The Gamma's Birthright - Book 2

The Iron Claw pack speeds down the mountainside, led by Andy, who’s on a furious path to the river.

He can still feel the bond, but it’s weak, faint and thready, without being able to break the bond, his link to the Gamma hasn’t been severed, he can’t get over her, move on with his life, or fully rest away from her.

He is annoyed at his brother, he told him about the last time she was surrounded and he hadn't listened, coming to the clearing far too soon.

His emotions are being used as a tool to control and track his mate, ex-mate, he doesn’t know what to call her, but the longer the bond is in place, the more he learns he doesn’t care what she’s alleged to have done, he wants her in his life.

But finally, thanks to his brother using him, he understands what she was talking about when she claimed he was trying to control her through the mark, back at the hotel.

Four hours, that’s how long it took them to get to the edge of the water, for five more they ran as a split pack on either side of the river searching for her body, scent, any indication of what had befallen her, it’s now close to four in the afternoon and they’ve reached a waterfall.

If her body had got this far, and somehow remained alive, there is no way she would have survived the waterfall, it’s not a straight drop, the water crashes violently over a jagged, rocky descent, bouncing from rock to rock, before pooling below.

Andy feels nothing from the bond if his mate were close and alive, he’d feel it, but he also hasn't felt her death, so he has hope, a small hope that she lives.

He shakes his head sadly at the unspoken question that Kieran poses with his eyes.

“Time to call it guys let’s head home.” Alpha Kieran says sadly

Clasping Andy on the shoulder, he squeezes it, before taking a deep breath and continuing

“If you haven’t felt the bond break, there’s still a chance for her.

Either way, she was a brave, feisty she-wolf.

Not many wolves, not even rogues would have the balls to try to do what she did, nor to stand up to us as a group.

I wish I could have got to know her under different circumstances.”

“That’s the issue” Andy mumbles

“I did meet her under different circumstances, yet I still judged her when the truth came out, I think that’s what hurt her most.”

Andy falls silent

“I’m here if you need to talk about it brother”

Kieran watched Andy shake his head sadly to the offer.

Darkness engulfed Toni as she hit the water, the river wasn’t deep enough to absorb the fall and she hit the bottom heavily, banging her head on the rocks hidden under the hissing white foam above, hiding its deadly secret.

There’s a last moment of clarity with both Tyra and Toni as they push for the surface before they lose consciousness, consumed by the need to sleep.

Darkness comforts them and not even the howl of pain from Andy makes it through the blanket that covers her consciousness.

At some point she heard voices she didn't recognise pushing through the darkness into her mind, scents she didn’t know, before it felt like she was flying.

Darkness engulfed her once more, but this time, she was warmer, feeling cocooned and safe, drifting back from the edge of consciousness, she retreated to the quiet of her mind.

She can feel the warmth of the sun on her face as she stretches before the memories come flooding back in.

Sitting up quickly, she’s hit with a wave of dizziness and a feeling of nausea rises into her throat.

Groaning, she puts her hand to her head, not feeling any other injuries.

She looks around, slightly shocked to find she’s on a makeshift bed, sitting in a cave, covered in furs and not, as she expected in the Iron Claw cells.

Tyra, are you there?

She pushes lightly into her consciousness, hearing Tyra growl back

We need to hunt, need a feast

Toni smiles

Good to have you back Tyra, I missed you.

She hears Tyra huffing, when she’s hungry, she’s not the happiest of wolves and as if on cue her stomach rumbles.

“I thought I heard some noises, how are you feeling?”

There’s a well-built wolf, leaning against the cave entrance, red hair tops a lightly freckled face and dancing blue eyes taking her in.

“Dizzy, nauseous and also hungry, which I don’t understand, as the last two should be mutually exclusive.

Who are you?

Where am I?”

Toni stops herself, one question at a time, she takes a long slow breath.

“Sorry, let me start this again.

Thank you for rescuing me, I assume you did?”

He moves closer, but Toni can see from his movements that he’s not relaxed and is keeping a reasonable distance between them.

“We did, Leah, my mate, said you were a strong wolf based on how quickly your injuries healed.

My name is Karl, and you are?”

“Emma Marshall”

“Well, Emma.

The nausea is probably from the head injury, which while it has healed up, you’ve been lying unconscious for two days.

Sitting up quickly would have more than likely made you dizzy and nauseous, and the hunger… well not eating for 2 days will do that to you.”

“You are a doctor?”

“No, our medic, my mate is relaying the information to me.”

She looks at the cave she’s in, basic, her bed is made of furs, recently cured.

“What pack is this”

Karl shifts his weight a little

“We are a small pack, you wouldn’t have heard of us, let me go get you some food.”

Karl turns and walks off, he comes back with a cold meat stew handing it to Toni from an outstretched hand.

“Sorry it’s cold, if you want it heating up I can but you have to wait longer.

But fires bring attention and as we saw you running from the other pack wolves, I figured, you may be fine with a cold meal.”

She takes her first mouthful after sniffing it carefully, checking for wolfsbane or poisons she knows the smell of and it tastes good, the flavours appearing to kick start her body, giving her a rush of sensations, that mostly centre around her body finally acknowledging she hasn't drunk or eaten in almost four days, excluding the alcohol.

“This is great thanks”

Toni listens hard hearing no others outside the cave

“You’re rogues, aren’t you?”

She watches Karl flinch slightly, backing off a few steps but not acknowledging her words

“Am I free to go?” Toni asks

“Why wouldn’t you be, you’re hardly in a secure area?” he motions around him.

“What makes you think we are rogues?”

“You are hosting me in a cave.

The furs haven’t been cured for long.

Your ‘pack’ isn’t near, and there is no true pack in the area I was in, that would risk going against Iron Claw pack.”

Toni takes another mouthful of stew, savouring the flavour.

“Finally, you have the mildest of rogue smells.

But I don’t honestly care about your status, I don’t know how you spirited me away from under their noses, but I will be eternally grateful.”

She goes quiet after her explanation, eating the stew slowly.

“I guess we are technically rogues, expelled from our packs for misdemeanours or because our faces didn’t fit, we would each be found on the rogue register.

We stumbled across each other and as I was Beta born, albeit a third son, I try and lead them.”

He goes silent watching Toni for a while.

“Leah saw your fall, as soon as the eight wolves had gone from the ridge, she dived in to pull you out,

We have a basic scent mask we use to mask our smell from the pack wolves nearby, so as we carried you out we hid our smell, figuring you’d been trying to escape them.

So we used the last of it we carried on you and watched from afar, but they didn't pick up a trace.

Luckily we had a few hours head start to get you away.

The rest of the pack are in our main camp area, having a stranger, one that smells of a pack, well, no offence, but I can’t put the rest of the group at risk.”

“Have you not set the pack oaths?”

“No, I never bothered learning them, I was never in line to be ranked so I didn’t pay attention”

Toni smiles at his admission.

“Let me help you, let me make you an official leader under the Goddess, reciting the Oaths you need to take.

If the others then swear a blood oath to you as their Alpha, none of you will have the rogue smell, giving you a little more protection.”

She lets him think it through

“You are a strong wolf, Leah said the fact you survived the fall and healed so fast, means you are stronger than most.

My wolf wants to follow you, why don’t you become our Alpha?”

There’s a hopeful quality to his voice.

“I wish I could, but I am bound to a pack and I cannot leave it."

She eats more of the stew

"I know you'd need to trust me to put me in front of the rest of your group, but this is my way of thanking you for saving me.”

Later that evening Toni stood outside in a small clearing, a band of ten rogues all at different stages of rogue status stood around her, looking at her nervously, no rogue would ever trust a pack wolf fully.

But as Toni looks each one in the eye, she can see in her mind that Tyra approves of them, relaxed and calm, she feels no concern about any of them.

Toni sends a prayer to the Goddess to protect this little pack, she wants them to do well.

She looks up, at the waxing gibbous moon, she has four more days before the challenge fight, this isn't what she would call the best pre-challenge routine, emotionally wrung out, physically tested, and energy drained, follow that up with two days of unconsciousness and not eating... well, it wasn't in her training plan, that she's sure of.

But the group before her had caught a deer for tonight's celebration and this felt right to her to be able to take some time to help these people who risked themselves for her.

Without them, she wouldn’t be here, so it was good to give something back.

Taking out one of her silver knives she hands it hilt first to Karl and they take a small wooden bowl she’d asked them to bring with them.

“The rites to start a new pack are a little different, after Karl has sworn to act as your Alpha, if you choose to swear to him each of you should cut your palm with the knife, I’ve given Karl.

Let a little blood drip into the bowl to mix the blood as you repeat the words I will give you, I’ll do it in the common tongue for you all, apparently not many know the old tongue.

Once you are done, you each need to drink the blood, so that you don’t need to bleed for too long, I’d suggest dipping a finger in the pot, that way a little goes a long way.”

She smiles at them all

“After that, any new entrants just need to swear the standard oath or one you are free to design, once they share blood with you as their Alpha they will become part of your pack.

But you ten, your blood will make the foundations of this pack, record your names and let it be the start of your pack history so that those who follow know you did a good thing here today.

Is there anyone here that doesn’t want to be part of a pack led by Karl and Leah?”

There’s a silence between them all

“Ok, this doesn’t make you an official pack with the Royals, but you can try to apply to the Royal Pack to be recognised after you have been founded for two years, but what it will do is bind you as a pack, let you mind link and protect you from becoming rogues.

By what name do you want this pack to be known?”

“We took a vote earlier, Veiled pack, until we lose the technical rogue status, we plan to stay hidden from view”

Toni smiles and holds the pot in front of Karl.

“Ready to become an Alpha?”

“Not willingly, but for the sake of my friends, yes”

“Do you Karl Beardon agree to accept the role of Alpha under the watchful eyes of our Goddess?

To protect those in your pack with your life,

To nurture, protect and grow the pack you lead,

Putting their needs above yours in peace and war.

Sticking with them through difficult times, promising to uphold the pack laws, legally, faithfully, and fairly, not twisting the words of the Goddess to your own needs?”

“I will”

“Cut your palm, let the blood collect in the pot and name your pack Alpha Karl”

“I Alpha Karl name this pack The Veiled Pack”

He cuts his palm letting his blood flow into the cup.

“Alpha Karl, do you accept these people to become part of your pack”

“Happily,” he grins

“Then I invite each to say the following words as they cut their palms.

I, add your name, do pledge my allegiance to Alpha Karl and all those in The Veiled Pack.

To defend them to the best of my ability and to bring no shame to our pack name”

Toni holds the pot as each of the other nine wolves cuts their palms and swears allegiance to Karl and their new pack, before each of them dips their finger into the pot, taking in the mixed blood.

She can see their eyes widening as they feel each other in the pack link, sensing the new shared pack smell they hold.

“Alpha Karl” she bows her head

“It’s up to you to assign ranks when you think it’s suitable if that’s the way you want to go.

But before I leave you, I’d like to make a declaration to you.

I Antonia Emma Woodfield, Gamma of the Nightshade pack, owe The Veiled Pack my life, and so do swear to offer you my personal protection and aid whenever I can do so, if you would take it, Alpha Karl.”

She sees the shocked faces of the people around her.

“You are the Nightshades Gamma?”

“I am, I gave you my pseudonym before, I also needed to protect myself, do you accept my vow?”

“I’d be insane to refuse it, I accept your vow and name you a friend of the Veiled Pack”

He pulls her in for a hug.

In saving her, she had been able to save them, it made her feel good, but now she had four days to heal and prepare to fight for her life.