CeCe
The bed is cold. Without opening my eyes, I know Gavin isn't here. I'm never cold when my mate is with me. Opening my eyes, I take in the thin stream of weak morning light coming in through the crack in the thick window coverings. I stand up and cross to the window to peek outside.
The world is awash in pink and grey. It looks like a snowstorm will be coming soon. It's early, but any sleepiness has vanished with Gavin's absence. Where is my mate? I wash myself in the cool water in the attached washroom without bothering to heat it and hurry to dress. Shivering, I pull on a few extra layers. I can always take them off if I get too hot.
My she-wolf wakes up more slowly than I do. Sniffing the air tentatively, her ears prick forward, listening for the deep tread of males in the hallway. When she hears nothing, I slip my feet into the too-large boots and leave.
The lodge house is quiet, except for the faint sniffling of a small pup. "Salvatore?" I call for him quietly.
"Ceely?" Salvatore pokes his head out of his room. A few tears coat his eyelashes. "Grandfather isn't here," he whimpers.
I frown internally. Where are those two? Why would they leave Salvatore here without anyone? This pup isn't ever alone. No wonder he's nervous.
"I have to wash, but I don't know how to work the sink," he whispers. I hear a tinge of fear in his voice. He was afraid of being unclean in the Knowing, too.
"I'll help you," I offer. I enter Tivo's old room with not just a little dread. It smells overwhelmingly of the king, but underneath is still that stench of Amber and Tivo. I rush to the tub and pump the hand lever until the water pours out. "Here, it's not warm, but you can just-"
Salvatore dunks his naked body into the big tub despite the small amount of water. He hisses in a breath at the shock of cold water but scrubs himself down resolutely. I feel nauseous watching him. Why is this pup afraid of being dirty?
"Alright, Salvatore, that's good," I say softly when he starts to shiver. I hurry to the trunk the king brought and yank out a set of smaller clothes, socks, thermal underwear, a pair of flannel pants and a matching shirt. Salvatore has everything he might need up here as winter sets in. He dries quickly and yanks on the clothes almost as quickly as I hand them to him.
"I'm dressed," he announces.
"Do you want some breakfast?" I ask him.
"No," he replies simply. "Can we explore?"
A terrible idea occurs to me. An irresponsible, horrible, completely awful idea.
We can explore. I can find the females that Gavin's elite are Claiming, or trying to Claim. All of them, because what are the chances that there are only three? As far as I know, Gavin's elite have never so throughly taken over an entire pack before. This is an opportunity for these MateLess males to find females.
"Alright," I agree with Salvatore. "Let's go explore."
We bypass the main hall by sneaking back to the alpha's room. In the very back, Alpha Tilain had another exit. Every other room had to exit through the main hall, but not the alpha and luna.
Salvatore and I step out into the cold morning just as the first rays of sun peek over the treeline on the mountains.
"Where is Da and Grandfather?"
"I'm not sure," I admit. "Maybe we'll find them as we explore."
"Let's not try to find them, alright?" Salvatore says wisely.
I can't fight the slight smile on my face. "Alright." I hold his hand as we walk away from the main lodge house. I show Salvatore the main square, but the red stains on the ground and the thin layer of ash on the street make us both hurry away. "That used to be the school," I point out the half-burned building.
Salvatore looks over it with a solemn look on his face. "Are you sad your school is gone?"
I hesitate before answering, "I didn't really spend much time there. I had to work," I explain.
"Oh."
"Um... that's the clinic." It's intact, and the windows glow with a soft yellow light. I look at the building, thinking that maybe that's a good place to start looking for the females.
"Princess?" a hard voice makes me jolt. With a start, I look around widely for Hilaria before realizing that I am the one being addressed.
The male rises from his post on Kyla's porch. He is fully nude, telling me that he just shifted back to feet. A pang of guilt hits me. He must have been sleeping outside on paws. Kyla hasn't forgiven him, yet.
"Nyel," I greet the male as Salvatore lets out a tiny growl.
Nyel ignores the pup's warning as he snatches a pair of pants and yanks them on before jogging over. I'm cold just looking at him. Nyel's eyes examine the area around Salvatore and me. "Where are your guards?" he asks.
The Knowing nudges me. "We're looking for the MoonGlist females," I reply without answering his question.
Nyel clearly doesn't fall for my ploy, but he plays along. "What females, Princess?"
"Um... the females that Gavin's elite are Claiming."
Nyel's eyebrows shoot up as he processes my words. "Princess," he says slowly, "the newly Claimed females are kept at the dens of their males."
Kept. Not that they live there, they're kept. Of course they are. Divide and conquer. I feel a burn of fury at the thought. They've isolated those females, just like I was. Well, I guess Gavin's elite learned that strategy from the best.
The Knowing didn't really happen, CeCe, I remind myself. But it's so real and with so many coinicidences. I know the pain of being alone while surrounded by a pack, only to be even more alone as my mate locks me away. "I want to see them. Now, Nyel," I demand.
Nyel, to my shock, nods. "Kyla first?" he asks.
"No," I decide quickly. Nyel may leave me alone with her and I can't be sure that he won't take the first opportunity to go tattle to Gavin. "I want to see Amya. She's mated to Peter?"
"Pietr," Nyel corrects me with a slight nod. "This way, Princess."
I follow him, still clutching a silent Salvatore's hand in mine. Nyel leads us past the burnt-out school to one of the dirt side alleys of the village. It's a relief to walk away from the obvious destruction and Salvatore and I both step quickly. The small cottage he takes me to is up a slight rise, overlooking the meat house. As we crest the hill and step up on the porch, I see smoke curling up from the smokehouse. Odd. Why would Gavin need to prepare more meat? I feel that we won't be here when winter truly sets in.
It starts to snow as Nyel knocks firmly on the door. Amya swings it open quickly, and without even looking at Nyel, tells me to come inside, "hurry, Princess."
I walk inside with Salvatore. Amya shuts the door in Nyel's face. Quiet falls over the three of us, until Amya bursts into tears. Burying her face in her hands, her shoulders shake with the force of her sobs.
Bewildered, I let go of Salvatore to go embrace this female who is practically a stranger to me. Salvatore cringes away and pretends to look at the pictures on the walls. This is Amya's parent's home, if the family photos are any indication. I never thought of that before. Amya has a family. I wonder if they were upset at her reputation? I wonder if they're still alive?
"Sorry," Amya whispers as she recovers a bit. She pulls away from me and wipes her eyes. "Thank you for visiting me, Princess," she says a bit formally.
"Amya..." I take a breath, feeling that same way I did with Kyla. How do I ask questions to she-wolves that I barely know but grew up with? "Are you alright?" I finally settle with.
"Yes. No," she nods, then shakes her head. "I don't know, Priestess." Her eyes stray to Salvatore. "Everything has changed, Priestess."
"You don't have to call me Priestess," I hurry to say.
Amya's lips twist sardonically. "You are the priestess." Her eyes dart to Salvatore. "And now you're even mated to the Black Prince. Kyla told me-"
"You've seen Kyla?" I blurt out, interrupting her. She nods, her eyes widening in surprise. "I just, I was worried," I babble, "that, um, that you weren't allowed to leave. Not really leave, visit, I mean."
Amya is quiet for a beat. "I have to stay here for most of the time," she admits quietly. "We're allowed to see each other for an hour or two a day. Usually for breakfast."
"When?" I ask eagerly.
"About now?" she shrugs. "Most of the males are busiest in the mornings as the shifts change."
"Can you take me with you?" I ask. I clench my hands together in my sweater to hide how they shake.
"Yes?" she agrees hesitantly, her eyes shifting away from mine.
"What's wrong?" I ask her. I fiddle with my sweater. My questing fingers find a string and I start to pull it.
"Will your mate be angry?" she whispers.
"No," I lie as I twine the string around my fingers over and over. Oh, Gavin will be enraged when he realizes that Salvatore and I are not at the main lodge, but there is something here, just out of reach. The Knowing is like an itch. When I scratch one area, another starts to bother me.
"Alright," Amya agrees. She puts on her coat and heavy shoes. I observe her as she does. The Mark on her neck is healing nicely, but she looks tired and worn. It's a familiar look.
We walk out of the house and Nyel falls into step behind us without a word. The snow is falling more heavily as we walk. At the first house, a female that I barely recognize slips out as we walk past. She doesn't say a word, and the Mark on her neck isn't healing as nicely as Kyla's or Amya's.
More females join us as we walk down to what used to be the Beta's house, until there are five in total. "Izzy lets us come here and eat breakfast when our... our mates are busy," Amya explains.
I can sense Nyel's uneasiness as we get closer to the house. Kyla is waiting on the porch, worry clear on her face until she spots Nyel following us. He bounds past us, taking the steps two at a time. He bends his head and brushes his nose against her cheek. The worry fades a bit, only to return when she sees me.
"I'm coming inside, today, love," Nyel says to Kyla. Her frown tightens, but her eyes flit to me before returning to Nyel. She firmly nods, accepting the conditions. One of the females coughs, but a hard look from Amya quiets her down.
I walk inside with Nyel, Kyla, and Amya surrounding Salvatore and I. I understand their hesitancy when I spot Izzy, the eldest daughter of the Beta. She's a... bitch... to be blunt. She's also very close to Amber and always seemed to enjoy lording her status over the other females our age.
"What is she doing here?" are the first words Izzy snaps out. My she-wolf growls slightly, her ears laid back, staring at Izzy in silent contemplation.
"Kyla and I invited her," Amya snaps back. I jolt a little, surprised at the flash of fang and claw sent Izzy's way. My she-wolf sniffs the air inquisitively. Amya scents of a male. Kyla absolutely reeks of Nyel. Apparently he's not locked out of the house all the time. Izzy's scent is stale. I examine her carefully. Her eyes are sunken in, her skin a touch too pale, her Mark is older and completely healed. The house smells of rage and grief. Her mate isn't dead, but he also isn't here. I wonder if he escaped into the wilderness? If he did, why did he leave Izzy here?
Regardless, her mate is gone. Even if he were here, he wouldn't be a ranked male amongst Gavin's elite. Meanwhile, Amya and Kyla, two females who were at the bottom of the pack, are now mated to powerful males. Thier status has been radically changed for the better, while Izzy's has tumbled down.
For a moment, the status of old and new clashes in the air between the females. The bared teeth echo with the snarls of she-wolves. Amya and Izzy may be on feet at the moment, but the struggle for dominance is still very real.
Izzy breaks first. She huffs, her fur puffed-up as she postures a feigned nonchalance. As she sets out tea and cookies her eyes don't meet Amya's. The females settle into the chairs in the living room. Surreptitiously, I observe the six females. One of the females sits near Izzy. She, too, has an older Mark but carries a stale scent. Her eyes are sad, her face coldly blank. The others all surround Amya and Kyla. Their Marks are fresh and so is the scent of males.
I barely pay attention to what they are saying to each other. Instead, I concentrate on feeding Salvatore breakfast while my she-wolf watches the emotions play across the females' faces. I'm at a loss trying to figure out how to help them. I can't even be sure that they need help.
Izzy says something that snags my attention. "Marc will return for me, soon."
Hmm. So, Marc has escaped. Izzy is bait. She doesn't realize it, but I know my mate's devious mind. He is letting her have this freedom, this illusion of normalcy, but she is trapped here just like... well... like the rest of us. Her mate will not be able to rescue her. Not from my prince.
The Knowing is sharp, like a knife slicing through my consciousness, instead of a dull crawl as usual. "When he returns to rescue Izzy, he'll die. Then there's another MateLess female, isn't there?"
All conversation stops. I inhale a shocked breath. Darn it. I just said that out loud. Stupid Knowing! At least be quiet!
"Get out of my house!" Izzy screeches.
Salvatore leaps to his feet, but Nyel hustles us out of the house so quickly that my head spins. We don't argue. Nearly all the females flee from Izzy's screaming and crying.
"Fuck. Prince'll kill that bitch for upsetting you," Nyel mutters with a dark look cast back at the house. He belatedly wraps my cloak around me. I tuck Salvatore close to me, under the cloak.
"What's the point?" I ask faintly. "She'll die if her mate does."
"Not every female dies," Kyla points out quietly. Nyel reaches out and pulls her into his arms.
The other mated female is looking down at the ground. Our feet are sinking into the snow. It's true; not every female cares if her mate dies. Kyla isn't the only one with a cruel mate. If Tivo dies, I know I won't miss him.
"What happened to this pack?" my whisper is carried away and lost to the increasing wind. Why are there so many problems here? MoonGlist has so many poor matings, or rejections, that it was like fate rang the dinner bell for Gavin's elite.
"Princess, let's get everyone home. It's getting colder and Prince'll get worried," Nyel murmurs. He has to push me fairly firmly to get my feet moving again. The wind has picked up in the last moments. The sky darkens, the gloom falling over us as snow begins to fall.
I entwine my hand with Salvatore. The Knowing isn't sharp anymore. It's creeping toward me, a rolling fog chasing me down. I tighten my hand on Salvatore. The pup is shivering. He looks frightened. Of the females or me?
"Salvatore?" my voice comes from far away. The wind is shrieking now, the snow falling hard. The Knowing is all around, dancing in the blizzard. It descends in a torrent of madness. I am lost within seconds.
"Ceely!" Salvatore shouts. The snow is blowing hard now. Nyel's hand leaves me. I turn around, clutching Salvatore to me tightly.
"Salvatore!" I scream as the wind tries to push us apart. Falling to my knees, I wrap my arms around him and hug him to me. He is screaming in fear, the sound making my she-wolf howl.
Her cries are amplified, absorbed by the wind, then returned in the echo of a hundred angry males. One voice rises above it.
"Gavin!" I sob. The snow is rushing all around us. I feel it beginning to cover Salvatore and I. Panicked, I stumble back to my feet. My she-wolf circles, whining, sniffing the air as the storm descends with breath-stealing ferocity. We can't stay here. We have to move. There are houses all around. We need to find some sort of shelter. Even one of the half-burned buildings is better than nothing. This sudden squall will bury us alive otherwise.
I haul Salvatore with me as my boots sink into the snow. Too large, it takes all my meager strength to walk through the ever-deepening snow drifts as they slip over my feet. I fear that I'll lose a boot, and then lose my toes to frostbite.
A dark shadow looms ahead of me. A building, I think. I stumble forward, dragging Salvatore with me. My last few steps are clear of snow abruptly. I fall into the cave with a cry of relief hovering on my lips.
My she-wolf's ears lay flat. Her lip curls up in a silent snarl. The fur on her back rises. "How?" I whisper. My words are lost in the screeching wind outside.
We are in my cave.
It's impossible. There's no way we traveled this far, all the way outside of town, in that deadly squall.
I chitter against the bars of the cage. Red-hot. The flames burn the whiskers on the end of my twitching, sensitive nose. My black wolf picks up the cage, his maw closing over more than half of it. I huff, fluffing out my tail and trying to see the charred ends of my poor, beleaguered whiskers.
He carries me out of the flames and sets me down, staring at me expectantly as the cage door swings open. Chattering, I exit and stare up at him. Wolves move, all around us, wraiths in the dark.
I press my fingertips harder against the window, until the skin under my nails is turning white. "Beloved," Gavin murmurs in my ear, his strong arms wrapped around my waist. "What are you looking at, love?"
"The world is burning," I say softly. I step closer, until my nose is practically touching the cool glass.
The bars are hot. I chitter angrily.
I take the last step to the window and look out at the world aflame. Wolves race to escape, but the doors to the palace are locked tight. Frowning, I whisper, "do I know those wolves? Gavin?" I see the cage, with the white squirrel and the black wolf. All around them the fires burn, but their den is cool and dark. It looks just like my cave.
"They are our wolves, beloved. And others."
"Why are we up here, but down there, too?"
"You're all still trapped, beloved. All of you."