Territory (5 page)

As the pack circled Kya, her heart nearly thundered to a halt. Her cavalier attitude from minutes ago was gone, replaced by sheer terror. The pack circled, with Kyler and Tyler nipping at each other in excitement as they often did when the scent of her fear lingered in the air. Reiner inched closer, expressionless as he simply stared at her, waiting for the order from Theron. This scene was all too familiar. Theron smiled at her, his trap unfolding just as he’d hoped.

For the briefest of moments, Kya considered running. If she ran back to Dell, his pack might put up a good fight against Theron’s beasts.
I couldn’t bring this mess to their door.

“Well…
Theron
, I’d welcome you to my forest, but you’re not…welcome that is.”

Reiner stepped forward sinking low and growling up at Dell, ready to attack.

“Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Dell, Alpha of the North American pack. And this...” Dell held his arms out as twenty wolves stepped from the concealment of the forest, circling Kya, Dell, Theron, Kyler, and Tyler. “…is my pack.”

Kya stood in the center of the circle of Dell’s wolves with Theron and his pack just in front of her. Staring from one pack to the other, she was unsure what to do.

Dell smiled down at Kya as Briggs stepped out of the forest and walked up to her side. In wolf form, he was nearly twice her size and much larger than any wolf in Theron’s pack. That didn’t deter Reiner who bared his teeth at the much larger Briggs. Briggs completely ignored him and crossed to stand in front of Kya putting himself between her and Theron’s pack. She couldn’t even see over his massive gray frame.

“This is my brother, Briggs. He’s our pack Beta. Theron, do shift, we have so much to discuss.”

Theron turned his head to look at Reiner than instantly shifted. He rose off his knees in the snow not caring that he was naked. “I’ve come for my property,” Theron bit out in a gravely tone, his cold blue eyes never wavering from Dell. Briggs growled and Theron looked down at him, sneering at the wolf before looking up to Dell. “She belongs to me.”

Dell laughed and shook his head, “Pack members are not property Theron. They are family.”

Theron licked his dry lips, “She belongs to me, and I’m either leaving with
her
or with her
corpse
.”

Briggs slowly stalked toward Theron, a rumbling deep in his chest. At his approach, Reiner stepped forward and snarled viscously.

“Briggs. We need a moment.” Dell spoke calmly, his tone soothing Kya’s fear that all hell was seconds away from breaking loose.

Briggs stopped his approach but kept his eyes intently on Reiner.

“Perhaps we should leave the choice to her. It’s what I would do for a member of my pack.” Dell turned his head to stare down at Kya. “Kya, I would welcome you into my pack if you were so inclined, or you may return to Theron and his…pack? Choose.”

Theron’s eyes doubled in size and his mouth dropped open, “She can’t just remove herself from my pack. I must decide!”

Dell turned back to Theron, “Speaking of deciding. How did Kya become a member of your pack? Who were her parents?”

“I-I-I, well uhhh…” Theron stumbled over his words knowing that to admit that she wasn’t born to his pack was excuse enough for her to be allowed to leave, but to admit so would be to admit that he’d been going against the shifter law for which the punishment was death. Theron also knew he couldn’t admit who Kya’s parents were, as he honestly had no idea, but he knew they weren’t shifters and that’s exactly what Dell was getting at.

“As I said, Kya choose.” Dell looked down at her again and nodded, letting her know she would be safe with his pack.

Kya didn’t even look back at Theron before she walked over to stand behind Dell. Briggs looked over his shoulder at her before turning back to re-engage his staring match with Reiner.

“It seems she has chosen her pack.” Dell smirked at Theron, who stood red-faced and naked in the middle of the clearing.

“Keep the bitch! We don’t need her.” Theron turned on his heal to leave, shifting back to his wolf form as he walked away.

“Theron!” Dell yelled before the wolf and his pack had a chance to run from the clearing. “We will need to discuss your violations of our laws sometime in the near future.” Dell smiled down at the angry wolf, “The
very
near future.”

Theron snapped his head away, snorting as he bounded deep into the trees, Kyler and Tyler following closely on his heels. Only Reiner hung back. Still deadlocked in his glaring match with Briggs, Reiner took his eyes off Briggs to stare over at Kya. He licked his muzzle devilishly before turning from Briggs and following Theron into the woods.

“ONE HOUR!” Dell shouted into the woods. “MY PACK AND I HUNT IN ONE HOUR. I RECOMMEND YOU BE WELL ON YOUR WAY OUT OF MY TERRITORY BY THEN.” Dell smiled down at Kya, “Good choice.”

Kya dropped her head as Briggs approached her. He sniffed her, and then licked her throat where Theron’s teeth had cut her. The instant his tongue touched her, Kya simultaneously jumped away from his touch as he fell to the ground moaning in pain.

“Christ man, when will you learn?” Dell shook his head as he stared down at his brother before he smiled at Kya, “He can kill any man or beast within a thousand miles, but one touch from you and he folds like a damn accordion.” Dell dropped his head and looked like he was concentrating on something in front of him that wasn’t there. Instantly the pack dispersed, melting back into the forest. Kya heard yips and howls as the pack ran from their location.

Hearing the crunch of pine needles and leaves, Briggs and Kya looked up to see Chloe walking towards them.

“Oh I missed out on all the fun. Damn it! I told you to make Stevie drive.” Chloe smiled down at Kya as she walked up and wrapped her arms around Dell, pulling him down so she could kiss his cheek. “Kya, I’ve got the truck parked just down the road. I brought some clothes.” Then Chloe looked over at Briggs who was unsteadily getting to his feet as she laughed up at Dell, “He touched her again didn’t he?”

Dell smiled as he caressed Chloe’s cheek affectionately, “Guess you really can’t teach an old wolf new tricks.”

“We better get going; Mama’s got breakfast nearly finished.” Chloe motioned for Kya to follow, “C’mon Ky, I’m hungry as hell, so I know you’ve gotta be starving.”

Kya glanced at Briggs before she turned and followed Chloe. Dell and Briggs didn’t follow.

At the truck, Chloe crossed to the passenger side of the black Dodge and pulled a sack from the passenger seat. She hung it on the rearview mirror then looked down to Kya, “More of my hand-me-downs. I’ll go to the other side of the truck so you can shift and change.” As Chloe crossed in front of the truck, she felt a wave of energy ripple the air as Kya shifted. Chloe stood with her back to the truck until she heard Kya approach.

“Thanks for the clothes…again.”

“Oh, not a problem. You ready to go?”

Kya balked, shoving her hands into the large pocket on the front of the dark blue pullover, “Maybe I should just keep on going. Ya’ know, stay on the run?”

Chloe shook her head, concern contorting her expression, “Why on earth would you want to do that?”

Kya flipped a leaf over with the toe of her shoe as she chewed on her bottom lip, “Well it’s not something that I
want
to do, but I can’t bring trouble to your pack.”

“Look, we didn’t get a chance to talk to you about it earlier. With the revelation about the Colorado packs changing humans and all, but there is something we
really
need to discuss with you.”

“What is it?” Kya asked, genuinely intrigued.

Chloe grabbed her arm and pulled her to the passenger side door, pulling it open. “I can’t really discuss it without Briggs, but I promise you it’s something that you’re going to want to hear.” Chloe popped open the glove box and retrieved a roll of gauze. “Here, you’ll want to wrap some of this around your neck, you’re bleeding.”

Kya grabbed the gauze and reluctantly climbed up into the cab of the truck, Chloe shut the door behind her then crossed over and climbed up into the driver’s seat. She started the truck then threw her right arm up on the seat as she turned her head to back up.

The women rode in silence. Kya pulled the visor down to eye her throat, applying the gauze as her mind replayed the morning’s events repeatedly. All the what-ifs lined out in her head.
What if Dell and his pack hadn’t shown up when they had? What if Dell meant what he said and I’m now truly a member of his pack? What if Reiner had attacked Briggs? What if I hadn’t fallen asleep and had just kept on running? What if, what if, what if…

Kya forced her thoughts back to the present as the truck pulled to a halt in front of the large house she’d fled the previous night.

Chloe maneuvered the truck so that it was nestled between five other cars parked in a line facing the home. From the outside, the house looked immense. The façade of the house was all logs, making the house look like the largest and most grand log cabin Kya had ever seen.

Chloe palmed the keys as she jumped down from the truck in a hurry and Kya followed. “Oh, I looove pancake Saturdays.”

“Pancake Saturdays?”

Chloe grabbed Kya’s hand pulling her to the back door that led into the kitchen. “Every Saturday the entire pack comes over for Mama’s pancakes. I’m salivating already. C’mon.”

Kya stepped into the kitchen and into a throng of people milling about. She was instantly uncomfortable and felt like an intruder.

Chloe linked her arm through Kya’s and drug her to the stove as the buzzing in the kitchen once again resumed. “Mama, this is Kya.”

A stout dark skinned woman smiled up at Kya.

Finally someone shorter than me.

“First we eat, and then we talk.” Chloe shoved a plate into Kya’s hands and led her to the kitchen island that was covered with a plate of towering pancakes, a plate of still steaming bacon, and a large bowl of scrambled eggs. Chloe jabbed her fork into three pancakes and flopped them onto Kya’s plate. “…and some eggs.” Chloe spooned eggs onto the plate then took up a pair of tongs and snagged a pile of bacon before putting it too onto Kya’s plate. “There. Butter and syrup are on the table.” Chloe pointed with the tongs to the long table that sat against the far wall.

A few seats were still open, but Kya would need to maneuver her way through the mass of people to get to a seat. She looked nervously back over her shoulder at Chloe who had grabbed a plate, but was deep in conversation with Mama. Not wanting to seem too clingy, Kya took a deep breath and headed towards the table.

“Excuse me. Sorry. ‘Scuse me.” As she passed the pack, she could feel their eyes upon her. Some people stopped talking as she passed, while others seemed to ignore her. When she finally arrived at the table, she set her plate at an empty seat on the end that faced the wall. The other people seated at the table paid her no mind and just continued on with their conversations except one exquisite dark haired woman with bright red lips.

Annoyed, Kya glared up at the woman.
Oh, I’m not taking any shit from you! I don’t care if I am in your territory.
“That’s really none of you concern.”

Hannah’s smirk faltered and she slapped her hands palm side down on the table as she stood. The loud smack of her hands causing the room going to grow silent. “Who do you think you’re talking to?”
Kya’s cheeks stained red as everyone stopped to stare at the scene Hannah was creating. “Look, I don’t want any trouble.”

Hannah glared at Kya before her ruby lips dropped into a pout and she turned to Briggs. “That was rude.” Hannah grabbed her empty plate and she and her friend stomped away from the table and out of the room.

The buzzing in the room once again resumed. Kya looked over her shoulder to thank Briggs, but he was grabbing a plate at the kitchen island.