CHAPTER 13 PACK PROPERTY
1196 Words
Kyra ran two blocks before her legs gave out and she had to stop, pressing her back against a brick wall while trying to catch her breath and keep Kade calm at the same time.
Her son was asking questions she couldn't answer and the fear clawing at her throat made it impossible to think straight.
"Mom, who was that lady?" Kade asked again. "Why did she say I was the pack’s property?"
"She was wrong," Kyra managed to say. "You're not property, you're a person, you're my son."
"But she said I'm the pack’s business," Kade said, his small face scrunched with confusion. "What does that mean?"
Kyra pulled him close and tried to figure out how to explain pack politics to a six-year-old who'd been raised human. "It means some people think they have rules about you because of who your father is," she said carefully. "But those rules don't apply to us."
"Because we don't live in a pack?" Kade asked.
"Because I won't let them take you," Kyra said fiercely. "No matter what anyone says, you're mine and nobody gets to claim you."
Kade hugged her tight and Kyra felt tears streaming down her face because Seraphina's words had confirmed her worst fear. The pack would see Kade as the alpha's heir, as something to be controlled and shaped according to their rules, and Ryker might not have the power to stop them even if he wanted to.
Her phone rang and she saw Ryker's name, but she sent it to voicemail. It rang again immediately and she turned off her phone completely, then flagged down a taxi to take them home. She couldn't go to work today, couldn't face the arena and the possibility of running into Seraphina or Ryker or anyone else who wanted to discuss her son's future like it was a business transaction.
Zara was pacing the apartment when they arrived. "I saw the texts from Marcus," she said immediately. "Are you okay? Is Kade okay?"
"She called him pack property," Kyra said numbly, sinking onto the couch. "She said he belongs to all of them as the alpha's heir."
"That's bullshit," Zara said. "He's six years old and he's been raised human, they can't just claim him."
"Can't they?" Kyra asked. "We don't know pack law, Zara, we don't know what rights they have or what Ryker can enforce."
"Then we find out," Zara said firmly. "We find a lawyer who understands this stuff and we figure out how to protect Kade legally."
"What if legal doesn't matter?" Kyra asked. "What if Ryker decides his pack comes first and he has to bring Kade back to territory for training and integration?"
"Then we run," Zara said. "We pack up and disappear before that happens."
Kade looked between them with wide eyes. "Are we leaving Portland?" he asked. "But I like my school and my friends."
"Nobody's leaving anywhere," Kyra said, even though she was already mentally cataloging what they'd need to take. "We're just talking about possibilities."
Someone knocked on the door and Kyra's heart jumped, but Zara checked the peephole and relaxed slightly. "It's Marcus," she said. "Not Ryker."
Kyra let her boss in and saw concern written all over his kind face. "I heard what happened at the diner," Marcus said. "Are you all okay?"
"Define okay," Kyra said tiredly. "Did you know pack law could claim jurisdiction over Kade?"
"I know wolves are territorial about their young," Marcus said carefully. "Especially alpha heirs, but I don't know specifics about Ryker's pack."
"She said he belongs to all of them," Kyra said. "Like he's communal property instead of my son."
"That's the traditional pack mentality," Marcus said. "The whole pack raises the alpha's children to ensure they're properly trained, but it doesn't usually mean taking them from their mother."
"Usually it doesn't mean it can't happen," Kyra said.
Marcus sat down across from her. "What do you want to do?" he asked. "Because if you want to run, I can help arrange that, but if you want to fight, I can help with that too."
"I don't know what I want," Kyra admitted. "I thought I could keep him safe by hiding him, but now everyone knows and I feel like I'm losing control."
"You're not losing control," Marcus said. "You're just facing a situation you weren't prepared for, but that doesn't mean you're powerless."
Kyra's phone buzzed with a text from an unknown number and she turned it back on reluctantly. The message made her blood run cold.
*This is Elder Malthos Greywind of the Nightrider Pack. We need to discuss your son's heritage and future. Please respond within 24 hours or we will assume you are denying his birthright and proceed accordingly. - MG*
"They're already contacting me," Kyra said, showing the message to Marcus and Zara. "The elders want to meet about Kade's future."
"Don't respond," Zara said immediately. "Don't give them anything they can use."
"But what if ignoring them makes it worse?" Kyra asked. "What if they use my silence as proof I'm unfit?"
Marcus took her phone and studied the message. "This is a power play," he said. "They're trying to intimidate you into compliance, but you don't have to meet with them unless you want to."
"What if Ryker told them to contact me?" Kyra asked.
"Then he's an even bigger asshole than I thought," Zara muttered.
Another text came through, this time from Ryker. *I didn't authorize the elders to contact you. Don't respond to them. I'm handling it. Please call me back so we can talk. - R*
"He says he's handling it," Kyra said.
"He also said Seraphina wouldn't find you at the diner," Zara pointed out. "His words don't mean much."
Kyra stood and moved to the window, looking out at the city that had been her safe haven for six years. "I need to talk to him," she said. "Face to face, with witnesses, and figure out exactly what his intentions are with Kade."
"That's dangerous," Marcus warned. "Putting yourself in a room with an alpha when you're vulnerable."
"I'm always going to be vulnerable where Ryker is concerned," Kyra said. "The mate bond makes sure of that, but I can't keep hiding from him when he has this much power over our son's future."
She picked up her phone and called Ryker, her hands shaking. He answered on the first ring.
"Kyra, thank god," he said. "Are you okay? Where are you?"
"I'm home and I got a message from your elders," Kyra said. "Want to explain why they're threatening me about Kade's birthright?"
"They acted without my permission," Ryker said immediately. "I'm dealing with it."
"How?" Kyra demanded. "By telling them to back off, or by bringing Kade back to pack territory like they want?"
"By making it clear that Kade stays with you," Ryker said firmly. "No pack business, no forced integration, no taking him from his mother."
"Can you actually enforce that?" Kyra asked. "Or are you just telling me what I want to hear?"
The silence on the other end told her everything. "It's complicated," Ryker finally said.
- Writer
