Protected Promise by Julie Trettel

Kaitlyn

Chapter 21

 

 

 

“That could take a while,” Tobi told me. “Anything you want to do or see since it’s just us girls?”

“Actually, there is. I heard there’s some old buildings on property. I would love to see some.”

“Sure. Landon and I used to sneak off and play in them all the time. His dad usually busted us, but since we weren’t really in any danger it was never that big a deal. Just a talking to. We got a lot of those growing up.”

“Knowing you both, I’m really not surprised,” I said with a laugh.

I helped clean up our table, despite Tobi trying to stop me. Pack Mothers cared for people, didn’t they? To be honest, Sawyer had never taken a mate, which meant I had never had a Pack Mother and had no clue what I was doing or what the expectations were.

I made a mental note to call Kelsey soon and discuss this new position I’d landed myself in before I did something really stupid or embarrassed Landon.

On our way out, Tobi’s mother called her over. I followed behind not knowing what else to do. She cut me the side eye, but I just smiled.

“Hi. It’s Connie, right? I’m Kaitlyn.”

“Mom, be nice. I told you, she’s my friend.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Kaitlyn. I’m Shawn, Tobi’s father. People around here take a little bit to warm up to newcomers. Don’t take it personally. Landon has done a fine job as Alpha and always puts the Pack first. I’m sure choosing you for a mate is no different.”

“They’re true mates, dad,” Tobi explained.

He smiled warmly. It was the first truly friendly face I’d seen since arriving. “Well now. Do you all hear this? Landon found his one true mate,” he said loud enough to catch the attention of the entire room as it quieted once again and all eyes turned to stare at me. “Connie and I are true mates. It’s a special bond that can never be severed. That certainly explains why he moved so quickly. That’s really the hardest part for all of us, but trust me, they’ll come around.”

“Thank you,” I mouthed to him as he reached out and squeezed my hand.

“So how is it you know my baby girl?”

“We went to college together. I just graduated.”

“Waste of money if you ask me, but Landon assures me it’ll be worth it for our Tobi.”

While the man’s words appeared crass, his pride in his daughter was evident.

Tobi rolled her eyes.

“Mom, what did you need?” she asked impatiently.

“I was just wondering what your plans were and if maybe we could have dinner this evening in our quarters.”

“Yes ma’am. I’m just going to take Kaitlyn on a tour around the place until Landon is freed up. We shouldn’t be gone long. Dinner sounds great.”

“Well then, that is all.”

Before another word could be spoken, Tobi linked arms with me and dragged me from the room. She didn’t speak until we were outside.

“Shawn and Connie Black. They are a true conundrum.”

“They seem sweet. You’re lucky to have them.”

“I suppose. They’ve verbally opposed everything I’d ever done in life while still being oddly supportive and maybe even proud.”

“Definitely proud. Despite his words, it was very evident in the warmth of them.”

She rolled her eyes. “Welcome to my life.”

“Do they like Jackson?”

“Pretty sure he hung the moon as far as my parents are concerned. It’s downright embarrassing. You’ll see.”

We walked along in amicable quiet for a while as I took in the beauty surrounding me. It was so peaceful. I had never seen anything so wild and untamed. It was a miracle any of them kept their humanity being out here. The forest called to my wolf like never before. I was completely in awe.

“It’s beautiful,” I whispered reverently.

“Isn’t it? You can see why those that pass through ask to stay. Though, we’re remote enough that it rarely happens. Pretty big change from what you’re used to, huh?”

“You could definitely say that.”

Longhorn wasn’t the largest pack, but it was a big one. The territory was spread across miles and miles of open fields with rolling hills. We had trees, but nothing like this. Even my time in California couldn’t have prepared me for this.

I closed my eyes and just listened. My inner wolf perked up enhancing the sounds around us. It was so quiet. A rolling brook, a nearby animal, something small scurrying up a tree, all the sounds of nature and nothing manmade for as far as I could hear.

I smiled feeling more at peace than I had ever felt before.

When I opened my eyes, Tobi was staring at me with a grin on her face. “I know Landon has been worried that it would be too isolated for you. You know, you’d get bored, hate it here, and want to leave.” She shrugged. “It’s not for everyone, but I can tell by the look on your face that you’re going to do just fine. This place gets into your soul and doesn’t let go.”

I hated hearing that Landon was worried about me. Why would I leave him? Where else would I go? If bonding myself to him wasn’t enough, I wasn’t sure what I could do or say that would help him worry less. I wasn’t going anywhere.

“I’ve only been here a few hours, and I really can’t imagine ever being anywhere else.”

“Come on, some of the cabins are just up ahead.”

As we got closer to our destination, I started hearing voices. A small wooden cabin came into view. It really wasn’t that small, probably a two or three bedroom if I had to guess, but it was dwarfed by its surroundings. There was smoke coming from the chimney.

Tobi froze. “That’s weird. Hey, who’s there?” she yelled out. “It’s been a long time since we had any squatters out here, though I remember this place being a lot more run-down last time I was here too.”

A girl stepped out on the front porch and glared at us.

“Who are you?” she asked.

“Who the hell are you?” Tobi countered.

Soon others emerged. There were seven women in all.

“Hey, I’m Cadence. Are you here for the Challenges too?”

My stomach dropped. Of course I knew they were here, but Landon was working on getting us exempt from the Challenges. I shouldn’t have come here.

“There aren’t going to be any challenges,” Tobi informed them.

I scowled at her. The last thing I needed was for her to provoke a pack of she-wolves hellbent on taking my pack position.

“How exactly do you figure? Challenges are tradition and our right,” the first girl asked as she tossed her curly brown hair over her shoulder.

“He found his true mate,” she blurted out.

“Tobi, be quiet,” I muttered under my breath.

Cadence sighed.

Another girl nodded. “He’s invoking the true mate clause other packs have been adhering to. I mean, good for him. We should probably pack up and get out of here then. I’m sure his new mate won’t be happy having us hanging around.”

“Shut up, Abby. There’s no such thing. It’s all just a myth used to scare off strong prospects,” the curly haired one said.

“I don’t think so, Mallory,” Cadence said. “It’s a real thing now.”

“Well, I’m not backing down. This is my chance to be a Pack Mother. I’m taking it.”

She jumped down and approached us. I could feel her aggression spiking. I didn’t dare make any sudden movements even though everything within me screamed to turn and run far away. My chin lifted in defiance, and I knew the second I did it that it was a mistake.

“You,” Mallory said.

“Her?” one of the other girls asked.

“Yes, it’s her. You’re Landon’s mate, aren’t you?”

I held my ground. “I am,” I confirmed.

Even to my own ears it sounded like a dare. I couldn’t take it back though. I could sense a threat and I was intuitively responding.

Tobi pushed me behind her protecting me from the girls.

“Oh look, she can’t even fight her own battles,” Mallory taunted me.

I let out a menacing growl of warning. She was too stupid to heed it.

“Has the Grand Council been informed?” one of the others stepped up and asked.

“Maria, no,” Abby said.

The girl gave me an eerie smile. “They haven’t. I can tell by the stupid look on her face. Jasmin, Clover, hold her down.”

“No way. I’m out.”

“Clover, you’re such a goody-goody,” Mallory said. “River, do it.”

The two girls approached me from opposite angles.

“I’ll hold them off. Run!” Tobi yelled.

My nose was flaring in anger. “I am Pack Mother. This is my territory, and I will defend it against all threats. Go get Landon and the others.”

Tobi just stood there in shock, staring at me.

“Go, Tobi!”

She didn’t hesitate this time as she took off running. Maybe that was dumb. I had no backup and was up against seven she-wolves all determined to take my position in the pack. I’d faced worse.

Maybe to some I appeared weak from all I’d been through. There was a part of me that wondered why I had allowed it to happen at all, but the truth was, I had been a kid. It hadn’t been my fault. Maybe it had taken me a long time to come to terms with that fact, but I knew in my heart it was true.

The one thing that nightmare had done was make me strong. I was a survivor. If I could survive my uncle, I could survive anything.

“This isn’t right,” Abby protested.

“I can’t stand here and watch this,” Clover said as she stormed back into the cabin. “You’re all crazy. This is going to end badly. I won’t be a part of it.”

“One down,” I taunted. “You all might want to reconsider this.”

“She’s right. This is going to end badly, for you,” Jasmin said.

“You’re outnumbered. You don’t stand a chance,” Maria added. “There are six of us, and only one of you.”

“Five,” Abby said. “I’m not doing this.”

“Me neither,” Cadence said. “This is wrong. There are rules to the Challenges.”

“They’re wrong, Cadence,” Mallory said. “Can’t you see that? They’re never going to give us a fair shot.”

“She’s his true mate,” Cadence argued.

“How can we be sure of that?” Mallory insisted.

“It’s true,” I said. “Landon is my one true mate.”

“Says you,” River snarled. “There’s still four of us. You’re as good as dead.”

Stall. I just needed to stall until help comes.

“And then what? So the four of you gang up on me and win, what happens next? You can’t all take my place as Pack Mother.”

“I’m going to be Pack Mother,” Jasmin announced.

“Like hell,” River said.

In a flurry of tempers, flesh turned to fur. The two wolves started to fight as they tumbled off of the porch and down to the ground. I kept my eyes on my remaining two threats while they were occupied.

The fight didn’t last long before a loud yelp was followed by the snap of a neck.

“River, no!” Maria screeched.

It was too late. Jasmin’s wolf laid still on the ground with River standing over her, blood dripping from her mouth.

“What have you done?” Mallory screeched. “You’re going to ruin it for all of us.”

“What? You did this. You made them believe this was a good idea, that they could just take whatever position they wanted. This is all your fault. You have to stop her.”

Mallory froze. “I only wanted a fair chance. That’s all, just a chance.”

Her eyes begged me to do something, but I could feel River’s wolf honing in on me. I couldn’t afford to let my guard down even for a second or I would end up just like Jasmin.

Maria came up behind the wolf and attempted to tackle her while still in human form. The wolf easily smacked her out of the way. Maria lay unconscious nearby, but I could hear the faint sound of her heartbeat.

River squared up with me. My plan had been to stay in human form for as long as possible. I knew help was on the way, but I didn’t know how long it would take them to get here. Before River attacked Maria, I thought my odds would be better with this plan, but now I wasn’t entirely sure.

My threat of multiple attacks had waned. Odds were in my favor that Mallory wasn’t going to join the attack. With the screeching from Maria, the other girls had returned so there were witnesses once again. That didn’t seem to matter to River though.

I refused to turn my back on her as she circled me, looking for weaknesses.

After three or four rounds, she lunged at me and bit into my thigh just missing my femoral artery. I grit my teeth and refused to cry out from the pain.

“River, are you insane?” Cadence screamed.

“Stop it!” Abby begged.

I could see it in the wolf’s eyes, she only saw red.

I had no choice but to fight back.

I let the shift happen as my clothes shred to pieces all around me. I roared. Attacking a human was against wolf code no matter the circumstance. It was clear River didn’t care and it was time to put her down. I didn’t relish killing anyone, but the need to protect my territory was nearly overpowering.

I didn’t know when Landon’s territory had become mine too, maybe it was part of the bond we created, but I knew there was nothing I wouldn’t do to protect our pack and that started right now.

I stayed low and kept my eyes on her as she continued to circle and dive in for quick jabs. I watched her pattern of movements, memorizing her weaknesses.

When she lunged, she leaned to the left leaving her neck slightly vulnerable on the right side.

Her motions changed as I knew they would. She was trying to throw me off her game, but I was ready for it.

When she shifted to the right, I leapt to the left and nipped at her hindquarters as she flew past me.

She yelped, having been caught off-guard.

I couldn’t risk getting cocky.

She dove in for a full body attack. I felt her claws scratch down my back as mine connected with her face blinding her in one eye.

She howled in pain and anger and stumbled backwards.

I could have gone right in for the kill, but I could hear the pounding of feet against the ground. Help was coming.

I had a slight moment of relief realizing I didn’t need to kill her after all. I was wrong.

River must have sensed them incoming as well because her fighting techniques were long gone. She moved like a wild beast and not an intelligent shifter. She seemed fueled by the scent of my blood from one of the scratches she’d landed.

Her one eye was wild and unfocused. She especially favored her left side because of it, even more so than she had originally.

When she growled and sprang into the air coming down on top of me, I knew I had to act quickly.

The second her neck was exposed to me, I went in for the kill and latched on hard. Still, she fought with every last bit of strength until the life fled from her.

My wolf stood back and howled.

The new arrivals had come to a skidding halt just as my wolf claimed her victory  and several howled back, showing me the ultimate respect.