Vuko POV
When I wake, something warm and furry vibrates on my chest. It's strange but not unpleasant so I lie there for a while. Then the warm, furry, vibrating thing sticks sharp needles into my chest and I sit up with a cry, pushing it away from me.
I sit there blinking for a bit with Silvia biting her lips to stop herself from laughing and the ugliest cat I've ever seen, arching its back and hissing at me.
"You upset Wiley," says Silvia.
"You named it?" I say, "It's yours?"
I shake my head. Nothing makes sense here. Then, Silvia sits down next to me and hands me a cup of coffee and actually it does make sense. Not a lot. But enough.
She asks me how I'm feeling and I yawn and stretch and tell her that I'm better but my stomach growls and the new problem is that I'm so hungry that if Wiley doesn't get out of the way soon, she'll be breakfast. Or lunch.
"What time is it?" I ask Silvia.
"It's eleven am," she say
Vuko POV I guess I should have expected that she would turn on me first. And if I had expected it, would I have been better at dealing with it? But it happens so fast. The one moment she's standing there and my heart is breaking watching hers break. I'm looking at her thinking how Didi had been her little shadow since he was old enough to be able to follow her around. Once, she had forgotten about him and climbed the aerie, her fingers strong and experienced in finding the hand- and foot-holds. About five meters from the ground she heard him cry out below her, his fingers not yet strong enough to hold onto the crevices in the smooth rock face. He slipped and fell to the ground below and Silvia had almost fallen down the side of the cliff herself she descended so quicky. The front side of her body had been scraped raw. I found them first. Silvia holding Didi in her arms, weeping as if she would never be able to stop. I carried him to the nearest packh
Silvia POV After Seersha Airwolf's statement, there is a short silence followed by many wolves talking at once. I notice Vuko frowning at her. "That's Seersha Aurorawolf," I say to him quietly. "Her pack was wiped out by what she calls 'Wildlands Wolves'. They were led by Alpha Ludo." Vuko looks at me sharply, then away. He sighs. "I'm beginning to think my father made up his own version of history," he says. I wait for him to say more, but he doesn't. "She seems too young to be on her own," he says, "How old do you think she is?" I look at her again. She's wearing quite a lot of make up so it's hard to tell, but the closer i look, the younger she seems. At first I had thought she was about my age. But I think she' probably closer to Didi's. The way she behaves also gives the impression of maturity. In spite of the barrage of questions, she is calm, answering each without any sign of being flustered or intimidate
Silvia POV We leave the diner with Cook back to his human dimensions. Aluna kisses his sweaty forehead and tells him 'leave it to me.' He grins at her like a hopelessly in love puppy. As we leave I ask her in a whisper, "What did you mean, 'leave it to me'?" She smiles, "He's lonely," she says, "And I happen to know of a troll grotto just outside the Wildlands." "There are trolls outside the Wildlands?" I say. I can hardly believe it. Is that even safe? "I follow the rivers, it's my nature. I explored much more widely than wisely," she looks sad. "Anahita knows." I can tell from her expression that I should leave her alone. I want to ask her more about what happened to her and her family. But I also know what it's like to have a wound too raw to touch. I let her walk ahead of me as I hang back. Fulvio and Vuko are talking like old friends which is not something I could have predicted. I'm grateful for the few m
Silvia POV I'm dumbstruck. I look from Seersha to Didi and back again and try to make sense of this. Didi really is the Alpha of a new pack? Seersha has betrayed us? I don't know what I thought I would find. My little brother as he looked four years ago? A kid who would run to me as he always had, happy to see me? I barely know Seersha so that betrayal rankles only because it was stupid of us to just trust her. We were fooled by her youth and our own hope. It still rankles though. The Alpha who is watching me from the pale marble stairs of the altar has cold green eyes. That's why I couldn't recognize him at first. "You are Alpha," I eventually manage. It's not a question. Figures have emerged from the shadows around the cathedrals walls. His pack members. They stand watching and I see the glint of silvered weapons in their hands. "I am Alpha of the Nova Pack," he says. "We will change the order. For the better."
Vuko POV I watch Seersha and Silvia walk off knowing that however this ends, Silvia is likely to be angry with me. It's a price I am willing to pay for her safety. Silvia believes she will be safe because she has to. The alternative is to believe that her own brother wants her dead and what sane person could believe that? Even with Jedan's direct physical attacks on me, it took a long time for me to accept that he hated me. I send a silent prayer to the Godess that this ends with Silvia angry with me and not Silvia heartbroken over her brother's hatred of her. I pick up speed, racing back to where I agreed with Fulvio that he would wait. We didn't know where Seersha would lead Silvia and the risk was too high that she would scent him if he followed, so we meet back at the Diner. Of course. I'm getting used to this weird glass packhouse with the troll cook. Normal is just what you can get used to. Fulvio is there with Graydon A
Vuko POVWhen we leave the diner I start getting anxious. What if we're too late? What if Didi has already attacked her? What if she's at this moment lying injured or ... I don't want to think of anything worse than injured.Fulvio is keeping pace next to me."She has the iron," he says, "Silvia the Ironwolf, she will be okay." He smiles and lopes ahead.I shouldn't worry, we are moving pretty fast, following Graydon the Airwolf. I use a little edge, letting Vi take over for a bit to outrun the others. They quickly understand what I'm doing and do the same themselves, until it becomes like a game of werewolf tag. We can't help ourselves, we let out whoops and howls of happiness.CUT. IT. OUT!!!!We all hear the mindlink and our wolves obey instantly. A command that feels almost as strong as an Alpha's. It's a command that completely takes over our muscles and nerves and fibres. We could no sooner disobey that command t
Vuko POV Graydon takes out torches and bandannas from his backpack. We each wrap a bandanna around our face. I don't know what he soaked it in--super-strength peppermint maybe--but it helps. Clicking on the torches does not. I can't believe that I passed through here. I must have been nearly delirious with exhaustion and dehydration. I can't believe Silvia passed through here. What must she have been thinking? We are standing in an open space from which tunnels fan out. There are echoey plinks of water meeting the wet concrete floor and slithering noises from the gutters that run along the sides of the walls. The tunnels ooze viscious liquid and seem to pulse as if they are alive. I suppress a shudder. It will not do to have Graydon think the Alpha accompanying him is a giant baby. We move together starting from the tunnel on our left. There will be a mark, he mindlinks, for their pack to know which tunnel. Look
Silvia POV "Little brother," I say, then again, "Little brother." I hold out my hands, palms upwards, in silent supplication. I'm trying to understand this Alpha, this grown werewolf who I don't know. What is his wolf even like? What was his Naming like? Who are his friends? I drop my hands "I didn't recognize you," he says finally. "What do you mean?" I say. I try to approach him but Seersha steps in front of me. I glare at her and she glares back. This is not going well. But what did he mean that he didn't recognize me? "You ..." his voice is quiet, soft, hurt. He looks around him, at his pack, clears his throat and tries again. "You were different. After the iron." His voice is stronger and more authoritative. He is insecure in his role as Alpha, I realise. He is worried he will do something to make his pack think he should not be their Alpha. That's a dangerous position. "I wa