Page 39 of Knot Quite Ready

I stiffen at the news, feeling a surge of rage that has me speaking before I can hold it back, "The fuck you did. "I won't marry some alpha you've picked out for me," I say with a snarl.

His expression darkens and he chuckles darkly. Somehow that puts me more on edge than if we would have leaped over the table and punished me. I let my limbs loosen because if he changes his mind, I'm going to make sure I bring this motherfucker down with me. Little did he know, the communes were a little more than training grounds for those of us who were tired of the treatment of Omegas. When we would use our skills, I have no idea. But the fact that we could, make us all feel a little bit more secure.

"You will do as I say. You are little more than a chess piece, but still, you will be of use to me. That is...unless you would like to see your mother beaten every day until you obey? I can make that happen."

I feel my wolf churning inside me and my body shudders as she fights to break free and rip out his throat. I force myself to nod, hearing my mother’s voice in my head. Pick and choose and when you choose prepare for the consequences and the blood bath that will come with it.

"You may go," he waves me off. As I turn on my heel he adds, "Oh and Aneira? You'll be guarded, in case you decide to run away like your useless mother. Except this time, when we bring you back, you won't live to tell the tale."

That night, my mother and I killed six guards and she sent me off with an account number and a safety deposit box key. She stayed back to cover my trail and I'm not sure if she was still alive, but what I do know is that I wouldn't let her sacrifice whether it had been with her life or blood, be in vain.

* * *

Casimir

Next Day

"Stop fidgeting; everything will be fine."I clasp Aneira's hand with my own to hold it down by my side. She looks stunning this morning in a soft navy blue dress that clings to her curves in all the right ways, distracting me to no end. "This is just a formality. Calian will ensure that your name isn't exposed."

I hear the words flowing from my lips, but after Storm and Aneira made their declaration, Calian asked for a better explanation as to why we were planning a mass murder. Understandably so, seeing as how we would be needing a ton of shovels or a big fire. Safe to say, we were all on the same page. But even more so, the need to make sure we became officially recognized is even more important, if only to start clearing the corruption that was so clearly present.

I have to admit, I'm also nervous. We may have Calian on our side, but the truth is, I'll be exposing my pack and making them vulnerable, bringing down our shields to bring several shifters and their guards into our safe space.

Aneira sighs, "Easy for you to say. You don't get all 'I'm going to rip out your throat' if someone looks at your dinner. Everyone is in danger if they look at my baked potato," she pouts. I burst out laughing, and my tension eases.

She smiles cheekily. Aneira, 1. Me, 0.

"Okay," she continues. "Run me through the day again, so I know what to expect." We stand outside our home, which is still being constructed, in the soft morning light. We both needed the fresh air and also needed to get out of the way of the wolves building.

But my nerves aren't just because of the meeting. Last night, the dreams took hold again, only this time, I held our newborn daughter as I watched helplessly while Aneira fought against six wolves before she was slaughtered. I woke up in a cold sweat and gathered her into my arms. I can't shake the sense of foreboding in the air. A dark stain threatens the peace of my territory.

Last night, I gathered the pack and explained my decision, and asked for their input. The majority of them were happy to stay, wanting permanent roots somewhere, being sick of constantly running to a new place and uprooting the children several times over.

A handful decided to leave before the council arrived, holding a personal grudge against the lack of care the council has shown in the past. I wished them well and told them we always have an open door here. I think they will be back; it was a safer bet in the long term.

"So, I will receive the members along with Calian, as the member vouching for me. You and Storm will be by our side. Storm hasn't been formally recognized as the Swiftwater Pack Alpha Mare, but that won't mean much to her or Calian. We will do a walk around the pack lands area, where we will explain our plans. Then there is dinner and a formal meeting straight after, where the pack will become official, and then you'll be recognized as both my mate and Luna of our pack."

She exhales and nods, and I pull her into my arms. "As for your old pack, if your name is brought up, which is doubtful considering how I doubt your grandfather has declared you rogue, just like my father hasn't, Calian will smooth it over. Anything else that comes from it, we will handle it together. One dead wolf at a time."

She chuckles.

“Guys. Can you just tone down all the love?” Storm sidles over with Calian in tow. “We all know what happens when mates hug, and I don’t think the council wants to meet you with your bare asses in the air.” She pauses briefly and waggles her eyebrows, “Bare. Bear. Get it?” She cackles, and we roll our eyes. But hers light up.

“Fuck I recognize that look, everyone sit down and prepare,” Ralph walks up, Tristan at his side, with his hands in his trousers, and sighs.

“Okay, rude.” She glares at Ralph but then smiles. “But also accurate. I’ve met the bear shifters at shifter wars. And of course, the pack that runs the wilderness shop, ‘Bear-ly Surviving,’ for the tourists. Clever name, by the way. So I did some digging in the Council Archives…”

Calian scowls, and she waves him off, “Consider it free labor. I find the holes and patch them up. The point is that the bear pack in Cabria is super unique, the only pack apparently with green eyes. So naturally, I got curious about all the Council members in case I needed to dig up dirt and blackmail them at any point in time,” her eyes shifted to Calian whose face darkened by the second.

“Fucking genius,” Tristan murmurs.

Aneira nods in agreement. As Alpha, bad Storm. As Casimir, fuck yes.

“A lot of these fuckers are getting up there in years, and, while shifters live a fuck ton more than humans, we can start our revolution to Phil Collins the shit out of the shifter world. Harmony, peace, and all of that. We need to schmooze, get into their heads and find out if they are assholes or good shifters. So tonight, operation Phil Collins commences. Okay?”

Aneira bursts out laughing and high-fives her, her nerves forgotten. “Genius. Once we compare notes, we can figure out whose life we are upending. Then, we can talk to the witches and bring all the good shifters to Cabria Falls; it will be a mating revolution.”

Storm holds her hands in the air, mimicking fireworks, “Sex, sex everywhere. Mate bonds, more sex. Revolutions. More sex.”

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