Blood Ties: The Third (A Bane Pack Novel)

By Rustin Petrae

Kendra has been emotionally shattered following the death of her boyfriend, Conor Dewar. Her pack is suffering everyday from the emotions that trickle down from her to them. She has given up the fight and wants nothing to do with leading werewolves or fighting vampires. Everything feels so hopeless. In an effort to help her, Alrich decides to tell her his story.

Things don't exactly go to plan, however, when the Old One decides to intervene. He weaves a spell but Kendra’s eyes flash with cold, white light. The next second, both her and Alrich are gone. Disappeared into thin air.

In Remember, Alrich tries to help Kendra but the Old One steps in and things end up going wrong. One second, Kendra is in her bed and the next, she's stuck in a situation involving a mysterious mage and a fire dog.

In Loss, the Bane Pack is in a life or death struggle as the powerful vampire horde closes in and attacks. The protective shielding from the Old One has collapsed and Kendra finally steps back in to fight.

In Shade, Kendra is broken and her pack is suffering. To make matters worse, she starts seeing Conor’s ghost everywhere.

In End, Kendra finally comes face to face with Bendis in an all or nothing fight for not only her life, but the lives of everyone she loves.

Finish the story of the Bane Pack in Blood Ties: The Third.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rustin Petrae
• Release date: Feb 28, 2022
• ISBN: 9781005159573

Rustin Petrae

Rustin Petrae is the author of the Histories of Purga Novels, the Bane Pack Novels, Hybrid Earth, and Forfeit. He is also an art director/graphic designer and recent BFA graduate from The Ohio State University. Currently, he lives in Ohio but was actually born in San Antonio, TX. However, he spent most of his childhood and early adulthood overseas in Japan and Korea. The experiences gained from living in Japan (Misawa Air Force Base) and Korea (Yongsan Army Base and Osan Air Force Base) helped shape his writing. Living among other cultures did a lot to expand his worldview. He started writing very early on but was interested in becoming an author even back in elementary school. In fact, when asked what he wanted to be when he grew up as part of a school project, he said he wanted to be either a cartoonist or an author. While he still draws here and there, he spends most of his time working to hone both his writing and graphic design skills. He's written several stories, flash fictions, a few novellas, and six novels. He also creates his own cover art and promotional materials.To get up to date news on Rustin's projects, freebies, and more, check out his official website at: rustinpetrae.com.

Book preview

Smashwords Edition

Copyright © 2022, Rustin Petrae. All rights reserved.

Price $2.99 (US Currency) for a digital copy. No similarity between any names, characters, persons, and/or institutions in this publication is intended and any such is purely coincidental. The Bane Pack Novels (including all prominent characters) featured in this novel (and the distinctive likeness thereof) are copyrighted by Rustin Petrae

Also Available from Rustin Petrae

Bane Pack Novels

Blood Ties: The First

Blood Ties: The Second

Histories of Purga

Dragon

Roc

Basilisk

Collection

Forfeit

Novella

Cat’s Paw

Kindle Vella

Hybrid Earth

Hybrid Earth: Phoenix

Hybrid Earth: Assassins

For Hyde

Thank you to everyone that came along for this particular ride.

-Rustin Petrae

PART ONE...Remember

PART TWO…Loss

PART THREE...Shade

PART FOUR...End

EPILOGUE

PART FIVE...Rewind

"How does she fare today?" Alrich asked as he glanced at his granddaughter’s bedroom door. He could hear the sounds of someone talking on the other side but it was too faint to make out, even with his heightened hearing. That didn’t surprise him as most of the rooms and doors inside the mansion had a bit of sound-proofing to them. It helped with privacy in a building full of werewolves with super senses.

She’s deteriorating quickly. She barely eats or drinks and she hasn’t come out of that room in almost a month, Deirdre informed him. She looked like a wreck. Her eyes were tired and there was an air of depression hanging over her.

Alrich knew that it was merely a watered-down version emanating from Kendra, her alpha. An alpha’s personality and emotions would oftentimes be transferred to members of their pack, especially if that alpha happened to be strong. In Kendra’s case, Alrich hasn’t seen a stronger alpha in over three centuries. He thought she could even rival his own power.

You look exhausted. Go, get some rest. I will keep watch over Kendra, Alrich told her.

Deirdre felt a measure of relief and nodded.

Thank you, she replied, bowing. She walked away and headed to her room. Then she stopped and turned around. Oh, and Jenna’s in there. She’s been in there for almost an hour trying to get Kendra to talk. A look of concern crossed her pretty features. It might get...intense.

Alrich smiled charmingly.

I feel confident I can handle matters but I appreciate your concern. Now go. Sleep.

Deirdre wasn’t overly convinced of that as she felt a phantom tingle of pain in her jaw from the brutal punch Jenna had landed on her the other day. The girl might look like a runway model but she threw punches like a professional boxer. She didn’t hold it against the knight, however. At the time, she had been trying to pull her and Kendra apart and got sucker punched for her trouble. She hesitated a moment more.

Sleep, lady. Do not make me force you to leave. The experience might not be pleasant, Alrich said with a smile, his eyes flashing white-blue for a moment.

Just..., she started. Make sure she’s okay. Make sure she knows we’re all here for her.

It shall be done. Alrich gave her a small, gentlemanly bow and flashed her a reassuring smile.

Deirdre gave a last lingering look at Kendra’s door then turned and walked off, heading toward the room she shared with her son, Patrick.

Alrich watched Deirdre until she was gone and then turned toward the door. He didn’t open it though. Instead, he just listened for a minute or two. He heard the knight, Jenna, speaking but there was no response from Kendra. Only silence. For the most part, that was all there was from her in recent weeks. No matter how hard anyone tried, she would barely speak. She would almost never engage in conversation and would hardly move. Alrich was, to put it mildly, getting sick of it. He knew the pain of loss, perhaps better than anyone, but Kendra was an alpha. She was responsible for her pack and it was time she started acting like it again.

Get out!

The shout was sudden and incredibly loud. It was enough to jerk him out of his own thoughts.

You don’t care! You never cared! You hated him! You hated him being with me! You don’t have to worry anymore because he’s DEAD! He was murdered right in front of me!

Alrich heard something crash against the wall.

Stop, please! Jenna pleaded. I’m sorry he died but you can’t keep doing this to yourself. Conor wouldn’t want that.

Don’t you dare use his name like that! I never want to hear you say it again! Never! Now get out!

Kendra was crying as she yelled. Alrich could hear the despair in her voice and his heart went out to her. He wanted to help but he also wanted her to be stronger. Her strength was the only thing that would allow her to survive Bendis. In fact, her strength might be enough to take the goddess down for good, something he had never been able to do himself and if he was honest, he wanted that very badly. He was tired. He was tired of the goddess finding new and more painful ways of hurting him. Losing...them...had been painful enough but now she managed to take another son from him. Anger flashed through him at the thought of Merle’s death but he pushed it down and fed it to the dull fire of rage always simmering deep inside him.

Your time will come Bendis. You smell it too, I bet. It’s in the air. The thought was a pleasant one and he suddenly smiled.

The bedroom door abruptly opened and a disheveled Jenna appeared. Her eyes were red and tears stained her cheeks. She glanced at Alrich for a brief second before she rushed past him. He watched as she ran down the hall for a few seconds and then he walked calmly into Kendra’s room. He found her on the bed as he suspected. She looked much worse off than Deirdre had been. She looked like a wasted, ruined shell of her formally vibrant self. Her eyes held no depth. They looked empty of everything save grief. It was so thick, he could almost physically feel it roiling through the air as he walked in. She was thin, her face gaunt and hollow, and she had pulled herself into a fetal position.

Go away, Kendra told him the second he walked into the room. Her voice hitched a few times before she started crying again. Now is not the time, Alrich.

I am afraid I have already dedicated myself to staying and even with your incredible strength and ability, I will not be dissuaded. He smiled at her, his eyes gentle. I have been told by nearly everyone you care about to give you space and let you grieve. I have respected their wishes but I believe it is time to take up your mantle once again and resume your duties as alpha.

Maybe I wasn’t clear before. I’m done. I’m finished. I’ve lost too many people and I just can’t take it anymore. Kendra spoke earnestly, her face a mask of pain and loss.

And yet if you continue to do nothing, more people will die. Your friend Jenna for instance. Your mother, perhaps. Maybe your brother. If there is one thing I have learned in my long life it is this. There will always be consequences for your actions, good or bad. Even giving up and doing nothing, Alrich told her. Are you prepared to accept that?

Kendra shot up in her bed, her eyes flashing amber with her sudden anger. She glared at Alrich.

What I am is because of you! The people I’ve lost. My father and mother. Conor. My pack. I lost them because of you, Kendra yelled vehemently. They were your choices. And now I am dealing with the consequences of your actions. Not mine. So, don’t sit there and lecture me. I don’t want or need to hear it.

Kendra laid back down and turned her back on Alrich. Her words stung but he moved past them.

That may be true, granddaughter, he said, choosing his words carefully. I fell in love. I let that blind me for a long time and when I was finally able to see again, I chose to merely walk away. That choice has had disastrous consequences. I have spent my existence trying to rectify them.

I hate to break it to you but you aren’t doing a very good job of it, Kendra told him.

Alrich let the jibe pass. He wasn’t a petty man by nature, so it was easy for him to ignore Kendra’s hate-filled insults. He merely nodded his head at her in affirmation.

She has been elusive, he stated with a little chuckle. You have heard the history yourself, I presume?

Conor told it to me, Kendra replied flatly.

And I am sure he was quite thorough, but history has a way of eroding over time. Its edges begin to lose definition and events that used to be so clear become blurred and foggy. Let me tell you the full story, he told her. Let me tell you the real truth. Maybe then, you will understand that you and I are not so different.

Just go away, Kendra told him.

I am afraid once I set my mind to a task, I can be quite stubborn about it. I will not depart. I will tell you this story and you will listen. Alrich’s eyes flashed with white-blue light as he glanced at Kendra.

There was a spark of resentment and anger burning on the features of her face. She tried to maintain it but something coming from Alrich caused it to wilt and die.

Whatever, she said, laying down and turning her back on him again. Do what you want but I’m not going to listen.

Alrich took a deep breath and began his story. He talked for a good twenty minutes, going into finer and finer details concerning what happened so long ago. His memory, unfortunately for him, was nearly perfect and allowed him almost total recall. Faces he almost wished he could forget surged up into the forefront of his mind and brought a tear to his eye. Kendra saw it there but instead of empathizing with his pain, it just enraged her. It only served as a reminder of what that bitch goddess has done to not only her but her entire family over the centuries.

I tracked the dragon to its lair after it slaughtered my men and fought it there, defeating it with a thrust to its heart. That’s where I first saw Edolie, Alrich was saying but Kendra was so focused on her own thoughts and anger that she wasn’t paying attention.

Most people are more impressed when you tell them you fought an actual, real dragon, the Old One said from the doorway.

Alrich turned around.

Your input is not needed here, he said.

But you’re going to get it anyway. You think just telling her what happened is going to snap her out of it? he asked.

Get out. Both of you, Kendra said. Leave me alone.

I’m fine here, Alrich replied. I think I can get through to my granddaughter on my own.

You can’t, now just go! Kendra said, exasperated.

She doesn’t know what she's talking about, Alrich told his friend. He grew apprehensive the more the Old One remained. He liked to help situations. It was something he learned about the old wizard throughout their long years together. It was true there were times where his help was invaluable, however, there were other times where things ended in disaster. He didn't want to risk it when it might cause his granddaughter undue suffering.

Yes, I do, Kendra replied angrily. I do know what I'm talking about and I know that I want to be left alone! she yelled, more tears running down her cheeks. For the last time, go away.

You are upsetting her, Alrich reprimanded. You should leave.

You should both leave, Kendra cried. She sounded like she was on the verge of a total emotional breakdown.

No, no. Trust me. This will help. She doesn’t need to hear your story, although it is a good one. I keep telling you to sell it to Hollywood. They’ll eat that shi...uhh...crap up. What she needs now, though, is action! Fighting! An outlet. Here, you'll see what I mean.

Don't..., Alrich tried to say but before he could even get the word out, the Old One blinked.

Kendra, who had been trying to sleep, suddenly flipped onto her back. Her body stiffened up as rigid as a board. Then her eyes snapped open. They glowed with an intense, bright light that continued to expand until there was a blinding flash that filled the entire room. The Old One raised his hand to shield his eyes. When the light died down enough to where he could see again, Alrich and Kendra were gone.

He looked around in confusion.

Uh…that wasn't supposed to happen, he whispered to himself. Where the hell did they go?

He left the room and almost crashed into Deirdre.

Apologies, Old One. She bowed respectfully. I heard something. Is everything all right?

Ugh. I hate that name. I honestly don’t know why Alrich keeps calling me that. I mean, do I look ‘old’ to you? Just call me Merlin. He took her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing it softly.

"M-Merlin? As in, the Merlin? King Arthur’s Merlin? The greatest wizard of all time, Merlin?" Deirdre asked, shocked. She knew the man was powerful but she had no idea who he really was.

The one and only. By the way, Arthur was an asshole. Just saying. Never really listened to a word I said. But that's beside the point. You wouldn’t happen to know where Alrich and Kendra are, would you?

Aren't they still in there? Deirdre asked, confused.

"‘In there’ might be a loose term right now. He did air quotes around in there" and smiled innocently at her.

What did you do? she asked, her voice tinged with anger.

You know, I really don’t like your assumption that it was my fault, he told her.

Was it? she asked.

Well, yeah, but I still don’t like you assuming it was me, he replied. Honestly, that’s a bit rude, don’t you think?

Deirdre ignored him and went inside the room. The bed Kendra had been living on for almost a month was now empty. She whirled on Merlin.

What happened? Where are they?

You see, here's the thing. He paused, hesitating and fidgeting with his fingers. I don’t know. I tried to connect her to Alrich's memories to show her the awesome fights he got in when he was first turned, then the next thing I know, she's flipped onto her back and her eyes are glowing white. There was a flash of light and bam…gone. Both of them, Merlin explained.

Kendra. Her power must have warped your spell somehow, Deirdre said, mostly to herself.

Her power? And...uh...what power would that be...exactly?

I don’t know. No one does. She hasn’t exactly told anyone about it. She's our alpha though, so we can feel it flowing into us at times. Deirdre looked thoughtful.

What does it feel like?

It feels like...like...control, I guess. Like my mind can fly out and overwhelm another’s. Deirdre looked almost scared. I cannot really do it though. It just feels like I can.

That’s the most interesting thing I've heard in a long time, Merlin responded. So she has a power not connected to either her being a werewolf or magic. And an incredibly strong power at that.

Ok well that’s great you find it interesting but where the hell is she? Deirdre asked. The vampires could attack at any moment.

I don’t have the slightest clue, TBH. He shrugged. I used that correctly, right? TBH. Means to be honest, yeah? The whole acronym thing is both annoying and really fun to use.

Tell me you're joking, Deirdre practically yelled. She restrained a very strong urge to punch him in the face. You just magicked our alpha and your friend away and you’re hung up on acronyms?

Why would I joke about something like accidentally making your alpha disappear? That would be rude, don’t you think? Merlin looked frustratingly calm. I’m sure they’ll turn up somewhere, safe and sound.

How do you know for sure?

Because, they’re werewolves, duh. Also, Alrich’s immortal anyway.

He is? And you didn’t think to say anything before now? Deirdre asked through gritted teeth.

Naturally. And I just assumed you all figured that part out for yourselves. I mean he is really, really old, even for a werewolf. But that’s besides the point. It’s an insignificant fact. What I want to know is what that power was. That is something useful. I’m sure of it. If I can just figure out what it is, it might be able to take even Bendis by surprise. Gotta use the good ol’ noggin again. He tapped the side of his head and smiled broadly but Deirdre didn’t smile back.

What about Bendis? If she finds Kendra now, with her like...like she is, she won’t be able to defend herself.

No need to worry. I doubt Bendis wants to tangle directly with Kendra. I’m sure she’s aware of our girl’s weird power and besides, she can’t directly kill a Bane-blood. Merlin started walking down the hall and Deirdre rushed up next to him. There was a look of confusion on her face.

I remember Kendra saying something to that effect during the cafeteria raid but I didn’t know what she meant, she said. Why can’t Bendis kill a Bane? She’s a goddess.

"Sorry. She can kill a Bane, she’ll just die too. The magical curse she placed on Alrich was tethered to her pretty strongly. When I changed the curse, that tether became attached to the Bane family line. If she did anything to them, the effect would bounce back and hurt or kill her too."

Even though she’s an immortal goddess?

Especially because she's a goddess. Think about the recoil of a gun. The smaller the gun, the less recoil it has. The bigger the gun, the stronger that recoil is. Well, a god or goddess is one huge ass gun. Their own power bouncing back onto themselves is like getting blown up with about two dozen nukes. Can you withstand two dozen nukes?

Ok. That makes sense, I guess, Deirdre replied. So how do we find them?

I’m sure she’s fine. It appears her power was unconsciously activated when my magic was brought forth. She didn’t look as if she intended to do what she did so that’s the only conclusion I can draw. The most important thing to remember now is this. It wasn’t my fault. Merlin smiled cheerily.

I really want to hurt you right now.

I get that a lot, he replied.

||| ||| ||| ||| |||

Kendra was in a dark place, cold and completely alone. She didn’t want to use that word because all it seemed to do was remind her that Conor was gone, but it was the only word that would do. His face flashed inside her mind, over and over again. His smiling face. His angry face. His goofy face. His sad face. All of them flitted across her mind’s eye so rapidly, she barely had time to process them. But it was time enough for them to hurt her deeply. Each one was like a cut to her soul that wouldn’t heal and just bled and bled and bled. She had been struggling to her feet but her strength suddenly went out of her and she fell to her knees, tears streaming from her eyes. She hated that she was crying but she couldn’t stop herself either. She hadn’t been able to stop herself for almost a month now.

Weak! Quit being such a girl! You need to be strong now. You need to be strong so you can kill Drake and his vampires and bring Bendis down. Sobbing like this is not going to help!

The words inside her head were harsh but she couldn't deny their truth either. No matter how harsh they were, she just couldn’t bring herself to get out of her bed. Whenever she tried, she would see his face again, or remember his voice, or remember the way his hand felt when it caressed her bare skin, or how his lips felt against hers. Then the despair, sadness, and pain would all come rushing back in, overwhelming her with ridiculous ease. She had to hand it to the goddess, she supposed. Despite the fact that Bendis couldn’t directly hurt her, she still managed it with brutal cruelty.

She is a goddess. She’s had plenty of time over the millenia to figure it out.

Conor’s face, his loving, sweet face, was there again and again, she felt the pain like a dagger to her heart. He was smiling at her and she saw the love in his eyes. It was so clear, like it had been in life. She’d never had anyone look at her with such undying, unyielding love before and the thought of not seeing it ever again was yet another wound that opened up in her soul. She collapsed all the way to the ground and just laid there, not wanting to move or do anything at all.

"What’s this now?"

The voice came from nowhere.

She jerked up at once, her heart hammering inside her chest like a war drum.

C-Conor?

It was impossible but at the same time it was his voice. She would know it anywhere. Then a light flicked on and she flinched away from the sudden brightness. She threw an elbow across her face and forced herself to sit up.

Ms. Henner? The voice was tentative and hesitant.

At first, Kendra couldn’t remember who it belonged to. It was familiar but at the same time not. Then it clicked and she made herself get to her feet.

Pope? Her voice was inquisitive. Then her eyes finally adjusted to the light and she lowered her arm. In front of her, giving her a somewhat weird, confused look, was Pope Wallace, the man she had rescued from his blood hunger and allowed into her pack.

Is there something you need? he asked. I wasn’t aware that you would be coming. After, uhh...after everything that happened I thought you might need some time.

N-no. No, sorry. I..uh...I just wanted to check in on you. That was, of course, a lie. She had no idea how she got to her father’s tattoo shop. It probably had something to do with whatever was inside her twisting the Old One’s spell into something different.

I can assure you there are no pro…

He was interrupted by a loud, coughing whoomph! A second later, the whole building shook.

Pope whirled around, his face overcome with shock and confusion. Then his entire body went taut and his jaw clenched. A second later, his wolf exploded out of him and he ran into the shop’s main lobby. Kendra took a second to gather her own wits and when she got some measure of composure back, she let her own wolf explode out of her. She rushed into the lobby, following on the heels of Pope, and ran right into a cloud of smoke and fire. She could hear Pope snarling and growling at...something...near the front door. The other beta wolves had come down too when they heard the explosion. They joined Pope in the fight against whatever it was he was fighting. She couldn’t really see what the creature was with all the smoke but she could smell it. It smelled exactly like a campfire that’s been burning for a few hours.

당신이 밖으로 나오지 않으면 당신과 당신의 친구들은 모두 죽을 것입니다. a voice shouted from outside on the street.

Kendra wanted to focus on the person outside the shop first. She even started running toward them but something seemingly made of fire got in her way. It looked like a medium-to-large-sized dog but flickering, orange-yellow flames were erupting out of its fur. Its eyes were a blaze of yellow flames that tinged toward red in their centers.

겁쟁이! 당신이 당신 자신을 보여주지 않으면 당신의 친구들을 죽게 내버려두겠습니다! the voice screamed. 살인자! 나와! 지금!

Kendra watched the fiery dog whimper, its eyes dulling somewhat for a second or two before bursting into even brighter flames. She caught the unmistakable sound of pain in that whimper.

I get it, Kendra thought. The fire dog isn’t the real threat. It’s being used and judging by the pain it’s obviously in, not by its choice.

Kendra growled at the thing and bared her teeth. It did the same to her and then charged. The fire was intense, hot, and immediately painful but she ignored it as she swiped one of her giant paws out in a vicious, semi-circle. She connected but the blow was a weak one only meant to shove the creature to the side. Even so, it hurt. Its fur was exceedingly hot but she bore the pain so she could create the opening she needed. Once she had it, she took off for the front door and burst through its shattered remains to stand on the sidewalk outside. As expected, her wolves were helping to keep the fire creature preoccupied while she dealt with the real threat. She saw who that was almost immediately. It was a man or woman of slim build, wearing a long cloak with a hood that mostly obscured their face. They floated maybe a foot above the ground and confirmed her suspicion that some kind of mage was behind the attack. No doubt another one of Bendis’ pawns.

That thought just…enraged her.

She shifted back into her human form, her eyes glowing with white light.

I am getting sick and tired of Bendis’ little puppets always coming to fuck up my life! Her voice was a loud, booming sound that hurt the ears of the person attacking her father’s shop. You really made the wrong choice in backing her!

Kendra’s words were corrupted as her alpha state transformed her into a monstrous wolf/human creature straight out of a twisted nightmare. She ran full out at the mage, hell bent on really tearing into her attacker and hurting someone else for a change. Her focus was entirely on them so it was a shock when something rammed into her side and sent her tumbling across the ground. She slowed her momentum by reaching out a hand and letting her claws scrape into the asphalt.

She let out a loud roar at whatever hit her but it died in her throat a second later.

The attack had come from one of her own wolves.

||| ||| ||| ||| |||

Alrich was disoriented at first as the effects of the Old One’s magic wore off. When he could focus again, he found himself in front of an ancient, crumbling mausoleum. A name was written on the outside and it said simply, Bane in letters almost too faded to see. He put a hand up to its door as memories swirled inside him, threatening to undo the careful grip he had on his emotions. Faces of his beloved wife, daughters, and son from a life he remembered all too well, surged up from where he kept them buried inside his mind. He let out a somewhat sad sigh, took out the cell phone still in his pocket and dialed a number.

The person he called picked up almost immediately.

Yo! Where the hell are you? Merlin asked.

You sent me to them, Alrich answered, his voice gruff and angry. What would possess you to send me here?

About that, Merlin responded. You can blame your granddaughter. I’m not sure of the particulars but she has a power inside her that twisted my magic and made it do...uh...something else. Judging by where you ended up, I’m assuming a place where you both felt safe or some shit like that.

My granddaughter’s power? Alrich asked, confused. What does that mean?

She’s got something inside her that’s insanely powerful, perhaps more so than my own magic considering it was able to warp it the way it did. Merlin’s voice was, as usual, irritatingly calm and without concern.

I don’t understand any of this, Alrich said, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Just send it to me and hurry up about it. There’s no telling when Bendis will strike again and if my granddaughter is alone and unprotected, I highly doubt she will waste the opportunity.

Yeah, that’s tr…, Merlin was saying but then a bunch of noise and shouting drowned him out. Then he started talking to someone else. What’s going on? Seriously? Damnit!

What has happened? Alrich asked.

Merlin didn’t answer him. Instead, a circle of glowing light suddenly erupted underneath Alrich’s feet. Then he was falling through an empty space Merlin called the World Between Worlds. It was, for the most part, an empty, white void. He wasn’t in there for long, barely even a second, and then he was on solid ground again. There was a moment of disorientation but it dissipated quickly. Then his eyes focused and he was staring at Merlin’s obnoxiously cocky face. Around them, things were in chaos. People were rushing about and the yelling and shouting was getting out of hand.

Ian suddenly ran past them and Alrich reached out a hand to stop him.

What is it? he asked.

There’s a fire at the tattoo shop. We think Bendis is targeting it, Ian explained, his deep voice gruff. Then he ran off, following after four or five other wolves that appeared to all be heading for the front doors or the door leading to the garage.

You think we should help out? Merlin asked, his voice heavy with sarcasm.

You tax my patience, wizard, Alrich replied back, but he did so with a small smile. Come on, old friend. Let’s go.

Merlin smiled back and then gestured at the ground. The same circle of light appeared and they both stepped into it. When they came back out, they were in front of Bendis Tattoo. Both of them were blasted by a wave of heat so intense, they had to shield their faces. Merlin whispered a word and then the heat suddenly disappeared. He let his hand fall to his side and there, in front of him was an invisible wall that was holding back the worst of the flames and heat.

Alrich took one second to assess the situation and then the wolf inside exploded out in a wave of white-blue energy and in place of the man, a massive, white-furred wolf with icy blue eyes was standing on the pavement. Its teeth were bared and its extremely large head looked around, assessing the situation.

Everyone and everything suddenly froze as they stopped to stare in wonder at the huge wolf standing in front of them. Just to ensure everyone got the message, Alrich roared so loudly that the ground and buildings actually shook.

||| ||| ||| ||| |||

Kendra got back up, shocked at first that one of her own would attack her. She thought she must have been mistaken but no, there was the wolf, putting themselves directly between her and the hooded person. The wolf was a smaller one with glossy, black fur and luminous amber eyes that stared at Kendra with regret and shame. His name was Ye-Jun and she thought him loyal like the others but obviously, she had been wrong. He was a betrayer and obviously just another one of Bendis’ puppets.

She stalked toward the black-furred wolf, her huge, clawed fists clenching and unclenching as she did. Behind her, dimly, she could feel the heat of the fire dog but it was a minor thing and it barely even registered on her consciousness.

Ye-Jun shifted back into his human form but completely ignored Kendra, focusing instead on the shadowy form of the hooded figure. His slender, naked body was bathed in the red/orange light from the fire dog. He stood firm and unyielding, his face looking solemn. Almost sad. The other members of the beta pack were watching him closely, but he ignored them too. Their large heads swung back and forth, trying to figure out what was going on. One of them, however, was rolling on the ground because the fire dog had set her fur on fire.

Go! Put out the fire! Kendra commanded, gesturing at the emblazoned wolf.

Pope was the first one to reach her and when he did, he quickly tackled her to the ground. The other wolves joined in and soon, they were able to smother the fire. The burnt wolf got shakily to her feet, her burned fur and flesh already mending itself.

나는 당신과 함께 갈 것입니다. 이 사람들을 그냥 내버려 두세요. Ye-Jun suddenly asked.

나는 당신을 위해 여기 있습니다. 나와 함께 가자. 그러면 그들은 살 것이다. the hooded figure responded. Their voice was soft and decidedly feminine.

Kendra had no idea what language they were speaking but if she had to guess, it was something Asian. Japanese or Korean, she thought. The two continued talking, their words coming out fast and heated. There was a lot of arguing and the fire dog had broken away from the wolves it was fighting to try and attack Ye-Jun again. It was a foot or two away