16

Thalia

 

 

She had a definite spring to her step when she bounced out of the car, Thalia wouldn’t lie. She knew her grandfathers and Rafe could smell the change in her scent, so they understood. Even Rafe, who she’d feared would be territorial, just laughed at her when she grinned, over nothing at all, at him.

Lifting her nose, she inhaled deeply.

Not only was it her favorite time of the day, it was her favorite time of the month.

The full moon didn’t have that much of an effect on her as it did most of Lykenkind. She was too strong to truly feel its pull. Rafe would be able to shift without any aid from her tonight thanks to its power, though, and she was curious to see it, interested to monitor how their being mated would change things.

“Why aren’t we running around your property?” Rafe asked her grandfathers, breaking into her thoughts.

“This is our property,” Ade replied. “It’s just an extension of it. We use it for the pack. The Alpha holds the runs, and we don’t have any affiliation with them as leaders, but it seems a damn shame to have prime running land and only use it ourselves.”

“You’ve opened it up to the community?”

“We have. Lykens can run here whenever they want. All pack families have an access card, and that allows them entry to the plot.”

Thalia turned to Rafe. “Why so many questions?” She cocked a brow at him even as she slipped her hand through his arm.

Just beyond the perimeter gates, there was a parking area. The limo had brought them to this point, and now, they had a gravel path to meander before they’d hit the leafy terrain beyond.

Overhead, the moon had just started to reach its highest point, and with the scents of the greenery ahead, one mate close to her, another still passed out in their bed, and another with her grandmother, well, life couldn’t get more perfect, Thalia thought, grinning happily up at him as he’d yet to answer.

“I’m curious.”

“I’d never have guessed,” she teased, then squeezed his arm and reached up on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. “You know I love you, right?”

“I do. You know I love you, right?” he repeated, a sparkle in his eyes that warmed her.

“I hadn’t forgotten, just wanted to make sure you knew nothing had changed.”

He grimaced. “Everything’s changed, baby. I’m just choosing to view it as a positive and not a negative.”

She stared at him a second. “Really?”

“Really,” he confirmed, bending down to kiss her nose. “You already seem calmer, Thalia. I can feel it along our bond. That takes away any agitation I might have felt.”

“Why?”

“Because I want what’s best for you.”

“And what if it’s not the best for you?”

He shook his head. “It doesn’t work that way, and you shouldn’t question how it is.”

“I should just be grateful?” She snorted. “That’s definitely not how it works. Of course, I’m grateful, but I want to make sure you’re all right with this.”

“I’d have told you if I weren’t.”

“Would you, though?”

He reached for her chin and held her jaw steady as he stared down into her eyes. “I learned a lot today, Thalia. This is more than just you, me, Mikkel, and Theo. I have a new perspective on things, and I can tell you, point blank, you have nothing to worry about. I want you to feel as contented as you did on the ride over. We’re about to go on a run, our first Full-Moon run as a mated couple. I want to run beside you, and I want to feel at one with a pack for once in my damn life. Can we do that? Please?”

“Can we mate as Wolves?”

He let loose a laugh so deep she knew it came from his belly. “You mean, that wasn’t on the cards before?”

She grinned and danced away from him. “Come on, slow poke, let’s get this show on the road.”

He shushed her with another laugh. “Your grandparents will hear.”

Having had that particularly candid conversation with her grandmother that very afternoon, she felt no shame in teasing him with: “You think they wouldn’t be up in my grandma’s face if she were Lyken? Mounting her every chance they could get?”

His nose wrinkled. “Ew.”

She winked. “Prude.” Then, she darted forward and yelled, “Catch me if you can.”

Thalia heard him follow her, surprised as always by how fleet of foot he was. Again, his ranking was both perplexing and irritating because it fit no commonality, and that made it damn hard at times like this one.

Not that it affected her, but being in a pack environment would alter things. They’d sense his ranking and would shun him in their wolf skins.

As the thought crossed her mind, she saw the gathering up ahead. There was a clearing, and hundreds of men and women and children stood staring up at the moon. There was a low hum of chatter, and they were definitely conversing, but their focus was overhead.

Most of them were naked, and the scent of them together en masse was definitely interesting. It had been a long time since she’d run with a pack that wasn’t made up of naturals, and the truth was, she missed the creatures she’d left behind.

As she wondered if they missed her, too, she pulled to a halt. The Alpha, having spotted the former TriAlpha, who’d walked ahead to the clearing, cleared his throat and projected, “This is the seventieth monthly run since my inception as your ruler. As per usual, we’ll run and after, we’ll convene to the Packhouse where any issues can be discussed.”

He fell silent, and Thalia knew why. His gaze was on the moon. Not that there was any need to look up. They’d feel it in their bones when the moon reached its peak, but it seemed like tradition to gawk up at its silent depths.

“There a reason we’re hanging at the back?” Rafe asked quietly.

At her side, he’d started stripping off the shorts and tee he’d worn for the run. She’d never seen him dress so casually, and it was a distinct change from his suits and sharp shirts and ties.

“Yes. I don’t want them to see me.” It was a half lie. She didn’t want anyone to see them.

“They’ll know you’re running with them,” he stated, unconvinced.

“Maybe. But it hasn’t been brought up publicly, and I don’t want the attention. I want to run with them but not with them, if that makes sense.”

“Barely.”

She laughed. “I’m glad to hear we’re on the same wavelength.” Her laugh morphed into a grin, and she placed a hand on his bare chest. “One day, we’ll lead a run of our own. Are you ready for that?”

“Do you want the long or the short answer?” he joked.

“This feels pretty long to me,” she whispered, her hand dropping down to cup his shaft.

“That’s fighting talk.”

“Fighting’s what I do best.” Thalia tilted her head to the side as she stroked him.

“I wouldn’t say it was your best talent,” he choked out.

“No? That’s good to know.” She winked at him as she released him, and taking a step back, she began to strip down as well.

“I think this is the first time I’ll see you shift with your clothes off.”

She snorted. “First time’s a charm.”

“Is there a reason you like wrecking your clothes?”

“I hate to think of them as an impediment. To me, they’re just a covering. I hate wearing clothes. I prefer being naked.”

That had him groaning. “When we get our own place and we’re all settled, I wanna see you do the dishes with your bare ass on display.”

She winked at him. “With three mates around? I hope the chores will be fairly distributed. It’s not just woman’s work I’ll have you know.”

He made a mock bow. “This is true. Forgive me my chauvinistic jibe.”

Thalia chuckled and reached for his hand as, like a click in her head, the moon finally reached its zenith. She felt the sudden burst of power in the air as Wolves shifted. Some of their own volition, others forced by the moon’s potency. Instinct had her turning back to witness the moment when hundreds, maybe even thousands of Lyken shifted, but when she looked back, she was surprised to see her mate.

Still in human form.

Still standing at her side.

He was looking down at himself, gaping at his form, and she murmured, “Let’s break the handhold. See if it’s because we’re touching?”

He nodded, and they unclasped their hands.

He still didn’t shift.

What. The. Actual. Fuck?

They frowned at each other, and she shook her head in bewilderment. “I told you. You’re the weirdest Gamma I know.” She was beyond ready to know what the Goddess had in store for him.

A Gamma who could control the shift on the night of the Full Moon?

Unheard of.

If the rest of the pack saw him now, they’d know, without a shadow of a doubt, that Rafe was no ordinary male.

“You give the best compliments,” he joked.

“Get used to them,” she said on a laugh. “Ready to see if my shift triggers yours?”

He nodded again, and they both inhaled, the sync close to perfect without even trying. On the exhale, Thalia let her She-Wolf hold full sway. Within seconds, she was on four paws and so was Rafe.

That meant he was still lower in rank than she was, but far higher than most in the pack. Why? She couldn’t say, and she had no desire to think about it.

Now was time for their beasts to hold full sway.

They yipped in greeting, their joy at beholding their mates’ other forms consuming them, then they began the dance of chasing one another. She’d leap forward, he’d circle around her. He’d bite at her tail then leap ahead, making her follow him.

They played and they mated. They enjoyed and they felt the communion of the pack as they all howled at the moon, following the Alpha’s call.

It was only when she approached a certain part of the forest that she scented something was wrong. But by the time she discerned the scent, it was too late to shift back. Too late to warn Rafe. He was her primary concern. He probably always would be.

It was metal and it was meaty.

The two discordant scents blasted her senses, discombobulating her and muddling her perception. She knew she’d scented the two before, but she believed it had been separate. The desire to get Rafe away from the odd essence filled her, and she tried to nose at him, tried to direct him away, but it was too late.

Even as she yipped at him, the scent grew nearer, nearer until it hit her.

Literally.

It sliced through flesh and muscle, veins and bone. The hot metal seared her from the inside out, and she felt something inside her cave in, disintegrate.

Guns, the human in the She-Wolf’s consciousness processed.

Hunters, she clarified.

And then, there were no more thoughts. Only pain and the darkness that enshrouded it, and ultimately, her.

 

** **

Rafe

 

Before Rafe had a chance to howl out his rage, he heard thousands of paws approach. A yell sounded from the bushes, a scream of hurt and pain, followed by the scents of more blood and the release as bodies evacuated themselves.

But above the thunder of paws, above the fight as wolves tore into the men who shot wild bullets into the crowd, injuring the gods only knew how many of his brothers, he heard the great whooshing sound over everything else.

He peered up into the sky and saw him.

The sight was enough to trigger his shift.

Was this what Mother Mary thought she’d seen when Archangel Gabriel swept down to visit her?

His very Catholic background thanks to an eclectic and pious bisabuela shuddered and quaked at the sight of Theo lowering to the ground. His wings were huge, and they glistened in the moonlight, sending shards of light refracting in all angles as though they were reflective surfaces.

Even as a combination of terror, overwhelming wonder, and confusion filled him, he called out, “She’s been shot, Theo.”

“I know. I heard the bullet,” came the grim retort.

Now he was back in his human skin, he squinted through the darkness. His night vision had always been weak, but they were in a particularly dark part of the forest. Almost as though he’d put in a request, light suddenly swelled around Theo, like he was a human-shaped flashlight.

Able to see the wound, Rafe pressed his hands to the bubbling, bloody mess and sought the gifts the Goddess had granted him.

Through those talents, he saw the trajectory of the bullet. He felt the searing heat as it passed through organs and muscle, but when he found the metal, he cringed.

“I-I can’t help her,” he whispered, stunned. Utterly aghast as the realization hit him.

His mate was. . . .

He blinked. Unable to process it.

“I need to get her to an ER,” he spat hoarsely. “Can you fly her to one? Then come and pick me up? It would be the quickest option.”

Theo gaped at him, his distress adding a tremor to his hands. “She’s in her wolf skin, man, we can’t take her to an ER. What the hell’s going on with her? I thought you were a healer? Heal her, dammit.”

“I am, but I can’t heal wounds made by mercury.”

A hiss escaped Theo. “They knew you were Lyken.”

“They had to. And they were human. I didn’t even know mercury was poisonous to us until recently. How the fuck did they know?” Both males shared a look, and then they stared down at their mate. The She-Wolf wasn’t even whimpering, wasn’t even moving or fidgeting in place. She lay there.

Still as death.

Rafe’s mouth worked, then he bit out, “We’re wasting time.”

Theo’s nostrils flared, and Rafe watched, disturbed as the other man bent low over the bullet. He sniffed it, then sniffed her.

“There’s no time to get her to a surgery.” He closed his eyes, not in pain, but as though he were seeking some inner source of information that only he was privy to.

“How do you know?”

“We’re linked. It’s barely there, but it’s forming, and it’s dying.” He swallowed, and the pain in his voice was like a tsunami. It threatened to drown them both in the power of its wake. “It’s supposed to grow, not shrink. It only shrinks if. . . .”

The terror that flooded Rafe was nothing to what he’d felt moments before. Tears flooded his eyes. “We can’t lose her. We only just found her.”

How had this happened?

How the fuck had they gone from being so happy to this?

She was strong. Inviolate. She couldn’t be dying.

Theo’s eyes popped open. “When I claim her, you’ll all be safe. I should have taken her this afternoon. Goddess damn it, why didn’t I fight Mikkel for her?”

“There’s no point in asking yourself that,” Rafe snapped. “Surely, there’s something you can do? Some kind of magic you have?” He was grasping at straws, but that was the only thing they had left to them.

Magic, and the will of the Gods. If anyone knew how to manipulate both, it was the Fae male who’d just barged into their world.

“There’s no such thing as magic, dammit,” Theo roared, and intertwined with his words were the sudden rushing of paws.

Rafe didn’t have to turn around to feel the pack gathering around, and he didn’t have to hear the howls of outrage and horror to know Thalia’s grandparents had neared.

He ignored them all, especially her family, and focused on Theo. “In the car, Thalia said something about your magic being bound to the elements. Can’t you tie her life to the Earth or something?” He was speaking bullshit, and he knew it. Tie her life to the Earth? What the fuck did that even mean?

“What the hell happened?” Louis cried out, but the cocktail of emotions leaking from him was too much for Rafe’s senses to handle.

He could feel something changing with his Wolf, but he didn’t have the time to process it.

“Can’t you heal her, man?” Ade roared, jerking Rafe’s shoulder and half-dragging him from his perch in the soil at Thalia’s side.

“It’s a mercury bullet,” he said hoarsely, not taking his eyes from Theo.

“Mercury?” Matthew demanded, his voice a rasp. “The hunters knew we weren’t regular wolves.”

“How the fuck did humans make it onto a reserve like this anyway?” Theo snarled as he placed his hand on the wound.

Blood spilled from between his fingers, and Rafe couldn’t credit it that Thalia had been injured less in a hand-to-hand fight than she’d been with the single blink of an eye with a bullet.

“I don’t know,” Louis whispered, landing with a dull thud on the soil at Rafe’s side as he dropped to his knees. The greenery around them intruded, invading the area with a lush, fresh scent that just smelled wrong considering the gore that polluted the air.

“Rafe, I’m going to need your help.”

“To do what? I told you, I can’t do anything with mercury. If I touch it, it will burn us both and probably do her more damage. From looking at the wounds, I can see the mercury has metastasized onto her bones and is spreading its poison through the localized tissue before diffusing into the rest of her nervous system. I can try to cut it out, but without the proper equipment . …” He licked his lips, and using his gift, let the heat of his power swarm into Thalia’s system. Seeing the bullet’s trajectory in his mind’s eye, he calculated the risk. “I-I, maybe it’s an option,” he whispered, but his unease overwhelmed him.

He’d never done anything like this before. Never. But Thalia was dying. This was their only option, wasn’t it?

“There might be a way if we work together,” Theo whispered, his devastation bleeding into his voice.

For a second, Rafe stared at the other male and tried to imagine having lived twelve thousand years to find his mate and to lose her within days of meeting her.

The agony Rafe felt seemed childish, immature, by comparison, and though he felt gutted by the sight of a downed Thalia, he reached out his hand for Theo’s. The halo of light surrounding the male seemed to brighten at his touch. It had been dimming, almost as though with every ounce of lifeblood that spilled from Thalia’s veins, it poured from Theo’s too. Rafe’s touch changed that, swung the balance in the opposite direction.

Taking that as a positive sign, he threw himself at the mercy of the Goddess. Begged her and her mates, prayed and supplicated himself before them, as he hoped the man that was an angel in his great-grandmother’s religion had all the answers. 

“What’s the plan?”