23. Cannon

I’d senta team out with the backpacks during the night, scouts I knew and trusted to move without being seen. We’d approach the Anterrio Pack as our wolves. Some of us would fight on two legs, some on four. The packs were for those of us who would choose to fight in our human form.

They had supplies of clothing, weapons, provisions, and medical kits. The blankets that Kezia and I had folded were in there too.

Standing at my kitchen counter, I heard the faint footsteps as she approached from the stairs. It was the dead of night; she should have been sleeping. Instead, she looked surprised to see me standing in my kitchen.

“Cassandra. Can I help you?” It amazed me how she was friends with Kezia. Kezia, who was so fearless, so ready to tackle anything, and this young wolf was just…none of those things. They said she was just as mischievous as Kezia, and I just couldn’t see it. She jumped at her own shadow, whereas my mate would have already been challenging it to a fight.

“I just wanted some water, Alpha.” She spoke with her eyes down, and it was that which pissed me off more.

“You can call me Cannon,” I reminded her sharply. “After all, we’re practically family.”

Cass looked up in surprise and quickly looked away again, her lips twisted into a semblance of a smile, but there was no humor in it. “Of course, one would be an alpha, and the other mated to an alpha.”

Resting my butt against the counter, I crossed my arms over my chest as I watched her. “You sound as if you don’t approve.”

Cass took a few steps closer, still indecisive, but it seemed the darkness of the kitchen gave her courage. “I love my mate with everything I am,” she told me huskily. “I’ve always been drawn to Kris. Dad knew it and hated it.” She snorted lightly as she looked past me once more. “Now that I hear all these horrible stories about who my dad is, I guess I know why.”

“Stories?”

Cass let out a shaky breath. “Stories. Facts? I don’t know what to believe anymore.”

Reaching over to take a tumbler out of the cupboard, I placed it on the counter. “Get your water, Cass, and go back to bed.”

Surprisingly, she didn’t move, her timid stare became bolder. “Why Kezia?”

“Why Kris?”

Rubbing her lower belly, she shrugged. “The Goddess likes to fuck with us all. Right?” She saw me watching her hand, and she dropped it immediately to her side. “I can’t help it.”

I heard the tears in her voice, and if she was one of my pack, I would have offered her comfort. But she wasn’t, and as much as I respected Kris, I didn’t trust his mate one bit.

“You regret this?” I indicated her abdomen, and she shook her head so quickly that my worries about her intent eased slightly.

“No.” With a shaky laugh, she once more placed a hand over her stomach. “This is perfect.” I saw the tears trickle down her face.

“But?”

“But my father is a psycho, and no one knows if they can trust my twin.” She sniffled loudly. “And my mom is dead. He let my mom die.”

I wasn’t sure she meant Bale or her twin and chose not to ask. “You’ve had a lot to deal with, it’s true.”

Cass sent me an exasperated look, and I fought the smile. There was the attitude they told me she had. “And Kez has been beaten, and my dad was going to have sex with her?—”

“Rape.” I met her watery stare with a hard one of my own. “Have sex implies she had a choice.”

With the heel of her hands, Cass wiped away her tears. “What if…” She swallowed hard, shaking her head as if to clear her thoughts. “Never mind.” Walking quickly forward, she grabbed the tumbler and ran the faucet, filling it up. Taking greedy gulps, she dipped her head as she passed me. “Sorry for intruding, Alpha.”

I watched her walk away from me, and I could almost feel Kezia’s stare boring into me, even though I knew my mate lay spent in our bed, demanding me to reach out to her best friend. Fuck, Kezia, I grumbled, blaming her when she was, for once, blameless.

“What if your child is like your father?” I should have worded it better, but subtlety wasn’t my strongest trait. “Is that what you were going to say?”

Cass stopped, looking at me over her shoulder, and she looked so much like her twin I had the irrational urge to punch her.

“Yes.” She turned back to me, glancing at the stairs to ensure we were alone before she spoke again. “Or my brother. What do I do?”

“You doubt your brother’s part in this?” I knew I sure as hell did. No one was that good an actor.

Cass rubbed her nose, reminding me very much of the big red-eyed rabbit taking up half of my study. Another guest in my home I would rather not be here.

“Landon is complicated.”

“Is he?” I scoffed.

Cass glowered at me, and I had zero fucks to give if I upset her. “He wants my father’s approval above all,” she told me quietly. “Kez…she has never been his.” Cass sipped her water. “I mean, you know that, what I mean is that he was never interested in her like that at all.” Cass took a few steps back towards me, her voice lowering. “You have to understand, our dad, he wasn’t this person he is now. He never even hinted at being this…horror.”

Horror. An apt description.

“I hate to break it to you, it seems he was.”

Cold, Cannon. So cold.

Cass was nodding, staring at the floor. “Yup, seems so.” Tiredly, she lifted her head and met my guarded look. “Tell me, Alpha, what the fuck do I do now?”

“You tell your mate your fears, your concerns, your hopes. You figure your shit out.” I shrugged. “Be better parents, learn from the mistakes.”

“Mistakes?”

“I’m going to be honest with you, Cassandra, okay?”

“Are you ever anything but honest?”

Her dry tone almost made me smile. Almost. “You and your brother are spoiled little shits that got away with far too much because you were raised in a pack ruled by a tyrant and a bully.” Her eyes widened and her skin turned whiter than Kezia’s hair. “Your brother is a prick. He’s been a prick long before we knew your father was a murdering asshole. Every pack knows that Landon of the Anterrio Pack gets away with far too much because he is Pack Leader Bale’s son. He’s fucked his way through many a pack and not given a shit about his actions or the consequences. He’s a dick and an entitled little shit that needs a good beating.” I didn’t stop even though I saw her flinch at my harsh words. “Why do you think your mate dislikes him? It has nothing to do with his supposed interest in Kezia. It’s because he knew that Kezia would be nothing more to Landon than a notch on the bedpost.”

“He’s not that bad.”

“He isn’t that bad, he’s worse.” My hands gripped the counter behind me as I spoke to her. “It’s hard to hear home truths. Your father is a terrible pack leader. He extorts his pack for his own gain. Your people, who get nothing from him, have to pay him to live. The bakery and the stores in your town have to pay Bale a portion of their income. He leaves your pack almost penniless because they have nowhere else to go and no provision to do so. He makes me sick.” Cass looked away as I continued. “There isn’t a pack in these mountains or beyond that wants to join your pack. It’s rotten and corrupted, and the pack that stay there and accept that rule are no better.”

“Are you finished?”

“No.” Pushing off the counter, I stepped closer to her. “And then there’s you. The little princess who does absolutely nothing. You don’t help with pack chores. You don’t contribute. In a pack where technology is forbidden, you walk around with a cell phone and tablet, flaunting your superiority like it’s a medal of honor. Only you have none. You do nothing and get everything. You are spoiled, entitled, self-centered, and selfish. You want to know how to ensure your child doesn’t turn out like you or your brother, do better. Be better.”

“I…”

“You know it’s true. There are perks in being an alpha,” I told her. “The decent alphas don’t exploit them. They don’t take from their pack for their gain. Everything I am is for my pack. I serve my pack, they don’t serve me. They never will. A pack is strong because of its loyalty to one another. Not one ruled by fear.” Looking down at her, I shook my head. “You have a lot of growing up to do, little girl, a child to raise and protect. Be grateful the Goddess gifted you a mate as true and fair as Kris. She’s given you a second chance. Use it.”

Cass was sobbing quietly, and when I stepped back, she turned on her heel and ran to the stairs.

“And, Cassandra?” I called after her. “Tell your mate you’re carrying his child. Stop being selfish and grow up. In a very short time, you’ll be responsible for someone else.”

She didn’t answer me, and I heard the bedroom door close. Pissed off even more, I left the house before I had to punch Kris when he came charging down the stairs to avenge his mate. I’d take that punch and then ask him if anything I’d said to her had been untrue.

I walked the deserted streets of my town under the watchful gaze of the moon. Nikan had said I wasn’t to be alone since the attack, but what kind of alpha was I if I couldn’t even walk my town alone?

I felt a rumble of discontent through the mate bond and rolled my eyes. The sniveling little fool hadn’t gone to Kris, she’d gone to Kezia. That was a fight I didn’t need. Kezia was blindly protective of Cass, and I really had no idea why. Was it purely a loyalty that arose because the twins were the only two who had befriended her in that useless pack? Surely not.

You’ve never been lonely. You don’t know what it’s like.

Glancing at the moon, I almost flipped off Luna despite the thoughts being mine. Shoving my hands in the pockets of my jeans, I walked every street, enjoying the serenity of my home. Some houses were in darkness, while some still had lights on as pack members made their final preparations or relished the nights of peace.

I should have been surprised when I stopped outside the house, but I didn’t question it when Barbara opened the door and stood back to let me in.

“Can I make you a drink? Tea, Alpha?”

“No, thank you.” I took the seat she offered and watched as she poured herself a glass of milk. “I don’t know why I’m here.”

“Restless feet mean restless hearts.”

I waited but when she said nothing more, I frowned. “My heart isn’t restless.” How could it be? I had Kezia. She was everything I ever wanted. Which still made me marvel at the will of the Goddess.

“Restless mind then?”

I huffed out a non-answer, and the older shifter smiled as she sipped her milk. “Want to talk about it?”

Did I? Why would I be here? Why this female? “Why am I here?”

Barbara hesitated. “I thought we just established we never knew that.”

“I mean, why would I come to you?” I studied her. She was so utterly unassuming. I’d spoken to her twice before that afternoon Kezia found her.

Barbara widened her eyes as she shrugged. “You can leave?”

I barked out a laugh when she grinned at me impishly. “Yeah, I could.” Instead, I leaned back on her sofa. “My feet took me here, Barbara. I don’t know why, but I feel that I need to be here. Why is that?”

“The moon’s almost full,” she answered. “Luna may be weighing on your mind.”

“Luna is always on my mind,” I told her glibly. She put her glass of milk on the table, and I chewed my inner cheek as I watched the milk that coated the glass run back down. “Barbara…”

She was already on her feet. “Milk and some cookies?”

Milk and cookies. I wasn’t a pup, but damn if that didn’t sound delicious. “Please.”

I watched her fill her glass, pour me one, and place a plate of cookies beside me. They smelled fresh and delicious. “We need to keep Kezia away from these,” I told her seriously as I took a bite. “She’ll want them every day.”

Barbara flushed happily. “Kezia can have what she wants whenever she wants it.”

I was already shaking my head in denial. “No, that’s the worst thing to say ever. She will exploit you mercilessly.”

“Your mate would exploit me?”

“When it comes to food, yes.”

Barbara’s laughter was light and free, and it made me smile. “I think I was too harsh on Cass.” When she looked at me in confusion, I clarified. “Kris’s mate.”

“Ah.” Barbara ran her hands over her pants. “Andrea’s son.”

“He hasn’t come to see you, has he?” I guessed, watching as she shook her head briefly. “He will.”

She didn’t look like she believed me, but simply took another drink. “You regret what you said to her?”

“No.”

“Then I don’t understand.”

“Me neither.” Dropping the half-eaten cookie onto the plate, I leaned back. “Were you waiting for me?”

“I didn’t know that I was,” she answered honestly. “I too was restless. I knew I didn’t want to sleep, and I knew I wasn’t going anywhere”—she gestured to her blouse and pants—“but I didn’t want to change clothes.”

“So you were restless waiting for me, and I was restless and came to you?” We both looked out the window. “It’s almost a full moon,” I murmured. When I looked back at her, I gave a wry smile. “Your pack wasn’t rogue, was it?”

Barbara didn’t smile, just watched me steadily. “Not always.”

“Your mate was a druid?” Cocking my head, I studied her. “Or you were?”

“I was.”

And I understood why I was here. “You sent Moonstar.” It made so much sense. “You knew Bale would never stop looking for Andrea, and you sent a guardian to watch over her.” Barbara sat straighter with her hands clasped on her lap primly. She looked like a schoolteacher. I couldn’t imagine her dancing under the moon, invoking the incantations of the Goddess.

“I sent a gift of protection.”

“She’s threatening Kezia’s very existence.”

Barbara nodded. “The spirit was never to enter the vessel, especially if the vessel was Kezia.”

“The vessel?” The milk sat sour in my belly. “You mean Andrea?”

“A protection spell, that’s all it was.” Barbara looked at me calmly. “When I met Kezia that day, I felt the other’s presence. So strong. I knew what she carried inside her.”

“How do I get it out?”

“You have a pack war to fight, Alpha. The spirit will not harm.”

“The spirit has harmed!” I exploded as I burst to my feet. “She takes over her body. She wants to keep her body, her wolf. She is no longer protecting her! She wants to eradicate her!”

Barbara looked up at me, still calm. “I can put a stop to that, for now.”

“For now? You mean not permanent?”

“I’ll need time. And the aid of a shaman.”

“A shaman, I can give you,” I muttered. “Although how that conversation is going to go beats me.” Druids and shamans served Luna, but both had very different approaches. Druids believed in the spirit world, reincarnation, and the Otherworld, and while they practiced the relationship with flora and fauna, they relied heavily on natural spirits and the sense of specific places. The shaman was the voice on earth for Luna. The spirit they sought was the Goddess herself, wielding the power of the Goddess through sacrifice and trance.

“We can work together if we have the same goal,” Barbara spoke reasonably.

“How will you get her out of my mate?”

“I will work on that with the shaman.”

So she wasn’t going to tell me. I knew not to push. I was ignorant of many things that concerned both practices, but I wasn’t so ignorant that I didn’t have respect for them. “Seems Luna had a plan for me after all, tonight.”

“I know why I was called here,” Barbara mused. “But I don’t think this is all you are here for.”

I was tired. Sleep suddenly weighed heavily on me. Looking at the milk and the cookies, I raised my head to meet her steady stare. “What did you do?”

“Trust me, Alpha, I do this for you both.”

I couldn’t keep my eyes open, and as I slumped forward, I remember being surprised at the strength of the female in front of me as she caught me, and then it all went dark.