5. ASANI

5

ASANI

I can't get my wolf under control as I race across the thin layer of hard snow. Each step crunches into the icy white floor as I head toward the sound. A growl sits at the edge of my throat, rumbling through my entire body, taking over my rational mind. Silas' call wasn't anything like I've ever heard. I've submitted to Ilsa's call before and I've felt the pull from Mateo's but not the absolute need to respond.

With Silas, it was immediate and involuntary. What my mates don't know is that I didn't feel the call to join Silas. No, that feeling was a need to rip him limb from limb. The howl from that wolf felt demonic, unreal. It feels like everything that's wrong with the pack lands and one of many reasons that the magic has stayed away from the wolves.

It felt like a fuck up of epic proportions on my part because the only reason that howl was so powerful was because of something I helped make.

I can't even imagine what kind of wolf Silas has become but it can't be anything other than a devil.

Do you feel the call, Asani?

That's not why I shifted. It's the serum.

Silas is Nepheline's. You can wound him but you can not kill him. We owe her that last strike.

I know as much and I would never rip that opportunity from my Omega's hands. I will, however, be having words with Silas. With my teeth. Hopefully, I can add to the scars that Nepheline put along his back when she caught him last.

Unfortunately, the clearing doesn't yield Mateo's brother. The stillness of the early morning air is anything but welcoming, the stench of death looming reaching my nose. I creep forward, looking for the culprit when my gaze falls on a lone wolf resting a few paces away. Moonlight reflects off its silver coat, the same wolf that Maverick mentioned, and is most likely Nepheline's Beta.

The uncertainty that surrounds this wolf makes me want to bar him from ever meeting our Omega but she would have our asses if anything happened to him. The smile she gave us when she mentioned him was more beautiful than I've ever seen. She may not know it but Nepheline is in love with that Beta in her memory. If this is the same wolf, I will do everything to protect him, regardless of the consequences. If he's a trap, we'll figure it out.

Each step closer brings a soft, sweet scent to my nose. The wolf is much smaller than I would have expected, nearly the size of Nepheline's but it's the large gashes across his stomach and his snout that draw my attention. Tattered clothes surround the wolf as if he shifted to protect himself, to keep from falling apart. Silas' work is all over this but why he would have attacked a Sapphire wolf and left it here for us to find is beyond me.

The idea that Silas might be trying to ruin every single pack he can get his hands on is a dark one so I don't dwell on it. I shift and fall to my knees beside the wolf, the Beta immediately groaning when my fingers sift into the fur by his ear. I expect pushback or a snarl but he leans into the touch, settling as he picks up my scent. I expect that he's picking up Nepheline's scent more than anything but it's the way his entire body relaxes that tells me he's not a threat.

Mateo shifts as well, both of us staring at the beginning of a war we're not sure how to win. "What is my brother getting at? More carnage and destruction? I can't see how attacking another pack would go well for him." His jaw is clenched, arms tightly wound across his bare chest. He's still partially shifted, his beast pressing against the edge of his consciousness. "I will deliver Silas to Nepheline myself at this point."

I just shake my head, continuing to pet the wolf on the earth floor. We need to transport him to the clinic I've set up in the main house to assess his wounds. Depending on how deep the gashes are, we might need him to shift to get him to a hospital. They know about wolves but I'm not sure they'd be able to treat one.

My plans are ruined when additional footsteps meet my ears. I set myself in front of the Beta wolf, baring my teeth at the intruders only to find Calista and Pierson, Remi's father, approaching. Their hands are clasped behind them as if they run the pack, their power fierce and unyielding. I stand to receive them, Mateo's arm pressed against mine. It's a testament that we stand together rather than I stand behind him.

"Shifting every time there is a problem is not the smartest thing, boys," Calista drawls as she steps closer. She's dressed in a full winter coat and boots as if she had been prepared for this moment. The point is to protect our pack lands and she waltzed out here like she had had all the time in the world, as if there was no threat at all. I don't trust her. Calista steps around me, placing a hand on my arm. "Did you feel the call? From the pack of the Forbidden? Is that why you rushed out here, to return to those who you belong to?"

My lips turn up in a scowl at her insinuation but Mateo shields me from his mother's traitorous words. "He's part of our pack, mother. That doesn't change regardless of your hatred for my father or any of the other multitude of people you've killed. No, we're not playing that game anymore where you pretend you're innocent of all this. Asani has pledged his loyalty to this pack, to me and you will respect that."

Pierson snorts. "I doubt that. Who shifted first? Whose idea was it to rush out here before deliberating with the council?"

I keep silent, refusing to say anything. With Mateo here, it's not my place to speak but it's obvious who shifted first. As far as I know, though, we didn't need to drag the council or the elders into this decision. The pack Alpha stands beside me as a testament of my choice but neither Pierson nor Calista will accept that.

I try to rein in my emotions as Calista bends down to inspect the wolf. She nudges it with her foot, a small smile playing on her lips. "No doubt a trap. We'll hold him in the room off where the council meets."

"He needs a doctor," I spit out, furious that Calista would refuse him medical attention just to drag answers out of the wolf

"And you rushed out here without any backup, dragging the pack Alpha with you for your own personal reasons." Calista holds a hand up. "I don't need to know what they are. All I know is that if left in your hands, this wolf might endanger our pack."

I bite my tongue before I say anything else, knowing that Calista has every right to transport the wolf for questioning. We've done worse with those we don't trust and I've watched Mateo rip apart someone trespassing on the pack lands. However, knowing who this Beta wolf is, I can't allow Calista to take him.

I also don't have the power to stop her.

Once Nepheline finds out, I won't have to do anything, though. Her determination is stronger than any of ours and I'd bet on our Omega for what she'll do to Calista if the Beta is harmed.

Pierson moves to the other side of the wolf, nodding to Calista when they hoist the Beta up into their arms. "He'll be held in the cell until after we meet in a few hours. I'll make sure that all of the council members and Elders are there. Make sure your guards attend."

Mateo chews on his bottom lip, watching his mother struggle to grip the Beta just right. "You will not disrespect the pack's Luna by barring her entrance to the council meeting. You may not like her or the Alphas she has chosen but she has a right to sit beside me." Anger wavers in his voice but he does well to temper it even if his eyes glow a deep red and then return to their natural brown. Mateo huffs out a disappointed sigh before halting his mother's exit. "You will also allow Asani to assess his wounds."

His mother snorts. "That little clinic is in your house. Where your Omega is. You really want me to step inside there?"

Just the thought of this woman anywhere near our Omega makes my wolf rage. I shoot Mateo a cursory glance before stepping toward the silver wolf and running my hand along the open gash in his side. Energy flows through me as I inspect his fur in the dim light, confused at how superficial the claw marks truly are. Without having the wolf shift, I won't truly know the extent of the damage but it seems that he'll be okay until we make it to the council meeting. "His breathing is shallow but being in this form is healing his wounds."

Calista's brows furrow as if she's disappointed by that revelation before they leave, carrying the wolf, sunlight starting to spread through the clearing. We don't have long before we have to attend that council meeting, Nepheline's first as the pack Luna. I can't see it going well. What I don't understand is why Mateo didn't step in, why he didn't overrule his mother. "Mateo-"

His shoulders fall as his gaze follows his mother and Pierson disappearing into the dim morning light. "If I put my foot down and brought that wolf back to the house, my mother and the council would twist my intentions until the entire pack believes I am following in my brother's footsteps. As much as I want to deliver him to our Omega, it would ruin everything. I pray that he can hold on for just a little while longer." His brows furrow as his hands fist at his side, the power of his wolf surrounding us. It feels like a blanket of adrenaline rushing through me as Mateo turns to meet my gaze. "He'll survive for that long, won't he?"

"The gashes weren't that deep."

"Then I hope my Omega can forgive me for letting my mother take the wolf."

Putting the pack above his Omega's desires can't be easy but Nepheline's position as a Luna would require her to do the same. Immediately claiming the unknown wolf left by the pack of the Forbidden would have had alarm bells ringing in the council's head. A council that I hope Mateo dismantles immediately. I understand the reasoning but that doesn't make it any easier to digest.

Still, I shift back and grab a few of the tattered fabrics, Mateo doing the same before we race back to the house. There's a different aura to Mateo's wolf this time around, something fiercer and more animalistic. Just like his eyes, his fur shifts under the growing light with a streak of red that matches Nepheline's. That will have to be a question for later as we reach the house and I shoot Mateo an apologetic gaze at the state of the door.

Nepheline stands in the open area, frowning at the both of us, her hands on her hips. She's only in River's shirt but that doesn't offset the confusion pouring from her scent. "Precious, what are you-" She ignores me, eyes falling to the tattered remnants of the Beta's clothing. I'm not entirely sure why I brought them back but her focus is firmly there.

All of us freeze, waiting for her to do something when she steps up to me and raises on her tiptoes to press her lips against mine. "Thank you," Nepheline whispers before slipping the clothes from my hand and disappearing into the living room. My brows furrow in confusion as I look to the three who've been here with her but they are just as confused as I am.

We move into the living room to see Nepheline stuffing the bloodied clothing into the edge of her makeshift nest. She's smiling as she does it, her gaze slightly unfocused. I've never seen our Omega truly lean into her instincts outside of her heat but she's absolutely gorgeous, resituating her nest and then growling in frustration when it doesn't sit the way she wants it.

"Sweetie, we can get you something else. Those clothes are dirty." River moves forward but Maverick stops him, the newest Alpha enjoying this moment. Remi jumps in to help, slowly sliding a pillow from Nepheline's hand before setting it to the right. Her eyes light up as he takes over, our Omega content to sit in the middle. She's holding one of my shirts to her nose and a piece of the Beta's tattered clothes as well.

She doesn't mind the smears of blood now coating her hands and shirt, just the added scent that the Beta brings. I can't blame her because it fits so well with us. We just have to find a way to pry the Beta from Calista's claws after the council meeting. I also decide that I won't be the one telling Nepheline who has her Beta. Mateo can suffer that. Or make it Maverick. She's very sweet on him.