SWNOVELS Chapter 6
“You are in pain, perhaps you should stay with Farrin, and I will find your pack. You can trust it won’t take me long and that I will see them all safely returned to you.”
I shook my head and marched on. “They don’t know you. They won’t know to trust you. I must go too.”
“You could tell me something only you would know-“
“No.” Looking sharply up at him, I was sure my eyes blazed with the golden hue of my wolf. “I’m going. My leg will be fine.”
At first his jaw clicked, and I wondered if he had grown used to having none talk back to him as Alpha of such a mighty pack. But there was a glimmer of respect too as he bowed his head and remained silent the rest of our walk.
We met Farrin not far down the road from the port village. He leaned against the cart with both horses while he ate from a steaming bowl. Sweet and homely, the scent made my mouth water and I wondered if the innkeeper had been kinder to him than to me.
“Glad to see you’re alright,” he greeted. “I’m sorry your pack wasn’t there.”
All I could do was grunt in acknowledgement, tugging at the length of my dress as soon as I was within reach of the cart. I chucked it, along with my cloak and boots, into the back, then flung the stockings over too so I stood with skin bared to the early winter chill. Goosebumps rose immediately and I couldn’t suppress a shudder as I turned to face the two males. Farrin said nothing, continuing to eat slowly while keeping his eyes averted.
The action struck me as odd.
I’d seen the males back at their castle walking around with not a stitch on, and most wolves took great pride in showing off their skin as much as their fur. He was a mated male though, and perhaps it was out of respect for his mate rather than me. Only Alpha Hati let his eyes wander, with no sign of anything other than disapproval at what he saw, especially as bright sunkissed eyes lingered on my bruised leg.
I worried he might ask me to stay behind again, and as much as part of me might have wished to - as exhaustion was only growing to be a heavier burden the more I pushed on - I knew I was right. The pack would need to see my face or they might not follow an unknown male whether he claimed to know me or not.
“They won’t have strayed far from the road because they know I would come back this way,” I said, staring at the still fully clothed Alpha. “They’ll have wanted to stay somewhere I’d easily find them.”
A slight smile tilted the corner of his lips as he shared a glance with Farrin. “Stay here with the horses. We will be back before the setting of the sun.”
“What shall I do if you are not?” Farrin asked, and my heart clenched at the very thought.
“We will be.”
The confidence in the Alpha’s words fuelled my own.
Farrin bowed his head and tilted it to bare his neck, a show of submission that appeared to appease the tension my own refusal to submit earlier had brought on the Alpha. When he leaned in to brush his cheek to Farrin’s, I was annoyed that the more instinctual part of myself appreciated his ability to show affection to his pack.
I knew how it felt too.
The small moment where he’d offered me sympathy with a hand on my back and my cheek against his chest had filled me with warmth. And Farrin must have felt the same for he stood taller afterwards with a pleased glint in his eyes.
Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes to steel myself for a painful shift to fur. It wasn’t so bad at first as joints realigned and my skin tingled as fur sprouted. Then bone lengthened or shortened as needed and my injury screamed to life in brilliant white. To watching eyes, it would have taken a few seconds at most, but it felt like hours of suffering to me. It was no wonder most shifters chose to stay in one form until bone injuries had healed. I was pushing my body to its limits but it hadn’t failed me yet.
I wobbled on four paws when my vision finally cleared, my thick tail swishing out behind me to keep me upright.
Alpha Hati had started to strip too, already bare of his leather armour. The moment he began to remove his clothes, I busied myself with working out the kinks and tight muscle, stretching low to the ground so my eyes wouldn’t be drawn to the naked male. Mud squelched beneath my paws and splattered lighter patches of fur, but that wasn’t enough to keep my attention when I noticed the Alpha had stopped moving.
Finally, I dared look up and take in his form as he had mine.
Muscles rippled beneath golden skin that was marred only by a few pale scars - one of which was jagged and wide along his inner thigh, as if someone had intended for him to bleed out quickly - and black runes that curled around his bicep in a spiral that ended above his elbow. There was no doubt he was born of this land for he had the same bulk as the human raiders who had long ago settled in the islands to the North and West of my homeland. Lochlannaich, the islanders had called them.
Alpha Hati shifted in the blink of an eye and a wave of power that caused even the leaves on the trees to rustle and tremble. I should have known in the shape of his wolf, he would be just as intimidating. Cream and grey fur didn’t hide the strength of him, and his eyes were still a startling orange that glowed as bright as the rising sun. He watched me as if assessing what I was thinking, but in truth, I was so shocked that barely any thoughts formed at all.
No skin shifter I’d ever seen before was as big as the male before me. Standing in a relaxed posture, probably to stop from terrifying me, the tips of his ears were in line with Farrin’s shoulder. His tail was still and his head cocked to one side, and yet he might as well have been roaring in my face for all the fear I felt.
A curious whine slipped from my chest without my meaning it to, baser nature warring with the wariness of logical thoughts. I wanted to go up to him, study him, capture his scent until I could work out every nuance and test him in play like I would any stranger, but I was having trouble keeping my tail from tucking between my legs.
His posture remained neutral and he sat as if waiting for me to find my bravery, offering a gentle sound of his own.
“He won’t hurt you; you must know that by now. He might look scary but he’s as gentle as a housecat when he wants to be.” Farrin smirked as Alpha Hati let out a displeased growl with his packmate’s assessment. “The dark will bring the blood drinkers with it so do as our Alpha says and make sure you’re back by sunset. I will go back into the village to buy supplies for our journey back.”
While I definitely didn’t believe Alpha Hati could ever be compared to a house cat, a little confidence did return to me. Taking a few slow steps forward, I still couldn’t quite get over the power that exuded from the huge Alpha wolf. He allowed me to scent him, my nose brushing along his side and appreciating the musky scents beneath the sweetness of something like freshly peeled bark. Unimpressed that I found nothing to give away that he was anything other than a skin shifter like me, I began a more thorough search of every inch of him until a gentle nip to my ear reminded me to be respectful and back away.
A small measure of embarrassment penetrated my thoughts. I might have blushed in skin for allowing myself to get so carried away. My tail dropped and my ears fell in apology, but when I glanced up at his face, I found promise lingered in orange eyes. Promise of a chance to properly get to know him in fur better another day if I wished. If I joined his pack. And I still wasn’t sure if I wanted that or not, because I knew there were secrets. Things about his pack that might give me more reason to have suspicions, even if they were kind.
For now, we had a hunt to get on with. Decisions could be made later.
With a small growl of encouragement, Alpha Hati re-entered the forest in only three giant strides that ate up the ground. Determined to try and keep up, I put every ounce of energy into following him.
We kept the road to our right, as that was the way I had chosen myself and so maybe they would have decided to follow. I was certain Mother had watched me disappear from the window. Beyond that, I had little idea where they would go to find safety to hide. We had little knowledge of these lands and what was nearby.
Thankfully, Alpha Hati ended up taking the lead, his nose to the ground with me barely able to keep up with his long stride.
For hours we scoured the surrounding forest, keeping low when human travellers passed on the road.
The more time that passed, the more I began to lose hope.
When another set of tracks disappeared into thin air, I danced on my paws in frustration, snapping at nearby foliage. Alpha Hati paused and turned to look at me, a low whine catching in his throat as he padded slowly to where I fought not to howl mournfully into the late afternoon sky.
His proximity was felt immediately. Even with his pose at ease and concern in his eyes, I couldn’t help but become wary at his hulking presence. He lowered his head to settle me, then rubbed his chin against the top of my head with a gentle rumble that softened my hackles. Keeping the sound up, he moved to nudge his bigger body against mine, huffing an amused breath when he nearly toppled me right over.
It was hard to remain steady when the call of an Alpha lulled me into a daze. I could see now why wolves flocked to him. The innate power that came in waves from him had a calming effect when he wanted it to. Alpha Hati chuffed in satisfaction as my tail stopped flicking and my ears perked up again, then gave my rear a nudge to guide me forward.
Instead of rushing off this time, he stayed close to my side. The sun was beginning to sink lower in the sky, promising only a few more hours of daylight. With renewed vigor, I began to follow scents of deer and rabbit in the hope I might run into a hunting packmate. To my surprise Alpha Hati began to follow my lead. We must have traversed a few more miles further from the road and deeper into the woodland by the time Alpha Hati let out a frightening bark then bounded off back the way we’d come.
Furious he intended for us to return to Farrin, I attempted to catch up and nip at his tail but he remained too far ahead. After taking a sharp right, I caught onto the trail he was following. A hint of heather and musk that didn’t fit the area.
I’d know it anywhere.
Fionnlagh.
My legs worked harder, claws digging into the ground to push me forward. I rushed through thick undergrowth at a speed that rivalled Hati’s and he glanced over his shoulder as if surprised I’d managed.
A thick cluster of brambles blocked our path ahead and caused the Alpha to slow, but I had no such qualms. Tearing through spiked branches that stabbed through thick fur to nick skin, I lost my footing on gnarled roots and tumbled to the other side. It gave the grey wolf with a rabbit hanging from his jaws a fright but when I shook myself free of thorns, I realised Fionnlagh hadn’t even noticed me. His dark gaze was locked on the humongous wolf casting a large shadow over me. Alpha Hati stepped forward so he stood over me, placing one huge paw in front of my head in a defensive position.
Didn’t understand that this was no stranger, but my cousin?
A growl from the Alpha stilled me when I moved to get up. Fionnlagh didn’t take too kindly to the threatening sound. Hackles raised, he dropped the rabbit to peel back his lips from sharp teeth. A part of me took time to admire how ferociously my cousin was prepared to defend himself and our pack, until he looked like he was going to attack. Alpha Hati wouldn’t take kindly to that.
Shifting quickly to skin as Fionnlagh began to posture towards the male I’d brought to help us, I called out, “Fionnlagh, no!”
His gaze flicked to me and the growls immediately stopped, his eyes widening with recognition. Scrambling out from beneath the Alpha, I ran towards him. He shifted to accept my desperate hug, grunting as I nearly knocked us both over. We staggered a few steps before managing to wrap our arms properly around each other.
“You found the Alpha,” he breathed in relief, pulling back with hope glittering in his eyes.
“Yes. This is him, Alpha Hati.” I glanced over my shoulder to find him standing tall in skin, nostrils flaring to take in the new scent.
The contrast between them was startling. My cousin should have been a growing male coming into his own, building muscle and learning to hold himself, but he looked paler than I’d left him and the bags around his eyes bruised his face in dark purple.
“There’s a horse and cart waiting to take us all back to his territory with food, clothes and beds, a healer for father. We will be safe from human and blood drinker alike within the walls of their castle throughout winter.”
Fionnlagh looked almost disbelieving. Of course, it would be a way of life we weren’t used to; wearing clothes and living within the confines of a single territory, or the walls of a castle. I had no intention of living that way forever. The freedom of the wilderness was my heart and soul, as should be true for all wolves in my eyes, but for now, it wasn’t safe. Maybe when the summer came again, we would all take back to the forests and glens.
A branch snapped as Alpha Hati shifted his weight, and I couldn’t help but suspect it was intentional. He’d proven he was adept at making as little sound as a shadow when he chose. It got his desired reaction, I was sure.
Fionnlagh took a few steps towards him, and pride filled me as he puffed up his chest, standing like a male ready to test a stranger’s metal. Unfortunately, I couldn’t allow my cousin to push him too far and feared I’d have to show him his place with a cuff to the ear if he didn’t back down.
Thankfully, he reigned himself in despite his youth, and bowed his head without baring his neck.
“Thank you for coming to help us, Alpha.”
Protective instincts kicked in as Alpha Hati took the measure of my cousin. He circled around him and ignored my glare and bared teeth. To Fionnlagh’s credit, he didn’t flinch away. Once Alpha Hati stood in front of him again, he gruffly spoke, “My home will be yours, and you will get all your cousin spoke of and more, but you will give me your submission, pup. I’m you’re Alpha now.”
Fionnlagh bristled, dark eyes flicking to me for guidance. Trying not to smirk, I tilted my chin up, and he understood.
Usually orange eyes burned a dark amber as Alpha Hati glared at me. Keeping my eyes on his, I lifted a hand to Fionnlagh’s shoulder.
“Show us where the pack is.”
Without looking back, Fionnlagh left the rabbit he’d caught on the ground and gave the simmering Alpha a wide berth. I followed after him only to be pulled to a stop by Alpha Hati, hot, rough fingers gripping my arm to tug me towards him.
“I will forgive this slight on the understanding that he is young, and young wolves like to test their boundaries, but once we are on my land, with my wolves, you will submit. He looked to you. He will follow your lead, so I can only imagine the rest of your pack will look to you as well, Little Alpha.”
“It has nothing to do with me,” I snapped, yanking my arm free.
Why did he seem to think anyone would follow my lead? Fionnlagh was forever pushing against whatever boundaries I set up. He loved to test me, certainly not follow me.
“Fionnlagh has lost his father, his home, his cousin. He’s seen things he shouldn’t have, taken on responsibilities for one beyond his years, he’s starving and tired, and he has no idea who you are no matter what you promise. I wouldn’t expect him to immediately submit to you, and you shouldn’t either. You’ve yet to truly prove yourself to him.”
Alpha Hati growled, eyes flashing as he crowded me against the nearest tree. “Yet to prove myself? I left my pack and entered dangerous territory to help him-“
“And he’s grateful for that. They all will be. But you know as well as I do that’s not how we wolves work. Actions speak louder than words, Alpha Hati; follow through on your promises and they will see you are a male worthy of their submission.”
A muscle in his jaw ticked. His gaze bored into mine and I swore he leaned in even closer so there was but a hairs-breadth of space between us. His skin was hot, scalding even though he was being careful not to touch me. Staring up at him, my stomach flipped and an odd tingle began to spread over my skin. I had to dig my nails into the crumbling bark of the tree behind me to stop from doing . . .I wasn’t exactly sure what, but I was certain I’d regret it.
“There is more to you than meets the eye indeed, isn’t there?” he finally said, his tone tight as if that fact irritated him and intrigued him all once. “You spoke wisely. I am expecting too much from wolves who have suffered so, and will endeavour to prove my worth. Which I will, so I advise you to take this time to get used to the idea.”
Gods this male was infuriating, and he knew it if the glint in his eye meant anything. He was taunting me, almost as if he wanted to see if I would bite. I would have too, but I was overtly aware my cousin had stopped and was probably listening in, so I kept my peace. His proximity made it near impossible to keep from trembling. I pressed tight against the crumbling bark of the tree to put more space between me and the Alpha still intently watching my face.
“Eabha,” Fionnlagh called warily. “It isn’t far but you should come quickly.”
Something in his tone caught my attention. As did the way he kept glancing over his shoulder while rocking on his feet. Something had happened. Alpha Hati sensed it too and stepped away to allow me to pass.
“Are the pups alright?” I asked him, remembering the words of the blood drinker from the night before.
Fionnlagh hurried me across a clearing, gripping my hand tight in his. He squeezed it and offered me a strained smile. “They’re fine, but your father. . .”
My heart stopped in my chest, and I would have stumbled to a stop if the huge Alpha behind us hadn’t pushed the middle of my back the second I faltered.
“His breathing became laboured after we found a den for the night, and he complained of a great pain in his chest. He closed his eyes and did not wake this morning-”
“Do not tell me he is dead, a Fhionnlagh,” I choked.
“No! No Eabha, he is not dead, but I fear he may not have long if he does not get help soon.”
We threw ourselves into a run after that, and with each step I feared we would come across mourning wolves. At the base of a mighty oak tree with thick branches that provided some cover, the pack had made their den. And it wasn’t cries of grief that greeted us, but high-pitched squeals of delight.
The bright grins of my younger siblings warmed my soul and I fell to my knees to wrap them both tight in my arms. Their grubby cheeks rubbed against mine and their hands smoothed over skin so their scents mingled with mine.
“You were so long away, Mother was growing worried,” Niamh whispered into my ear, nuzzling into my neck as if it had been weeks we’d been parted.
“I’m back now,” I replied, kissing the top of her head then Anndra's in turn before pulling back to search them for injury. Both were fine, and a little bit more of my stress faded away.
Standing up again, I spotted Oighrig lingering by the tree with Seumas on her hip, and I guessed it was Alpha Hati she stared at so intently. Mother appeared from the other side, stopping in her tracks and dropping the plants she had gathered to run straight for me. Pups still clung to my legs but I didn’t care, clinging onto my mother like a lifeline.
“I’m sorry, I should have run faster.” My voice hitched, the lump in my throat growing as tears slid down my cheeks. “I should have tried harder.”
She swiped away wet trails with her thumbs, cupping my face in her hands and pressing her forehead to mine. “Don’t say that, a nighean. You have done far more for our pack than I have, and your father will be so proud when he wakes.”
I shook my head to deny it but before I could speak again, she suddenly stiffened. She hadn’t noticed the male I’d brought with me until he moved.
Arms folded across his chest, he stood regal and tall before my family, his eyes surveying each one in turn. When orange eyes fell on my mother, he gave her a warm smile and bowed his head.
I nearly choked in shock.
“Your Alpha did well in finding me, mother-wolf. I am Hati Hróðvitnisson, Alpha in The North. I’m here to take you to my territory where you will be safe as members of my pack.”
No demands of loyalty, no snide remarks about only being allowed safety if we submitted, he gave my mother all the respect she was due.
Mother didn’t notice me bristling beside her. She beamed up at Alpha Hati with no care of the strange name he bore, then bowed her head with a slight tilt to show her neck. I couldn’t believe how easily she submitted to him.
“Eabha is a good female,” she agreed. “We thank you, Alpha Hati. It has been a long road with much loss suffered.”
“Take me to your mate, Laoghaire of Alba. I will carry him back and there will be no more suffering.”
He even remembered her name despite me only speaking it once. Just like that, he had won her over. But her expression had fallen at the mention of her mate. She hurried over to a shelter constricted roughly from branches, leaves and covered in thick moss. Father lay inside, blankets padding the ground beneath him and covering his legs, but his chest remained bared.
A groan of grief left my lips as I fell to my knees beside him, my hands hovering over the black bruising covering his ribs and side. The floral scent of herbs lingered on his skin, smears of green telling me Mother had done her best to heal what she could with her knowledge of plants, but the only sign of life was the slow rise and fall of his chest.
I kissed his cheek. “I’m here, Father. You will be alright now.”
“Is there a healer that can help him in the North?” Mother asked.
I wasn’t sure if it was directed at Alpha Hati or me but I answered anyway, “Yes. I injured my leg on my way and when I woke, it was set and nearly mended. They have someone that can help.”
Alpha Hati crouched beside me and I stiffened as my body thrummed with awareness. Orange eyes scanned my face and his voice was low and gruff as he revealed, “It was I who set your leg. I healed the open wound too, or at least, I tried. If my gift had worked then you would be in no pain, and there would be no wound to see. Whatever healing it did, it came from you.”
“Your gift? I don’t understand. If it don’t work, I could not have healed so quickly on my own. It is impossible.”
“Indeed, but it is so.” His eyes narrowed a fraction, and I thought I saw a flicker of something that made me nervous.
Suspicion.
And that gaze burned into mine with such intensity, that if I did have any secrets, I was certain they would have tumbled from my lips with no restraint for this wasn’t a male you dared lie to. But he seemed appeased by whatever he found in my expression and I nearly swayed forward at the loss of connection when he turned a clinical eye to my father.
“He is in a deep sleep but his heartbeat is still strong. Gather your family, we leave now. I want us on the road before the sun begins to fall too low,” he ordered.
The set of his jaw warned me to not question but obey, and I nodded, getting back to my feet. Before I could take a step, he spoke again.
“Thank you.”
“What for?” I asked, gathering a blanket into my arms so the pups would be warm through the night.
He didn’t answer at first. Sliding one arm beneath my father's shoulder, and the other beneath his knees, Alpha Hati lifted him as if he weighed no more than a small sack of grain. Back on his feet, he towered over me and gave me an uncharacteristic grin. “For not arguing, and just obeying.”
My jaw clenched.
I heard him chuckle as I turned around and marched away to help my pack. He had the wrong idea about what it meant to be an Alpha if he believed he should be blindly followed. Especially when I was now more certain than ever than he had secrets. He spoke of gods, and gifts of healing that I somehow knew went beyond a knowledge of herbs as my mother had.
The aura of the wolves who’d stepped forward when I’d ran into their hall had held a difference to other shifters too, not as much as Hati, but it was there. It could be as simple as them all having come from the same pack before they decided to expand. . .
Pausing, I found the Alpha easily. It was like my body knew exactly where he was. He caught me looking of course; a male like him would always be aware of when he was being watched.
To distract myself, I went to Aunt Oighrig and threw it over her slim shoulders. She hadn’t moved from the spot she stopped when we first arrived. Seumas was wrapped in thin fabric to strap him to her front and the little pup seemed to be the most unharmed and well-fed of us all. As a nursing female, we’d done our best to make sure she got the best of food before all the rest of us.
Brushing the back of my hand over her arm drew her our of her daze. The veil lifted from light blue eyes and she smiled before leaning in to nip my jaw in greeting.
“We have to get moving, Aunt. Do you feel well? I can carry Seumas,” I offered, studying her mood.
She looked like she was seeing what was around her, and not whatever fantasies often played in her head to shield her from the pain of losing her mate. But after being through so much, I didn’t want her to cause herself further harm.
“I can carry him. Fionnlagh will help if I get tired,” she replied. “You walk with your mother, she needs you.”
I waited until Fionnlagh came to her side before I did as she bid. My siblings hid behind her legs and peered uncertainly up at the sight of Father being carried by a huge stranger. Alpha Hati glanced past me to make sure Fionnlagh and Oighrig followed, then took the lead. I trusted him to guide us back, allowing me to focus on making sure nobody strayed or lagged behind.
To my own shame, I avoided Alpha Hati and my father like the plague. It hurt and unsettled me to see the wolf I’d always looked up to, the one who’d always urged me to follow my heart and taught me to be strong, now so weak. Yet, the more I avoided them, the more I found my feet leading me closer to them anyway.
“I promise you he will be okay, Little Alpha” Alpha Hati murmured, though he hadn’t turned his head to see me lingering behind.
Having been caught, I skipped a few quick paces so I walked at his side. I reached out to brush my hand over Father’s chest, twitching as if I could feel the pain it caused the male who sired me. The male who’d led us when we’d all been overcome with grief and who may well lose his life still.
“You shouldn’t make promises you aren’t certain can be kept.” I cringed after I spoke, hearing the harsh edge that wasn’t deserved. “I just mean, anything might wait for us before we make it to your territory.”
“You don’t need to defend your words, Little Alpha, I understand your meaning well enough. You fear for him, and yourself should he pass. Whatever happens, you will remain standing strong. You won’t break, that is something I am certain of.”
Having someone understand the truth of my feelings was oddly comforting, and I nodded solemnly. Losing Mànas was hard enough to bear.
Niamh grabbed my hand before my thoughts could sour further, tugging a few times until I swung her up so she could lean over and see Father. Her bottom lip jutted out, trembling as it often did when she was upset. I held her tight and smoothed down her wild locks of dark brown hair as if to assure myself she was really alright.
Unfortunately, it didn’t mean the blood drinker had lied about having fed from a pup and my heart clenched at the thought that someone else out there in the forest was grieving the loss.
“Are we going to your territory,” Niamh asked of Alpha Hati, her voice small and shy.
The male smiled and nodded, full of genuine warmth for my younger sister. “Yes. I am to be your Alpha now. I hope you will like it. There are many pups your age there that you can be friends with and miles of forests to explore, and a river to swim in.”
Friends. An oddity to a pack like ours.
While there were wolves we would often cross paths with, who would stay and hunt with us for a while, and the gatherings where many got reacquainted, I couldn’t say I’d ever had a true friend. The closest I might have come was two years ago when I’d nearly been taken as a mate by a male who frequented one of our regular summer hunting grounds. Malcolm and I had spent much time together that year, and my parents had been eager to arrange the match for me, but it didn’t feel like my path.
In the end, he’d found another female to start his pack with. One who was ready to be a mother, and saw something in him that I hadn’t. Not that I’d been disappointed. Not like Mother had been.
“Do you have horses?” she asked gleefully. “I really like horses. Can I have one?”
“Niamh,” I berated quietly, giving her a scolding glance. Our father was on death's door, our pack was still unsafe, now was not the time to be asking for gifts.
Pouting, she buried her face against my neck, embarrassed at being told off in front of a stranger. I chuckled and patted her back. “Come now, don’t be upset with me.”
“We came here with horses, maybe your sister will let you ride with me,” Alpha Hati offered to placate her.
I pursed my lips, catching a smirk that disappeared when I turned my head. Was this another test? Maybe to see if I trusted him with my sister.
Big browns wide and pleading slid up at me and I shifted Niamh in my arms before sighing. “Perhaps.”
But of course she knew she’d get her way. She so often did.
After a while, I had to put Niamh down. My arms ached, and I was amazed that Alpha Hati hadn’t so much as broken a sweat, carrying my father as easily as he had to begin with. Mother slid closer to me, her gazed drawn to her mate with shining tears. I reached out to squeeze her arm, pointing at the thinning of trees that signalled the road ahead.
“We left a male named Farrin here. By tomorrow night, we could be at the castle.”
“Castle?” she breathed, looking up at the Alpha in wonder.
I shrugged, finding it as odd as she did but it was safe with its walls and warriors, sheltered between mountains I imagined even the blood drinkers would be too scared to climb over. “It’s old, and in need of much repair, but they manage to keep it warm and it will offer protection from winter winds and snow.”
She nodded, looking almost as lost as Oighrig sometimes did, and it worried me. I might get through the grief if my father passed, but I wasn’t so sure about my mother. If I lost them both, I would never recover.
Anndra slid from my mother’s grasp alongside Niamh, both of them running towards the waiting horses up ahead. I resisted the urge to call them back when I couldn’t see Farrin but his scent still lingered so he couldn’t have gone far.
With help from Fionnlagh, Alpha Hati lay Father in the back of the cart, using the hay to soften the wood beneath him. Oighrig slipped the blanket from her shoulders to hand to me so I could wrap him up tight. I busied myself with making sure he would be comfortable while Mother helped the pups up too.
“You and Oighrig should fit as well,” I said.
We should have brought another horse, I realised as Fionnlagh hovered awkwardly at my side. He would be able to sit beside Farrin happily enough, but I would rather walk back on two feet than go back to sitting with the Alpha. Unfortunately, I didn’t think Fionnlagh would be inclined to swap places.
Low voices from behind me, and Alpha Hati appeared from the treeline with Farrin at his side. Heads close together, I couldn’t hear a word they said, but it was clear they had no wish to be overheard.
“He seems like a good wolf,” Mother noted, dark eyes appraising me as I tore my gaze away.
I sniffed and turned my back on them entirely. “I don’t know what to make of him yet, but his pack is large and they are all well fed. We can be guaranteed food and warmth, and for now that’s all that matters.”
She chuckled, settling next to her mate with a hand on his arm. “I trust him. I don’t know why, but I do.”
Because he’s charming with you.
If she’d seen how I was treated by him, how for some inexplicable reason he thought I was hiding something, what would she make of him then? It was better not to tell her. When my Father was healed, I would only agree to stay and submit if he decided so.
As far as I was concerned, Father was still our Alpha.
Who is keeping the bigger secret?