Caged Wolf (Wolves of Willow Bend Book 2) (19 page)

“Hey Owen,” the wolf nodded to him and slid an envelope into Mrs. Tate’s mailbox. A gift of some kind, because like Owen, Ryan looked after the members of the pack. Mrs. Tate’s mate passed away more than twenty years before, and everyone in the pack looked after her.

It was the mark of a strong pack—children who played in the street, widows and widowers who were cared for, and dominants having conversations instead of pissing matches. Task accomplished, Ryan paused to stretch out his hand. Owen met his gaze and held it for a few seconds longer than necessary. Their wolves didn’t have a problem with each other, nor were the men particularly unsettled about their places in the pack.

Old habits, however, died hard. Grinning at the thought, Owen shook Ryan’s hand once then nodded toward Mason’s. “I thought I’d be the last to arrive.”

“I just got back from the city, and wanted a shower first.” A reasonable request from a reasonable, if very crafty wolf.

The front door opened the moment they hit the steps. Alexis danced outside and threw her arms around her father. He caught the Alpha’s mate in his arms and lifted her. “Hi Daddy!”

“Hello little girl.” Ryan’s demeanor gentled, and his voice softened. He pressed a kiss to her temple, then drew back to glance at her. “You’re dressed up.”

“Going shopping with Vivian and Claudia and I’m late.” She gave her father another kiss on the cheek and waved to Owen. “Go on in and make yourselves comfortable. We brought in fried chicken, loads of mashed potatoes, veggies, and there’s even ice cream for dessert.” With that she headed down the sidewalk and leapt over the gate with the smoothness of a natural born wolf. A vast improvement that spoke volumes for how Alexis had adjusted to being turned.  But the Alpha’s mate was not going to wander from Willow Bend alone without protection; it flew in the face of every instinct Owen possessed.

“Don’t worry,” A.J. Buckley said from inside the doorway. Owen’s wolf went predator still inside him. A.J. was pack, and a friendly, but their wolves still had a few issues to settle.  “Linc and Ty are going with them.” The line of tension in Ryan’s posture eased a fraction and Owen relaxed. “She’s walking over to my place and—” As if on cue, Linc met Alexis on the sidewalk and fell into step with her. “They were going to pick her up, but Melissa is sleeping and she didn’t think she’d go if the baby woke up.”

Not even a year old, and the baby ruled her parents. As though reminded, Ryan surged forward and into the house, pausing long enough to clap A.J. on the shoulder. Owen followed at a more sedate pace, his wolf in his eyes.

“A.J.”

“Owen.”

Not six months before, they’d come to blows over A.J.’s intention to pursue his mate into the woods. Owen’s orders included keeping A.J. and Vivian contained to the guest cabin on the Carlyle property. They’d fought to a near standstill. An impressive achievement for a wolf as battered as A.J. had been then. Even now, neither felt the need to look away. Strength of personality and dominance did not always equal physical strength—but A.J. had recovered in the intervening months and his chest, shoulders, and arms had thickened.

He’d be a hell of a good fight now.

As if reading the direction of his thoughts, A.J. grinned slowly. “Later.” Offer accepted. “Mason wants to get started.”

“Sounds good.” He allowed A.J. the lead and Owen scanned the street before shutting the front door. He’d been a Hunter since he’d left high school. Trained by his father, he’d grown up on the fringes of pack life and made his peace with it. He didn’t want a position of power or the responsibility of contact, he preferred to stay on the edge, ever watchful and keep them safe.

Hunters like Owen are what allowed the children to play in the streets, and widows like Mrs. Tate enjoy their golden years without fear of invasion, attack or worse—discovery. A number of familiar scents alerted him to the other council members.

Mason stood in the center of the living room, his daughter in his arms. The baby had been asleep, huh? And yes, she was, sound asleep with her head cushioned on her father’s bare chest. Having the baby present at the meeting wasn’t that unusual, normally surly tempers cooled in the presence of the young and level heads—and voices prevailed.

Ryan stood near Mason, and the two conversed in low tones, but Ryan had his hand on his granddaughter’s back. The family ties between the three clear. A.J. took a spot against one wall, and folded his arms. The wolf had spent years in a human prison, and shortly after his return, Mason elevated him to second in the pack.

A clever move on the part of the relatively new Alpha. Like Mason, A.J. carried the Alpha potential in his demeanor and personal strength. Few wolves could have survived the isolation and crippling effects of enforced captivity, but not only had A.J. survived, he’d come out whole on the other side. His mate Vivian brought a uniqueness to the pack and she’d completed her first turn only three months before.

Mason and A.J. had a great deal in common, from their formerly human mates who’d joined the pack, to their outside perspective on Willow Bend. Young blood, Mrs. Tate called them both, young blood to bring fresh life.

Owen crossed the room to drop down on one knee next to Felicia Carlyle’s chair. The elegant older wolf with her snow white hair and kind eyes gave him a gentle smile. Felicia Carlyle had once been Felicia Chase—and the sister to Owen’s grandfather.

“Hello darling boy,” she smiled and accepted his kiss before stroking her hand over his head in welcome. He permitted few to touch him, and bowed to far less. Felicia could have whatever she wanted. With a quick smile, he rose and took a place behind her chair.

Settling, he met Mason’s gaze, held it for the space of two heartbeats, then lowered his in deference. From the day he returned to the pack, Mason Clayborne had earned Owen’s loyalty with two simple, yet utterly inarguable acts. He’d challenged Toman and defeated the Alpha, though tempted to offer the man mercy, Toman made the choice to continue the fight.  Mason killed him. That could have been the end of it, but he’d gone to Felicia and helped keep her with them.

Surrounded by the pack, and with the strength of the new Alpha to lean on—strength Mason had freely shared—Felicia Carlyle lived. Grief had left its mark on her, but she’d begun to thrive as the pack looked after her and relied on her in the same breath.

The only others present were Emma Halifax, the pack’s healer, Virgil Buckley, A.J.’s father and a vehicle mechanic and Vance, a relaxed beta male who served as the administrator of the local schools.

“Good, everyone is here.” Mason nodded to the sideboard, though the food smelled good, Owen decided to wait. He was the only Hunter present, his task was to protect every single person in the room, particularly their most vulnerable. Passing his daughter over to Ryan, Mason stroked a finger across her hair. “We have a few things to discuss tonight, including a request from Hudson River.”

The last caught the attention of every wolf present. The five packs of North America respected each other’s borders, avoided more than the most tacit of skirmishes and mostly kept to themselves unless under severe duress. One notable exception had been the death of Delta Crescent’s Alpha several years before, the old man had won and held the respect of more than his pack, but also the Enforcers and the other Alphas. In a rare demonstration, representatives from all the packs had attended his funeral, then later remained to witness the battle for dominance between his top lieutenants—a battle Mason had participated in, not as contender for the title, but as a supporter for the Alpha who won: Serafina Andre.

“We’ll get to the last item,” Mason continued into the silence. “Yes, there are rumors of a war, but not one that will touch us yet. So we watch and we be aware. Ryan, I may need you to go to Sutter Butte and Delta Crescent next month.” Ryan’s skill at legal maneuverings and diplomacy made him the obvious choice.

The attorney nodded, and continued to sway in place, rocking his granddaughter. No one brought up the Yukon pack. The less to do with them, the better.

“Go ahead and give me your reports.” With that, Mason loaded a plate with food and carried it to Felicia, then he made the rounds to Emma, and finally Virgil and Vance. The need to care for his pack was as strong as his need to defend it. These qualities made Mason a good leader, and one worthy of being followed.

“We’ve got a youth problem,” Vance began without preamble. “We’ve got about a dozen young dominant males that are vying to be Alpha of the youth groups. Your last visit settled them some, but it’s beginning again. Summer is close, the schools will shut down and we’re going to have fights.”

“Owen, how many Hunters do we have?” Though he had to know the answer, Mason included him in the conversation.

“Forty active.” He knew every single one by name. “Another thirty or so retired.” Including his father. Hunters worked until age or infirmity let them give way to the younger generation, though they were hardly useless to the pack. The retired Hunters served within the community, guarding the schools, patrolling the streets, and generally offered a soothing presence to the populace while the younger Hunters existed on the fringe and the borders discouraging and repelling if necessary potential invaders.

“Check with who you have willing to take on an apprentice or two. We’ll place our first dozen troublemakers first, give them a job and they can start learning to be productive. If we have any others willing, we can make an offer for volunteers.”

A solid plan. Owen nodded. “My father will definitely take one or two. He knows how to handle hard-headed boys.” Laughter greeted his statement. “I’d rather they stay with the retired.” While it would be safer for the boys, limiting who they were partnered with wouldn’t do them any favors.

“Fair enough.” Mason made himself a plate. “You’ll take care of it.” Not a question, but Owen gave his ascent regardless. He was the lead among the Hunters, the most dominant, and so the task was his. “Virgil, how about you?”

“Spirits are up, so is the confidence level. A.J.’s homecoming has done a great deal to comfort the anxious. We still have a few naysayers, Gerald will be the last you sway, but he’s a farmer and very set in his ways. He and Toman were friends for years.”

“Gerald is harmless,” Felicia said, her soft voice carrying. “He’s an old man, and yes, set in his ways, but you keep doing what you’re doing Mason. You’ll prove it to him and he will accept it. Whether he does or not, however, he won’t challenge you.”

No one said anything as Mason seemed to contemplate Felicia’s words. Then he said, “If he isn’t stirring up problems, he’s entitled to his opinions and earned the right to express them.” While not a comfortable position to assume, it was the kind that earned him their loyalty. He put the pack before his personal comfort and likely would in all matters that didn’t involve his wife or daughter—exactly the way he should.

Emma spoke next. “We have no major issues within the pack, a few pregnancies, two broken legs that will take some looking after, but I don’t want the boys to rush off and do anything stupid.” A fair assessment. “Overall, very quiet.”

“And Vivian?” Mason glanced at his second, then the healer.

“She’s perfectly fine,” Emma said, a smile in her voice. “We were correct, she has no brain anomalies and she’s adjusting even faster than Alexis.” They didn’t turn humans every day, so have two newly turned humans in less than a year had kept their healer busy.

For his part, A.J. looked content. “I told you.”

“Yes, you did.” Mason chuckled. “Never hurts to ask. So this brings me to a question, Emma. Can you spare Gillian or would you be interested in a trip yourself?”

Surprise creased the older wolf’s face and rippled through the wolves in the room. “A trip?”

“Brett Dalton, Alpha of Hudson River called me this morning,” and Mason had their attention. Owen narrowed his gaze, studying his Alpha’s body language and scent. Concern tightened the corners of his eyes, and his shoulders set in a hard line. “They’ve suffered some losses over the last several months. One or two in separate incidences, nothing to tie them together, and no real pattern that aroused suspicion—except for his healer. Three days ago, Brett found his healer dead.”

No one moved saved for Emma. “What happened?”

“Natural causes, Brett hopes.”

“But?” Owen spoke. Alphas didn’t reach out to other Alphas every day and the death of a healer hurt a pack, even if the death was due to natural causes, it created an injury that didn’t heal easily.

“But he isn’t sure, and he found records in the healer’s home for each of the deaths they’ve had in the last eighteen months.”

“How many?” Emma continued to focus on Mason.

“Fourteen—with the death of his healer, Brett makes the count fifteen. They have no apprentices, and only one child with the potential. He’s asked me for a favor and I am considering granting it.”

Ice slithered through Owen. Emma was a vital, healthy wolf, but sending their healer beyond their territory didn’t sit well with him. Nor did…

“He wants to know if I or Gillian can go.” Emma said, and it wasn’t a question.

Owen curled his fingers into his palms. He knew no outward reaction would show on his face, and with the tension levels in the room already on the rise, whatever the others picked up would be seen as natural concern. Gillian was a doll, a perfect wolf in every way. Kind and guileless to a fault, she would rip off her own arms to help a stranger.

Another pack would tear her apart.

Neither choice sat well with him.

“Yes, but I won’t order it.” Mason folded his arms, his attention on Emma. “I have Brett’s blood oath to protect whomever I send, you’ll have his guards, and they will care for you as if you were their own.”

“You trust him?” Ryan asked, his gaze measured and assessing.

“I spent a few months in Hudson River when I left here. Brett gave me a place and he didn’t mind a Lone Wolf staying until I got my feet under me. Helped me get my first job and found someone to teach me some trade skills. The only reason I left is he couldn’t have an unbound dominant of my strength in his territory, it was causing issues. But he gave me money and a fresh start. He didn’t owe me any of those things.”