210 Caineb: /bYou’ve Chosen Well

    210 Caine: You’ve Chosen Well

    His throat works, and then he opens his mouth again. But…

    “Manifest,” I order Fenris, this time poking the toe of my shoe at Reggie’s temple. With the change in position, his mouth falls open.

    His eyes are finally clear, but when he opens his mouth, only a loud squawkes out.

    iYou’re /iiboth /iiidiots/ii. /i2

    His shoulders stiffen, but he remains in his position as sweat breaks out across his

    skin.

    One flick of my wrist sends a precisesh of dominance slicing through the air.

    Reggie clears his throat, his eyes fixed on the ground. “High Alpha, if I may be excused to begin my surveince of the Blue Mountain alpha?”

    ‘t hear it, The connection carries every ounce of our shared disgust. Grace and Roi. but Reggie feels the full impact; the weight of an alpha’s displeasure crashes down on

    him.

    iYes/ii. /i

    “Why would you intimidate those I have under my protection, Reginald?”

    Nopei. /iiYou’re /iabout to harass her about that pup again, and I’m not stupid enough ito /istand iin /ithe icrossfire/ii. /i

    His gaze is steady and resolute, and this time doesn’t slide behind me to re at someone he shouldn’t. Yes, iHigh /iAlpha.

    My mouth twitches with irritation, and the surge of power I send Reggie’s way might be a little more than necessary.

    I let the threat hang unfinished. Some promises are more effective when left to the imagination.

    Ignoring Fenris’s pointlessmentary, I head for Reggie’s unconscious bform /bbwith /bba /bfaint sneer. Nudging his body with my foot yields no reaction. His bbreathing /bbis /bbdeep /band even, his skin tinged pink with healthy blood flow, and his presence bin /bbthe /bpack

    b210 /bbCaine/b: You’ve chosen Well

    link bis /bmuted, but not gone.

    Fenris prowls around him, his massive paws silent with each step. Blood stains his muzzle, his ck lips pulled back in a faint snarl. His head reaches past Reggie’s bwaist /beven when the Lycan is standing upright.

    The Lycan squawks again, but doesn’t fight back. His shoulder will be healed by tomorrow, so the damage isn’t severe. Just enough to show my wolf’s displeasure.

    Then he begins to snore.

    i“/iiThat /iwitch iis /iunder iour /iiprotection/i.” Fenris’s voice fills the pack link, vibrating with terrible power. Reggie flinches. i“/iDon’t me your failure on her.”

    High Alphai, /iplease- Another mental rush of panicked submission floods our link. I ionly /iimeant- /i

    The slight jump in my subordinate’s pulse is the only indication Fenris’s words have affected him.

    “Yes, High Alpha. I understandpletely.” His voicees out norma squawking effect apparently worn off. Shame. “It won’t happen again.”

    I stare down at him, letting the silence stretch.

    v, the

    “Stand,” I snap, and Reggie shoves to his feet immediately. At least he isn’t pale and swaying like many a lesser wolf would be.

    I raise an eyebrow at the wolf. He’s well aware it’s from Lyre’s protections weaved into her home, and Grace is weaker than any wolf in our territory. And yet he’s impressively stolen Lyre’s valor and applied it to Grace’s presence.

    I don’t respond with words. The pressure of my dominance rolls off me in waves, narrowed to the man in front of me. Reggie’s spine curves, fighting it for barely a second before his arms shoot out, palms pping against the dirt to keep from facentingpletely.

    I’m always iright/ii, /iitoo/ii. /i

    iI /iigive /iiup/ii. /iiYou’ll /inever understandi. /i

    “Squawk!”

    210 Caine: You’ve Chosen Well

    He nods back, with a faint grin. “Oh, I understand. Of course, High Alpha. You aren’t

    mates.”

    ]“Let me make something clear,” I say, my voice low enough it won’t carry back to Grace and the children. “Every human under my protection is worthy of your respect. Especially her.”

    Fenris turns his massive head toward me, storm–gray eyes unblinking. It’s better for ihim /iito /iibelieve /iiher /ipower idid /iithis/i. Lycans irespect /istrength above all elsei. /iIf he thinks ishe’s /idangerous, ihe’ll /iikeep /ihis idistance/ii. /iiA /iiwitch /ihas greater value than a human, even iamong /iithose /iiwho /iidetest /ithem.

    The ‘her‘ hangs in the air between us, weighted with meaning. Reggie swallows hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing. He bows his head in proper submission. His face is impressively nk, with no trace of the bias I know lurks beneath the surface.

    “If you so much as look at Grace or any of those children the wrong way again…i” /i

    Would a little loyalty hurt?

    He’s on all fours now, exactly where he belongs.

    Grace looks awkward, her smile a little too forced and her eyebrows pulled together. Strange. I thought assuring her of our secret being safe would make her happier, but it seems to have done the opposite.

    Fenris materializes, his massive ck form rippling with barely contained rage. His snarl cuts is bone–chilling, his lips pulled back to reveal teeth longer than human fingers.

    Reggie’s breathes harder, the pressure of my aura leaving him fighting for each inhale. iThe /iwitch attacked ime/i, High Alpha. She’s standing iright /ithere; the ione with /i

    blonde hairi! /i

    Infusing my voice with the power of an alpha is as easy as breathing. “Wake up, Reginald.”

    “iNot /iall humans are as fragile as they appear,” Fenris projects. “The ione /iiyou /ithreatened walks between worlds. iBe /icareful she doesn’t idecide /iyour next isleep /iishould /ibe eternali./ii” /i

    Through our pack link, his thoughts scrabble, thankfully unchanged by whatever

    210 Caine: You’ve Chosen Well

    strange prank Lyre’s added to her protection: iHigh /iiAlpha/i, forgive my unseemly iappearance/ii. /iiI’ll /iteach that witch a lesson ishe /iwon’t iforget/i.

    “We are not mates,” I exin calmly.

    My eyes narrow at the implication, but I don’t bother arguing with him. There’s no point. Not when he’s right, anyway.

    Reggie’s face contorts, morphing from confusion to horror.

    His burning gaze slides past me again as he speaks.

    “Squawk!” The sound escapes Reggie as he ttens himself further, his chest nearly touching the ground. The stink of humiliation rises from him in waves, his skin

    flushing crimson with shame.

    Fenris moves closer, his massive head lowering until his muzzle is inches from Reggie’s ear. His jaw snaps shut with a cruel click of his teeth.

    Reggie’s relief floods the link, grateful for any task that removes him from my

    immediate presence.

    “No.” Then I nce at Fenris, remembering how he put power in Grace s hands. It wasn’t a bad idea. In fact; I should add to it. “She’s been very clear about us not being

    mates.”

    Humans speak with words and warnings, but our wolves are far more primal.

    Something dark and vicious surges forward from inside me, taking shape beside me in a rush of shadows.

    My eyes flicker as I fight the urge to look back. Not to rify his words, obviously, but just to look at her. To take a minute to sniff in her pretty blueberry scent and drink her olliin. /li/ol

    “Wake up,” I snap, his snoring sounding like a saw on my veryst nerve. But I’m still conscientious enough to narrow the range of unleashed dominance, not wanting to scare Grace or the children. As far as they’re aware, I’ve done nothing.

    Reggie’s eyes widen faintly. “She’s been… I see.”

    Heat floods my veins, power gathering under my skin like a storm. I don’t even need to turn to know he’s directing his anger at Grace, my little human who can barely throw a

    210 Caine: You’ve Chosen Well

    proper punch, let alone defend herself against a full–grown Lycan.

    There wasn’t much sound in the area to begin with, but it falls into dead silence as the

    sound fades.

    No ishit/ii. /iKicking his leg doesn’t wake him up, either. While I don’t have a bucket of

    up water to throw on his face–and I would–I’m certain it wouldn’t wake him peaceful slumber.

    But Reggie twitches, and his mental space in our pack link flickers with life.

    from his

    His eyes snap open, unfocused and disoriented as my dominance fights through the strange nket of energy surrounding his presence in the pack. After a few blinks he scrambles to his feet, as awkward as a newborn pup, limbs moving in awkward jerks until he’s finally standing in front of me, shoulders pulled back as he tries to salvage some dignity.

    It’s not a bad strategy. A flicker of amusement stirs in my chest as I consider it.

    Takes one ito /iiknow /iione/ii. /i

    He pauses. “You’re not?”

    He nods, slowly raising his head. His eyes flicker behind me, but this time they’re not angry. They’re calm and somewhat inquisitive. “May I ask what your rtionship is with-”

    “Your job,” I cut in, each word precise and cold, “was to protect everyone in that camper.”

    “Treat your wounds first. Don’t allow him near Grace–the children–again.”

    Reggie’s knees hit the ground hard with a cap–breaking thud. His shocked eyes snap to mine, mouth hanging open in silent protest.

    “You’ve proven you can’t be trusted with their safety,” I say finally. “Your new assignment is to monitor the Blue Mountain alpha. His behavior has been… erratic. Report directly to me on his movements.”

    I nod, because he’s right. I have. But then I caution, “I haven’t chosen anything. We are

    not mates.”

    iI’ve /iialways /iibeen /iisoft /ion iher/ii, /iFenris responds without hesitation. iYou’re /iithe /ione

    210 Caine: You’ve Chosen Well

    catching iup/ii. /i

    But Fenris doesn’t bother with threats. He lunges forward and sinks his teeth into Reggie’s shoulder, then jerks his head back, tearing skin from muscle and letting blood flow freely.

    Whatever little trick the witch weaved into her camper protection is working very well, indeed.

    This time, when he looks around me, there’s a faint whisp of respect on his face. “To think a human would be so daring. Not bad, High Alpha. You’ve chosen well.”

    iYou’re /iigetting /iisoft/i.

    The second attempt seems to have broken something in him. He narrows a furious re behind me, aggression flooding the air with a hint of smokey scent.

    CAINE

    Reluctant admiration trickles its way into my brain. It’s pathetic for a L easily rendered helpless, but it’s only proven the potency of her power.

    iHe’s /iisleeping/i.

    But first I have to deal with this idiot.

    to be so

    iI /iwas wrongi, /iiHigh /iiAlpha/ii, /ihe acknowledges through the link, the thought small and contrite. iCompletely /iiwrong/i. iI /imisunderstood the isituation/i.

    “Don’t you feel ashamed,” I say, my voice winter–cold, “to be so weak you’ve been hexed by a witch?”