Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
Another week passed before Khloe had her next episode. She was in her crib this time. She’d been napping when it happened. It woke her up. Gasping for air, she called out, “Daddy.”
He came running into the room. “What happened, Baby girl? Are you okay?” He rubbed her tummy.
She was shaking and disoriented as she looked around. “Bears…”
His brows shot up. “What about them?”
“They’re coming.”
He lowered the side of the crib and lifted her into his arms, hugging her closer, which she needed. She was shaking.
He carried her to the rocking chair and sat with her sideways on his lap. “Coming here?” He rubbed her back.
She furrowed her brow and tried to make sense of the vision. She had to piece it together because she’d been asleep when it invaded. At least now, they knew the visions would definitely happen even if she was asleep.
Khloe stuck her thumb in her mouth and sucked. She’d never done that before, but she didn’t know where her pacifier was at the moment, and she needed to think.
Felix said nothing. He simply guided her to lie against his chest and rubbed her back while he rocked her.
Eventually, she let her thumb pop out. “There are six of them. They’re shifters. They were arguing. Two of them wanted to come here, and the other four did not. The two are coming this way. I don’t know their destination. I think I jerked myself out of the vision too soon.”
Daddy nodded slowly as he pulled out his phone and placed a call.
She stuck her thumb back in her mouth, nerves eating at her as he spoke.
“Dad, hi. Khloe had another premonition. Two bears are coming this way.” He listened and responded a few times and then hung up before confronting her. “We’re going to Damon’s house, Little one.”
He rose and carried her to the changing table, making quick work of cleaning her up and then putting a pullup on her. Next, he grabbed a dress from the closet, pulled it over her head, and put shoes on her.
“Let’s go.” He carried her through the house and out the front door. Less than five minutes had passed.
She understood the urgency, but this would be the first time she left the property, and she was nervous.
He set her on the porch and dropped down to squat in front of her, holding her hips. “We’re going to shift and run through the woods. I want you to stay on my flank the entire time. Okay?”
“Yes, Daddy.”
“Are you scared?”
“Yes.”
He kissed her forehead. “Can you sense them coming, Little one?”
She nodded. “They’re pretty far away still, but they’re moving this direction.”
“Still just two of them?”
She frowned and drew in a deep breath. “Four. Two of them have not moved.”
“They can run fast, but we can run faster. Ready?”
She nodded. “Yes, Daddy.” She was scared, but she could do this. She needed to follow her Daddy and do as she was told. It was important.
He stood. “Shift, Baby girl.”
She stepped off the porch, closed her eyes, and let the shift take over. In seconds, she was standing before him in her wolf form, and she watched as he shifted next before nodding toward the tree line.
Khloe followed him, quickly realizing she was faster, which unnerved her. Was he going slow for her benefit? She stayed right on his flank, but she wasn’t winded. She could go faster.
She loved the freedom of being in wolf form, and it felt even better now that she was finally taking the opportunity to run harder than she had yet done. She’d only shifted in or next to the house and practiced prancing around to get her footing. She had not run free like this before. Too bad her excitement was clouded by fear and concern.
Khloe had no idea where they were going or how far it was to Damon and Olivia’s house. As they got closer, she could sense them, though. At least she assumed it was them. She hadn’t met either one. She realized once she met more of the Alpha Protectors and their mates, she would be better able to detect them as individuals.
Suddenly, she became aware of the bears. They were moving at a fast pace to her left. She glanced at her Daddy. He apparently did not know. That was so strange. It would take some getting used to.
They were coming fast. Too fast. Khloe didn’t see a house around them, so she had no idea how much farther it would be to get to Damon’s property, and she feared they would not arrive first.
And then she decided the bears were headed directly toward her and Felix. They would be upon them in less than a minute.
Khloe disobeyed her Daddy and stopped running. The instinct to face the bears instead was strong. When she stopped, he looked back and howled. She howled louder and nodded in the direction of the approaching bears.
Suddenly, four bears bounded out of the trees, coming directly toward her. Fear consumed her, but it was internal. She’d never seen a bear in her life. She did not detect a threat from them.
Nevertheless, she howled loud enough to vibrate the air around them. Birds fled from the trees. Small animals scampered away.
Khloe braced herself, leaning back and sending the most menacing glare toward the bears she could conjure before howling again. She realized she was alerting anyone in the area—friend or foe.
Two of the bears rose up on two legs and growled. Two of them remained on four legs and stepped in front of their comrades.
Khloe tipped her head back and scented the air. Two wolves were about to join them. Two more were also approaching. She recognized the second pair as Erza and Elias. The two she did not know bounded into the small clearing. They glanced around and then stepped between the bears and Khloe and Felix.
Everyone stopped moving. An eerie silence ensued. Khloe wasn’t sure what was going on as she watched one of the wolves—a female—slowly approach the bears. She stopped, seeming to stare at them.
That’s when Khloe remembered Olivia could communicate with bears telepathically. This had to be Olivia. She was speaking with the bears.
The two bears who were behind started growling menacingly as they slowly crawled forward. They were staring at Khloe, teeth bared.
Khloe rose to her full height as Felix jumped in front of her. She didn’t like him getting between her and the bears. It was an odd sensation. She was larger. She wanted to protect him, not the other way around. But she didn’t have the skills to fight four bears, and even though she was incredibly large for a wolf, the bears were still bigger than her.
Felix howled.
Elias and Ezra arrived.
Khloe didn’t even glance at them. She knew they were to her right as they crept closer and joined the others in front of her.
The wolf she assumed was Olivia rose up onto her hind legs and surprised Khloe by shifting. Her human form looked so very out of place standing in the woods between the faceoff of giant animals. She held out both hands—one toward the bears and one toward the wolves. “Stop. All of you. We must talk. Everyone please shift. There is no need for this standoff. No one needs to get hurt today.”
The wolf next to Olivia shifted first. He immediately wrapped his arms around her from behind and pulled her against his chest. He had to be Damon.
Two of the bears shifted next, as did Ezra and Elias. That left Khloe and Felix in wolf form as well as two of the bears. Even though there were six wolf shifters and only four bears, the wolves were severely outnumbered. In animal form, they were much smaller, plus only four of them were Alphas. The other two were female mates.
Olivia turned to face Khloe. It was obvious her eyes were unseeing, but she spoke in that direction. “Khloe, shift. Show them you are a regular-sized human. They need to see.”
Felix shifted in front of Khloe and turned to face her. He buried his hands in her fur and looked into her eyes. “Shift, Little mate.”
She drew in a deep breath and finally let her shift take over.
The two bear shifters now in human form gasped, eyes wide. “Holy shit,” one of them said.
The remaining bears growled several more times before also shifting. They were slightly older than the first two but both male, and they stepped forward, extending their full height and thrusting their chests forward. “What is the meaning of this?” one of them shouted.
“Stop!” Olivia yelled. “Everyone calm down and listen.”
“She’s unnatural and must be destroyed,” one of the older men screamed.
Felix grabbed Khloe and held her behind him. “If you lay one hand on her, you will all die.”
Khloe trembled. She grabbed her Daddy’s waist, but she did not cower. She stood her full height slightly behind him. If these bear shifters thought they should attack her, she would shift back in a heartbeat and do everything in her power to ensure she did at least as much damage as they intended.
One of the younger, apparently more sensible, bear shifters held out both hands, keeping his comrades behind him. “Stand down, Drow,” he said to the man next to him. He glanced the other direction and narrowed his gaze at the other elder bear. “You, too, Firat. There is no need for violence. No one among the wolves has posed a threat to us. We will listen to what they have to say.”
Olivia also stood tall in front of Damon. “Thank you, Surge.” She nodded toward the other man. “Thorn.”
The two younger bears—who were apparently named Surge and Thorn—stepped closer to Olivia. She was the one they communicated with. They appeared to respect her.
Surge held out a hand toward Damon. “We come in peace.”
Damon scowled as he took Surge’s hand. “It would appear your comrades do not agree.”
Surge stepped back and shot a look toward Drow and then Firat. “They will listen,” he insisted, perhaps more for the bears’ sake than the wolves’.
Thorn cleared his throat. “Please introduce us to your new mate, Felix.”
Felix stood stiff, but he slowly encouraged Khloe to step in front of him. He wrapped his arms around her from behind the way Damon was holding Olivia. “This is Khloe. We do not know why her wolf is so large, but I assure you she is no threat to your kind.”
Khloe held her breath as the bear named Thorn stepped closer, his brow furrowed, his head cocked to one side. This standoff was surreal, and Khloe held her head high, not wanting any of them to think they intimidated her. If they were half as intuitive as she was, they knew, though.
Thorn stopped a few feet away. He was incredibly large in his human form. He stared at her for several seconds before asking, “Are you telepathic like Olivia?”
She swallowed hard and shook her head.
Felix gave her a squeeze. “She’s clairvoyant.”
The bears gasped, and Thorn turned to glance at his comrades before returning his attention to Khloe.
Felix continued, “So far all we know is that she can sense other animals around her, including bears, but when anyone decides to approach, she’s aware. She will know if you’re coming.”
Khloe realized part of the reason her Daddy was giving them so much information was because he meant it as a warning. The bears could not sneak up on them.
Surge spoke next from near Olivia. “Olivia knows when we’re coming.”
Damon shook his head. “Olivia can scent you sooner than others. It’s different for Khloe. She can sense others from a great distance. Their intentions when it relates to her family.”
The other two bears—Drow and Firat—gasped. Drow spoke. “She’s a threat to us.”
Khloe’s heartrate picked up.
Felix stiffened and shouted, “She is no threat to anyone. Khloe is a gentle soul.”
“She is huge, and she can sense us coming,” Firat growled. “That is a threat.”
“It is not,” Damon argued, his voice equally loud. “Those are simply character traits. Unless you pose a threat to us, we pose no threat to you.”
Thorn turned to look at Surge. “Tell them.”
Khloe’s breath hitched. The bears had something to say, too. That’s why they were here.
Surge stepped away from Olivia and approached Khloe. “It seems I can sense you, too, Little one.”
“That’s why you came…” Khloe murmured.
Surge nodded. “I didn’t understand what I was experiencing, but I knew there was a new mate among you, and she had powers.”
Khloe licked her lips. “You argued with several bears about coming to find me, and finally the four of you decided to come.”
“And I tracked you down to right here,” Surge confirmed. “You stopped running before I arrived because you knew I was upon you.”
Khloe nodded. Why would she share such an odd trait with a bear?
Surge stepped back and included everyone in his next words. “I do not believe this is going to cause a problem. I suspect Nature has a hand in this. She is providing our two species with a connection.”
Firat growled menacingly. “She is providing these far less advanced canines with a way to sneak up on us. This wolf needs to be eliminated.”
Khloe’s nostrils flared.
Felix tucked her behind him again. “Are you threatening my mate?”
Surge stepped in front of Firat and glared at him. “You will not harm these shifters. It is not your place to decide who or what poses a threat. I’m telling you she is no threat to us, and if she becomes a threat, I will know. You will take my word and leave her and her family alone.”
Firat scowled before taking a step back, shifting, and turning to gallop away. Drow followed him.
Surge turned back to Khloe. “I’m sorry. I will do my best to control those among my people who do not trust your intentions. Please know that if anyone threatens your species, I will personally come to warn you. You will know I’m coming.”
Khloe nodded. She couldn’t breathe.
Surge turned to the others. “As I’m sure you’re all aware, bears by nature do not live in close knit packs like wolves do. We have come to this territory as a group, but we tend to spread out and occupy a space that is beneficial to sustaining life. I realize that we have moved into an area too close to where your pack as well as other packs have lived for a great long time, and most among us do not wish to upset your way of life. However, there are some who believe it would be better to chase you off.”
“We would never allow that,” Ezra stated. “We are grateful to you for repeatedly coming to warn us of impending issues, but our numbers are strong. Alpha Protectors are abundant and living all around this mountain, protecting the valley below. It is the same among the other wolf packs you have encountered in this region. If any of your kind dares to attack us, we will do whatever is necessary to protect our own. Do not think for one moment that our smaller size will hinder us.”
Surge nodded. “Understood. Though Thorn and I are not the leaders of our clan, we are the declared messengers responsible for communication with your pack and others. It cannot be an accident that your new mate and I share a bond.”
Khloe could feel the tension wafting from her mate. He did not like Surge referring to the communication open between him and Khloe as a bond. When she glanced up at her Daddy, she found his nostrils flared and his teeth bared.
Surge flinched as he met Felix’s gaze. “Forgive me. Poor choice of words. Let’s call it an open line of communication.”
Khloe spoke up again. “I can’t control it. I can sense when your kind is present in the area, even from a great distance, but I can’t control the visions. I’m not sure they will always occur every time you approach.”
“I suspect they will, Little one. I can be no more certain than you because I, too, have only had a handful of experiences so far, but I suspect we will both have advanced warning when we’re being approached.” He stepped back and looked toward Thorn again. “We will take our leave. I’m sorry for the interruption and for the behavior of some of my kind.”
Ezra stepped forward. “Our elders will meet to discuss this. I cannot guarantee what they will decide, but I can assure you that the protection of our pack is our number one priority. Noone will be permitted to threaten us.”
Thorn nodded. “Understood.” He gave a slight bow before he and Surge turned, shifted, and bounded away.