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Shit. My mate was held by some bully king, and they had powers. We really needed to get her to Urban Academy where Blaze’s brother and their friends could help us. I’d heard stories of Valentina and Onyx. They were fucking legends within the warrior community. I’d even heard whispers that they could make your wolf three times its regular size and give you all kinds of legs up on your enemies. That would certainly come in handy if we ever had to face the Light Kingdom or anyone else that dared come for our mate.
“We’re ready,” Blaze said, “Sir,” tacked onto the end.
“This supposed king killed or had Karelis’ parents killed. She was supposed to be killed as well, but there was some kind of morphing of her wolf. I’m guessing this is when she acquired her second wolf.”
We told him he was right. Karelis’ second wolf was born that night. She emerged to protect her and keep her safe. Now we knew why. Karelis was in danger, and her wolf appeared right on time.
“It gets even weirder. The king, after Karelis’ parents died, decided to hide her away until she was of age. He enlisted a witch to strip her of her second wolf for, well…”
“Tell us, Dad. We have to know, so we can protect her,” I growled. He would know I wasn’t growling at him but rather at needing to know more. My dad and I had our differences, but he knew me. In most ways I was a carbon copy of him. And, most of the time, I was damned proud of that. Our main clash was my desire to get an education he didn’t believe was necessary for our warrior life.
“He wanted to strip her of her second wolf so she would be fit to be his bride.”
All of us let out growls that reverberated off the walls and shook the windows. How fucking dare him.
“Casimir, I want you to listen to me. This man and his kingdom are dangerous. They want Karelis because her royal bloodline makes her one of the strongest and fiercest shifters maybe of all time. She’s probably like nothing we’ve ever seen. Is that true?”
“Yes,” I said after unclenching my jaw.
“I want you four to come here to the pack where we can help you. I know you want to finish school, but your mate comes first. Always. All four of you are welcome. I have a house you can live in, and everyone would be safe from this bastard and his henchmen.”
“What in the actual fuck?” Karelis yelled. “He wanted me to be his… Gods. I knew he was sleazy but…no.”
My dad chuckled. “It’s nice to meet my son’s mate, even if it is over the phone.”
“Dad, we need to talk to Karelis about all of this, but I promise we are grateful for your offer and will seriously consider it.”
My dad grunted. “Good. No matter what, you are my son. You three boys take care of that mate. She’s a special one. Do whatever it takes. And you are welcome here. Day or night. You have the backing of the warrior pack.”
“Thank you, Dad.”
As soon as I hung up, Karelis crawled across the bed and straddled my lap, and wrapped her arms and legs around me.
I whispered in her ear, “We’ll protect you, mate. With our lives. You don’t have to worry.”
She shook her head. “I’m not worried about me. I’m worried about my men.” I shuddered, hearing her refer to us as hers. I knew it was true, but hearing it out loud conjured a whole other more intense feeling.
“Tell us about you, mate,” Blaze said and took her from me. “How are those beautiful wolves of yours and you? You went through quite an ordeal.”
“Hurt like hell,” she said. “I think I need to run.”
Chapter Nineteen
Karelis
My wolf, that new version of her, surged within me in demand. And I was very relieved to find her there at all. I needed to run and now. Shedding the robe I wore, I tensed, ready to shift, but Adan laid a hand on my arm. “Mate, you look beautiful like that, but remember where we are. You cannot run naked through the hallways. Nor can you go out there in your fur. Let’s get dressed. I know a place we can be free-ish.”
I looked down at my body. It was free of bruises, no cuts, nothing like the experience I had during the night visible from the outside. On the inside, it was entirely different. I felt every contusion, every wound, and shifting wasn’t going to be able to heal that as it could mere physical injuries. But I needed to get out, my wolf would have no less. She needed to stretch her legs, to try them out might be a better way to express it. I knew without her having to tell me that everything would be new, different, and maybe even strange. Would we even look like a wolf? White or black? I always thought Sol’s white had a faint golden tint. I reached for a sweatshirt, anxious to get going.
It was the middle of the school day, just before lunchtime, so most students and teaching staff would be in classrooms, but there were always the phys ed classes out on the fields and various other people wandering around. But my mates were ultimately resourceful, and they always seemed to have a way to get what they needed done, so I didn’t ask any questions, just accepted that they would make it all work.
The hallway they led me down looked familiar, and I soon realized why. The janitor’s or storage closet, whatever it was, stood open, with a man in overalls bringing out an armload of things to add to the multitude of things already piled on the floor along the wall. He was grumbling about people who made messes and didn’t even care who had to clean them up and didn’t seem to notice us at all. I shuddered, an ache in the back of my skull, part of all the pains I’d had in the last twelve or fifteen or whatever hours. When my mates were making love to me, I’d almost forgotten this one, but hopefully, if I did manage to shift successfully, at least that injury would be healed.
The guys wanted to get those girls who treated me this way, but I had lost interest as our fates changed. We had other things to concern ourselves with besides vindictive juvenile females who wanted someone else’s mate. Eventually they’d cross the line with a female who would take them all out if they didn’t smarten up. I did not love my mates because they were handsome and strong, although those were appealing traits. I loved them because they were my mates. Fated. True. Destined for me. If they were oh-so lucky, those beyatches—I was forgiving but not ridiculously so—would find their own someones. It wasn’t guaranteed and not everyone got one, but they for sure weren’t going to get them this way.
Adan led us down a narrow spur hallway I hadn’t noticed before and from there, down a flight of a dozen steps to a small doorway.
“Isn’t it locked?” I whispered. In fact, the doorknob and other hardware looked rusted shut, as if it hadn’t been opened in decades.
