both of what my life was like.

Lykos takes hold of my hand and gives it a light squeeze.“Did you reject your pack when you left the territory?”

“Yes.”

“And the Alpha?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, they can’t drag you back as you renounced them byusing the rejection to do that. While I was in town, there was a rumor that theBlackshadow Pack is looking for a runaway girl. We all know that’s you. Threepack members wandered around the town, speaking to people, but as always,they’ll say nothing, and even if they knew anything, none of us would sayanything. I gave information to everyone that matters in town, and they want tohold a town meeting where they can meet you and speak to you.” Lykos doesn’tlet go of my hand, keeping it gently in his and his thumb rubbing circles on myhand’s back, offering soothing support.

“Why do they want to meet me?”

“Because you are here in town and they never allow a pack tocome into our town and demand anything. We are a town built of rogues, but weband together as any pack would. The humans you see around town know what weare or they are mated to a shifter or are here because they are sick of thehuman world.” Lykos lets go of my hand and picks up his drink.

Akela is watching Lykos closely, and I know they are havingan internal conversation, the same as I will with Ebony. Mates are lucky thatthey are linked that way. Packs are linked to each other that way also, butmine was cut by the Alpha when my parents died, leaving me in a silent limbo,leaving me the same as a human, which in the shifter world is against theshifter laws.

“Which packs are the closest to you?” I ask.

Lykos thinks a moment before speaking. “Blackshadow Pack, asyou know, is four hours away. Spirit Walker Pack is twelve hours, Eclipse Packis seven hours and Blood Pearl Pack is nine hours away.”

“The town has a nice territory then, and none of the packshave tried to take it from you? I’m amazed that the council has not placed anAlpha here and made them into a pack.” Blinking in amazement at the informationhe’s just given, but it’s the twinkle in his eye that has me nervous.

“You can ask all the questions you like at the meeting. Butwhat you asked is something we’ve declined because every Alpha they havesuggested we’ve not agreed with. They try to push useless Alphas on us who theywant out of the way, but we’ll have none of that. If we decide to accept anAlpha and become an official pack, then it’ll be one of our choosing and noother.” Akela grins.

“Okay. I’ll go to the meeting. I want to stay here with youif it doesn’t cause a war with Blackshadow. I never intended to stay so closeor to involve anyone else in my troubles.”

“You are not trouble. We didn’t know your parents Tati, butthey were great people, everyone knew of them and were saddened when they hadthe accident, but no one, and I mean no one I have spoken to believes it was anaccident, we all feel that the Beta, now Alpha Torrance murdered them so hecould take the Alpha position. What you tell us of your treatment only confirmswhat we suspect.” Lykos growls and I can see his eyes flash from their usualbrown to deep gold, which tells me his wolf is near and angered.

“Let’s get something to eat and then get to making some potpies for later.” Akela stands, taking our glasses to the sink.

The afternoon flew past; we got laundry done, and I pinnedit all to the washing line, watching it blow in the warm wind. Then got myselfcovered in flour, helping Akela, who did nothing but laugh at my attempts withthe pastry. But when I told her I wasn’t allowed to do anything in the kitchenexcept breakfast and stand at the sink washing everything thrown at me, herlaughter turned to anger and her wolf showed herself in the eye color changethat happened. Her eyes changed from soft hazel to a fierce green that almostglowed fluorescent.

“It’s okay, Akela, it’s in the past now. I want you to knowhow thankful I am to you and Lykos for helping me. You have no reason to helpme, take me into your home, and treat me well. I’ll always be grateful thatyou’ve done that.”

“We all need someone, sometime, in our lives. When Lykos andI decided to leave the Blackshadow Pack, it was for my safety. The atmosphereof the pack had already changed and had an air of badness about it. The Betatook the Alpha position after your parents died. We knew who they were, but wenever mixed with the higher members of the pack and when your grandparents died,it wasn’t long before the accident happened and Alpha Torrance took theposition in trust for when you were old enough to step up.

“Some of the male members were given women of the pack,although the women wanted to go find their mates. Then a couple of women foundtheir mates in other packs and were not allowed to leave the pack. AlphaTorrance used his Alpha command, and they mated to a male in the pack. The manneeds to die. He’s going feral because of the power he holds, and it’s too muchfor him as his DNA is a Beta and not coping with the overload of power that isflowing. That’s why Betas never become Alpha and why the council allowed itnone of us know. But Lykos and I ran as soon as we had the chance and we’venever looked back.”

“It’s a mess, isn’t it? But I’ll never go back to the pack.It’s rotten to the core and even if I had the chance, I wouldn’t go back andsave them. They are all corrupt and deserve what happens to them. There is onlyone person who has shown me kindness in all the years since my parents died,and that is the Beta’s son. He gave me money to help me run and wished me well.Other than Gabe, they are all spineless cowards.”

“He sounds like a decent one. Did you feel any sense of yourmate being in the pack? You’d have been drawn to watch them, listen, and smellthem. Any interaction would have been cherished. Even though you haven’tshifted yet, you would have had a link to the bond deep inside.”

Thinking carefully before replying, “I wasn’t allowed tointeract with the pack after my parents’ death. I had to avoid eye contact andany interaction I had was usually taunting or bullying. In that environment, Idoubt I’d notice a mate. Anything that started as a friendly gesture would turninto some sort of degrading comment, or physical threat. When, or if, my matecomes calling, he’d better be something special, and he’s gonna have to sweepme off my feet big-time before he gets a piece of this!!”

Laughing together, we both look up when Lykos walks into thekitchen.