156

Book:Heiress of the Wolf Pack Published:2024-11-20

Dresden looked from the Council to Nafarius before answering. “Once Storm proved that supernatural creatures existed he convinced his backers to… expand… their mandate. He’s helped them to build a quasi-private, semi-governmental group that seeks to study supernatural creatures in hopes of using that knowledge to enhance the military.”
His face dark, Dresden continued. “Their methods are… unpleasant, at best. As for your pack member, I doubt he was the target. I suspect Storm sent someone in to observe you and the two inadvertently crossed paths.”
“How do you know so much about them?” Roland asked.
Dresden met Roland’s gaze unflinchingly, “I spent some time with Storm.”
Roland didn’t press; Sam got the distinct impression that Dresden hadn’t been a willing guest.
“They’re coming for Sam,” Nafarius said.
“It looks like it,” Jonas agreed.
Nafarius turned to Sam. “You can’t stay here.”
Sam sighed; she’d known this was coming but that didn’t make it any easier. “We’ll talk later, right now we need to get the Council members settled and tend to the pack.”
She was right; as much as he wanted to pack her up and send her out of harms way, he knew there were things to be done and she was needed here. “Fine, but we’re talking about this tonight.”
The next several hours were spent getting the Council members settled. Understandably, they were disinclined to stay within the pack’s den, nor were they welcome. However, Nafarius did order their camp moved closer to the clearing.
“Are you sure you want them that close?” Roland asked.
“I want them where I can watch them,” Nafarius answered before turning to go.
A short time later, Jonas sought Nafarius out for a private word. “What can I do for you?” Nafarius asked.
“I understand that you have your pack to care for and tomorrow will be a hard day for everyone.” Michael’s funeral was to be held the next morning. “However, I would like to speak with a couple of your pack members.”
“Anyone in particular?” Nafarius asked.
“Roland’s mate Natasha and the woman Gertrude,” Jonas said.
Nafarius resisted the urge to curse; those were the two women that had been on the receiving end of Sam’s ability to control another’s animal. He wasn’t surprised but had hoped that the Council remained unaware of the details regarding Sam’s use of her ability. He didn’t worry about Natasha, she was loyal to Sam, but Gertrude could be a problem. Unfortunately, any effort on his part to interfere would only hurt Sam’s case before the Council. “What does the Council intend?”
Jonas tried to reassure the pack leader. “We mean you and your mate no harm; but you can understand why the Council would be… curious… about her abilities. At this point, we simply want to talk to those involved and get all of the information. After that, we’ll see.”
“And Dresden?” Nafarius hadn’t forgotten the Hunter.
“It is as Lillian said; he’s here for our protection. There are not many lycans that would venture into the territory of a pack of werewolves.”
Nafarius nodded in understanding. “Alright, I’ll make sure that both women are available tomorrow.”
“Thank you,” Jonas said.
Nafarius watched as the Elder slipped into the woods; for such a large man he managed to pass through the dense forest quietly. After checking with Roland and ensuring that the patrols were in place, Nafarius went to find his mate. He had a few choice words for her.
The next morning Dresden slipped out of camp and into the surrounding forest while Jonas and Lillian went to see Nafarius. Turning away from the pack’s den, he went in search of an area free from the scent of wolves.
At about the same time, Judaea, ‘Jude’ to those that wanted to live, slipped away from the den. She told herself that she wasn’t looking for anyone in particular; her only reason for being out here was to get away from the tension hovering over the pack.
Carefully, she circled around until she picked up the trail leading to the Council’s camp. Even from a distance she could see that it was empty. Another quick loop around and she was able to pick up Dresden’s scent. Seeing that it led away from the pack’s den, Jude hesitated briefly before following the trail.
A few minutes later and Jude stopped. Scenting the wind, she noted that she wasn’t the only wolf in the area; nor was she the only one following Dresden’s trail.
Dresden stared down at the two wolves circling like sharks. One had already changed and paced the small clearing with his nose pressed to the ground. The other remained in human form occasionally calling, “Here kitty, kitty.”
Dresden snorted but remained hidden. Obviously, these wolves weren’t too bright, it never occurring to them to look up. If they had, they may have seen Dresden perched in one of the large tree branches high up in the air. Not a native to this area, his black coat nevertheless blended nicely with the dark green of the evergreen trees. It would take someone with a keen eye to spot him, and an idea of where to look.
“I’m telling you, he didn’t go this way.” The young man was talking to his friend. “Either that or he’s too scared to come out.”
Dresden decided it was time to show these dogs that this cat had claws. With a loud roar, Dresden dropped from the tree and landed in between the two werewolves.
Jude heard Dresden’s roar and took off running towards where the sound had come from. By no means an expert, she knew enough about panthers to know that a roar like that didn’t bode well for anyone near by.
Dresden met the wolf nearly nose to nose. He wasn’t worried about the young man behind him. Still in human form, it would take him time to change and until then he posed no threat. The werewolf, on the other hand, was nearly his equal in size and had a powerful set of jaws. The two circled each other, the wolf with his tail low but not tucked while Dresden’s own tail twitched in the air. Truthfully, he wasn’t worried and only thought to teach these two young pups a lesson.
Jude nearly ran right into Brian as she broke through the trees. Shoving him out of the way, she turned her attention to where Will and Dresden stood circling each other. “Will, you idiot! Don’t you know that he could crack your skull with his paw?”
Careful not to get between them, Jude circled around until she was close enough to grab Will by the scruff of the neck. Pulling him back, she tossed him like a frustrated mother with a pup. “I suggest both of you get back to the den before he gives you a set of stripes to remember him by.”
Satisfied that both boys would keep their mouths shut for fear of getting into trouble, Jude watched as they slipped back into the forest. This time, Will’s tail was tucked firmly between his legs.
Turning, Jude nearly jumped out of her skin at finding herself face to face with a very large, very agitated black panther. Hoping he couldn’t hear her heart pounding, she said, “I’m sorry about them; they’re both young and full of courage. Unfortunately, their brains haven’t yet caught up with their brawn.”
Dresden considered the young woman standing in front of him. Long, brown hair and light hazel eyes seemed unimpressive until you put them together with the sensual curve of her lips and high cheekbones. Unlike most of the other pack women he’d seen, she didn’t wear a sundress. Instead, she seemed to favor low riding jeans and a t-shirt. Ironically, the thing that gave him pause was the sight of her bare feet with bright, red nail polish.