Reluctantly Lycan (Dakota Wolves Book 1)(9)

       
           



       

Kaden reached into the inner pocket of his leather jacket, pulled out a  fat stack of cash, and tossed it onto the kitchen table. "There's a  thousand dollars there. Pack up what you can, rent a car, and come home  when you're ready. Hell, call me and I'll come back and get you if you  want." He turned toward the door and Taylor ducked back just in time. "I  have to go."

"Wait. I … ," she paused, "I hope the kid is okay." It sounded like she wanted to say something else.

"Me too."

Taylor scrambled through the hallway and down the stairs while he still  had time. He snapped a picture of the license plate on Kaden's Jeep  before jogging up the street and hailing a cab.





7


Dumbass! Kaden slammed his fists against the steering wheel as he gave  himself a good talking to. "Stupid, stupid! Why didn't you tell her you  still love her?" Not only did he not know how to act around the only  woman in the world he had ever had sincere feelings for, he'd left  without even telling his son goodbye.

Between thoughts of his estranged family and the missing boy back home  in the mountains, he teetered on the brink of losing his mind. The pack  couldn't even keep its shit together for a few days without him. His  second in command, the beta wolf Levi Boone, needed a thrashing or two.  Kaden was planning a beating that would send him home whimpering with  his tail between his legs to his mate, Elle.

Kaden scoffed. At least Levi had a mate. And …  he was back to thinking  about Marala again. The cycle was never ending throughout his entire  eleven hour drive. Nothing was resolved, he was tired and cranky, and  the irritating scruff on his chin was getting worse.

After driving past good ol' Dollywood and through the tourist strips, he  turned onto a side road and drove for nearly thirty minutes up a road  that inclined and curved. Near where it ended there was an overlook.  Kaden parked and walked to the wood's edge. He sniffed the air and  scanned the area before pushing a large log blocking a narrow dirt road  aside. Returning to the Jeep, he drove it through, got out again, and  replaced the natural blockade.

In a matter of minutes of driving, the woods thinned to reveal a small  town. Cabins dotted the area. Some were arranged in a semi-circle to  form a sort of village center around a water well. Other homes, further  out, were barely visible since they were nestled into the woods. Most  were small, one or two bedroom homes. Two larger ones housed unmated  wolves. One was for the males of age and the other for females.

Dakota, the wolf haven named after Kaden's ancestors when they returned  to claim the area, could be completely self-reliant if need be. Solar  panels distributed power, though it was finicky at best with the tree  coverage and random weather. There were generators if power failed. A  tributary flowed nearby and a natural spring a short hike down the  mountain.

The pack members were free to come and go as they pleased. People went  shopping, enjoyed events like minor league baseball games, and went to  the Rod Runs to check out the hot cars. Children attended public  schools, if their parents chose not to teach them at home. At the end of  the day, though, most everyone returned to the safety of the wolf  sanctuary.

With the loss of wolves for numerous reasons ranging from old age to  leaving for different packs, the town now housed about twenty lycan.  There should have been more rituals held in honor of the moon, more  encouragement to breed. Those responsibilities rested with the alpha  female and there wasn't one. The wolf gene was dying out.

Kaden walked up to Levi's house and knocked on the door. The beta  answered and bowed his head respectively as he gestured for the pack  leader to come inside. "Explain."

Levi went to his bedroom and shut the door softy, so as not to wake his  mate, before returning. The man was older than Kaden, almost as big. His  short shaggy hair was an ash brown and he had matching light eyes.

He poured them both a shot of Tennessee whiskey. "Last night he went to  meditate in the forest. Common for a boy near transition. When he didn't  come home, his parents came to me."

"Nothing has been suspicious?"

"The high pack scoured everywhere trying to find his scent. No trace  whatsoever. Commoners came out to help, too. Nada." His hand shook as he  slung back his shot.

This caused Kaden's worry to deepen. Levi and the rest of his men could  track anything or anyone. It didn't make sense for the boy's trail to be  gone completely. "There's no way he could manage to disappear without a  trace with no help."

"If things keep going at this rate, there will no longer be a pack."                       
       
           



       

Kaden swirled his whiskey in his glass. Jack Daniels was an old friend.  He drank the alcohol and then handed Levi the glass for a refill. "Our  elders have all died out but Old Finn. A child hasn't been born in  years. Now a wolf nearing his first shift has disappeared without a  trace."

Levi lowered his eyes and frowned. "Who do you think is behind this?"

"I don't know." He swiped the refilled glass from Levi before kicking it back. "I intend to find out."

~*~

Mara picked up the money Kaden had left and glanced around the  apartment. Was it that easy to go home? She certainly wouldn't miss the  apartment. She'd done her best to make it feel like home, but she was a  wolf, not a magician. Or better yet, a demolitions expert.

After hiding the money under a loose piece of floor tile and placing the  trash can over it, she headed toward Jak's room. Lightly, she gave the  door a few knocks. He opened, smiling like she'd never seen before.

"Come in." He grabbed her hand and tugged her over to his cheap laptop.  It had been his Christmas gift. An image search of wolves was on the  screen. Jak mooched wi-fi off one of the neighbors. Mara didn't like it,  but she didn't make him stop. Internet access was a must for the modern  kid.

"Wolves?" she asked.

"Yeah, I was wondering if I'm going to look like Dad." He pointed at the  screen. "This one here is black with green eyes kind of like you and  me."

Marala had never heard him so excited about anything before. Apparently  the fear had worn off. She smiled tightly. "It's going to be hard for  you when the time comes. I've thought about it since you were born.  We'll have to go far away from the city. Maybe get a cage to keep you  safe during it." She sat on the edge of his twin bed.

"Mom. I want to go live with Dad and the others. I don't belong in this city. We don't belong."

She'd known he would want to leave. The moment Kaden had walked back  into their lives, she'd known. "It is not all fun and games. They fight  for rank and to prove themselves. Everything is a testosterone slugfest  of dominance and supremacy."

"Tell me the good things you remember. What was it like before you ran away?" His eyes pleaded and she couldn't argue.

"In the spring, it smells like honeysuckle. At night, there are  lightning bugs everywhere." She closed her eyes, picturing the days of  her youth. "There's always a ritual during the full moon, even if no one  is shifting for the first time." Mara inhaled deeply, as if she could  remember the scents of the forests. Then she opened her eyes. "It's the  most beautiful place in the world in fall. Leaves are red, orange,  yellow …  such amazing colors. And there's peace." Her face grew serious.  "But the noise of this city drowns out all the bad things, Jak. I can't  handle the quiet."

"He loves you, and whatever he did, I know he regrets it."

Mara wiped at the corner of her eyes. "You spend one day with him and you think you know him?"

Jak frowned. "I know you and you're better than this grudge you're  holding. What's it going to hurt to give it a try? You can't work like  this for the rest of your life."

"I am so very tired, Jak." She sighed, giving in a little.

"I know, Mom. Let him take care of us for a while. I'm sure you still have friends there."

"My world revolved around Kaden even before your grandparents' were shot. There are people I know, though. Used to know."

He patted the top of Marala's hand gently. "I'll take care of you. We'll be alright together."

She smiled, tucking Jak's dark hair behind his ear. "You're not a kid anymore, are you?"

"Not by a long shot."

"Get only the most important stuff you want to take. You can use trash  bags for your clothing and I'll get a few boxes. Tomorrow, I'll rent the  car and we'll go," she said. They were really going home. This had to  be a mistake, but Jak deserved to be with his kind.

"Yes!" He even did the motion to go along with it, making a fist and tucking his elbow back. "Thank you, Mom."