Filed to story: Owned by the Alphas Novel
Lucien nodded. My mother too.
Galen was in the shadows, as usual, watching my mother like she was his reason for existing. If it was possible for a human to mate with a werewolf, I’d believe that’s exactly what had happened between them.
“So we fight back,” Kai growled, still shirtless, his body still glowing in the torches of the room. He had only just gotten in, staying out with the pack to clean up.
There had been no casualties at the school. But the rogues had still blown it up and we couldn’t let that go.
“How? Not even we can sense them. We scoured the forest along the back wall where the explosion was and there was no scent to follow. We cannot even be sure it was them,” Lucien said in that eerily calm way he did.
It was definitely them. The rogues were the only ones left. We had already fought the vampires, the humans, hell, we had even fought the winter born.
Brax grimaced and rubbed his hand over his face, looking drawn out and tired. “My shadows caught nothing either, if they were there, we’d have no way of proving it,” he admitted.
Which was going to bite us in the ass if the witches got involved. I was surprised they hadn’t.
My instincts tingled in warning, my shadows warming inside me as I thought of it and I frowned.
It felt like they were trying to tell me something.
“The witches,” I whispered.
The table fell quiet. Tense. I looked up at them all, the idea forming in my head.
“The witches. It has to be. The rogues are too powerful, there is no way they could take us all on with no help. They’re too confident. It’s the only thing that makes sense,” I said, standing, leaning with my hands on the table.
My mom frowned and folded her hands together on the table.
“I do not understand the witches properly I’m afraid. It is an unknown for the humans. Aren’t they meant to keep the balance?” She asked.
Galen stepped forward then, standing closer behind her as we all churned the idea in our minds.
“Impossible. The witches are only allowed to survive on realm magic because they maintain the balance for it. The realm would–“
A harsh crack of lightning lit up the room through the glass windows, silencing Lucien’s protest.
His eyes widened and he cleared his throat.
“The realm is unhappy,” I urged, “The witches are messing with the balance. It has to be. Why else can’t we sense the rogues if not for the witches?”
“Unless,” Derik said, his face fallen, “We have done something to anger the realm and it is punishing us,” his eyes went to my stomach, fear bright in his eyes.
I shook my head, “We have done nothing but fight for the realm.”
“Have we? We have changed the rules, the traditions. We kept winterborns. We use shadows that are from another realm. We have slighted the witches,” he listed and I had to admit, it didn’t sound good.
But he was wrong.
Intentions mattered. They had to.
We did it for the realm, for love, to keep the peace. The evil we had faced did it for themselves.
That had to mean something.
“If the realm was working against us, hiding the scent of the rogues, that would be a different kind of war,” Lucien admitted, a frown marring his brow, “It puts the vampires in a very difficult position.”
It did. It made them guilty by association.
“I do not believe it is the realm. There is something else going on here,” I insisted again.
Derik and even Lucien looked hesitant to accept that but Kai nodded.
“The witches hated Lorelai. They were meant to remain indifferent. They broke the rules too,” Kai shrugged. “I say we believe our Luna. She has not been wrong yet, and I wouldn’t bet against her,” he said, always having my back. I smiled at him, and he winked. I smirked and looked back to the table.
“So what do we do about it?” Brax asked, looking around the table too.
“What did the werewolf council have to say?” I asked Derik, who was the only one who’d had contact with them since the explosion. They were on protection detail until we decided on what to do. Retaliate? Defend? Confront the rogues?
What could we do against an enemy we couldn’t sense?
Galen stepped forward then. “I have been speaking to the council in the link. They want to protect the city. The school being attacked has rattled them. We don’t have enough young to risk them getting hurt,” Galen said, his hand resting on Mom’s shoulder.
She blushed and nodded.
“The humans have been living in the tunnels under the villages in the Grasslands to minimize the risk, but we have started building out the tunnels so we have multiple exits in case they direct the explosives. It is worrying us, though, that we are quite exposed. The rogue pack seems to be good at hiding, and we have no defenses against that.”
My heart tightened. The idea that my mother was so far away with no protection was hard to accept. I had to, but I didn’t want to.
I had to trust that she was safe with Galen, and to an extent, I did. But the fear of losing her was still such a real feeling inside me.
~”Me too, Luna,” Galen said in my head, through the link. I smiled slightly at that. He cared enough about her to keep her as safe as I could.
I nodded in thanks then turned to the others.
“There is only one thing to do until we can figure out whether they are working with the witches or the realm,” I sighed, knowing I was going to have to convince my Alphas, mainly Derik, to let me.
“No.” He had already read my intentions.
I smiled at him, “It is the only thing to do until we are safer. We can’t have things blowing up throughout the city while we figure this out. If we are fighting the witches, we have a chance. If we are fighting the realm, we need to figure out what we did wrong and fix it. Two plans of action that we need time to exact,” I explained.
“What is your plan, Luna?” Lucien asked, his high-neck tunic so crisp and white.
“I’ll put a border around the city. It’ll keep us protected for now,” I said.
“For now?” he questioned.
I nodded, grimacing at the consequences I knew were a part of it, “While I am with child, using that much magic can exhaust me. The border will be strong, I’ll use it for as long as I can, but when I birth, I will need that magic back.”
“It’s too dangerous. Cain already told you to take it easy on the magic use. Exhaust yourself and the birth will be harder,” Derik scolded.
My eyes snapped to his over the table. “The females birth wolves all the time. I can too,” I growled.
“Their bodies aren’t also carrying border magic and shadow,” Derik said, his voice not raising as mine had.
I growled again, anger flaring inside me.
Brax grabbed my hand from next to me, rubbing his thumb over the skin as his shadows tried to soothe me.
It worked. A tiny bit.
“It is our only option,” I said.
“If it harms you, it is not an option,” Derik was stern with his voice, matter-of-fact like the decision was not up for debate.
“Little Luna, you will grow tired, weak. You will not carry well. It is not something we can entertain. As your mates–“
Kai tried, but I glared at him.
“As my mates, you will understand that this is something I must do for the pack. For all of us. I won’t carry well if I am being blown up either. So you will accept this. You will be my mates and support me while I go through the similar trials of carrying that humans do, and then you will help me come up with a way to take the rogues down before I birth,” I said, breathing hard as my tone told them all to back down.
I was serious.
They were being too much. I knew what I could handle and I knew how strong I was. I would not put my baby at risk, and this was not a risk in my mind. Humans had children, tired and weak, in pain. I had birthed twin winterborn hybrids as a human and survived. I could survive this too.
“My daughter is strong. If she believes she can do this, she will. The humans support her. I have some tea she can use also; it will help with energy and vitality,” my mom said, and I smiled at her.
Then I turned to Lucien, “Your vote?” I asked.
He looked to the Alphas, then me, then sighed and nodded once, “Put the border up.”
Derik scowled.
Brax kissed my hand and rubbed his shadows over my stomach, “Put the border up. We won’t let it be for long enough to hurt you.”
I nodded and then looked at Kai.
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?