Page 51 of Monster Daddies
No!she shouts.You must leave. Now!She puts command in her words and a small amount of magic so that I'm helpless to do anything but obey.
With a whimper, I turn and run toward the wall. I feel the moment the barrier falls and let out a mournful howl, knowing that the only way that would happen is if my mama were gone. Whatever is happening must be big because my mama is the strongest wolf to have been born in hundreds of years. Her fae magic was strong enough to fight off hundreds of wolves; the only reason she wouldn't use it is if she were trying to protect my secret.
I get to the wall and quickly shift to my human form, thankful that I'm able to change with clothes due to my magic. Crawling up a rough wall naked is definitely not something I want to do. It only takes me a moment to find the spot my father showed me. He made hand and foot holds in the flat stone wall that are nearly imperceptible. Unless you know what you're looking for, you'd never notice.
I don't hesitate to start climbing. I won't let my parents' sacrifice go to waste. I don't know what happened, but whatever it is means that I'm not safe, and my safety is always my parents' top priority. Once I reach the top of the twenty-foot wall, I straddle it and look toward the packlands one final time. Tears track down my cheeks as I take a moment to say goodbye to my life as I've known it until this moment. A warm breeze surrounds me, carrying the sweet floral scent of Mama. I can almost hear her whispering encouragements to be strong.
Without another second of hesitation, I climb down the other side of the wall and into the unknown. I shift and run east like Mama always told me to. I run until my lungs burn from exertion and my muscles ache. Not knowing if I've gone far enough, I use a tiny bit of my magic to give myself a boost. My aches disappear, and I feel rejuvenated, as if I’d just awoken from a nap instead of running for my life.
I run until the sun is hanging heavy in the sky. It will set soon, and I need to find somewhere safe to ride out the night. Being out in the open in an unknown forest is just asking for trouble. I've been running parallel to a river for some time, but I've avoided it because there's a greater chance of encountering someone there.
The magic Mama worked to keep my Omega status hidden is long gone, and I've stupidly not focused enough on working my own magic to hide my scent since I felt her magic leave me hours ago. I stop and concentrate on doing just that. I don't bother with making myself smell like a Beta. Having no scent at all will help me hide more easily.
I slowly make my way to the riverside, taking in every scent and sound as I move closer to the water. I can smell a small herd of deer and other small wildlife, but there are no other wolves present. Stepping out of the treeline, I take in my surroundings. Finding myself alone, I walk to the water's edge and drink deeply. The cool water feels like heaven on my parched throat. Once my thirst is quenched, I sit on my haunches and let the gravity of the situation finally sink in.
Mama is dead, and if she's gone, that means my father is too. He wouldn't have stopped fighting until his last breath to protect his mate. I'm officially alone in the world. I shift into my human form and let the pain flow through me. Tears fall freely as I bury my face in my hands. Again, a warm breeze surrounds me, and a sense of peace fills my heart.
"I love you, Mama," I whisper into the wind.
The sun is barely a sliver on the horizon, and there's a chill in the air when I finally get myself under control once again. I shift back to my wolf form and sniff out a cave that's not far from the river. It's not the best accommodation, but it'll keep me out of sight and give me a safe place to rest. I curl up near the back in a nook created by a rock formation. It'll keep my snow-white fur out of sight if anyone were to come across the cave and look inside.
I fall into an exhausted sleep.
Chapter Two
Kael
"The wards didn't break," Saint says for the dozenth time.
"Something crossed the border. I can feel it in my soul," I growl.
He shakes his head. "And why are we wandering in the forest in the dark on two feet instead of four?"
I shake my head. "Because my wolf says so."
Saint scoffs. "Your wolf has lost his mind too."
My head whips around, and I let out a low growl. "Either shut the fuck up or go home."
He holds his hands up in surrender. "Sorry, Your Highness."
My wolf backs down at his show of submission. I resume my walk. I'm not sure why my wolf is so on edge, he has been for hours. I listened to Saint and the others when I told them something crossed into our land, but they reminded me the wards would have been tripped, and an alert would have sounded. They brushed it off as a large animal, likely a predator such as a jaguar. They suggested that I only felt the presence because it could be a threat, but isn't directly out to harm our pack. It made sense at the time, and I was able to ignore the pullto investigate until I lay in bed, and then it was the only thing I could focus on.
As the king, I can feel the borders more deeply than anyone else; it wouldn't be the first time a large predator caused my internal alarms to sound. Something is different this time, and I can no longer ignore the restlessness in my soul. My blood ties the lands to me in a powerful connection that no other Alpha can hold. It's why I am the king and not someone else. Only the most powerful Alpha can tie the land to themself. And that's me.
I slow my steps as we come to the riverside. I breathe deeply and let out a low growl at the sweet floral scent that fills my lungs. I follow the scent to the edge of the river and see pawprints in the loose dirt on the bank.
"Do you smell that?" Saint asks, breathing deep.
I whip around and glare at him, letting out a ferocious growl. "Mine."
He tilts his head to the side in submission. "Yours. Got it. All yours."
I close my eyes and try to remind myself that Saint is my friend and my second-in-command. He's not the enemy. He can obviously see my struggle, and it's making him uneasy.
"Don't you want to find her?" he asks, drawing my attention away from my desire to rip him apart. Logically, I know he's not my competition, but my wolf doesn't care at this moment. He only sees another Alpha, and that is a threat to his mate.
Fuck me… a mate.
