Chapter 1
Kira
The old rust-bucket coughed up a puff of black smoke. Kira winced, wrinkling his nose in disgust. The crates of batteries and fuel rattled in the back. He bounced along the dirt road, praying that the jeep would last another day. He'd been wishing for that a lot lately. Honestly, he was surprised that the piece of junk had lasted this long.
Only two years old, my ass, he thought to himself.
He knew he probably could afford to get a new car. A truck, preferably. But a new truck meant a trip to a human city. It meant human interaction and Kira liked to avoid that as much as possible. Human cities were loud, annoying, and constantly smelled of petrol and smoke. Human salesman were thieves in fancy suits. The two times a month Kira had to deal with traders was enough for him.
The jeep's engine rattled dangerously. Then again...
Kira expertly swerved to avoid a large hole. He could drive this road blind. It spanned across the Southern Wolflands and straight into Bear Territory. On the eastern side of the Wolflands, it forked down to Morra and Terrence, the northernmost human cities.
Right now, he was on his way to drop off the crates at Foxhold, and maybe check in on Josh.
Last time he saw the wolf omega, it had been during the solstice. The new house looked great. So did Josh if you ignored his swollen ankles and the cushion on the dining room chair. Kira had mainly kept his head down, hung out with Jacob, and tried to get used to the four large, intimidating alphas that Josh had acquired.
He could barely believe what Josh had told him. That Jacob's deadbeat father had shown up out of the blue, apparently a few screws short. The fire. The trap they'd laid for him. Kira had felt oddly guilty that he hadn't been there to help. Josh was one of the very few friends he had. He wished he'd been there for him.
Josh's new little pack seemed nice enough, but if Kira were honest with himself, he'd admit that he was rather intimidated. He was happy for his friend. Brighton seemed like a great mate, but Kira had been unable to completely relax in the presence of the hulking alpha wolves.
"They're just staying for winter," Josh had told him. "They left their pack to find mates of their own. One down, three to go," he grinned, patting his stomach.
Judging by the date, Josh had most definitely had his pups by now. Kira felt guilty for not finding the time to visit them sooner. There were a couple packages in the seat next to him. He'd braved Morra's market and found a vendor selling handmade toys. He didn't know how many pups Josh had, so he'd bought several just in case, as well as a chess set for Jacob, so that he wouldn't feel left out.
When the familiar post came into view, Kira pulled over to the side. He took the bag of toys and made his way down the trail toward Josh's cabin. He wondered if the other alphas were still there.
The farmstead came into view and the sound of babies crying was the first thing he heard. He hesitated slightly, wondering if this was a bad time, but a voice suddenly startled him.
"Hey, Kira, been a while," Brighton said to his left. He was carrying a bundle of firewood in his arms. "How are you doing?"
"Fine," Kira replied. He shook his head, wondering how the wolf had managed to sneak up on him. He held up the bag. "I was just passing through and thought I'd drop these off. Toys, for the new kids."
Brighton grinned. "Thank you. I'm sure they'll love them. Come on."
Josh was outside working in the garden. Aidan and Ivan were cleaning a deer over at the smokehouse. The crying stopped. Brighton smiled. "When the girls get like this, Jacob's about the only one who can calm them down."
"Girls," Kira said.
"Oh! Yeah," Brighton grinned brightly (Kira could see how he got his name). "Twin girls. River and Tulip, but Jacob calls Tulip Twig. It's all she responds to."
"Kira!" Josh said. He ran over and pulled Kira into a hug. "How are you doing? It's been a while."
"Sorry," Kira said. "I've been really busy."
It was only a half lie. He felt a bit guilty for not stopping by sooner, but he just wasn't sure. Josh's life was different now, with his new mate and growing family. Kira had thought it would be better to give him some space. Did he make the wrong call?
"Don't be sorry," Josh said. "Winter's pretty busy for you, right?"
Kira nodded. "Yeah, a bit."
Josh ushered him inside. There was a fire in the hearth. In the living room, Jacob was sitting on the couch with a sister on either side. One of the babies had fallen asleep. The other was chewing on his fingers. Jacob waved with his free hand when he saw Kira. His face lit up when he saw the bag in his hand. "Is that for me?"
"Don't be rude," Josh scolded. "You could at least say hi first."
"Sorry," Jacob said. "Hi! Is that for me?"
Josh grumbled. Kira just chuckled. "Of course. There's something for all of you, actually."
He sat down on the other couch and opened the bag. "This one's for you." He pulled out the large box. "There should be instructions inside."
"What is it?" Jacob asked.
"A chess set. It's a game I thought you could play with your dad," Kira explained.
It was a pretty nice set too. Wolves on one team and Bears on the other, kind of like Jacob's old figurines. He figured if Jacob didn't like the game itself, he could play with the pieces. "I've played a bit before. It's pretty fun."
"Thanks," Jacob said. He tried to reach for it, but the second he pulled his hand loose, the baby's lip started to tremble.
Kira set it down on the table and opened it for him. He pulled the other toys out. Four toy dragons, made of soft leather and in different colors. There had been other animals made out of softer material, but Kira thought that leather would be better for wolf pups.
"I didn't know how many pups you'd have," he admitted.
"No, this is great," Josh said. "They'll love them."
"Hey, can I see one?" Jacob asked.
Kira handed him a white one. Jacob had a look of concentration as he carefully slid the dragon in place of his hand. "Come on, Twig, take it. Come on..." The baby's small hands gradually wrapped around the dragon and it's wing found it's way into her mouth. Jacob sighed in relief and flexed his hand. "I'm free!"
Josh had this content smile on his face that it seemed only parents had. He squeezed Kira's shoulder. "Thanks."
"No problem," Kira said, cheeks pinking. He stood up. "I should get going."
"You sure?" Josh asked. "You can stay for lunch if you want."
"I'd like to, but I gotta make this delivery," Kira said. "Maybe I'll catch you on the way back."
He gave Josh another hug. To his surprise, Brighton also grabbed him in a hug. He patted the alpha's back, wishing he wasn't so awkward. Aidan and Brighton waved to him as he left. He didn't see Gavi anywhere. The huge alpha was probably hunting.
He got back in the jeep and continued his journey.
Michael handed him his payment while two alphas unloaded the supplies. Another job done. Now, Kira would just drive and wait for another call to come in on his radio. He didn't know what he'd do with whatever time off he had. Maybe he'd just lounge around the forest for a while. Or he could visit Summerwood's hot springs. Time off could last anywhere between several hours and several days, and he planned to take advantage of whatever time he had.
He got back in the jeep and drove down the road with no particular destination in mind. He could go back and take up Josh's offer on lunch, but he hesitated. He felt like he was imposing himself when he visited now. He knew Josh would feel terrible if he knew Kira was feeling like that. He knew he was being ridiculous and paranoid, but he couldn't bring himself to intrude.
Driving at a leisurely pace, Kira checked the gas gage. He had an emergency supply in the back, but he'd have to refuel soon. Which meant a trip to Morra. He sighed and wondered, for the hundredth time, if he should find a new profession. Maybe there was a wolf pack that would take him on.
Maybe there was a tribe of bear shifters that didn't know who he was.
He shook his head. Yeah right.
The radio crackled and beeped. Kira sighed and pulled over to the side. He hoped he would have more time than that. He spoke into the intercom. "Kira speaking. What can I do for you?"
"Hey, Kira," said a familiar voice.
"Zane?" Kira blinked. "Is that you?"
"Hey. Long time, huh?" Zane said.
"You could say that," Kira replied, tone cooling slightly. "What do you want?"
There was a moment of silence before the alpha on the other end continued. "Look, I know this isn't your thing, but the job's going to pay really well, and we don't have anyone else who can do it, and-"
"Rambling," Kira cut in. "What's going on?"
Zane sighed. "We need you to pick up a rather...expensive batch of medicine, and deliver it to Grizzly Point."
Kira's heart dropped to his stomach. He opened his mouth to respond, but nothing came out. He stared at the intercom and briefly contemplated hanging up. When he finally got his breathe back, he spoke in a shaky voice. "No. Absolutely not."
"I know," Zane said. "Believe me, I know. But it's an emergency."
"You can't just call me out of the fucking blue and-"
"I know! God, I know. But-"
"You know why I can't come back," Kira said, a note of hysteria creeping into his voice. "Find someone else."
"There isn't anyone else," Zane said. "It's an outbreak of bearpox. It's mainly affecting cubs."
Kira bit his lip until he tasted copper. Cubs. Of fucking course. He shook his head. There had to be someone else. Anyone else. Zane knew what he was asking of Kira. He knew why Kira couldn't take this job.
"I've already talked to the others. They promise no nasty business. Please, Kira," Zane said. "You'll be paid well and I'll personally make sure you get time off."
"And if they're lying?" Kira asked in a shaky voice.
"Then I'll make sure this place is burned to the ground," Zane replied. "Please?" A pause. "My cubs are infected."
Shit. Shit shit shit. Kira groaned. "Fine! Alright! I'll be there in about four days."
"Thank you," Zane said breathlessly. "Thank-"
Kira shut the radio off. A growl rose in his throat and he slammed his fist against the dash. "GODDAMMIT!" He roared. "FUCK!"
He got the jeep moving again and drove like a lunatic. With every bump, his head cracked against the roof of the jeep. He snarled and growled, knowing full well that he was throwing a tantrum. At least there wasn't anyone around to see.
When he finally started to calm down, he tried to think of a plan. He couldn't do this. He couldn't take a risk like this. It could be a trap. A dirty lie to lure him home.
Except Zane wasn't a liar. Unlike the rest of their stinking family, Zane wouldn't pull something like that. If Zane said they needed help, they really needed help. Kira sighed. He didn't know what to do.
In another hour he'd pass by Josh's place again. An idea started to form in his head. He chewed the inside of his cheek. If he was seriously going to go home, then he certainly wasn't going to be able to do it alone. Preferably, he needed the security and muscle of an alpha.
He needed the razor sharp senses of a wolf.
He wondered if any of Josh's omegas were busy.