Page 22 of Vengeance and Fire

They are all right, to my dismay. She is supposed to be the leader to all the Supernaturals now.Fate,I think to myself as I let my thoughts wonder. I mean the Shifters have their own council, Maddox, Twyla, and her mates have Celestia sorted, it can’t be too complicated. Right?

Cordelia hugs Dain who was determined to see her off. My mother nods her head at me as she stands back to give Cordelia a chance to have a moment with her father. I offer her a smile, so proud to know that she and my sister have taken to Cordelia so well. They’ve been stuck to her like glue these past few days making sure all of her wishes had been carried out. TheBarren Lands are now empty. Dravyn’s mother and the rest of its former residents have settled into the palace without any issues. Within a few days Cordelia has already become the talk of Arcadia, and I can’t wait to see what she does next. Turning away from her father finally, Cordelia lifts her pack over her shoulders and makes her way over to us.

“Ready.” She saunters over with a strained smile on her face. I can feel her nervousness through our bond.

“Nervous about returning to Earth?” Torin asks as he slips her bag off her shoulders and packs hers along with his. Adrian holds out his hand to her and she passes me, but not before reaching for my hand as well. I love this woman. I can feel her love for all of us equally, and my chest aches at our little circle she has created. Even as I wave goodbye to my mother over my shoulder, I turn and look at my new family, even Dravyn. No matter how hard things are, because I have no doubt that shit is going to get tough, we have each other.

“I need this to work. All of it. How am I going to convince an Alpha to follow my lead? Let alone a group of them?” Cordelia asks.

“By showing them you are the biggest badass around with that beautiful smile on your face,” Dravyn says from behind her.

“I hate to admit it gorgeous, but Dravyn’s right.” I groan wishing I could have said that easily.

She is the biggest badass around, and she doesn’t even know it yet.

Helping her get there, that’s our job.

* * *

The portal brings us exactly to the edge of the village on the boundaries of the Dire Wolf territory. It is the middle of the night. It is relatively quiet, so I assume it’s late enough for everyone to be in their homes. No one speaks as we walk the empty streets. Cordelia’s hand squeezes mine tight, the only indication that she is wary about where we are. I am surprised she hasn’t asked us anything yet. She walks by our side quietly as she observes her surroundings.

The village was built within a valley surrounded by snowcapped mountains and a dense forest of tall pine trees. Strategically this was the perfect hiding place for massive wolves, living remotely away from as much of the Human population as possible. To an outsider, the village looks like your typical winter holiday resort. They make an income for their Pack by renting out chalets to the local skiers and winter sports enthusiasts. Most importantly, they traded with Arcadia, Celestia, and even Incantatia.

Adrian, Torin and I were regular visitors, so the sight of us here won’t be a problem. We were familiar. Unfortunately, Cordelia and Dravyn will raise an alarm that strangers have encroached on Pack Land. A loud long howl breaks through the night, causing all of us to stop in our tracks.

“Well, that didn’t take long,” Torin says from behind us. As if on cue another howl answers the call of the lone Wolf. Then another and another coming from all directions.

“What’s going on?” Cordelia finally asks, turning in a circle as more wolves begin to howl.

“They’re alerting their Alpha,” Adrian says as he steps in front of her protectively.

“Don’t they know you guys?” Cordelia looks up at Torin with concern in her eyes. We all start to tighten our circle around her when several big Dire Wolves surround us in the middle of the road.

“They know us, beautiful. They don’t know you or Dravyn. But they don’t normally act like this. Something is up.” Torin leans down and whispers low enough for us to hear.

“No, this is not the welcome I expected,” I said folding my arms over my chest, blocking my mate from view. All around us wolves step out from between the houses, joining the circle we are now enclosed in.

“Alright, lady and gentlemen. I don’t know what we walked into, but I assure you we mean you no harm.” Torin raises his arms in surrender as he attempts to give off non-threatening vibes. They know what we are, although we can’t shift, their animal instincts still see us as predators. Dire Wolf Shifters, even on four paws, almost tower above us, and we aren’t small even by Human standards. They’re all close enough that if one chose to strike, I am not sure we’d be fast enough to protect ourselves. They are all on edge, you can almost taste the anxiety in the air. The question is why?

“Where’s Falyn?” Adrian asks one of the wolves closest to him. The Wolf inclines his head in understanding. Then, almost immediately, the hairs on the grey Wolf’s back smooths, retreating into flesh, and his bones crack and shift right before our eyes. Cordelia gasps in surprise behind me as the Wolf I now recognize as one of Falyn’s Betas stands before us naked. Steam rises from his body, chest heaving from the exertion of his change. Quickly shaking it off he turns, as if having a private conversation with his Pack mates. After a moment, they all begin to back away slowly in the direction in which they came until it was just us.

“Adrian, Torin, Gale. My sincere apologies for all the aggression. The Pack is on edge—”

“Why is that?” Cordelia pushes her way to the front of the group. We all growl at the same time because his nudity is on display in front of her. Cordelia laughs. Shaking her head with her hands on her hips she looks up to the sky as if she can’t believe our antics. Well, she better get used to the possessive behavior, I don’t think we will ever be able to let that go.

“Oh please, maybe a month ago I would have been shielding my eyes, but I’ve seen enough of your naked asses to last me a lifetime. Stand down, lovers.” Cordelia waves us off and brings her attention back to the Beta who is looking both impressed and shocked.

“Who are—”

“I’m Cordelia. New Queen of Arcadia.” I can’t help the laugh that slips out as she holds out her hand for him to shake. When he doesn’t move to return the gesture, she slowly drops her hand down. I can’t see her face, but I can see Reise’s, and he reacts immediately to what must be her disappointment. He gives her a sympathetic smile.

“Cordelia, it’s not customary to shake hands,” I lean down and whisper to her.

“My apologies. I have a lot to learn,” she says to Riese.

“No worries. It’s just that one: I am naked, and two: my mate will lose it if she smells you on me. I promise, once I am dressed and I introduce you to her, you can have a hug.” Reise raises his eyebrows suggestively, then smiles at the low growls emitting from us once more. I don’t have to see Cordelia’s eyes to know she is rolling them.

“Reise. What’s happening?” Torin steps forward taking Cordelia’s hand in his. Oh please, hello power move. I don’t think Reise wants our mate.

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