Nocturne 040 – Scions 02 - Patrice Michelle - Insurrection (26 page)

Caine tied the bandanna around her eyes and grabbed her hand. Pulling her along, he said, “Think of it as an adventure.”

Kaitlyn held her other hand out in front of her. She took a couple of steps and immediately tripped over a rock or something. She didn’t like this kind of adventure.

Caine gripped her elbow, righting her. “Follow my lead instead of trying to step off on your own.

Relaxing, she put herself in Caine’s care. It wasn’t easy, but she did it by focusing on other things. Since her sight wasn’t an option, she used her other senses. Birds chirped and leaves crinkled as they walked. The musky smell of decaying leaves and rich earth stirred around them with each step they took. She smiled at the small things she might not have noticed if she hadn’t been blindfolded.

A half hour into their hike, she noticed they were definitely traveling uphill. The thought of the impending meeting with other Lupreda started to knot her stomach. As Caine maneuvered her over a stump or a big rock, she asked, “Tell me about the Omega.”

“What do you want to know?” He tugged on her arm to let her know they were turning left.

She followed, glad she’d worn boots today. “You said that the Omega would have to decide if I’m Lupreda or not, but didn’t you tell me your pack had an Alpha? I’m assuming that means your leader. Who rules the roost? Or maybe I should say, what’s the pecking order so I don’t blunder while presenting my case?”

Caine chuckled, addressing her choice of words. “Just so you know, there’s not a fowl among us. We’re pretty fearless.”

“Bock, bock,” she taunted. “You haven’t answered my question yet.”

“Yes, you’re right. There is an Alpha named Nathan. He’s an insecure, jealous SOB who has no business leading our pack. Landon tangled with Nathan a few months ago, pretty much challenging Nathan in front of the whole pack…over the vampires.”

She stumbled and came to a halt. “The vampires? Oh, wait, Landon told me how he’d forged a truce with the leader of the Sanguinas. He just didn’t mention the details behind it.”

Caine squeezed her hand and tugged to let her know he was starting to walk again. “Nathan banned Landon from the pack for his inference and has been gunning for him ever since. Normally the Alpha would decide your status, but because your audience with the Omega about Landon hinges on you being accepted in our pack as a member, I’m taking you to the Omega for both.”

She nodded her understanding. “Who are the Omega?”

“The Omega are past Alphas who were challenged during the run and lost. Because they have strong leadership skills and the respect of the pack, they move on to be the equalizing factor behind the current Alpha’s decisions if he is ever challenged by a pack member.”

“Are you saying that they overrule the Alpha?”

“No, they don’t usually. It’s rare for them to get involved. In the case of the annual Alpha run, obviously the Alpha can’t be the one deciding on the rules or who wins if there’s a tie. An unbiased party, one who’s ‘been there, done that’ oversees this area.”

“Ah, now I see where the Omega come in.” Sticks snapped under her shoes’ hard soles at the same time as a bird flew past. She instinctively ducked but kept moving. “If your pack does this run every year, don’t you have a lot of members in the Omega?”

Caine laughed. “The run is more than just a race of physical endurance. It’s proof of leadership skills and combat strategy as well as how the were uses calculated tactics to beat his opponents. Alphas rule until they can’t keep up with the challengers, which is usually a long time considering we don’t age like humans do. Therefore, we only have a few Omega.”

Werewolves aged how much slower than humans? she wondered. The eighteen-year-old picture of Landon in her father’s belongings popped into her mind. Landon hadn’t aged at all in almost two decades. The idea that he would still look the same while she turned into a shriveled prune over time just wasn’t right. Damn, she hoped she’d inherited that youth gene from her dad. “As far as the Omega are concerned, is there any one member that seems to rule?”

“Address them all with equal respect, but I can pretty much guarantee Garius is going to be the one asking you all the questions. He’s the oldest Alpha of our pack. They follow his lead. Damn, this is going to be one helluva talk. The Omega will be shocked to learn that a wolf’s bite can turn a human. I bet if we had known about your father, we could’ve helped him accept his wolf.”

Caine’s comment jabbed right to her heart. She gasped and stumbled. He caught her before she hit the ground. “Sorry, Kaitlyn. That came out wrong. It was my way of saying, I wish we could’ve helped your dad.”

Kaitlyn nodded her understanding. “I know what you meant.”

“Good. Now, I hope you don’t mind…” he said holding on to her hands. When he paused, Kaitlyn started to say, “About what—”

But she found herself thrown face down over Caine’s shoulder. He gripped her hips. “This walking is going too slow. We’ll be there soon—

What the hell do you have in your pocket?” he said as he adjusted her on his shoulder.

“My father’s journal.”

“Got it. Ready to fly?” Caine asked. “Close your eyes.”

“Very funny,” she mumbled behind the blindfold and locked her arms around his waist.

The breeze picked up and whirred past her ears. Caine was in full werewolf speed now. She was thankful for the blindfold, because she wasn’t able to open her eyes to see just how fast they were going. She would’ve been tempted and sure enough, motion sickness would’ve been the immediate result. Instead, she took easy breaths and tried not to think about Caine’s superhuman speed.

A few minutes later, Caine set her on her feet and pulled off the blindfold. Kaitlyn blinked until her vision adjusted to the daylight. Turning her around, he pointed and whispered in her ear, “Welcome home, Kaitlyn.”

Kaitlyn stared at the beautiful brick mansion with black shutters and thick carved columns supporting a porch that wrapped around the sides of the house. Deep green ivy grew along the sides, bracketing the home like those tiny picture corners in scrapbooks. The massive house was definitely picture-worthy in every respect.

Dense trees surrounded the house, the branches arching over the roof as if trying to hide its existence from the outside world. Trees created a natural camouflage barrier, while allowing dappled sunlight to filter through the leaves. By any standards, the Lupredas’ home was impressive.

“I’m speechless,” she said.

Caine laughed. “Takes your breath away, doesn’t it?” He started toward the house, beckoning her. “Come on. They’re waiting on us.”

Before she followed, Kaitlyn quickly moved her gun from her ankle holster to her jacket’s front pocket. She had no idea if she’d be accepted or not. It was ingrained in her to think like a cop. She always came prepared.

Once she followed his lead up the porch stairs and through the huge front door, her stomach tensed. What kind of reception would she receive, she wondered.

They didn’t even get a chance to shut the front door behind them before she found out.

“What the hell have you done, Caine?” A man with long blond hair sat up from his lounging position on the sofa in the main room and stared at them.

Caine instantly moved in front of Kaitlyn. “This is none of your concern, Brian. Go back to doing what you do best.”

Kaitlyn couldn’t miss the sarcasm in Caine’s tone. No love lost there. In an instant, the other were was a few feet away from Caine, snarling.

“You know the rules. No humans. Ever.”

The tension between the men hung thick in the air. Other people, both male and female, even a few kids, walked over to observe. Some leaned against the thick columns, separating the entryway from the living area. Others surrounded Caine and Kaitlyn in a large semi-circle.

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Caine growled. “For Nathan to have a reason to kick me out.”

The speculative stares of the strangers around them unnerved Kaitlyn. Some frowned while others just shook their heads. Murmurs abounded. Her first instinct was to move closer to Caine, but the louder the general buzz hitched, the need for order drove her forward between the men.

She met the angry were’s gaze and kept her expression neutral. “I’m here because I’m Landon’s mate.”

A shock wave of gasps rippled over the crowd.

“You dare to address me?” Brian’s thin face grew mottled and he narrowed his gaze.

“She smells like Landon,” someone said.

“I don’t care,” Brian snarled. “Landon’s not a member of this pack. You don’t belong here, bitch.”

The people behind Brian began to back up. Not a good sign. Were they expecting a brawl? Kaitlyn set her teeth and wrapped her fingers around the gun in her pocket. She gave him a cold smile. “Thank you for the compliment. Now back off, hound!”

Brian gave a menacing growl. Claws extended from his fingers right before he lunged for her.

One second the furious man was leaping through the air toward her, and the next he was skidding across the floor, on his side.

“That was a warning. Go near her again and I’ll kill you,” Landon said in a deadly tone.

Kaitlyn turned to stare at Landon in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

His green gaze narrowed on Caine and then slid to her. “I could ask you the same thing.”

Kaitlyn met Landon’s stern stare. Her heart leapt. He looked so rugged with several days growth of stubble on his jaw. His chest muscles pressed against his light blue T-shirt and his biceps flexed as he fisted his hands. She knew he was pissed that she had come into his territory, but she wasn’t sure what to tell him.

Caine intervened. “Landon. I’m glad you could make it—”

At that moment, a man with short blond hair jumped over the railing from the top floor and landed beside Landon. The floor shook with his hard landing. He immediately stood and bellowed at Landon, “I told you to stay away. You’ve signed your death warrant by returning.”

Landon smirked. “Any time you want another good ass-kicking, I’m ready, Nathan.”

The blond man stuck his barrel chest out even farther. He looked like a cock, puffing up for a fight. Kaitlyn waited for him to start scratching at the floor. No chickens. Ha! Caine was wrong.

“Landon and the young woman are here at my request.”

Everyone in the room turned to stare at a tall, imposing, dark-haired man with gray along his temples. “Garius,” Caine whispered in her ear. Hoping to defuse the fight about to erupt between Landon and the Alpha, Kaitlyn stepped toward the retired Alpha. The crowd parted, allowing her through. She stopped a couple feet away from the Omega leader. Meeting the gazes of the small group of men behind Garius, whom she believed were the other Omega, she nodded to acknowledge them all. “Thank you for your invitation.”

Garius bowed his head slightly, his blue eyes boring into hers as he spoke in her mind. Laird and Roman spoke very highly of you, Kaitlyn McKinney. I don’t believe you would come here lightly.

She bowed her head in respect, then met his steady gaze. “I humbly seek admittance to the Lupreda pack as a member with full rights and privileges.”

A roar erupted behind her and Nathan was instantly beside Garius. His chest heaved and he glared at her. “How dare you insult my position by asking the Omega.” He pounded his fist on his chest. “I’m the Alpha of the Lupreda. I banished your—” he sneered at Landon, who’d stepped beside her “—mate months ago, which leaves you no right to ask for admittance. None!”

Garius stroked his chin for a second, then frowned slightly. “He’s right.”

Kaitlyn’s gaze traveled over Nathan’s bunched fists to his curled upper lip, twitching in canine hostility. He was full of self-important arrogance. Dismissing him, she met Garius’s steady stare. “Then it’s a good thing I’m not asking for admittance as Landon’s mate. I’m asking admittance to the pack as a blood Lupreda, well and true.”

As shocked as Landon was by Kaitlyn’s announcement, he wouldn’t allow his mate to be insulted. “Enough,” he roared, and the entire pack quieted down.

“Address me with your question.” Nathan reached out to grab Kaitlyn by the arm.

Landon locked his hand on Nathan’s wrist, stopping him dead. Shoving the man back, he growled. “Unless you want to pull back a nub, don’t attempt to touch her again.”

Nathan snarled and stepped toward Landon when Garius put up his hand between them. “Put your canines away for the moment. This issue needs to be addressed first.”

Turning to Kaitlyn, Garius gave a formal bow and swept his arm behind him. “Why don’t we move into the living room where we can all be more comfortable as we discuss this—” he glared at Landon and Nathan “—like civilized human beings.”

A couple of snickers sounded in the background, and Landon couldn’t help but smirk at Garius’s choice of words. He knew it was intentional. Kaitlyn took Garius’s proffered arm and he led her into the living room. As they walked into the huge living area, they stood in one of the two separate seating sections. Currently the huge foyer and hall was occupied by all hundred and fifty curious weres, waiting for the saga or, even better, a fight to unfold.

Kaitlyn, what are you doing? Landon wanted to ask. When his gaze caught Caine’s, he narrowed his, telling Caine with one look, You’re dead meat. But he stayed quiet, waiting to hear what the hell Kaitlyn was cooking up in that beautiful head of hers. Damn, he’d missed her these past few days.

He’d come to the Lupreda house because Laird had called, telling him the Omega wanted to see him. He knew he needed to fill them in on what he’d learned about the panthers’ existence, but he’d stayed close to his cabin these past few days, staring at the moon and wishing he were on the hunt with his fellow weres at night. Each night the necklace felt heavy around his neck, binding him to his human form. When Garius offered Kaitlyn a seat, she shook her head. “I prefer to stand.”