Chapter 396

I drove past the pack members that had lined the street. All of them were waving and bowing, giving my mother a farewell deserving of a luna, not just another pack member. But she has stepped up where Vince’s mate failed. My mom helped with the pups. She made sure they were taught properly. She fought for the females of this pack. And wolves never forgot their debts.

I drove down block after block of our pack, saluting my mother, who wasn’t even here to see it. I waved as I drove past the guards at the beginning of the land, and then we were out. My mother’s body double disappeared, and I called for the jet to get ready to take a flight to the coast and come back.

“Who are we taking?”

I laughed. “No one.” There was silence on the other end. “Take your families for a vacation to the coast if you like, my gift to you.”

I looked at the dash. “I’ll be there in about twenty minutes. Get everyone to the hangar to leave, and I’ll transfer you twenty thousand to have a nice weekend. Make sure the flight attendant's family is informed and taken care of, okay Jerry?”

“Of course. Thank you.” That’s what I loved about Jerry. Not one question asked.

By the time the plane was in the air, I had a few phone calls from Brandon, but I just texted him.

Amy: Hey. I see you have called, but I need space. If you want to work things out, then give me a few days. Tell your father I am taking the next few days to get my mom settled, and then I’ll be back in the pack.

Three dots danced on my screen and then stopped. Then they popped up again.

Brandon: Okay. I love you.

I clicked the phone shut and stuffed it into my pocket. Time to move. I shifted to Megan, her brown and grey fur dancing in the air. She took a deep breath, stretching her legs before taking off into the trees.

Are you two sure about this? Her words were soft, questioning, but we both sat back on the grass. I put my back against the tree and waved her off.

Stop worrying about us. You haven’t been out in months, and we are a ways away from pack lands. Enjoy this run. We will tell you when to worry. I laughed and closed my eyes.

What are you doing? Nix laid her head on my thigh, and I instinctively started to run my fingers through her fur.

I’m tapping into my magic. I haven’t had a lot of time to give back, so while I have this time, I figured I’d gift the land as we run. That way, if we need some extra juice later, the earth will understand.

Nix nodded. Makes sense. I felt her settle, her breathing becoming soft, and a slight snore started rumbling from her nose.

Is she snoring? Megan called back to me.

I chuckled. Yeah. I guess you two don’t really get the option to sleep deeply when you are always on guard for me.

Megan chuffed. We don’t mind.

I never thought you did, but maybe once all of this is over, we can do a rotation, so you two get a little peaceful nap. I could feel the yearning need from Megan. She wanted to curl up on my lap, but she refocused on the trees around her and sighed.

This is peaceful. The trees, the air. I know we are running towards something, but it is nice to have these peaceful moments when we can.

I sighed and pushed my fingers deeper into Nix’s fur. You have to take the peace as it comes, Megan. Otherwise, you go crazy.

I pushed more power out to the trees, to the grass. The earth was drinking it in. There was a sigh as we passed, and a kiss from the very ground we ran on, a thank you for the gift I was giving. But then I felt the shift. Something had shifted.

Do you feel that? Megan’s voice was coming in small gasps.

I nodded. Nix woke up from a dead sleep and was on her feet.

What the hell is that?

I looked at her as I stood. I walked around trying to figure out what was wrong, and there was another tug. A pit opened up in my stomach. Run Megan. Run as fast as you can. Nix. I looked at my other wolf.

She nodded. We ran to the barrier, and I saw her push through, leaving me back here, alone. Things are about to get really fast. Nix’s voice floated back to me.

What do you mean? Megan questioned before Nix pushed her strength into her body. Holy fucking goddess! Megan screamed as she ran faster than she ever had before.