Hunters of the Gods_Protecting Their Heir Read online

  She nodded her head. “Is your mom okay?”

  He squinted. “Yes. She’s a strong woman and a fighter. Never stopped training, and despite no battles, she fought off three rogue wolves on her own.”

  “Impressive. Okay, we need to explain things to my grandmother and to Brock. I should contact Alexandra.” She ran her fingers through her hair. They had all finished showering and were getting ready to eat breakfast, well, lunch.

  He eyed her over. How sexy she was, how full her breasts and ass were. She was gorgeous, and her beauty wouldn’t go unnoticed. In fact, since making love, and marking her, Puello thought she looked even more amazing and stood out. Was it just in his head, or by mating her, had they broken that spell she and Alexandra spoke about, and now she would be exposed? He worried. His mother was nearly taken, and had sustained some injuries. Brock was only five, and the only heir to the throne. Alyssa was their mate, and would more than likely bear more males to the pack, as well. She needed full protection, and they would do what was necessary to provide that to her, Brock, and her grandmother.

  * * * *

  “I’m ready,” Brock said when they got to the grandmother’s house. He stood there with a bag packed and looked very serious.

  Alyssa squinted at her grandmother who shrugged her shoulders.

  Ross was surprised, and he didn’t know how Brock knew what was happening.

  “You packed already?” Ross asked him.

  “Yes. It’s time. Grandmother said that danger is moving closer. It’s important that you protect us, especially Mamma, and I will protect her, too.” He hugged his mother. Alyssa smiled, and then she closed her eyes. It seemed like something happened. Like she felt a sensation. She looked at Puello.

  “I guess we’re ready,” Alyssa said, and then she hugged her grandmother good-bye, Brock did the same, and they walked out to the SUV. Ross watched as Brock lifted his own bag into the back of the SUV and then hopped up onto the side rail to climb into the back seat and slide to the middle. He was independent, strong, and showed signs of his Alpha blood. Ross was feeling a bit concerned, to say the least, about bringing their mate and Brock to the estate after the attack and the infiltration of their security.

  “I’ve been in communications with the fathers. Our cousins and their mate are there now and assisting with security. Preston and them know some tricks,” Puello said to them.

  “Good, we’ll help out too once we make the introductions and settle Brock and Alyssa into our estate on the property. I want wolves we trust there, no unknowns,” Ross said, getting into the SUV next to Brock. Alyssa looked out the window and watched them pull away with her grandmother standing by the front porch.

  The cell phone buzzed, and Stark looked down at it and then out the window.

  “News?” Puello asked.

  “Lodge and them found two more warehouses. Same deal as the one from last night.”

  “Maybe they can get more info from anyone they captured,” Ross said.

  “He said we’ll talk later, that they had something good, but wanted to confirm first.”

  Ross wondered what it was and then noticed Brock look at his mother. She smiled softly and nodded, then held his hand. Something was exchanged, but he didn’t feel like they were hiding anything from him or like he distrusted them. He felt like they were protecting him. How odd was that? He reached over and caressed Alyssa’s knee. “Our mother and fathers will adore you. Don’t feel nervous,” he said. She nodded, but it was like she wasn’t nervous, but confident. There was something different about Alyssa now that they were mated. She didn’t seem so shy, so afraid. In fact, he could sense her confidence and some sort of power around her. Maybe her Fae blood was showing through?

  * * * *

  “She’s sick. All of a sudden, it came on out of nowhere,” Jordan told Puello and his brothers. He looked at the woman and child, squinted, and Puello spoke to him. He looked around at the omega and others that waited on their father’s beck and call. Korkak and Lucca were with their mother.

  “This is Alyssa. Her son, Brock.” He introduced them, and when their father shook her hand and said hello, his eyes widened.

  “Not a word, Father. We’ll explain upstairs,” Puello told him. His father nodded, hiding his confusion, and they all headed toward the staircase. When they got to the top, more security was nearby, and then they went to the adjacent room.

  “Excuse me, sir. I mean no disrespect, but where is your mate?” Alyssa asked, and they stopped by the doorway. He looked at her strangely as did Puello and his brothers.

  “In her bedroom. She is sick from the attack. We can introduce you later.”

  “No, I need to see her now. Puello, it’s what the gods are telling me,” she said to him. Their father began to question them.

  Puello whispered into his ear. “She is our mate, the child is Galvan’s son, she is of Fae, wolf, and magic. Trust her, Father.”

  “Are you serious?” He looked at her and then the child.

  “Trust the gods,” she whispered to him. They bypassed the guards, who definitely looked perplexed but didn’t say a word as they entered the bedroom.

  * * * *

  Alyssa released Brock’s hand and saw the women caring for the Alphas’ wife. She was beautiful, blonde, and Alyssa could feel the evil permeating from her body. “Puello,” Alyssa said to him and motioned with her head toward the women helping.

  “Leave us alone with our mother please,” he said to them, and they bowed and left the room.

  “This is Alyssa and Brock. She is our mate, and he is Galvan’s son,” Puello told his other two fathers.

  “Korkak and Lucca,” he added, introducing them.

  “Your mate? Galvan’s child?” Lucca asked, sounding confused.

  “We’ll explain later. Alyssa is of the wolf and Fae. She can sense things, and has a power she doesn’t fully know or understand yet. There was a spell on her.”

  “A spell? Are you sure you can trust her? That this isn’t a trick? These rogues are devious and whoever is causing all the violence,” Korkak said to him.

  “She is honest and pure. Galvan’s mate, too. She went into hiding as Galvan had commanded her to in order to protect Brock, our heir to the pack. Their identities and existence needed to be kept a secret until now,” Ross added.

  “By the gods, this is crazy. If the enemies find out about them now, then they will come full force to destroy us and to take her and Brock,” Lucca said.

  “Not on our watch. Let her take care of Mother. If she says she can help, then she can,” Stark added. The fathers nodded in agreement but still looked uncertain and fearful for their wife. Their mother moaned.

  Alyssa moved closer. She took steady breaths and allowed the gods to speak to her, to show her why she was here and what was needed.

  She was shocked as it was revealed to her.

  “Poison,” she whispered.

  “Poison?” Korkak asked and stepped closer. Lucca, too.

  Their mother continued to moan, and as Alyssa pulled back the covering on her shoulder, she thought for sure she would see a gash or something. In her mind, the gods indicated a cut under the skin and a lot of blood. “Was she injured during the fight?” she asked.

  “A gash to her shoulder by the claws of one of the rogue wolves. She fought them off and killed two of them before we got to her,” Jordan told her.

  Alyssa felt sick to her stomach as she pressed her hand over Selania’s skin. She felt the pain and the ache. “Oh.” She moved side to side like she might lose her balance.

  “Alyssa.” Puello said her name and stepped closer.

  “Don’t come too close. I don’t know its power. Just let me focus,” she said. They stepped back, and the woman moaned louder. Alyssa listened to the gods and knew that this was one of the reasons why she was here, why she was the mate to all four sons. This was an act against Keuric, and she needed to stop this. She could feel the pain grow stronger. She sensed it pushing agai
nst Selania’s skin and going toward Alyssa. “To me. Come to me. I take the pain for my Alpha, for my family. Come to me,” she whispered.

  “Alyssa, what are you doing?” Puello demanded to know.

  The pain got more intense, and she could feel it leaving Selania’s body and moving into hers. She felt scared, but the gods promised her that this would take it away and destroy it. That she was a healer, and it was part of her abilities, just like her sister. It got worse and worse, and Alyssa began to moan. She heard her men’s voices and their concern and then Brock.

  “Mamma!” he said, and the power of the poison struck her hard. She fell back, releasing her hold on Selania and falling to the rug. Her mind went blank, and then there was darkness.

  * * * *

  “Mamma!” Brock cried out and hugged his mother on the rug. Puello, Ross, and Stark reached for her to help her up.

  “Oh no, what did she do?” Ross asked.

  “Jordan?” They heard their mother’s voice, and when they looked toward the bed their mom was awake, her coloring normal. She squinted with confusion.

  Then Brock spoke as he caressed his mother’s cheek. “She took it away. She got rid of the poison. Mamma’s okay. She just needs rest now,” he said, and Puello looked at Ross and Stark. “Let’s get her to a bedroom to care for her.”

  * * * *

  Selania kept her hand over her heart as she watched the beautiful young woman sleeping. Her son, Galvan’s child, lay beside her, protecting her and refusing to leave her side. Her sons had explained everything to her, and she was beside herself with joy. They found their mate. Galvan shared that with them, and he had a son, the only heir to the Keuric throne. There was much to celebrate and much to be wary of. As she stood there watching over them, waiting for Alyssa’s grandmother to arrive, she felt blessed by the gods. They brought her sons back to her. They would bring back Galvan, too, and the pack would come out stronger than before with Alyssa, a Fae, wolf, and healer.

  “Mother, this is Margarete, Alyssa’s grandmother.”

  “Margarete?” She was shocked to see the woman most packs knew in the area as a woman of magic.

  “Wait, you know one another?” Puello asked, and Ross and Stark entered the room.

  “Of course we do. We haven’t seen her in many years.”

  Margarete bowed her head. “It’s an honor to be here,” Margarete said and then looked at Alyssa and Brock. She approached the bed.

  “Ahh, I can feel it. It’s almost through her. She will be okay in a few more hours.”

  “What do you mean, almost through her? She took in the poison that was in me?” Selania asked.

  “Yes, it’s flowing through her body, and she is battling it well. We weren’t sure what powers Alyssa might have or what she was. I know your sons explained about her and Alexandra, and the fight they went through to keep Brock safe.”

  “Yes, they told us everything, and we were shocked. Galvan must have thought that she wouldn’t have been protected here with us.”

  “Your sons weren’t here. It wasn’t the right time for Alyssa to find out they are indeed her mates. But I’m here now. You men need to meet with the elders and prepare for what’s to come. Selania, Brock, and I will watch over her.”

  Their father, Korkak, came to the bedroom door. “Preston received a call from one of Alexandra’s friends, a wolf who hunts with two others to find remaining families of orphaned children. They found a place on the border of Texas and going into Louisiana. Polta pack territory. They believe that Galvan is there and being held with others.”

  “Seriously?” Puello asked, and Selania gasped.

  “Who is this female wolf?” Puello asked.

  “A friend of Alexandra’s. One she trusts. She can’t give her name, but she says it’s true and we need to hurry. Those rogues that we’ve been taking out, and the warehouses we destroyed as well as the rogues we and your mother killed, apparently are part of Polta pack. They must be destroyed, and the elders give their approval,” Korkak told them.

  “As Hunters of the Gods, this is your destiny. Like your cousins, Preston and them, they found their mate, and she is powerful and strong, just as Alyssa is and Brock, too. You’re building an army for what is yet to come. Find Galvan. Bring him home and destroy the evildoers.” Margarete said to them and then looked back at Alyssa.

  “Be careful,” she said to her sons, and they went over to Alyssa, kissed her good-bye and Brock, too, then exited the room.

  Chapter Six

  “The mother said it was members of Polta pack that were trying to force a mating. Her and Lionel were separated when they shipped out women to one location and children to another. The father is probably in that campground just like Galvan Keuric,” Luna told Kurtis over the phone.

  “Well, word is that Keuric pack and Saint pack members are taking out a bunch of these makeshift warehouses. They’re figuring out what other packs are involved and where loyalties lie. I’m assisting in bringing the families to one location and sorting through which packs they belong to. They’re all displaced.”

  “Of course they are. That was probably the plan by the person responsible for all this craziness. I’ve connected Lionel with his mother from the other night. Now I must help to free the father.”

  “Wait for the Alphas all to come. They should be there within minutes.”

  “I don’t think we can wait. There’s been a lot of activity, and now several tractor trailers have pulled into the campground through the front gates. It’s going to take time to penetrate those walls,” Luna told Kurtis.

  “You forget that a lot of those men from Keuric pack and Saint pack are warriors. Hunters of the Gods,” he told her.

  “I know who they are, Kurtis. You know who I am and what I need to do. When this is over I’ll need to disappear for a little while. There’s a special job I need to do.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Nothing. Just remember, I’ll be back.”

  “You watch your ass and don’t get killed. I don’t know what crazy mission that organization has you going on next, but be careful. Don’t leave the country.”

  “That may be out of my control. Don’t worry. I’ll be careful, and you continue to help Saint pack and Keuric. They’re going to need it. If our intel is accurate, the Polta pack won’t be the last pack to try and destroy them. Talk to you soon.”

  “Good luck,” he replied and ended the call.

  Luna looked over the trees and into the facility campground. She figured out pretty quickly that this was a top-notch operation, hidden in the woods of Louisiana, and off of side roads and away from town. She nearly missed finding it, but her senses were good, her intel the best, and her objective clear from her leaders. Make sure that Lucienne was alive and well and that he got together with his wife and child again. What she didn’t want to happen was for those three Alpha wolves from Keuric pack to find her. She couldn’t believe it when she felt it. When she sniffed the air and knew she found her mate. It was bad timing, and right now her decisions affected more people than herself. She couldn’t want for anything. She was focused on what was needed to find her own mother and brother, and rescue them before this takeover of packs extended out of the country. The last thing she would need was to find her mate, be bound to him and unable to continue her mission. Costaldo was a mean, evil son of a bitch, and he would die whether she did it herself or caused his demise, but first she needed to help these families the best way she could, and then do what was asked of her by Buschool Lemone. It was worse than making a deal with the devil, but he did save her life, and she owed him.

  She swallowed hard and looked at her watch, then at the truck now leaving the facility.

  “What do you think?” one of the men spoke to her through the ear mic. “We need to go in. If we wait any longer, more will be shipped out and then we’ll be back to square one.”

  “On your call, princess,” he replied.

  “In three,” she said, and the
chaos began as she pressed the buttons on the devices they set up and watched as explosions went off, exits were blocked, and the wolves patrolling were caught off guard. She ran into action, drawing her weapon and taking out anyone in her path with the silver bullets. It was a bonus to have the abilities she did as a shape-shifter and royalty. Silver didn’t affect her like it did other wolves.

  The alarms blared and their ability to get into the buildings was not like they expected, but then came the troops. Out of nowhere, Saint pack and Keuric pack fighters emerged onto the scene, and she focused on her objective to find Lucienne and also Galvan.

  She took out several wolves on her way through the building. “Luna, lower floor, a basement prison cell. They’re down there,” one of her men told her through the ear mic. She turned around and nearly got rammed into by two men. She spotted the wolf from Keuric pack, and he spotted her. She froze in place.

  “You, stay right there,” he commanded in a deep hard tone, dressed in camo with five other men behind him, but lucky for her, more rogues came charging through. She ran for the basement door as he was forced to fight.

  She felt her heart racing, her body tingled, and she knew he was her mate. This was so bad. She couldn’t get caught by him. She had to escape. She ran down the basement steps as rogues came up, and she fired her weapon into them and then pulled her silver dagger from her hip, turned, ducked, and jabbed it into the throat of another, all before the eyes of the men in the cage., She just kept fighting, killing, and then looked around her, ready for the next attack, but no one was there.

  “Impressive. Who are you?” Galvan Keuric asked.

  “A friend, sir. I came to rescue you and Lucienne.”

  “I don’t know you. Who are you?” Lucienne asked.