Azure (The Silver Series Book 5) (10 page)

Traer rolled his eyes. “They're concerned,
as they should be. You need to take care of yourself.”

“
What I need is to not be
undermined every time I turn around,” I snapped back. A hurt look
swept across his face and I regretted my harsh tone. I put a hand
on his shoulder. “It might be foolish, but Two is mine and I have
to uphold my authority or this place will be overrun. I'm not a
weak pup who can sit by while others think they own everyone here.”
I softened my words with a smile. “It's just a run. Don't worry so
much.”

“
Maybe you should worry
more,” Traer replied, but the anger had gone out of his
words.

Chapter 9

I pulled off my shirt and tossed it on a
branch of the gnarled tree I crouched behind. My side already
throbbed and my stomach twisted at the thought of phasing, but I
was committed. Backing out now would definitely show weakness. I
kept telling myself it was only a run and let my body phase slowly
into wolf form.

Pain like a dozen hot irons scalded my side
as my skin and organs took on the wolf shape. I breathed through
gritted teeth and kept silent, but by the time the phase was
complete, the pain was so intense I threw up on the red sand and
had to lie on my side for several minutes until my strength
returned.

A howl sounded and I forced myself to my
feet. My limbs trembled, but I shook my coat against the pain and
trotted out from behind the bushes. Ben and Brian waited on a rise,
both heads turned in my direction. I hoped they hadn't heard me
lose my lunch, but there was nothing I could do about it. I pushed
the pain down and loped to join them. They turned without a sound
and fell in on either side of me. It was then that I knew this
wasn't going to be just an ordinary run.

I decided to draw them away from Two,
knowing that if the others joined in, I would have no chance. I
loomed above them, a bear-sized black wolf with a smaller black
wolf running on each side. The weakness through my limbs threatened
to steal my strength and running took every ounce of willpower to
push past the driving pain. I ran around brush I would normally
jump, and took the path up a sandy wash to save my energy. Sunlight
bounced off the deep red sand, casting shadows at the base of scrub
brush and sage. The azure sky looked like a bowl turned upside
down, watching the scene unfold below with the impassivity of the
everlasting.

The threat and hostility underlying the
scent of the two wolves burned into my mind. They had fought for
Two on several other occasions, but accepted defeat almost before
we had begun. This time was different; their confidence and the
looks they threw each other set my teeth on edge. It disgusted me
that they waited until I was at my weakest to challenge me for Two,
but I was determined to defeat them no matter what the cost.

The brothers waited until we were several
canyons away from Two to attack. They darted forward as one, but I
was ready when Brian dove at my front paws. I jumped over his head
and spun so that I landed facing them both. Ben snarled and tried
to bowl me over with a shoulder against my chest, but I was
stronger than either of them even injured.

I grabbed the back of Ben's neck and threw
him to the side. He landed against a rock and whined, then charged
back with another snarl. Brian leaped at my back when I turned to
meet Ben's attack. I rolled and broke his grip on my fur. He hit
the ground, leaving a jagged tear across my shoulder.

Ben dove at my throat as I rose back to my
feet, but I ducked my head and his fangs lacerated my forehead
instead. I gave an inward sigh of thanks for the hard skull my mom
always complained about and forced him back. I wiped the blood from
my eyes with a paw to clear my vision and felt Brian's jaws close
around my back leg. I spun and grabbed his throat before he could
leap clear.

I forced him onto his back on the ground. He
struggled for a moment and the scent of desperation wafted heavily
in the air. I tightened my hold and Brian gave in. His tail curled
up to his stomach and he held still. A whine escaped his
throat.

Ben advanced from my other side, but the
growl that rumbled through my chest stopped him. He may have wanted
to attack me, but his brother's life hung by the pressure of my
fangs. Instinct bade me to tear into him, to put all the rage and
frustration of the past weeks into ripping out his throat; but I
knew my responsibilities and the consequences of such an
action.

I clamped down briefly to remind him who was
in charge, then slowly let go and stepped back to allow him to
rise. He cast a furtive glance in my direction and ducked behind
Ben. Red showed on Ben's muzzle from my bleeding forehead. He met
my eyes for the briefest second, then turned away. I watched until
the two brothers left around the next bend. As soon as they were
out of sight, my legs gave out and I collapsed on the ground.

The pain that knifed through my side had
doubled, and maneuvering through the fight had intensified it until
I could barely think. Blood leaked in my eyes. I wiped my face on
my shoulder and debated whether to phase or try to make it back to
Two as a wolf. I didn't know if I could even survive another phase.
I clenched my jaw and limped slowly back the way we had come.

My fear was that Ben and Brian would attack
again while I was weak, but either my bravado fooled them or they
realized the stupidity of their actions because I didn’t see them.
The trek back to our camp felt twice as long. The sun pounded on my
black fur with relentless fury, and the azure sky faded to a
heartbreaking pale blue. The scent of sun-baked sage tickled my
nose and I sneezed. Pure agony ripped through my stomach. I sat for
five minutes convincing my legs to carry me despite the pain.

The outside doors at Two were designed to be
pushed open by a nose or shoulder. I went to the little-used back
door closest to my room and shoved it open, dismayed at how much
strength it took. I limped down the hall to my rooms and was
grateful to find that Nora had remembered not to shut the door all
the way. I pushed it closed with my shoulder and made it to the
middle of the living room floor before I collapsed. My body
shuddered. I tried to keep from phasing, but lost control through
the pain. The phase stretched my wounds and sent a dagger of pain
through my side so sharp a yell tore from my lips. I curled in
around my side and tried to remain conscious.

“
Vance?” Panic filled
Nora's voice. Her footsteps ran into the room and fingers touched
my shoulder so softly I barely felt them. “Vance, what
happened?”

She ran to the door and I listened to her
footsteps fade away. I sat up and had the presence of mind to pull
a blanket from the couch down to cover my nakedness. Two sets of
footsteps returned and the door was shoved open. “Vance, I tried to
warn-“ Traer’s eyes widened and he paused, his eyes on the blood
streaming down my forehead.

“
Not as bad as it looks,” I
forced out. Pain throbbed with every breath.

Relief flooded Nora's eyes and she smiled
despite a tear that trickled down her cheek.

“
It looks pretty bad,”
Traer replied. A muscle twitched in his jaw. “What on earth
happened?”

“
Brian and Ben attacked
me.”

The words sent a surge of anger through my
limbs and I pushed up despite the pain. Both of them moved to help
me, but I gave them a sharp look and they waited. I sat on the edge
of the couch and tried to clear the pain and anger from my thoughts
so I could think clearly.

“
What are you going to do?”
Traer asked softly after a moment.

A dark numbness filled my chest, black and
angry. Betrayal. That was how it felt to be attacked by two of the
werewolves I had grown up with. The fact that they waited until I
was at my weakest showed a cowardice I had never taught them. Fury
burned through my body and I grabbed a lamp from the end table and
threw it across the room. It shattered against the wall and fell to
pieces on the ground. The tinkling of broken glass reminded me of
the wind chimes that used to hang on our porch during my brief
childhood.

I sat back with my eyes on the mess I had
made. The pain was a dull throb within my anger. “Throw them
out.”

“
It's about time,” Traer
replied with a candor that surprised me. I glanced at him and he
shrugged. “They're getting a bit big for their britches. Time they
started to fend for themselves.”

Traer lifted a bandage and I shook my head.
I brushed a hand across the wound on my forehead and found that it
was already healing. “I’ll be fine,” I said. Bandages were the
least of my worries at the moment. Disagreement colored his eyes,
but he knew better than to argue. “You know they won't go
lightly.”

The young doctor nodded. “And Max and
Drake'll probably go with them. I can't speak for Thomas. There's
no telling what he'll do.”

The last Alpha of our group was surprisingly
mild for his football player stature. Next to me, he was the
largest member of the group, but he tended to keep out of disputes.
When he did decide it was time to leave, he would go quietly; of
that I was sure.

Something was bothering the gray werewolf.
Frustration showed clearly on his face edged with something else.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“
I think you need to see a
real doctor.”

“
You are a real doctor,” I
pointed out. “And I’m healing.”

He gave me a tolerant look and nodded his
head toward my throbbing side and the bruises that spidered away
from the scar. “A specialist, then.”

“
In the internal workings
of werewolf organs? The specialist would probably be a Hunter,” I
replied dryly. I glanced at Nora and regretted the statement. “I
didn't mean it that way.”

She smiled sadly. “Unfortunately it's true,
at least for my Dad's faction. He'd probably heal you, then kill
you just for the sport of it.”

“
Sounds pleasant,” Traer
said, his voice tight at the thought.

I tried to find a more comfortable position
on the couch, then winced when another sharp pain surged through my
side. Nora set a hand on my arm and Traer stepped closer. I rolled
my eyes, but felt touched by their concern. “I'm alright,
really.”

“
I'll believe it when I see
it,” Traer replied, but he turned away at my look. “I'm going to
see if Seth's got dinner started.” He smiled at Nora. “Maybe it'll
actually be edible thanks to your tutoring.”

“
Who would have thought
werewolves would be such eager students?” she asked with a
laugh.

“
We get a little bored
here,” Traer replied. He nodded at me and left the room.

I leaned against the couch and thought
vaguely that the blood from my shoulder was going to ruin the
leather. Nora watched me for a moment, then settled next to me and
stared at the wall. “Why did you agree to go running with them?”
she asked after a couple of minutes had passed.

“
It sounded like fun,” I
replied as more of a question than a statement. I could feel her
disapproving stare and sighed. “It's an Alpha thing.”

“
So because I'm not a
werewolf I couldn't possibly understand it?” the accusation in her
voice covered the hurt she felt at being left out.

I tipped my head to look at her. “Alphas
grow up knowing that someday they'll be in charge of the protection
and wellbeing of their own pack. We normally test our strength
against our fathers and other members of their pack, making sure
that we're ready for when we set out on our own.”

“
But you don't have a pack
here,” Nora said with dawning understanding in her voice. “You're
left to pit against your peers. What were your parents
thinking?”

I shrugged, then clenched my teeth at the
resulting pain. “Maybe we would grow out of it, or they could put
it off until we had our own packs and they wouldn't have to deal
with it.”

“
They're shrugging off
their responsibility.” Anger touched her voice.

I felt a sudden need to defend my mother. No
matter what I had gone through, she still acted like my mom long
after Dad quit the charade that had become our lives. “They see it
as protecting us. We safe here, fed-”

“
If you can call it that,”
she cut in.

I continued, “We have clothes, food,
shelter, and access to the finest schools by the internet as well
as the connections to attend any of them electronically. Our needs
are taken care of.”

“
Except emotionally,” she
pointed out.

My voice dropped. “Emotional security comes
when Hunters are killing off every Alpha they can get their hands
on and you're safe because your parents have the foresight to hide
you away.” I took a calming breath and said quietly, “Even when
their friends are being killed.”

She closed her eyes for a second; when she
looked at me again there was something unreadable in them. Her hand
reached up and she set it gently on my jaw. “You are their
emotional security,” she said quietly. “You tolerate this for
them.”

“
They care in their own
way,” I replied past a tremble through my limbs that had nothing to
do with pain. I closed my eyes and turned my face into her hand.
“Like I care.” Her scent filled my nose and my head clouded past
any other thought.

Her other hand touched my dark blond hair
hesitantly, then her fingers tangled in it, brushing my ear and
sending a surge of heat through my body. “You care so much,” she
whispered.

I opened my eyes and tried to think past the
fog in my mind that came from being so close to her, but my brain
refused to process anything but the nearness of her lips and the
way her eyes peered into mine with such intensity, but also with a
touch of fear that showed she was afraid of what could happen. An
echoing surge of emotion rushed through my chest and it was all I
could do to keep from kissing her. “We have to be careful,” I
breathed out haltingly.