He'd never been sick, and certainly not old, but he felt as weak as a centenarian with the flu trying to keep up with everyone else as they walked toward the old barn nearest the house Saturday morning.
Aiyana turned and caught him trying to catch his breath. "Are you sure you want to come Cliff? I promise I'll tell you what happens."
"I'm fine. Go ahead. I'll catch up." Talking cost him even more air. Stupid silver. His immune system was still going haywire.
She dropped back beside him. "There's no rush. The prisoners aren't going anywhere."
Easy for her to say. She wasn't the person making two alphas and a luna crawl across the yard like snails. Nate, of course, took her hand. The wolf inside his head growled. Nate seemed like a nice guy, but there was something about him he didn't like, probably because Aiyana liked him.
Inside the barn, dust danced in the rays of sunlight coming through cracks in the boards and turned the bits of straw scattered across the floor into thick strands of gold. Alpha Miguel led them across the scarred wooden floor to a set of steps in the back corner.
"My grandfather used to raise pigs in the lower part of the barn," he said as he led them down the narrow steps. "My mother didn't like the smell, so now we just use it for storage, and ... other things."
The barn** had been built on a hill to allow the pigs to exit out the back to a lower field. Where the pig pens had once been was filled with different bits and pieces of farming and gardening equipment including two riding lawn mowers and a rototiller. Behind the pens toward the upper part of the hill was a rough stone wall that looked like part of the foundation although it was probably under the middle of the main floor of the barn above. To the far left, the first three feet of the wall was made of wooden slats, but it didn't look like it would move. Alpha Miguel walked over to the wooden section and pulled the part along the wall toward him, revealing it was actually a door.
"This way."
The door led to a narrow space behind the foundation wall formed by the wall they'd just passed through on the right and what looked like an older foundation wall on the left. Except for a metal panel about half-way along the hallway wall, it was all stone. Alpha Miguel took off his sandal and stuck his foot into a hole on one side of the metal panel. The panel slid open revealing a large room with six metal cages.
"A lever?" Alpha Wayne asked.
"Foot scanner," Alpha Miguel grinned.
"Alpha," one of the two guards inside said.
"Mark. Anything to report?"
"No sir."
"Good. Cliff, why don't you take a seat. Aiyana, ask your questions."
Cliff dropped into one of the folding chairs next to an old, square card table in the middle of the room. It was still warm from whichever guard had been sitting in it when the door opened but he wasn't about to get back up. He wasn't sure he could. Aiyana headed for the center cage where a youngish man with a dark head of hair stood glaring. As soon as she stepped close though, the man's head lowered, although it didn't look like he wanted it to.
"Hi Colum. I'm Aiyana."
"Ah ken who ye are."
"Your father wants my letter opener back, but I would like to understand how it came into my possession before I give it to him. Can you tell me more about it?"
"Yer faither stole it."
"Why though? My dad was not a thief. He was an archaeologist."
"He was a thief."
"Why did your family have him assassinated then? You didn't know he'd taken the blade until recently. Why was he killed?"
Everyone in the room looked at her in surprise, including her aunt. "Aiyana."
Aiyana raised her hand to silence her aunt and Cliff felt a force roll across him. He wondered if Aiyana realized she was using it.
"He was ay' the red wolf line."
"So?"
"They are our enemies."
"Why?"
"They hae always bin."
"Always? No. At one time you ruled together. You are a black wolf, correct?"
"Och aye."
"Who were the white wolves? Did you kill them too?"
"Nae. They were allies. Vikings."
Nate's mother's head shifted. Did she understand what was going on? Cliff certainly didn't.
"So your ancestors and the Vikings overthrew the red wolves as leaders and took the dagger from them. Why?"
"Ah dunnae kin. It was a long time ago."
"And if I, as a red wolf, lay claim to the dagger of my ancestors, what would happen?"
"Ye would be queen."
"Queen!" her aunt gasped.
"Queen?" Aiyana asked. "Queen of what? Wolves don't have queens."
"Th' ancient Scots did. Powerful ones. When th' Brits fell to th' Romans we did nae."
"Why did your ancestors overthrow the red wolves then?"
"They had groon weak."
"No, your ancestors poisoned her."
"Aiyana, how do you know all this?" Alpha Miguel asked.
From where he sat he could just see the side of her face when she turned to speak to Alpha Miguel. Her eye shone in the dim light and he realized it wasn't just her human side that was present. "I saw it when I touched his head after we captured him."
"But that's...those kind of powers are just a myth," her Aunt said.
"Actually," Luna Salma spoke up, "There may be some truth behind that myth. My people also have stories about red wolves with great powers. One of my ancestors mentioned meeting one over a thousand years ago."
"What happened to her?" Aiyana asked.
Cliff had the impression that Aiyana was asking about the red wolf, but Luna Salma answered, "My ancestor? She lived a long and prosperous life. Her grandchildren were with the Vikings who traveled to the Americas around 1000 A. D. They eventually settled in the Yellowstone area."
"That's where 'at box came from," Colum said. He looked up but only far enough to gaze at Aiyana's chest. "Ye were wearin' her totem. Did ye ken she was a Viking witch?"
"It was just a necklace," Aiyana said.
"Nae. It is a symbol. It means ye are in service tae th' witch, unless ye killed her?"
"I'm not in service to anybody, nor did I kill someone. Did you take the box?"
"Och Aye, it's in our hotel room."
"Can you read the writing on it?"
"Nae," he dropped to his knees, "but ah will learn fur ye, mah banrigh, mah queen."
Aiyana backed away from the bars. "That won't be necessary."
"Please, let me serve ye."
Aiyana glanced back toward everyone with a worried look. Cliff couldn't see the man's face, but he couldn't imagine a future alpha was happy about bowing down to someone else. He didn't feel any more power coming from her, but maybe she was just using it on Colum. "Aiyana, was there anything else you wanted to ask Colum? I think we need to digest what we've heard," Alpha Wayne said.
"No, that's it for now."
"Wait, Alpha Miguel. I forgot," one of the guards held up a cell phone. "The man who shot Aiyana got a text message from someone with the initials AP this morning. It says 'call me'. Do you want us to call?"
"A.P?" Nate's mother mumbled.
Alpha Miguel took the phone from the guard and tapped the screen. "Not even locked. Here Cliff, you sound most like the guy. Put it on speaker and hit record before you start talking."
"Me?" He took the phone reluctantly.
"Try to get whoever it is to say her name or motive or anything we can use. Don't be too obvious," Alpha Miguel instructed.
"Sure."
"And if you screw it up we may never know who was behind this," Nate said.
Cliff thought he was teasing, but he wasn't sure.
"Right, no pressure. How do I record? Are you sure this phone can do that?"
Nate took the phone from him and hit a few buttons then handed it back to him. "I installed an app. It's running."
"How did you know it needed one? Do you record your calls?"
Nate shrugged.
"Here goes. I hope I don't need a secret password or something." He hit the dial button. It rang twice before he remembered to hit the speaker button. A woman answered on the third ring.
"What took you so long! I've been waiting for two hours. TWO HOURS!"
Nate's mother shifted, distracting him, and mouthed something to Alpha Miguel.
"Sorry," he said quickly, belatedly realizing the woman on the phone was waiting for him to speak.
"Darn right. Did you manage to hit the target this time?"
Should he say yes or no or play dumb? His eyes fell on Aiyana who was standing behind the alphas. She nodded. "Yes."
"Excellent. How?"
He thought of the bullet that had nearly killed Aiyana and wished he could use it on the woman. "Gun."
"Did you dispose of the body?"
Imagining Aiyana dead made him feel sick. "N...Yes," he said when he realized Aiyana was nodding.
"Good. I have another target for you. His name is Kobe Bass. I'm going to send you a picture. Look at it, memorize it, and delete it."
"It's not me!" one of the prisoners yelled.
"What was that?" the lady on the phone snapped.
"Some guy driving by," Cliff quickly lied.
"Where are you?"
"Sidewalk."
"Call me tomorrow or as soon as it's done."
"Sure."
"Sure? That's how you're responding to me now? Sure?"
"I'm sorry ma'am."
"Ma'am!!!"
"I mean..." Nate took the phone from him and hung up.
"Who was that?" Aiyana asked.
"Penelope Henderson, Sophia's mother," Luna Salma answered.
"Why would she target Kobe?" Aiyana asked.
"He's the boy who was kissing Sophia in the drive, right. The one with the green car?" Luna Salma asked.
"Yes, her mate."
Cliff hadn't met Sophia, but he'd heard Aiyana and Nate talking about her. She'd pretended to be Nate's mate until she met Kobe. He wished she'd been telling the truth.
"Where is he from? What role do his parents have in their pack?" Luna Salma asked.
"I think he's from somewhere near the Texas panhandle," Aiyana replied. "I don't know what his parents do, but his grandfather is the pack doctor. Kobe has wanted to be a doctor like his grandfather since he was three."
"That's the reason then. He's not good enough for her daughter. If her mate is killed and Nate's mate is killed then there's no reason they can't be together. Nate is my second son. She probably thinks he's going to be Beta."
"Is he not?" Alpha Wayne asked.
"My older son has already chosen one of his friends as Beta, but I'm sure Nate will have an important role."
She looked at Aiyana as she said it as if the role her son had would make a difference. She didn't know Aiyana very well if she thought that.
"That's awful. I can't believe a mother would kill her daughter's mate just because he wasn't what she expected," Aiyana said.
"Believe it. Nate, send that recording to your father. Alpha Miguel, I'm going to have my husband see to this. Trying the Portland Beta's mate for murder is not going to be an easy process, but with this evidence we should be able to prove her man is responsible for killing my nephew."
"Her man is also guilty of two attempted murders in my territory, and likely the murder of a human. I agree to let Alpha Edward take the lead in this, but I want to remain involved."
"Of course."
"Good, since I already have detectives pulling up the phone records and piecing together a timeline."
"You have detectives?" Alpha Wayne asked.
"Not me personally. Let's just say I have friends in law enforcement," Alpha Miguel grinned.
"If you all will excuse me, I'm going to call my husband," Luna Salma said.
"Can we make it a conference call?" Alpha Miguel asked, "or do you want to speak to him in private?"
"A conference call will be fine. Nate, you come too. Your dad might need help opening that recording." She rolled her eyes.
The three of them hurried away before Cliff could even push himself to a standing position. He felt like a pop-sickle - not because the barn was cold but because he was. Stupid silver. He didn't miss the way Nate squeezed Aiyana's fingers as he left nor the way she smiled after him. He remembered what it felt like to have someone look at him like that, but it hadn't lasted. That had been his fault too. He should have paid more attention to Kyli instead of his new friends at college and their beer and video games. Actually, no. It was better that they separated. He wasn't the right man for her.
"So, Queen Aiyana, what are you going to do with the dagger?" Alpha Wayne asked as they emerged slowly into the sunlight.
Alpha Wayne was teasing someone? Cliff almost looked to be sure it was him, but the warm sun caressing his freezing cheeks won out.
"Don't call me that and I don't know."
"All right, let's think it through."
Cliff barely kept his eyes from rolling. Think it through was one of Alpha Wayne's favorite sayings.
"Let's say you give it to them, what will happen?"
'Everything will be like it was before I suppose," Aiyana said.
"Wrong," Alpha Wayne barked. "Why, Cliff?"
His brain felt like a loaded truck trying to get started up a hill. After several moments he came up with, "They know about you now. They killed your father and probably your mother just because of his lineage. They'll try to kill you next."
"Maybe they won't once they realize I have no interest in being queen."
"You may not be interested," Alpha Wayne said kindly, "but your abilities mean you are a queen. You also need to consider your children and their children. Those kind of abilities can be passed down."
"And what about your father?" Aimee chimed in. "He must have taken the dagger for a reason."
"If he'd just left it where it was, this wouldn't be a problem now," Aiyana huffed.
"Perhaps, perhaps not," Alpha Wayne agreed. "Now let's explore what will happen if you keep it."
"They'll still want to kill me."
"Yes."
"I'll be queen, I'll never finish my degree, and I'll have to move to Scotland where everyone will want to kill me."
"Not so," Alpha Wayne said calmly. "You are a queen wherever you live and whether you have the dagger or not. That is inherent because of your abilities. You were born a queen, just like some wolves are born with the strength to be alphas. I don't know if the Scots would recognize you as their queen if you keep the dagger and stay here, but I don't think it matters. The important thing is that they, and by they I mean their entire pack, know you exist. I doubt the entire pack is agreeable to their leaders killing wolves in other countries just because they are related to wolves that were overthrown a thousand years ago. I do think you need a pack though, your own pack. You are a queen. You cannot hide that now that your powers have come in. I can feel how strong you are from here. Your pack will protect you."
"I can't just start up a pack."
"You don't have to. My pack is yours. I don't have any children to pass it down to and while I did have someone in mind to take over eventually, you outrank him. I don't think he'll mind though."
"Who?" Aiyana asked.
Alpha Wayne gave her one of his blank stares. After working with him for over a year, Cliff suspected it was his way of smiling, but he still wasn't sure.
"I'll tell you one day, maybe," Alpha Wayne said. "Now, since you are still recovering, you're going to stay here while your aunt and I will move your things to your apartment. Think about what I said. We can discuss it further over lunch when your aunt and I get back."
It was just him and Aiyana now. The pull he felt toward her was so strong it almost hurt, but he knew if he acted on it, it would only damage whatever relationship they had more.
"Are you okay? Do you want to go lay down," Aiyana asked him.
"Actually, what I'd like to do is phase and spread out on the grass in the sunshine for a while."
"You should ask Doc or Dr. Patel first."
"I know. Do you want to come with me? Remember how we used to lay on top of that hump over the cellar*** and call it a hill when we were pups?"
I remember, and I remember how you used to tease me that my fur was redder than the dirt and my legs were skinny like a colt's."
"That's because I liked you."
"You didn't always," she said, turning away.
He wanted to take her in his arms so badly, instead he settled for a brief touch to her elbow. "I'm sorry. I was an idiot. I never should have gotten involved with Kyli, but I didn't expect my mate to be in my own pack, and I'm sorry I was so awful to you on the class trip. I wasn't trying to hurt you. I was trying to keep myself from sitting next to you by distracting myself with Kyli. It wasn't working. The more upset you were, the more I felt you. Then you got into the peanuts and you left. I was worried, but relieved at the same time, especially when you didn't come back. I thought if I never saw you again Kyli and I would have a chance. We never did. The signs were already there, I just refused to see them."
I've been thinking a lot about your bond to me," she said.
His wolf perked up inside, "You have?"
"Yeah. Maybe you still feel it because I never rejected you the way you did me. Maybe if I said the words then you would be free too."
No, no, no. "Aiyana, I..." His windpipe felt like it was closing off. He struggled to pull in more air.
"Be calm Cliff." She let him to a patch of sunlight and helped him sit on the grass, then laid him back. "I'll get help."
The concern on her face gave him hope. He grabbed her hand before she could move away. "I'm okay. I just needed to relax I think. Sit with me."
She hesitated for a moment than sat criss-cross style on the grass beside him. His wolf wanted to curl up around her. He stared unseeing at the wispy white clouds in the bright sky for a moment while he tried to put together what he wanted to say. It probably wasn't the right time, but he didn't know when he'd get another chance to be alone with her. He took a deep breath and touched her knee. "Aiyana, I don't want you to break the bond. I want to try again. I want you to be my mate."
She looked toward the house and sighed. "Three years ago those words would have made me extremely happy, but I'm older and wiser now. I don't know why God chose you as my mate but I think maybe it was so I would focus on school. Since I'd already found you I knew there was no point in looking for a mate. Maybe Nate was supposed to be my mate all along."
"Are you sure? Maybe he's lying like Sophia was or maybe his mother is actually a witch and put a spell on him or you."
She pushed his hand away. "Don't be ridiculous, there's no such thing as spells. The only reason you are interested right now is because someone else is interested. You wouldn't want me if Nate wasn't here."
"That's not true, Aiyana. I was fighting to keep my wolf in check before I got here, even before I met Nate, ever since I broke the bond, actually," he realized. He had been a fool.
"It's just your wolf that wants me then, but I can fix that. Cliff, I release you from the mating bond. You are no longer my mate."
It hurt, not on the outside, but some spiritual part of him felt like it was being torn in two and his wolf was howling and crying in his head. His human eyes filled with tears and breathing became nearly impossible.
"I'm sorry Cliff, I'm sorry. I'll get someone. Hold on."
**Based on a real barn, although without the wolf prison.
***And a real cellar