The Shadow Howlers

Selena was numb after they took Violet’s body away. Why would she try to kill her? She had thought that Violet was one of the people she could trust. Andrew took the glass Violet had drunk out of so he could have some tests run on it to see what had been in it.

“Who was she?” Gunnar asked while Polly and Trisha stood in front of Selena, glaring at everyone as though they were all trying to hurt the Queen.

“She was my attendant and the only person I really trusted here. I can’t believe she did this.” Zaiden wrapped his arms around her. He hadn’t thought Psyche’s sisters would get to someone on his staff, but that was the only explanation for why Violet tried to kill Selena.

“Gunnar, I trust you and your men explicitly. Can you please check out the rest of the palace staff? I want to make sure there are no other traitors among us.” The dining hall had mostly cleared out, but Zaiden still spoke softly. Right now, he didn’t trust anyone other than Gunnar, Bianca, and the people they brought with them.

“What about us, King? We can do important jobs, too.” Polly asked. He squatted down next to the pups.

“You two saved the Queen’s life. That means more to me than anything else in the world. Would you two like to be her personal guards while you’re here? If you accept this important position, I’m trusting that you’ll tell Gunnar or me if you see anyone suspicious trying to get to Selena,” He asked them seriously. They looked at each other with their mouths open.

“You trust us to be the Queen’s guards?” Trisha asked softly.

“You’re the only ones who noticed Violet gave Selena something she didn’t ask for. Most people wouldn’t have paid any attention to her. So will you take the job of protecting your Queen?” Zaiden tried to hide his smile as their little faces lit up. They threw their arms around him and almost knocked him down.

“We’ll keep her safe, King Zaiden,” Polly said when they let him go. Zaiden smiled as they moved to stand back in front of Selena. He had never wanted pups of his own more than at that moment. He couldn’t wait for Selena to go into heat.

“You know you just made their day,” Selena whispered to him.

“I know. Look how happy they are, and they were the ones who questioned Violet. You may have drank that water if it wasn’t for their quick thinking.” He whispered back as he watched the pups.

Bianca felt like crying, seeing the girls’ pride in being made guards to protect Selena. They needed that boost in confidence after how worried they had been that she and Gunnar would replace them if they had a pup. She couldn’t get over how radiant Selena was, either. Although seeing how Zaiden treated her, she could see why her face was glowing. It was clear he worshiped her.

“So these evil women want to kill you because, in their twisted minds, it will give them their sister back. Yet, at the same time, they want to see her hurt even more. Any clue on how we’re going to stop them?” Alani asked. She felt like kicking some ass. Omar put his arm over her shoulders. He loved it when she was looking for a fight.

“It’s not going to be easy. They’re evil, but they’re still goddesses. They can manipulate people to do what they want. Our best option is to force them to come to our realm. If they do, then we can fight them on our turf. Once they leave their realm, they won’t be able to return.” Andrew said as he rejoined them. He didn’t like that the sisters were able to get to Violet so easily. He was sure she wasn’t the only person in the palace they had turned into a traitor.

“How do we get them to come to our realm?” Gunnar asked. His pack was used to fighting and helping other packs when they were being attacked, but fighting goddesses was on a whole different level.

“We have to keep stopping whoever they send here to get to Selena.” Before he could finish, Polly interrupted him.

“Excuse me, that’s Queen Selena to you.” She said, narrowing her eyes at him. Andrew held his hands up in surrender.

“I’m sorry, ma’am, I mean Queen Selena.” He replied. Polly nodded and returned to her stance with Trisha in front of Selena.

“As I was saying, we have to stop whoever they send. There will be more because they’re going to do everything they can to have you brought to them or killed here. I will try to get messages to Eros and Psyche to let them know what Aglaura and Cidippe are doing. They can get more help in their realm, but we still must be careful. The sisters aren’t stupid, and they will be expecting us to try something.” Andrew looked at the group, hoping they understood how dangerous Psyche’s sisters were.

“So you’re saying we need to be prepared for everything,” Alani said.

“Yes, they won’t hold back, so we can’t either.” He replied. She nodded and looked at the two pups.

“Trisha and Polly, are you ready to begin training? If you’re responsible for the Queen’s safety, then you need to be in tip-top shape,” she asked them. They looked at Selena and back at Alani, unsure what to do. They wanted to train but didn’t want to leave their post. Selena made the choice for them.

“We all need to train, so let’s go to the training facility. Everyone go change and meet at the back door in ten minutes,” she said, smiling at Trisha and Polly.

The pups walked Selena to her bedroom and told her to wait there while they changed. When they left, Zaiden pulled her into his arms.

“I think we should let everyone else train while we get our own special workout.” He said, pulling her dress off and running his hands over her smooth skin. Selena giggled and shook her head.

“I meant what I said. We all need to train, and that includes us,” She replied as he ran his thumb over her nipple. She wanted to change her mind, but she couldn’t. Selena had never trained, and she wasn’t going to sit back and let others protect her while she did nothing. A knock on the door startled both of them.

“Queen Selena, we’re ready to go when you are,” Trisha said through the door. Selena laughed while Zaiden groaned.

“Cock blocked by the cutest two pups in the world. I’ll allow it because they’re your guards.” He whispered to her.

“I’ll be right out,” Selena said. She and Zaiden quickly changed into clothes to train in. Selena wasn’t sure what to wear, so she put on a pair of tight shorts, a sports bra, and a tank top. When she walked out of the closet, Zaiden groaned again.

“Damn it. How am I supposed to get anything done with you dressed like that? I want to remove your clothes and, at the same time, cover you up so no one else can see you.” He rubbed his hand down his face as she laughed. Selena put her arms around his neck and whispered.

“You do what I want now, and I’ll do what you want later.” She said, kissing his cheek. Zaiden kissed her hard, and when he pulled away, he smiled.

“Deal, but you may regret that offer later. I’m going to do so many things to your body that you’re going to be begging me to stop or asking for more.” He started walking toward the door, but Selena froze. Zaiden had turned the tables on her, and now she wanted to stay in the bedroom. A voice snapped her out of her trance.

“Well, Goddess, you’re not going to get anything done by fantasizing about our mate.” Selena looked at Zaiden with wide eyes.

“Are you my wolf?” She mindlinked in disbelief.

“Yes, I’m your wolf. I’m a goddess wolf. My name is Leto. I was sent to you by Selene because, my dear human, you have something special that you haven’t uncovered yet, and once you do, all hell will break loose.”