All shifters, ten males and two she-wolves, knelt before their leader – Misha. One knee down, one forearm on their raised knee, head deeply bowed.
“Successor,” they greeted in unison as Tanner sat, angling himself to face Misha as his men knelt in greeting.
Misha smiled down at them with one side of his thin lips upturned.
“Rise,” he called out lightly.
They all stood, but their eyes remained downcast, their bodies facing Misha, their arms behind their backs, feet planted squarely.
“Did you tell them I wanted to talk to them?” Misha asked Tanner, his eyes on Tanner’s team of twelve.
“Yes,” the Head replied steadily.
“Thank you, Tanner,” Misha tossed back sweetly as he approached the lined runners, strutting down the line, moving slowly, gazing at each shifter as he practically slid by them, then up the line on the other side.
His inspection complete, he sto
All shifters, ten males and two she-wolves, knelt before their leader – Misha. One knee down, one forearm on their raised knee, head deeply bowed.“Successor,” they greeted in unison as Tanner sat, angling himself to face Misha as his men knelt in greeting.Misha smiled down at them with one side of his thin lips upturned.“Rise,” he called out lightly.They all stood, but their eyes remained downcast, their bodies facing Misha, their arms behind their backs, feet planted squarely.“Did you tell them I wanted to talk to them?” Misha asked Tanner, his eyes on Tanner’s team of twelve.“Yes,” the Head replied steadily.“Thank you, Tanner,” Misha tossed back sweetly as he approached the lined runners, strutting down the line, moving slowly, gazing at each shifter as he practically slid by them, then up the line on the other side.His inspection complete, he sto
The rest of the day, the twenty-eighth, passed smoothly for Bloodrayne. Their pack members went about their work as usual. However, for their leaders, the day went a bit differently.After Misha had left his father’s room, he went to his mother and stayed with her for the rest of the morning.After this, he went to the runner’s hall. There, with Tanner, the Head of Runners, he had listened to updates on runner business.Once the men completed their reports to their leader, at which Misha was simply in attendance, seated at Tanner’s table while Tanner stood at the side listening to his men’s report, Tanner dismissed his team and faced his leader.“Successor,” Tanner greeted Misha formally in his deep, calm tone, turning his back to the door and facing his Alpha’s son.“Tanner, I hope I didn’t impose?” Misha crooned, smiling sweetly at the imposing Head of Runners, a wolf who would have been
Two days before the attack on Bloodrayne, the night of the twenty-seventh, Alpha Tobias had received the update from his Head of the Runners, Tanner, about Lightmoon’s closed border.Tanner had also hesitantly informed him, and his son, Misha, the pack Successor, of the gossip concerning a purported rabid wolf with red eyes who had issued an Alpha Cry.At this point in his man’s report, Alpha Tobias’ mind had gone to old legends.Tobias Drakin was the pack Alpha, not because he was a brute. Well, he had not remained pack Alpha because he was a brute.He was well-versed in ancient lore and had magic skills himself.He had spent a lot of his youth reading spell books and histories of various clans.In his adult years, he had targeted packs and clans with magic and historical knowledge, for his own pleasure of learning, and building up the resources within Bloodrayne on how to make his people stronger – be it by magics o
Dorien had been very clear in his mind about what he needed to achieve – Reyland, and Jackson, gone.He would not risk his woman, his father’s men, or their allies, who would become his allies when his turn came to lead Lightmoon.So, he had been careful in laying out his trap.He had set up runes at Bloodrayne’s borders, and along various routes, depending on what needed to be done, to lead Bloodrayne shifters wherever he needed them to go.He had also laid out a few extra, as cover for when the attack was launched, such that no one would be suspicious about any magic evidence after the fact.These runes had been marked or filled with his blood, as required, depending on the strength of the spell he needed to cast.They would lead the Bloodrayne shifters away from the war camp, nowhere near it, in fact, directing them in a general direction that could be used by any packs or clans, but would certainly lead to Reyland.
As Reyland swept out, Dorien watched him go.Then, he followed the four visitors at a distance, fully cloaking his presence.Once they were far enough from the campsite, the Noble heir activated his trap.==========The night before, after Dorien had left Reyland’s house, he had returned to the Alpha Mansion and finalized the plan he had kicked off earlier that day, in the early morning hours of Remembrance Day – after hiding in his father’s office and overhearing the discussion and fight between Alpha Dax and Alpha Corien.After his declaration to his older brother, Dorien knew Reyland would not sit still. One way or another, his wise, caring, considerate brother would do something to get to Marian.There were only two real possibilities; Reyland would send someone to Marian, or he would go to her himself.From everything he had seen and felt from both his brother and from Marian, earlier that day, when she had crus
Reyland knew exactly what Marian meant.From the moment she had stepped up to him, Reyland had stopped breathing.He stared down at her now.At his…Mary.Once again, as she had done almost every single day since Christmas Eve, she had shocked him, taken his breath away. Literarily.He shook his head slowly, placing his hands lightly on her toned arms, tearing his gaze away from her green eyes.They stood quietly holding each other's arms.“What am I to do with you?” Reyland croaked after a moment.Marian tilted her head to the side, a small smile on her lips.“What am I supposed to do?” he whispered, speaking to himself.Marian placed her hands gently at his bent elbows, his eyes drifted back to hers.“As long as you do it with me, Andy, I promise you, it won’t matter one bit,” she said hoarsely, “You can do anything you want, just let me be there with