Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
Several hours later, Khloe was exhausted as she and Felix left the last house they were going to visit for the day. They’d spent more time than they probably should have with Gavin, Felix’s brother. Khloe hadn’t met him yet, and she’d wanted to get to know him since she’d known the two of them were close and would be even closer after Gavin mated.
The sun would be going down soon, and Daddy wanted her home before that happened.
He’d suggested they cut it short after every single house, but she had assured him it would be best to carry on. She’d been to every home of the recently mated: Arion and Jezebel, Brock and Suzette, Elias and Leah, and of course Damon and Olivia. In addition, they’d visited the homes of the parents of the Alpha males, several of the elders, and finally Gavin. That covered just about anyone who would ever come to visit.
She trotted along on her Daddy’s flank, enjoying the view of the mountains. It was so gorgeous up this high. She’d seen it all from the floor of the valley for the last twenty years, but nothing compared to what it was like running free among the trees.
Suddenly, her warm thoughts of beauty were interrupted by the realization that bears were approaching. She gave a small whine to alert her Daddy and came to a stop. Tipping her snout back, she closed her eyes and concentrated.
She learned several things. Now that she’d met those four bears, she could identify them just like she could the wolves in her pack. The two who had not been pleased with her existence were…at her home. Her awareness of them mixed with her vision as if the two forces were the same. It had been like this earlier, too, she realized. She had known the bears were approaching. She had also known wolves were. She had pointedly not gone into any sort of trance either time. Perhaps her wolf could sense things differently than her human when she was shifted. That was an encouraging thought.
Daddy shifted and walked toward her. “What is it, Little one?” His brow was furrowed.
She closed her eyes and tried to think. What did the two bears want?
Daddy set a hand on her head. “Shift for me, Khloe. I need words.”
She did as she was told and, seconds later, stood beside him in human form.
He grabbed her shoulders, undoubtedly out of fear of her falling. “What’s happening?”
“Those two bears from earlier, Drow and Firat, are at our house.”
Daddy winced. “Shit.” He pulled out his phone and tapped the screen. A few seconds later he spoke. “Dad, Drow and Firat are at our house,” he stated. “No, we’re not there yet. We’re still a ways away. We just left Gavin’s.”
Khloe wrapped her arms around her Daddy’s waist because she knew it would comfort him if she held on to him.
He planted a huge palm on her back while he talked. Mostly he listened. She couldn’t hear what Ezra was saying. Finally, Felix ended the call. “Backup is going to join us here.”
Khloe felt a vision coming. Any second she would go limp in her Daddy’s arms. Instead, she shoved away from him to give herself some space, jumped into the air, and shifted before her paws hit the ground.
It worked! She was so excited. She’d managed to shift in time to keep herself from blacking out. Now everything was clearer, and she was alert. It was a good thing, too, because bears were coming toward her.
She didn’t know them. She sensed Drow and Firat were still loitering near her home. These two were new.
Khloe braced herself, trying to think. She glanced at her Daddy and then in the direction of the approaching bears. She howled.
Felix shifted and landed next to her. She was grateful he was trusting her to make split-second decisions without insisting she shift back. It was easier for her to more specifically track the movement of the bears in her shifted form. Shifting back and forth would waste time.
She braced herself. The bears were coming fast.
Suddenly, she was aware of wolves coming from every direction, too. The home Khloe was closest to was Gavin’s, so he would be the first to arrive. Damon and Olivia were close also.
No one would arrive before the bears, though. Khloe and Felix were going to have to manage this faceoff on their own at first.
Seconds ticked by. The bears were moving fast. They didn’t creep up unannounced. They bounded into the clearing with loud growls of displeasure.
Khloe braced herself and leaped into the air to land closer to them, taking on a stance of dominance. She howled louder than ever, and dozens of other howls joined her from every direction in response.
The two bears bared their teeth, scowling. They were in a position of attack, but Khloe was, too. So was Felix. When the two bears stepped closer, Khloe howled again, louder, shaking the trees and sending all remaining wildlife scampering in every direction.
The bears backed down, whimpering as they eased back a few paces.
Khloe took a dominant step forward, not wanting to show any sign of weakness. She’d been right earlier. She could move fast. She wanted them to believe she could and would tear them to shreds if they gave her cause, and it was working. The two of them retreated farther.
Finally wolves began to arrive. They leaped into the clearing, taking up positions of attack on both sides of Khloe and Felix.
Khloe had never in her life felt this powerful. Two bears were backing down because of her. Yes, she was large, but they were larger. They had no idea she probably could not defend herself in an actual attack, but that didn’t matter. What mattered was she scared them. She leaped forward again, putting herself closer, howling again.
The two bears looked at her with wide eyes before glancing at each other. Suddenly they turned around and ran back the way they’d come.
Khloe watched as they retreated. She was panting and exhausted. She’d managed all of this strictly on adrenaline. No bear was going to threaten her family or her pack’s way of life. Not ever. She would make sure of it.
When they were far enough away, she turned her attention toward her home, trying to sense Drow and Firat. They were gone. Perhaps they had heard the howls in the forest and taken off. Perhaps they had been alerted of the standoff and decided not to confront Khloe today. Either way, everyone was retreating now.
Khloe shifted into human form as soon as she knew they were all safe. When she turned around, she found over a dozen members of her pack, all in human form, standing around her. They were smiling.
So was Daddy, and he pulled her into his arms and hugged her close. “I’m so proud of you, Baby girl.”
She let her body go limp against him. She had no idea how any of that had transpired. It had been instinctive. What she did know was that, in the near future, she wanted to hone her skills because there was no doubt Fate sent her here to be Felix’s mate for a reason, and she intended to serve her purpose for the good of the pack.