Kingdom of Wolves - Page 78

Carolina drags me along to the training field once more.“Are we going to see more get their asses handed to them?” I grin, and when shegiggles, I know I’m about right with the comment.

“Come on, relax. Sit and watch. These are the warriors thatpatrol the border training. They are pretty tough and it’s interesting to watchthem. I would love to be a warrior, but don’t have the strength that most maleshave. I try to use speed and my wits to get me by whatever is thrown my way.”

“I wasn’t allowed to train at Blackshadow Pack, it was makebreakfast for the packhouse, go to school, come back to work in the kitchen,eat the meal the cook left for me, and then bed. Rinse and repeat. It waspretty abysmal, if I’m honest, and I wish we got our wolves earlier, then I mayhave had more determination to get out of the pack.” Carolina is staring at mewith her mouth open. I grin, push her chin up to close her mouth with my indexfinger, and grin when she blinks.

“I remember you saying something about this. What a terribleway to live.” Shaking her head as she looks at the warrior’s training for a fewminutes before turning back to me. “Is that why you became a rogue?”

“Becoming a rogue was the better of my options. I was takeninto the Alpha’s office and told I had to mate his son, now Alpha Connell, andwhen I turn eighteen and get my inheritance, he wanted that signed over. Ifthat wasn’t bad enough, I overheard Connell and his friends talking about theAlpha cutting my wolf’s hamstrings so I couldn’t run. Oh, I nearly forgot. Hewanted a pup from my union with Connell. Then they would take the pup and throwme into a place on the edge of the territory.” I’m looking at the grass betweenmy knees where I’m kneeling to watch the training.

“What the!”

Patting Carolina’s arm, I smile. “It’s okay. I ran, rejectedthe pack and Alpha, and found the best place I could ever be, and of course, Ifound Momma Akela and Poppa Lykos. My best friend Brod, who you’ll have to meetone day, he’s like a brother, and when I told him, he claimed me as a brotherand bestie. Much to Momma’s amusement, he strolls into the farmhouse shouting,‘second momma, I’m here’, honestly, I’m in a happy place.”

“I’d like to meet him one day.”

“Oh, if we stay friends you will, then you may wish youhadn’t because he gets into mischief and drags you into it without yourealizing.” I laugh out loud because just the thought of Brod brings delight tomy life.

Hearing a loud snap and grunt, we both look up and I’mshocked to see one warrior has broken his arm. It’s sticking out at an oddangle. Oh, that’s not good and I look away because I’m a little squeamish withbroken bones.

We watch as the warrior is taken off the field and I see theother warrior he was fighting at the time walking with him, speaking to him allthe time. He looks so apologetic that you couldn’t be angry with him.

“Let’s move closer and watch the females fight with themales. It’s always good to see if one of them can take down a male.” Carolinagiggles and I stand to follow when a loud siren sounds. Everyone takes offrunning towards the front of the packhouse and we run along behind them, comingto a stop when Alpha Aurora is waiting.

“Pack, we are under attack. Rogues from no-man’s-land havecrossed the border. We need to run fast or we may lose the patrol warriors.”Alpha Aurora shifts to her sable gray wolf Aztec and we all, including myself,shift alongside her.

Carolina is giving me a wide-eyed look as we runside-by-side. Her wolf is half the size of Ebony and far meeker in temperament.Ebony is buzzing and can’t wait to reach and join in the fight, whereasCarolina’s wolf looks terrified.

Reaching halfway to the border, we are met with a band ofrogues. This didn’t look good for the two warriors that were on patrol in thissection. I lunge at a rogue that flies toward Carolina’s wolf. Gripping theback of its neck, Ebony shakes hard and her teeth sink in enough that bloodpools in our mouth. Raking claws along the wolf’s belly now beneath us, wetwist our head and snap its neck.

Not waiting to see what’s happening to Carolina, I notice alarge gray wolf sneaking up behind Alpha Aurora. Not thinking twice, I flyforward and bowl into the wolf, sending it flying away from the Alpha. I take astand behind Alpha Aurora and in front of this wolf. I wait for the wolf’sattack, but whoever it is, backs off and runs toward the border, andno-man’s-land howling for the other rogues to follow.

Carolina has shifted back to human form and runs over to me.“Are you alright?”

Shifting myself, I grin. “Yes, I’m fine. Ebony quite enjoyedthat.”

Alpha Aurora grips my shoulders and gives me a serious look.“Thank you. I couldn’t do anything, as I was engaged with one wolf already, butyou protected my back. Thank you, and you know you didn’t have to come with us.You could have stayed where it was safe at the packhouse.”

“Oh, no, Alpha, Ebony would not have allowed that. She wouldnever stand by and watch an injustice. She quite enjoyed herself, I just toldyou. She is pretty fiery, I have to admit.” I giggle because in my mind I cansee Ebony pacing back and forth and mimicking how she shook the wolf, and she’senjoying her own retelling of it, too.

“Check for the border warriors.” Alpha Aurora shouts andmore than a dozen pack members peel away from us and head for the border. Ihope they find them and they’re not dead.

“Let’s get back to the packhouse. I want to contact SpiritWalker Pack and see if they have had any trouble.” Alpha Aurora states and weall again shift into our wolves and quickly make our way back to the packhouse.

Arriving back, I can’t help but feel the anger that rollsfrom Alpha Aurora as she sees Izzy standing in the packhouse doorway, leaningcasually on the door frame, arms crossed as though she didn’t have a care inthe world.

“CHALLENGE CIRCLE, NOW IZZY!” Alpha Aurora shouts and turns,storming to the circle, with all of us gingerly following behind.

Whispering to Carolina but keeping my eyes on all the packmembers around to see what the heck is going on. “What’s going on?”

Carolina shakes her head and sadness rolls from her. “We areall told when a threat is made toward the pack, we fight, live, or die as apack. Anyone who doesn’t want that has the option to leave. But if they stay,they are agreeing to the rules of the pack. Everyone who was in the pack whenAlpha Aurora became the leader made the choice. By not following and fighting,Izzy has stated she no longer will stick her neck out for pack members. Now,why should we do it for her?”

I can see the reasoning because it could only be one packmember extra fighting that would lead to success and not failure. I look atIzzy, who is strolling over to the challenge circle with no care at all. Iwonder if she is broken and there is no way to save her.

Entering the circle, Izzy glares at Alpha Aurora, and beforethe Alpha can even say a word, Izzy states loud and clear. “I, Izzy Wolfbane,reject the Blood Pearl Pack, and Alpha Aurora as my Alpha.”

Alpha Aurora nods her head. “Izzy Wolfbane, you have fifteenminutes to leave the packhouse area and head out of the territory. You will befollowed and if you are still in the territory in four hours, you will bedeemed an intruder and attacked. You are hereby dead to this pack.”

Every pack member standing around the circle turns theirback on Izzy, but I remain staring at her. This is not my pack, but I can seethe stain on Izzy’s soul, and no way is she coming to Wolfsfoot. Stepping intothe circle towards her, she looks at me sneering, but I give one in return, notgiving her an inch.