Page 7 of Clash of Kings

Bas coughed and cleared his throat several times. “No, I’m not.” How did he explain his dream without sounding like a nut case? Then again, Anthony was used to Connor’s visions, and other Gargoyles had some type of gift. If he could trust anyone, it would be Anthony. Lowering his voice, Bas explained, “I had a dream last night, and in it, an animal attacked a she-wolf. A panther, to be exact. I knocked the panther off the wolf, then followed her to make sure she was safe.” Sebastian kept his explanation generic enough that anyone who might be listening wouldn’t know he meanthisshe-wolf and not some random animal.

“That can’t be a coincidence. Wait, have you had dreams like this before?”

“Nothing like what Connor sees, but yes.” He looked around to make sure they were still alone, then added, “They’re usually snippets, not actual scenes playing out. It could be something as innocuous as a street sign or a tree ripped out of the ground. Then later, I see it in real life. They’re not omens, per se, and they don’t always mean something. Sometimes they’re just dreams, but remember the time Seven got caught in that storm and her phone died?” Anthony nodded, and Bas continued, “For whatever reason, I knew where to look for her. She was on Canberra Street, and that’s the street sign I saw in a dream a few weeks before.”

Chelle brought their food out, and they took a few minutes to chat with their cousin and thank her for the food she made especially for them. When she went back to the kitchen, Anthony asked, “What do you think this means? Is it possibleshe’sin Panther?”

Bas wouldn’t be that lucky. He picked his fork up and stabbed a piece of pork. “No. I think it means we are meant to go see those in Panther who happen to be like her.” He shoved the meat in his mouth and chewed. There was no way it meant anything more. Bas had long given up on ever finding his mate, and he wouldn’t let his fucked-up psyche make him believe it was possible.

Anthony picked up on Sebastian’s mood regarding his mate, so he let the topic go. After finishing their meal, Sebastian left a sizable tip for Jessie, then the two said their goodbyes to Robbie and Chelle. Anthony offered to drive Bas to the office, but he turned him down. “Nah. I’m good. I’ll see you soon.” Anthony squeezed Sebastian’s shoulder before walking away. As Bas headed the opposite direction, he allowed himself a few seconds to think about the correlation between his dream and the town of Panther. It had to mean something, but until he arrived, he wouldn’t know what.

Chapter 5

Dakota wished she’dstayed home instead of coming to the pack house for a meeting, but curiosity had gotten the better of her. She wanted to know what King and Sloane had been discussing at the bar. It was one of her nights off, and she had nothing better to do, so here she was. Dakota leaned against the back wall just inside the door, scanning the crowd. Not all their pack was in attendance since some people had to work, but it appeared most everyone else was there. Her parents were on the other side of the room talking to Davis. King’s father was no longer Alpha, but he was never far from pack business.

“Why are you hiding back here?” Phoenix asked loudly.

Dakota sighed, not wanting to get into it with her brother. She knew what he was really asking – why wasn’t she up front where Kingston was? She looked up at Nix from beneath her cowboy hat. “Why areyou?All the single females are up there.” Dakota motioned to where at least ten women stood at the front of the room, hoping King would notice them. She had yet to see their Alpha, but he was surely lurking somewhere.

“Not all of them. When are you going to get over yourself? If you wait too long, King’ll choose someone else, like Tinsley.”

“Good. Then he’ll leave me the fuck alone,” Dakota hissed, pushing off the wall. She didn’t need this shit from her brother. She heard it often enough from their dad.

Nix grabbed her bicep before she could get too far, and Dakota jerked her arm from his grasp. “You need to leave me alone too.”

“Is there a problem?” King stepped between the siblings. He frowned as he eyed Dakota’s arm. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d been grabbed by her brother. “Did he hurt you?” Dakota took a step back, not wanting to be so close to the Alpha, especially when he was pissed.

“No problem here, Alpha.” Nix bared his neck like the good little wolf he was.

Ignoring Nix, Kingston focused on Dakota and repeated, “Did he hurt you?”

“No. I’m sure having a sister of your own you know how siblings are.”

“I do, but I have never once put my hands on Savannah in anger.” King took a step toward Nix, his eyes flashing golden. “And if I ever see Phoenix do it again, he won’t have a fucking hand.”

“What’s going on?” their dad asked as he, their mom, and King’s dad formed a barrier between them and the other pack mates.

Dakota crossed her arms over her chest. “Just Nix being a dick.”

“Dakota!” Diana grabbed Dakota’s arm, pulling her until she was standing between her parents. “Please forgive her, Alpha.”

Kingston narrowed his eyes at Diana. “What is it with everyone thinking they can put their hands on Kody?” Diana turned loose, then bared her neck the way Nix had. Her father bristled but kept his mouth shut. Dakota mentally rolled her eyes because King was the worst about touching her. Granted, it was never done with malice, but it was still unwelcome.

“I was just leaving, so if you’ll all excuse me…” Dakota knew better than to think she’d be able to escape, and when Kingston stepped in front of her, she looked at her feet and took a deep breath. She might get away with disrespecting him when they were alone, but she wouldn’t undermine his authority in front of their pack.

“Please stay. This meeting involves all of us, and I would like your opinion of the situation after I inform everyone what I know.” Dakota looked into King’s eyes, searching for any hint of subterfuge. Why the hell would he want her opinion? “I want your opinion because you are one of the strongest and sharpest members of our pack. If not for me, do it for them.”

Oh, he was good. It was one of the reasons his father turned the pack over to him at such a young age. Granted, thirty-five wasn’t that young, but it was when his father still had plenty of years left. When King’s mother died, Davis didn’t have the heart to lead without his Alpha Mate and handed the title to his son.

“Yeah, okay.”

“Excellent. Come with me.” King reached out to touch her, but at the last second, gestured toward the front of the room. Dakota skirted around their parents and her brother, ignoring them all. She really should have stayed home. When they reached the front, Dakota remained a few feet away. King raised his hand to get everyone’s attention, even though all eyes were on him having watched the show between him and Dakota’s family. All eyes except for Tinsley. She was glaring at Dakota.

“Thank you all for coming. An Alpha from South Carolina recently got in touch with Davis. One of their pack was killed, and when the medical examiner noticed the female’s biology was strange during his autopsy, he reached out to a GIA agent. This agent took samples of the female to a private lab for testing. Alpha Millard wouldn’t go into much detail, but he did share that some other shifters were in the area because one of them had a vision of three dead wolf shifters. This seer and some of his friends met with Alpha Millard and helped them recover the female from the morgue in some type of cloak and dagger mission. They also were able to retrieve all evidence from the lab.

“The seer’s Alpha is interested in forming a council of leaders from across the country. I’m not sure what he hopes to accomplish with this council, but I expect to have a visit from him in the next few days. I doubt he will come alone, so you need to expect at least two strangers visiting our pack. I trust you all to be hospitable and on your best behavior. They are coming here to help protect our secret as well as their own. Until then, please remain vigilant in what you do and say around humans. I know we are more insulated than packs who live around larger towns, but one slip, and we could find ourselves under scrutiny the same way Alpha Millard’s pack was. When I know the date of their arrival, I’ll pass that along. Any questions?”

Savannah raised her hand. “Yes. Is this Alpha single?”

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