Free Mated to the Pack by Alanis Knight Page A

me,”
Allison said. “I’m nothing but trouble for all of you. You should
just throw me to the wol… um… dump me off somewhere and go on with
your lives.”
    “You know we cannot do that,” he said. And
then he added, “ I cannot do that.”
    “So what’s the solution to all of this,
then?” Allison asked.
    “We bring them back, apologize profusely,
and remind them of their oath to Thaddeus,” he said. “Failing that,
I don’t know.”
    “How will we find them?” she asked.
    “We let them find us.”

Chapter
Eight

     
     
    The grave was on a hill underneath an
ancient laurel tree that stretched its arms in a vast canopy that
shaded the surrounding area, marked only by a stone wolf statue
that sat with its haunches buried slightly in the damp earth and
its neck craned high as it howled at an imaginary moon.
    Michael approached it with solemn reverence,
his head bowed. He stopped beside it and kneeled.
    “Hello, old friend,” Michael said.
    His hand brushed lightly over the
grass-covered mound, plucking away an errant twig, grooming it
carefully.
    Allison placed her hand on Michael’s
shoulder and paid respects to the man who had led this pack
before.
    “He gave his life to protect us all,”
Michael said. “He was like a father to us.”
    “I’m sorry,” Allison said meekly.
    “That night was like something right out of
a horror novel,” he told her. “The wind was howling so loudly it
was deafening, and suddenly it just stopped. Dead silence. Made my
ears ring. Then a fog rolled in that was so thick you couldn’t see
a finger in front of your face. I’ve never seen anything like
it.”
    Allison was silent as she waited for him to
continue.
    “We’d been having trouble with Victor’s pack
for a while. They wanted our territory, but it’s been in our family
for over a century. Thaddeus offered to allow Victor’s pack to
blend with ours, but Victor… he’s mad for power. It wasn’t good
enough for him.
    “Thaddeus, ever the diplomat, invited Victor
over to discuss it. He showed up, alright, but he brought his pack
with him. It was Victor, along with the cronies you’ve met, Phillip
and Earl, and two others, Pritchet and Sonny.
    “Obviously, Victor had no intention of
discussing things diplomatically. His pack attacked, we fought
back, and ultimately we were outnumbered. Finally, Thaddeus ordered
us to retreat.
    “Naturally, we thought Thaddeus would follow
us. But he stayed behind. He fought valiantly. He took two of those
bastards down with him – Pritchet and Sonny. But as I turned back
to look for him, I saw in the distance the evil glint in Victor’s
eye as he sank his fangs into Thaddeus’s throat, and even from such
a great distance I could hear that sickening sound as his flesh was
ripped away from his body. I meant to turn back, to help him, but
the Alpha’s command overrode my emotions and I just turned and fled
as he’d ordered me too.”
    “Oh, Michael,” Allison breathed.
    “I’ve carried the guilt ever since,” Michael
said, his voice breaking.
    Michael bowed his head and resting his
forehead on his knee. Allison stroked his hair, but she knew this
was something she could do little to comfort.
    “You know it isn’t your fault,” Allison
said. “You had no choice but to obey your Alpha.”
    “I still can’t help but feel that I should
have done something,” Michael said, rolling his head back and forth
on his knee. “And now I’ve gone and fucked everything up!
Thaddeus is the rightful Alpha. He should be here, not me!”
    “Michael, he gave his life for all of you
because he trusted you,” Allison said.
    “Well, that makes me feel better!” he
groaned facetiously.
    “No, no… I mean he trusted you to make the
right decisions, because you will ,” Allison explained, her
hand resting on his shoulder. “Everyone makes mistakes sometimes.
You’re only human… or… well, you know what I mean. I’m sure even
Thaddeus made