Chapter Thirty-One

ASH

He wrapped up the meeting with his men, feeling slightly more confident than he had before. He assigned shifts to keep watch and sent Mateo and Alton hunting to assure everyone would stay fed for the next week.

Rolph and Emily had not planned on so many of the pack returning when they had acquired provisions, and he did not want to deplete their stores too severely.

He wanted all the men to stay until after the full moon.

He wasn’t taking any chances with safety this time, and the men all agreed that their luna could use the support of members of the pack when it came time to make her first shift.

They also agreed the council should remain in the dark until after she had done so.

No one had said it out loud, but Ash was aware that they all knew that if she did not survive the full moon, the council would be facing a whole different issue, likely the appointment of a new alpha.

He went back to Keyara, who was still where he had left her. He ate his cold stew, watching her toss and moan fitfully in her sleep, his mind full of worry.

He was surprised the men had accepted his breach of the rules so readily and was concerned that once they had time to fully consider the actions of their alpha, their tolerance might fade.

The forbiddance of such an act was well known by all. It was true it was an ancient law, rarely a topic of everyday concern anymore, which perhaps made his choice slightly less shocking.

It had originated centuries ago when the packs still inhabited the land that now belonged to the humans, attempting to coexist in secret with humankind.

Before the council of the packs was established, each individual pack answered only to themselves. Many claimed humans for their packs and turned them.

This resulted in the unexplained disappearance of many humans who had perished in the process, which threatened the secrecy of the existence of their kind.

When tensions between the humans and the suspected werewolves reached their peak, and bands of humans began to find and hunt their kind, the council had been established for the protection of all their kind.

The risk of their exposure, in addition to the decline in size and strength of the resulting offspring of these turned wolves, had created the implementation of the law once the council took over.

Over the next few decades, it had been decided the packs should move beyond the mountains, isolating themselves from the humans.

This allowed them to live more freely and openly, establishing larger packs and more permanent residences.

The packs cut off all contact with the human world, with the exception of his own Kodia Pack, which maintained the border.

So while it was widely understood turning a human was forbidden, most of their kind never had contact with them to do so in the first place.

Only the small groups of rogues, which still traveled freely over the border on the rare occasions they could bypass Ash’s security, sometimes abducted humans and attempted to turn them, but even that didn’t happen often.

The packs had found the corpses from the failed attempts on their rounds on less than a handful of occasions since Ash had become alpha. The council and alphas were always informed of such discoveries.

Ash could only count on the fact that since Keyara had already been marked and mated to him, an indication the bloodline would remain strong, the council would decide to be forgiving. His status would work to his benefit.

His pack was arguably the most important and powerful of the packs, and no one would have wanted the instability the death of his luna would have created, the same sentiment Luca had used with the men.

At least, he hoped they would see it that way.

Keyara cried out softly in pain, interrupting Ash’s thoughts. He set his dish aside and crawled into bed beside her, holding her body close to him. His presence seemed to ease her pain, and her face began to relax.

He lay beside her for a long while, stroking her hair and humming softly, until she finally fell into a deep and calm slumber.

KEYARA

She woke suddenly, her skin covered with a sheen of sweat. She was alone.

Key had been vaguely aware when Ash had crawled into bed and taken her in his arms. The pain had dulled enough that it had allowed her to fully rest.

His absence now explained her sudden return to wakefulness, as the pain was beginning to creep into her limbs once more. She groaned and forced herself out of bed to relieve her aching bladder.

She made it there and back upright on her own two feet, which she ruled a great success based on the way the room seemed to rock with every step she took.

She placed one hand on the bed, steadying herself, and reached for the glass of water on the table with the other. She drained it quickly, fighting against her stomach’s rejection of the sudden intrusion of liquid.

She managed to keep it down, another victory.

She noticed the bread left behind from her failed attempt at eating lunch and broke off a small piece, nibbling at it sparingly. After a few bites, she set it back on the table, wanting to ensure she kept it all in her stomach.

She sat on the edge of the bed and groaned, pressing a hand against her forehead to attempt to ease the throbbing.

There was a knock at the door, and she knew it wasn’t Ash.

While it was hard to feel anything besides the discomfort that plagued her body, she had been able to notice a slight heightening of her senses, especially when it came to her mate.

Ash had told her this was the beginning stages of her body’s transition.

“Come in,” she called out hoarsely, opening one eye to see who it was.

The door opened slowly, and Luca peeked into the room.

“Luna,” he said respectfully. “I apologize for the intrusion, but the alpha sensed you were awake and asked me to look in on you. He apologizes for his absence, but there were some matters he needed to handle.”

Keyara could barely react with her usual embarrassment at being addressed so formally, distracted as she was with keeping her forehead from splitting in two.

She closed her eyes and replied with a vague sound she hoped came across as welcoming.

She heard the feet of the armchair scrape slightly on the floor as Luca took a seat across from her, her eyes still tightly closed against the pain.

“I know you are in a great deal of discomfort, Luna,” said Luca gently, “but I wanted to take some time to prepare you for what is to come before things get worse.”

“Worse?” she croaked in dismay. She couldn’t imagine much worse.

“I’m afraid so, Luna,” he said apologetically. “Your body is just in the beginning stages of transition.

“It will fight against it, which is what is causing the headaches and nausea you are currently experiencing, and it will only get stronger leading up to the final transformation.”

She groaned, then took a deep breath, steadying herself. “Thank you, Beta,” she said, fighting hard to speak clearly.

“I could use any advice you have for me. But I’m going to keep my eyes shut while I listen, if you don’t mind. Otherwise I’ll probably throw up again.”

“Please, call me Luca,” he told her.

She could hear the amusement in his voice at her statement. It was a nice change from the constant pressure of worry she felt from Ash.

“I know the alpha has told you a bit about what to expect, but he knows only from his own transformation as a child, and what he sees secondhand as alpha.

“Back at the pack house, as the beta of the pack, I help to train the young ones before their first transition, so maybe I can help you from a more academic point of view.”

“The most important thing,” he continued, “will be not to fight it when the time comes. You will want to. The process is highly unnatural, and your mind and body will automatically protest against it.

“The more you can relax and let your body lead you, and open your mind to the changes, the easier it will be.”

She hummed in acknowledgment, and he continued.

“The most current and pressing concern is your inability to keep food down. You are already underweight, and it’s important you keep your strength up.”

“I was able to eat a little bread just now,” she told him, feeling oddly defensive over his assessment of her size.

“That’s good,” said Luca encouragingly. “But bread won’t be enough,” he emphasized. “I’m having Alton prepare a broth with the game they caught earlier, along with some fresh vegetables Emily bought in town.

“Hopefully the broth will be easier on you than solids, while still providing enough protein and nourishment to prevent you from growing too weak.”

She heard another scrape of the chair as he stood. “I’ll check back in on you when the broth is ready,” he assured her. “Until then, get some rest.”

“Thank you, Luca,” she said, hoping he could feel her gratitude. The clinical way in which he had spoken about what was to come had eased her dread somewhat.

A fresh surge of pain coursed through her head, and she moaned, pressing harder on her forehead as if she could ebb the flow of pain she was experiencing with the pressure.

She remembered what Luca had said, about it only getting worse, and hoped she was up for what was to come.