The Widow's Wolves

Ciara.

Four years ago, my mate died in the war.

Four years later, I was trespassing into another alpha’s territory to discover how.

“Who are you?” the border guard asked with his arms folded over his broad chest. He was… burly, to put it mildly, with curly hair and a massive beard.

“Selenites, sir,” Agon, an elderly priest replied carefully. The two other priests behind him bowed with their palms pressed together. “We are keepers returning to our temples across the Oldlands. We are repairing them, so that the Moon Goddess—”

The guard held a palm up to stop him.

“You’re not wearing the robes like them, woman.” He nodded his chin at me. “So why are you with them?”

“I’m a scribe,” I answered.

He gave me another slow once-over. Assessing. “From where?”

“The southlands.”

He squinted at me suspiciously. “Is that right? You don’t look like a scribe.”

“I was not aware scribes had a particular look.” I rested a hand on my hip. “The Selenites and I are neutral travelers. We have no quarrel with any clan, least of all the Veyr.”

“I’ve been put under strict orders not to let strangers past our village borders.”

“By your alpha?”

“That’s right.”

“Then perhaps we might speak with him, sir,” Agon interjected, passing me a quick, worried glance. “I am sure he must be a reasonable man.”

The guard exchanged looks with his companions. Then they all began to softly chuckle.

“Trust me, Selenite. You would not want Aidan here.”

“And why is that?” I asked.

“Because Aidan does not ask questions. He kills on sight.”

I huffed aloud.

“Then how in all of Selene’s night does he get any commerce done?” I asked wryly. “Are all merchants slaughtered on their routes? Are your roads filled with corpses?”

The guard’s expression flattened.

“Does this kill-on-sight business also apply to women and children?” I continued, curious.

“I already don’t like your mouth, woman.”

“I’m merely asking about the practicality of killing everyone on sight–”

“Ciara,” Agon began gently. The old man’s eyes went flat. “You are antagonizing him.”

I sighed and waved a hand in surrender.

Agon turned toward the guard. “Forgive our friend. She is travel weary. We all are. We only wish to reach our temple. As I said, we only wish to bring it back to its proper glory, so that Selene might bring down her merciful—”

“I don’t care about Selene," the guard said.

Agon’s mouth snapped shut.

“I was tasked to guard this border,” the man continued. “And I say no. You do not pass.”

“Please–”

“Agon, hold on.” I rested my hand on his shoulder and squeezed before stepping toward the guard.

He was a few inches taller than me. And perhaps three times my size. I smiled anyway.

“Look. We are not against bartering.”

I pulled my leather satchel around and procured several gold coins.

“Will this do?”

His face fell. “You’re… bribing me?”

“Paying a toll,” I said with a hopeful smile.

The energy around us immediately shifted and my smile faded.

My wolf surged toward the edge of my consciousness, suddenly alert.

The guard stepped forward until our chests were almost touching. I knew better than to back away even though I was terrified.

“Veyr people are not persuaded by coin, woman.” He spat at my feet.

Oh, wonderful. I had just insulted this man.

“I meant no offense,” I said quickly as the guards began to approach on either side.

“Wait a moment, now,” Agon interjected and stepped between us. “There is no need for violence, sir. Ciara has been through a great deal. She is telling the truth, we are neutral. We seek to restore our temple. Ciara is writing a book on the last Clan War. That is all! We do not mean any harm.”

The guard’s gaze sharpened as he studied Agon’s weathered face, then back to me.

“Well, I don’t give a shit if you’re Selene herself. None of you are passing through.”

“Please.” Agon’s voice softened, gesturing to me. “Her husband died in the war.”

My insides tightened.

“She is compiling records in his name. Writing a book to honor him. Is that not a noble pursuit? Would you want to trample upon that?”

The guard stared at me for a moment, no longer looking like he was wanted to throttle me. “What was his name, woman?”

“Cassius.”

It had been four years since he died, yet just saying his name made the wound bleed as if fresh again.

The most beautiful man.

My mate.

My best friend.

The guard’s face changed into surprised recognition. “Cassius was alpha. Of the Southlands.”

“He was, yes,” Agon replied. “His brother runs it now.”

The guard’s shoulders slumped. He glanced away for a moment, almost looking guilty. “Look, I don’t… I don’t have a say. I follow my alpha’s orders.”

Well, my alpha ordered me not to leave. Owen was a good man, but far too overprotective.

So I left, anyway. I had to. Cassius deserved to have his story told.

A single letter had been sent to me, saying he died nobly.

No details or explanation. No account of what had happened in those final hours of his life.

I spent four years wondering why. I was determined to learn the entire story. To record it, bind it, and let it be known.

I pulled out my tome, pushing aside a folded-up map, and found an ink pen from my satchel.

There was a small crack in the top, but I had gotten into the habit of pressing my thumb over the hairline fracture so ink didn’t bleed out.

“Maybe you could tell me of your time in the war, then.” I glanced at the guard. “What is your name?”

He blinked in surprise as he stared at my book, the parchments sticking out of it.

“Garret,” he answered warily. “I served under Aidan.”

I wrote that down and then thumbed through to my index.

“Garret of Veyr, under Aidan.” I glanced up at him. “You met Cassius before?”

“Heard of him, never spoke to him. All allied packs did.” His expression softened. “He was a good man.”

My throat flexed as I stared down at my tome. “He was, yes.”

I took a moment to bring in a calming breath before looking back at him. “Which is why this book is so important. Please. If you let us through, I promise you that Aidan will have no issue with us.”

Garret said nothing for a time, staring out into the wilds behind us.

“Look." He sighed. "Camp out here. Give me a few hours. I’ll have one of the guardsmen send for him. I can make no promises that he won't kill you. But if it's an audience you want, I'll see what I can do.”

I smiled brightly. Agon looked relieved.

Garret returned to his post. We all settled around a campfire and ate a small meal of dried venison and bread.

“I am sorry for telling your story without your consent,” Agon said, and I glanced up. “But it seemed to avoid violence.”

I smiled at him. “We’re wolves, Agon. Violence is inevitable.”

“It shouldn’t be,” he mused. After a moment, he added, “What will you do if Aidan does not let us through?”

“I don’t know. What would you do?”

“Selenites are not violent. I would respect his wishes. We would go on and find another temple.”

I frowned. “And you would leave that one in disrepair?”

“It is difficult to carry out Selene’s will when dead, Cia.”

I laughed and nodded. "That is fair. Cass was a man of action. But a wonderful diplomat. Alphas speak their own language, as you may have noticed.”

Agon glanced at me, one of his bushy white eyebrows lifted. “Is that your way of saying he was violent?”

“When he had to be. But not viciously so, no. He was much more even tempered than I was, admittedly.”

"Hm." Agon looked upwards. “Only a couple hours left of sunlight. Perhaps we should set up tents.”

I rose at the same time as the two younger priests did. “Oh. I’d be glad to h—”

Warmth permeated my skin, sudden. A familiar… tug.

I stumbled backwards and straight onto my ass.

“Cia!”

Agon and another priest were at my side, grasping my arms. They slowly helped me to my feet.

“What is it? Are you alright?”

My heart was pounding. The wolf inside me raged and keened.

I couldn’t hear anything. Anything.

The bond of my fated mate... I felt it.

A flicker of warmth. A warmth I had not felt for years.

Just as soon as it left, it came back and my breath caught.

The sensation spread through my chest and down my arms, wrapping around me like a blanket.

My wolf slammed against my ribs.

No. No, no, no.

I knew this feeling.

I spent four years trying to forget it.

Then it vanished. I sucked in a breath, and my knees almost gave out again.

“I… I need to sit,” I whispered.

Agon helped me back onto the felled tree I had been using as a seat.

“Thank you.”

“What happened?” he asked. “Are you ill?”

I glanced at him. Then the fire. “You will think I’m mad.”

Agon blinked. “You are the most pragmatic woman I have ever met, Ciara. You are not mad. Tell me.”

I exhaled quietly, shakily through pursed lips. “The mate bond.”

“What of it?”

I looked at him. “I felt it.”

Over the next two hours, the sensation continued to come and go.

A flicker of warmth, another tugging sensation.

Then nothing.

Agon assured me I wasn’t losing my mind, but I wasn’t so sure.

Maybe it was wishful thinking. Maybe it was just… years of loneliness.

I tried to occupy myself by reorganizing the various parchments and folded papers inside my tome. I studied a map of the Oldlands now broken up by clan territories, following the roadways of the continent speckled with Selene’s temples.

Wolf packs typically shared history by spoken word. But that proved inconvenient when most soldiers from the southlands were unwilling to speak about the war.

There were unspoken atrocities they must have witnessed firsthand, things I could not begin to fathom, let alone ask them to recount.

The temples were my best chance of discovering the truth. Their records had survived the war, and if Cassius had been there, there had to be something. A report. A name. Some account of what had happened to him in those final hours.

I was still trying to convince myself that I had imagined the strange pull of the mate bond when Garret whistled and appeared through the brush.

“There you are.”

I shut my book and looked up at him.

“Aidan is coming.” Garret looked thoughtful. “It was strange, actually.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, normally, the alpha would say just to kill or… stave off.” Garret sniffed. “But I mentioned you were Alpha Cassius’s mate and…”

He gestured vaguely behind him. “He changed his mind. Said he wanted to meet you.”

Agon held out a hand to stop me from rising. “Not alone, surely?”

Garret nodded. “Yes. Alone.”

“She’s a lady. It’s inappropriate. You cannot leave a woman alone with men she does not know.”

I gave him a warm smile. “You are kind to look after me, dear man. But I will be alright.”

Wolves in the southlands were lean, swift. Veyr men were known to be hardy, strong… blocky.

“I can make a quick retreat if I had to.”

Agon frowned as Garret snorted under his breath.

“That is not reassuring in the least, Cia.”

I grasped his hand and gave it a squeeze. “I will be back soon. I promise you. And we’ll be on our way to that temple.”

I rose and brought my satchel strap over my shoulder.

“Be careful!” He called after me.

I followed Garret and his guards through wooden and stone barricades.

At the other side, I could see the village in the distance.

Torches had been lit, illuminating the road to it. The temple sat on the other side.

But a group of men blocked the path. Among them, I spotted the alpha.

A swathe of black hair, short but wild. Wide, broad shoulders. A dark cloak lined with fur. Goddess above. This man was much larger than Garret or the other Veyr men.

If things turned violent… well, needless to say, Agon’s concern was warranted.

But I gathered my resolve. Better to try than to do nothing at all, Cia.

“Aidan,” Garret called as we approached.

The man paused, then turned.

A striking, handsome face quickly gave me an assessing scan before meeting my eyes.

I stopped dead in my tracks.

The mate bond lit up.

My wolf raged, and raged. She knew him.

“No,” I heard myself utter.

That wasn’t possible. Cassius’s eyes had been bright blue.

Aidan’s were brown and gold. His face wasn’t the same. Not even close.

The jaw was broader. His mouth fuller. His skin didn't have the same warmth to it.

He wasn’t Cassius.

So why…

Why did it feel like I was standing beside my dead husband?