Chapter 139-1
Troy
Claim
It was a long night. Jenson led a small team outside our perimeter to search for any additional rogue wolves who were or may have been waiting. Once I was sure that the perimeter was secured and our guards were prepared, I made personal visits to Jay and Michael’s families. Jay had a wife and a child, and I hoped that the child would be enough for Jay’s wife to find strength. I’d have counselors keep a close eye on her. Mates didn’t always survive with one passed.
Michael was not married, and both had living parents and siblings. I comforted them as best I could, but I knew that the grief would darken many days for them.
There were only two hours before dawn when I arrived back to my room. Kiana was already there, but she wasn’t sleeping. I took a few seconds to evaluate her. The strange energy she’d had earlier was gone, but whatever euphoria we’d experienced earlier was replaced by grief. I knew she could feel their deaths in her bonds, even if she wasn’t as experienced as me. The pack bonds were still
so new to her.
Guilt was at the forefront of her feelings. “We don’t know that this is Claudine’s doing, and even if it is, you are not to blame,” I told her sternly. Silently, she nodded and climbed into my arms. I cherished those few minutes I had with her, knowing that one of my pack was suffering the knowledge that she would never hold her mate again, and I slipped into an uneasy sleep.
The few hours sustained me for the next morning. Kiana went to pay a visit to the families before heading to the witches for another round of training, and I visited with Saul first.
His grief was as strong as my own. “Young Jay here had a healing touch,” he murmured. “There was a time when I thought he would be one of mine instead of one of yours, but in the end, he wanted to protect his pack more than he wanted to heal it.”
“And he died for it,” I said grimly.
“A hero often does. He and Michael both fought bravely before they were overtaken. If I’d had a chance to review the dead rogues, I would know for sure, but I suspect that they killed at least one before they died. Their wounds are pretty straight-forward. I’ll release the bodies for their funeral rites later today.”
He was pissed I hadn’t given him the rest of the corpses. “I want their bodies to rot for months to remind the rogues of what they face if they come into my territory,” I snarled.
Saul just sighed. “I know Kiana has much on her plate, but if you see her, would you please ask her
to drop by? I’d like to collect a little more of her blood.”
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apter 139-1
“Anti-venom in case Claudine’s little toxic cocktail reaches our territory?”
Clam
“Yes, but also to run a few experiments. If it’s true that there is Fae blood in her, I’d like to see if I can isolate some of the markers. Charles will be home next week from university, and I think he’ll
help me.”
I’d forgotten that some of our students would be graduating this week and returning back to the pack. There was always a little ceremony for them since they could release their wolves and run to
their heart’s content.
“He’s a biologist?”
Saul hummed but his head was already buried in the paperwork. Work was the best thing for him when he was grieving, so I left him to it.
Jenson returned a few hours later. There was a hardness etched into his face. “You found a camp?
“Several, but with the same smells. I suspect the rogues have been slowly moving around our borders for several days looking for the best place to strike. There was a hastily built lookout in one of the trees. With binoculars, they could have seen some. On a hunch, I checked the bodies. One of them was embedded with a bug.”
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