Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
Felix breathed out a sigh of relief, though he was not entirely sure he should let his guard down, and he hated knowing that the only one among them who could tell if the bears were going to return was his sweet Little mate.
Damon nodded in the direction of his home. “Our house is close. Let’s gather there.”
Felix thought that was a good idea. He turned Khloe around in his embrace and met her gaze. “Are they gone?”
She nodded. “They’re still moving away. They have not stopped.”
“Not even Drow and Firat? I didn’t like their attitude.”
“They’re still moving away, too, Daddy, I promise.”
Elias spoke next. “We need to give Olivia and Khloe some time to bump heads. It’s possible the two of them can combine their skills in some fashion that would be beneficial to the pack. In addition, we need to arm them with whatever information they need to be safe and effective.”
“I can tell you something I need,” Khloe stated.
“What’s that, Little one?” Felix asked.
“I need to meet everyone in the pack. Every Alpha Protector and mate. Once I’ve met someone, I know their scent and can detect when they’re approaching. Until then, all I know is that a wolf is going to arrive. It would be helpful if I could tell Daddy specifically who is coming.”
Ezra nodded. “She has a point.”
Elias held up his phone. “I’ll send out an alert when we get back to Damon’s. Any Alpha Protectors who are nearby will come to meet Khloe if at all possible. We might need to plan a time to take her around to some of the outlying Alphas—especially the elders.”
“Thank you,” Khloe responded.
Felix hated the idea of sharing his mate of only three weeks with every member of the Alpha Protectors and their mates. He wanted more time alone with her. The process would take days, but he acknowledged it was necessary and could prove crucial at some point. She needed to be able to tell him exactly who was on the move, not just four wolves.
“Let’s go, Little one,” he encouraged. “Stay with us until we reach Damon’s house.”
When Felix looked over his shoulder, he found Olivia already in wolf form. He knew she preferred to spend a great deal of time in her wolf skin because she was sighted when she was shifted and could trust her surroundings better. He knew even at home she tended to spend hours shifted. The problem with that was that she could not communicate with her mate in wolf form. They did not have a telepathic connection like she had with the bears. Damon felt separated from his Little mate when she was not in human form. It was frustrating but often necessary.
Felix hoped Khloe did not develop any skills that required her to spend time shifted without him. It would tear a piece of his heart if he couldn’t listen to her chattering, singing, or even arguing with him.
Everyone stared as Khloe shifted. Those who had seen her before were not as stunned, but even a second time was shocking. Felix understood. He was somewhat stunned every time she shifted.
Olivia had already shifted, and she crept closer, her head tipped to one side in what Felix assumed was astonishment. It was a natural reaction. He couldn’t blame her. Every time Felix saw Khloe’s wolf, he was taken aback. Her size went against the natural order of things and fucked with the mind.
Finally Oliva turned in the direction of her house and nodded as if to say, “Follow me.”
It worked. Every one of them followed Olivia back to her home.
Felix was relieved they were able to arrive without further incident. When Khloe had stopped running at his side earlier, he’d been frustrated and considered punishing her until he understood the reason for her sudden halt. She’d known things he did not sense. He would need to follow her lead when it came to encounters in the mountains. If she stopped, it would be for a good reason.
It took very little time to arrive at Damon and Olivia’s home, and soon they were all shifted and crowding into the great room. Felix was stressed about the number of Alphas and their mates who would soon be summoned to meet Khloe today. None of them would turn down the request.
Olivia wrapped her arms around Damon. “Please can Khloe and I go to my nursery for a while?”
Damon kissed the top of her head. “Yes, Little one. I think that’s a great idea. Relax and find something to do that will occupy your minds while the rest of us talk.”
Olivia beamed. “Thank you, Daddy.” She reached out a hand in Khloe’s direction. She had a strong sense of where people were located in the room, so her outstretched hand was almost perfectly aligned with Khloe’s location.
Felix kissed his mate on the forehead. “I think it’s a good idea. You need some downtime.” He lifted her off her feet, though. There was no way he was going to let his precious mate walk to the nursery by herself. He turned toward Olivia. “I’ll carry Khloe. Lead the way.”
Olivia easily headed for the hallway and even turned the corner to enter her nursery without guidance or help. She’d memorized her surroundings a long time ago. Finding her room was second nature by now.
Felix set Khloe on her bottom in the middle of the room, tipped her head back, and kissed her. “I know your role in the pack is an important one. I don’t want you to think for one minute that I’m not taking all of this seriously. I’ve watched what Olivia has been through. It’s obvious to me that the Universe is trying to say something.”
Khloe never looked away. “Okay, Daddy,” she murmured.
“However, at the same time, you’re still my mate, my Little girl, the most important person in my life. Your safety is my primary concern above all else. You will stay on your bottom and away from sharp corners. Are we clear?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“If you disobey me on this issue, I will spank your bottom hard enough to reinforce my order. I don’t care who watches. Plus, you will lose the privilege of being permitted to spend alone time with friends. Are we clear?”
He liked that she was taking him seriously. She nodded. “Yes, Daddy.”
“Good girl.” He gave her one more kiss and left the room. He hated leaving her alone like that. He would rather hold her in his arms every minute of every hour, but that wasn’t going to be practical. When he went back on rotation for the Alpha Protectors next week, he would need to loosen the reins and leave his Little girl with other Alphas when he worked. It was their custom. It provided protection for all the Littles in addition to giving them time with each other while their mates worked.
Felix took a deep breath and joined the rest of the Alphas in the great room. Nearly every Alpha owned a home with a large great room for this very purpose—impromptu large meetings.
Ezra, Elias, and Damon were seated at the kitchen table. Each had a mug of coffee, and Damon passed one to Felix as he took a seat.
Damon gave him a sympathetic nod. “I know what you’re going through. When I first found out Olivia could communicate with the bears, I nearly lost my mind.”
Felix nodded. “That sounds about right.” He ran a hand through his hair. “When I first saw how large she was, I nearly swallowed my tongue. But when she told me she could sense all the animals in the area…”
His father, Ezra, reached over to pat his hand. “I’m confident this is not a bad thing.”
“What do you think it means?”
Ezra leaned back and sighed. “I met with Owen, Talon, and a more senior elder, Germain. The general consensus is that the arrival of the bear shifters in the area has caused Nature to step in and provide us with some enhanced protection measures.”
Felix shuddered. “I’m not sure I like the idea of my mate being some sort of experimental enhanced protection measure.”
Damon nodded. “I don’t like it either, but I’ve been living with Olivia’s gifts for a while. I promise you will come to terms with your feelings over time. I nearly had a heart attack last year when I had to leave her basically in charge of protecting everyone. The day you were clawed, in fact. I struggle every time I leave her anywhere, but I remind myself she is the safest shifter among us because she has advanced knowledge and can be prepared.”
Felix inhaled slowly and took a sip of the strong coffee. “Intellectually I know you’re right. Khloe has even more advanced knowledge. Granted, we don’t know yet if she will have a vision every time someone approaches, but if she does, nothing will get by us. On the flip side, that means she will always be in danger. I worry about her falling if a sudden premonition occurs. In fact, I have forbidden her from standing unless she’s in my arms.”
Ezra spoke again. “I think it’s important to also point out that the bears have the ability to mask themselves. That’s how one of them managed to kidnap Suzette on her mating day. Brock never did pick up his scent as he hunted down his mate. Only hers.”
Felix considered his father’s important words before responding, “Khloe has pointed out to me more than once that she is not scenting anyone. She senses them. She can sense every animal in the vicinity even when they’re too far away for me to catch their scent. The visions are distinct. They occur when someone makes a decision to come toward us—bears or wolves.”
Damon nodded. “Olivia can scent the bears when no one else can, but only when they’re reasonably close. She doesn’t have the distance trait that Khloe has.” He looked toward Felix. “I have an idea that might help. For the time being, let’s not make plans to come to your home. Any meetings can be held elsewhere so you two come to us. That will keep your mate from experiencing a constant barrage of visions every time one or more of us makes a move. We can’t do anything about approaching bears, but at least we can cut down on the number of visions she has with regard to approaching wolves.”
Felix nodded. “That’s a good idea. I would also like to do some intentional practice in the next few weeks. I’ll pick a time when I know she’s safe, text someone, and ask them to come over. We’ll learn if the visions are consistent or not.”
“I like that plan,” Ezra agreed. “As for today, instead of summoning local Alphas and their mates to come here, why don’t you take your mate to them? I’ll send out a group message to be expecting you.”
Felix palmed his forehead. His father was right. It would be a terrible idea to have dozens of people coming here. Khloe would have one episode after another, and Felix wasn’t the least bit certain yet what the aftereffects of so many visions might be.
Khloe was going to be exhausted from running through the mountains all day, but like she said, it was important for her to know what scent belonged to what shifter. It would undoubtedly come in very useful one day.