Page 43 of Shadows of the Soul

Rebecca burst through the back door. “Hate to break up your not so discreet secret meeting, but we have a problem.”

I smirked at Hudson. “Should I call now, or wait until you’ve left?”

“No need, this is shifter related, and they are here with Norbert.”

We ran after Rebecca through the house and down the stairs to my makeshift lab and surgery. Rebecca held open the door. “I’ll keep an eye on Liz,” she whispered. I nodded and stepped into the room.

The pack’s doctor was a squat man with pale blue eyes, graying bushy hair, and matching eyebrows. He was the only official pack medic that boasted a medical degree. He also made a mean homemade loaf with honey.

Today he didn’t come bearing baked goods. He had in each hand a bear cub held by the scruff of their necks. They growled and snarled as he pinned them on my examination table. These were the bear cubs I’d delivered a few months ago.

He nodded at Hudson. “Principal.” Then he looked at me, back at Hudson, and finally back at me. “Consort royal.”

I froze. Hudson laughed. Dave looked smug. Awesome.

“No, you are mistaken,” I stated as I moved toward Norbert.

He tilted his head as he gazed between me and Hudson like he could see an invisible thread between us. “If you say so.”

I almost growled. He was deferring to me as the royal consort, second only to Hudson. This was the beginning of the end. I was not mate material, definitely not consort royal material. The shapeshifters didn’t utilize the royal hierarchy in the strictest sense. Hudson’s kids wouldn’t automatically ascend to the throne, but while he was The Principal, he was for all intents and purposes their king. Which meant Hudson’s mate would automatically be afforded the title of consort royal. It pushed me into a limelight I couldn’t afford.

“Stop, breathe,” Hudson said, stepping between me and everyone else. He cupped my face and tilted it toward him. “One step at a time. Don’t fret about the pack.”

“For what it’s worth, I think you’ll make an excellent consort royal,” Norbert said.

“That’s yet to be determined,” Dave muttered.

And there we had it. Another shifter would be accepted based on their heritage. I would be tested, questioned, challenged. My peaceful future was already in the wind. Hudson claimed I was worth it, which meant so was he.

I stepped around him and glared at the black fur balls. “What’s wrong with them?”

“Frank,” Norbert nodded to the cub in his left hand. “And Fred, have been stuck in their animal form for three days.”

I winced. Child wildies were unheard of. This was unnatural.

“They escaped their parents earlier this morning. They were tracked through town and caught on the road coming down to your property.”

I risked a look at Hudson. Was he about to throw me under the bus?

“They are drawn to me,” he stated.

Dave blinked. That was a wild reaction for Mr. Stoic. He knew he was protecting me. “We don’t have anywhere left to store these two. I’m scared the adults would tear them to pieces.”

“There’s a bigger problem,” Hudson said as he bent down to get eye level with the cubs. Frank lashed out, nearly catching Hudson in the eye. Damn, the kid was fast.

“What’s that?” I asked.

He looked at me over his shoulder. “Shifters under the age of one rarely survive being a wildie.”

“I didn’t think kids went wildie?”

“It happens, but within a few weeks, they burn themselves out and end up dead. The conflict is too much for their bodies and young minds.”

I gazed at the two innocent cubs and decided to stop hiding behind Hudson. That wasn’t the actions of a consort royal. “What if it’s all linked?”

Hudson stood and turned to face me. “Explain.”

“We know that whoever is fueling the blood magic spell is not opposed to killing children. Perhaps they are using the wildies somehow?”

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