The Contract

LORELAI

I wasn’t sure how long I had been out, but it couldn’t have been long because my alphas were still yelling at me in the link. The cold grass next to the lake was still beneath me, too. And the other scent was still there.

My eyes flung open, and I went to sit up, but I was staring straight into the eyes of Heather, the rogue. I let out a breath, then slowly sat up, wincing at my tight, aching bones.

“Ow,” I muttered, letting out another breath, then peered over at the lake. The grass was littered with wolfsbane remains.

“And what were you doing with wolfsbane near the lake, Miss Luna?” Heather asked, raising a brow but in a challenging way.

I scoffed and stood up slowly. “Saving the pack. What were you doing out here?”

She narrowed her eyes and stepped back, readjusting her arms that were folded at her chest. “Coming to see what was up with the lake. The rogues are sick, and we’ve exhausted every other possibility,” she said.

That was a believable plight, so why didn’t I believe her? There was no reason to mistrust her or think she was there for any other reason. The rogues were wolves too; it made sense. But I didn’t like it. I didn’t like her. Maybe that was the wolf in me sensing she was a rogue. Or it was the glare she was giving me. The accusing one that went between me and the wolfsbane.

“I didn’t do this. The wolves have been sick in the pack too. Brax got sick first after jumping in the water, so we knew that’s where it originated. I came back to fix it. Which I did,” I said back, my skin prickling at the challenge she was presenting me.

My body was still tired, but there was no way I was letting a rogue tell me I had hurt my pack.

“And you just happened to know what it was that was poisoning the wolves?” she asked.

My lip curled at her. “I’m not just a wolf.”

“Evidently. And the wolves trust that in you?” She raised a brow.

“We do.” Derik’s voice was strong and proud as he strode into the clearing of the lake. He kissed the top of my head, then checked me over. Satisfied I wasn’t physically hurt, he turned to Heather.

“Alpha Derik.” She bowed.

Suck up.

If she knew anything about my Alphas, she would know that the only way to get in good with them is to get in good with me. She was not doing that. “The lake runs through the water area, which you have access to. Why are you here?” he demanded.

“The lake is the source. I thought maybe we were being cut off. Wouldn’t be the first time the rogues have been turned away.” She shrugged. She wasn’t hostile, but the passive aggressiveness was clear.

“You made your decisions. So did we. The consequences of each are usually worse than the times we are in now. You have shelter, food, water, amenities. Don’t act like we have done nothing because if that’s your nothing, we could have done less.”

Derik was hot in alpha mode. Clear, concise, to the point. It left no room for argument. He fought to win—the others did too—but Derik did it with words. He backed people into a corner with words until there were no words left to hide behind. It was an artful, deceitful exposure, and I loved it. I loved him.

I stepped closer, and he wrapped his hand in mine, bringing it to his lips to kiss, eyeing Heather who nodded, her lips turned down. “Apologies, Alpha. Luna. I was only worried for the pack.”

“Not your job, rogue,” I said, my shadows recoiling, turning as she took a step closer. I didn’t understand their reaction, but I listened to them, looking up at Derik. He nodded, and more wolves came out of the trees, escorted by humans.

I raised a brow as Galen and my mom came out. “Mom?”

She smiled at me, coming over for a hug. “Sweetheart.” She wrapped her arms around me, then sucked in a breath and pulled back, holding my face.

“You’re freezing. We should get you inside,” she said, rubbing my arms.

“I don’t feel cold.”

“Well, your skin does,” she scolded, and I nodded.

Galen ordered the humans to pick up the wolfsbane and pile it high. “Once you’ve collected it all, burn it,” he said sternly. The humans obeyed, and the rogue watched, saying nothing.

“Thank you”—she finally turned to me—“for clearing the water. I know it wasn’t for us, but it means we have fresh water too, so thank you.” She smiled sweetly.

It was a nice gesture, and I tried to put aside my affliction for the girl, smiling tightly. “You’re welcome,” I said.

Then Mom led me away from the lake, holding me to her even though I was taller than her now. Derik was on my other side, his hand holding mine still.

“You shouldn’t have gone out here alone. The vampires are close,” he growled, his eyes scanning the forest.

I knew they were; I could sense them too. “And we won’t survive another attack like last time if we don’t get healthy. I had to,” I argued.

“I’m not arguing what you did, beautiful. Only the manner in which you did it. You shouldn’t have gone alone.”

I said nothing to that because I knew it was true, too. As much as the rogue made me wary, she hadn’t hurt me when she had found me passed out. She could have done anything she wanted to me, but she hadn’t. That made me grudgingly thankful.

“I’m sorry,” I finally breathed as we walked fast.

Derik just nodded and kissed the back of my hand. I was forgiven, but I still felt bad. I wasn’t sure what had made me think going alone was a good idea, but it had taken me over. Whatever that voice had done to me, it was hypnotic. It had made me focused on the task and damn sure I was meant to be at that lake alone. I couldn’t even explain what I meant because I didn’t understand it. But I did understand why my alphas were grumpy with me. It had been stupid, and I was lucky I hadn’t paid the ultimate price for my decision.

I leaned my head against Derik as we walked, my eyes closing for what felt like a second. It must’ve been longer because when I opened them again, I was being carried against him, my head resting on his shoulder as he strode us through the gates. Mom was still at his side, both of them chattering easily. He was easily Mom’s favorite. She normally wasn’t that picky, but with Kai and all his brute and Brax in all his brooding, Derik had won her over easily. He was all charm, and the dimple in his cheek when he smiled made him look nice. And he could be sweet, nice, charming. But he was still an alpha, and when he turned that mode on, he could be the scariest of them all.

Lucky for me, I loved scary.

I snuggled tighter into Derik’s neck as his warmth covered me. I shivered against him, trying to keep the heat in with the cloak around me. The magic pulsed inside me, no longer stretching since I was there with it in one place. We made it into the city, and I knew my other two Alphas were there. Their anger was palpable.

“Spitfire, you almost got Kai’s henchmen killed for that stunt. He put them in a solid time out for letting you through,” Brax said from next to me. I rolled my eyes, then lifted my head to glare at Kai.

“Don’t be a dick, Kai. Let them out of whatever torment you’ve decided to put them through. I told them to let me through to save the pack. I did, and nobody got hurt. They listened to their luna and told you straight away. They did what they were meant to,” I scolded him.

He huffed, his body shaking, his eyes glaring right back.

“Not hurt? You passing out isn’t getting hurt?”

I shrugged. “Slight magic overuse, but I’m fine, and the water is clear. So those wolves don’t deserve whatever hell you decided to put them through,” I said.

Derik placed me on the stone, checking I could stand before properly letting me go. I missed his warmth instantly, so he shrugged off his coat and laid it on my shoulders. He was much bigger than me, and it was like a blanket. It became my new favorite. I pulled it tight and smiled at him.

Kai growled and snapped in the link, telling his wolves to get their asses back on patrol.

“Good alpha,” I teased. He narrowed his eyes on me.

I was going to pay for that later, but I always looked forward to Kai’s punishments. They were a delicious torture that never failed to stop me from misbehaving again and again. But misbehaving was his term for it; mine was much simpler. I was just doing what I thought I needed to—he was either on board or he wasn’t. This time, I think he was landing somewhere in the middle, but my teasing may have pushed him into not agreeing.

That was okay. He could teach me a lesson later. For now, though, I needed to make sure what I had done had actually worked.

“So the water is clear, drinkable?” I asked.

Anetta was there with a pitcher and nodded.

“Yes. Which is why I brought this down for you. Luna’s first.” Anetta smiled.

Derik stopped me from drinking.

“Someone has tested this first?” he asked. Anetta gave him a droll stare.

“Of course they did. I’m not an idiot.”

Derik frowned at the pitcher in my hand, then nodded. I lifted the pitcher to my lips and took a timid sip.

The liquid slid down my throat, relieving the dry ache in there instantly. I let out a sigh, then closed my eyes. It was beautifully clean.

“It’s delicious. Get water through the wolves in the infirmary; they should be clean in a few days. Go let the school know the water can be used again,” I said. Anetta grinned and ran off, doing as I asked through the link.

“I’m going to go turn on the water for the gardens,” she called out.

I nodded, and she sprinted away.

I sipped more from the pitcher, then handed it to Derik. He sculled some of the water before handing it to Brax.

Seeing us get our water source back, feeling like we had won this battle in the war, had a rush of excitement running through me. Maybe we could win.

Our wolves could heal; we had a chance. It was more than we’d had in a while. Every step seemed wrong or came with consequences. But this step? It had fixed something instead of breaking it.

I smiled and tucked into Derik as he organized the pack in the link, sending them off to other places to store water. We weren’t taking any more chances, and he always learned from mistakes. Leaving the lake as our only water source was not something he was willing to risk again. So he had a plan to store barrels of water in the basement of the mansion. Just in case. It was a good idea, and he took charge easily.

“Should we go have tea, Mom?” I asked her.

She smiled and nodded, more and more comfortable with the wolves.

“Sure, although I was wondering if Derik could join us. I have some things I would like to discuss.”

I raised a brow at her, then looked to Derik. He was wary but nodded.

“Of course.”

“Can you make sure the water runs to the lake go smoothly?” Derik asked Brax.

Brax nodded, then pulled me in for a kiss.

“The twins are asleep. My shadows are with them, but I’ll need them on the runs to the lake and back,” Brax hesitated.

I pushed mine toward the twins’ room. “I’ve got them,” I said.

He nodded and ran to take over Derik’s lead.

We went inside to the sitting room of the mansion, where tea was delivered along with more water. I brought the twins down to be with us, sitting on the floor next to their portable crib, while Mom poured the tea.

Derik grabbed a quill and parchment, always prepared.

“Pearl, your lead,” he offered.

She nodded once, smiling in thanks, before speaking.

“Now that the humans are all committed to the grassland villages, I was hoping we could make the title of the land official. We would like it to be ours, so we can do to it as we see fit,” she said.

I listened carefully, sipping my tea.

“Isn’t the land already the humans’?” I asked.

Derik grimaced and shook his head. “Not until we bind an agreement in blood. At the moment, the lands respond to our city’s vitality. The magic between them is connected. If the land is given to the humans, things will change,” Derik said, scribbling on the parchment.

I had no idea what he was writing, but it looked important.

I should learn how to do some of the paperwork and agreement side of things, but it was hard when I didn’t understand the wording. It was so specific, and Derik said every word had to be carefully considered and chosen to make sure there were no loopholes.

Magic was black and white; if you found a gray area, the contracts were breakable.

He made sure there were no gray areas.

“We understand it will change things. Could you explain what that would mean for us? What we would have to offer the realm to keep it happy with us using the land instead of the wolves?” she asked.

She had a better grasp on it all than I did. That was clear. Galen had obviously been teaching her the ways of the wolves.

Derik sighed and looked up from the parchment. “We offer the realm magic every time we shift; that is our contribution. For the humans? I would assume blood.”

I sucked in a breath, but my mother just nodded.

“I also assumed this.” She sipped her tea.

“How much blood?” I demanded.

Derik shook his head. “Not much. A drop to show loyalty. But looking after the land is the most important. Watering it, farming it, looking after the animals the realm gifts us for resource. All of these things must be done. And then the contract,” he said with an ever deeper sigh, “that would require a balance.”

Mother nodded, putting her cup down as Galen strode in, buttoning up his tunic.

I thought he would take over the meeting, but he sat down next to Mom, his hand going to hers, clutching it before waiting for her to continue.

The respect in that single move was more than I had ever seen my father give her.

My heart swelled, and I silently thanked him for treating her like a human, no, like a person.

“You're welcome.” He nodded once to me. I smiled and turned to the meeting, trying to hide my grin.

“A balance. We would need to give you something in return for the land?” she asked.

Derik nodded. “We don't want to take anything off you, but it wouldn't be accepted without an equal transaction,” he grimaced.

Mom didn't look bothered. Instead, she reached into her pouch purse she carried everywhere with her.

She placed a vial on the table. Then she placed a dagger on the table. Then a mini pouch of powder.

“Here is our offer then,” she said, nodding to the items. “The vial is a werewolf toxin bomb. It will burn the vamps like wolfsbane does wolves. The dagger has been melted with it and will stop the vamps from regenerating or healing wherever you cut with it. The powder is toxin turned into a powder; use that however you see fit. We can make a substantial amount of this per week. I'm offering you 30 percent of whatever we make in exchange for the land,” she stated.

I was impressed, and even Derik had to be.

He raised a brow and put his things down, then came over to the coffee table where the items were. He knelt down and inspected each one slowly.

“The werewolf toxin is procured—”

“Voluntarily,” Galen defended.

Derik nodded and wrote more notes down, sitting back in his chair.

“Would you be willing to add in a clause of exclusivity? It would prevent you from creating anything of this type of weapon for the vampires or anyone else outside of the city pack.”

Mom nodded, and Derik scribbled more down.

“All items are made by the humans?”

“And Ryleigh and Galen,” Mom answered.

It went back and forth like that for a while, Derik asking questions, Mom answering them.

The twins woke in that time, and I played with them on a blankie on the ground. Derik came over to sit with me, holding Enzi’s little hand as she tried to suckle on his finger.

“And finally, what are you planning on doing with the land?” Derik asked.

Mom smiled at that question. “Making it a home, Alpha Derik. My family, the humans have been at the mercy of a madman for a long time, and our village has suffered for it. I want to banish those memories by starting fresh. I don’t want separate women and men villages. I don’t want the widows cast out. I want to do things differently. To bring the community together instead of separating it. The humans have voted on this too. But to move buildings and change them, it would require permission. I would like to take that out of the equation,” she explained.

I was so fucking proud of her. Without my father involved, she had flourished. It was beautiful.

Derik nodded, smiling down at the twins before looking at Mom and Galen. “I’m voting yes for this idea. I agree with the plan and the offer, but I have to take it to the council. You’ll have our vote and Galen’s. The others, I will convince. Would you be able to stay for the night so I can meet with them and give you an answer by morning?” Derik asked.

“Yes, of course. Ryleigh and Vaughn are leading the village in our stead,” she said.

“Once you have your government structure, education, and trading systems in place, inform us. Please,” he added.

“We will,” Mom said, then smiled at me. I grinned back and handed her Zale. She cooed at him, glowing as Galen stared at her. I turned to Derik, who was rocking Enzi, playing with her, tickling her as she smiled up at him.

It was a perfect moment.

One that could only be destroyed by Beenie bursting into the room, Cain hot on her heels. Her face was drenched in dread.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, standing quickly.

“I saw something.” Beenie shivered.

“Been, we don’t know—”

Beenie shushed Cain. “They need to know what I saw,” she snapped, then turned to us. “I don’t know if it was a nightmare or a premonition. But I do know it felt as real as this moment. It was the vampires. All of them. Coming over the wall, storming through the city. They were attacking everyone and everything,” she panted, wincing as if it caused her pain to remember and say.

“What does that mean?” I whispered, dread trickling into my blood too.

“It means they’re coming. The vampires and the war,” Beenie answered stoically.

I sucked in a breath, knowing it was coming in theory, but reality had just slapped me in the face, and I was reeling. I looked back at my family, the reason I fought, the people I was too scared to lose.

“That wasn’t all I saw, Lorelai,” Beenie said, her voice low in warning.

I turned to her, not sure I could handle whatever else she had in that head of hers.

“What else?”

She looked me dead in the eye, her eyes glassy before her gaze dipped to my stomach. “You were pregnant in the vision. I saw the fight from your unborn child’s mind.”