Herald's Call

Chapter 1

Chapter 1Amy Oakley hissed softly as the woman examining her injuries ruthlessly rubbed some kind of foul-smelling liniment into her aching ribs, the sickly-sweet smelling compound making her scrapes and scratches burn, even as her body worked to close the wounds she’d taken after being provoked into a fight for her life, to end her lover Amélie Orne’s trial.

“Stop whinging,” Ain Abdel chided her. “This will help. You are lucky that brute you fought was too slow and stupid to really hurt you.”

Amy wrinkled her nose. “Why do you even carry that stuff with you? It smells like rotting mint and olive oil mixed with cheap vodka.”

“It’s good for muscles and aches,” Ain explained as she carefully examined some of the scratches and cuts in Amy’s shoulders. Patrice, the bruiser that Marcel Charron had forced her to fight, hadn’t been terribly smart, but his claws had been sharp.

Somehow Ain’s narrow fingers managed to poke and prod at every bruise and wound just where it would be as painful as possible.

“It may be meant for horses, but it works just fine on stubborn wolves.”

“I think all things considered,” Amy gasped after Ain hit a particularly sore spot on her back, “I’m just as happy to wait for Abigail.”

“Too bad,” Ain said blithely. “She decided she had to be noble and insisted on examining the one you knocked out, since she is the only doctor present at the moment. The only nice thing about her gesture was how angry it made that cowardly fop Marcel.”

Amy shrugged, even though the gesture made her wince. “I wasn’t trying to kill him. I suppose it’s just as well that Abigail made sure there was no permanent harm.”

Ain shook her head as she closed the jar and put it back into her purse. “Children today are too kind. When I was your age, I’d have slapped him down and broken his neck for good measure.”

Amy gave Ain a dry look. “I believe I was trying to end this, not start a war.”

Ain was deeply unconcerned. “The best thing about a dead enemy is you know he cannot return to trouble you again.” She snapped her purse closed and fixed Amy with a serious look in her eye. “He was not attempting to be so courteous. Keep that in mind.”

“Yes,” Amy sighed, “I understand. Believe me, I have no doubt if our roles were reversed, I would be far worse off—but I did win, and I did it cleanly. It’s enough.”

Ain was clearly unconvinced, but she settled for just giving a little hum before changing the subject. “So, what are you calling your new pack?”

Amy stared at Ain and realized she hadn’t actually thought of that. “I…don’t know, actually. It sort of just happened. I suppose we could just call ourselves the Howlers, since I own the pub.”

Ain snorted with dark amusement. “I think Howling Bitches seems more apt.”

Amy groaned and put her head in her hands. “Oh God, no, absolutely not.”

Ain chuckled, then straightened up as she looked to the door of the little meeting room that had been turned into an impromptu clinic. “Well, perhaps you three can discuss it before anyone tries to make you write anything down.”

Amy pulled the robe back on before she scooted around to face the door where Amélie and Leah had apparently been waiting for Ain to finish her work.

Leah looked over to Ain, her face shifting between excitement, anger, concern, and nervousness so quickly, Amy could barely follow it. “Everything taken care of?”

Ain laughed dryly. “I think she’s going to live, little one.” Smiling as Leah flushed, Ain gave Amy one last nod, then headed toward the door. “I think the three of you have a few things to discuss. I’ll make sure you have some privacy for a few minutes.”

Leah waited for Ain to leave and the door to shut behind her before she crossed the room in three quick strides, winding up for a slap that cracked like thunder as Amy’s head jerked sharply to the side, then grabbed the lapels of the bathrobe and pulled her in for a desperate kiss that left her head spinning as she gasped for air when they finally broke away.

“Don’t you ever do that to us again!”

“Okay,” Amy whispered softly, reaching out to draw Leah in for a hug. “Okay, pup. I promise.” She gently ran a hand along Leah’s back. “All done now.”

Leah nodded, a few tears finally running down her cheeks as she stepped back. “You scared the life out of me—of us! We couldn’t help and it was miserable.”

Amy nodded again, wincing slightly at the bit of pain that caused. “I’m sorry, I just…I couldn’t make anyone else fight for me. Not after all that. Not after Lady had gone so far—done so much to be free of that bastard. It had to be me.”

She looked up at Amélie and saw the understanding in her eyes, and then down at the floor again. “I had the same kind of impulsive thing when I went and declared we’d form a pack, and I’m sorry about that. I know I didn’t ask really, but my blood was up and I wasn’t thinking, I just knew I wanted to keep you both safe and…”

She’d started to ramble when Amélie reached out and gently put a finger against her lips. “Shh. I am not upset, ma chérie.”

Leah nodded, coming up to loop a hand around Amélie’s waist. “Neither am I—not about that, at least.” She smiled. “I mean…with what we are to each other, what we want…why not?”

Amy found herself smiling. “No hesitation, then?”

Leah shook her head. “None at all, luv. This…it feels right.”

Amy nodded, then gave Amélie a look as she saw her golden eyes dancing with self-satisfaction. “Please don’t say it.”

Amélie just smirked. “I’m sure I don’t have to.”

Amy gave a little groan as Amélie stepped closer. “I recognize that look. It’s the I told you so-look.’“

Amélie chuckled softly as she put her arms around Amy’s neck, her voice dropping to a pleased murmur. “I wasn’t going to say it…”

Amy sighed and let her head fall against her chest. “But you did.”

Reaching out, Amélie took Leah’s hand and brought her into the hug, the two of them very carefully cradling Amy’s bruised and battered body between them. Amy sighed happily at the warmth of their comforting embrace, melting between them as Amélie tucked her head in, gently brushing her lips over Amy’s forehead.

When Amélie spoke again, her tender whisper was meant only for the three of them. “Our Alpha.”

* * * *

Amélie still needed to have her picture taken, and to provide some details to Elise for her registry documents, but Martin had been quite insistent anything else could wait a day or two, and everyone involved deserved a little time to recover before they dealt with any more paperwork.

After retrieving the items Amélie had left in the rooms where she had been detained overnight, they had settled into Oliver for the trip back to London, stopping at Martin’s home for a few minutes to retrieve the last of Amélie’s possessions.

“I suppose I could empty out my storage unit,” Amélie mused as they got back into the Rover. “I might even need to shop for a few more things.”

Amy didn’t look away from the road, but her smile was easy to spot in the rear-view mirror. “I think that could be fun. Maybe take a few days to decide what you’d like to look for, and we could go to the shops on Leah’s next day off?”

“Mm.” Amélie nodded absently, still turning over the pleasant idea of a home. “Should I keep a few things in the cabin?”

Leah shrugged. “I don’t see why not—I pack a bag sometimes, but I’ve left a few things there too, and you’ve seen how much Amy has in those closets.”

“In my defense,” Amy replied, “I just left a few things here, a few things there, and they all piled up.”

Amélie laughed softly, slipping into silence as they neared the apartment building where Amy and Leah lived, feeling more than a bit of excitement tinged with a bit of nervousness. She’d made a space for herself in the cabin, of course, but the cabin was by definition a much larger place than an apartment would be.

A little nagging doubt in the back of her mind worried about if the three of them could really live together there and be comfortable. If she could come into the home that Amy and Leah had made for themselves and find a way to fit.

When she’d gotten out of the Rover and pulled her bags out of the back, Amy and Leah were standing together with looks of slightly skittish excitement as she came back around the car, and for a moment Amélie wondered if she’d accidentally spoken her worries aloud.

There was a moment of silence, and then Leah grinned before nudging Amy with her elbow. “Well, go on…”

Amy gave Leah a little look before wincing theatrically. “I’m going, pup. No need to break my other ribs.”

Leah huffed and stuck out her tongue as Amy walked over, putting one hand in her pocket before she drew it back out with something in her closed fist.

“When you started staying at the cabin,” Amy said softly, “I gave you the spare key, and it sort of became yours over time. But we thought about it—how you’re coming into the city, and we want you to feel like this is your home too, not just a guest, so…” Amy extended her hand, opening it to reveal a brass-colored key resting on her palm.

“This is your key.”

Amélie reached out to take the key and held it in front of her, slowly turning it over in her hand, watching the play of light over the metal. She tried to put things into words, but when she opened her mouth, nothing seemed to come together. “I…you…this…”

The feeling of arms wrapping around her made warmth spread through her belly, and as her feet began to move automatically, she realized Amy and Leah were leading her out of the garage and toward the door to the flat.

Leah grinned as she nodded at the door. “Care to do the honors?”

The key slid home into the deadbolt, making a little scraping sound as it turned, and the door handle turned quite smoothly as Amélie opened the door.

Amy grinned as she stepped around her into the foyer, making a sweeping gesture toward the rooms within. “Welcome home, Lady. Would you care for a tour?”

Leah followed, slipping off the light coat she’d been wearing and hanging it on a hook before Amélie collected her key and finally walked in after them, slowly sweeping her gaze around the foyer before she pushed the door shut and turned the deadbolt.

“Oui,” she said as she turned back to Amy, and she felt a little thrill at the way both of her lovers straightened up and focused on her in response to her tone and choice of languages. “We can start in the bedroom, and not go anywhere else for quite some time.”

So that was exactly what they did.

* * * *

After a very emotional few days (and nights), lack of sleep all around, and the fact that Amy had fought a battle to the death earlier in the evening, all three of them wanted to revel in physical comfort, but also desperately needed to actually sleep. There had been tender kisses and a great deal of care and attention—particularly since Amélie and Leah took advantage of Amy needing their help to undress while her wounds finished healing—but all of them had understood that night was for recovery, not passion.

When sunlight began to stream into the bedroom, Amélie began to stir. For a moment she forgot where she was, and the unfamiliar ceiling and bed confused her. The familiar scents of Amy and Leah’s bodies around her kept her from panicking, but it took a few moments for her to understand where she was.

Leah had curled against her back, an arm around her waist, while she had instinctively slept with her body against Amy to protect the worst of the still healing wounds—the deep gash Patrice’s claws had put into her shoulder and back.

To her relief, Amy’s back was nearly entirely healed when she woke, the fresh scars still stark against her pale skin, but those would fade in time.

Amélie gently pressed a kiss to the raised skin, then slid carefully out of Leah’s embrace so she could use the bathroom. When she finished, part of her simply wanted to crawl back into bed and enjoy the warmth there, but she was struck by a sudden idea, and the more Amélie considered it, the more tempted she became.

She emerged from the bathroom in her wolf so that she could thoroughly investigate the bedroom, her nose flaring as she took in every little smell and scent. The stronger odors of the laundry pile. The way Amy’s scent was a bit stronger around the left side of the closet, and Leah’s by the dresser.

When she padded into the kitchen, she wasn’t surprised that Leah’s scent was the stronger one here. Amy wasn’t a bad cook at all, but from what Amy had told her about her work, it was clear that when she wasn’t brewing beer for the pub, she was in her office doing paperwork, and when she wasn’t in her office, she was working at the bar. Cooking would be the last thing on her mind when she got home.

Amélie took a lap through the living room, nosing open the closet door and finding the box of dog toys. Judging by the scents and teeth marks Amy preferred the heavy rubber squeaking toys, while Leah seemed to have a KONG toy she preferred.

A thick Nylabone stick was a bit too tempting for Amélie to pass up playing with it, but after she’d gnawed on it for a few minutes, she realized actual food was a very good idea. Impishly, she trotted back into the kitchen and examined the refrigerator door for a moment before carefully closing her jaw around the handle and tugging backward until the door swung open for her, and she gracefully dropped back to the floor and began to sniff at the shelves, until she found a package wrapped in white butcher paper, redolent with the aromas of smoke and curing salts: DBL SMK BACON 1.5KG.

She tore through the paper with a satisfied yip and had just begun chewing on a healthy mouthful of the uncooked meat, when the sound of a camera lens snapping made Amélie freeze, her eyes wide as her tail and ears stiffened in surprise.

Letting out a guilty little whine as she finished chewing and swallowing, Amélie turned to see Amy smirking at her, wiggling her phone in her hand while Leah shook with barely contained laughter, her hand over her mouth.

“Well,” Amy said slyly as she tucked her phone into her dressing gown’s pocket, “I suppose we did tell you to make yourself comfortable.”

* * * *

After everyone had gotten a shower and Leah cooked a proper breakfast, they had ended up in the living room, while Amy pulled her laptop from beneath the coffee table and flipped it open. “I don’t plan to do anything too strenuous today, but if we’re going to visit the council in the next day or two so Elise can take care of your papers, Lady, I thought we might as well have everything we’ll need to register our pack, too.”

Leah straightened up on the couch. “Oh, right. Any idea what kind of territory we’re going to have?”

Amy gave her a sly smile. “It so happens there’s a large area of unclaimed territory right here.”

Leah blinked in confusion for a moment, then frowned. “What, the whole neutral area? Would they let you do that?”

“Well…” Amy thought about her answer for a moment. “I intend the Howl to remain a neutral sanctuary, and Abigail’s clinic, too. But I would like the block or two between the pub and our building, and to formally note the land around the cabin is ours. With just three members, that’s enough territory to be respectable but not overwhelming, I think.”

Amélie cleared her throat delicately before she spoke up from the depths of the armchair she had claimed.

“If you think there could be controversy, better to make your claim now while the trial is still fresh in the council’s minds. They saw the way you fought for me—for us—and not only demonstrated your physical prowess, but your cunning. Knowing you can defeat a powerful opponent in combat, will give anyone who might object pause.”

“Huh.” Leah considered that, then nodded. “It’s a bit macho, honestly, but I can see it.”

Amy ducked her head. “Not that I want to find myself in single combat again any time soon, but if the thought helps keep objections down, I’ll take it.”

“Well, that’s sorted then.” Leah tapped her fingers. “So how about the name?”

Amy blushed. “I sort of like the Howlers. And honestly, I don’t know if I can think of a better one.”

“What,” Leah grinned. “Howling Bitches didn’t work for you?”

“I am not putting alpha of the Howling Bitches on every piece of paperwork I fill out for the rest of my life,” Amy replied dryly.

“No,” Amélie agreed with a little smirk. “Though in private…”

“Keep that up and that could be arranged, Lady.”

“Oooh, is that a promise, Amy?”

Amy chuckled. “Focus, pup.” Amy tapped at her laptop. “Now…the last thing they’ll want to see is our bylaws. I still have a copy of the Wodewose charter, but I don’t want to just dump it all into one document and change the names.”

“No reason we can’t start from there and make it ours, though.” Leah looked over to Amélie, who nodded in agreement, then held out her hand. “So, give us a look?”

Amy grinned as she turned the laptop around. “Exactly what I was hoping you’d say.”

Going over the pack bylaws ended up taking the rest of the morning and past lunch, but once they had finished, they were all pleased with the results.

Amy printed out a copy, saved another on a flash drive, and they all signed the hard copy and dated it for the council before Amy put it into a heavy manila envelope and sealed it up. “There. All sorted. Oh—Ashley texted me. He was wondering if we wanted to have a victory party at the pub tonight?”

Leah hummed. “I like the idea, but would tomorrow be okay?” She looked over at them and blushed. “I sort of want a little more time to just…get used to it all. Just us.”

Amélie settled on the couch with her, and gently drew her into a hug. “I think that sounds perfect, chérie.”

Leah sighed happily, relaxing into the embrace, and then shivered as she felt Amy’s lips brush the back of her neck.

“I quite agree…and as your alpha, frankly, I am very greedy and would like a little more time with the two of you all to myself.”

Leah chuckled as she melted into the increasingly bold touches, and in her opinion, things were going extremely well when there came a sudden banging on their balcony door, followed by a stream of very outraged Spanish.

“What the—I thought you were dying, I get on the f*****g w***e red eye, have to hunt like crazy to find your stupid phone because the network here is worth f****d, and I find you getting double-teamed on the f*****g couch?!”

Amélie had gone rigid beneath her hands, and Amy’s head had come up with her ears sticking up like fence posts, a warning growl rumbling from her throat.

Leah slowly pushed herself up to look out the window, grabbing her shirt off the floor in an attempt to cover herself, then looked back down at where Amélie’s face had gone from pale with shock to burning with embarrassment. “Lady? Why is there a very angry Spanish lady on our balcony?”

The blue and gray-haired woman stiffened and slapped her palms sharply against the glass.

“What?! No! ¡Soy Mexicana!”