The Cereus pack was a mess. It was partially my fault, and I felt guilty for the chaos I had caused by taking Tsuki away from them the first time, and failing to bring him back. My guilt was tempered by my anger toward Viktor, the child of the stars who was next in line to lead the pack.
I couldn’t blame him for his anger. The pups Tsuki was carrying could very well be his as easily as they could be Neo’s. And to be fair, I had tortured him for several hours before chaining him to that damned statue at the center of town. But I had been desperate then- and he of all people ought to understand that. There had been no reason to attack me as he had, and I had been honestly scared for my life.
Thankfully, the pups growing inside me made me important enough to save. Or maybe Alyx had paid attention to Allen’s constant warnings that Tsuki would never come back to Cereus if I were harmed there. Whatever the reason, Alyx and Cean had jumped between me and the wolf at my neck. A ten-minute thrashing from the pack leader had ended with Viktor bowing in front of me to apologize while I rubbed a the quickly forming bruise which circled my neck.
Neither of us had been willing to spare a second’s glance to the other since then. The Cereus pack was getting ready to wage war on Ipomoea to take Tsuki from them, and we were right at the center of the forming plans. But being forced together didn’t mean we had to like each other.
My discontent must have showed clearly, because Alyx pulled me aside on the second morning. Watching Viktor at the center of preparations, a look of desperate fear on his face, was draining any confidence I might have in their ability to save the omega. Alyx’s calm, determined expression helped a little, as well as the kind smile he gave me when he took me out of the center of the chaotic mess.
“How are you doing?” he asked softly as we walked, his arm linked through mine as he chose our path.
I was silent for a long moment before letting out a heavy sigh. “What kind of answer are you expecting? Do you want me to lie and say I’m fine, or do you want to know how much pain I’m in, how terrified I am, and how much I miss Tsuki?”
“That was a stupid question,” Alyx admitted, sheepishly rubbing at the back of his neck.
His honesty silence me for a moment of startled blinking before I laughed. It surprised him as much as his words had shocked me, but he laughed too, the sound soft and light. “I appreciate your concern for me, especially since I’m not only a member of another pack- but I’m part of the reason your pack is in this trouble to begin with.”
Alyx shook his head, his arm tightening around mine. “I don’t place even an ounce of blame on you. You were doing what you needed to in order to protect your way of life. It taught you what really mattered to you, how to see from a different point of view than what you were used to. Change is natural, and so is protecting your pack. If Neo would go this far to keep Tsuki with him, the moon only knows what he would have done to take him back from us. Even if you only delayed the inevitable, you gave us a chance to prepare for the coming war rather than thrusting us into an unexpected battle.”
I stared at him in silence, warmth stinging my eyes. “Thank you,” I said softly, dropping my gaze. “I will do everything I can to make sure Tsuki is safe and atone for the actions which put him in this situation to begin with.”
“You’ll do anything?”
I stiffened at the probing tone of his words, narrowing my eyes at him. “I feel like there’s a lot to that question. Is there something I don’t know?”
“A lot,” Alyx admitted with a rueful laugh, “But I have a feeling the secrets will come out soon. And I know my pack won’t be able to take Ipomoea in a full fight and assure Tsuki’s safety. A war of attrition like this could take weeks- and Tsuki would be dead by then. Viktor won’t hear sense right now, he only wants blood. He’s going to throw us against a brick wall, and kill the person he wants to protect in the process.”
“He’s losing his damn mind,” I muttered.
“You’re probably right about that. It happens to children of the stars when their loved ones are threatened.” Alyx paused, thoughtful silence filling the space between us before we spoke again. “He’s no help- so I was hoping you would be.”
“Me?”
Alyx nodded, letting go of my arm and bringing us to a stop. “I keep a lot of secrets, Brandy. I have since Cereus became an outlawed pack, since we accepted humans among our ranks. Since I took a human as my mate. It was unprecedented, and it drew attention from the shadows. I’ve kept them out of this before now, but… it’s probably time we asked for help.”
“What on earth are you talking about?” I questioned, my brow furrowed with confusion.
“Hopefully, you’re going to find out firsthand.” Alyx gestured to his right, and I followed the motion of his hand; we’d stopped near the edge of the city, and Cean was leaning against a sleek black car, arms crossed and his gaze hopeful as he watched us. “Go with him, please. You know the most about this situation, they’ll only meet with you.”
“Who?” I pressed, my heart in my throat. If there was even the slightest chance of saving Tsuki, I would do anything to make it happen, even if it meant sacrificing my own life in the process. “I’ll go, but I want to know who.”
Alyx gave me a breathtaking smile, relief clear in his brightened eyes. “I can’t explain that, it would take hours, and we don’t have the time. But I can tell you this- they are the only people who will give us even a chance of saving Tsuki.”
I stared at him for too long, struggling against my urge to drill him with more questions. When I finally nodded my assent, it had to come without words, because it was all over the moment I opened my mouth.
“Thank you,” Alyx breathed.
“Don’t thank me. Not until we get him back,” I said, ignoring the pity which flashed in his eyes. I turned my back on him, my gaze turning to Cean with ill-contained anticipation. “Are we doing this, or are we going to stand here until Tsuki’s funeral?”
Cean chuckled, and opened the passenger side door he had been leaning against. “I like your fire,” he told me as I slid into the car. He was behind the wheel before he spoke again, a reckless grin on his face. “Let’s face the shadows, and hope they don’t swallow us whole.”
I didn’t want to think about his words, so I didn’t; I cleared my mind, pressed my forehead against the cool glass of the car window, and prayed to the moon that their plan, whatever it may be, would be enough to save Tsuki.
Comments (3)
See all