Page 13 of Welcome Home: When Shifters Unite!

What shocks me is how quickly Maisie looks down and shakes her head. It shows how weak her wolf is and without strengthening her bond with her wolf, Maisie could lose her. Any wolf will return to the Moon Goddess rather than be with their human part if they find them undeserving.

Stella mind links me, and what she says has merit.‘We need to watch her, Adira. Something isn’t right. She challenges with her attitude then backs down like that?’

I look at Stella and give her a small nod, letting her know I heard her. I don’t want to respond mentally because I’ve to make sure I close all channels to the pack or I could say something and be heard by anyone. It’ll take a bit of practice, but I’ll do it.

“I will make some quilts for the basement. Then we’ll always have bedding supplies on hand if needed.” Tala says. She is a stunning redhead with a beautiful red wolf.

“I’ll get pillows and towels.” Elena states and with a huge smile on her face. She is the happiest person I’ve ever met, and as a human she is fairly fearless, showing she’ll not back down from a shifter in any conflict.

Jackie, who is a bear shifter, speaks next, gaining my attention as she’s six feet tall, and she is burly, with a deep voice for a female. “I will speak with Leo and organize weapons so everyone in the basement can fight if it’s needed. Nobody should be defenseless, especially when it’s saving the young.”

Turning, Jackie grins, showing all her teeth, and it’s not a friendly grin which she has aimed at none other than Maisie. “That includes you, too. If I don’t see you at training sessions, you’ll be on your own if anything happens. Hear me, all of you, ifanyone defends her because she’s too lazy to learn how to defend herself, then I’ll beat your ass.”

Jackie looks at me when she realizes she should have gone through me first, but I give her a tiny nod that it’s okay, and I see her sigh in relief. “What she says.” I add, which has everyone laughing, it however lets it be known I’m okay with her statement, and agree that if anyone doesn’t learn how to defend themselves, then the pack won’t do it for them.

Troy gives me a look and I nod so that he can speak. “All of you that are non-shifters can come to training on Sunday mornings at the farmhouse. I’ll teach you how to use weapons to your best advantage. If we have our young in the basement what better than an armory on the top levels picking off our enemies.”

Robbie jumps to his feet, grinning, waving his hand in the air as though he’s in class at school. Troy I notice rolls his eyes but his lip ticks as he tries not to smile.

“I want in on the training. I want to learn weapons of all kinds,” Robbie is nearly shouting, but the pack is finding this amusing, and some are covering their mouths with their hands to hide that fact. “Can I be the head man on the top floor if anything happens? You know Captain of the farmhouse.”

That has the pack in uproar, laughing at Robbie who is finding it unamusing, but I don’t look at him as I’m struggling not to join in the merriment of it all.

“Yeah, yeah, you can be the captain,” Troy responds while rolling his eyes with his back to Robbie.

Later that week, Leo, Thorn, Robbie, Troy and I are in the basement, reading the list of ideas that some of the pack members have handed in for consideration. Some of the ideasare viable, others are too expensive at this time or too out of the way to consider.

“If we knock out that wall and place a metal girder across, then shelving from ceiling to floor, we’ll maintain the strength of the building, but be able to store things that’ll be needed if the basement is used.” Troy suggests.

Leo has walked over to a studded wall and is pushing and pulling on it. “Guys, look here.” Walking over, we see what looks like a safe behind the wall.

“Let’s pull this wall off and take a proper look,” I say and grab a piece, giving it a good pull. It doesn’t take us long between us to get the wall off, and stand looking at a safe, a floor to ceiling safe at that. Now how the heck are we going to get into that?

Chapter 7

*Leo*

Being Adira’s Beta is a source of pride for me. I had left my own kind due to the internal politics. The place I used to see as home has become a vicious fight to survive in the Pride, and I want nothing to do with it. I have no family and my mate is no longer alive. Although mates to lions are not always bonded for life I had felt I wanted that, and the mate bonds I see in the wolves appeals to me. I will wait and find someone to live a good life with, or I’ll remain single.

The safe is proving to be a problem. We’ve tried every combination we can think of and now we are waiting for Mavis, who is scouring the library in the farmhouse for anything that may have personal codes or passwords.

Knowing dragons, I can imagine something valuable inside the safe, but it’s not ours even though we purchased the place. We need to find any family members so we can return whatever is inside.

Stepping into the kitchen, I smile inwardly at the sight of Robbie, talking to himself, wearing a frilly apron he found in oneof the kitchen drawers. He’s stirring a huge pot of something on the stove and oblivious to everything around him.

“Robbie, what are you doing?”

“Shit, you scared the crap out of me,” he squeals, turning to look at who is speaking, and now dripping something from the large ladle he has in his hand. “I’m doing a stew with the last vegetables from the pantry. We’ll have to do an order at the store today. I have five rabbits in it that Stella caught, so it’s a nice stew and will be good with some fresh bread tonight.”

“Well, it smells good. I’ll see if I can catch a hog or something while I’m patrolling later. But vegetables, speak with Asher. I’m sure as we are all pack now he’ll not overcharge for them.”

“He never overcharges anyway. He’s always taken enough profit to survive nicely without being greedy and ripping off the town. I don’t know what pack he came from, but he’s been here in town nine years now.”

“Okay, changed my mind. Write what you need and I’ll hand it to Asher when I go into town later.” I make myself a drink and wait for Robbie to write his list before heading out the back door.

Stepping out the back door, I breathe the fresh air, and mentally remind myself of my jobs for the day, before shifting into Kazi, my lion. We take off for the border of the town territory where I want to check the patrols are running as they should be and not slacking.

Two hours later I’ve seen the patrols are taking this seriously, and although we don't have many to walk the border, it’s got to be enough at this time.

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