“We should go, right?” I said quickly, dragging them both out into the hall. “Don’t want to be late!”
Taffy’s laughter followed us all the way down to the pack offices. When we arrived, Caelan opened the door to a small conference room.
Dillon was already seated, and Taffy bounded over to him. He waved at me with a smile, but I quickly averted my gaze. Taffy’s stories were still too fresh in my mind. Luna Maty, Alpha Leal, and Oliver joined us a moment later.
“How are you feeling this morning, Shade?” Luna Maty asked as she took the seat on the other side of me. “I know yesterday was a lot.”
“Okay, honestly. A little anxious about all of this,” I admitted, gesturing toward the table. “Maybe a little worried about what might have happened to my father.”
She patted my hand softly, giving it a gentle squeeze before settling hers back in her lap.
“First things first,” Caelan declared as everyone took their seats. “Has anyone been able to get ahold of Alpha Butch or any of the wolves from Thunder Moon?”
“I’m afraid not,” Dillon replied with a shake of his head. “We’ve been trying all morning, but our calls have been unanswered.”
“The border guard reported some activity on the Thunder Moon side. They’ve attempted to reach out but so far, no response,” Oliver added.
“I don’t like it,” Caelan muttered. “Alpha Butch wouldn’t just be a no-show to his own challenge, and he definitely wouldn’t send his enemy to fight in his place. Dark Moon taking over has been his biggest fear. He wouldn’t just hand over control like that.”
He’s right. My father isn’t one to back down from a fight, and the fact that he didn’t show up yesterday is alarming. And now no one can get a hold of anyone in the pack. What has happened to Thunder Moon?
“We could dispatch a few tau and upsilons,” Dillon suggested. “We can’t afford to be in the dark about what Alpha Huxley is up to anymore.”
Tau and upsilons were pack spies. If Caelan deployed them and they were discovered, it could be seen as an act of war.
“Do it,” Caelan confirmed. “Now to the matter at hand, I’m sure you all have questions about last night. Obviously, the challenge didn’t go as expected.” “That’s an understatement,” Dillon huffed sarcastically.
“What in the hell were they thinking?” Oliver exclaimed. “If they’d killed you, we would have retaliated.”
I whimpered. We had come much too close to that becoming a reality last night for my liking.
Caelan placed a hand on my shoulder, and I gripped his fingers tightly.
“After some discussion with Shade, we agreed you should know the truth,” Caelan announced. “I’m sure you’re all curious as to how I managed to fight off eleven trained wolves.”
“Well, Caelan…youarehighly trained,” Taffy offered, eyeing me cautiously. “Notthatwell-trained,” Oliver interjected with a snort. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, you’re good. Probably the best this region has ever seen. But eleven wolves at once? Not even on your best day.”
“Shade, do you want to tell them or should I?” Caelan asked softly.
I chewed my lip, waving my hand for him to go on. I didn’t trust myself to be able to explain it clearly. I’d never spoken openly about my abilities.
“Shade was granted a gift by the Moon Goddess. She can amplify emotions in others. She used it last night to encourage me to fight harder, and it somehow merged the two halves of myself to form what you witnessed last night,” Caelan explained.
I glanced around anxiously, watching each of them for any sign of fear or disgust.
“So, it was you,” Luna Maty said with a soft smile. “I thought it might have been. Thank you, Shade.” Her voice cracked and her eyes sparkled with unshed tears as she reached out and cupped my cheek. “Thank you for saving my son.”
“Tell us more about this gift of yours,” Alpha Leal encouraged. “What is it that you can do exactly?”
“Dad,” Caelan grunted. “It’s all right, Caelan,” I assured him, squeezing his hand. “I can amplify emotions. I can’t make someone feel something different, but I can enhance what’s already there. I used my ability last night to enhance Caelan’s anger and desperation. It was a more potent combination that I expected.”
“Have you done that before?” Alpha Leal asked, leaning forward and watching me with interest.
“Not like last night,” I replied, shaking my head. “I didn’t even know it could change a wolf’s form like that. I’ve used my gift a lot in battle, pumping up my father’s troops, but nothing like that ever happened before.”
“Interesting,” Alpha Leal remarked, tapping his chin thoughtfully.
“Well, I think it’s awesome!” Oliver exclaimed playfully. “Do you think you could supercharge me so I could finally kick some major butt?!”
