Kohl

Oh God no!

I can't see Parker in the water right now. The water is red with blood as panic sets in. I found Mckennon and Parker in the woods and I had to save Parker. I pounced on my Brother but failed to take gravity into account.

The moment Parker fell into the shallow river, my heart sank. The moment the water ran red, my soul shriveled. In this moment, I feel like I can't feel any part of my body. The more I try to fight the feeling, the more I find myself succumbing to the shock.

"I didn't—It wasn't my fault."

McKennon is behind me. I'd almost forgotten. I feel the wolf inside me ripping to get out. I ignore him and move to the water. As I do, Parker bursts from the water and rolls to a stop at my feet. I bend down to see that he's covered in river water and blood. McKennon is just as shocked as I am.

"Parker?" I ask.

Parker notices me for the first time before his eyes land on McKennon. His face contorts into a very violent expression. He moves towards McKennon but I step in front of him. To my shock, he easily throws me to the side and rushes towards McKennon. I watch from the ground as McKennon swings a claw at Parker, who instinctively grabs his arms and swings him into a tree. McKennon slams against the ground, unconscious.

"Parker?" I call out as I jump to my feet.

I rush over to him. I pull him into a hug, nestling my nose in his neck. His smell is different now and he seems physically stronger yet he looks the same. I feel his arms wrap around my waist and I shudder.

"What just happened?" Parker asks, "Did I die?"

"No." I say as I pull away from him, "Of course not."

"I think I just died."

"Stop saying that, Park."

Parker stares at me, confused. I'm just as confused. I called him by a nickname for the first time. I've been realizing how much I've come to care for him since the moment I woke up this morning. I wasn't sure why until recently. He calmed my wolf. Grey wasn't shy about his distaste of how I treated Parker. Parker's reaction to me is justified. I've realized that my hesitancy is ridiculous. Fate wouldn't put him in a position of this much importance if he was fragile. He's a strong man.

Seemingly stronger now.

I've been worried he's not strong enough for me and I've been sorely mistaken.

As I stand staring at him in the moonlight, I realize his beauty. The moment I saw him I was attracted to him but at this moment, I've never seen anything or anyone so beautiful. I break my eyes away from him when I hear the howl of wolves back near the pack house.

"We need to get back." Parker says as he bypasses me, "Grab your Brother. I have questions."

I am unsure of how I feel about his orders. The Alpha wolf in me lets out a low growl while I also find something very intriguing about it. I'll have to punish him later. It'll be a true challenge.

I walk over and pick up Mickey and throw him over my shoulder before running behind Parker. Parker is faster than before. He seems different. Mickey stirs but I restrain him with an elbow.

When we arrive at the pack lands, I see that the Betas have the situation at a stand-still. I watch as Parker effortlessly rolls under an attack by a wolf. The wolf is in his human form. Much like any rogue, the wolf is filthy with long, matted hair. His attack, if he landed it, would probably give Parker some obscure disease that should have died in the middle ages.

Parker seems to almost relish the fight as he spins on his heel and kicks the wolf in the stomach. He brings his fist up under the wolf's chin and causes him to fly back and slam into the ground. I see the rogues' eyes turn to him and I feel the roar before it leaves my mouth. I open my mouth and the roar echoes through the woods. The wolves take note and look to me. They regard me with caution before backing away, retreating into the woods.

Their leader is now our prisoner.

Parker turns to me and I smile at him.

Things are clearly about to change.

Parker

"Your Son attacked some of the most prominent wolves in this hemisphere! Do you honestly think we would let this go?" One of the Alphas, Rylan, barks.

Rylan is a large man with greying black hair. His primal nature is greying beard and perpetually clinched jaw. I realize now that Rylan must hate wearing actual clothes as he's only been wearing a pair of small jeans since the attack. I can't say I'm unhappy about that. I find it poetic. While the other Alphas seem to be able to keep their emotions in check, he does not.

"I do have to agree with Rylan," William agrees, "Not only were we here on faith, we brought some of our best fighters as well as our mates. They were all in danger."

William is a dark-skinned man with glowing grey eyes. His hair is twisted in dreadlocks and flows freely down his back. He is a level head in the sea of unleveled Alphas. William seems wise and I somehow feel as if he's older than he appears. He runs a territory in the deep south.

"It wasn't Gaius' fault. He did not know and he is dealing with the situation." Nia interjects.

Nia is the Luna of Alpha Itui. The two of them rule territories near Oklahoma where their ancestors, shapeshifters, originated. Nia is a stunning woman in what looks like her forties. The woman has curly black hair and skin much the shade of mine. She is regal and more diplomatic than her mate.

Itui is a large man with copper skin. His eyes are a peculiar shade of emerald green that makes them distinctive. He also has the most well-manicured eyebrows that ever frowned at me. I've learned that he likes to stretch his muscle in more ways than one.

"I assure you," Gaius says with his most impatient tone yet, "I will deal with McKennon."

"We heard that he refuses to talk." Itui says as he watches Gaius.

"We will make him talk." Kohl adds.

"Is this how you run your pack? On whims?" Rylan asks trying to mask his amusement.

I can feel the anger radiating off my ma—Kohl. I realize that Kohl is intensely staring at Rylan and the air in the room is thin. I realize that any argument between them undercuts everything we're doing here.

As the only non-werewolf in this room, it's my job to diffuse this situation.

I'm definitely going to screw this up.

"It's not the point," I say calling their attention, "We're not here to debate the politics of this pack. We're not here to place blame or find fault—"

"You would say that." Rylan interrupts.

A low growl comes from deep in Kohl's throat and I give him a pressing stare. I turn my attention back to Rylan and continue.

"The real issue here is the world outside of this land. There is a pack of rogues that want to destroy everything you've all worked so hard to build. It's not good."

"Outside these lands?" Rylan argues, "We get to came join together in an alliance and this is what we get? Perhaps it is not the way of the wolves."

"I'm not really done talking." I say with frustration. I take a deep breath, "This war you don't care about, this all-out war, seems inevitable and we don't even fully know our enemy. What happens when wolves must decide who's the apex? What happens when all the rogues in the world band together and tear down your sweet little patriarchy?"

"We'll handle it."

"Like you did tonight?" I ask, "Any one of our packs can succumb to this kind of attack. Divided we are formidable, together we are a force. This pack will be the first to extend the olive branch. It's up to you to choose. You can either choose to fight or give in. We are fighting. What about all of you?"

The room goes silent and I look to Gaius and Kohl. Gaius seems impressed while Kohl is surprised, yet again. My eyes round the room and I realize they are deciding. Nia and Itui are, if my assumption is correct, mentally discussing their decision. I watch as the two of them nod and their eyes land on me.

"The Red Dawn Pack is with you." Itui says with a nod.

"The Duskfall Delta pack is with you as well." William nods.

All eyes land on Rylan. His eyes round the room before he glares at me.

"Fine. The Lunar Sky pack stands with you as well." Rylan says rolling his eyes, "We need to set the terms of our alliance. If we're going to advocate this to the other packs, we need to be sure of what we're agreeing to."

"Of course." Gaius nods, "We'll begin to deliberate tonight."

I'm happy. I didn't mess this deal up half as much as I thought I would and we have allies now. I can rest now. I guess running for my life and drowning depleted my energy. I feel the irresistible urge to sleep. I feel like something inside me needs to rest. I quickly excuse myself from the room and head towards my own room. I stop as I hear footsteps behind me and turn to see Kohl coming towards me.

"Sorry, I just—"

Kohl doesn't stop. He marches over and grabs my face in his hand, pulling me into him. I feel his lips roughly push themselves against mine, his warm breath mingling in mine and his tongue fighting my own for dominance. It's like chills shoot all over my body in waves, almost like a release. The moment seals any thoughts that my life isn't connected with his.

When I can't breathe anymore, I pull away. I don't jerk away as I normally would but gently and slowly pull away from him. We stare at each other. There's an electricity between us and it's so strong I can barely stand it.

I think I get our connection now.