Episode 64: The Howling

Genre: Horror
Characters: Kaya, Caleb, Connor, Charlie, Karri, Byron, Joey
Word Count: 5,216
Rating: R
Type: Series
Summary: The Savages find themselves with enemies on all sides as newer traps are discovered on parts of their property. On top of that, a visit from a Gideon wolf leave many of them wondering if Luther is trying to manipulate his way into the Savage's good graces to ally himself with Shifters for the war.
Warnings: Language, suggestive material, violence, strong sexual content, adult content, adult situations, nudity.

*A Howling: A ceremony performed when a wolf decides to shift allegiances to a new pack breaking all bonds with his/her former Alpha.*

“I need you to focus here Romeo!” Kaya laughed as Caleb continued flaunting his manhood around in front of her. After another passionate lovemaking session he was more energetic than ever and had intended to take her for their first hunt as a couple but his plans became a bit sidetracked. “Maybe you should put your pants on instead of playing with them so I’m not distracted by that anaconda flopping around your lap.”

Caleb grinned and tossed his pants to the side and slowly crawled into the bed towards his mate who giggled and tossed herself into the pillows. “Oh I’m sorry, is the sight of my ‘anaconda’ as you put it keeping your mind from task? You know you and I could always forego this little hunt and stay here in bed all day.”

“But I’m hungry!”

“And I fully intend on feeding you,” he winked seductively and glanced down at his cock, now sliding freely against her thigh.

“Caleb!”

“Whoa, whoa, save some screaming for later. I don’t want you to lose your voice…yet.” Kaya giggled infectiously as he lowered his mouth to her neck, kissing and sucking on her frantically as she tried desperately to push him away.

“Caleb?” Charlie’s voice followed three loud knocks on the door and the two abruptly stopped wrestling and turned towards the sound.

“Yeah?” he shouted back through the wooden barrier, continuing to make kissy faces at his mate.

“You two should get out here. Trinity and Rayne found something out by the east wall that might interest you.”

“We’ll be there in a minute.”

“You know, if that’s all it takes then you’re not doing it right.”

“Charlie!”

“I’m gone, I’m gone!”

“Looks like we’ll have to postpone the run for a little bit,” Caleb sighed looking down at Kaya with a smile. “Forgive me?”

“An Alpha’s work is never done,” she shrugged before pushing him off of her. “Come on. If we’re lucky we can still get one in before dinner.”

“One what?” Caleb asked, playing innocent as he wiggled his hips at her. Tossing his pants onto his face, she laughed at the half grin on his lips while she quickly changed into a pair of jeans and sweater. Stepping out the room she instantly collided into Charlie who, despite earlier beliefs, hadn’t moved away from the door.

“Baby Sis,” he smiled as he greeted her. “The girls are waiting in the study.”

“Thanks Charlie.”

“No problem. Will my big brother be joining us?”

“Eventually,” she shrugged and waited for him to escort her down the hallway. It took Caleb another 10 minutes before he joined the others.

Slumping behind the desk, he listened as the two women regaled him with their story of finding the traps on the east end of the property. Often through each girl’s story, Caleb commented about their irritatingly high pitched voices to Kaya, making her laugh through their shared connection. She chided him to make him stop, fearing she’d actually start laughing out loud. “And there they were, four huge traps lining the passage wall,” Rayne finally got to the point. “I was afraid of touching them because I wasn’t sure if they were real hunters or the wolf kind and I didn’t want the Truesilver to burn me.”

“So we ran back and told Charlie. He went out and retrieved all of them but told us we should tell you about the find,” Trinity finished.

“Great work, ladies. Although I’m curious as to why you two were even in the area in the first place,” he asked, straightening himself in his seat.

“The truth?” Trinity asked nervously eyeing Kaya before returning her attention to Caleb.

“If you don’t mind.”

“I-I wanted to harvest the herbs in that area.”

“The Ander Leaves?”

“Yes,” she nodded and giggled at the smirk on Caleb’s face.

“And what would you want with those, I wonder?”

“Well, as you know I reached maturity just a few weeks ago,” Caleb nodded as the girl began explaining herself. 

“My Mom has been pressuring me into finding a mate and settling down. I’m pretty experienced as far as adult matters are concerned but Rayne’s in a similar situation and she needed an extra boost for the bedroom. There’s been talk about the aphrodisiac powers those leaves have and so we were hoping to snag a few for later.”

“I see.”

“I know you’d probably have no use for them yourself, Alpha. I’ve heard things about that too,” Trinity giggled again which immediately produced a slow rumble through Kaya’s chest. Sensing her sudden discomfort, Caleb smiled inwardly and pushed up from his seat. Stepping in front of the desk, he stood directly before the source of his mate’s discontent and gave Trinity his most seductive smile. 

“You’re right. I’ve since surpassed such domestic aids. Though I don’t quite see why girls of your particularly fertile stage would need them either, especially considering the danger that lies near that ridge,” he grinned, licking his lips as he felt Kaya’s eyes on the back of his head. “The traps I mean.”

“Oh of course. We knew it was wrong but…we just couldn’t help ourselves. And when I found them, I came to you right away!” The eagerness in the girl’s voice made Kaya’s brows rise and she stared pointedly in Trinity’s direction.

“You know that was forbidden territory?” Caleb asked with a husky undertone. “Do you often go against your Alpha’s orders?”

Trinity glanced at her friend before inching forward. Sensuously raising her arms behind her head, she let her blonde locks fall slowly through her hands and responded in an equally as smoky voice. “Not often. But bad girls can’t help being bad.”

“Is that right?”

With enough pressure, I can separate you from your man parts with my bare hands, Caleb. Keep giving me a reason. Hearing that, he cleared his throat and moved back towards the sideboard, thoroughly avoiding eye contact with the blonde and smiling at his mate. “If you two are happily attached to your heads, I’d advised taking a giant step back before you lose them,” Kaya snarled, curling her hands into fists. Both girls immediately moved away, apologizing profusely for their insolence.

“Thanks ladies,” Charlie stepped in. “We’ll send a few scouts to check out the area more thoroughly. For now, stay on the advised path.” They turned, apologizing once more before starting towards the door. “Well that didn’t go quite as intended,” Charlie commented as the two girls exited the room.

“Wow,” Connor whistled. “That blonde had designs on Luna’s man. She threatened to castrate you didn’t she?” Caleb turned to the redhead with a stunned look and Connor simply shrugged. “Two centuries of the same intimidation tactics. And I’m proud to say I’ve come out still attached to the sausage and beans.”

“Don’t push it, Coco. And you! What the hell was that?”

“I was just having a little fun with your green-eyed monster,” Caleb sighed taking a step back. “I heard you growl and I thought it was cute.”

“Cute? You thought that was cute? Did you think it was cute when you believed Connor and I had a thing?” she retorted and Caleb realized his mistake right away.

“Kaya, I didn’t mean…”

“To what? Undermine my authority to those two disrespectful airheads? And did you see her shirt? She prefers the drummer!” Kaya huffed agitatedly. “Well is she that dense she doesn’t realize you play bass or was she so blinded by her many blonde ambitions she failed to see past the lower half of your body?! And what the hell was up with that stale ass ‘bad girls’ line? Hello! Welcome to the 21^st century!”

Caleb laughed to himself as she continued only causing Kaya’s annoyance to turn on him. “And what the hell are you grinning about? You think it’s funny some low level bitch was blatantly flirting with you IN FRONT of me? Am I that unworthy of your affections that she feels she can bat her dollar store eyelashes at you and have you in her bed? Well if it’s that easy, maybe I should give it a go myself!”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“You’ll find out when I bring home a new wolf to screw,” Kaya growled and stormed towards the door.

“Wha…Kaya!”

“What?” she stopped short of exiting the room. “Not so much fun being on the other end of is it?”

“BABE!” he yelled as she slammed the door behind her. “I was just messing around,” he grumbled to his Betas.

“Karri,” Kaya smiled seeing the girl turn the corner in the hallway heading towards the music room. “Mind having a word with your Luna?”

“Not at all,” she responded curiously, pausing between each word she spoke. She followed Kaya into the room and watched as she shut the door behind them. Looking around nervously she moved near the keyboard behind her awaiting the cause of her Luna’s approach. “So…what’s up?”

“I just wanted to talk to you for a moment, see how you were doing and who you are.”

“Who I am?”

“Mmhmm,” Kaya nodded as the girl pointed to herself in question. “I know very little about some of the wolves who live here. Many I’ve gotten to understand fully. But there are others, such as yourself, who seem to be wallflowers; going about their daily activities with their heads held low, hoping not to be seen. But you’ve caught the eye of my best friend and as such, I need to figure you out before the water becomes muddy.”

“Ah, this is about Connor. Well, Luna, I can stop you there and tell you that I have no interest in him. Don’t get me wrong, Connor seems like a nice guy but I’ve had my fill of men like him.”

“Men like him?”

“You know, pretty boys who get by on their looks and think that every girl in creation is sweating in their panties to get a chance to be near them. I’m not dying to become a notch in anyone’s belt or just one of many in their long line of conquests.”

“You don’t know Connor.”

“I know celebrities. They’re all the same,” Karri replied, folding her arms against her chest and staring at her Luna with a mixture of sorrowfulness and contempt.

“You talk like someone who’s experienced a lot of heartache.”

“And one who never wants to be hurt again.” Kaya sighed realizing the girl had obviously been through something in her past that left her jaded towards the affections of men. But the look behind her eyes went deeper than just a broken heart. There was sadness laced in her words.

“Connor’s not who you think. And I’m not advocating for him simply because he’s my best friend. I know him. I know how he is with women and I know that if you gave him a chance, he would surprise you.” Karri sighed as she looked down at her feet. The conversation was at an impasse and Kaya did not want to push her luck with her seeing how this was their very first interaction. Deciding to put a cork in it, she thanked Karri for her time and opened the door to let her leave.

Slowly she made her way up the stairs and towards the west wing where the Betas were housed. Knocking once on the door, she let herself in without waiting for an invitation but Connor was nowhere in sight. Turning on her heels, she made a beeline to the back patio knowing that she’d likely find him by the pool. “So I went up to see you. And at first, from the total lack of sound I thought you were in there with Rosie Palm and her five sisters,” Kaya smiled gleefully as she took a seat on the lounge chair beside him. Connor slipped something beneath his thigh as she made her approach and turned to her with a nonplussed look on his face. “You know giving your baguette a little polish,” she replied, making a jerking motion with her hand.

“WHAT?! No, no, it was nothing like that.”

“Uh huh, so then you WEREN’T just shoving a picture into your crotch and trying to keep me from seeing it?” Connor sighed and folded his arms into his chest and Kaya lifted her hands in defeat. “Ok, ok, I’ll stop. I didn’t come out here to tease you. I wanted to tell you that I’ve had a little chat with Karri.”

“And?” her best friend finally smiled, waiting with bated breath for her next words.

“And like you said she seems really cool. But…”

“Come on Ky stop torturing me and just spill it!”

“But isn’t it more fun for you to find out on your own?” she asked, hopping off the lounger. “I had my reservations about approaching her in the first place. I only did it because you asked with those stupid puppy dog eyes. But honestly Red, I really shouldn’t get involved with your…whatever it is. It’ll just complicate things. Come on. I’m heading to town for a little bit to get some fresh air and do a little shopping. Escort me and we can talk a little game plan.”

“Kaya, in what town on what planet in who’s reality is this considered a ‘little’ shopping?” Connor asked, readjusting the few dozen shopping bags in his hands. After two and a half hours, Kaya had successfully dragged him from every store in the strip mall and every shop in between.

“What? You should be happy. I skipped the shoe store for you!”

“And who says there are no small miracles?”

“Oh come on Cocobear! Where’s your sense of adventure?”

“Buried beneath a mountain of boxes!”

“Whatever,” Kaya giggled and rolled her eyes at the redhead. “Oh a music store! How are your arms doing?”

“Do you really care or was that rhetorical?” Kaya smiled and yanked Connor in the direction of the shop. Sifting through the selection of CDs in the Rock section, she frowned seeing Night Shift’s first album was marked down by $8.00 from the original retail price. “That was 15 years ago,” Connor replied to her morose appearance.

“Yeah, I know. It’s still hard seeing that. Damn things seemed so simple then.”

“You mean with Bane?”

“I mean when Mike was still around. God. He had a knack for just changing everyone’s mood; calming the situations and just making you laugh you know?”

“Yeah he was a good guy.”

“$8.00 off.”

“It’s the digital age, Peaches. Why pay for something when you can get it for free online?”

“Because it’s money out of our pockets. And then people want to complain when the cost of tickets goes up. What they don’t get is that we have to make up the difference somewhere! And really what’s better, $16.00 for a CD or $175.00 for a concert ticket?”

“Because you’re obviously in deep need for more means to shop?” Connor asked nudging the bags beside his feet. Kaya shrugged as he followed her out of the store. “Nothing appealed to you?”

“Well there was a nice Les Paul in there that I would have liked to have gotten for Caleb. But I didn’t want to weigh you down any more than you already are.”

“Or, light bulb, you could try carrying a bag or two for yourself.”

“Hmm no. That would really defeat the purpose of an escort.”

“Well pity for me. You know this is why I stopped shopping with you. I learned my lesson after that first time. The strain of those shoe boxes made me pull a muscle.”

“What? They did not! You did that the night before with that trio of groupies you picked up from Sharkey’s Sports Bar. That had nothing to do with me.” 

“Oh yeah. Now I remember. That redhead tried to suck my guts out through my dick and that brunette had a nice rack. I promised I’d call them back for a repeat but I never did. Damn. What were their names?”

“Skanky, Slutty and Tits McGee.”

“Good times,” he grinned arrogantly.

“Come on, I’ll buy you lunch.”

“You mean spend some of your hard earned money on me? Gee, ain’t I special?” Connor smiled and readjusted the items in his hands. “So anyway, what do you think about Caleb taking Rafe’s place? I mean I know we just replaced a drummer because of Bane’s death and people may already know the implication of Rafe’s involvement in that, thanks to him. But I mean Caleb is Rafe and vice versa,” he whispered, leaning closer into her shoulder. “You think he’d be into it?”

“I don’t know,” she shrugged and sighed dismally. “Actually to be honest, I think Charlie was on to something about the work it takes to lead a pack. I really don’t know when we’d find the time.”

“We can always find time! The pack seems fine. They’ve had a few centuries of practice without an official Alpha. I don’t see why now the title would be more demanding. All I’m saying is Charlie has shown the ability to lead the pack right? He could tend to things while we were away. And that way we don’t have to quit the band just yet. I mean we were just hitting the prime of this group. I’m just not ready to give that up.”

“You mean you’re not ready to give up the groupies and screaming fans right? Plus all that alone time has got to be tiring. I’m noticing your right arm is particularly stronger these days,” she laughed while squeezing his bicep and smirked at the slight blush on his face as they continued forward.

“What this? That’s all bran muffins and nonfat yogurt, Baby!” he responded and flexed at her. “And anyway, I’m hoping I’ve found someone who might help me put an end to these lonely nights. In speaking of which, you have yet to tell me what you and she talked about.”

“You, of course. I just gave her my overly protective sister speech. You know, ‘break his heart and I’ll break your neck’ plus I may have added a bit of my Luna intimidation in there somewhere.” Kaya grinned at his frown and bumped his shoulder lightly. “I’m kidding! Well about the intimidation part. I basically just felt her out. I told her if she ever wanted to talk about you or get some advice, my door was always open. I mostly wanted to see what her intentions were for my redheaded love monkey. And I may have learned a few things about her past as well.”

“And?”

“And some things are better left unsaid. Besides, the kind of background information I got is the kind you should be able to get on your first date…if you ever get there anyway.”

“Oh I’ll get there, trust me!”

“We’ll see,” Kaya laughed, stepping towards the cafe and accidentally bumping into a passerby. “Oh excuse me, I didn’t see…Byron?!” she gasped taking a step back as she took in his face. Considering the recent altercation between the two packs, Connor instantly pushed himself between them to avoid a repeat in the city streets.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Connor growled towards the enemy wolf, causing him to take a step back.

“Hold on ok? I didn’t come here looking for a fight. I just want to talk,” he responded, placing his hands in front of him defensively.

“Funny! Where have I heard those words before?” she snarled and jumped at the Gideon playboy. Connor dropped her bags and grabbed her from behind, holding her back and Byron took the opportunity to back a few paces away. “You have some nerve showing your face here again after what you and those mutts did!”

“I know, Kaya. Alpha was out of line interrupting your coronation like that and I was against it from the start. But I wouldn’t be here now if it wasn’t important. Come on, you know me. You and I have never really been the type to get at one another’s throat. I’ve helped you before; a dozen times. Please. I need to talk to someone and right now, it can’t be Luther.”

“And why not?” Connor asked, slowly releasing Kaya as he felt her muscles start to relax.

“Because you know him. He’s a shoot first ask questions never kind of guy. And this is way too important to fuck around like that.” Kaya eyed Connor and he shrugged as he shook his head no at the man’s request. “Look, I’ve taken a HUGE risk coming to you with this first. Luther can probably already sense that I’m not where I’m supposed to be. My life might end when I get back and it would be nice if my death was not in vain. Please?”

“Fine. But one false move and you won’t have to worry about Luther killing you,” Kaya growled and led the way to the truck. Connor pushed Byron behind her, keeping an eye on the man as they walked.

As they entered the woods, Byron became immediately aware of the extra pairs of eyes staring at him from behind the bushes. Swallowing hard, he inched closer to Kaya, trailing her footsteps in an effort to keep himself protected. The branches at his left shook harder and he glanced at them in time to see a large, blonde wolf dive out of the shrubbery and land at his feet. The wolf snarled in Byron’s direction, taking a shielding stance between him and his Luna and the Gideon wolf instantly met Kaya’s eyes. “Kaya?”

She leaned forward and rubbed the wolf’s head, cooing into his ear and he backed off by stepping behind her but kept his eyes on the stranger. “This is Joey. Joey’s a guard. He protects the trail from unwanted visitors and disposes of them quickly. Joey takes his job very seriously. As I was saying earlier, one false move and you’re dog chow. Get it?”

“I understand, Ky. I’m not here to start anything, I promise.”

Byron’s foot settled in the Savage manor’s foyer, but he wasn’t balanced for long. Charging forward from around the corner, Caleb rushed the enemy wolf, colliding hard against him and slamming him onto the floor. Stunned and a little sore, Byron’s clarity lasted a matter of seconds before the large fist of the dark haired Alpha smashed into his face, shutting his right eye and splitting his bottom lip. “CALEB!”

“You were serious about bringing someone back here, Kaya?” he asked, hammering his fist harder into Byron’s jaw.

“What? No! Get off of him,” Kaya replied, nodding at Charlie to pull his brother off. “Caleb! That’s Byron. He’s here to help,” she yelled as she watched her mate turn his adversary into hamburger meat.

“Oh,” he replied simply and pulled himself from atop the bleeding and dazed wolf. “I thought he looked familiar.”

Why do I get the feeling you knew exactly what you were doing? Kaya watched a slow forming smirk appear on Caleb’s face as he looked up at her and she shook her head at him. “Are you ok, Byron?” she asked redirecting her attention as he climbed to his feet.

“Peachy!” he growled, brushing lint from his pants as he approached her again. “I suppose everyone here is looking to get a few licks in huh?”

“Can you really blame them?” Kaya shrugged and led the way to the study. Byron wiped the blood from his lip and looked briefly at Caleb before following behind her. “Alright Byron. You have five minutes to state your case and after such time, the man standing behind you will decide whether or not you should live.”

Glancing over his shoulder, he found Caleb leaning against the wall, his arms folded into his chest as he stared him down. Charlie and Connor had both joined the Alphas, each taking a position on either side of Kaya as she sat atop the table in front of the Gideon turncoat. “Kaya, come on, you can’t be serious. You’re gonna leave my fate in his hands?” he motioned towards his face with pleading eyes.

“Four minutes and thirty-five seconds,” she sighed, nodding at the clock on the wall.

“Alright, alright, alright, it’s like this. The hunters are making a move to destroy life as you knew it in Willow Reed and put an end to every wolf within a 50-mile radius.”

“Isn’t that the same thing Luther claimed?” Connor asked, interrupting the man’s thoughts. “Right before he gave the order to attack us.”

“Yeah. But he didn’t have all the information I do.”

“Less than four minutes,” Kaya announced, waiting for the wolf to get to his point.

“Look, I’m not trying to pull a game. I happen to know this from a firsthand encounter with one of them.”

“Meaning you’re fucking one of them,” the redhead continued, smiling appreciatively at the game of his enemy counterpart.

“Wow. And you’re not limping like a man who’s lost his most precious body part?” Charlie added, somewhat disgusted at the idea of one of theirs sleeping with the enemy.

“Lucy’s not like that.”

“Lucy?” Kaya replied in question. “Connor, what name did Eli give us of the hunters that held him captive?”

“Crane. Harley, Jacobi and Lucy.”

“She’s not like that anymore. She’s changed.”

“And you know this because you fucked her and lived to tell the tale?” Connor’s question came out more matter-of-factly than anything else. “I guess having a little wolfing can change anyone’s perspective.” Byron sighed in frustration. He was getting nowhere fast and time was quickly running out.

“She’s changed because she learned that her brother is one of us,” he retorted with a snarl, finally finding his balance in the presence of the wild wolves.

“What wait?” the four Savages in the room seemed to reply in unison, each one looking attentively at Byron.

“Her brother is a wolf. He doesn’t know it and Lucy just recently learned about it herself. Apparently the older brother kept it a secret from them all. Lucy came to me and told me what Harley had planned because she’s worried about Jacobi…and me,” he added under a whisper. “She warned me to get out of town before the next full moon because this thing they’ve invented will destroy everything with wolf’s blood.”

“Why are you bringing this to us? Luther’s your Alpha.”

“Because Kaya,” he growled and stood in anger. “Luther’s not merciful.”

“And you’re just learning this now?”

“What I mean is, if he knew how I felt, how I really felt…about Lucy…”

“He’d make you watch as he raped, tortured and murdered her. So you think you’d come here, tell us; give your old friend Kaya helpful news to save her home pack and that we’d what? Just welcome you with open arms and not question your relationship with a psycho hunter who got her jollies torturing and killing our kind for years?”

“Yeah,” he sighed and dug his fists into his pockets. “Something like that.”

“Your five minutes are up,” Kaya laughed lightly and glanced over at her mate standing behind Byron who followed her gaze before taking three large steps away from him.

“Look, Kaya, I knew this was a long shot, coming here, asking for your help. But I also know you. You’re compassionate; always have been. You won’t leave me to fend for myself, groveling at Luther’s feet. And you won’t turn your back on this information either. All I’m asking is for a chance to survive this thing. Please. Will you become my Alpha?”

Charlie jumped forward as Byron’s tongue finally cleared towards its purpose, emphatically shaking his head no. “Are you fucking crazy? You think we need that kind of heat around here? Poaching you from another pack as well as bringing that hunter bitch you’re screwing to lay up in our home? No fucking way! Absolutely not!”

“Charlie,” Caleb growled once before his baby brother reluctantly backed off. He circled around Byron, who swallowed hard feeling the Shifter so close at his back. “Say we did believe you. Say we allowed you a Howling and the opportunity to become one of us. What guarantees do we have you won’t go running back to Gideon once the war is over? And for that matter, how are we to even know this isn’t some ploy concocted by that fucking cocksucker you kowtow to now?”

“I would do anything to prove where my loyalty stands,” he remarked, dodging Caleb’s eyes as he stopped in front of him.

“Oh? Would you kill Lucy then?” Byron gasped at Caleb’s request and all the color in his face drained. “I mean from what I understand she’s a part of the creation of this death dealer right? That makes her part of the problem and the reason why Luna’s family is under threat. So. Byron. You said you’d do anything to prove yourself. Would you kill her?”

Beads of sweat formed along his brow as he nervously chewed on his lip. His hands that had long been removed from his pockets were now clammy, the opposite of how his throat felt, and he couldn’t figure out what to do with them. “I-I…” Byron glanced at Kaya who appeared resolute behind her mate’s words and he knew he’d get no help from her. “I can’t,” he finally sighed. “It’s—I just—I’m weakened where she stands.”

Caleb smirked and turned from him, moving over to Kaya. He circled an arm around her waist, gripped her hand in his, kissed it gently and then pulled her behind him. Dropping into the seat behind the desk, he hooked his arm on her hip and she lowered herself to the chair as well, leaning against him as he tenderly rubbed his fingers across her thigh. “I know a thing or two about weaknesses, Byron, don’t get me wrong. But Lucy is not one of us. You could never mate her and her presence alone would make everyone here edgy. Have you ever seen a nervous wild wolf, Byron? Do you know how volatile that situation would be? And yet, you feel it’s a great idea to join us and hide this hunter here as well?”

“She doesn’t have to be here with me. I can make other arrangements for her. I just need to know she’s safe.”

“Are you sure she feels the same way about you?” Kaya asked, watching the desperation on his face.

“Of course I am. I know a thing or two about women and their emotions. She’s in love or else I would not be here.”

“Hmm,” she muttered, mulling over a decision that only her mate could hear.

The two Alphas glanced at each other and then towards their Betas. It was obvious what Charlie’s decision was, he feared what having Byron around would do to the others. But Connor stood with Kaya as he always had. Caleb looked up at her and smiled and then towards Byron who appeared less frantic in his motions. “Prepare the court,” he ordered of his Betas. “Tonight, we’re having a Howling.”

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