Chapter Six
Karli sat on her front porch alone for the first time in days. Joseph and Rowl had gone to the training fields. Considering they hadn’t found Rowl’s attacker, neither wanted to leave him alone. Rowl was forced to use his crutches, but he’d gotten more confident over the last couple days and was getting around much easier now. The doc had taught them exercises to help Rowl regain the strength in his right leg, and they’d been doing them twice a day. So far, there hadn’t been any marked improvement, but they would never give up.
Laura, Lisa, and Gabrielle had come by for a visit earlier. Gabrielle had taken over chaperoning duties for Laura and Alpha Dedric’s visits since the shooting, and the two would-be mates had been growing closer. Karli was happy for her friend and hoped everything worked out with the brave alpha.
Karli had been told that the king would be on his way by the end of the week to perform their bonding ceremony, which was scheduled for Sunday. The pack had taken over preparations for the celebration as a gift to the three of them, leaving Karli with time to finish decorating their home. She didn’t know when or if Joseph and Rowl would receive their own territory, so she carried on as if they would be staying in Black Ridge.
The late afternoon sunlight was now pouring onto the front porch, and Karli basked in its warmth. She thought about her mates, which immediately brought a smile to her face. They hadn’t become intimate again since the shower, all three not wanting to risk getting carried away and fully mating. The sight of her men together in the shower, exploring each other, was the most sensual thing she’d ever seen or imagined. Their hands tentatively touching, their lips and tongues tasting and investigating one another’s muscled bodies. She couldn’t wait until they were finally allowed to make their union complete with their mating bite that would blend their life forces. Mated wolves have a more in-depth knowledge and sense of each other after the bite. Some have even been able to communicate telepathically with their mates. She wished for that.
The smell of rotting meat brought her out of her happy thoughts, making her pop her eyes open and scan the area. She knew she was being watched but couldn’t find the cause. The smell was getting worse, so she stood and moved to the railing to look farther down the road. Nothing. She was about to sit back down, when she heard whining coming from behind the house.
Karli walked down the front steps and rounded the house, heading for the backyard. She feared an animal or shifter might be hurt and in need of help. The smell got progressively worse the closer she got to the back until eventually she had to place a hand over her nose and breathe through her mouth.
By the time she realized she was being stalked, it was too late to turn back. Karli spun around and found herself face to face with a dyr. Its fangs dripped with saliva as it bared its multitude of teeth at her. The dyr stood blocking her retreat from the backyard and into the house. The stench was overpowering and began to make her gag the closer it got. Its short, stubby legs were deceiving; they could outrun a grown wolf, so there’d be no chance of her getting away. The dyr’s body was covered in long, matted hair; its muzzle protruded from its flat hairy face, and its eyes flashed red. It stood as tall as her shoulders and its body rippled with muscle. Karli began to back away from it and deeper into the forest. Dyrs roamed in the northernmost territories and tended to stay away from populated areas, which only brought up more questions. Why was a dyr this far south in the middle of Black Ridge territory?
It began advancing on her, head lowered, teeth bared. Karli brought her wolf close to the surface and howled for help as she began to gather the electricity from the air into herself. Clouds formed in the sky above her, readying to be called upon. Answering howls could be heard heading her way, but at the rate the beast was stalking toward her, they wouldn’t make it in time.
It crouched low, preparing to attack. Karli’s hands began to glow and sparks flew between her fingers.
“Okay, big fella, you want to do this, then bring it on.” She had no idea why she was talking to the dyr, but it made her feel better. “I’m going to barbeque your ass.”
Karli brought her hands out in front of her, and with her omega powers, she summoned a bolt of lightning, which cracked through the air and struck the ground a few feet from the beast. She didn’t want to kill it if she didn’t have to. After all, it was only an animal following its instincts. If she could scare him off or hold him at bay until someone arrived, perhaps they could restrain the dyr and return it to the northern territories.
But the beast didn’t take the hint. It continued to paw the earth and advance on her. Karli backpedaled even faster as it leapt at her. She brought down one bolt after another, some hitting the mark while others the beast managed to avoid. Any normal animal would have run in the other direction. Something wasn’t right. The smell of burnt flesh and hair filled the area, and the earth was scorched black from her lightning strikes. But the dyr kept coming.
Karli had enough of this. She raised her hands to the sky, summoned multiple lightning bolts, and struck the dyr with all of them at once. The move would leave her weakened, but at this point, she had no other choice. She struck with everything she had dead center on its chest. The beast roared and crashed to the ground. Karli breathed a sigh of relief as she felt her body sag with exhaustion. She stood with her hands on her knees, gasping for air, when a group of wolves came running into the forest behind her house.
Joseph and Rowl came to her in their wolf forms. Rowl stood on three legs, but he’d been equally as fast in reaching her as everyone else. She was so happy for him; she knew how much it meant to him to be able to protect her and perform his duties. Her mates stood by her side as the remaining wolves surrounded the smoking body of the dyr. Karli felt herself weakening even further and clutched onto Rowl’s fur coat to remain standing. He braced her, and Joseph shifted back into his human form just as she collapsed into his arms.
Joseph lifted her against his chest. She hadn’t realized she’d used that much power. Once she was mated, she’d gain strength, and would even be able to draw more power from their bond when necessary. But that did little to help her now. Alpha Aldric, Lothar, and Ceva ran up to them, weapons in hand, ready to battle.
“What the hell happened? And is that a dyr?” the alpha bellowed as he walked up to the beast.
Karli couldn’t care less what happened at this point. She needed to lie down in a quiet room, because her head was pounding.
“Yes, Alpha, it’s a dyr, and it attacked our mate. She bravely fought it and is weakened by the battle. We must take her inside the house and make sure she is comfortable before I go for Doc,” Joseph explained before turning and heading for the back door of their home, Rowl right by their side.
“How are you feeling, love?” Joseph asked.
“Weak and my head hurts.”
“I’ll get Doc as soon as I get you in bed.”
Joseph carried her through the back door, around the living room, and into their bedroom. When he laid her on the bed, Rowl jumped up beside her and shifted back into his human form.
“Baby, are you hurt?” Rowl asked as his hands roamed over her body, looking for injury.
“Not hurt, love. I drained myself fighting it. I need to rest.”
Rowl gathered her into his strong arms and she settled her aching head on his chest. “Rest, mate. I will watch over you,” he comforted, and Karli could feel herself drifting off.
The last thing she heard was Joseph saying he’d return with the doctor and the bedroom door closing behind him. In the back of her mind, she couldn’t shake the feeling that the attack of the dyr wasn’t happenstance.
Doc had given Karli the all clear. She would be fine with rest, and Joseph could finally breathe again. He’d left her to be cared for by Rowl and joined the group filling his backyard. The dyr had finally stopped smoking, the ground burnt black around its body. His mate had fought this beast alone; the thought chilled him to the bone.
“So does anyone else feel as though my mates are under attack?” Joseph prompted before kicking the beast with his heavy boot. He was frustrated and angry. His beloved mates were in danger and he needed to protect them, but from who?
Aldric turned to face him. The anger and concern in his eyes were easy to see. “I’ve had Ceva place wards on your house to prevent anyone wishing to harm your family from getting in. You and Godric will conduct a thorough investigation, and until it is determined who is responsible, there will be warriors posted around the area.”
“You think me incapable of protecting my mates?” Joseph huffed. If he was to become an alpha in his own right, he should be able to protect his own family.
“Not at all, Joseph. But all great alphas have to learn how to accept help when needed. You can’t allow your personal feelings to cloud good judgment,” Aldric explained.
Joseph took a deep breath and calmed himself. He knew Aldric was right, even though it would be hard to accept he needed the help. “Yeah. Right. Thank you.”
Aldric smiled and slapped Joseph on the back. “You’ll make a fine alpha.”
The rumble of a truck had him turning to see Jerome backing into his yard. The warriors lifted the dyr into the truck bed. He wanted it gone before Karli woke.
“We’ll take the dyr deep into the forest and bury it,” Jerome assured before he and a few other men jumped into the cab and drove off.
Joseph looked at the blackened earth and was thankful his mate wasn’t defenseless or the beast would have surely killed her. Who could be doing this? Who had it out for them? One name kept springing to mind—Atilia. But would she really attempt to kill her own child? He could see her having Rowl attacked, but Karli?
As if Aldric had read Joseph’s thought, the alpha opined, “We have to consider that Atilia and Ferone might be involved in some way. They were past upset they didn’t get what they wanted.” Aldric, Joseph, Lothar, and Godric rounded the house and stood in the driveway.
“I was thinking the same thing, but would they attack their own daughter?”
“And how would they when they were under house arrest, or get their hands on a dyr?” Godric asked.
“They could have hired someone to do it,” Lothar chimed in.
“No one’s seen them since they were taken to the edge of the territory, but I wouldn’t put it past them,” Joseph agreed.
“I think I’ll take a few warriors and visit their home pack to see if we can get some answers,” Godric offered.
“Take Lothar and Ceva with you in case they need more convincing to come clean,” Aldric ordered. “But make sure you return before the bonding ceremony.”
“We wouldn’t miss that. We’ll be back in plenty of time,” Godric agreed with a smile. “I think the whole pack has been looking forward to this.”
“If we can manage to keep my mates safe,” Joseph grumbled.
“Don’t forget you might be at risk as well,” Aldric warned. “If it is indeed retribution from Karli’s parents, you’d be on that list as well.”
“I’ll keep my guard up, but the most important thing is to protect my mates.”
“Somehow, I think they would disagree with you,” Lothar laughed. “Besides, they are capable of taking care of themselves.”
“Yeah, and look how that turned out. Rowl almost died, and Karli could have been killed by that dyr. They need protection.”
“You think I can’t protect myself or Karli?” Rowl’s angry voice came from behind them. They all turned to find Rowl and Karli lounging on the porch swing.
“Why aren’t you resting?” Joseph didn’t miss the hurt in Rowl’s eyes.
Rowl stood with the help of his crutches and moved to the edge of the porch. “Don’t change the subject. If you honestly believe I can’t protect myself, then how the hell do you think I can be your beta? Or were those platitudes used to calm your poor injured mate?”
“Love, I need to protect the two of you,” Joseph tried to explain, but by the look on Rowl’s face, it wasn’t helping. Karli looked as upset but remained on the swing, her disappointment easy to see.
Rowl’s eyes changed and shone with his wolf seconds before he shifted, ripping his clothes to shreds. He padded down the front steps using three of his legs and growling deeply as he stalked toward Joseph, teeth bared.
“No one interfere,” Joseph ordered as Rowl got closer. He knew he’d hurt his mate and would do anything to fix that. Joseph hadn’t intended to cause this; he had the overwhelming need to protect them, and he’d done a shit job of explaining his need. “Rowl, I love you, and I’m sorry if I made you feel incapable of protecting yourself. I know you can, but that’s what a family is for, to protect each other.”
Rowl didn’t seem to be listening. He continued forward, but it wasn’t anger that was rolling off of him; it was pain. Joseph could feel it as if it were his own. It crushed him that he’d caused his love to feel anything but happiness. When he was a mere three feet away, Rowl stopped as everyone else backed away, leaving Joseph standing alone. He opened his arms wide, ready to accept whatever his mate decided. He wouldn’t fight back.
But instead of fighting Joseph to prove he was capable of taking care of himself as Joseph had expected, Rowl simply lowered his head, spun around, and looked at Karli before sprinting into the forest. Joseph’s heart fell and then shattered as Karli slowly stood and walked back into the house, leaving Joseph alone with his guilt.
The house was quiet as Karli stared out into the forest from the back deck. It had been two days since Rowl had left, and no one had seen or heard from him. Joseph had gone looking several times but had yet to find him, and Karli was getting nervous. Joseph had a meeting with Alpha Aldric, after the group that had travelled to question her parents had returned. She chose to stay home in case Rowl came back.
Nothing felt right anymore. Things had become so confusing and she wished she could turn back the clock to before the dyr had attacked her. She would have never asked to go to the front porch to rest instead of staying in the bedroom. That way Rowl would have never heard Joseph express his need to protect them, making Rowl question his own ability. Karli knew Rowl was more than capable of performing the duties of a beta and had the ability to protect his family and the pack. But the doubt had already been laid in his mind.
Joseph had been racked with guilt since that day and barely slept, choosing to pace the floors of the living room instead. It felt like her family was falling apart and she was powerless to stop it. Her heart was breaking, and on top of all that, the king was scheduled to arrive in a few days to perform their bonding ceremony. She wasn’t even sure if there was going to be a ceremony.
Karli took a deep breath and made her decision: she would find Rowl herself. She was sure he would come to her if she howled. She slipped out of her clothes and shifted quickly into her wolf, jumped off the deck, and ran for the forest before anyone could stop her from going alone. She ran for twenty minutes before she slowed down and howled for her mate. It took a few minutes, but she received an answering howl and took off in that direction.
Her heart was beating with excitement as she raced through the trees and over the rocks. She stopped at the edge of a clearing and scanned the area. She was sure he was close. A moment later, a large black wolf padded out of the tree line and started running full speed toward her, his leg not even slowing him down. Karli took off toward her mate, joy filling her with every step.
They came together in the tall grass of the clearing, each dancing around each other, scenting one another, and licking muzzles in happiness. She had missed her mate, and the only thing that would make this perfect was if Joseph was here. The three of them were a family and she prayed her mates could work this out.
After Rowl had thoroughly sniffed and covered her in his scent, she laid down on the soft grass. He snuggled close and settled down behind her, still licking her fur lovingly. After a few moments, the nights of no sleep caught up with her and she lowered her head to her paws, falling into a deep sleep secure in the knowledge that Rowl would watch over her.
Sometime later, she woke when Rowl’s head popped up and he went on alert. Karli raised her head as a huge golden wolf entered the clearing. Joseph. Rowl didn’t move and neither did she, unsure what to do. Joseph slowly walked forward, his head low. This was the first time Karli had seen Joseph anything other than confident.
As he got closer, Karli felt Rowl tense slightly, and she realized he was as nervous as Joseph. These two had been together since they were children, friends and now mates. One seemed lost without the other, and that was why they would be a strong alpha and beta pair. They would be able to work in sync without thought. If only they could make it through this rough patch and renew their bond.
Joseph inched closer until he was in front of them, but instead of joining them, he laid down a few feet away. After a few minutes, she felt Rowl nudging her from behind, a clear request, asking her to go to Joseph. She stood and rubbed her muzzle against Rowl’s then padded over to Joseph and nuzzled his head before cuddling down beside him.
Karli could see the longing in Joseph’s eyes, and the sadness she felt coming off of him made her whine softly. Joseph immediately comforted her and laid his head on top of hers. Slowly, Rowl stood and stepped closer to them. She could see the indecision in his eyes. He seemed to make up his mind and stepped forward, bringing his head down to Joseph’s and licking the side of his muzzle. Joseph rubbed his face over Rowl’s, sharing their scents and love. Karli was so happy she rolled onto her back and nuzzled both her mates.
Eventually, the three settled down, one on each side of Karli, and she fell asleep quickly, happy for the first time in days.
There in the tall grass of the forest, she felt at peace, her men at her side. This was what she had dreamed of every day after she’d been taken away.
She’d do whatever it took to keep it.
Rowl watched over his mates as they slept. They both seemed exhausted, and he was sure he was the cause of that. He’d been away two agonizing days, wandering through the forest, trying to come to terms with his injury. When he heard Joseph setting up protection for him and Karli, it hit him hard that his mate didn’t think he could protect himself, let alone their omega mate.
He had been frustrated, angry, and confused, and he took that out on Joseph. Rowl understood that Joseph had only been following his instincts as a soon-to-be alpha and simply wanted to protect them, but it hurt all the same. Rowl loved his mates, but he was beginning to wonder if he was an equal in their triad any longer, let alone a beta. He couldn’t honestly see where he fit in now. Rowl had always been the warrior, the trainer, capable and strong. Now, he couldn’t walk without assistance, and his mate was questioning his abilities.
Joseph must have somehow felt his pain and woke, because he was now licking the back of Rowl’s head. Karli was still asleep between them. He loved Joseph, but would Rowl hold him back now from leading his own pack? Joseph deserved to have a beta that was as capable as he was. Karli deserved two strong mates to care for her, even though she was one kick-ass omega defeating a dyr on her own.
His mate continued to shower him with affection, and he wished they could stay like this forever, but reality would soon creep in to destroy it. The licking suddenly stopped and he could tell Joseph was shifting. Rowl stayed in his wolf form; he wasn’t ready to talk yet.
Joseph came around to kneel in front of him in his human form. “Love, I’m so sorry. I’ve missed you so much. We’ve missed you.” That was when he realized Karli had shifted as well. He thought she was still asleep.
She ran her fingers through his fur lovingly and cuddled up to him. “We love you, Rowl. You can’t leave us like that. We’re a family, one unit. It doesn’t work if someone’s missing.”
Joseph lifted him and placed his body, still in wolf form, onto his lap. Of course, his large body still lay half on the ground, but it felt wonderful being back in Joseph’s arms. He’d missed his mates the moment he’d left, but his pride had kept him away.
“Rowl, please understand why I said what I said. I have to protect the people I love. It doesn’t mean I think you’re incapable of protecting yourself or Karli. Of course you can. But at that moment, I was so afraid I would lose one or both of you. The only thing I could think about was protecting you both,” Joseph begged and buried his face in the scruff of Rowl’s neck. “You are the strongest man I know.”
“Please shift, Rowl. Come back to us,” Karli pleaded.
Rowl couldn’t refuse his mates. He wiggled off of Joseph’s lap and stood a few feet away before he began his shift. As soon as he was finished, he was surrounded and wrapped in his mates’ arms. Karli crawled onto his lap, and Joseph held them both close.
Karli cupped Rowl’s face and kissed his eyes, his cheeks, his nose and his chin before licking his lips as an invitation to open his mouth to accept her kiss. As soon as she released him, Joseph took over kissing him as if his life depended on it.
“Please, love, don’t ever leave us again. I don’t think my heart could take it,” Joseph pleaded with such sadness that Rowl immediately embraced both of his mates.
“I’m sorry to have worried the both of you, but I’m having a hard time accepting my new reality. When you said I needed protection, it reinforced that I’m not capable anymore.”
“No, Rowl, you’re more than capable,” Karli insisted.
“Babe, I never meant for you to feel that way. Karli had been attacked, and after your shooting, I went into hyper-security mode. It had nothing to do with your injury. It was my own fear driving me, which was my downfall, not yours. I overreacted, and that’s not a quality of a true alpha.” Joseph hung his head in what Rowl knew was shame.
“You will make a great alpha. Never doubt that,” Rowl stated as he lifted Joseph’s head to look at him. “You were meant to be one.”
“If I am, then you were meant to be my beta. The man I trust with my life and the life of our mate and family.”
“We can work this out, together. Always together,” Karli declared. “You ready to go home now, Rowl?”
He was more than ready to return home with his mates. “Yeah. Let’s go home.”
The three embraced before shifting and heading back to their home, together. It was almost dark by the time they padded into their backyard to find Alpha Aldric waiting for them.
He didn’t look happy.
This couldn’t be good.