chapter twenty-four
The fire raged, black smoke blotting out the blue sky. Wolfrik heard his packmates’ howls as they reached it. Rover had been wrong. The shifters of Wolf Hollow were much faster than the traitorous watchdog thought. They made it to the outskirts of the hollow in half the time he’d guessed.
Wolfrik didn’t run to join the others at the fire. He raced back to the caves. Bodies littered the campsite—including Sparrow’s—but Kallie and Aden were no longer there.
Wolfrik sniffed deeply, sifting through the acrid smell of ash to locate his female. He found her and Aden guarding Garrick and Justin. Justin lay on his stomach, wounded and whimpering softly. Garrick was stretched out on his side as though he were sleeping, but his body was stone cold.
Wolfrik lifted his head and sent up a cry.
He walked up to Kallie and sniffed her for wounds. She nuzzled him with assurance, but it wasn’t enough. He had to hear her say she was fine—that everything would be okay.
After Zackary and Dylan joined them, Wolfrik led Kallie back to the campsite. He shifted and winced as the gunshots reopened and oozed blood. Kallie looked so beautiful, crouched over the earth as she finished her shift and lifted her head, her wild hair spilling over her shoulders.
“You’re hurt,” she said, frowning.
“I’ll survive.” Wolfrik moved briskly toward her and clasped her shoulders in his hands. “Are you okay? Did Hawk harm you in any way?”
Tears glistened over Kallie’s eyes. She shook her head. “No,” she said. “He didn’t have a chance to hurt me.”
Wolfrik sighed with relief. “What were you doing out here?”
Kallie frowned. Rather than answer him, she took a step back, out of his reach. A look of hurt crossed her face. Wolfrik frowned in confusion. Kallie swallowed and glanced toward the cave.
“Will you not mourn your human?” she asked softly, not meeting his eyes.
Wolfrik tilted his head and kept staring at Kallie. “She wasn’t my human.”
“Then why did you sleep with her?” Kallie’s eyes lifted and sparked as she stared at Wolfrik, her chin trembling.
Dawning rushed through him. Kallie must have arrived at the caves sometime before or after Wolfrik and heard the impassioned sounds echoing from within. He nearly laughed. As his lips lifted, Kallie’s eyes narrowed.
“That wasn’t me. That was Aden.”
“Aden?” Kallie repeated, her jaw dropping.
Her entire body relaxed. Wolfrik took that opportunity to fold her into his arms.
“I heard them in the cave earlier—figured I’d let them finish up rather than announce my arrival. So I undressed and shifted than checked in with the patrol teams. We saw the smoke from the mountain.”
A tear ran down Kallie’s cheek. “I’m so sorry, Wolfrik.”
“What do you have to be sorry about?” he asked, rubbing away the wet streak on her face with his thumb.
More tears spilled down Kallie’s face. She blinked rapidly and tried to pull away, but Wolfrik wouldn’t let her go. Not this time. Not ever again.
“Kallie, what is it?” he asked gently.
She blinked some more and swallowed shakily. “That horrible man leading the others threatened to gut me and kill our baby if I didn’t tell him where his sister was.” She swallowed again. “I knew where she was. I’d heard her in the cave, so I told him.”
Wolfrik nodded. “You did the right thing.”
“No!” Kallie cried. “I thought you were in there, too. I could have gotten you killed.” Her chest shook as she sobbed.
Wolfrik patted her soft, thick hair and planted a tender kiss on her forehead.
“If I had been in the cave with Sparrow, I would have deserved to die.”
Kallie choked back a sob and snarled. “Don’t say that!” Her fingers balled into fists at her sides. “If I weren’t pregnant, I never would have told him. I would have given my own life for yours. I came out here to tell you that I love you and I’m pregnant with your child.” She took a deep breath, her exhale coming out with a whoosh.
Wolfrik lifted one brow, a smile dancing on his lips. “You love me?”
Kallie pursed her lips and nodded.
Wolfrik drew her against his chest. “I love you, too. I want to claim you as my mate.”
“And the baby?” Kallie asked. “Will you love him, too?”
“Him?” Wolfrik leaned back to study her face.
Kallie nodded. “The soothsayer from Glenn Meadows predicted that I would give birth to a strong son. She said he would become a leader to future generations of our pack.”
A son. A leader. A second chance.
Wolfrik glanced around the campsite, at all the fallen bodies then into the air at the smoke blowing toward the south and the Manama River, away from the hollow, as though being driven away by a mystic wind. The old crone had foreseen Sparrow’s and Hawk’s arrival. She’d warned him of impending doom. But she’d also offered him a path of salvation.
“The soothsayer made me a prediction as well,” Wolfrik said.
“Oh?” Kallie squinted at him.
Wolfrik moistened his lips. “She said a female would shape my future—redeem me. That female is you.” He slid his hand down her arm to her belly. There, he pressed his palm gently against her soft belly, imaging the life beginning to grow there.
Birth. Renewal. The cycle of life was a miraculous gift.
A grin lit up Wolfrik’s face. “Well, the den mates won’t be able to keep me out now.”
Kallie laughed and smacked him playfully on the shoulder. She sobered an instant later. “We better check in with the others, and you should shift before you lose too much blood.”
“It was worth every drop,” Wolfrik answered. He’d honed his tolerance for pain over the years. Some things were more important than blood loss.
After shifting, he and Kallie ran side by side eastward, where they found the majority of their packmates.
Tabor stood on human legs near the fire with his arms outstretched, chanting. A breeze seemed to waft from his arms, blowing the smoke and flames toward the river. As the fire moved away, Tabor followed it inch by inch until it reached the current and fizzled away.
Raider howled on and on when he saw his father’s body. Jordan stayed by his side, joining his cries.
The skies, which had cleared of smoke, were now darkening with night. After removing the bodies from the campsite, they decided that some of them would stay the night and return to the glade during daylight. Justin’s wolf had taken a shot in the chest, narrowly missing his heart. He shifted into human form and would walk back on foot in the morning. His friends Zackary and Wiley shifted into human form to keep him company inside the cave.
Raider was going to sleep beside his father’s body, guarding Garrick through the night until dawn, when he would make the trek back on foot and carry his father for burial in the Forest of the Ancestors. Jordan stayed with him.
While they were clearing the bodies from the campsite, they discovered that Sparrow was still alive, though unconscious.
“That woman won’t die,” Wolfrik said, shaking his head in admiration. Despite being human, Sparrow was a survivor, and she’d chosen to side with Wolf Hollow even though they’d held her captive.
Aden had picked her up carefully and laid her face up beside the fire. “I’ll stay here and watch over the woman.”
When Rosalie suggested they finish her off, Aden had growled.
“Does he love her?” Kallie asked when they were alone together in the shelter of her den.
Wolfrik shrugged. He wasn’t sure, but Aden’s protectiveness spoke volumes.
By the time they made it back to the den—and Tabor had gotten Wolfrik patched up—night had turned to early morning, though it was still pitch-black. Wolfrik lay on his back, gun wound cleaned out and smeared with Tabor’s healing salve. It was a shame to waste shirts on bandages, but they staunched the flow of blood. Wolfrik could have waited to take care of his human body, but he didn’t want to delay the healing process. After all these years, he was finally ready to recover and move on. He cared more about his future with Kallie than the werewolf shifter’s feelings for a human.
“I think it was just sex,” he said, tracing Kallie’s plump bottom lip with his finger.
She took his finger between her lips and sucked gently.
Wolfrik stiffened at once and groaned.
With a satisfied grin, Kallie released his finger and climbed on top of his body, seating herself over his groin.
“You and I started out as ‘just sex,’” she said huskily.
A moan pried open Wolfrik’s lips as his beautiful, brave, mate-to-be took him inside her and claimed him body and soul.
Their claiming ceremony was somewhat of a somber affair, but Kallie didn’t care. The only thing that mattered to her was acknowledging Wolfrik as her life mate in front of the pack before supper in the glade.
There was no music, dancing, or blazing bonfire. After the hollow had nearly burned to a crisp, the only fire they lit was the one beneath the cauldron heating the evening’s stew.
They’d held Garrick’s Sky Ceremony in the Forest of the Ancestors midday. Afterward, Ford left on his journey to meet up with the other den mates and tell them it was safe to return home.
Justin followed Tabor reluctantly to the medical shed in the den and shifted into wolf form so Tabor could dig the bullet out of his chest. Sasha and Alec had held him down so he wouldn’t bite the half-shifter as he worked on him.
Kallie couldn’t imagine what the hollow would do without Tabor. He’d stopped the fire and helped patch up his wounded packmates.
There wasn’t a thing he could do for the human, however. Aden had walked into the den, cradling Sparrow’s frail body in his arms. She hadn’t woken.
“She might never wake,” Tabor said. “Or if she does, she’ll most likely suffer from severe brain damage.”
“It would be a mercy to kill her,” Sasha noted.
Kallie agreed, but Aden insisted she be kept alive.
“I will have to ask the wizards for help,” Tabor said.
“Do it,” Aden said, his jaw set with determination.
“I’ll accompany you,” Sasha said.
Wolfrik insisted she perform the mating ritual before taking one step toward Balmar Heights. Sasha did so now with ease and grace, somehow managing to address the pack with hope in her voice.
“Over the years, we have faced many dangers. We’ve suffered terrible losses. Most of you wouldn’t be here today if civilization hadn’t fallen. I do not revel in humanity’s fall, but I celebrate knowing each of you and calling you my packmates—my family. Our lives aren’t forever, but our pack will continue to grow, and we will protect it until our last breaths.” Sasha’s chest rose and fell as she let her words settle in. All of the shifters in the glade listened in silence. Old Jager sat hunched over on a stump beside Sasha, blinking back tears. Sasha squeezed his shoulder before continuing. “Today is a day of sadness, but it is also one of triumph.” Her voice lifted. She looked around the glade into the eyes of all her packmates. When they landed on Wolfrik’s, she smiled.
There were no stirrings of jealousy inside Kallie, only gratitude. She recognized the look for what it was, relief and genuine happiness on behalf of a dear friend. “One of renewal and celebration,” Sasha continued. “Today it is my honor to announce the claiming between Wolfrik and Kallie.” Lowering her voice, she said, “The rest is up to you.” With a wink and a smile, she stepped back and joined Jager’s side.
Kallie stared into Wolfrik’s eyes, her heart thumping against her chest. He grinned and leaned forward then bit her on the neck. Kallie bit him next. Polite clapping filled the glade right before Maureen called out, “Congratulations to the hollow’s newest mates: Kallie and Wolfrik! Now, who’s hungry?”
Conversations started up as shifters got in line at the cauldron. As talk returned to the glade, giving it the feel of a normal evening, Kallie felt her shoulders relax. She was surprised when Sasha hugged her in a tight embrace. “Congratulations, Kallie. I will always be grateful to you for healing Wolfrik’s heart.”
“He healed mine, too,” Kallie said, smiling at her mate.
Sasha leaned in closer and lowered her voice. “I heard additional congratulations are in order.” She smiled down at Kallie’s belly.
Kallie’s cheeks warmed with happiness.
Sasha’s grin widened, and her eyes sparkled. She looked equally happy. “Then we will be new mothers together.”
Kallie mouth opened. “You mean—?”
Sasha nodded.
“Oh my gosh, congratulations to you!” Kallie hugged Sasha. “And you,” she added, smiling at Tabor.
A grin stretched up Tabor’s cheeks and lit up his green eyes. “Speaking of which, we need to get the two of you in line for supper,” the half-shifter said. His eyebrows jumped. “Make sure to get plenty of food and rest.”
“Food, sure. As far as rest, speak for yourself,” Sasha answered playfully.
Tabor huffed. “Just promise me you won’t go into labor in the middle of a council meeting.”
Sasha’s eyes sparkled. “The council needs me.”
“First we need to take that human to Balmar Heights. If she’s lucky, the journey to the mountain will kill her.” Sasha shook her head. “I don’t know what’s gotten into Aden.”
Kallie and Wolfrik exchanged a glance but said nothing. Aden’s secret wasn’t theirs to share.
“Big bleeding heart,” was all Wolfrik offered.
Tabor nodded his agreement.
“Why are you nodding? You love saving lives,” Sasha chided her mate.
“Packmates,” Tabor said firmly, and this time Wolfrik grunted in agreement.
“That’s not the only unfinished business,” Wolfrik said, his spine stiffening. “There are still wolf shifters caged in Hawk’s compound in the city. Males, females, and children.” His jaw tightened.
Kallie’s heart clenched. What had happened to those shifters was tragic, but she didn’t want her mate to risk his life with humans ever again. They had their whole lives in front of them—a child on the way.
Sasha frowned. “How many men do you think he left behind?”
“Maybe a couple hundred.” Wolfrik shrugged.
Sasha’s frown deepened. Tabor stepped closer to his mate and put a protective arm around her.
“I know this is difficult to hear, but now is not the time,” Sasha said. “The den mates won’t return for at least ten days, and Tabor, Aden, and I will have to go on foot to bring the human to Balmar Heights. You’re still recovering.” She nodded at Wolfrik’s leg and hip. “I would only consider a rescue mission if we had the woman’s help. She grew up in the city. She knows it best—knows the layout, the men, and what kind of weapons and ammunition they have. We’re not risking any more of our pack members on unknowns. If the human wakes up, I’ll reconsider. Will you respect my decision?”
Kallie held her breath, unable to read the stony expression on Wolfrik’s face.
His chin jerked. “We won’t go into the city until Sparrow wakes up.”
Sasha’s shoulders relaxed, and she gave a thin smile.
“We’re next,” Tabor said, returning her attention to their spot in line at the cauldron.
“Good, I’m starving,” Sasha said, turning her back to Wolfrik and Kallie.
Wolfrik stared off into the trees, looking like his thoughts had run off like a herd of flighty deer. As soon as they reached the cauldron, he blinked and insisted Maureen hand over the serving spoon so he could prepare a bowl for his mate.
Kallie flushed happily as he led her to a log and helped her sit before handing her a bowl filled to the brim with steaming stew. Between bites, she glanced up at the moon and prayed the human never woke up.
Sasha, Tabor, and Aden set off for Balmar Heights at first light.
Kallie heard their hushed voices early in the morning from the enclosure of her shelter. The door of the medical shed opened and closed shortly before the group’s departure. Wolfrik didn’t stir. She assumed he was asleep, but several minutes after the group left the den, he turned over on his side and faced her.
“Freeing the other captives is something I have to do,” he said softly.
“I know.” Kallie sighed.
He reached out and tucked a wave of her hair behind her ear. “I don’t want you to worry. I won’t let anything or anyone keep me from you.”
Kallie placed her hand on his cheek. “With love comes worry.”
“When Sparrow wakes, I’ll take the half-wizard and werewolf with me. I’ll bring Elsie too. Two wizards—would that make you feel better?”
Kallie drew her hand back and huffed. “I’d feel better if you didn’t go at all, and I can’t imagine Tabor will appreciate you volunteering his sister.”
Wolfrik’s teeth gleamed when he smiled in the dim light of the shelter. “What’s the use of powers if not used for a good cause? It would be like a wolf that never runs.”
Kallie twisted her lips to one side and thought of everything Elsie had confided to her. The half-shifter’s time was running out. She’d love to have her friend back and help her in any way she could.
“You should take Zackary with you—when you go to the city.”
“Zackary?” Wolfrik’s brows furrowed. “Don’t tell me you and he ever boned. He helped me finish off Hawk, so I’d hate to have to remove any of his fingers.”
Kallie scoffed and rolled her eyes. “No, nothing like that. Elsie likes him, and I’m sure she would appreciate a chance to get to know him better.”
“Elsie and Zackary?” Wolfrik squinted at Kallie in the dark. “Now there’s an unlikely pair.”
“Sort of like you and me,” Kallie returned. She reached out and ruffled her mate’s hair.
Wolfrik chuckled and leaned back. “Fair enough. Let’s talk about something else. What do you want to name our baby?” His hand slid to her belly and stroked. Kallie shivered.
“I was thinking Wolf.”
Wolfrik’s hand stilled on her stomach right before a throaty laugh rumbled from his lips. “In case he forgets what he is?”
Kallie smacked him playfully, grinning widely. “No, after you, of course.”
“Wolf,” he repeated thoughtfully. “I like it. Sounds strong.”
“Like a leader?” Kallie asked.
Wolfrik’s eyes shone in the dark. “Like no one would ever mess with our boy. No one fucks with Wolf.”
Kallie nodded. “No one,” she repeated.
Wolfrik’s hand slipped between her legs, and Kallie’s breath hitched as his thumb began a firm, steady stroke. She arched her hips and spread her thighs, giving her mate full access.
Mate.
She loved calling him that. The sound of it in her head and on her lips would never get old.