Discovery of a Queen by Elizabeth Brown

Chapter Seven

Caleb and I stay in the Rockies until all of our people, as well as those from the Rocky Mountain Pack, are safely on my pack’s land. It’s devastating to see an entire pack almost wiped out and needing to relocate. Devastating and infuriating. I want to hunt Malick down and fuck his day up. My dragon roars in agreement. We’re both still riding high on our protective instincts right now, and it’s difficult to fight the urge to shift, take to the skies, and hunt. But it was made abundantly clear that I need to get my shit together before I engage Malick again. What happened on the summit of that mountain was embarrassing.

We’re used to hiding, not fighting.My dragon gently brushes against my mind, attempting to soothe me.

Yeah, well, it was pathetic.I realize I sound like a petulant child, but after the ass-kicking I just received, I could use a good sulk.

We will train, practice, and get stronger. She sounds as though she thinks I’m brain damaged. I huff and push her aside for the moment.

Now that we’re back on my territory, my eyes find their way to Caleb, who is still bloody naked. Now that the demons are gone, lust surges through my veins, and it takes every ounce of strength I possess to keep myself from clinging to him as if I’m a damn spider monkey. Also pathetic. My dragon chuckles softly, a whole lot less upset about this turn of events than I am.

He is a worthy mate.

He thinks with his penis.

It’s a nice penis.

I…Well…I can’t argue with that. It is a nice penis.

I shake my head. That’s not the point. He’s the damn Council. We are not cozying up to the Council.

My internal debate with my dragon is interrupted when Olivia walks up, giving Caleb the stink eye. Bless. She studies the dragon shifter for a moment, her eyes slowly bouncing between the two of us.

“Alpha.” She nods her head in Caleb’s direction before turning to me, effectively telling Caleb she’s my badass bitch, not his. It’s childish of me, but I want to stick my tongue out at him in victory. “Ayla, we’ve been able to get everyone settled either in houses around town or in the infirmary. Thankfully the healers were able to do a lot on scene, so we aren’t overrun.”

“Great. How many are seriously injured?”

“Around a thousand.” Not as bad as I thought, but also not a number to laugh at.

“Do we have any idea how many made it through the portal? There were a lot of dead.” I feel like I’ve failed them. I didn’t kill Malick. I was weak. I amweak.

“Not yet. There was a lot of chaos once the demons vanished. But…” Her eyes go to Caleb again. “It looks like the alpha of the Rocky Mountain Pack is dead. We haven’t been able to find him.”

Caleb’s face is grim when he responds, “We can send a wolf back to the Rockies. I can provide them with a scent pattern to see if they can find the body.”

“Yes, Alpha.” Olivia’s eyes slide back to mine. “The beta is asking if they’ll be absorbed into the New England Pack. They would feel safer under the eye of a queen.” Caleb looks like he wants to argue, but I hold up my hand to stop him.

“I think it’s best we give it some time before we make any sort of decision. Right now, everyone is in shock. We still need to go back to identify and bury the dead. I don’t want to entertain discussions about a merger until we’ve been able to heal everyone and respect our dead.” A low growl rumbles out of Caleb and I roll my eyes.

“What Alpha McInnes meant—” Caleb starts, and I whirl, glaring daggers at him.

“Did I stutter? No? Okay then. I was pretty damn clear, Alpha. I don’t want to get into this with my beta here because it’s between you and me, but know this…” I walk up to him and jab him in the chest with my index finger. “Those shifters have every right to determine how they want to move forward. Just because you have a god complex doesn’t mean you get to tell them how they are supposed to feel safe.”

“I am the Alpha of the Council, that’s exactly what it means.”

“Wrong. That completely invalidates their feelings and puts you in the position of dictator, not alpha. You can give them options, but you have no right to tell them how they’re supposed to feel. If any of them want to join my pack after we’ve settled things a bit more, you’re not going to stop them.”

He raises his eyebrow. “I’m not?”

“Fuck no.”

“You realize I have the authority to remove you as Alpha of the New England Pack and bring you back to the U.K. with the Council, right?”

I throw my head back and laugh. I’m clutching my side as my laughter subsides when I state, “Oh, you were serious?” I blatantly roll my eyes at him before turning and walking away. Olivia walks next to me.

“He’s just gaping at you like you have about a thousand heads,” Olivia whispers, laughter dancing in her voice.

“Good. I don’t take orders from him. I’ll work with him because it’s in our best interest, but I’m a queen. I outrank him.” Olivia nods thoughtfully, a smirk slowly spreading across her face.

* * *

I makerounds to everyone who’s been injured and ensure that the witches who are healing everyone have everything they need, including a schedule to rest, eat, and get water. They won’t be able to help anyone if they collapse. They’re instructed to rotate to keep everything running as needed. For the most part, there aren’t any extremely serious healings that need to happen, since we were able to have our faster healers tackle those injuries on the field. Still, there were too many deaths. Those are my next priority.

It feels like weeks have passed since I got the initial call from Caleb that the Council was coming to visit. But it was only last night. What time is it? I’m not sure I even know what day it is anymore. Was it only last night I got the call? Has more time gone by? I’m honestly not certain. So many things that need to get done are rattling around in my brain, I can’t concentrate on menial things like time.

“Olivia,” I call.

“Ayla, what can I help with?”At least she doesn’t sound as exhausted as I’m sure she feels.

“I need to talk to the beta of the Rocky Mountain Pack. We need to coordinate going back for the dead.”

“On it. When do you want to do this?”

“Right away.” There’s a long pause, and I think she’s gone to talk to Caleb and the Rocky Mountain beta. “When was the last time you ate? Or had water?”

“I—”

“I’m on it, Olivia. Get everyone in Ayla’s sitting room. I’ll have food and water brought up,” Kelly says through our bond. There are too many voices in my head. I massage my temples and try to think.

Shut down the pack and coven links. Only allow Olivia and Kelly in. It will help.My dragon tries to soothe me, but hearing her only serves to frustrate me more. I have so much to do, there isn’t time to sit down and eat. I need to be walking and talking. We need to ensure a respectful send-off for the dead, discuss the Rocky Mountain Pack’s plans, figure out what to do with everyone while they’re here, ensure deliberations go well with the Council, and I need to get my ass together so I can go hunt that fucker, Malick, down. What happened on that battlefield was a disaster. I could have gotten both myself and Caleb killed. If the barrier hadn’t come down, we’d both be dead.

Calm. My dragon’s firm demand rings in my head, causing me to wince. You need to remain calm. Just like the witches, you’re no good to anyone running on empty. Right now, just tackle meeting with Caleb and the Rocky Mountain beta. That’s all that needs to be settled right at this moment. And eat. We can’t get weak. She has me there.

Fine. I head for my sitting room. It’s a small room that’s directly across the hall from my bedroom. I flick my hand at the fireplace and fire roars to life. While it’s the middle of the summer, my dragon and I both need the heat, it’ll help me settle.

“That’s handy.” Caleb’s comment drifts from the corner of the room and I jump.

“It is,” I reply blandly, trying to cover up my startle and subsequent flash of lust over his close proximity.

“Look, Ayla.” He steps out of the corner and comes over to me. I back away, but he simply corners me against the closed door, bringing both of his arms to either side of my body. “We’re going to need to talk about things.”

I carefully smooth out my expression before replying, “I’m not sure what you mean.”

His chest is pressed up against mine when he growls, and I can feel the vibrations down to my toes. It causes pleasure to fly through my body, heat pooling between my legs. He takes a deep breath, his eyes flickering to his dragon’s.

“Don’t play stupid.” His dragon’s voice rumbles with his, causing me to shudder as I attempt to avoid rolling my hips against his. “We both feel the heat.”

“No.” I state firmly. “We don’t.”

A dark chuckle leaves him as he leans in to sniff my neck. “Liar.” I hate that he’s right. My dragon purrs low in my throat, catching me off guard. “At least your dragon isn’t trying to ignore what’s going on.” He’s got a smug smile on his face, and I can’t decide if I want to smack or kiss it off.

“Just because I find you physically appealing—”

“We. Are. Mates.” There’s a threat in his tone, daring me to deny what we are to each other. But that’s what I have every intention of doing. I won’t belong to the Alpha of all alphas, and over my dead body will I go with the Council.

“We aren’t anything.”

There’s a soft knock on the door, but Caleb doesn’t move. I glare up at him. If this is a dominance struggle, I’m happy to sit here all damn day.

“I can smell how I affect you, Ayla.”

“That doesn’t mean we’re mates.”

A low rumble rolls through his chest, vibrating my chest and causing more liquid heat to flash through my veins. He leans in to smell my neck again, staying there. “Your scent lies, queen.” He lightly rolls his hips across mine, letting me feel how hard he is.

A part of me preens. My dragon is also thrilled that we’ve aroused our mate. No. Keep it in your damn pants.

But his nice penis…

Doesn’t play into this. Shut. Up.An image of his nice penis flashes through my head and my hips involuntarily arch against his. Damn it. Bad body. Stop it.

“Uh, guys?” a male calls through the door, and Caleb lets out a threatening snarl, which causes me to roll my eyes. “Sorry to interrupt, but we’re all waiting to sit down and talk.”

My eyebrow shoots up at Caleb. He looks as though he’s struggling not to punch whoever is outside the door. Ah, blue balls.

“We are not done here.”

“Yeah,” I scoff, “okay.” He glares at me but moves back to his corner. I take a seat as far away from him as possible. He shoots me a satisfied smirk. Dick. My dragon perks up.

Dick? Are we getting dick?

For the love of—No!

But…Why?

Seriously? Fucking seriously? I can sense my dragon pouting, and I want to strangle her.

Kelly, Olivia, and three men enter the room. I study all three intently. Two are shifters, and the third is a witch. Interesting. One of the shifters, while tall, is not nearly as tall as Caleb and the other shifter that approaches him, they’re small mountains. The shorter male smells of leopard, which is rare. He has short, light brown hair and brown eyes. There’s nothing especially remarkable about him aside from his shifter, which means he’s lethal.

“He’s the beta of the Rocky Mountain Pack. Patrick,” Olivia provides.Damn, clearly I hadn’t shut down the pack link.

“Who are the other two?”I broadcast this to both Olivia and Kelly.

It’s Kelly who answers, “Connor and Malcolm, they’re with the Council. Connor is the blond and Malcolm is the brunette.” I raise my eyebrows. Connor, the blond, is dressed in a three-piece suit and what smells like handmade leather shoes. While his hair is on the longer side, it’s pulled back in a stylish manbun that draws the eye to his ice-blue eyes. His face is freshly shaven, which is rare for a shifter male, especially a wolf. But—I inhale deeply—he’s a dire wolf? Also rare. Malcolm, on the other hand, has hair down to his shoulders and is dressed like a stereotypical hipster, complete with large-rimmed glasses over his dark brown eyes. His beard is trimmed close to his face. I would have figured the wolf to be the disheveled hipster, not the witch. Rock on.

“They insisted on sitting in.”Olivia sounds annoyed, which has me fighting a smile.

“Why don’t we all sit, gentlemen?” I gesture to the sofas opposite the chair I’m sitting in. Kelly, who placed a large tray of food on the coffee table in front of me, is sitting on the loveseat next to me with Olivia. Patrick, Connor, and Malcolm all sit, but Caleb remains standing in his corner, eyes fixed on me. I’m painfully aware of his gaze despite studiously avoiding looking in his direction. Patrick eagerly leans forward, placing his elbows on his knees.

“My pack, those of us who are healthy enough anyway, have all decided we would like to join your pack, my queen.” Caleb grunts at that. “It was miraculous seeing you over the battlefield, my lady.” He stops when I hold up a hand.

“Please, there’s no need to call me ‘queen’ or ‘my lady,’ just Ayla is fine.”

“B-But,” he stammers, “you’re not just anything! You are a queen, a powerful alpha.” Way to make this hella awkward, dude.

“I understand, Patrick.” He beams when I say his name. “But I would much rather you call me by my name. All of my community does.” I smile at him and he nods.

“Yes, my—Ayla.”

“The Council doesn’t think you should join with the New England Pack,” Caleb calls gruffly from the corner he’s occupying. I finally turn toward him.

“Please, Alpha, tell us why this is a Council matter to begin with.” My tone has the tenor of someone talking to an internet troll.

“All pack matters are Council matters, Alpha.” It’s Connor who answers, and he has a genuine smile on his face, so I give him one of my own. “I understand that you might not be aware of Council policy, but we do make it a point to know and monitor when packs merge. We do the same for covens and nests.” So shifters aren’t the only ones being monitored by the Council, witches and vampires are watched too. While it makes sense, the queens had never tried to have this sort of hold over the different species. It doesn’t sit well with me.

“I can certainly appreciate that,” I respond, “However, wouldn’t you agree that the wishes of the individual shifters should be honored? Unless you feel the New England Pack does not have sufficient space, resources, or anything else that would prevent the Rocky Mountain Pack from joining our community.”

“You see,” Malcolm begins, “with a legion of demons headed by an archdemon on the loose, especially one that has already attacked the Rocky Mountain Pack, it would be safer for the pack to join with the Council.” Enter lawyer Ayla.

“I would argue the exact opposite. Based on Jonas’s memories” —I don’t miss the sharp look Connor and Malcolm share— “the legion didn’t attack until after the Council arrived on Rocky Mountain territory. Had they wanted to attack the pack, they would have done so before the Council arrived, it would have been far easier that way. No offense.” I throw the last part out to Patrick, but he merely nods in agreement. “Therefore, it certainly wouldn’t be safer with the Council, as they are the true targets of the legion. And let’s address the elephant in the room, shall we? The pack is far safer here in an integrated community headed by a queen than they are with you.” I make sure to use my best condescending tone.

“It remains to be seen if you will be staying here, Alpha.” Caleb’s timbre is low and dangerous, hinting at his dragon.

“How so?” The entire room stills. Everyone’s eyes ping-pong between the two of us.

“You belong to me,” his hisses. The flames in the fireplace flare, turning from red to blue as I struggle to control my anger. My dragon roars in my head. While she might agree with Caleb that we’re mates, she does not like the word “belong.” We don’t “belong” to anyone. Period.

“Come again?” I ask sweetly. Kelly and Olivia tense next to me, well aware of the danger that tone indicates.

His voice is all dragon when he replies, “You. Belong. To. Me.”