7. Chapter Six

Chapter Six

Rome sat in his office in the city. He was in a high-rise building with an office five floors from the top of the building. He could have taken the top floor, but it was a little too pretentious for him and too much name recognition came from being on the top floor of the building. Hailstorm Enterprises occupied the top floor. They should have just announced to the world what they were. As long as everyone was whispering about the brothers, no one was paying any attention to Hunter Enterprises. That was the way he liked it.

He ran his business from his pack office and sometimes from a small office in Huntsville. When he needed to meet with the board or clients that he would never allow around his pack or the town that he protected, he met them in his office in the city.

There was a knock on his door. He was looking out the window, watching the two rivers as they met at the point, making a third river. It made him think of children. Two parents coming together to form a third. There had been three new births in the pack over the past six months. It had left him feeling more alone. What if Luna gave him a mate? The goddess of the Dark Night cursed them to have omega children. Did that bother him? No, he could see a beautiful daughter that looked like his mate. His arms ached to hold a child, to hold his mate and never let her go. He would kill anyone who got too close to his mate or his child.

The knock came again, pulling him out of his thoughts. “Come in.”

His assistant stood there. Anastasia was a tall African American woman who wore her hair in different colored braids. He loved how beautiful they were on her and the fact that she held herself like royalty. She could be, for all he knew.

With what he paid his employees, someone of the royal line would willingly work for him.

Anastasia laughed. “I’m still not going to answer your question on the line I descended from.” She always seemed to know what he was thinking. It made her a brilliant assistant. “The board has convened and is waiting for you.”

He laughed. That’s one reason he hired her. Not only did she know what she was doing and could run his office with her eyes closed when he wasn’t here, she was one of the few women willing to say you might be ancient, but I don’t care and for the record, no.

“Let them know I’m coming. It won’t hurt them to wait.”

“Got it.” She’d be more diplomatic when she relayed his words to them. She was worth her weight in gold.

His eyes drifted back to the rivers. There was an ache in his heart and a drumbeat in his soul that said it was time to go home. He’d settle his business with the board quickly. Home was calling. He knew from the long years he’d lived to never ignore that call.

“I’d like a room for a week,” Amelia told the clerk at the desk. She waited while he looked her over, as if judging her ability to pay.

Her server directed her to a nice bed-and-breakfast, but she also discovered there was a motel on the outskirts of town. The bed-and-breakfast was beautiful, but it was going to be a little too personal. She wanted anonymity, not to be in the middle of the hurricane with the townspeople watching her. This would be perfect.

“Will you be here longer than a week?” the clerk asked. He probably had a little group he gossiped with.

“I don’t know. I like the town so far. I might find an apartment or a house. That’s a future me decision. I can pay for the week in advance if you need it.”

“No, I’m just excited to see fresh blood around here. I’m giving you a room on the first floor because it’s one of the best.” He handed her the keys with 111 on them.

Triple ones, she liked it. “Thanks.” She gave him a smile and a wave before going to find her room. The room had a queen-sized bed. The floor was covered in an old green rug with what looked like orange flecks. She stared at it before shaking her head. That didn’t suggest a long-term stay. The bed was covered with a green comforter that looked like it had been bought within the last five years. There was a television, a coffee pot, a mini fridge, and a small table with two small chairs. Considering the room’s size, they did great with getting everything into it. She went to find the bathroom and found a closet first, then the bathroom. It wasn’t anything to write home about, but it wasn’t the disaster she was preparing herself for.

She took a shower, washing the road grime off and then fell onto the bed. Her sleep was far from dreamless. She tossed and turned until she ended up in the forest where she’d talk to the old woman. The moonlight was shining on her as she wandered through the old forest. The trees fascinated her. They were tall and felt ancient. She could feel the years they’d been living weighing down on her.

“If you know what you’re looking for, these trees can tell a story. It’s too bad that most humans alive are too busy to sit in the forest and listen. One thing I always loved about The People is they listened to the land. They heard it when Mother Earth said something was sacred and then they honored the earth, water, trees, and especially the moon. Although they never left out the sun or the dark night.”

The woman who was talking seemed young. Maybe she was Amelia’s age. Amelia quickly changed her mind. She was timeless, there was youth, but there was also knowledge older than she could understand.

“You’re very astute for your young age and the sheltered life you’ve lived.” The woman gave her a smile, softening the blow of her words.

“You speak as though you know me.” The woman led her back to the same bench they sat on the first time they met in the forest.

“I watched your birth. I’d say your conception, but some things should remain private.”

“That’s creepy, no matter how you put it.”

“I suppose it would be to one as young as you, sit.” She sat and Amelia sat with her.

It was strange to her that she accepted the woman in this dream and didn’t think it strange even when she woke.

“Who are you?”

“Call me Luna.” She smiled, and the moonlight bathed her in its glow.

“The moon seems to love you.”

“We are one. That’s not why we are here. You’re almost where you need to be.”

Those words seemed to agree with the restlessness that lived with Amelia. She was almost there, but not quite where she needed to be.

“Right here is where you meet your future, but remember, humans spun fairy tales for children. Anything worth achieving is worth fighting for. When you’re ready, you’ll know what to do.”

Amelia sat straight up, her eyes wide as she looked around the room. Her heart pounded as if she’d been running. It was just a dream, but it seemed so real. The oncoming darkness in the room told her the sun was descending over the horizon. She took the meal she placed in the mini fridge out and found there was a hidden microwave. The fries were long gone, but she heated the steak to eat with the coleslaw. She needed to move. Her body felt tense and the hair on the back of her neck was lifting. She grabbed her tennis shoes and then stopped. Her boots were calling to her.

She got into her car and drove until a wide section of the forest called her name. She parked, knowing she had to run. There was freedom in letting her mind race while her body exerted itself. She jumped over possible trip hazards and felt free. Even when she was at home, she could never run like this. She was always on the lookout for other wolves who may trap her. Her death was always part of her thoughts. Now she was free. She laughed and then yelled, hearing her voice echoing through the trees. Her limbs were tired, and she wanted to sleep. She stumbled over the bench she sat on with Luna. Her heart rate picked up as she realized it was real. Her dream was real, and Luna was real, too. She wasn’t sure about the Luna part, but she made her way to the bench and lay down. The forest was quiet, and she was alone. A small nap would be nice.

Home. Rome walked down the steps of his private jet, because why not. His pack had a private airstrip close to their land, but far enough away that he could allow others to use it. Today, his jet was the only plane on the strip.

“I thought you were turning the pack over to me with how long you’ve been gone.” Saul had a serious look on his face, trying to hide the teasing smile behind it.

“As if you would know what to do with the pack,” he gave as good as he got. There was a smile on his face, but he was antsy. Something was different. He could scent it in the air.

He started stripping. Over the years, the goddess Luna had given them magic that normal wolves didn’t have. The ability to shift without changing and then shift back clothed was one of them. According to her, if they were going to be immortal and represent her, then she couldn’t have them showing up in places naked.

There was something primal about taking off his clothes to shift. It was what he did when he ran with his pack. He never showed them the extra magic the goddess Luna had imbued him and the others with unless it came to saving their lives.

“I’m going to run back. The forest is calling me.” The tree line was about a hundred yards away, and he wasn’t worried about being seen. No one was around except the people who worked in the tower. They were all wolves.

“Who’s going with him, you or me?” Saul asked Theron.

“Immortal. I can’t be killed.” The exasperation in Rome’s voice was ignored as Saul and Theron looked at each other, speaking silently. “Assholes.” They were speaking on their private line and not the pack lines.

“I’m going with you,” Theron said. “Saul is going to assure the pack that you are safe and needed to stretch your legs.”

If asked, that was the decision he would have made. His brothers had been with him long enough that if anything happened to him, he was confident any of them could lead. It was a testament to who they were that they never wanted to lead. They would mumble about leaving the headache to him.

Theron went from shifter human to a wolf without removing his clothes.

“Show-off,” Rome mumbled before transforming into his wolf. All of their wolves were jet black. They disappeared into the night, even when the moon was at its brightest. Their wolves were double the size of a regular wolf, that made them massive. Rome’s wolf was the biggest. He always thought that was because he was the leader and Luna wanted it acknowledged, even when they were wolves.

He howled, and Theron joined him. Saul gave a human howl before he sped away. Their howls were filled with longing and mournful for something they never believed would be theirs. Rome set the pace. They were almost flying across the land with how fast they ran. He never tried, but he believed they could catch a car going 100 mph. They were that fast. When he entered the protective wards of the forest, he stumbled, crashing to the ground. A scent washed over him that took him to his knees.