Wyrd Calling (Wyrd Bound Book 1) (6 page)

Their faces fell, and Nik stood and walked out. It seemed that he'd been put on food duty. Ryan looked up at me, his wolf rippling just below the surface as he said, "Are you serious? We've worked our asses off, we deserve that hunt."

I raised an eyebrow and tried not to glare at Alex. I felt betrayed at him having promised them that before even mentioning it to me. He’d put all of that on me. I focused on Ryan and said, "Oh, do you now?"

He raised his chin a little, his voice gaining the edge of the lupine growl, "Yes. We had to spend hours doing bullshit training, hand to hand combat, energy control, and more. We’ve been cooped up in here, unable to run, to shift, for far too long."

I pursed my lips and said in my best mocking tone, "You poor thing..."

Alex moved closer to Ryan putting himself between us. "You deserve nothing. You did some basic training, and you feel you
deserve
to hunt?"

Ryan looked between us, but Dan stood and glared at Alex. "Yes, we deserve it. We came here with thoughts of working for the gods, of making something of ourselves, and all we've done is take shit from a high-strung bitch and go through combat and energy training."

I smiled sweetly and said, "Have you quite finished?"

Alex, however, said, in his icy calm tone no less, "You are whiny, pathetic little cubs. You are entitled and demanding. A pack is a tight-knit unit that depends on one other. You were chosen for an important task, and you
dare
not only to make demands but to insult one of your alphas?"

Dan wavered as he looked over to Ryan and down to the floor as he thought about things. He gritted his teeth as he did, putting his hands behind his back. Not the ideal mark of submission, but given how far along we were, I took it for what it was. I looked at Ryan, who sighed and also lowered his head. I turned my back to them and wished for the days when I chose my own pack and had wolves of quality rather than these worthless wretches.
 

The tension was palpable when Nik returned. None of us had said a word since Ryan and Dan had lowered their heads. Their muscles remained tight and their hands were tense as they tried to un-grit their teeth and not ball their hands into fists. I kept my breaths long and slow and gazed out the window, keeping my back to them as I allowed my mind to wander. I almost jumped when Nik came through the front door. He had a small smile on his face when he walked into the kitchen with three bags bursting with various cartons. The smells were incredible. One bag had a sweet and sharp tang to it with slightly fruity and earthy undertones. Another had the rich scents of spiced meats with bread and cheese. My mouth was watering as I took my seat and allowed the cubs to scurry around gathering plates and cutlery. I won't deny that I was slightly disappointed when I was handed a bottle of beer instead of something stronger, but I smiled graciously. They were trying.
 

Nik kept looking between everyone with his brow furrowed and the corners of his mouth slightly tightened. Everyone put on big smiles and organised the food, though. Once everyone was sitting down, we helped ourselves to a mix of pizzas, Chinese, and Indian. It was a feast, and the first time I felt vaguely ok with the situation.
 

After a few minutes of nothing but the happy sound of eating, Nik couldn't stand it any longer; he looked between Alex and I before focusing on Alex and saying, "What happened while I was gone?"

Alex stopped mid-bite and glared at Ryan and Dan, a clear warning, before he said in a cool tone, "Your pack-mates decided they
deserved
a hunt tonight. They were disrespectful, but everything has been put right, now."

Put right my ass, but it wouldn't do any good to have fighting amongst the ranks. I had no doubt the cubs would talk amongst themselves and trade insults about us and the situation they were in. I held back a sigh and took a bite out of my slice of pizza. I missed the good old days. Back then I had respectful, well-behaved cubs who were carefully chosen to complement each other. We were a tight-knit group that worked together and barely needed verbal communication. Instead, I was stuck with a trio of entitled, insolent assholes. My eyes were beginning to get damp. I shrugged and blamed it on the spicy Indian food before excusing myself.
 

I wandered out onto the deck outside the French windows and sat looking into the wild flowers that filled the majority of the garden. Tall grasses stood between a wide array of brightly coloured, spindly flowers that stretched upwards, hoping for more sunlight. The trees swayed softly in the breeze. The rustling of the leaves had a calming effect on me. It was peaceful and therapeutic. I enjoyed my time in the city, but the constant noise and presence was abrasive and wore me down over time. The trees and the soft breeze were whispers from home. They didn’t honk or squeal. It was a pure symphony of nature that worked to put me at ease.

 
Talking had finally started again inside, which made my eyes damp again; I didn't fit, and I didn't want to. They had formed their tight-knit little group and closed ranks. I was firmly outside of that circle. The cubs had no respect for me, and Alex wasn’t particularly amused to have me around, either. He stepped up and took control of the situations rather than giving me a chance to do so. I lay back on the deck and mentally kicked myself. I was past those foolish days of self-pity; I had a job to do. I focused on my surroundings and drove away the pity. It was to be expected. It wouldn’t be easy, and I’d never been one to choose the easy route.

I focused on the stars painted on the dark blue canvas of the night sky with the moon almost at its zenith. It was a beautiful sight that I hadn't been able to enjoy for a long time. Wandering from city to city was fantastic for following the traders and securing deals, but it didn’t allow me any contact with the night sky. It was shaded and hidden by the streetlights and tall buildings. I lost track of time as thoughts wandered from my mind and I just existed, at peace.
 

7

The following few days were more of the same. The cubs stayed in their section of the house and I in mine. I slept quite a bit and allowed my muscles and bones to recover properly while I gathered my thoughts and tried not to dwell on the past. Alex flitted in and out of my vision, but he left me alone most of the time. On the third night, the cubs were beginning to relax and adjust to their surroundings, their jaws were starting to unclench, and the contempt was shifting from their face when they looked at me.
 

Ryan said between bites of steak, "What’s the story here, then?"

He seemed to aim it at both Alex and I as he kept looking between us. He lowered his eyes and hunched his shoulders a little bit, clearly regretting asking. The corner of my mouth lifted in consideration of the smile as the jaguar preened at the fear. I pushed it back. That was not how my packs functioned.
 

Alex looked to me and his hand moved a little closer to mine before he caught himself and turned to Ryan again. "How do you mean?"

Ryan relaxed and allowed the breath he'd been holding to escape. "Well, I mean, who are you? How did you end up... here? You’re my alphas, but I’m left in the dark about who or even what you are. I don’t know anything about your past, your future, nothing."

Alex nodded and looked down at the final bite of steak for a moment as he gathered his thoughts. I eyed it and wondered if I could get away with stealing it, but given I hadn’t finished my own, I left his alone.
 

"I have been known by many names. I’ve taken many titles and roles over my time. It would take too long to tell you everything. How I ended up here is an equally long story,” he said wistfully before he hardened, becoming indifferent. “To summarise, I am an agent of the Wyrd Sisters. My income comes from investments and the stock exchange.”
 

He smiled broadly and said, "And what of you?"

Ryan stretched and leaned back in his chair. "I've been around. I did the usual things here and there; some security, I considered being a merc for a little while. I even worked in a shop and had a cushy office job at one point, heh. I’ve been all over this country and a few more, too. I guess I keep getting itchy feet. "

At least he had some idea of how to handle himself and how things worked, then. It wasn't exactly ideal, but it was something. I wasn’t sure how I felt about the wanderlust, but I’d have to just see how it went.
 

I said, "Dan, Nik, what about you? What're your stories?"

Nik smiled. "There’s something therapeutic about working with my hands, I enjoy feeling the wood and metal. The tactile sensations are soothing, as is the malleability and freedom to create something new. I got my start in wood but I moved into ironmongery and found it more enjoyable. There’s something pleasurable in carving something from raw materials, don’t you think?"

I offered a small smile and simply nodded in acknowledgement. There was indeed something pleasurable in forming something new from raw materials, but I preferred working with sentient beings.
 

Dan gave me a predatory grin. "I was a trader on the black market. My specialisation was... unusual items. There’s far more satisfaction in the higher value and less obtainable things in life. Of course there’s always the thrill from taking those risks and courting the darker side of life, too."

I couldn't help but curl my lip and utter a quiet growl at the connotations he was presenting. I wondered if he knew of me from his past. I'd screwed over quite a few traders in my time.
 

He finished with, "Don't worry, nothing relating to our kind."

I leaned forwards and looked directly into his eyes. "And what exactly
is
your kind, Dan?"

He was taken aback from a moment. He looked around him before he settled back on me. "The same as yours."

I laughed heartily. "Oh, I very much doubt that."

His forehead creased as he looked down to the table and back. "I’m a tri-shifter. There are plenty of derogatory terms for our kind. Personally, I prefer tri-shifter. I have Wolf, Cougar, and Fox within me."

I tilted my head and pursed my lips before I extended my energies and felt out his own. He didn't have much control over them. His warm energies fluctuated around him, tendrils flickering and constantly dancing. The three parts of him were clearly visible, as he had said. I hadn't met another before. It was a curious thing. I shrugged. It was bound to happen at some point. We weren't meant to be unique.
 

I nodded at Dan and simply said, "So you are. We are not the same, nor will we ever be."

Alex cut through the tension and said, “I am a familial shifter. As I’m sure you’re all aware, that means that I can take on the form of any creature, or mix of creatures, within one genetic genus. In my case that genus is
Canis
. If anyone has a problem with that, you’ll have to deal with it swiftly, else I’ll deal with it for you.”

The boys all lowered their eyes and looked away. The corner of my lip twitched a little in consideration of a smile. We were a mixed group. That, at least, would make things a little interesting.

Once the moment had passed, Dan sighed and nodded before tidying up the plates. I felt the jaguar pacing within me. I needed a release, some way to vent. Hunting was out of the question. I wasn't ready to trust the pack, and hunting alone in an unfamiliar territory was too risky. There were plenty of humans who would shoot a jaguar or a wolf should they see one out. Then, of course, there were those who hunted, or tried to hunt, shifters. I wasn’t willing to take that risk.

My little plan formed so easily while I was gazing out into the garden, as had become my custom after meals. The cubs were off doing some training in another part of the house, and I was in no mood for company. It wasn't grand or even a huge risk, but it would make me feel better, and in that moment, that was what mattered. I curled up in my nest feeling a little better that night. My sleep was dreamless, and I was grateful for it. I wasn't ready to deal with my subconscious and its bitchy little messages.

**

I ate my meat-heavy breakfast with relish before I strode out of the front door and to my car. I remained tense and slightly jumpy. I kept expecting to find Alex’s hand on my shoulder at any point, but it didn't happen. I wondered if maybe he trusted me after all. I shrugged it off and gave the raven control. The two predators were pacing and driving me mad, but they would have to wait. The raven I could sate and enjoy the sweet tang of peace with. I realised that I'd been in my own little world trying to temper the snarls of the jaguar and the wolf within my mind when I found myself parking the car. I looked around and smiled. I was in the heart of the closest large town, and I was ready to have a bit of fun. I was preparing to engage in an activity that brought me great pleasure and would allow me to vent from all of the stress.

The two predators love hunting, the jaguar particularly enjoys feeling fear in others, but the raven is far more about peace, exploration, and shiny things. There was one thing that both the jaguar and the raven loved, and that was thieving. The jaguar was finally content enough to remain reasonably quiet in the back of my mind so that the raven could have its fun. I couldn't help myself. I adored the thrill as I walked out of the shop or away from the person knowing that I had taken something that I shouldn't have. I needed to escape from the confines of the pack, that house, and partake in the pleasures of thieving. It would give my mind some peace.

I had enjoyed swindling traders for the same reason that I stole shinies, but thieving had more instant gratification. With that all firmly in mind and a huge grin fighting to claim my lips, I walked into the store. There was no more pack, no more stress, just the potential shinies. The store wasn't too big and had a range of things to grab my attention. Clothing was the primary focus and took up the most floor space, but there was some jewellery, a few perfumes and other little trinkets. Oh, how the raven loved trinkets.