66. Kaylee
66
Kaylee
“What do you mean it wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment thing?” I demand, feeling fear creep in. I find myself clinging tighter to Lucas and thankfully, he doesn’t push me away. Instead, he pulls me closer, his hand rubbing my back in soothing circles.
“What Amelia means, is that she and Titus found emails between Ramos and Jordan,” David answers, giving me a sad smile. It takes a moment for his words to register, but when they do, I realize that Ramos planned a whole scheme against me.
“Ramos knew that Jordan was looking for a Luna, be that his goddess-given mate, or someone he chose. He used this as an advantage, and told Jordan about you. How he had Lucas reject you, and that you needed a mate,” Amelia takes over explaining, her eyes growing hard as hatred seeps from her. I know she cares for me like her own child, so me being kidnapped must have set her off.
“He already knew about you before coming to Ivory Fangs. He was just shocked that you were the beta, as he thought he would have to find you.”
“So, when he realized I was here, he set a plan in motion to kidnap me when he left for his own pack,” I finish, connecting the pieces together.
“Why did Ramos goad him into doing this?” I demand, feeling Lucas stiffen before he lets out another sigh.
“He did it so that I would have no way of being with you.” His voice is filled with guilt and anger, his body shaking beneath my hands.
“He knew I was wavering with the betrothal, knew I was just one push away from leaving to find you. So, he made a plan that would get rid of you one way or another,” he continues, our gaze meeting as his words fill the room.
“You are my weakness, Kaylee, and to Ramos, that makes the pack weak. He would do anything to get rid of you, if it meant I married Marilyn. That was before I caught the two of them in his office. Now I have a feeling he will do anything to kill us both, and get rid of us for good.” His eyes light with anger and for a moment, the broken bond flickers brighter than ever. I can feel his love and possessiveness towards me. Feel his fear of losing me to someone else. But most importantly, I can feel the resolve to protect me before the light flickers. The bond has mended itself once more, getting closer to forming a completed bond, and it worries me. I am not sure I am ready to take him back.
“What will we do if he learns Amelia and I run Ivory Fangs?” I ask, my worry for the mate bond continuously mending turning into worry for my pack. We have been slowly growing stronger since taking over. Slowly growing stronger bonds with the wolves that were once known as Silver Paw, and building the bonds between them and the ones that came from Oak Fur.
“We will have to prepare for war. Ramos will stop at nothing, so long as those that threaten his pursuit of power are still alive,” Kurt answers instead, a sad look in his eyes.
“Me and Lidia should have run when we had the chance, but she was devoted to Harvest Willow. She would never let anything hurt our pack.” I can sense the same regret and sadness in Kurt that I feel from Lucas. Luna Lidia was his goddess-given mate, and she was put in a similar situation as Lucas was. All because Ramos wanted power.
“Were there any survivors from Harvest Willow?” I ask, getting a small smile from Kurt.
“Last I checked, there are fifteen survivors. As soon as I heard what Ramos did, I had your parents watch Lucas while I rushed to the pack. It was destroyed, houses burnt down, bodies everywhere. But I found a few, hiding in one of our hidden bunkers. Mostly pups, with a few of the weaker warriors protecting them.” Amelia looks at me with understanding. She stands from her seat and joins Kurt, placing a hand on his shoulder as her blood hums. Its effect is soothing, calming Kurt, Lucas, and me down.
“Are they part of a pack?” she asks, Kurt shaking his head no.
“After what Ramos did, they were terrified to join a pack. Besides, no one would go against Ramos and accept them, even if they tried.” His answer makes Lucas and I growl, surprising the others in the room.
“They are all cowards then. Allowing Ramos and Nathaniel to run amok and not get the council involved!” I practically yell.
“I agree, Kaylee,” Amelia answers, her back straightening as she looks at Kurt.
“Tomorrow, you and David will leave to collect those fifteen survivors. Tell them that Ivory Fangs is not afraid of Oak Fur, and that we welcome all in need of a second chance here.” Hope flashes in Kurt’s eyes as he nods, explaining he can call them tonight and explain the situation first. Amelia agrees, before she looks to Lucas and me, the two of us still clinging to one another.
“You two will need to start training. It’s only a matter of time before news spreads that Lucas is here, and that me and Kaylee are alpha and beta,” she states, her blood boiling as the threat of a war begins to loom over us.
“It is only a matter of time before Ramos and Marilyn launch an attack on us because of this fact alone, and it won’t end in a truce. Either we die at Ramos’ hands, or we kill Ramos and Lucas becomes alpha.”
“How long do you think we have until that happens?” Lucas asks, pulling me tighter against him. Amelia looks at me, worry and resolve in her gaze, and for a moment it makes me wonder why she hasn’t answered yet. Then it clicks. Due to Ivory Fangs needing to reorganize and restructure, we missed out on the Annual Assembly of Alphas this year.
“One year,” I answer, turning to look at Lucas.
“We have one year to prepare for war with Oak Fur.” He stares at me for a moment before a look of understanding passes over his face.
“You didn’t attend the Annual Assembly of Alphas, due to forming a new pack,” he states. Amelia and I nod. We have a year to grow stronger, to keep our identities a secret before the meeting. With the number of wolves that left Oak Fur for us, as well as news spreading that we offer second chances, we just might be able to win this upcoming war with Ramos and Marilyn.