Page 1 of The Flame

Chapter One

Early the next morning, Amira stood at the window gazing at the landscape. The sun streamed across the basin with a glow only nature could display. The mountain shone brightly as if glistening with a glorious light. Amira knew it was a living being, she also knew her mother was locked away inside of it... somewhere.

She had been up for hours and had gotten things started in the kitchen. She had scrubbed the coffee pot, removing years of grim inside and started a fresh pot. Now while staring out the window she had a feeling her father and grandfather would be back. In fact, they were heading this way. It felt odd to her to know these things now. During her childhood, she heard things and dreamed of things that could not be real. Now as an adult, she finally knew they had all been VERY real.

Last night, she hadn’t slept all that well as she’d been worried about starting a war no one would win. She feared for her grandmother, for the wolf shifters that had stood by her side. And now, despite their bad start, she feared for Luther and his men. They were humans through and through. Mortals and they could be harmed in the worst ways. While a pack of shifter wolves and no telling what else would be descending on their world here.

Someone cleared his throat behind her.

She turned around to see Kinsen standing there. “Oh, you scared me.”

“Sorry bout that.” Kinsen shook his head. “Are you okay?” He shrugged. “I mean this is all kind of out of whack, isn’t it?”

She stared at him. “I know. I’m not sure how to take all the changes that have come so fast.” She turned her head to look through the window again. “But I do know that this is where I need to be. And to hell with Milo and Griffen and their bastardly plan.” Shaking her head, she turned to him. “Can you and Jacks and Trent stick with me?”

Kinsen nodded. “We have been talking about that. Let’s face it, the pack was nothing more than a joke to Griffen. We worked our fingers to the bone and it was never good enough for him. Hell, the rest of the pack is better off without him and his friends. The pack will survive under new leadership but I doubt Griffen and Milo will. Even all busted up and shot to hell, they still think you’ll lead them to the gold.”

Amira shook her head. “I never would have done that to begin with. Why Griffen thought that, I will never know.”

Kinsen snorted. “He believed you would be loyal to the pack. But he isn’t the pack and never really has been. He was our Alpha but only a certain number of people made his cut and he ignored the rest of us. Did you know he made us turn over ten percent of our pay outside the pack to him?” He looked angry. “We didn’t have a choice if we wanted to stay. Some of us grew up under his rule and we just didn’t know any better, but the elders did. They knew it wasn’t right what he was doing. At least with him and his cronies gone, the pack can go back to the way it should be.”

“Karma will come for him and the others,” Amira told him.

“Just as it has come for you?” Kinsen smiled. “That mountain called you home for a reason.”

Amira nodded. “Yeah, I think it did.” She turned to look at Kinsen again and asked one more time, “Will you, Trent, and Jacks stay with me and be part of my council?”

“We would be honored,” Kinsen told her. “We have no idea what’s coming but we made you a promise to protect you and we don’t aim to let that go.”

Amira smiled. “Well, I appreciate that vow and I will depend on that in days to come. Milo and Griffen are still out there and they aren’t going to let this go.”

Kinsen scoffed. “You got that right. Not when they are within spitting distance. They may not be able to see the mountain but they know it's there, so close and yet so far away.”

The front door opened as Rissa and her entourage came into the clubhouse.

At the same time, doors down the hall began opening up and the members of the club walked into the main room.

They all came together and when they did, Luther asked, “How are we going to get into the mountain without showing the wolves the way in?”

Rissa nodded. “I have the ability to cover us until we can get inside then the mountain will hide us from their eyes.”

“When are we going in?” Luther asked.

Rissa turned to Amira and said, “That is up to Amira. She will know when the time is right.”

Amira nodded, “Soon I think, mother’s heartbeat is growing weak.”

Luther stared at her. “You can feel your mother’s heartbeat?”

Amira nodded. “That’s what drew me back home. When Griffen kicked me out, I heard it for the first time. But now, I’m afraid it grows weaker.”

“Then we will go right away, child,” Rissa insisted. “She’s been trapped in the tween for too long.” She looked back over at the men. “Are you boys ready to go?”

Kinsen, Trent, and Jacks nodded.

Next, she gazed at Luther and his men. “Every Shaman has eight men as her council. We still need five more.”

Luther, Diesel, Steel, Bullfrog, and Swag stepped forward.

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