Chapter 9: Forbidden

Naomi POV

Fear gripped her. What would Cyran do? She bolted for the door after Cyran, but Garnet stopped her with a raised hand. “He won’t do anything rash,” the woman said in a firm voice. “I’ll make sure of it.”

As swiftly as her brother had, Luna Garnet left.

Alpha Jiro looked at each member of Naomi’s family. “There will be a council meeting this afternoon about the ex-cult members. I want you to attend. Anyone in the pack can attend and make their voices heard–respectfully.”

Naomi’s father Ervin didn’t even back down when faced with the pack Alpha. “If you can’t control your family, how do you expect to control the pack?”

“Ervin!” Cortona looked scandalized. “He didn’t mean it, Alpha.”

Her father thrust out his lower lip. “I most certainly did. Every word.”

Coolly, brushing his crimson hair back, Alpha Jiro responded, “ I’m sorry for what your family has endured–the man kidnapped my sister-in-law, after all, and lured my mate into danger. And family is complicated. It’s hard to balance what’s right sometimes when everyone has a different opinion. The same is true of the pack. All of our family will have their say this afternoon at two.”

“Well, OUR family has suffered enough and you should tell Naomi to stay away from that monster,” Karaleah spat, her face turning purple.

“She’s the only one in this pack other than the Redwoods who understands what he’s going through,” Jiro replied. “And the same is true for him. Are you sure you want to deny either of them that?”

Her father scowled at him the way he would one of his students who didn’t do his homework.

Trying another tack, Jiro looked at Dantos. “With your mother still missing, we need to track down Hades and Cyran is our best option. You have Naomi back. We WILL get Rose away from Hades, I promise. Naomi has promised to help Cyran–”

“NO,” her family all shouted.

“YES. Thank you, Alpha. And thank you for fighting for us,” Naomi said softly.

Beta Barrett peeked in and called Alpha Jiro away. He left, with a reminder about the council meeting that afternoon. “Naomi is remarkable,” he said quietly on his way out.

Cortona and Karaleah grabbed Naomi’s arms. “We should get you home,” Karaleah cooed. “Forget that council meeting.”

Not likely, but Naomi just wanted to get them away from Sinsworth House and Cyran. “If Healer Kellam says I can go home.”

The solidly built healer examined her. “Your wounds are healing very well. I see no reason to keep you here. Go.” He wagged a thick finger at her family. “And no more excitement or arguing.”

“We promise,” Naomi’s family chorused, and surrounded her as they walked out of the Healing Wing.

Outside, Naomi breathed in the sweet late morning air. Her mother clutched at her arm. “I killed a big fat kudu today. We’ll bone it just as I taught you.”

“Of course,” Naomi said.

“That’ll be our dinner tonight,” her mother said. “A family dinner is just what you need. And when we get home, you’re going to rest before we do the boning.”

“Mother, I feel fine.”

Not entirely true. Her legs were shaky. But she didn’t want her mother to have any excuse to keep her home and away from that council meeting.

“If I’m fit enough to bone a kudu, I’m fit enough to go about my normal routine,” she said.

Her mother kept that strong grip on her. Years of lifting carcasses and boning beef had only made Cortona more powerful. “Fine, just so you understand one thing. You’re not to see that man again.”

“Listen to your mother,” her father added. “D*mn Alpha. I liked him, but he let that man back into the pack. A mistake, if you ask me, and I don’t mind saying so for the council and everyone to hear. He was disrespectful, arrogant, and rude.”

“CHILDISH,” Dantos declared. “You’d think we’d hurt him. He’s still a selfish, spoiled pup. Papa Ervin is right. How could the Alpha let him come back?”

Unfortunately, Dantos and Ervin weren’t entirely wrong. Cyran’s last outburst had only stoked the fire, and he hadn’t been even-tempered before that.

Cortona was sensitive. “I do respect the Wise Women, especially that one from the Evenhide Pack, and I’m sure these other mystics and witches have their reasons for saying he’s changed. But that doesn’t mean he gets another chance to ruin my daughter’s life. As for the Alpha, everyone knows how attached his mate is to her brother, especially after what happened to her parents. I can’t blame him for showing mercy to Cyran. But he shouldn’t insist we do the same–especially after what Cyran did to his family.”

Naomi sighed. Thank goodness she hadn’t revealed Alpha Jiro’s agreement that named her as Cyran’s possible fated mate. He’d have a challenge on his hands. He still might. Anyone who thought he was cold and a walking rulebook clearly didn’t understand what he really was: an idealist underneath.

She wasn’t going to tell her family about the agreement, and she was going to sneak away and go to that council meeting, whether they liked it or not. It concerned her, after all.

Her vision blurred and she felt dizzy. Resting at home for a bit would do her some good. She’d just have to think of an excuse to pop out for a bit.

* * * * *

Cyran POV

He should never have come home if it was going to be this bad. But what choice did he have?

His wolf whined softly, sympathetic to him. Just wait. If he acted foolishly, his wolf would snap at him. Besides, if he did anything stupid he’d never be with his mate. He thought of her smile and her intelligent gaze and the way she ran in wolf form.

He marched up and down the lake shore outside the castle, noticing a thin layer of ice starting to form. Or it would if the lake serpents didn’t keep breaking it by wriggling.

A familiar voice stopped him as he kicked the ice. “Temper, temper, pup.”

Joyfully, he whirled and ran to the woman with gray eyes and white-blonde hair and a knowing smile. Tulaska Volkov was the most welcome sight right now. “Hello, Mother.”

They weren’t blood related, but they shared an ordeal, a quest, a healing, and her nearly dying for him which made them kin. His arms wrapped around her and he hugged her. He smelled a mix of herbs perfuming her hair as he buried his face in it.

“I take it you missed me, Son.”

“Goddess, yes. No one else except Naomi understands.”

She kissed his forehead as only a mother figure could. “Be thankful that they don’t understand.”

She was right, as she so often was. He wouldn’t wish this on anyone.

Roslynn Rossa added softly, “They can never understand, but their hearts can be opened with patience and time, so don’t give up.”

“Patience and time! They won’t even let me talk to them,” he growled.

Jiro’s voice was gentle. “That’s why you need time and patience.”

“Ha! You’re one to talk.” He moved away from the comfort of Tulaska’s arms and pinned Jiro down with his stare. “You named Naomi my potential fated mate in our agreement.”

“Which I didn’t share with them,” Jiro told him. “That’s not to be made public. For obvious reasons.”

Tulaska let out a low whistle and smiled triumphantly. “I always knew he could cause a bigger earthquake than Dane and we’d never see it coming.”

Garnet had joined them. “I’m going to shake the ground under Cyran if he ever threatens to just disappear again.”

He covered his face with his hands. “Fenrir’s guts, I really didn’t think.”

To say THAT with his sister around … how could he?

He uncovered his face and hugged Garnet. “I’m sorry.”

“You need my Movements of the Moon routine,” Roslynn told him.

“And don’t give up so easily on the woman we hear may be your fated mate,” Tulaska said.

He wanted to ask her directly, and Roslynn. But the minute he heard their answer, everything would change. Or would they even give him an answer? Jiro’s brother Patch and his mate Anneliese hadn’t gotten one right away, nor had Luna Lilia and Alpha Dane, nor that Beta brother of Dane’s who picked their pack healer. Jiro and Garnet reportedly had, but that was because of politics.

“Her family, understandably, isn’t convinced about my new path,” he said, a plaintive note in his voice.

“I don’t say it will be easy to win them over,” Tulaska commented. “But you knew that–and perhaps it’s why you chose to jump into a bramblebush feet first.”

He tried for humor. “Because I like pain?”

“No. Because you’ve learned that avoiding it only brings more of it, until you’re surrounded by brambles on all sides and it’s impossible to free yourself without getting scratched so badly that you want to numb the pain again,” Tulaska replied.

Roslynn agreed. “Melville says that the only good part of accidentally dropping a rock on your toe is the relief when it finally stops hurting.”

Melville. That was Roslynn’s mate. “Wise man,” Cyran commented, staring at the lake.

Garnet put a hand on his shoulder. “Naomi’s family did force the issue, Cyran … but you didn’t do much to douse the flames. I know you tried.”

“What am I going to do?” He stared at the sheets of ice floating on the water. “They don’t want her to have anything to do with me.”

Tulaska huffed. “They think she’s fragile like that ice. Well, ice may break but it isn’t fragile. It carves out mountains. When it melts it becomes part of the lake to make it deeper.”

Roslynn added wisely, “And they don’t want her heart to become cold and brittle. Fighting for justice will help her heal.”

Jiro had a wry twist to his mouth. “Try telling them that.’

“You did try,” Cyran said. “Even used your Alpha Voice.”

Jiro sighed, empathy in his eyes. “For all the good it did.”

“The great Jiro Cresta, at a loss?”

A sharp elbow to his ribs had him gasping, especially because it was Garnet’s elbow.

Jiro’s eyes burned. “You’re making it very challenging to be sympathetic to you or to risk angering most of the pack on your behalf.”

“Yes, he is, but he’ll do better.” Garnet’s voice was loaded with menace. “Won’t you?”

He stiffened, lifting his chin. “My signature says I will.”

“Your actions and words better back that up,” she warned.

And he knew she was right on so many counts. But what to do about the Tenebrusos? He had to act now and not just because his wolf wanted Naomi. Every second Hades was at large endangered the pack, especially with neighbors at each other's throats.

His eyes widened. “Poppy!”

“What?” everyone else asked.

“Poppy attacked us. She’s a hunter. Naomi says that it was unlike her. She went feral,” Cyran said in a hushed voice. “Almost like us in the cult, except we planned our attacks. This felt very sloppy. Impulsive. And they seemed almost possessed.”

Tulaska smiled. “You believe in the girl. That’s encouraging.”

“Are you sure?” Jiro asked.

“Ask Naomi–if you can get past her family,” Cyran growled.

Jiro reached out and touched his shoulder. “You didn’t tell them.”

“Would they have believed me?”

Jiro grimaced. “We have no proof yet, in any case. You and Naomi should question the prisoners. I’ll even order you to do that and have the council vote on it.”

Just like that, the solution fell into place. The Tenebrusos had challenged Jiro but respected him.

Cyran slowly smiled. “I think I have an even better plan for that council meeting.”