Wolfsfoot (Kingdom of Wolves #1)

“Are you two working or playing?” chuckling to himself,before washing up and taking a beer from the fridge.

“You’ve got a cheek, we’ve been making pot pies and if youdon’t behave, you’ll not be getting one.” Akela winks at me and laughs loudlywhen Lykos picks her up and sits her on the counter before tickling her.

Once we have our evening meal on the table we sit eatingquietly for a few minutes before Akela speaks gaining attention. “Tati isn’taware of any mate in Blackshadow Pack. That’s ok though. Her mate could beanywhere around the world, but usually, they are within bordering packs, if notin your own, so there is time for him to find her. But it’s not good to dwellon mates, Tati. He’ll find you when it’s time. The goddess ‘Selene’ knows whatshe is doing when she pairs our souls together. Your mate is the other half ofyou. He’ll complete you, understand you and, importantly, protect you.”

“I’m not looking for my mate, and because of what hashappened in my life, I’m not sure I even want one. When I reach eighteen, Ihave an inheritance to come from my parents. I can use that to do whatever Iwant, but I’ve got to stay away from the Blackshadow Pack until then.”

“Let’s keep you safe here, out of the way of any pryingeyes, and have the town meeting. You are a rogue now, you are one of us in allways. Cutting ties with the Blackshadow Pack makes you one of ours, and we allprotect what we see as ours.” Lykos gives me a warm smile and nods, but I cansee the rim of gold in his eyes, which tells me his wolf is agreeing with allhe’s saying.

“When will we have the town meeting?” I ask because I needto prepare myself to see all these people. They have kept me away from otherpeople for so long that it makes me nervous thinking of being in a room with awhole town.

“Next week, after you get your wolf. Nobody wants youstressed before that. It would not be good for you or Ebony. I’m sure you’ll bean Alpha female. You have hair so black it looks like you have blue in it, likea crows wing, you’re fit and healthy although you’ve suffered, the couple ofdays you’ve been here have already had a good impact on your health and ofcourse, your wolf healing ability is kicking in as she is so close to thesurface now.” Lykos laughs. “If you are an Alpha female, you can bet the councilwill want to get involved with you as they’ll want to control who you matewith, and what pack you become involved with or become a pack member of.”

“I’ve no intention of joining any pack, they can all kiss myass because not one person until I found you have helped me and many of theAlphas and higher pack members have visited Blackshadow Pack and not one ofthem has asked or wanted to meet the daughter of the last Alpha and Luna. Thattells me a lot, because they either don’t care, or they don’t even know Iexist.”

“Come on, let’s relax in the garden before we go to bed. Usethe bathroom near your bedroom, Tati, and class it as your own. We have onenext to our bedroom, so we never use that one.” Akela gives me a warm smile.

“Thank you. Both of you.” I murmur, give them both a hug andwe step outside, where we relax to enjoy the evening.

Chapter 4

TATIANA

Spending the last few days with Lykos andAkela has been a pleasure. They are good people and caring shifters. The onething they’ve shown me is that if we are pack or not, we should help eachother.

Feeding the chickens is fun.They sense our wolf and panic when we get near, and watching them runningaround clucking and flapping while we gather the eggs is pretty amusing.

The rooster, however, is adifferent matter. He keeps chasing me around the area, flapping and showing allaggression. Lykos is laughing as he watches from the fence where he’s leaningagainst it with his forearms. “He’ll get you yet, Tati, if you don’t keepmoving.”

Grabbing the last eggs, Iplace them in the basket I’m carrying and dodge the rooster the best I canwhile I rush for the gate, but getting the back of my legs pecked isn’t my ideaof fun. Slamming the gate closed, I look at Lykos whose face is red with laughing.I can’t help but giggle.

“That rooster is mean.Tomorrow you can get the eggs. He didn’t mind you being in with his ladies.”Giggling as we walk back to the farmhouse kitchen.

“We’ll feed the mini pigs.They are my newest project. They are rare now and I want to help keep the breedalive. The pygmy goats are the same, but I sold the young ones last year, so wejust have the original pair for the moment. I don’t want the farm to get toobig because with only me and Akela it’ll become too much work.

“I sell the hay when I’vedried and bailed it, and of course, I grow the corn, which is sold in town toold man Sterling, who with his son makes the corn syrup and corn powder.”

I’m learning everything aboutthe farm that Lykos wants to teach me because if I decide to stay, and be likethe daughter they never had, then I want to bring good along with me.

After feeding the pigs andgoats, we head to the barn where Lykos checks everything is in order, then wewalk back to the farmhouse. Opening the door, Lykos shouts. “We need a drinkwoman, come give your man sustenance.” I can’t help the giggle that escapes atthe look on Akela’s face. It’s the massive eye roll she gives that shows thatthis is a regular thing between them both.

“Tomorrow is your birthday,Tati; do you want us to be with you when you get your wolf? Or do you want togo into the forest and get her yourself?” Akela asks as she places a jug oficed lemonade on the table, along with three tall glasses.

Forest, let’s do thisalone Tati.

“Ebony wants us to go intothe forest together, so I’ll do that, Akela, but thank you for the offer.”

“That’s okay, Tati. But ifyou change your mind, just let us know.” Akela passes me a cinnamon roll, andwe all three eat and drink quietly.

“Well, Tati can do thechickens, pigs, and goats now. She can do the herb garden, but the vegetableplot is the next thing. Once she’s learned that, she’ll be a great help. But Idon’t want you out in the fields just in case. So please don’t come to help inthe cornfields. Anyone from the old pack could grab you if we don’t see themand we’d never get you back.” Lykos is giving me a stern look.

“Okay, I’ll not come to thefields.”

The next morning my body istingling and I can feel Ebony near the front of my mind. It feels odd, as Ihave an itch on the underside of my skin. When I sit at the breakfast tableLykos gives me a knowing look, then smiles. “You need to go to the forest. Tothe north, and in about half an hour, you’ll come across the river. If you stopat the river you can swim in both your wolf and human form. The water is clear.You can drink from it with no problem, so once your wolf has run, you can drinkand rest before you come back. I can’t wait to meet your wolf.”

Akela wraps an arm around myshoulders, hugging me. “When you change, it’ll hurt the first couple of times.The more you relax and breathe calmly, the quicker and easier it’ll be forEbony to come through. If you are a black Alpha wolf, it’ll be faster than itwould be if you are not. You’ll heal faster, so the ache in your bones from thefirst shift will be minimal. Be your wolf, you are one. Yes, you are twoentities sharing one body, but you are also each other’s lifelines and the onlytime you’ll be apart is if you die or if your wolf leaves you because you havedishonored them. You’ll never do that, Tati, and we are so proud of you. Go andmeet your wolf and come back when you’re ready.”

Walking out of the farmhouse,my skin is itching far more than it was earlier. I walk faster the nearer I getto the forest and then jog when the smell of flowers, needles, moss, wet treetrunks, and rain from a few days previous hits me. All smells that I wouldn’thave noticed any other time.