Gray’s answer was to cover Simon’s arm with his own, holding it in place.
A DISTURBANCE from downstairs woke Gray moments before he heard Emma’s voice in his head.Alpha Gray, Cade is mean and won’t let us in.
He had to chuckle at the indignant tone. He heard Cade’s voice drifting up the stairs. “Emma, I told you Alpha was sleeping. You didn’t wake him, did you?”
“Yes, I did. Alpha said I could always call him if I needed help, and I need him to help me make you move. You’re mean!”
Gray snickered and tried to extract himself from Simon’s embrace. The mage was plastered to his side, their bodies entwined. Gray groaned when Simon wiggled his way closer. A crease formed on his forehead when he realized Gray wasn’t staying still.
Simon’s eyes blinked open. “Where are you going?”
“Downstairs. Cade needs my help.”
Simon tilted his head to the side like he was listening. Gray realized he was, and that he could hear the ruckus going on as well as Gray could. He chuckled and looked over at Gray. “She’s a feisty little thing, isn’t she?” Simon moved his arms and legs and let Gray slip out of the bed.
“I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Simon nodded and closed his eyes again. His breathing evened out quickly as Gray left the room and went downstairs to “help” one of his youngest pack members.
When he reached the bottom of the steps, he was surprised to see not only Emma and her parents, but also the other kidnapped kids and their parents as well. He’d been sleeping so soundly he hadn’t heard them all come in. “Good morning, pack. What’s the problem?”
Emma sent a superior look at Cade before she looked over at Gray. “Morning, Alpha! We came to help Simon, but Cade said no. That’s not very nice. You should always help someone who’s hurt, isn’t that right, Alpha?”
Gray could tell Cade was irritated, but it was hard to argue with a five-year-old’s logic. “Well, Emma, I suppose it is usually right to help.”
Emma’s father, Jeff, spoke up. “We’re sorry to bother you, Alpha, but she got up this morning and insisted we come straight over. It looks like the others had the same idea.”
The other parents nodded their agreement, and the kids allgathered together in front of Gray. Danny, at nearly nine, was the next oldest of the group. He stepped forward and looked up at Gray. “Alpha, we need to help him. It’s like, well, our wolves or something are telling us what to do. What’s that word?”
“Instinct?” Gray asked.
“Yeah. It’s like that. Mom says that when I get bigger my wolf instincts will help me do the right thing and stuff. But it’s telling me now to make Simon better, like before.”
Gray was just as shocked as the rest of the parents at this news. It wasn’t common for their cubs to show many wolf abilities until after their tenth birthdays. Garon was over ten, but even he was stronger than he should be. He’d partially shifted in the night when Cade angered him, something that really shouldn’t be possible at his age outside of the full moon.
The fact that their wolves were guiding them now was something he would have to learn more about. Gray felt like he was in so far over his head at this point that he considered calling his father home. The problem was his dad didn’t know anything more about this than he did.
“Okay guys, here’s the thing. Simon is resting right now.”
“No, I’m up.” Simon’s voice came from behind Gray on the stairs. The kids all ran for him when they saw him, and he met them at the bottom of the stairs, kneeling to allow them all access.
Emma wiggled her way to the front, and Simon lifted her up with one arm. “Hey there, little one,” he said.
“Simon, I’m not little. I’m a big girl.”
“You’re right. You are a big girl. Now what’s this about you needing to help me?”
Jessie, the other girl of the group, moved to Simon’s side. “We know we can help. You’re hurt again.”
Blake, the remaining boy, nodded his agreement. “We know, Simon. We felt you, like before.”
Simon looked as confused as everyone else. “Gray, what do I do here?”
Everyone’s eyes shifted to the alpha. He ran his hand over hiscropped hair and tried to think it through. “Okay, cubs. You can help, but just this once. We’re going to have a grown-up meeting later and talk about all this.”
The kids all reached out to Simon as before, resting their hands on him. Gray watched Simon’s eyes twitch, then slide closed for a moment, before he opened them again with a smile. Gray could see that much of the pain that had been in them before was gone.
“Thank you all. You guys are awesome,” Simon said.
