TAVAS
Closing the door to the holding room and walking away was one of the hardest things I’ve done in a long time.
My wolf pounded against the hold I had on him, wanting to act on my feelings.
It had been many years since I had felt such blinding anger at another.
How could this have happened under The Collective’s nose?
The chaos that would ensue if the werewolf community found out about Viv would be catastrophic.
She was now the most valuable asset to have, and the four of us needed to figure out what to do about it.
Darius headed for the living room with Viv; he tried to set her down on the couch, but she refused. He sighed and sat down with her in his lap, grabbing the blanket off the back of the couch and placing it over her legs as she curled up into a tight ball on his lap.
As I looked at her, now knowing what she was, I could see the subtle tells.
Faulk must have known she would survive her transformation because she’d always been a wolf.
We needed to think of her more like werewolf offspring.
All the instincts were there, she just needed to understand them.
Right now, her wolf was craving comfort and pack support.
Seeing as she didn’t grow up with a pack, I couldn’t imagine how lonely she must have felt all these years.
I sat down on Darius’s right and pulled her legs into my lap.
The more we could support and reassure her wolf side, the better she would deal with all of this information.
Rik moved to the left side and sat close, while Koit sat on the floor in between Rik and Darius so she could feel him near.
Seeing how seamlessly we all responded to her needs told me that all our wolves had attached to her in some way.
We all saw her as pack, and pack came first—always.
“So, what now?” Viv asked, looking lost as she watched us, waiting for an answer.
“What do you want to do?” Darius asked, much to my surprise. I figured he would drag her to some unknown corner of the world and hide her away, with or without her approval.
“I don’t know. I can’t go back home, that’s for sure,” Viv said, looking off into the distance. “There’s nowhere for me to go. I have no friends, no family, and I’m a fugitive mutant-werewolf breeding machine.”
I gripped her leg, drawing her attention to me.
“You are not a mutant breeding machine. You are still the Viv you’ve always been.
Nothing about what that crazed man said changes that.
” Her eyes shimmered with tears, but she refused to let them fall.
“You’re not alone in this. You have us, and we will keep you safe if that’s what you want. ”
It was dicey for me to speak on their behalf, but I knew the truth of my words, nonetheless. The four of us would keep her safe without question. We just needed to figure out how best to do that.
“I would offer to have you come stay with my pack, but my father is still alpha, so I don’t have control,” I said, feeling the gnawing self-doubt creep in. “You wouldn’t be safe, and I couldn’t do much to protect you there.”
Moments like this—not being a stronger wolf and taking control of the pack—ate at me.
I knew I could beat my father in a fight if I needed to, but I was hoping I wouldn’t have to.
He was my father, and I wasn’t some animal who just killed because it was easier.
I was a rational human being who could understand the motive and feelings behind my father’s misguided teachings.
That brought up thoughts of my little brother and how he was able to abandon his human nature and embrace being a werewolf.
Pulling myself out of those darker thoughts, I looked at Darius and Rik to see what ideas they might have.
“We could take her to Kursar,” Koit suggested.
Rik grunted in agreement and smiled at his friend.
The dynamic between them was incredibly unique.
It was like they both ruled over the Silver Mountain Pack, instead of the typical alpha-beta system.
Rik was an amazing alpha, and I admired how he ruled over his pack, but he had the ability to do it so perfectly because he had Koit working alongside him.
I had once hoped my father and I could do the same, but he would never share his power freely.
“Where’s Kursar?” Darius asked.
“It’s an island in the Baltic sea; at one point it’s where the alphas of old ruled from,” Rik explained.
“There are werewolves that still live there, unattached to The Collective, who follow the old ways. If I was going to ensure that an alpha female would be protected, that’s where I would take her.
Hardly anyone remembers that they’re still there. ”
I was thoroughly intrigued by this. “How do you know of them?”
“Technically, they are part of my pack, but my father left them to live as they saw fit. He would bring me there from time to time to learn from them. When he got his seat on The Collective, we quit going there. I think it was my father’s way to keep them safe and able to live the way they want.”
“Sounds like the best option. You’re sure they would be open to all of us coming there?” Darius asked.
“We’ll have to get a message to them and ask to be allowed on the island.
I’m sure if it’s me asking, they will allow Koit and me, no problem.
The tricky part will be getting you and Tav cleared to come.
They are very strict about who they let come into their environment.
” Rik laughed, shaking his head. “Who knew I would be the one to know this and not you, Tavas.”
“Do you know of any way to get them to consider letting us all come if we decide to do that?” I asked.
“There might be one way, but it’s a little unorthodox.
Back in the old days, it wasn’t uncommon for alpha females to have more than one mate.
If we’re with her, then they’ll accept us—and joyfully.
In the old ways, alpha females were the one who wore the pants, not the males.
That started to happen when we no longer had dominant females,” Rik explained, waiting to see our reactions.
Viv sat up at Rik’s words, worry written all over her face. “You’re not my mates though… right? I don’t remember agreeing to that, but I’m not really sure how that all works.”
I patted her leg reassuringly. “No, Viv. Trust me, you would know if you were mated to someone. It’s not something that happens accidentally.”
“For this plan to work, you would need to tell them we are your mate prospects. In the old way, any male werewolf could vie for an alpha female’s attention in hopes of becoming accepted as a mate,” Rik said, trying his best to explain the archaic way of life.
“Think of it like werewolf bachelorette,” Koit interjected, still seeing the confusion on Viv’s face.
“Okay,” Viv said, biting her lip and looking pensive. “Is this just an act for them to let us stay, or are you being serious? I just want to make sure we’re on the same page and I’m not assuming things I shouldn’t.”
My wolf yipped and pranced around in my mind's eye, his tail high, ready to gain her interest. I smiled to myself. It seemed that my wolf and I were falling more and more in agreement since Viv showed up, and I knew my answer.