26. Chapter Twenty-five

Chapter Twenty-five

Amelia broke away from her watch and went to the forest. She loved this place better than the one she grew up in. She shifted. What once was hard was now as easy as a thought. She went from woman to wolf with a swiftness that still took her breath away.

How many times had she dreamed of such a victory when faced with the hatred of her pack? If only her father and Nicole were there to see it. She could imagine the smiles and the silent tears as they congratulated her. Nicole may be slightly envious because it was the human blood in her that stopped her from shifting, but she’d still be happy for her.

The human blood… what was wrong with that thought? A flash in the corner of her one eye made her stop thinking about her cousin. That antsy feeling she got, the one that made her want to run, was crawling up her back. She let out a howl and started a chase. Whatever it was would be her mid-morning snack. She was imagining a nice plump rabbit.

Her legs stretched as her paws landed silently on the ground, not making enough noise to give her away. The rabbit seemed to gain speed, always staying one step ahead of her as they ran through the trees, making hard stops and swivels to keep from crashing. She ended up at the bench where the chase started. Instead of a fluffy rabbit, there sat something that looked like it crawled out of hell. It was the size of a rabbit, black with sharp teeth and red eyes.

It had to be the calling card from Black Night. She was the only one Amelia knew with a bad sense of humor. Maybe she should say the goddess was morbid.

“Where…” Amelia stopped as Dark Night walked through the trees. The illuminated darkness surrounding her made her look like a queen, with a dark crown and cloak.

“The goddess Black Night.” Amelia gave a bow, feeling the need to acknowledge who the female was.

Dark Night smiled and moved closer until she was standing in Amelia’s space.

“Turn around.” Black Night’s voice was harsh and commanding. A shiver of fear ran down Amelia’s back as she stayed rooted in one spot.

“No.” The minute she did what the goddess commanded her to do, the closer she came to falling under the goddess’s whims.

“What?” One beautiful black brow climbed. Dark Night wasn’t used to being denied. The sky crackled with thunder.

“I will not turn around for you like a porcelain doll on display.”

“Luna has taught you well.” Dark Night lifted a finger, and Amelia was turned against her will. “Be careful, Luna won’t always have the power she has today. The moon won’t last forever.”

Amelia turned her head to look at Black Night, but she was gone. She shifted into her wolf and ran home.

Rome was waiting for her at the edge of the forest, where they first caught sight of his small town.

“You slipped the guards who are there to protect you.” She thought about playing dumb in her wolf form, but she knew better than that. She shifted to face him.

“I did. The need for freedom and fresh air not polluted by the emotions of the pack drew me to the forest where I met Black Night. That wasn’t what I wanted or was looking for.” She rubbed her arms as goosebumps rose. It was a reminder of how she felt when Dark Night casually tried to force her will on Amelia.

“Did she hurt you?” Rome’s voice was rough as he wrapped his arms around his mate.

“She didn’t.” Amelia laid her head on his chest. She glared at her belly; her daughter was keeping her from the intense snuggle she could use right now.

“Stop glaring at our pup, you know you love them.” Them, because Rome wasn’t willing to rule out having a male pup, a son.

“You’re right. There’s so much going on, I wonder if now was the time to have a pup, who will be totally dependent on us.” The thought had been bothering her for months, but she kept pushing it down. Today it refused to be ignored. It wasn’t like she could go back in time and decide not to get pregnant, right? She shook her head, disgusted with herself.

“I’m not sure if there is ever a good time to get pregnant. Every pup birthed brings new challenges. It doesn’t matter who the parents are. The same is happening with our pup. What matters is we love them and will do our best to give them a perfect life.

She went to her toes and kissed him. He was right, they could spend forever waiting for the right time and never find it. Now was the time. Together they would face whatever problems came their way, that included Black Night, hunters, Brittany, and any unknown horrors.

“We have a pack meeting.” Rome nodded; he led her back to the forest to sit on the bench she was beginning to think of as theirs.

“I’ve been thinking and there are some decisions I plan to make, but I want your input. Immortality is nothing to be careless about. There are some members of our family that I don’t want to lose. I’d like to offer them my gift, if they are willing.”

“You can make others besides me immortal, like a vampire? You suck their blood and watch them die and wait for them to reborn from your dark kiss?” Amelia clamped a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing at the look of horror on Rome’s face.

“The only person I’m kissing is you. The kiss can be dark or light, but they all belong to you. Why would I want to suck anyone’s blood out of their bodies?”

“Sorry, too many vampire books as I was growing up. Don’t you think it would be great to meet a vampire?”

“Not after what you just described.” Laughter won; she couldn’t help it.

“You might have a point. Who did you have in mind?”

“Our son after he reaches his majority.” She threw her arms around him and planted a big kiss on his lips.

“Thank you, I didn’t want to think about losing him. Who else?”

“Sheela and Todd, Pierre, Janice and Mark, and Ariella once she reached her majority, depending on who she becomes.”

Amelia nodded, agreeing. Immortality wasn’t something that could or should be carelessly handed out. It needed to be given to the right person.

“I agree with your list, but I want to get to know each of them a little better before we approach them.”

“Let’s put that on the back burner for a year or two. When I make Malcolm my son, I will exchange blood with him. That will make him a child of my line, and he will have the same blood as I do. I will seal his immortality the day he reaches his majority.”

“We’re really doing this, creating a family.”

“We are, and I have you to thank. Amelia, you brought me out of a hole I didn’t know I was drowning in. I have lived for centuries with my brothers, never daring to bring another one into our world. I thought it was a curse, and I didn’t want those I loved to live with it. You’ve made me see it differently. The excitement you have to see our pup born and to watch them grow has given me the desire to see the same thing happen. I want to see them when they are several hundred years old. I want to watch their eyes light up as they see the way I love you after so many centuries have passed.”

Amelia moved closer. Rome picked her up and put her on his lap. They had their heads pressed together, hearts beating as one. It was priceless to have this time before they faced the pack.

“Whatever the future may bring, it will always be you and me against the world,” Rome whispered into her ear. She wiped at tears trying to flow before she stood.

“Shall we?” Rome nodded and they swiftly shifted into wolves.

This was the second time she’d been to this area where the wolves met. It looked more like a fighting pit than a meeting place. She knew that all pack challenges happened here. She was standing beside Rome and looking up in the stands surrounding the pit. The seats were made of clay that had been formed centuries ago and molded into the shape they were. Whatever technique that formed the seats was lost over time to mankind. She was betting that Rome and his brothers remembered the secret.

Rome let out a howl in his human form that sounded eerily accurate to his wolf howl. The pack settled down.

“I called you here for a reason.” His voice carried to the last row of seats without the need for a microphone. It has come to my attention that some of our pack have forgotten what they swore when they became a member. Does anyone remember the oath?”

Randy stood up. His shoulders were shaking before he squared them. “I remember the oath.”

“Randy.” Rome, speaking his name, meant that whatever he had done to be afraid of standing wasn’t to be held against him.

Randy blinked hard, not wanting the sheer relief, gratitude, or the love and adoration he felt for Rome to be seen as weakness.

“I swear,” Randy’s voice rang out. “That I, Randy, will always be loyal to the Hunter pack. The members shall be my family, and I will treat them as such. The alpha and his brothers will be my alpha and brothers. I will stand strong with my pack and fight when necessary for the survival of the pack. What happens on pack land stays on pack land. I will bring any problems I have to the Alpha and his brothers for conflict resolution. Finally, my heart and my soul will reside with the pack that I call home. I’m proud to be a member of this pack.” He sat down with the first smile on his face, sensing Malcolm stumbled upon their pack. He had renewed his vow, and his heart felt lighter.

“That is the oath each of you swore. If your allegiance has changed, or you wish to no longer be part of the pack, stand, I will release you of your oath.” Rome waited for three minutes for anyone to decide to leave. When no one stood, he went to the next piece of business.

“Malcolm, please come up.” Rome watched his pack shudder and retreat into themselves as the teenager came to stand by him. He wrapped his arms around Malcolm, welcoming him as family. “When my son came to our pack, several of you shunned him. Many of you may say it was at the word of Brittany. She is not and shall never be the alpha mate.”

Rome stood silently as what he said registered to his pack. His eyes went from person to person looking for the one who was the snake in the grass.

“Your son?” someone in the pack said.

“My son. My alpha mate and I have adopted him and made him ours. To ignore him or to shun him is a reflection on our family.” He reached out and took Amelia’s hand as they surrounded Malcolm.

Saul stood in front of them.

“Malcolm,” Saul said, his voice loud and clear. “The alpha and alpha mate, Rome and Amelia, have taken you into their heart and home. They consider you a son, their firstborn. Are you ready to become their son and the heir apparent?”

Before Malcolm could speak, three men stormed to the top of the pit screaming.