Page 15 of The Dark War

“Hi, my little Evelyn.” My eyes watered as I grabbed her. Pulling at my shirt, her tummy growled, causing her to grunt. Lifting my shirt to feed her, Naomi laughed silently to herself as she stood cleaning up the mess of toys.

“I see my son had a good time.” Blushing, I tried to pull my shirt lower only to have Evelyn pull it up and away from my body, showing more of Kane’s love bites. “It’s all right. His father is the same.” She chuckled.

“I need to ask a favor.” My eyes steamed with warmth. The tears were coming, but I promised myself I would not cry, not in front of my pup. I had to be the good, strong mother for her.

“Anything.” Naomi came to sit beside me, watching Evelyn guzzle down the last of her meal.

“King Osirus is at war with his Court and Parliament, trying to take over his throne.” Naomi gasped, gripping my arm. “I need to leave for a while, hopefully no longer than a week.” Her eyes softened, understanding the conflict I felt in my heart.

Leaving my daughter, my pup, my little girl, would be devastating, but I knew I had to go to protect her future. There would be more firsts for me to watch, her first tooth, her first bike ride; I hoped to be there for it all, but until then, I had to keep her safe, and that was to help Kane lead a pack of wolves into my first battle in over six months.

“She will be fine.” Naomi rubbed my back.

“It’s hard.” My voice cracked. A traitorous tear fell down my cheek, landing on Evelyn’s bare leg. “I don’t want to leave her, but I must protect her.” Naomi petted my hair, pulling it behind my ear. Her soft touches comforted me of the family bond we shared.

As much as I craved my mother, this woman has been strong and kept me held together. I saw her as my beautiful mother-in-law turned best friend when my mother wasn’t around. She had seen me at my worst and at my best, coming home from dealing with the old rogue Marcellus.

“She will be fine,” she cooed. “She won’t remember much of her first years of life. You will be with her in spirit and the bond you share with her. I don’t know if you realize, but a child being born of a bond is special. You can feel their pain, their fear, and their happiness if you concentrate hard enough. Radiating your love to her from afar, she will never forget you. No matter how quickly she grows physically.” Naomi tickled Evelyn’s feet as she finished. “Isn’t that right?” she cooed at the little squeal she let out.

“You are right.” Squeezing her tightly, she cooed while I held her out to see her beautiful face. She had her father’s eyes, electric blue, and the dark hair we both shared. Her little toes took after me and her strong fingers, of course, after her dad. The perfect combination of the both of us. Her personality worried me. I wanted my daughter to be fierce, but calm enough to make the right decisions.

“And so you know,” Naomi added, “I know you read human books about breastfeeding, but werewolves can go long periods without breastfeeding their children. Until Evelyn flat out refuses you, which will be around three months of the average wolf, you will feed her when you are around her. The gods understood the importance of wolves and fighting for territory. You won’t dry until Evelyn deems it so.”

These stupid hormones raging through me!My eyes dropped more tears, no matter how much I tried to pull them back. “Thank you, Naomi. I don’t know what I would do without you.” My forehead landed on her shoulder while Evelyn pulled my hair.

“I worried the same. My mother taught me everything. You have been dealt a tough hand being born a princess, but the gods have blessed you as well. Every step of the way, I’ll be there, hmm?”

Kane’s heated body alerted me he was standing in the doorway. Turning to see my mate, his normal scowl lifted to a smile as his eyes locked with me. “There are my three favorite girls.” His deep voice reverberated in the room. “It’s time to go, my mate, defend our pack.”

“And our future,” I muttered, tracing my finger across Evelyn’s cheek.

Chapter Seven

Clara

Halfthewarriorsstoodshifted into their wolves, while the other half strapped packs of supplies to the wolves’ backs. Wolves pranced around the area, yipping and nipping at each other’s heels with excitement. Drills were standard, not taking the command that Kane implemented earlier seriously. Being prepared was Kane’s motto, and the extra supposed drill this week didn’t disappoint anyone.

I, on the other hand, was sweating with uneasiness. Giana was circling in my mind, mumbling and grumbling. She could have been praying to the goddess or just preparing herself for our first battle, but I was too distracted to ask her. Kane strode up to the front of the lines. The final wolves were being strapped with large packs of supplies for tents from the ever-helpful omegas with food and spare clothes.

Kane stood in front of the awaiting crowd, bare-chested, in just a pair of black shorts. Wolves continued to mind-link each other, ready for the drill to be over with and get back to regular activities. I stood to the side of it all, watching the platoons of wolves lined up in perfect rows. Colors of black, gray, tan, and whites filled the area. Marcus and his sandy wolf approached, sitting on his haunches as Kane waited for the growls and howls to settle.

“This is not a drill,” Kane spoke powerfully. The wolves stilled, listening to the authority of Kane’s power. Heads perked up in question. “This is real. Lives could be lost if you don’t remember your training. I advise you to look out for one another. Remember, we hunt and fight in packs. We are not the singleton hunter in times of battle. Your pack is your lifeline. Remember to rely on each other.”

After watching Kane for so many months on the sidelines, showing me how he and Marcus strategically assigned smaller packs within our larger one, it helped take down stronger enemies more quickly instead of fighting alone. It saved their energy so warriors could fight for more extended periods.

“Your luna will be with us.” The entire Crimson Shadows pack’s eyes went to me. I stood still, head held high like mother had taught me, even though I swore Giana was peeing herself on the inside. “Please be aware this is her first full-frontal battle. She may have beaten the best of you, such as Baslik.” Kane’s head nodded to his strongest warrior. Baslik only grinned, bowing before me. “But she has yet to face more than one enemy at a time. Clara is more than capable of taking care of herself.” Kane smiled at me. “She is your luna, the heart of the pack. If her heart stops, so does mine.” Letting out a shaky breath, I joined Kane at the front line.

“We travel today, meeting just north of the Golden Light Kingdom in the province of Sallee. There, we will give further orders.” Howls erupted, the grass being entirely ruined by the claws pulling at the soil.

At least it wasn’t my flower bed.

Torin flashed his eyes toward me, his shorts falling to a heap on the ground. His tall half-beast form standing in front as I pulled the enlarged shirt over my head. Shifting, my bones cracked, and fur sprouted on my body instantly. Giana stretched her body, shaking our tail playfully, letting her front paws wiggle in anticipation. “Are you ready, My Luna?” Kane’s voice sounded in my head.

“Ready when you are.”

The Bergarian continent was large. It stretched as far as the United States on Earth, but it could take us hours rather than take days to cross the land by running. The speed at which wolves could run was astounding, but the paths were not wide and not well-traveled. It would still take us a good portion of the day to arrive at our final destination.

Giana yipped, waiting for Torin to lead the way. The warriors behind us loomed closely, especially behind me. Marcus was to stay close, along with Baslik, the poor warrior I defeated when I had my hissy fit when Kane kept information from me all those months ago.

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