What is it?
I link Colton immediately, feeling his own rise in stress levels and knowing this is something I NEED to be told. He hesitates slightly, that raise in his heartbeat has me all wide eyes and I sit stiffly to eyeball him from my lower position.
“We had new incoming before dawn. Runaways from the mountain. We put them in the guest wing in a room for now, but they brought some news about how things are over there, and we don’t quite know what to believe.” Colton stares over my head at Meadow and I catch the communication glance. Something neither is wanting to say out loud, but they are both so obvious it’s painful.
“Is it bad? What is it?” I blurt out, instantly anxious, nerves rising into panic and Colton tightens his arm around me, leaning in to nuzzle against my temple.
“It’s Carmen ….. She arrived here with her mom this morning, minus their father.” He pauses, waiting for my reaction and I tense all over. My heart lurches into my stomach and my heartbeat seems to thump through my brain as my throat runs dry.
It’s not like I have anything to worry about when it comes to Carmen, it’s just I hate her, and our history isn’t great. She’s his ex-lover, ex almost mate, and I almost lost him to her, thinking he marked her months ago. I know I shouldn’t feel anything, but it’s complicated with our history and my green-eyed side shows face. Jealousy consuming me almost in a nanosecond as my body is engulfed in heat and anger. Carmen is a prize bitch and in no way a person I will ever like.
“Send her to go find somewhere else to hide. She chose to stay and now what, we’re conveniently here when it goes to shit.!” I attempt to pull away, hackles rising but Colton holds me tight and doesn’t relent. Keeping me lassoed in his embrace and persistent with his hug so I can’t get away from him. He knows how to handle me when I flare up and he doesn’t let go or shift in any way to give me a slight chance of dodging his grip. He knows I may self-combust if I am let loose to pace and rant.
“I did think about it, trust me, I did. She’s not the main issue and I can’t throw her mom out. She never did anything wrong…. Lorey, it’s not about her. My dad has the mountain in chaos, the people are suffering ….” Colton tries to soothe but I butt in angrily.
“What about her dad? Isn’t he Juan’s second in command? Won’t he come looking for her and put our people in danger!” I huff impatiently, grinding out words from clenched teeth, knowing I am being stupid over this, but it wasn’t exactly what I was expecting to walk into. She just killed the rest of my mood in one fell swoop.
“She said that’s the reason they left. The wolves have somehow gained access to our memory shares and are passing them through the mountain. All of it…. what he did to your family, my mom, everything. They are starting to see him for what he really is, and Tawna couldn’t stay by the side of a mate who betrayed the people and supported an alpha who murders his own. They are here for our protection, not our judgement.” Colton’s stern tone, just a step away from his alpha gift and I glare at him with a threatening dare to ever use that on me. He frowns at me and seems to recoil his commandeering vibe a little, knowing only full well I will erupt if he tries to control me.
“Juan is losing control; the mountain is weak and that leaves the rest of our people weaker. He’s so focused on trying to keep the ones that are left, he’s ignoring the threat of the Vamps. Their attacks are as frequent as ours and they’ve lost many from his carelessness.” Meadow pipes in sorrowfully, pulling my heated rage towards her genuine angst-ridden expression and it completely sobers my mood. Her care for those people mirrors my own instinct as Luna to want to help them. The thought of the wolves trusting him to keep them safe and yet dying at his hand’s tugs at my stomach and heart and cools my jealous pang almost immediately. As Luna of my people, their care and protection are my goal in life, and it pains me to think of the vulnerable left behind who are afraid every second. I know what living as a possession under Juan’s rule is like.
“She said he’s locking them down like it’s a prison camp and any who get caught trying to leave are punished severely. We’re talking beat downs in the isolation tank, torture…. He’s unhinged and he’s forcing them to stay with him.” Radar is the one to add fuel to the fire with his snarly tone, rage obvious in his words, and I shake my head in disbelief.
“We always knew he would use any means to retain power.” I nod sadly and try not to picture how many children and femmes we left there to be controlled and abused by them.
“More are coming this way; we gain every couple of weeks, and we won’t have the space to keep them all if it carries on. Now we’re limited to the rune boundary we can’t expand outwards further unless Rema Santo knows how to apply protection beyond the boundaries. The village is full, the house is once again filling as newcomers are faster than our ability to build. He will be sat with an empty mountain, while we’re crammed in here unable to breathe.” Matteo is the one to bring this detail to light, standing as he moves closer and perches on the back of Domi’s seat as Colton sighs heavily.
“We can’t turn them away. Fractured pack or not, those are our people. By right’s, I’m their alpha, it’s my job to care for them even if circumstance made them stay behind. We have to find a way to accommodate them and hope more come out before it’s too late.”
“If the mountain is weaker, and Juan has lost control, then why don’t we just take it back? We are strong, our warriors are many. He lost majority of the sub packs when we left and they’re no match.” Melody stands up, that stubborn jut of her chin and eyes alight with the fire to fight. These past months, the frequent attacks have brought out a ruthlessness in our fighters, a fearless need to take action. Meadow has been a huge asset to the fight against the invaders and we all have tried to ignore the urge to go home and take back what is ours for so many months.
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