Lone Wolf Ripples 03 - The Fire of a Lone Wolf's Heart (5 page)

The queen seemed to be able to read his mind. "Don't be afraid, Mr. Reynolds. I know a child has to have both of his or her parents, and I haven't been idle these past few weeks."

Perry scowled. "What do you mean, Your Majesty?"

The Sidhe queen released a heavy sigh, suddenly seeming very old and tired. "Something is coming, little one, and neither you nor I can stop it. I can, however, limit the damage it will do once it strikes. I've made arrangements to keep you, and people like you safe. You've heard of the Lone Wolf Pack, correct?"

"Of course," Clay answered. "Who hasn't?"

"Indeed. Well, there have already been people who've turned to them for assistance. It's not something they can handle on their own, not with the amount of potential some of the newer members of the pack have. As such, I have decided to establish a haven in the area around Willow Cove. It will take a great deal out of me, but the wards I cast will keep out hunters with baleful intentions."

Clay had a feeling her assessment of the power she'd be forced to put into the wards was, for lack of a better word, optimistic. He knew V's spells weren't always easy for her to cast, and the magnitude of what the queen was suggesting was mind-boggling.

"You'd do this?" he couldn't help but ask. "But why?"

"I admit it's not entirely selfless on my part," she said. "My grandson and his mate are there as well, and as such, I want to protect them. In other words, it's your lucky day."

Well, Clay couldn't argue with that. In fact, as long as his mate and his unborn pup were safe, he would not argue with anything. "We're honored and very grateful for your assistance, Your Majesty."

She smiled kindly. "Be at ease, Mr. Reynolds. I'm sure you'll find a way to pay me back one day."

Maybe the teasing words would have unsettled him, but when he looked at Perry, he couldn't feel anything but happy. Whatever else came their way, whatever price he had to pay for his debt, he would gladly face it. He and Perry could finally stop running. He could finally open his heart and set the loneliness aside. This was a new beginning, for himself, for Perry, for all of them—and he would embrace it with everything he had.

"A haven."

Saul stared at Mathias, torn between disbelief, outrage and hope. The part of him that was pure Alpha resented the involvement of another leader in his territory, but he realized that was unreasonable. Strictly speaking, the area around the Great Lakes didn't belong to him—it was common grounds for all shifters. Furthermore, the advantages of what Mathias was suggesting far outweighed any disadvantages Saul could even try to come up with.

Mathias nodded, not bothering to hide his enthusiasm. Some of the wariness that had shadowed him for as long as Saul had known him seemed to have melted into cautious hope. "I know it's a lot to accept, but given everything that's happened, I believe this would be our best bet. My grandmother is exceedingly powerful, and I've already explained my earlier problem with the wards. The spell she can weave would keep us all safe, no matter what the hunters come up with."

Saul thought about Gavin and Shannon, imagined his beloved mate finally being able to play out in the open with his beautiful son. He thought about his brother, his friends, his father, every member of his pack finding peace and safety behind the magic of a Sidhe. "It's the best idea I've ever heard," he said with a smile. "When can we begin?"

"Well, I think she'll be coming in any day now, and she'll be bringing some guests along."

Saul couldn't say he was surprised. In his heart, he'd always planned the Lone Wolf Pack to be a haven for those who had nowhere else to go, for outcasts who needed a refuge away from people who didn't understand and accept them. "They'll find a home and a family here, Mathias," he said with a grin. "Together, we'll make it work. You'll see."

They had a lot of enemies, a lot of threats targeted their way, but the Lone Wolf Pack was strong and only getting stronger. Their foes wouldn't even know what hit them.

THE END

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Anya Byrne is first and foremost a longtime fan of erotic romance. Starting to write her own stories was a natural progression of her devotion for the genre. Years after she put pen to paper in that very first book, she is just as enthusiastic and, let’s face it, somewhat obsessive about erotic romance and all that it entails. She is steadfast in the belief that there’s nothing quite as hot as an amazing hero—except more amazing heroes engaged in heroic hot lovin’, and has branched out into the field of self-publishing to convince even more readers of this fact. Hopefully, she will succeed.

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