They gaped at me, the naked man, only half shifted, appearing out of nowhere. One of them stumbled to his feet. He was older than the rest, and I didn’t have to know their dynamics to see that he was acting as the alpha. He was going to try and fight me, and it wouldn’t leave enough time for them to submit, for me to think of another way out of this for them.
Pulling on every ounce of alpha that ran through my blood, every hint of power, I roared the words. “Kneel before your alpha.”
All of them fell to the ground, prostrating themselves in front of me.
ChapterThirty-Four
Coral and Tyson crashed through the brush a minute later, growling. Tyson was on the wolves in an instant, but I held up a hand, my voice low.
“Stay.” The command echoed through the clearing.
One of the child werewolves began to cry, soft whimpering that caught in his throat, nearly choking him. Tyson spun on me, glaring fiercely. He growled, but I stared him down.
Coral was already snuffling at the wolves, as though double-checking to make sure these were the wolves that we had been so afraid of. With them on the ground, their necks exposed, whimpering, they looked even more pathetic, even more like children. In a normal pack, children this age would be playing, dancing between the adults, coddled and loved. They would run with some hunts, to help train them for when they ran as young adults.
They would be learning their place among their peers but also in pack hierarchy.
But this was not a normal pack. These children had invaded House Bartlett lands, had formed their own pack, and had made the mistake of doing it when House Bartlett was already on high alert, ready for an attack by another house.
I crouched down in front of the one that considered himself alpha. Looking at him, he seemed even younger than my first impression. There was no way he was older than fifteen.
“My name is Miles. No last name, no pack name. Do you know you are in House Bartlett territory?” I kept my voice low, following Tyson out of the corner of my eye. Coral had placed herself between the children and Tyson like I knew she would.
“No.” The baby alpha shook his head, dragging his forehead across the dirt. He didn’t push up or even try to look at me.
“This is House Bartlett territory. You are trespassing. You admit guilt and fault and submit to me as your alpha.” I didn’t have much time. I could hear the rest of the pack, sense them getting closer. I needed complete submission by the time everyone got here, or it was going to be a bloodbath.
“Yes.” The baby alpha nodded, breath coming fast. He must have been able to hear the other wolves, to hear their number, to hear their bodies as they pushed through brush. The wolves that were coming were not children.
Jay arrived first and took in the situation with a glance. He sat down, then lay on his stomach near the youngest child. The little girl curled against him, whimpering into his fur.
To my surprise, Theo arrived next, panting and limping, but the magic that braced his hind leg held steady. He immediately approached Coral, nuzzling under her chin. She accepted it for a moment before barking. Theo settled next to her, further blocking the children from Tyson’s view, where he continued to pace back and forth.
Nia was suddenly at my side, werewolf form huge, and she settled onto her haunches. On her neck, a silver collar gleamed.
It brought me up short, and I pushed a hand to my own neck, realizing that everyone would see Basil. I didn’t have any time.
“What’s your name?” I asked.
“Justin,” the baby alpha answered. He introduced the rest of the pack, but their names slipped through my mind.
“How did you get into this territory? It’s guarded by wards,” I said. “Did someone let you in?”
“No.” Justin trembled as the rest of the pack filed in, silent, encircling the children.
No one had made any moves to hurt them yet, and between Coral, Theo, and Jay, it was clear that violence was not going to be tolerated.
“So how did you get in?” I asked, bringing his attention back to me.
“We followed a scent. It was a deer or… something. But we were so hungry. We didn’t know this was mage lands. We promise. We didn’t know. We’ll leave.” He was begging, and the pleading tone in his voice made something in my stomach clench.
“It’s a little too late for that, kiddo,” I said.
The first pop of a mage’s teleportation spell echoed loud in the forest, startling a night bird, who screeched and flew off. Then more, like we were inside a popcorn machine.
I smelled the salt of tears, but Justin’s voice was firm when he asked, “Are they going to kill us? Are they going to make us slaves like you?”
I fisted my hand at my side, silently wishing I had a better answer. “They aren’t going to kill you.”
