Psyche Honor (Psyche Moon) (23 page)

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Hitting the ground after being tackled by an
enthusiastic arctic wolf hurt, but I didn't care. “I missed you too, Amy.” I
hugged the beautiful Wolf while dodging her expressive tongue. Jason growled,
and we both froze. She backed away from me obediently but returned to a neutral
zone rather than to the hunting party.

“I'm not going to hurt her, Jason,” I said indignantly as I
righted myself. “I would never hurt her.”

Jason shifted into human form. Tattoos marked most of his
body, and he stood proud and strong. Standing in the middle of the forest
completely naked and flanked by a pack of wolves ... he'd never looked more
fierce. Billie didn't move from her seat, but she was ready. She could reach
him before he could touch me, and that satisfied her protective nature.

They outnumbered and outmatched us. Looking around, I didn’t
know who would fight on which side and who would stay out of a conflict
entirely. Best case scenario pitted eight against five in their favor. At
worst, they outnumbered us ten to two. I liked the idea of using magepower
against them even less than I liked our odds.

“I don't believe you,” Jason spoke through gritted teeth.
His muscles flared. “You've already collared Billie and Nathan.”

“No, I haven't.” I met his eyes, hoping he'd smell the truth
in the simple statement.

“You smell like a Mage.” His nose wrinkled in disgust.

“Yesterday I used magepower to free Nathan from the Mage who
collared him.”

“That's not possible. You're lying,” Jason replied and took
a single step towards me. I didn't flinch, standing in place by sheer force of
will. I wanted to flee from his accusations more than his threat.

Billie spoke and he stopped. “Jason, listen to me. You
trusted me to be your Beta for two years. Hear me out. You owe me that much.”

He stopped and met her eyes, crossing his arms over his
chest. He would listen, but reluctantly.

“Sadie has been following Kato's instructions for over a
week. I didn't know anything about it until after we left Boise. He told her to
keep it secret even from me. She trusts him like we trust him, more in some
ways. He had a vision, and he asked her to help him change it.

She spoke to every Wolf now. “In Kato's vision, almost every
Wolf in our Pack was either collared or dead. In his vision, only two survived
and almost every Wolf in this valley was collared. He asked her to find the
Mages and stop them, whatever the cost.

“She met the Mage who collared Nathan and pretended to be
one of them. She couldn't keep Gary from overhearing the conversation without
the Mage finding out about Gary's connection to the Pack. She wouldn't risk
Gary's life, so she risked an Alpha’s anger instead. She convinced this Mage to
bring her into the fold and into the plan to wipe out our Pack. She did that to
stop them, not to join them.

“Yesterday we went to meet them, and I posed as her pet. We
found Nathan there, collared. There were three Mages at this meeting, and
they're all dead now. Sadie stopped them and freed Nathan. I didn't know it was
possible either. She freed the humans we found there as well. It's no surprise
that she smells like a Mage. She used a lot of magepower yesterday, and she did
it for us. She did it for Pack. Nathan is whole again, and we have Sadie to
thank for it. She risked everything to save us.”

Billie let her words sink in. I sensed mixed responses from
the hunting party. Kathryn and Amy accepted her explanation easily. Jason and
Richard didn't believe her. Everyone else sat on the fence.

Billie continued. “Jason. Alpha. I don't want to be at odds
with you. The Mages are dead. The Pack is safe. We want to come home.”

“That's one hell of a story, Billie. And a convenient one. You're
not lying, but if you believe you're telling the truth, it wouldn't smell like
a lie.”

“Look at me, Jason. You know me.” Her steadiness impressed
me.

Amy spoke up. “It's her, Jason. I know it. I feel it. Sure,
Sadie stinks like a Mage right now. But Billie's story makes Gary's story make
sense! And look, Kato's here. Kato would know before any of us if Sadie was
dangerous.”

“Kato could be collared, too. This is the problem with
Mages, Amy. We don't know what's real around them.”

Kathryn added her two cents. “Perhaps you don't know what's
real, but I see Billie in her eyes and no one else. Amy's right about Kato.
I've never known him to be wrong about someone.”

“We can't know that for sure. She's too dangerous.” He took
another step towards me threateningly. Billie flew to her feet and stood
between her mate and her Alpha. Nathan popped to his feet, ready to back her up
despite his terror. She waved a hand and he sat with a thud.

“You will not touch her,” Billie declared.

“The Billie I know wouldn’t fight her Alpha to protect a
Mage.”

“Billie protects those that she loves,” I reminded him.

“Then why did she nearly kill one of her packmates?” Matthew's
injuries angered him immeasurably.

As often happened, I lost patience with Jason and snapped in
irritation. “Matthew was following your orders, and he doesn't do that halfway.
He was trying to kill me, and he wouldn't stop. He wouldn't accept defeat. She
had to crush two legs before he quit trying to kill me. She could have killed
him. Instead she made certain she didn't.”

“How many Wolves would spare the life of the one trying to
kill their mate?” Kathryn asked reasonably.

“Mage manipulation.” Jason simply wasn't listening. He took
another step towards me, and Billie resigned herself to a fight. Jason struck
the first blow, and Billie countered. They moved too quickly for me to follow,
but I tried desperately. It looked more like a blurry naked dance.

Nathan scrambled out of the way in a flash. Horrified that
it had come to this, I covered my mouth with my hands. Kato leaned against me
comfortingly, and Nathan circled around to crouch behind me. He was scared and
looking to me to protect him. Can you do anything, Muso?

Wait, Muzi. Your mate will win this fight.

I thought Jason was the better fighter.

He once was. He is discovering he is no more.

With Jason distracted, Amy came to my side once again.
Wrapping her arm around my shoulder, she watched the fight with me. Whispering
directly in my ear so low that none but Kato and Nathan could hear, she said,
“Billie's winning.” I grasped her hand on my shoulder, digging my fingers into
her flesh nervously. I didn't dare speak, move, or even brush Billie's mind.
Any distraction could be disastrous.

The fight continued for too long. I saw blood on the ground
but wasn't sure who it came from. Then abruptly Jason fell to the ground and
lay still. It ended so quickly I didn't believe my eyes at first. He still
lived. I could sense it, but I had no way of knowing the extent of his
injuries. It was over. Amy jumped up and sprinted to her Alpha. Kathryn brought
Amy's fur-pack and knelt by Jason's still form.

Amy assessed the damage quickly with her acute senses,
palpating his body with rapid fingers. “He's out cold, but his heart is beating
strong. He should be okay.” She spoke to no one in particular, intending for
everyone to hear. They didn't hear how worried she was, but I could sense it
hidden behind professionalism.

Billie exhaled visibly, her relief that Jason would live
obvious to everyone willing to see it. Blood dripped down her chin from a wide
split lip, and the beginnings of bruises began to blossom on her face and
sides. She held herself strong but favored her right leg slightly, moving with
less than usual grace. Only I could sense the amount of pain she hid from the
Wolves. I twitched with the need to hold her, but something held me in place.

Amy appraised Billie up and down and started to rise, but
Billie shook her head. “I'll heal. Take care of our Alpha.” Every Wolf in the
valley stilled when she spoke. I watched the scene and didn't understand.

Muso, why did everyone react like that?

Your mate has beaten the Alpha. They would follow her
instead of Jason now if she asked them to. Instead she gave authority back to
him.

Why?

Listen. Watch.

Billie crouched beside the medic and gazed at her Alpha
apologetically. “The cave is comfortable if you'd like me to move him.” Amy
nodded, discretely sharing her concern with Billie. I sensed all this from a
distance.

Billie reached for Jason, and Amy cautioned her to hold his head
steady. My mate gathered the unconscious man in her arms, cushioning his head
against her shoulder. My paralysis lifted.

Vaguely I noticed Richard's alarm at my movements, but I
didn't care. Jason was argumentative, stubborn, and aggressive but also an
honorable man who took care of the people around him. Billie loved him like a
father, and that mattered more than anything else. I ducked back into the cave
and spread out the sleeping bag.

Amy preceded Billie into the cave, and Billie set Jason
down, covering him carefully.

“We have smoked elk when he's able to eat,” I told Amy,
pointing at the wrapped bundle in the corner.

“Thank you, Sadie.” Amy stayed professional, her voice even
and hands steady. She had many years of practice hiding her worry from the
other Wolves, but Billie, Kathryn, and I knew her better than that.

“Is there anything else I can do for him?” I asked.

“Not right now. I'll let you know.” Of Billie she requested,
“Can you keep any conflict well away from him? He needs to rest.”

“Of course,” Billie replied. She spoke softly to Jason so
that only the women inside the cave could hear. “Alpha. Get better. We need
you.” He didn't stir, lying as limp as a rag doll. I placed a hand on her
shoulder and she stood, taking my hand in hers.

Richard faced us in wolf form at the entrance to the cave.
His hackles stood high, making him look much bigger than he really was. He
growled deeply at the two of us, the reverberations echoing about the cave. Amy
responded before either Billie or I could. Contrary to her normal demeanor, she
threatened the Wolf exquisitely. “Richard, you may be my Elder, but if you
start a fight anywhere near my patient I will chew your ear off and
eat it
.”

Richard glanced between the medic and Jason and backed
slowly away from the cave. Billie and I exited hand in hand. We passed him
benignly and walked downhill parallel to the creek. Both of us remained alert,
hyperaware of him and the others nearby. Richard paced alongside us twenty
yards to our left, stalking us. We didn't pause until a wide patch of ground
lay between us and the injured Alpha in the cave.

“This has to stop, Richard. We need to talk.” Billie held
his gaze steadily. He didn't back down, posturing to attack instead. Even with
her injuries, he didn’t think he could defeat Billie in a fight, and he
hesitated. He was desperate, a cornered animal with nothing to lose and
uncertain what to do. Wolves gathered around us, encircling us. Nearly everyone
was present, and all but Billie and I participated in the standoff in wolf
form. Nathan and Kathryn sided with us. The other six stood with Richard.

If it came to a fight between the divided Wolves, I didn't
know who would win. Billie had bested the indomitable Alpha. Jason lay
unconscious while she stood strong before them. Even injured she intimidated
every Wolf. Uninjured I’d put my odds in her favor, but I could sense the
severity of her injuries through our bond. Richard wasn't sure either, and he
hesitated long enough for Kato to arrive.

The Ethiopian Wolf trotted into the center and sat casually
in the middle of the fray. He faced Richard, locking eyes with the Elder to no
effect. Kato shimmered and a few of the younger Wolves saw the Eldest in human
form for the first time. His ancient brown eyes never left Richard's.

I didn't move, didn't speak, frozen like a deer in
headlights. I regretted the analogy as soon as it came to mind. Kato took his
time meeting every person's gaze and holding it. Each saw something different
when he or she looked into them. Some dropped their eyes or lowered their ears.
Kathryn held his gaze tranquilly. When he spoke, his words carried to every
pair of ears.

“I am displeased with my packmates.” He looked directly at
Richard. “It is a sad day when one Wolf turns on another without provocation.”

Richard shifted into human form so he could defend himself.
“How can you claim there was no provocation, Kato?” He puffed up his chest
defensively.

“You do not see clearly. You look at a friend and see an
enemy.”

“She is a Mage.” I could feel Kathryn's patience nearly end
with those four words. For the first time ever, I heard her growl. Richard
ignored her with effort.

“This Mage risked more than her life to save the Pack. She
risked her matebond to save you. You risk your matebond out of bigotry.” Richard
bristled and prepared to argue, but Kato continued without giving him a chance.
“Your Mage packmate faced three Mages who would have collared or killed every
one of you. One of the three she discovered to be her cousin. She did this for
you while dodging your teeth and claws. Even running for her life, she chose to
save you. She freed a collared Pup, ending his torment and returning him home
where he belongs. She gave her bed and food to her injured Alpha who ordered
her death. These are the actions of a friend.”

Richard's face tightened anxiously. His voice softened, but
his fear remained. “How do I know any of this is true? How do I know you aren't
collared, old friend? You could be saying exactly what she wants you to say.”

Kato cocked his head and replied sternly. “I am both Sage
and Wolf, the Eldest of both kinds, twinborn, and Sage-taught. No Mage has the
power to collar me. The most powerful Mage in the world would fail in the
attempt.” I hadn't thought about it, but it didn't surprise me. I could only
enter Kato's mind if he allowed it. Without that, I had no power over him.