Chapter 7

LUCIUS

“Raven? Raven, get your ass out here now!” I yell as I get close to Wren’s campsite.

The panel to the tent zips open and Raven pokes her head out. Her face covered in guilt and fear. She steps out slowly and Wren is right behind her.

I grab Ravens arm and pull her to me, pointing a finger in her face. “What did I tell you? You weren’t to come down here. Did I not tell you that?”

Wren grabbed my hand. “Get your hands off her! This was not her fault! You have no right to speak to her like that!”

I look at Raven. “Get home.” I point to the village.

Raven looks at me and Wren and turns, running for the village.

“You have some nerve…” I growl at him.

“Pack your stuff. You’re coming too.” I cross my arms.

It takes me a second. “What?”

“You heard me. Pack up. You’re moving to the village.” I speak in an authoritative tone.

She pulls attitude. “No. I don’t think I want to be around you.”

I looked at her confused. “Wren, pack your shit up and get to the village!”

“No, Lu. I won’t” She crossed her arms and stubbornly refused.

“A fucking week ago you wanted in, now you don’t? I’m telling you that you can join us!” I threw my arms to my sides.

“And I’m telling you, I don’t want to join you!” She spits.

I growl and grip my hair, ready to pull it out. “Why do you have to be so goddamn infuriating!!”

“You make me infuriating!” She squints at me.

I suck in my top lip, glaring at her. I’m trying hard not to lose my shit here.

“Fine.” I nod.

I bend down and grab her waist and throw her over my shoulder. I turn back to village and walk with her screaming and kicking her legs.

She’s punching my back. “Lucius Drake, you put me down right now!!”

I slap her ass hard. She yelps. “Quiet!” I growl.

I walk to the center of the village. I drop her on her feet. I grab her shoulder and point my finger in her face. “Now, you’ll accept my invitation with bells on, you got me?”

Her arms are crossed and her mouth is small.

“Wren!” I tilt my head.

“Fine.” She reluctantly agrees.

I nod, standing up straight. “Dale has agreed to put you up in his yard. I can get the men to move you. Now, to be a member of this pack, you pull your weight. No questions. You listen to me and do your job. I assume you know how to hunt?”

“Yes.” She grumbles.

“Ok. You’ll join the hunting party. You will hunt and provide food for the village. Am I clear?” I look at her.

I can feel the eyes of my people on us.

“Crystal.” She says.

“Good. If you need me, you know where to find me.” I push past her and head home.

I get to my door and Curtis runs up. “Um… what?” He throws his thumb over his shoulder.

I glance at him before stepping inside. “If Xavier tries to retaliate, she’s a sitting duck out there and if Raven continues to sneak out there, they’re both in danger. At least I can keep an eye on them here.” I sit down and rub my temples. This whole situation has my blood pressure pushing its limits.

“Oh. Well, I think that’s a smart idea.” Curtis nods. “You…um…sure there isn’t another reason you just randomly invited her here?” He seemed nervous in asking the question.

“What? No. Curt. I just didn’t want her getting hurt. That’s all. There’s nothing else to it.” I wave him off.

I hear yelling in the village as Curtis was about to say something else.

I get up and walk out. Dale came running up the path. “Alpha. Malakai’s here.”

I look at Curtis and we all run back to the village center. Malakai. Alpha of the Turnik pack. One of Torrent’s first victims. He’s huge. He’s been living out here for 20 years. Long black hair and huge muscles. He has a giant scar from the left side of his forehead, across his eye and to the inside of his cheek. He was the one who taught me everything I know about living out here.

I jog up to where Malakai and six of his men are waiting.

My people look on nervously. We’ve bumped heads as rival packs a few times. They’re fierce fighters.

“Malakai. What brings you here?” I stop and cross my arms.

“Is it true?” He glares at me.

I look at him confused. “I’m sorry, you’re going to have to fill me in.”

“Is it true that you challenged Xavier?” I could see his fist ball.

I glance at Wren who’s unpacking her things in Dale’s yard. She stops and stands. Watching the situation closely.

“Yes. We did.” I confirm.

“Are you insane?” He says through clenched teeth. “Do you have any idea what he could do to us?”

“Malakai, I assure you. No harm will come to your pack. Xavier has a beef with me, not you.” I try to calm the Alpha down.

“We better not Drake or I’m coming for your skin.” He threatens.

He pushes through his men and they follow him out.

I look at Wren whose eyes meet mine. I scowl and push through my own men and head back to my house.

I stand on the doorstep of my house. I rub my forehead.

“I’m sorry.”

I look over my shoulder. Wrens standing with hands in her pockets.

“Malakai’s a hot head. There’s nothing to be sorry for.” I mumble.

I hear her take a couple of slow steps. “No. I mean. I’m sorry for putting you in this position. I....I should have understood the politics before…you know.”

I rub the back of neck. “Yeah, well, we can’t really unring the bell now. I deal with it.”

I open the door to my house and walk in. Closing the door behind me.

I lean against the wall, looking through the crack in the branches. I see her wrap her arms around herself, hang her head and walk away.

I hang my head. I know she was trying to apologize for the confrontation with Xavier, but she was right to do it. The last few years, I’ve been bending over backwards for the Dragons. Letting them pick at us little by little. At some point, I would have had to draw a line. I did think maybe joining with them wouldn’t be so bad. It would get us out of this fucking forest. We wouldn’t struggle. We could be strong and together. But Wren brought me to my senses. I’d rather die than join the Dragons. They killed our families. If we didn’t need protection so bad, I would have kicked their asses years ago.

Wren made me think. Made me think that maybe there’s another way. A way out of this where I keep my pack safe and still be able to provide for them.

I probably shouldn’t take Wren's skill as an Alpha for granted. She has heart. I can't deny that.

I push myself off the wall and sit down. I grab an apple and bite into it. I sit with my thoughts. I look at the apple.

I grab another one and get up. The next thing I know I have the apple behind my back and I’m slowly walking to her space on the other side of the fence.

She’s pegging down her tent. Her head turns and she stands up. “What do you want?”

I produce the apple from behind my back and look at it in my hand. I shove it in her direction. “Um…here.” I mumble.

“An apple?” She arches a brow. “It isn’t poisoned, is it?” She smirks at me.

I stitch my brow together. “You want it or what?”

She reaches out and slowly takes it.

I walk away before she has a chance to respond. Stomping back toward my house.

“Thank you!” She yelled to my back.

I figured if she was trying to apologize, I should at least put out a little bit of an olive branch. Especially since she’ll be on my hunting party. We can’t be fighting in the woods while we look for food so better make a cease fire for now.

****

The next morning I’m walking with some men and women through the woods. I’m leading the hunting party to the grounds we usually get good scores.

I stop. “Ok, guys. Good luck.”

They get undressed and shift. Their wolves running into the trees.

Wren goes to take off her shirt, I stop her. “You’re with me.”

“Why?” She raised a brow.

“I need to evaluate your skill level. See if you need training. I do it for all new members to the party.” I turn and walk through the tall grass.

Wren jogs up beside me. “Ok. Why aren’t we in wolf form?”

I shrug, looking ahead. “Human form has the most challenge. Our wolves are unnatural. It gives us an unfair advantage. Human form puts things on the same level.”

“So, what, you’re like one with land now?” She chuckles.

I look at her quickly. “Well not like you’re suggesting, but I give my respect to the animals we kill. Yes. It’s a survivalist thing.”

“I see.” She responds.

My ears perk up. I look to see a nice 10-point buck at the forest edge.

I place my finger on my lips and wave Wren down.

We crouch down in the long grass. I wave her to follow me to a spot a little closer.

I stop her and face the deer who has no clue we are there.

I reach to the holster on the side of my cargo pants. I pull out a twelve-inch serrated hunting knife and place it in my teeth as I crawl closer. Once I’m close enough, I grab the hilt of the knife. Flip it over in my hand and throw it one shot. The knife sinks into the jugular of the deer’s neck. It starts to panic and buck. It screams as it tries for the trees.

With a growl, I get to my feet and run for it. I get up to the large buck and grab the hilt of the knife. Sliding under its head, I drag the knife across the deer’s neck. Spilling its throat on the forest floor. It hits the ground with a thud.

My shoulder is covered in deer blood. I pull out my knife and clean it off with my shirt

“Oh my God! Lu that was amazing!” Wren says walking up to the deer carcass.

I spin the knife around in my hand and drive it into the deer’s stomach. Spilling its guts out.

“Nothing a little practice can’t create. I find a nice slit gives us the most undamaged meat. Wolves tend to tear too much.” I pull out the internal organs of the deer who’s still very warm.

Wren winces. “No matter how many times I see that, I still want to puke.”

I reach into the chest of the animal. Pulling out its heart. “Then this will really make you sick. Bite it.” I hold the heart out to her.

“I’m not biting that.” She shakes her head.

“It’s initiation for all hunters. You have to eat a piece. It’s a ritual.” I hold it out to her.

She looks almost green as she looks at the heart, dripping blood in my hand.

The corner of my mouth ticks a bit. “Fine.” I take my knife and shave off a piece. “Here.”

Her face fills with disgust as she takes the heart meat from my hand.

“Go on.” I arch a brow.

She pops it into mouth. Her face turns sour.

I cross my blood covered arms. “Chew.”

Her face whines as she chews the meat.

“Swallow.” I order.

She swallowed the meat down, looking like it was about to come back up at any moment.

“Oh God.” She says holding her mouth.

“Ah. Keep it down.” I reach in my pocket for my water bag. I hand it to her.

She grabs the bag and chugs the water.

I laugh as she chokes on the water.

“What’s so funny?” She scowls.

“Nothing. You literally have a predator living inside you and a little heart meat makes you queasy. It’s funny.” I go back to cleaning the deer out.

“Well, it’s not like I’m eating raw meat in human form all the time. Yeah. It’s gross.” She watches me.

I pick the stag up and sling it over my shoulder. Getting is stable. “Welp. If you’re going to be living out here you better get used to it.”

I walk us out. Heading back to the village to get the deer drained and sliced up for dinner.

“Thanks for this.” She says.

“For what.” I drop the deer in my yard where I have a rack for stringing up animals.

“For putting aside everything and doing this. I appreciate it.” She holds herself as she shuffles her feet.

“I’m just doing want an Alpha should.” I grab the deer’s rear legs and tie ropes around its ankles. I pull it up and let it hang to drain all the blood out of it.

“That may be, but it means a lot to me. Thank you.” She glanced at me and I glanced at her.

Our eyes met and the corner of my mouth ticks again. “You’re welcome." I say quietly.