Page 94 of The Alpha's Mates

"Yet you did nothing," Calix spat. "You did what you always do, create a shit storm, then sit back and watch."

"Who is he?" I barked, getting angrier with every word the others said. Not at them, but at the God standing before us who helped Arune take down Lyas.

"He's the God of Luck," Gleam answered.

That made me pause. I was trying to wrap my head around the God of Luck being evil.

"His twin brother is Chaos," Katashi added.

Oh. Well, that sort of made sense then. Too much or too little luck caused nothing but chaos and destruction in people's lives. I eyed the man who was still staring at me, ignoring the jabs the others were throwing his way. "You've seen me," I told him. "Now what?"

His laughter echoed through the now gloomy woods around us. A heavy mist was creeping over the ground. "Nothing, Little Wolf." He held his hands out in a gesture of peace. "It isn't time yet." He arched a blond brow at me. "But when it is, do you really want to be on the opposite side of Luck?" He walked away from us, calling over his shoulder, "Think about that when you decide who you want as allies."

My mates growled at the threat, but didn’t leave their protective circle around me. They also didn’t try to speak for me. The fact that these males respected me enough to know I could stand up for myself, made me love them even more.

"I don't need to think about it!" I said, not bothering to raise my voice. I knew he'd hear me. The way his gait paused and his back muscles tightened under his shirt confirmed it. "Anyone who aligned themselves with Arune is my enemy. And we're going to take you all down."

He didn't bother to respond. Didn't turn around, but I knew I pissed him off. As soon as he disappeared into the trees, the mist cleared out.

"What the hell was that?" I asked no one in particular.

Katashi sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair. "That's what happens when Gods get involved in your world."

"He's always been a dickhead," Calix told me. I stifled my laughter with my hand. "Believe it or not, his twin is a lot nicer. Doesn't matter that Kern causes mischief every minute of every day, at least he's somewhat likable."

"We should go," Lyas suggested.

I didn't miss the sadness there in her eyes. Her own kind were ganging up on her. I knew exactly how that felt. How it was to have your own family want to kill you. She and I were more alike than I ever knew. No wonder I'd been the one Fate and Destiny had chosen to be successful in rescuing her. Or had that been all me? I wasn't really sure exactly how much those twoplayed a hand in what happened. We still had free choice. I could have failed by leaving Lyas on the bottom of the ocean. So maybe they'd only had a hand in me living long enough to find out what my quest was. Shaking my head to clear the confusing thoughts, I focused on the others.

"We should leave you here," Calix said.

"There's a lot to do," Katashi agreed. "We'll do our best to rally others to our cause." His eyes flicked between all of us. "You should do the same." His gaze settled on me. "But most importantly is that you keep Lyas safe while she recovers."

I nodded in agreement. "I'll do whatever it takes."

In a flash of light, Katashi shifted into a red wolf and bounded away.

"Show off," Calix muttered as he watched his friend leave. He turned his head back toward me. "Lyas isn't the only one who needs your protection," he said in a cryptic tone. "Watch over both of them for us."

I opened my mouth to ask him who else needed my protection. Who else I was supposed to watch over, but he too had shifted. The black wolf shook out his coat, then casually walked into the forest. "Lyas? Who is he talking about?"

"You'll see soon enough," she answered. "We should go before Pyre decides he's bored enough to do something after all."

It only took another minute before we were out of Dreiken Wood. I heaved a sigh of relief. It didn't matter that it was different with the gods in our company, that place creeped me out. If I never had to enter it again, I'd be a happy female. None of us spoke as we traveled. We were all lost in thought, reliving different moments in time as we walked. There would be plenty of opportunity later to plan and coordinate. For now, we basked in the sunlight and silence.

CHAPTER 42

Soren

It would have taken a lot less time to travel back to Jessu's village if we'd run as wolves, but we couldn't afford to weaken Lyas's powers any more than they were. She mentioned there were specific rituals that needed to take place in order for her to gain her strength back. And time, of course. She claimed it would take at least a month, a chance for the moon to go through all its cycles before she'd return to her former glory. So we walked the entire way in our human forms.

There was something peaceful about it. As though we were in our own little bubble. Each of us knew, in the backs of our minds, that one of Arune's allies could attack at any time, Pyre had proved that. But no one spoke of it and we all focused on putting one foot in front of the other. It gave me a chance to strategize about the best way to gain the support of the shifter packs. We needed to band together against whatever Arune was going to throw our way. If we didn't, they'd force us intoextinction. Considering Reese had given her life to ensure that didn't happen, I wasn't about to let it go down that way just because shifters couldn't be bothered to trust one another.

There were certain groups I wouldn't approach. They weren't worth having in the army I was going to build for Lyas. They'd as soon attack you when your back was turned than work with you in battle. We didn't need those types. It meant they'd end up on the opposite side, but they were enemies anyway. However, most of the packs left on Elaria were filled with decent shifters.

They'd form together to fight for our continuation. For their Goddess. I knew it. Especially now that the hope of finding their fated mates was back. Most of the males I knew would move mountains to find the female who would complete their cadre and give them pups. A mate and children were the essence of life for us. The reason for living through our long existences. Without them, helplessness and anger had set in. It was time to reverse all the harm that had been done.

Katashi and Calix were in charge of rallying the magical beings and beasts. I glanced over at Gleam as he ran alongside Reese. His little head was constantly surveying the land, looking for threats. He was a part of our family now. I knew it the minute she'd walked through the door carrying him. I didn't have an issue with it. If she'd tried to bring home another mate, then the shit would hit the fan, but their relationship wasn't that way. I could sense the love they had for each other, but it was a familial love.

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