Chapter Two--Why
995 Words
* * * Maximus * * *
She's awake.
My brothers mind-linked me at the same time. I already knew that she had arrived earlier in the small hours of the morning. Our father had already communicated it to us, but the time passed slowly--so slowly--as we waited for her to wake. I stood in the attached bathroom of my room. The steam from the shower had fogged up the window, but I knew beneath that fog was the reflection of a form that no female could resist. I hoped.
She is for us. The bond will be too powerful for her. It's bad enough with one--three will make it impossible.
Rhyel, my wolf, continued to reassure my unspoken concerns. He, like the wolves of my brothers, had been nearly intolerable since finding out that Kira was our mate. She had not yet changed, but her scent came to us just a week ago from an agent working for us within Black Wind--Alazar.
"It could be anyone," Alazar had insisted.
"See to it that you find which one it is," Father had commanded. That was all that was required. I left with Alazar and stayed in a safe house outside of Black Wind packlands--close enough that Alazar could come and go with a new scent. Eventually, I identified the one that had caused such a profound reaction within my brothers and myself.
Alazar had shaken his head.
"That's a hell of a match, Max," He'd said.
"Kira...Kira as in--"
"Damn right. We'll need to speak with your father about this. There's not a chance in hell that Kross will allow her to go. In fact, she'd likely flat out reject you without her father bidding her to do so," He explained.
The bad blood between our packs ran deep.
My father's word echoed in my head: We clawed our way to supremacy.
According to the stories, he and the other warriors had done just that. We were only thirteen--my brothers and I-- at the time and wolfless. Father and our Aunt Bex had waged war the moment Grandfather died. Tired of being second to Kross Knight, Father's pack descended on the Black Wind lands aided by two smaller packs that had come to agree with our leadership. The attack was unprecedented; Father and his warriors shredded and killed countless wolves. Some stories were so terrible, so gruesome that I had come to see him as someone entirely different.
He had done things I could never do and, for that, he saw me as a liability. Weakness, he called it. I wasn't willing to do whatever it took to protect our pack.
The story never seemed to include the threat of danger in any of the versions I'd heard.
Hurry the f**k up, Max.
Jaxon this time.
I'm coming. Just got out of the shower. Meet in the kitchen in five.
No response
She's ours, Maximus. There is nothing to fear. She can't feel the bond yet, but her shift is near--perhaps another night or two. The bond will be undeniable then. It's bad enough with just one. Three will be impossible to resist.
Rhyel reassured me, yet again. He was so confident that this would work.
How long could it work with her in the dark?
* * * Kira * * *
"You must be famished. You slept for so long. The ride must have been so tiring," Bex said as she led me down the corridor. I had changed into a pair of wide-legged purple trousers and a white silk shirt pulled from my bag. I didn't even remember packing a bag, so it must have been done for me.
"Yes, I am quite hungry. Though I must admit that I don't feel comfortable eating anything prepared by Cold Moon hands. They're already so dirty from this kidnapping," I said stiffly. Bex gave me a side eye, but said nothing else. The only sound was the quiet click of her heels as we rounded the corner to a set of stairs that wound down in a spiral to the floor below.
"The mansion is divided into four sections. The East Wing is where most of the resident bedrooms are located, the West Wing belongs to pack officials for business and guests. The lower level is where our kitchens are located, and the upper level is, well it's mostly storage," She gave a short laugh.
I knew of Bex Price. I had heard enough stories of her savagery to be wary of this act she put on for me. She was at her brother's side for the entirety of the war. As the story went, she had helped kill my mother. Every part of my body yearned to take revenge and rip her apart, but I had no wolf. Not until tonight. Did they know that? Did they do their research when they took me here? Surely, it couldn't have been my father.
"I don't plan on doing much exploring," I said in an icy voice. Again, Bex seemed to disregard my comments. We descended further on the stairs past the floor we had made it to. Deeper into the depths of the mansion was the kitchen--the next location.
"We just want you to be comfortable here," Bex said as we stopped before two double doors. She pushed through them to reveal a sprawling kitchen that could easily feed an army. Standing at one of the center islands were three men--identical--all towering and muscular and peering at me from their spot. They were beautiful--statuesque. It hardly seemed possible that they could look so perfect. Identical in their physical traits, but different in other ways: their expressions, the way they carried themselves, the expressions in their eyes. If I could have slapped myself without looking like a fool, I would have.
"Kira, I'm so sorry. They weren't supposed to be introduced until you--"
"Mate!" They all shouted at once before they descended on me.
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