Psyche Moon (23 page)

About the Author

Whether living in a cabin in the woods or a city apartment, Idaho’s mountains are and have always been my home. The wilds are true civilization, and its inhabitants my sisters and brothers. I am most content with open sky above me, trees surrounding me, and feet bare against the earth.

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Psyche Honor

by Chrissie Buhr

Chapter 1

“Jason, we have a big problem.” John's voice, strained and tense, emanated from his phone.

“What’s wrong?” Jason didn't want any more problems, big or otherwise. He had enough to manage without something new arising.

During the drive back to Boise, he'd had plenty of time to ask Nathan questions about the Wolf who bit him. Knowing the Pup was holding back, he'd coaxed and pushed for more information, but the man remained taciturn the entire way. His shadowed eyes watched the scenery pass, new instincts drawing him inexplicable to the forests and hills. Jason knew how difficult his transition had been and didn't push. Alone, with no way of understanding the changes within him, he'd reacted to it with escalating aggression and violence. One man still lay in a hospital bed after an encounter with Nathan. Local news of the brutal assault and Nathan's arrest had reached Jason's ears, and he'd left for Rigby immediately.

Jason had planned on spending a great deal of time with the Pup during his first week in the Pack. He hadn't planned on coming home to a major Pack cleanup or to find a Mage living in his territory. Reluctantly, he'd focused his immediate attention on nine dead teenagers, a wounded Beta, and a powerful but seemingly trustworthy Mage. In his wildest dreams he'd never imagined a situation in which he'd allow a Mage to live in his territory, let alone date one of his Wolves. The proverbial shit had hit a very large and rapidly spinning fan. A week later he could  still smell it.

John's announcement promptly returned his thoughts to the present. “Nathan told me who bit him and what happened. All of it this time. He said the one who bit him was ordered to do it. By a Human.”

“A Human?” Jason’s lip curled in skepticism.

“The way he described it, no way that Wolf was acting on his own.” John’s voice shook in fear masked with a healthy dose of anger.

“A Mage made a Wolf and then abandoned him? That doesn’t make sense.”

“Wait ‘til you hear the rest of his story.”

“I’m on my way.” Jason jabbed a button on his cell phone and shoved it into his pocket. He paused, thinking. He could do without Mage problems until he knew how he felt about Sadie. He’d have killed her the moment he knew if it hadn’t been for Billie. He’d kill her now if not for his promise. Dammit Billie. He thought. Only you would fall for a Mage. He’d promised his Beta, and he was a man of his word. He'd allow Sadie to live so long as she didn’t threaten the Pack.

Mage trouble on the heels of Sadie’s arrival couldn’t be coincidence, though. Jason didn’t believe in coincidence. He hoped, for Billie’s sake, that Sadie had nothing to do with Nathan. For all of their sakes, he hoped Sadie was exactly what she said she was. If not, they could be wishing for a quick death before this ended. He ground his teeth, and growled.

Pulling a worn t-shirt over his head, Jason grabbed his keys off the counter and left for John’s home.

Jason entered without knocking to find Nathan pacing around the living room. John shared a modest urban home with two packmates. A classic bachelor’s pad, worn furniture and clutter dominated the living room. It nevertheless smelled of mild soap and Wolves. A quirk of the species – most Wolves preferred to live in a clean environment, single or not.

The new Wolf stopped pacing as soon as Jason entered, his eyes meeting his Alpha’s gaze for a fraction of a second before lowering submissively. John stood in the doorway between the living room and kitchen, arms folded across his chest, closely watching the agitated man’s internal struggle. “He’s restless. He needs to run.” John stated the obvious.

Jason nodded. “We’ll run soon. But first I need to hear what happened.” Nathan resumed wearing a path in the carpet, and Jason could hear the frightened man’s heart rate rise. The new Wolf didn’t want to run – he wanted to tuck his tail between his legs and bolt. “Sit down.” Jason ordered sharply, his command giving no room for disobedience. Nathan obeyed without hesitating, crossing to the couch and falling into it. His hands and feet continued to twitch with the impulse to flee.

Jason gazed down at the man with his best kind but stern Alpha expression. “Look, kid. The way that you were turned isn’t the way we do things. It makes the transition more intense and emotions harder to control."

Nathan interrupted insolently. “You told me that already.” His rising voice demonstrated the level of his irritation.

Jason growled. “Don’t interrupt me.” Nathan shrunk a little, his Wolf nature instinctively understanding his subordinate place. If he’d been in wolf form, his ears would have dropped in apology. “If the situation was different, I wouldn’t push you. I’d let you run this energy off and calm down. But I need you to tell me what happened first. All of it this time.”

Nathan nodded and closed his eyes, his hand pressed against his forehead as if the memory would explode if allowed to surface. “It was a couple of months ago in Rigby. I was at home working on my car when two men drove up. They got out of their car and the skinny one started asking me for directions into town. I lived a few miles out off the main roads, so it was strange them being there at all. The big one didn’t say anything. His eyes were dull, like he wasn’t playing with a full deck. The skinny one made my skin crawl and I could tell right away he was trouble. I didn’t want trouble, so I told him how to get to Rigby and was done with him.

“Behind me, I heard him say ‘Do it.’ I knew somethin' was wrong and spun around ready to fight. But the big guy - the one with the dull eyes - was big and freakin’ strong. I hit him and he didn’t even twitch. He broke my nose and a few ribs, or that’s what I thought when it happened. When I was on the ground, he grabbed my arm and bit a chunk out of it. After that he just stopped. He walked back to the skinny guy and stood there like a moron.

“So I’m bleeding from my nose and arm and in a lot of hurt.” He paused, and Jason waited in silence, sensing the poor man’s struggle to explain what he’d experienced. “I’ve been in plenty of fights. Nothing like this ever happened before. It felt like something was crawling inside my head. Like a bad trip I had once as a kid and I popped acid. For a minute I thought the skinny guy was talking to me in my head.” He shook his head, either to banish the memory or clarify it. Jason couldn’t tell. “Then out of nowhere a woman shows up. They argued and the air went sharp like it does in a thunder storm. She said me and the big guy belonged to her now. Like we were pets or somethin'. The air went sharp again, worse this time. My head cleared a bit, I found my feet and took off running. Never looked back.”

“Did you call the police?”

Nathan shook his head. “Nah. It was too weird. Didn’t know what to say to them. Didn't want anyone thinkin' I was crazy. I went to a buddy’s house and crashed there for a few. Never healed so quick from a fight. My nose and ribs were good in a few days. The bite took a lot longer.” He pulled the sleeve of his shirt up to show Jason an ugly scar on his upper left arm.

The story had Jason troubled. Two Mages fighting over Wolves didn’t bode well. “Did you hear any names?” Nathan shook his head. “Describe them.”

“The skinny guy had glasses and light brown hair. My height. He talked like the local kids do when they come home from college. You know, like anyone else 'cept bigger words and full o' themselves. The big guy, the one who bit me, was solid muscle, over six foot, army haircut. I didn’t get a good look at the woman, but she sounded southern.”

Jason nodded, taking it all in and liking the situation less with every sentence. “What do you remember about their argument?”

Nathan's eyes darkened and his shoulders hunched forward, like something warred within him. “Not much. They talked about us like they owned us. It’s kind of a blur.” Jason could smell his fear rising in acrid waves, panic not far away.

"Look at me." Nathan's head snapped up, his eyes focusing. Jason held the Wolf’s eyes, forcing the man to see the strength of his Alpha and Pack. “You’re safe now. You’re one of my Pack, and we protect each other. We'll protect you. For now, I want you to always have a packmate with you. Until I’ve looked into your story and you quit acting like a caged animal about to bite, you don’t go anywhere alone.” He looked pointedly at John. “Don’t take any chances. Keep a few Wolves around here at all times – safety in numbers.” John nodded solemnly, understanding his orders to protect the new Wolf and to protect others from him. Without a word, he flipped out his phone and sent a quick text.

“Any sign of a Mage let me know. Kill any Mage you find if you can do it without getting caught.” Jason remembered the newest complication and sighed. “Except Sadie.”

“Sadie? Billie’s girl?” John exclaimed, his eyes widening.

“Yeah.” Jason snarled. “Billie’s mate is a Mage.”

“Holy shit!” John dissembled visibly. “How the hell did that happen?”

Jason glowered. He'd been asking himself the same thing for days. “Sadie didn’t even know what she was.”

“She … How? … Shit! Do you trust her?”

“I trust Billie. I gave my word – I won’t kill her if she doesn’t threaten the Pack.” Jason reiterated the same words he'd conveyed to everyone.

“Billie’s not collared?” He shivered involuntarily.

“No. No sign of it. Sadie saved Billie’s life last week. You heard about the mess in the North End?” John nodded. “She protected the Pack, too. She’s earned the benefit of the doubt.”

“Jesus. This is fucked up.”

“Tell me about it.” Jason growled.

Nathan had been listening intently. “I thought Billie was a girl.”

“She’s my Beta, second in command in the Pack.”

“And she’s dating a girl?”

Jason looked sideways in impatience but spoke to John. “Why don’t you fill him in on Mages. And explain what a lesbian is while you’re at it.”

“I know what a lesbian is.” Nathan huffed and grinned.

Jason met the Pup's eyes and held them, his voice low and threatening. “Billie is the second most powerful Wolf in the Pacific Northwest. She can kick your ass without breaking a sweat, so I suggest you don’t go there.” His tone softened. “Besides, she’s the only other Wolf here that was turned by force. She’s the only one who knows firsthand what you’re going through. You’d be wise to learn from her.” Nathan nodded, his grin vanishing from his face.

Jason pulled out his cell and punched a few numbers. “Amy. I want you to check out the new Wolf again. If anything is off, I want to know.” He listened. “After work is fine. You can join us for his first run when you’re done.” He hung up and turned to Nathan “I’ll be back later. Stick with the others.”

He gestured for John to follow him outside. Far enough away from the house that they could speak without Nathan overhearing, Jason whispered. “We don’t know how far the Mage got with him.” John nodded without surprise. “He could be coerced. Don’t let him out of earshot and keep others with you at all times. I won’t lose anyone to him if he’s collared. I’ll be back before sundown and we’ll Run.”

“What about Sadie?” John asked hesitantly.

“What about her?” Jason sighed, ready to yet again order a Wolf not to harm her. He didn't want to consider all the possible ways this could go wrong. As Alpha he had no choice.

“Could she tell if he’s collared?”

Jason’s eyebrows hit his hairline. He hadn’t anticipated that question. “You would trust a Mage?”

“I trust Billie.” John stated simply. “Unless you think she’s in on this?”

Jason frowned, rolling the events of the last week over in his mind and looking for a connection to Nathan's story. “No. She didn’t even know she’s a Mage until I told her. I’ll consider it. She’s Billie’s mate, but she’s still a Mage.”

“Mind-blowing.”

“To say the least.” Jason agreed. Phil drove up in his new Dodge pickup and joined them silently. Jason filled him in on the situation quietly. Phil looked to his Alpha for reassurance. Jason’s words were less than reassuring. “A collared Wolf turns him, one Mage tries to collar him, and another Mage tries to steal him. Somehow he gets away and winds up in my Pack. He’s either incredibly lucky or we’re in deep shit. Be very careful and very aware. No one is to be alone with him.”

“What are you going to do?” Phil wanted to know.

“Meet with Billie, and the Elders, see what we can come up with. Maybe Richard or Kato can shed some light on all of this.”

“And Sadie?” John asked.

“We’ll see. For now don’t tell her anything.” Jason said goodbye and jumped into his truck.

He was tempted to meet with the Elders without Billie, but he couldn’t leave his Beta out of this. That would only cause more problems. Before he'd driven two blocks, he made up his mind and wedged his phone out of his pocket, texting without looking. “Meeting at Billie’s house ASAP. Something’s up.” The text went out to the group, and he headed to his Beta’s North End home to wait.

It wouldn’t be long with that message.

Chapter 2

Shortly after Jason pulled in front of Billie’s expansive home overlooking the foothills, the Elders and his Beta arrived. Richard and Kathryn stepped out of an expensive white hybrid as Billie parked behind them in her black jeep. She didn’t open the door, hopping over the side in a fluid motion. Nodding hello to the others, she gazed at the hills behind her home, spotting the outline of an animal in the distance. It trotted quickly towards them. “Kato is here.”

Jason clenched his jaw. “Let’s go in.”

They turned as one, filing into Billie’s home. Richard and Billie crossed to the kitchen, retrieving water and leftovers from the refrigerator. As they returned with an assortment of food and drink, a black wolf with silver tips running the length of his back stepped through the doggie door. Grey hair covered his muzzle, showing his age, but he moved as lithely as any young Wolf. Ancient eyes locked with every other pair in turn, ending with a prolonged intent gaze into Billie's green eyes. Those in human shape settled in the couches. Kato shimmered, changing too quickly for the eyes to see what lay in between Wolf and Human. Suddenly an old black man stood before them completely naked.