Read Psyche Honor (Psyche Moon) Online
Authors: Chrissie Buhr
“She wants to show me Hells Canyon.” He fidgeted like a
schoolboy having his first crush. “Just the two of us.”
“That's awesome! Billie and I like to get out of the city on
the weekends. The two of you will have to join us sometimes.” He agreed.
The people around me shifted into wolf form until only I
remained on two feet, and we headed out. I watched them silently as we moved at
human speed towards the Jeep. Amy and Nathan rubbed muzzles now and again
affectionately, and Amy liked nipping at his chin. Billie trotted with her
Alpha who did his best to ignore me.
To my relief, I watched as Richard approached Kathryn, tail
low and hesitant. She licked his face gently, and they walked the rest of the
way together. I wanted to believe the matebond could survive anything. If
Richard and Kathryn could patch things up, I took it as a sign that Billie and
I could also survive any test. Watching them together once again gave me hope.
We reached the Jeep before nightfall. Billie, Kato, and I
watched the others lope off into the woods. We'd rejoin them in Boise the next
day. Kato and Billie shimmered into human form, so I didn't have to relay each
part of the conversation.
Kato addressed Billie. “My Muzi does not like to keep
secrets from her mate.” Billie raised her eyebrows at the opening statement. “I
respect her wishes. I must teach her many things of Sages that are not known to
Wolves if we are to succeed in what is to come. I ask you for a promise. What
she tells you of Sages and of what is foreseen must not reach other ears. Can
you promise to keep these secrets even from your Alpha?”
Billie had not expected this and considered his question
carefully. “If the secrets do not put the pack's safety at risk and do not
require me to lie to my Alpha, then yes.”
He nodded in approval of her answer. “At times it may seem
to risk the Pack’s safety. Will you trust us to explain?”
“I can do that,” she nodded gravely.
“It may require you to lie to your Alpha. It may not.”
“That will be a problem for me,” Billie admitted.
“It is not in your nature to deceive. You are an honorable
Wolf. I do not ask you to become otherwise.”
“If need be, can I send Jason to you for an explanation?” she
asked Kato.
“You may send him. I cannot promise he will accept the
explanation I am able to offer.”
“This is important, isn’t it?” Billie asked the Eldest with
a sober expression. He nodded. “Then you have my promise.”
“You have my promise as well,” I told him.
“You must also promise to guard your mate’s mind so that
none who have power over the mind may discover what she knows.”
“I will,” I promised again.
“You have an urgent task when you return,” he spoke to me.
“It is known only to Sages that a Mage can become Wolf.” Billie's mouth dropped
open. “We do not allow this to happen. We deliberately spread the lie that our
bite is fatal to a Mage and ensure the death of any who try. This is dangerous
knowledge I give you, for a Mage retains all the powers of the mind and gains
the powers of the Wolf.”
“Gods,” Billie whispered. “That would be disastrous.”
“One of your packmates is discovering this secret. This
knowledge must be erased.”
“Jazzlene,” I whispered. “She's running tests on my blood.”
“This knowledge and all record of it must be erased,” he
repeated.
“I'll take care of it,” I promised. “I think Jazz of all
people will see what's at stake and agree to let me erase this from her mind.”
“You must do this whether she agrees or not,” Kato informed
me sadly. “It is an unjust thing to do to a Wolf, but it is for the protection
of all Wolves and Humans.” Billie didn’t like it. “Honor must be kept in spirit
while broken in action.” Kato repeated the words he'd said to me several times.
“The war between Mages and Wolves is escalating, and the
three of us are right smack in the middle of it,” I told Billie. “It's not
over. It's just beginning.”
Billie took it all in with a heavy heart. Kato pressed a
hand gently to her cheek. “Two outcomes of this conflict have been foreseen. If
the prophecy of you and your mate is fulfilled, peace will follow bloodshed. If
it is not fulfilled, bloodshed will follow bloodshed and many will die, Wolves,
Mages, Sages, and Humans alike.”
“I'm part of the prophecy?” Billie asked wearily.
“Yes. Your mate is at the center of the prophecy. You and
three others are to aid in its success.”
“You're asking me to break a promise to my Alpha only hours
after I made it.” She pinched the bridge of her nose.
“Honor must be kept in spirit while broken in action,” Kato
repeated. “Your actions keep the pack safe as is your duty as Beta.”
She sighed. “I hoped life would go back to normal.”
“I don't think there's such a thing as normal for us. Not
anymore,” I told her sadly and then smiled wryly. “I asked for a week off from
all this, and he couldn't even give me that.”
“I'll talk to Jazz with you and help convince her to do it
willingly,” Billie said. “I owe her that much.”
“That's a relief,” I replied. “We're doing the right thing.
I believe it.”
“The Eldest Wolf Sage in the world is asking me to help
prevent a war from going nuclear. How can I say no?” Billie decided. “I'm in.
All the way.”
“You have great courage, Moonfire.” Kato kissed her cheeks.
“Go home, daughters. You have earned it.”
“Aren't you coming with us?” I asked in surprise.
He looked at the Jeep with distaste. “I will walk.”
# # #
Keep reading for a preview of
Psyche Shield
, coming
soon!
If you enjoyed
Psyche Honor
, please take a moment to
leave a review at your favorite retailer.
Then step away from your reading device, walk outside, and
listen to the blackbirds sing!
Characters and stories unfold within me whether I
write or not. So I write! I love to dream the impossible and bring magic into
the mundane. I believe beauty can be found in the most difficult of moments and
humor keeps us sane in the midst of chaos. My characters are fantastic
creatures that open our senses and let us see the world in a new way. Yet they
are like any of us with strengths and weaknesses, struggles and triumphs, and
sometimes they simply want to survive what life throws at them. When typing a
conversation feels more like transcribing than creating and the words flow
naturally from their lips, I know I’ve successfully breathed life into the
characters.
Whether living in a cabin in the woods or a city apartment,
Idaho’s wilderness is my home. The wilds are true civilization, and its
inhabitants my sisters and brothers. I am most content with open sky above me,
trees surrounding me, and feet bare against the earth. If you want to know how
I feel about the wilds, look through Billie's eyes. She got it from me. I live
a simple life. Friends, family, art, writing, and community are my world. The
homes in my stories are oftentimes decorated with pieces inspired by local
artists who have inspired me. I enjoy herbs and herb lore and spend time in the
deserts and mountains around me.
Books by Chrissie Buhr
Psyche Moon
Psyche Honor
Connect with Chrissie Buhr
Twitter: @ChrissieBuhr
“Majority rule only works if you’re also considering
individual rights. Because you can’t have five wolves and one sheep voting on
what to have for supper.”
~Larry Flynt~
Chapter 1
The hunter walked in near silence. His rifle rested
on one arm, ready at a moment’s notice. The crisp early morning air carried the
chirping of birds and chatter of squirrels. Alert, his eyes darted around him,
looking for his prey.
Something moved in the brush ahead, and he raised his rifle
closer to his shoulder, the barrel still trained at the sky. The movement
continued, but he couldn’t tell what animal stirred. Stepping closer, he
spotted a patch of grey. He hunted deer, so he settled his rifle into its
resting place again. Still he stepped closer.
A small grey wolf with light brown on her chest and belly
lay curled in the brush, peeking warily at him from twenty yards away. “Don’t
worry, cousin. I don’t hunt wolves,” he told the animal.
The wolf relaxed and rested its head on the ground. She
continued to watch the hunter warily, but her apprehension eased perceptibly.
The hunter, noticing the change in demeanor, stepped a few
yards closer and crouched close to the ground. “You’re injured.” From his new
vantage point, he could see dried blood across the wolf’s chest and one back
leg twisted unnaturally. “You’re no ordinary wolf, are you? Did you know it’s
wolf hunting season in this area?” The wolf’s eyes narrowed slightly, an
expression so subtle many would have missed it. He stood, placed his rifle
against a tree and walked away from it. “That’s what I thought. I don’t think
anyone’s around. You’re better at that than I am. Why don’t you tell me what
happened? I can probably help.”
The wolf looked closely at him for a few long moments and
then with a rapid shimmer, she transformed. A young woman, thin with dark hair,
lay naked in the brush. She panted in pain, her left leg bending in one too
many places. He saw bones protruding from her calf, an agonizing wound. Blood
covered her chest and dripped down her arm from a gash across her right shoulder
blade.
“You’re not Wolf,” she said fearfully. She’d known the
hunter was Human before she shifted into her human form. She’d taken an
enormous risk, but somehow he knew what she was.
“Nope. But it runs in the family. Are you local?” The hunter
removed his bright vest and long jacket then put the vest back on.
Agony carried through her voice to him as she replied. “No.
I’m from Montana. I was driving through and my car went off the road.”
“My grandma’s one of the local Pack. Let’s get you somewhere
safe, and I’ll call her.” He helped her into the coat while she cringed with
every movement of her leg. “I can’t take you home. My wife doesn’t know about
Wolves. But we’ll figure it out. My name’s Leroy.”
“I’m Sierra. I’m glad you found me.” She looked out of place
with the coat around her and bare legs sticking out, one of them broken. She
looked less out of place than without it.
“Me too. You came close to being a trophy on someone’s wall.”
Leroy said gravely. If killed in wolf form, she would remain in wolf form.
Whenever he saw a wolf pelt, he wondered sickeningly if the animal was a
relative or friend.
“I didn’t have much choice,” she replied with thin lips. “My
car was down a ravine, and I couldn’t see the road. I didn’t think anyone would
find me. I couldn’t walk on one leg, but I made it this far on three.”
Leroy nodded at her leg. “That looks bad.”
She bit her lip. “It hurts.”
“I’ve never set a broken bone before. I can try if you want,
or we can get you out of here and call for help.”
She thought for a moment. “Let’s get out of here.”
He nodded and retrieved his gun, hanging it off his back. She
flinched as he picked it up before remembering he wouldn’t hurt her. He
returned and wrapped his arm around her waist. She draped hers around his
shoulder and gripped his vest tightly. “Ready?” She nodded and closed her eyes.
Together they heaved her up onto one good foot. She whined slightly but didn’t
call out. Leroy admired her fortitude.
“How far is your vehicle?” she asked, pale and trembling but
standing solid on her one good leg. They walked along the trail slowly, looking
like a strange adaptation of a three-legged race.
“It’s about a mile away,” he apologized.
“I can make it.” She gritted her teeth. “Thank you for not
shooting me.”
“Keep your nose up,” he suggested. “It’s deer season, and
hunters are out. I’ll never hear the end of it if people find out I found a
naked woman in the woods.” He grinned at her.
Her lips twitched in a near smile. “It would make a great
story. You’d be a hero.” She had a sense of humor. “But I’d rather not explain
to the police why I’m naked.”
“I’d rather not explain any of this to my wife. She’s got
more teeth than some Wolves I know,” Leroy agreed.
The conversation distracted her from the pain. “Why haven’t
you told your wife about us?”
Others had asked him the same question, and Leroy usually
only gave the simple answer. “I love my grandma, but it’s not the life I want.”
“It’s not for everyone.” Sierra could understand that.
For some reason he decided to elaborate with this woman. “My
grandma who’s Wolf is really my Great-Great-Great Grandma. My Grandma Sara was
her Great Granddaughter. Grandma Sara used to tell me stories about Wolves. She
lived in Pack as a child, and her dad moved her away from all of that when she
was young, but when she grew up she wanted a little of it back. She never
became Wolf, but she was part of the pack. She loved it, and I loved the
stories she told me. But it’s a crazy world and a crazy life. It’s not what I
want. I don’t have any kids, so there’s no one to pass it on to anyway. There’s
no reason to drag my wife into it.”
“I can’t imagine not being Wolf,” she said through gritted
teeth as her foot hit against a root.
“I can’t imagine being anything but a silversmith,” Leroy
replied.
She tried to laugh but it hurt too much. “Silversmith.
That’s funny.”
“Yeah,” he replied. “I’m glad that myth isn’t true. Grandma
would never visit.”
“What’s your grandma like?”
“She’s a fine woman. The best. As soon as we get somewhere
with cell service, I’ll call her.”
Sierra said, “Wait.” And Leroy froze. “I smell a wolf.”
“A Wolf like you?” Leroy got his hopes up.
“He doesn’t smell like a grey wolf, so he must be like me.” she
said, knowing only grey wolves lived in these mountains. She stiffened
slightly, nervous. They looked for the Wolf through the trees, and Sierra
spotted him first. “There. That’s an Ethiopian Wolf.” Leroy couldn’t see what
her sharper eyes saw, but Ethiopian Wolves were rare, and only one lived in the
area.
“It must be Kato,” he told her. “Don’t worry. He’s a friend.”
Now in view, he saw a reddish wolf with white markings leaping at top speed
towards them. “Hello, Uncle.” He greeted the Wolf who skidded to a stop in
front of them and shifted into his human form. An ancient black man with long
tangled grey hair and beard appeared, fully naked. Sierra gasped, realizing she
looked upon a legend.
“Greetings, Nephew. We must hurry. Hunters are near.” Kato
took the woman gently in his arms and carried her as carefully as possible
while rushing through the woods. Leroy trotted beside them. They reached the
pickup much sooner than anticipated, Sierra’s face white with pain. Leroy
opened the truck door and Kato placed the bewildered woman inside.
“Thank you. Aren’t you coming with us?” She asked the old Wolf
as he shifted back into his wolf form.
Leroy answered for the one without vocal cords. “Kato won’t
ride in cars. Thank you, Uncle. I’ll get her safely to your packmates. Be safe
out there.”
Kato blinked and lowered his head affectionately before
turning and bounding into the trees. Leroy ran around the truck, grabbing a
cooler from the back before jumping in. He placed the cooler between himself
and the woman and retrieved keys from beneath the seat. Sierra sat stunned from
the encounter. Still she thought to button the coat higher around her neck so
no one could see she wore nothing under it.
“There’s food and water in here,” he nodded at the cooler.
“Help yourself.”
She opened the cooler and pulled out two sandwiches,
offering one to Leroy. He waved it off. “You eat it all.”
“Thank you.” She breathed an enormous sigh of relief and ate
ravenously. “Oh my God. I didn’t know how I was going to get out of that mess.”
she said between bites.
“You’re welcome. I’m glad I found you and not some other
hunter.” He relaxed too now that he had her safely in the truck. Next he had to
deliver her to his grandma’s pack.
“That was Kato,” she said out of nowhere.
“Yep. You’ve heard of him?” Leroy asked curiously.
“Everyone’s heard of Kato. He’s your uncle?”
Leroy nodded and maneuvered at a normal pace along the
forest service road. “His brother and my grandma were mates. Kato comes to see
me sometimes. What do you mean everyone’s heard of Kato?”
Sierra looked at Leroy with a stunned expression. “Kato’s a
legend among Wolves.”
“Huh. I didn’t know.” Before long they reached the paved
road. “There’s a cell phone in the glove compartment. Would you pull it out?” She
did as he asked and set it in his hands. “I’ll bet you’re tired. Why don’t you
sleep. I’ll call for help as soon as we have cell service.”
Now that she could relax, exhaustion had begun to set in.
She nodded and leaned her head against the window, asleep in moments. Leroy
relaxed as well.
They reached a stretch where cell reception came through
sometimes, and he pulled off the road. His cell showed two bars. Sierra woke
and looked around. “Where are we?”
“Above Idaho City. I can call from here.”
Sierra heard both sides of the conversation, as Leroy knew
she could. “Hi, Grandma.”
“Hello, Leroy. How are you?” She sounded distracted.
“I’m just fine, but someone needs your help. She’s from
another pack, and she’s injured.”
“Thank the Gods you found her,” Kathryn replied with a sigh.
“Kato contacted us this morning. Billie and Amy are already headed your way.
Where are you?” He described the location and heard her relay the information
to someone else. He only had to wait a moment before she responded. “Stay where
you are. They’ll be with you soon. How is she?”
Leroy looked at the pale woman beside him. “Lucky. Her leg
is badly broken, and she’s exhausted and hungry.”
“I’m very glad my grandson found you, my dear.” Kathryn
spoke to Sierra. “Our Beta and Medic will be there in a few minutes. They’ll
take good care of you.”
“Thank you, Ma’am.” Sierra replied politely. “How did you
know I was in trouble?”
“Kato contacted us. Billie and Amy were able to head out
immediately.”
Sierra couldn’t piece together how that was possible, but
she didn’t know this area or these Wolves well enough to know. “Your grandson
is a good man. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate all of this. I didn’t
think I was going to make it out of this one.”
“He’s a very good man. And you are very welcome,” Kathryn
replied warmly.
“That might be Billie.” Leroy saw a black Jeep driving
towards them. It slowed. “Yep. They’re here. I’ll talk to you later, Grandma.”
“I’ll come visit you soon, my dear.” Kathryn said goodbye.
Sierra strained her eyes for her first sight of the
approaching Wolves. The Jeep stopped and two women exited. A tall, sinewy
redhead jumped over the side while a shorter brown-haired woman carrying a bag
opened the door. Both appeared to be in their thirties, but Wolves aged slowly.
They made a beeline for the truck. She felt very vulnerable in someone else’s
territory and shrank into the seat.
They approached her side of the pickup, and the shorter
woman opened the door. The redhead smelled her fear and stood back several feet
to give her room. “Hi. I’m Amy, Pack Medic.” Amy’s bubbly personality eased her
a little.
“I’m Sierra.”
“I’m Billie, Beta of the Boise Pack. Hi, Leroy.” The redhead
standing behind the Medic appraised her curiously. Sierra shrank even more
under her dominant gaze. “Relax, Sierra. We’re not going to hurt you. We’re
here to help.”
“Yep.” Amy’s quick hands and acute senses checked the woman
over. “I need to set your leg. It’s already starting to heal wrong, and I don’t
want to wait. Ever had a broken leg before?”
Adrienne shook her head. “Not like this.”
“I have to re-break it a little, so it’s going to hurt a
lot. I need you to trust us. Leroy, would you let Billie take your spot and
move her Jeep over here to block the view?” Billie tossed him her keys and
circled the truck to trade places with him. Sierra cowered beside the
intimidating Wolf.
Billie spoke, firm and gentle, beside her. “Sierra, look at
me. You don’t know me, and you don’t know Amy. But you can trust us. You need
to trust us. I’m going to hold you down so you don’t accidentally hurt anyone.
Understand?” Sierra met her eyes, still afraid. Leroy pulled the Jeep around
and came to stand with the strange Wolf who looked pleadingly at him. “Leroy,
stay back at least ten feet.”
Leroy looked at the woman he’d pulled out of the woods with
concern and backed up. “Is she going to be okay?”
Billie nodded and spoke to both of them. “She’s going to be
fine.” Billie guided the woman onto her back so that Amy held the injured leg
at the open door. Amy nodded and Billie held Sierra by her arms. Without
warning, Amy popped the leg expertly, the bone re-breaking and lining up properly
once again. Sierra howled in pain, her eyes wild. She fought Billie, panicking,
but the Beta held her easily. “Stop!” Billie growled and the woman stilled,
allowing Amy to slip a splint over the broken leg. A tear rolled down her
cheek.
“Done!” Amy announced and stepped backwards to join Leroy.
“I’m going to let you go now,” Billie told the traumatized
woman, and she nodded. Billie released her, and she lay still for a few moments
before sitting up gently. She looked warily between the two Wolves and the
Human, took a deep breath and rested her head on the seat behind her.