Rebecca knelt down to Willow’s and River’s level. “I have a very important job for you two.”
They both nodded and waited. Their blue eyes were wide with anticipation. Their dark hair bounced around their shoulders as they nodded vigorously. Such courageous little tikes. They were going to be wonderful assets to the pack when they came of age. The terrible massacre they saw a couple months ago only made them stronger and ready for anything.
“Freya needs protecting. I want you two to go to the safe room, and make sure she stays there secure and sound.”
“You’re just trying to get us out of the way,” River accused angrily.
Yes, but it was for their own good. “No, we rescued Freya from the people who are attacking us. She’s a shifter, like us, only she’s a dragon.”
Willow and River sucked in a nervous breath. Both sets of their eyes grew large, and Willow said, “Really?”
Rebecca nodded, and ran her finger over her chest in an X formation. “Cross my heart.”
“A red dragon,” Hunter added.
“Right now she needs to stay hidden. The enemy can’t know she is here. I know you two are the best warriors for the job.” Rebecca continued, “Can I count on you?”
“Yes!” They both nodded their heads swiftly, and ran toward the basement just as one of her wolves shouted from the front of the house, “They’re here!”
Rebecca turned her focus to Hunter and Natalia. “You should join Freya and the rest in the secure room.”
“No way!” Hunter insisted. “You might need my help.”
“I’m not going either. I may be able to help with some magic.” She started searching the cabinets in the kitchen. “Is there a graveyard close by of the pack members?”
Rebecca nodded. “All wolf pack members are buried on our lands. Many of the ones from the massacre a couple of months back are here close by.”
Natalia pulled out a few spices and some candles, and placed them by her magic bag. “I need a few more ingredients which I should be able to find in your medical supply.”
Hunter jumped in. “I’ll take you.” They headed out of the room with the supplies she had.
“Wait, what are you going to do?” Rebecca asked, confused.
“Summon some reinforcements.” Natalia turned and followed Hunter out.
Rebecca had no clue what that meant, but any help was a blessing at this moment. She had other issues to focus on. She made her way to the front of the house and glanced out the window. Ophelia stood in the front yard holding a white handkerchief that was waving in the wind.
“I wish to speak to your alpha Rebecca.” Ophelia’s voice carried on the wind as her black hair flew around her tan, oval face.
Rebecca headed toward the door.
“Becks, you can’t!” Jackson, dressed in running shorts and a t-shirt with an AR-15 assault rifle loaded with wooden bullets, strapped across his shoulder, stood in front of her, blocking her exit from the compound.
It would’ve been a comical sight had they not been in such danger. “I have no choice, Jacks. If this can end with no blood shed, I must try.”
“It’s a trick. I’ve seen things,” he warned, his words urgent and clipped.
What he said froze Rebecca to the core. Jackson was a psychic as well as her best friend. He was rarely wrong with his premonitions. “Like what?”
He leaned forward and whispered, “Your death at her hand.”
Dread crept up her spine, taking her resolve like a thief in the night. His words caused her to pause. She wasn’t ready to die. Rebecca knew Jackson’s one handicap in visions was seeing his friend’s futures. But she also knew lately, he was focusing on other people surrounding his friends to be able to work around the magical restriction.
“And you didn’t think this was important for me to know?” She pushed the fear and anger down. She couldn’t show weakness, not now. When faced with adversity, the alpha doesn’t cower.
“No, not until this very moment. Besides, it was only last night that I was able to focus on Ophelia enough to see the danger she poses to you.” His hand shook slightly as he ran his fingers through his sandy-brown hair.
“Then I’ll have to be careful.” She went to step around him as she handed him her Glock 45.
“Please don’t go! Send someone else to speak for you.” His brown eyes were filled with so much terror and distress.
She touched his cheek. “I’m the alpha. It’s my responsibility to defend my pack, Jackson. I can’t back down from a challenge. I can’t show weakness. They are depending on me to lead them.”
“But…”
She kissed his cheek, and slipped past him. “I’ll be fine. I have you watching my back.” She headed out the door, both hands open, and out to the side showing she was unarmed. “You wanted to speak to me?”
***
Hunter
HUNTER HELPED NATALIA SET UP the pentagram, and write the ancient markings on the ground in the medical supply room. “Do you think this is going to work?”
“Yes. This is what I’ve been trained to do.” She sat in the middle of the pentagram holding a white candle as she closed her eyes, and began chanting the ancient language used by witches. It was something he was getting used to. He watched her, almost mesmerized by her beauty as she worked her magic. The room took on a rosy hue which lit the shadows in wicked ways. When the energy darkened the atmosphere, he knew she was working the darker side of magic, but her intention remained good. It was a fine line witches, especially guardian witches, rode when using magic. If the intention was pure, the magic stayed light, and if the intention was selfish, the magic turned evil. Her intention was to protect. His would be to destroy. He was glad she was doing this spell.
Ophelia and Brick had waged war on them months ago. They just didn’t know it. Thankfully, Becky did, and enlisted Rebecca’s help to conquer the alternate dimension villains. Once they were gone, the Black Death drug would be eliminated, and so would the threat to Rebecca’s budding pack. He could convince himself his intention was pure, but was there ever a good reason to kill or destroy other people unless your life was being threatened?
A gust of wind circled around the room. It was undeniable how powerful Natalia was when he watched her perform magic. It was clear why she was needed to help others. The strength of the breeze picked up as her golden-brown hair flew around her face and shoulders. One minute she was visible, and the next, the whirlwind that surrounded her clouded her from his sight. The only way he knew she was still in the room was because her chanting carried over the roar of the wind funnel.
As quickly as it struck up, it disappeared. Natalia turned glazed eyes in his direction, “It is done,” and then she passed out.
Chapter Fifteen
Rebecca
REBECCA STOOD FACING OPHELIA, HER hands crossed over her chest, and daggers darting from her sapphire blue eyes. “Why are you here, Ophelia?”
“I want the dragon shifter child back.” The wicked smirk on the she-wolf’s face made Rebecca pause. She knew they came with reinforcements, but they also struck at a weak point, which made her wonder if there was a snitch in her ranks.
“She chooses to stay with us.” Rebecca was surprised by the woman’s request. What made Freya so special that Ophelia challenged her to get the child back?
“She doesn’t belong here.” Ophelia’s dark eyes narrowed.
“Need I remind you that you don’t belong here, and yet, here you are,” Rebecca countered.
“You’ve seen my world, Rebecca. I don’t plan on staying there. You’d do well to become an ally of mine instead of an enemy.” Ophelia mirrored Rebecca’s stance. Her height allowed her to look down in a position of authority at Rebecca. The body language threat didn’t make her cower, it only made her stand taller.
“Any wolf in my territory must swear fealty to my pack or leave. If you stay, you’ll be rogues, and rogues are not appreciated here.” Her chest puffed out and chin rose in defianc
e.
“Aw, because you claimed all rogue wolves to your pack? That was a foolish move, alpha. Very few rogues desire to be commanded by a leader. That’s why they left in the first place.”
“Another misconception of yours. My wolves are loyal.” But even as Rebecca said it, she doubted that all were trustworthy. She only prayed enough were. It helped that her mate was the former rogue leader, but Gabriel wasn’t here at the moment. It also helped that when challenged by Devon, another alpha, she defeated him with ease. Those of her pack that were not faithful because of honor were kept in line because of fear.
“I think you’ll be surprised by how many of your rogues can be bought.” Ophelia snickered as she raised the white handkerchief in the air and wrote a cross on the air with it.
It was a signal. Rebecca could hear a commotion taking place in the house behind her, but couldn’t afford to look. Her eyes narrowed on the horizon as more alternate wolves crept closer to them. They were surrounding them. Sundae, Georgie, and Jackson bolted out of the house.
“The pack members are attacking each other,” Jackson yelled.
Rebecca took a step back. “Join me,” she whispered on the wind, and hoped Sundae and Georgie heard her.
They grabbed Jackson and pulled him to her. She threw up the air protection barrier around them as they readied for the attack. The wolves behind Ophelia raced toward them, and the four behind the protection barrier began shooting wolves as they morphed mid-air, and jumped toward them to attack. They were surrounded on all sides. Rebecca shot another wolf, and narrowed her eyes on Ophelia who was falling back behind her warriors. Coward! She aimed a gust of wind in the wolf’s direction and took satisfaction as she tumbled head over feet toward the tree line.
The wolves kept coming. ‘Gabe, the rogues are revolting. How far out are you?’
‘I’m at the base of the mountain. I have Lucky, and more reinforcements… what the hell?’
‘We have traitors in our midst,’ she warned.
‘Can’t talk… right now, Becca.’
Rebecca knew he had his own conspirators to deal with. They were alone, and out-numbered. “Georgie, can you do anything?” Rebecca asked as she worked on creating miniature tornados to help fight off their attackers.
“I’ll try.” Georgie closed her eyes just as a wolf lunged for her throat, and Jackson shot him.
Ophelia, and other members of her pack bolted from the tree line out into the clearing in front of the house. But their focus wasn’t on attacking. “What in the blazes is going on?” Rebecca asked.
“Natalia,” Jackson said, and pointed toward Hunter who was supporting a very weak Natalia out of the house. Her hands were raised, and pointing at the enemy forces. With each point she made, more were thrown into the clearing. Ghost-like wolves were herding them into groups for capture. Behind Natalia, Jeremiah, and a few other loyal wolves, shoved the traitorous wolves out of the house.
Rebecca allowed her protection shield to dissipate, and slowly approached Ophelia, who was recoiling on the ground as a ghostly wolf snarled over her, saliva falling on the pretty brunette's face. It was the first time she'd seen any weakness from her enemy, and in a small way, it was humbling. Anyone could be brought down against the right foe. Rebecca had no doubt the transparent wolf would rip Ophelia's throat from her neck if given the order. Thankfully, Natalia wasn't a vengeful witch. “You should never underestimate your opponent, Ophelia.”
Ophelia spit in Rebecca's face. The wolf snapped, saliva dripping from its white, transparent lips. Becks had never seen anything like it. She held her hand up to stop the wolf's attack. Shaking her head, Rebecca fought the smile that was curving her lips as she wiped the spittle from her skin. Strong to the bitter end, Rebecca mused, and hid her rising respect for the she-wolf. The battle was over. They’d won, thanks to Natalia and her witchcraft. Without her, they would’ve lost. Rebecca knew in that moment things needed to change. It was time to become a more powerful alpha. She needed to use her ability to create new wolves despite the cost. Ophelia wasn't the only enemy they would face, and she couldn't rely on others to keep her pack safe. The price was high, but a necessary evil.
“Put her in the cells along with the rest of them. The Authority will take care of them.” Her loyal pack members rounded up the enemies, and tossed them in the cells under the house. It was heartbreaking to see some of the wolves she trusted were among the enemies. She wanted to understand why, and would make sure the Authority got as much from them as possible before sentencing. Deep down she was sure it had a lot to do with her inability to manage the pack. As the threat disappeared, so did the ghost wolves. They were only there to help, and when they were done, they were laid back to rest. She sent Sundae and Georgie down to the bottom of the hill to see if Gabe needed help with his own attackers. He said he was fine, but she wasn't going to take any more chances. It was time to be the leader they all needed.
Rebecca turned her attention to Natalia who was wiping her nose clean of blood while she sat on the front porch steps trying to regain her strength. The necromancer was more powerful than she ever imagined. Hunter held Natalia tightly. It broke Rebecca's heart to see how close he was to Natalia only to lose her to the reassignment. Life was unfair sometimes. “Thank you, Natalia. Without you, we would’ve lost today.”
Natalia offered a half-hearted smile. “It is what I’m trained to do. I'm just glad I was here to help.” Her weak smile told Rebecca that Natalia had outdone herself.
“You’re very powerful,” Rebecca admitted with reluctance. She didn't want to see Natalia leave, more for her brother than her own needs, but still... Losing a powerful ally was going to be difficult. Unfortunately, Natalia was needed elsewhere, and Hunter was needed here. He wouldn't leave them, would he? The thought chilled her to the bone. She pushed it down with a shiver. Now wasn't the time for that discussion.
A lone ghost wolf appeared in front of them. She had a beautiful silver and grey coat, and twinkling blue eyes. She bowed before Natalia, Hunter, and Rebecca before she morphed into her human form. A gorgeous, willowy woman with long black hair and lean muscles stood before them. Siren recognized her immediately - Gretchen, the alpha before Tomas.
“Thank you,” Natalia told Gretchen’s spirit.
Gretchen smiled. A wicked glint behind the kindness in her eyes showed she was a powerful alpha, able to straddle both compassion and strength. Her black hair fell to her waist. Her pale skin, and blue eyes reminded Rebecca of Snow White.
“Thank you for your help,” Rebecca added.
The transparent woman nodded, and her smile shook. “If you ever need help, we are but a whisper away. Just call for me, Gretchen Jones.”
Natalia passed a talisman to Rebecca. “Use this talisman to summon Gretchen and the wolves of the past. It will connect to your magic, and use the rest of mine it absorbed during the ritual. You probably have one or two more uses out of it.”
Rebecca took the white stone, and felt the burn on her skin. “Ow!”
“All magic comes at a cost,” Natalia offered a weak smile. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to lie down for a while to recover.”
Hunter helped her up, and took her into the house.
Rebecca looked at Gretchen and smiled. “Again, thank you for your help.”
Gretchen nodded. “You have greatness in you, young alpha. Good luck.” Then she transformed into the wolf, and took off into the trees.
***
Hunter
AFTER HUNTER HELPED NATALIA INTO his bed he went down to gather Freya. He prepared himself for her anger, and wasn’t surprised when a fireball narrowly missed his head when he entered the safe room. River and Willow laughed as Hunter ducked, feeling the heat singe his hair as it passed his left side and hit the wall. “That’s enough, Freya.”
“Oh, I’m just getting started,” she snapped as another ball lunged toward him.
This time he was unable to duck. His hand went out instinctively to defend himself
from the impact. When he opened his eyes, he saw that the ball was sitting comfortably in his palm. “I said, that’s enough, Freya. You can be mad at me all you want, but the decision I made was right.”
Freya huffed, and crossed her arms over her chest. “Don’t ever do it again.”
Hunter smiled. She wasn’t his daughter, but she reminded him of Savvy in that moment. It was amazing how similar people could be, even from alternate dimensions. “I can’t promise that.”
She huffed again. This time River and Willow crossed their arms in front of their chests, and stood on either side of Freya, adding their support to her cause he supposed.
“But I can promise you that I will do everything I can to keep you safe, and make the right decisions. You need to trust me in that. You chose me for a reason.” He knelt in front of her, taking note of the smile that was beginning to tug at her lips. “Deep down, you know I have your best interests in mind, right?”
“Daddy said to stick by you if anything happened to me.” She was a stubborn seven-year-old.
“Which only reinforces your decision to trust me, right?”
She pursed her lips and refused to answer.
“Right, Freya?” Hunter urged. He wasn’t going to relent until he got an answer.
Finally, after what seemed like an hour-long, uncomfortable pause, she let out a breath with an eye roll, and allowed a grin to cross her young face. “Right.”
“Good, now that that’s settled, can we get started on training?”
River pulled Hunter’s sleeve to gain his attention.
“Yes, River?”
“Can Willow and I train with you?” The young boy look so hopeful.
“As long as Gabe and Rebecca agree, it’s fine with me. How about you, Freya?”
Her grin grew, showing sharpened canines. The smile spread to her green eyes as she nodded enthusiastically.
Chapter Sixteen