Wolf's Den - A BBW Shifter Romance Novel (25 page)

“Anyone else?” Murphy asked. Every man and woman there agreed to stay. This wasn’t just about our kind, as Violet called us. This was about humans too. These shifters and their mates, despite the knowledge that humans in general wouldn’t accept them, were willing to fight to protect them. They understood what Violet didn’t. I understood it too. Shifters or humans as groups weren’t good or bad. Individuals both wolf and man, could be, however. Those ranchers that set Violet on this path, Dolan and Violet herself were the problem, not one group or the other.

“I’m proud to know each and every one of you,” Murphy said. Yeager never said one way or the other. He didn’t have to. I knew he’d always be by my side.

“So how do we proceed?” Yeager asked. Discussion ensued amongst the group. Some advocated going on the offensive. Others thought we should take up a defensive stance. We all understood that we were outnumbered and that seeking help from the authorities wasn’t an option. We very well couldn’t go to the local sheriff, tell him any of this and expect to be taken seriously. We might be able to secure a few more shifters but for all intents and purposes, this was our battle to fight.

For twenty minutes, the group debated the relative merits of our options. I listened and I couldn’t decide myself what might be the best way to handle this. Attacking made sense in some ways but building a defensible position made sense in others. However, the entire time I kept thinking that there had to be a better way. Why did we have to fight because of one crazy woman and her twisted ideas? As much as I wanted to avoid this, I couldn’t see how it was possible.

Maybe it was just naivety or wishful thinking but as plans were formed and discussed, the more I felt as if we were missing something. There had to be a way out of this. We didn’t have to fight to end this. I looked back on my time at Wolfsbane, looking for some clue. Violet had her loyal supporters. Whether they believed as she did or they were just weak-minded sycophants I couldn’t know but they were likely a lost cause. Then I remembered what Phillip had told us.

Many of the shifters and their packs were just defending their home as they knew it. They had gone to live there to be with their own, not to fight in some war against humans. In fact, some of them were human, mates to the shifters there. I wondered if that was the key. If we could reach them and convince them that Lady Violet was, despite Phillip’s claim that she only sought to protect our kind, the real enemy maybe we could avoid a fight that would result in many deaths.

Could it be so simple? Probably not. We would have to return to Wolfsbane but secretly. Violet would not permit us to speak with the people she called her pack. We would have to visit that village beyond the hill that was hidden behind the old lodge that was the heart of Wolfsbane. We would have to go there and speak to the people without Violet’s knowledge or the knowledge of her minions. But would they listen?

Would those people even receive us or would they fight us as intruders? How loyal were they to Violet? Phillip made it sound as if they fought us only because they perceived us as a threat but were they invested in Lady Violet’s plans? Would they listen to reason? There was no way to know without going there to ask. It might result in the death or capture of the envoys but maybe it was worth it.

“Excuse me,” I called out. The group largely ignored me. “Excuse me,” I said louder but only those near me paid any heed.

“Shut the fuck up! The lady wants to speak,” Amp bellowed and the group was immediately silent, looking at me. I looked and Edie had her hand in the air as if she was about to do that same thing on my behalf. “There you go,” Amp said. I thanked him and hesitated for a moment before speaking. This wasn’t anything I’d done before. I mean, I ran the Rusty Skillet back in Gold Canyon and I had to deal with all the customers there but this was different.

“Um...I was thinking. Phillip, the doctor from the ranch, mentioned something and...um...well, it got me thinking,” I began. I explained my reasoning that the people of Wolfsbane Ranch weren’t part of Violet’s plot, not wittingly anyway. I told them that maybe we could appeal to them and stop this before it started. I explained that if a few of us went to speak with them, there was a chance we could save a lot of lives. I finished and for a moment, no one spoke. They just stared at me.

“So you’re saying we should go back there to talk?” Agnes asked me skeptically.

“You heard what Phillip said. Can you dispute that?” I asked her.

“No, not really. He was right, I suppose. Many of those who’ve come are just looking to be part of something and be amongst their own. They didn’t come to fight some war but that doesn’t mean they’ll listen. And what if they discover us there or the people there inform Violet?” Agnes asked. She made some good points but her knowledge of specifics about the ranch was limited. Violet didn’t include Agnes in the details of her plans or the ranch.

“I’m not saying they will support us but how do we know if we don’t go ask? It’s worth asking, isn’t it?” I posed. The group whispered amongst themselves.

“Well, that’s all well and good, Cassie, but who’s going to go, as if I don’t already know the answer?” Yeager asked me. I smiled at him and told him what he already knew.

“You and I will go,” I replied. I knew his question was his way of telling me he supported the idea and that he was behind me.

“Somehow I knew that was part of the deal,” he said and took my hand. I squeezed it in return. I could tell he thought I was crazy to go back to the ranch but he was going to follow me there anyway.

“I’ll go,” Agnes said. Edie’s mouth fell open.

“You can’t. You can’t go back there, Agnes,” Edie implored. Agnes smiled at her warmly.

“I have to. I feel responsible. I know I’m not, Edie, but I need to do this. If it can help, I need to do it,” Agnes told her.

“Then I’m going too. I can’t become a wolf but I’ll do what I can,” Edie said and then hugged Agnes. The black girl embraced her mate back.

“We’ve got a problem,” Amp said.

“What?” Murphy asked.

“Three chicks and one dude? That’s not right. I guess Sprocket and I need to go too. We can take the Jeeps,” Amp offered. Murphy, our unofficial leader, thought it over for a moment.

“So, I guess that’s settled,” Murphy announced. “If they’re willing to go, I don’t see any reason not to let them try. If I’m being honest, I’m not chomping at the bit to fight with anyone,” he added. That was that, I suppose.

“Thanks, everyone. I appreciate you coming with me,” I told them. It was my idea after all. It was crazy. I proposed going back into the lion’s den, maybe the wolf’s den was more accurate. I didn’t know what we’d find and I only had what Phillip had told us to go on. If what he said was true, we might find allies there. If not, we might find those people hostile or it might even be a trap. I wasn’t too worried about the latter. I doubt Phillip would have come to us just to lure us into a trap knowing the consequences but then again, Violet didn’t seem the type to play things straight up or to balk at such a sacrifice.

Suddenly I felt woozy. It had been an eventful few days. “You OK?” Yeager asked me.

“Yeah, I’m just tired. I’m fine,” I assured him. He glared at me. “I’m serious. This is all just a bit overwhelming,” I told him. He narrowed his eyes but he nodded and let it go. I wanted to lie down but I didn’t want anyone to worry. I was sure it was just the stress and I could deal with it. Amp was playing with his cell phone but with a purpose.

“Here, look,” Amp said and shoved his smart phone in front of us.

“What?” I asked looking at the aerial map.

“That’s Wolfsbane,” Amp said pointing at the cluster of buildings in the corner of his screen.

“OK, but where are the homes behind the ridge?” I asked of no one in particular.

“It’s probably an older map,” Sprocket suggested.

“There are a few cabins or something over here,” Amp showed us. The resolution wasn’t ideal considering that the Ranch was out in the middle of nowhere.

“Yeah, that’s about where they were, I think, but there were dozens of them,” I told them as I remembered Violet showing me the village from a distance the morning she took me captive. Amp zoomed in with his fingers for a closer look.

“No, they’re right here. Camouflaged. Looks like sod roofs or something,” Amp said looking to me.

“I see them. That looks like it,” I assured him.

“Then look here,” Amp told me.

“What?” I asked. I wasn’t good with maps. They just confused me.

“That trail. It comes within a mile of that area. It originates on the other side of that peak. We can get the Jeeps up that trail, save us a ton of walking and no one will ever see us coming,” Amp told us.

“Is it safe?” Yeager wondered.

“Probably not but don’t worry. Sprocket and I can get up that road. We’ve been worse places in the Jeeps,” he assured us. I didn’t doubt him. Their Jeeps, one orange and the other black, were tall with huge tires, roll cages and armor. Each had four doors. Sprocket’s orange Jeep had a hard top but Amp’s black Jeep sported a soft top.

“It’ll be fun!” Sprocket added.

“Somehow I believe you but not in this circumstance,” I replied.

“So, when do we leave?” I wondered.

“If we leave in the morning, we can get there by dusk, make the drive up the trail in the dark, probably a few hours, and then make our way to the village,” Amp told us.

“And we should move ourselves to stay one step ahead of that Lady Violet. We’ll move tomorrow, send you the coordinates of our new camp once were settled,” Murphy said. We all agreed and after that, everyone went silent. I wondered if this plan might save us from a fight we might not win or if we were walking into a trap. I found I didn’t care anymore. I wanted this over with. I was willing to die rather than submit to Lady Violet or let her follow through with her insane plans.

“You look green,” Edie told me.

“I’ll be back,” I said, got up and walked off. I found a cluster of boulders and behind them, I bent over, hands on knees and threw up. I felt better after that. I knew I was nervous, stressed and tired but I didn’t think it was that bad. I wiped my mouth and turned around. Agnes was there behind me.

“You’re pregnant,” she said.

“No I’m not,” I countered.

“Maybe you can’t smell it, but I can,” Agnes told me. I glared at her, confused, but then I understood.

“You’re a wolf. Of course you can,” I said.

“Maybe you shouldn’t go to the ranch. We can do it,” Agnes told me.

“I can’t not go. It was my idea,” I told her and then added, “I’ll be fine. Just don’t say anything to anyone, especially Yeager.”

“About what?” Edie asked as she suddenly appeared.

“She’s just tired, that’s all. Cassie doesn’t want Yeager to worry,” Agnes replied on my behalf and winked at me.

“Come on. Let’s go back. We need to get ready to go and get some sleep. I haven’t slept well in days,” I replied. Edie seemed to accept that. I felt bad for lying to her but I wasn’t ready to reveal that I was pregnant. I knew Agnes was right. I trusted her wolf senses and I sensed something was different. I felt it myself but I just didn’t know what it was. I had to deal with the idea, however, before I told anyone else.

Carrying a baby complicated things. This wasn’t the environment I envisioned for a pregnancy. In fact, this was the last place I’d have chosen. Worse still was the fact that now it just wasn’t me that was in jeopardy. I had a baby to worry about. That changed the math but it made it even more important that I stop Violet and end this. I couldn’t carry a baby, much less raise a child, running from Violet but now I wasn’t so eager to die in order to defeat her.

And if I was being honest, I wasn’t sure how Yeager would feel about a baby. I suppose I was just being silly but we hadn’t talked about it. Would he embrace being a father and adding to our pack or would he see it as a burden? I wasn’t even sure how I felt about it yet. I was happy, I suppose, but it was hard to tell considering the situation. In another time and place, I’d think I’d be elated but now my pregnancy just added to my anxiety.