Strength Enduring Read online

  Dhani explained exactly what the principal had said, but she did her best to let the others know that it wasn’t their fault. It couldn’t be their fault. Both women growled, their animals in their eyes with that strange glow of theirs as she spoke.

  “I need a job. Please, talk to Gideon or whoever approves it, but I know I can help. I already feel like I’m part of something greater than me, and I know I have to be here. I can’t explain it, but I know.”

  “One of your gut feelings?” Dawn asked, and Dhani nodded. Her friends didn’t know about her dreams, but she hadn’t been able to hide her uncanny sixth sense after so many years of friendship.

  Brie studied her for a moment before a small smile crossed her face. “Oh, I think we should go talk to my mate now because I know about your intuition, Dhani. And I have a feeling you being here is important.”

  And just like that, Dhani knew something had shifted within her. She’d done the right thing, had listened to the two words in her mind, and she’d stood up for herself and for her path.

  She just hoped it was the right decision in the end. Because it wasn’t her fate she was worried about.

  It never had been, after all.

  Chapter Three

  Kameron studied the maps in front of him for what seemed like the thousandth time that afternoon, yet nothing made sense. He’d marked every incursion, every place there had been a boundary crossing issue, but he knew he was missing something. He hated when he had no idea what he was doing, and working with the Aspens—or rather, against the Aspens—made him feel that more than usual.

  Someone was trying to hurt his Pack, and that meant he was going to do everything he could to protect his people. That was his duty as Enforcer, his duty as a wolf, and yet there was almost a hidden, unseen aspect to what he had to do right then. Because he couldn’t fight a ghost, couldn’t fight what couldn’t be seen, and it made him want to growl or throw something.

  And that wouldn’t help anyone.

  It wouldn’t even help his own temper because then he’d just get worked up for nothing. Blade was an egomaniac and an asshole. Kameron had no idea how the man had remained Alpha for so long without his people revolting against him. The man was a dictator, a torturer, and used magic to hurt others, going against all of the rules and values of their people. Magic rebounded on those who used it, it was a base law. And that meant whatever Blade was using to create the magic, created in itself a great sacrifice that he wasn’t taking on his own person.

  Kam knew what it felt like to live under a dictatorship. After all, his father had been one of the foulest. The former Alpha had abused his power in the worst of ways and almost destroyed the Pack in the end. It had taken sacrifice and going against everything the moon goddess had told him about dominance and hierarchy to survive.

  And yet not everybody did. Losing so many to an internal war like that, one they’d survived—if battered, bloody, and broken—had taken a piece of Kameron.

  Then the humans had come with their science and technology, with their laws and their fear, and Kameron and his people had lost even more.

  And now, here they were, facing a new enemy because it seemed as if his people could never be allowed to live in peace. They would forever be fighting against those who came against them, who wanted what they held within their grasp. And, as Enforcer, he could never stop. Never rest and let go. He always had to be on the front lines, ensuring the safety of his people even if it meant sacrificing his own life and sanity.

  Most days, he didn’t think of himself as sane anyway. What right did he have to his own sanity when he couldn’t protect those that mattered the most to him?

  And now he knew he needed to get out of his head because he was sitting in his home office pondering philosophical questions instead of studying the pattern of the rogue attacks like he should be. There had to be a reason so many rogues and demented power users were coming at the Talons in the array they were. He knew it was Blade’s fault. Knew it from the base of his spine outward.

  He knew for a fact that Blade had orchestrated the capture and death of a Central wolf, the kidnapping and torture of the two newest members of the Talon Pack. Somehow, Blade was using the fire witch and her magic to try and take out the defenses of the Talon den, but Kameron had no idea why the fire witch would work with Blade.

  Maybe if Kam could think like those who craved evil, he could fight it. But he knew if he followed that path, he would end up lost like his family. His father and uncles had been the worst of the worst, making Blade look like an innocent in comparison. And Kameron knew that blood ran in his veins. He had to be careful, or he could end up like his father. Like his uncles. He didn’t know what his brothers and sister thought when it came to the blood that ran in their veins, but Kam knew about his. He knew how controlled he had to be, how icy he had to be to the outside world. He couldn’t let emotions override him and turn him into the beast and terror the previous generation had been.

  That was why he was obsessed with Blade. Yes, it was an obsession, but if it kept Blade and his ilk away from Kameron’s family, he didn’t care. If he didn’t figure out how the Alpha thought, how he fought, Kameron could lose his family. And he wasn’t sure he would be able to survive that loss. They were the light to his darkness, the ones who taught him how to be the wolf he needed to be. He couldn’t let them down.

  “Why do you look like you’re about to throw something at the wall?”

  Max’s voice pulled Kameron out of his thoughts, and he looked over at his cousin. Max leaned against the doorway, his one good arm folded over his chest so he could look at his nails as if he hadn’t a care in the world. Kam knew that wasn’t even close to the truth, but if Max wanted to pretend at being the fun-loving cousin again, he wasn’t going to stop him. Max grinned at him, but the grin didn’t reach his eyes. Kameron’s gaze didn’t drop down to where Max had pinned up part of his shirt where it only covered emptiness thanks to his cousin losing an arm in battle. He never wanted Max to see pity in his gaze. Frankly, Kam didn’t have any. Just anger for those who thought it was okay to hurt those under his care. He knew the scars that covered Max’s body were never far from his cousin’s mind—not just on his skin, but under it. And Kameron didn’t know exactly how to start changing that—and he didn’t think it was even his place. But unlike some who treated Max with gentle touches and soft voices because they weren’t sure how to bring the Max they knew back, Kam did his best not to change how his cousin acted. Kameron was still going to be an asshole, and Max would still bark back. Only, unlike before, it wouldn’t be with laughter. Kam didn’t mind, as long as Max still fought.

  “I’m trying to think how Blade thinks. So, yeah, I’ll probably look like I want to hit or throw things often. Earlier, I thought if I threw something, it might help, but then I’d have to clean it up, and that’s not something I’m really in the mood to deal with.”

  “For a man who likes his house practically Army regulation, you’ve never been a fan of cleaning.” Max didn’t move from his position, but his eyes glanced around the room, probably picking up on every minute detail. His cousin was good at that. That’s why he’d invited Max over to help him look at the maps and other things. Because Kam was missing something, and he needed a set of fresh eyes.

  “If there isn’t a mess to begin with, then I don’t have to clean it up. That’s how things work. You were the one with the messy room growing up if I recall.”

  “I’m a little better than I was. But I don’t see why making the bed every day should be a thing. Just gonna get right back in it later on.”

  “Yeah, but there’s nothing like getting in a nicely made bed after a long day. Or falling face-first into it after a long run.”

  “That might be true. Why don’t you come over every morning and make my bed so I can compare?”

  Kameron flipped off his cousin before lifting his chin. “Come take a seat and look at this. I feel like I’m missing something.” Max straightened from
the doorway and walked slowly to Kameron’s side, the ache in the way the other man walked visible even though Kameron knew Max desperately tried to hide it. The rain had been pounding hard all day, and the air pressure had changed suddenly. Even Kameron’s bones were starting to hurt from the fluctuations, so he had a feeling Max was in more pain than he let on, not that Kam was going to comment on it. There were lines he didn’t cross, and making Max feel like shit was definitely one of them.

  “You’re probably missing a whole lot since Blade has had years to cover his tracks. The man is so insular that we didn’t even know what he held within his den walls. Hell, the man was close enough to help with the human war and fighting the demon back in the day, but he didn’t do a damn thing. Instead, he sat back and watched everyone else fight it out while he loaded his coffers and grew the dominant wolves within his ranks.”

  “I know he’s insular, but he’s coming out. The Unvieling forced everyone out in different ways. We know that it was the fire witch who attacked our wards and Parker, and that it was at Blade’s command. We know that he had Dawn and Aimee kidnapped and tortured. The same with Dawn’s friend from her former Pack. We know all that, yet there’s nothing we can do about it because, like you said, the Aspens have had a long time to keep their Pack steady. They’re stronger than the Talons and the Redwoods combined. And that pisses me off to no end because we are fucking strong. We just don’t cross the lines like they do. Because using magic to murder takes a part of your soul away, and that’s not something I think our Packs will ever want to sacrifice.”

  “Damn straight we aren’t going to sacrifice our own. And because of that, we need to fight smarter. Let’s take a look and see what we can do. I just have a feeling we’re not going to be able to fight unless he comes at us again. And I want to see what happens when he throws his worst at us. As strong as we are, I don’t know if we’re strong enough yet. We’re working on it, but the Aspens have had longer to plan, we’re just now getting back on our feet.”

  Kameron sighed at Max’s words, knowing they were true. But the fact that they were true didn’t necessarily mean he wanted to believe them. The two of them hunched together, going over every attack and slight altercation that might have been the Aspens or they knew for sure had been. Kameron didn’t want to miss anything. His brothers and family relied on him to make sure the intel he gave them was solid. He was the Enforcer of the Talon Pack. The bonds that he had with his people alerted him whenever an outside force came against them. And because he had been on a heightened state of alert since the wolves were revealed to the human world during the Unveiling, Kameron was having trouble deciphering what was new and what was something from an older residual threat of intolerance and violence. Because it felt as if the Pack were constantly under scrutiny these days; as if there were outside entities constantly wanting to harm the den. And since it was his job to warn his Alpha and Pack and protect the whole group from those entities, he felt as if he were holding sand with the grains forever slipping through his fingers.

  But he wouldn’t quit, wouldn’t back down. That wasn’t what he did, wasn’t who he was, but it meant that he wouldn’t be sleeping well for the time being. That state wasn’t new, however, so he’d just get used to it.

  Chapter Four

  After a couple of hours of studying alongside his cousin, Kameron was starving, and Max’s stomach was growling so loudly that he could actually hear it. Yes, wolves had heightened senses, but most of them usually ignored things like bodily functions. And because Kam still hadn’t gone grocery shopping and didn’t have any food in his house, he and Max headed to the center of the den where they had the cafeteria, a couple of cafés, and a newly built farmer’s market. It had taken years for their den to feel whole and healthy. Their neighboring Pack, the Redwoods, had a fully functioning town within their den wards, where in reality, they would never have to leave unless they wanted to. The Talons were getting there, albeit slowly. They had spent almost a century falling behind thanks to their previous Alpha and were struggling to catch up. Or at least they had been struggling. With the new blood in the den, the new matings, the new wolves, and now a lion shifter as part of their Pack, things were starting to feel like they should have all those years ago.

  With the first rumblings of new laws against wolves being within society and the unknown dangers of what it meant to have the secret of the paranormal out in the world, a lot of the Pack members who lived outside the den were forced to stay within the wards for safety. The wards had buckled and almost disintegrated under the pressure and because of the feelings and betrayals of the past. But now, the wards were stronger than ever, and there was even more space for their Pack to grow. Some members lived outside the den and traveled back and forth as much as they wanted to. Most of them, however, were not in positions of power or out in society, so it was easier to blend in. There was no hiding for Kam since he was the Enforcer and the media knew his face. But he would always have to live within the den wards due to his bonds, so it wasn’t as if he could hide out in the human world anyway. Luckily, he loved the land the Pack called home, and though he was shut off from most things, he needed the people around him for his wolf to remain happy.

  He and Max were just walking towards the cafeteria to pick up something to eat when Kameron smelled a familiar scent that went straight to his dick. He practically tripped over his own two feet, and stopped in the middle of the walkway, causing Max to bump into him.

  “What the hell, man? Is there something wrong? A threat?” Max looked around them and then relaxed, raising a brow when he caught the scent Kameron had.

  Kam shook his head. “No, shit. I didn’t realize that Dhani was here visiting the girls.” Hearing how those words sounded out loud, he tried to backtrack a bit so Max wouldn’t think anything weird. “I mean, shouldn’t I be kept apprised of any outsiders within den walls?”

  Max gave him a look that said he didn’t quite believe him, and Kameron didn’t blame him. It was a piss-poor excuse for being so hyper-aware of Dhani’s presence.

  “She works here now, you idiot, and will be moving in soon. Gideon gave her access to the wards and a small cottage near Dawn and Mitchell’s place since she’s now working as a teacher at our school. I thought you heard. It only happened yesterday, but it’s kind of a big deal. Everyone’s been talking about it.”

  Kam blinked, the roaring in his ears loud as hell. “I’ve been on patrol, or in my house working. I didn’t hear that she moved in. Did Gideon make her Pack?”

  He did his best to sound casual, but knew he was failing. Because if she had become Pack without him knowing, that meant she was already too ingrained in his system for him to notice the new bond. Maybe he was fucking up all over the place and was missing more than just the connections to Blade. How the hell was he supposed to avoid Dhani and everything she might mean to him if she was now living practically next door? It wasn’t as if he’d known he was consciously avoiding her at first. But now that he knew that she knew they were potential mates, everything was so damn complicated. Being able to sense a mate used to be the norm for all wolves, then that power went away. Meaning he had met Dhani more than once without feeling that pull towards her. Yeah, he’d found her hot as hell, but he hadn’t known she was his mate. And then the mating bonds were fixed thanks to the magic of what Aimee and Walker did in their mating, and Kameron had to deal with the fact that the woman he knew, the woman who kind of scared him on some levels, was his mate.

  Not that he’d ever tell Dhani that she scared him.

  He had never thought of whom his mate might be. Hadn’t pictured a human woman who maybe wasn’t quite as human as she seemed. Because if she knew that they were mates, there had to be something else going on with her. He had always told himself he would look for a mate once his Pack was safe. Only it never seemed to be safe. And with Blade out there, his Pack wasn’t even close to being where it needed to be, and now he had the one woman that could be his living next door
to him.

  To say that this was his own version of Hell, a Hell of his own making for that matter, was an understatement.

  “She’s not Pack. She has a special pass because we need teachers, and she was fired because of her association with the wolves.”

  Kameron let out a growl, and Max’s eyes lit up gold, telling him his wolf was close.

  “Apparently, her old boss tried to come up with a different excuse, but they’re all just bigots. I don’t know if Gideon is going to make her Pack since we’ve had a few humans become Pack in the past by being blooded in rather than mated, but I don’t know the Alpha’s plans where that’s concerned. All I know is that Brie had a sudden feeling that Dhani needed to be here, which probably means the moon goddess wants her to be here, and Gideon hated the fact that she lost her job because of her connection to us. And she’s apparently a kickass teacher so, here we are.”

  Those were the most words he had heard his cousin say in a good long while, and the fact that it was about the one woman Kameron had no idea what to do with, made it just that much stranger. Because he had a feeling Max either knew exactly what was going on between Kameron and Dhani, or guessed and decided not to say anything.

  Good, because Kameron had no idea what was going on himself.

  “I guess I’ll talk to Gideon later so I can keep abreast of the situation. They should have told me.” That sounded like an Enforcer and not a growly wolf that wanted to lick and taste the woman in question.

  “I guess, but she’s not a threat to the Pack. That much we know for sure. But she’s here now, and she’s coming closer.” Max lifted his chin and gestured behind Kameron. “And on that note, I’m gonna go get something to eat, and you can stand here looking like a guppy out of water as she walks towards you.”

  Max turned on his heel and practically ran, leaving Kameron alone as Dhani walked closer to them. They were off the trail, near to the center of the den but surrounded by trees so they were pretty much alone. Anyone could come up at any moment since this was a high-traffic area, but for now, it was just the two of them.