Chapter 16

The barren stretch of blackened ruins gives way to deep green pine trees, and I inhale deeply, flooding my lungs with oxygen. The nervous energy consuming me falters slightly, and I inhale again, closing my eyes and leaning into Lesath.

"We didn't find the plant." My eyes snap open at the realization.

"It's right here," Lesath tips his head, and I follow the motion. His fingers grip my waist, his thumb making broad strokes over my side. Normally, I would tell him to stop. Normally, I wouldn't be hanging on for dear life after watching a massive snake take out a nightmare creature. Hell, I'm not too proud to admit his touch is soothing. Calming.

"Oh, that's a relief." I risk a glance up, and his dark eyes have returned to normal, the black that filled them gone, leaving only Lesath. One eyebrow arches slightly as I continue my perusal, a silent challenge, like he's wondering when I'm going to go full porcupine again.

Turns out, it takes a lot of energy to stay angry, and I'm fresh out.

"Thank you," I say instead, and an unnamed emotion flickers across his face.

"I will always fight for you, Ali."

I take a moment to digest that, undone by his fingers on my body, his chest against my side, the spicy scent of him competing with the smell of pine and forest.

"Lesath." Kaus' voice rings out across the clearing.

I perk up, looking for Gisele. Kaus runs across the grasses, tail streaming behind him. His chest and ab muscles ripple as he moves, leading Gisele's horse behind him.

Gisele's riderless horse.

"Fuck," I breathe.

"Where is she?" Lesath's body tenses behind me.

"The woman is gone." Kaus trots in a circle around us. "Your gray is at the edge of the woods, as was her horse. But she's not there."

It's then I notice he's holding his bow, an arrow already nocked.

"There were prints all around the horse."

"Blood drinker? How many?" Lesath's questions are rapid fire. He's gearing up for another fight, not wasting a second before forming a strategy to rescue poor Gisele. His heart beats faster, thrumming against where our bodies meet.

"I hate this," I murmur. "I hate being helpless."

"You're not helpless," he says absentmindedly, his thumb continuing that slow, careful stroke.

Kaus hasn't responded, aiming his bow into the thick line of pine trees. Lesath's gray charger squeals, then bursts from the tree line, heading toward us. A braying howl goes up, raising the hair on the back of my neck.

"Not footprints. Not blood drinkers," Kaus' gaze whips to Lesath. "Paws. Massive prints. It's the wolves. House Lupus is here."

"But if they're a House, doesn't that mean they're friendly? Shouldn't they be friendly?"

Lesath's fingers tighten around me. Molmith snorts, and the first of the wolves breaks from the forest. My jaw drops. Huge. They're nothing like wolves I've seen on Animal Planet in at zero dark thirty when I couldn't sleep.

No. These things are massive, their fur covered shoulders nearly even with the Westshear charger racing towards us.

I count four. A huge white beast breaks last from the dark copse of trees, bringing the number to five. Gisele appears, and I hold my breath. Stumbling from the shadows, her dark hair falls loose around her face. Her movements are jerky and puppet-like.

"What's wrong with her?"

"She feels the need to shift. She can't."

"What?" The wolves are gaining ground, and the gray horse zooms past us in a burst of speed, wind buffeting my face in his wake.

"We assumed she was of House Lupus, and it's safe to say we assumed correctly," Lesath says.

"They have no right to take her." Kaus' eyes flash, anger at the surface.

My eyes widen as I remember our earlier conversation. Was that really this morning? It feels like a lifetime ago. "She said she dreamed of Vraya. For years. Of this place, specifically."

"The call of the pack," Lesath muses, his gaze stuttering over me before returning to the wolves. "Kaus, do not engage. Wait."

Gisele continues to bumble slowly across the grassy meadow, her gait strange and uneven. My throat tightens. It's freaky. From the strangled noise she's making, it seems like it hurts, too.

Molmith shies as the huge white wolf overtakes the pack, putting on a burst of speed that has me widening my eyes in disbelief. As they draw near, I realize they're not regular wolves. Nope. Spikes edge the length of their spine, shimmering in the setting sun. That… that is not something I'd want to cuddle up to.

Air blurs around the white wolf. My ears pop and I blink rapidly, shielding my eyes on instinct. When I finally open my eyes, a naked man stands where the wolf was.

It's really too much. I've accidentally seen a lot of dicks in the last month of my life. I mean, it's not as gross as being an unwilling recipient of a dick pic, but yeah. Lesath shifts behind me, and I guiltily tear my eyes from the white wolf's package.

"Scorpio. Sagittarius." The man nods at Lesath and Kaus, his gaze swinging to me. "The rumors are true, then. The Starbound women return. Was it you that called us?"

I wait for Lesath to answer, but no one says anything. Oh. Oh, shit. The wolf man is staring at me.

"Uh, no?"

He cracks a smile, and it transforms his whole face. "Does she not know what she is, then?"

"I wasn't sure myself until a moment ago." Lesath presses me closer, swinging me slightly so my back is fully against him, my legs back on either side of the saddle so I can more easily see the wolves, and Gisele slowly walking back to us.

"You brought one of ours. We have not seen a Lupus female in…" he shakes his shaggy head, and I get the impression he's not sure how long it's been either.

"She's not yours to take." The words burst out of me. "She's her own person."

The man's lips pull back in a snarl, something the wolves behind him all do too. Lesath's arm wraps more firmly around my waist.

"You do not command us, no matter the power of your call." He finally says. One of the wolves tilts its head back and howls. "She is ours. She is House Lupus. She stays."

"Gisele decides," Lesath answers, unruffled by their display.

As for me, I'm just hoping not to pee my pants. It's a lot of teeth and spikes and claws.

"Even her name decides she stays." He waves a hand, and another wolf snarls. "What is Gisele but Gliese in another form—one of our oldest hereditary names? Named for the brightest star in the constellation we derive our power from. She is of House Lupus." His tone brooks no argument, matter of fact and confident.

Lesath stares down at him stonily. "She is from a different world. They all are. She crossed the gates a few days ago at the most. We rescued your House Lupus female from the Butcher King's minions only yesterday. Where was House Lupus then?"

The wolves pace forward, growling and snapping.

"Lesath," I murmur, my eyes widening.

"We have not been…" The leader shakes his head again, like he's trying to clear it.

Lesath sighs, some of the tension bleeding out of him. Molmith shifts slightly, prancing to the left.

"The blood drinkers cursed this land after Inasgow. I know all too well of what you speak."

"Or of what you bark, perhaps," Kaus adds unhelpfully. His bow is still drawn, arrow at the ready.

"What do you mean, I called you?" I finally ask, my gaze darting around at the wolves, the man in front, at poor Gisele and at Kaus, ready to shed blood.

"Exactly what I said," the leader says, giving me a bemused look. "You called for aid."

"Ah. Okay. Sure."

"I'll explain later, my Ali," Lesath whispers against my ear, and I shiver for an entirely different reason than fear.

Gisele's nearly caught up to the wolves, her chest heaving as she pants, her eyes huge in her face.

"What's wrong with me?" Her voice has a scratchy whine to it, a tone I've never heard from her.

The white wolf-man turns toward us, rage rippling across his features. "See? She needs to be with her kind. The change will force its way through, and what will you do to save her? She needs training only the pack can give her. Protection only we can provide."

Gisele moans low, rolling her head on her shoulders, and it's the freakiest sound I've heard in a while. And considering all the freaky noises I've had to put up with since finding myself here in Vraya, that's really saying something.

Guilt rushes through me. They're saying I did this to her. My back stiffens, a chill breeze brushing against my face. I have to make this right.

"Gisele," I manage, because all these men are just standing around with their dicks out. Okay, just one has his dick out, but still. "This guy is saying he wants you to go with them. That you're part of their pack and that they can help you. Do you want to stay with them? We won't leave you here unless you want to stay."

I bite my lip because it seems woefully inadequate. Hey Gisele, these wolves wanna hang with you, sound good? K, bye!

"They're mine, Ali, I can feel them. I remember this." Her body shudders so quickly it blurs.

"Ew," I say, because yeah. That was like something from a horror movie.

"I have to stay."

"We'll help you, Gliese. Breathe." The white wolf watches her, worry clear on his face.

"It's Gisele, numb nuts," she mutters, and relief loosens my shoulders. She's okay.

"You don't have to stay, Gisele. You can come with me," Kaus says, and the longing is clear in his voice.

"It was never going to work between us, pony boy. No." She shakes again, and I flinch. "This is my place. Get the plant you need and go." Her body quivers all over, too fast for my brain to comprehend. "I feel weird."

"She shouldn't be able to shift until she's mated." Kaus' tail flicks back and forth, and it's clear that Gisele's making him nervous.

"That's why this is dangerous, you fool," the wolf tells him. "The scorpion's woman called the wild from her." He gestures at me, and my heart aches. He's convinced I did this to her. "We must take care of her now. And to think the Alpha is off in Westshear, helping that bull regain his mate, when he could be here, helping the woman through her first shift." He mutters the last part to himself, so low I almost don't catch it.

"Wait, wait!" My hand scrabbles over the saddle, but Lesath's firm grip keeps me from dropping to the ground and shaking answers from the man. Wolf. Whatever.

He turns back toward me, impatience glittering in his eyes.

"What do you mean, helping the bull regain his mate?" My words trip over themselves in their rush to leave my mouth. I wriggle, trying to worm free of Lesath's iron grip. "You mean Hyadum? House Taurus? His mate is my sister, Mina. Please tell me," I suck in a huge gasping breath, "what happened to Mina?" I didn't think I had any terror left.

I was wrong.