Fenris, p.1
Fenris, page 1
Fenris
Wild Claw Pack, Volume 3
S L Davies
Published by S L Davies, 2023.
This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.
FENRIS
First edition. February 1, 2023.
Copyright © 2023 S L Davies.
ISBN: 979-8201372934
Written by S L Davies.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Epilogue
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About the Author
Prologue
Estesius
“Baby,” Boyd called as he came into the house on our pack lands. I glanced up at him and smiled.
“What’s up?”
“I’ve just had a call from Connell from the Wild Claw Pack. They have asked if we would be willing to go to their pack lands to help in this war.”
I nodded my head. The war against Ettore, the Nephilim, was well known. Boyd was the head alpha, along with his brother, Craig. They had been in contact with the other wolf packs and had agreed that we would all go to the Wild Claw Pack’s land and fight alongside them if needed.
“Are they ready for us?” I asked.
Boyd nodded his head. “Yeah, Craig is letting the pack know. Those who want to fight will come with us, but the rest will stay here. We are leaving the elders and the children here too.”
I nodded my head. I was glad that Craig and Boyd weren’t expecting everyone to fight. This was going to be a bloody battle, and I didn’t like the idea that people who were frail or too young would be slaughtered.
“So, who is coming?” I asked.
“We will know once Craig gets here, but I wanted to see if you would be joining us. I’d prefer it if you didn’t, but I learned long ago that I wouldn’t win if you wanted something.”
I snorted. When we first mated twenty years ago, Boyd got a swift crash course because I wasn’t about to lie down and have him demand what happens in my life. I was an independent woman, and I would do what I wanted. I didn’t know if it was because I was a Pegasus or how I was raised.
“I will come. There will be a need for healers.”
Boyd nodded. “That’s what I thought you would say,” he said with a wry smile as the front door opened and closed, and Craig entered the room. Craig and Boyd were identical twins. It took most people forever to be able to tell the two apart. I’d been able to tell them apart immediately, but that was only because I was mated to Boyd. I imagined that it would be difficult in any other sense.
“All right, I’ve got the list. We’ve got fourteen names,” Craig said.
“Great, who is coming?”
“Malko, Reece, Jadiel, Luca, Peter, Haiden, Danni, Zoe, Caitlin, Aleigha, Paul, Robin, Steff, and Kason.”
There was a mix of people, but the one thing they all had in common was that they were all alphas.
Boyd hummed. “That’s a good mix, and it leaves plenty here to protect our members not fighting.”
Craig nodded his head. “Some said they might like to come and support us if needed, but they preferred to stay here with their children.”
Boyd shook his head. “No. I don’t want to take any parents. Only unmated alphas and omegas.”
“That’s what I said. Three omegas asked if they wanted us to come.”
“Who?”
“Terrell, Audriana, and Brice.”
Boyd twisted his lips and frowned. “I don’t know. They are all young.”
“That’s why I said I would discuss it with you first.”
Terrell was fifteen, and Audriana and Brice were both seventeen. We’d heard about this war for years, and I knew the kids had all grown up knowing about it, so they were eager. However, I was uncomfortable taking kids. I wasn’t sure that taking them would be a good idea.
Boyd scrubbed his hand up over his face. “Look, yeah, all right, tell them they can come, but if it looks like it is going to be too dangerous for them, we will send them back.”
Craig smiled and nodded his head. “You know they will be fine.”
“I know, but I fucking hate this.”
“I know you do,” Craig answered. “This is a shit situation; the sooner it is over, the better.”
Chapter One
Fenris
The pack lands were a hive of activity as we made room for the extra members of the Wild Fang, Silver Bite, and Whitetail Packs. We were still waiting for the Palecrest Pack to arrive. But it meant we had about fifty extra adults and children joining us. We’d managed to disperse them throughout the pack lands. Selene and Canea had helped by building the houses. If only we could make housing as they did. One thought, and they were all built.
After everyone had settled in, the training began. We didn’t have much time before this war would commence, so it was essential to get moving on our training. I wanted all the wolves to be at the top of their game. The last thing I wanted was to lose more of our members. I didn’t care if they were Wild Claw or from another pack; that pain was still severe.
I was standing in the open field in the center of the pack lands. The sun was warm, and I knew the kids standing around would be hot and bothered by the end of the training, but for now, they were excited to be included. At one end, I’d set up large body bag weights. Each bag weighed the same as an average male.
“Okay,” I called, drawing the pup's attention. “What we will be working on today is shifting on the run. When we are at war, there will be times when it will be better for you to fight as a wolf. I want to ensure you can do that on the run.”
The pups all watched me eagerly. “Normally, when you would shift, you would first remove your clothes and think about your wolf, calling him or her forward, but when you are on the run, you have to do it all very quickly and in a matter of moments,” Herrick said. “This isn’t an easy feat, so don’t be upset if you struggle. This is why we are practicing.”
I smiled at Herrick. He had the patience of a saint. He was a fantastic Papa and grandfather to Sable’s kids. And the kids, strangers or not, all seemed to gravitate toward him.
“For this task, I want you to start by running toward the bags; when Herrick or I yell now, I want you to call your wolf forward and continue to run toward the bag.”
The kids all looked worried; I could tell they wanted to get it right. However, I knew how difficult this was. It took practice and time. The time that this war, unfortunately, wasn’t going to grant us, so we would have to push the kids a little more than what they would typically do.
The other pack leaders stood around the field watching.
“Ready?” Herrick called.
All the kids nodded their heads. “Okay, start running,” I called and watched as they took off toward the bags. Once they were only meters from the bag, I roared. “Now.”
There wasn’t one of the kids that managed to shift on the run; they all had to come to a complete halt before they could shift, making me chuckle. It was what I had expected to happen. All of the pups came running back in their shifted forms. Little wolves sat down in front of me.
“Okay, shift back, pups,” I instructed. The kids altered, and I looked at each of them. “That was tricky, huh?”
“Yeah, I don’t know how to run and shift; it is like I can’t do both things at once,” one of the pups, Zachary, said.
I nodded my head. “I understand that. It isn’t an easy task, and normally you guys would get to learn it at your own pace; we wouldn’t be hurrying you. However, because of this war, we want to ensure you can run if needed.”
“Do you think Ettore will try to kill us?” another boy from the Silver Bite Pack, Ryan asked.
I sighed and sat down on the ground in front of the kids. Herrick handed out blankets to wrap around their naked bodies and sat beside me. The leaders of the other packs came and sat beside us, having obviously heard Ryan’s question.
“I’d like to hope he wouldn’t, but honestly, I don’t know, Ryan,” I answered truthfully.
Ryan’s eyes welled with tears. “I don’t want to die.”
“Oh mate, come here,” I said as I pulled the boy, that couldn’t have been older than six, into my lap. I kissed the top of his fair hair and looked down at him.
“I don’t want you to die either, and that is why we are working so hard on this training. All of you need to be able to not only fight but to run away. I would prefer you all to run away if danger came here.”
“You don’t want us to fight?” Zachary asked. He was the son of the Whitetail pack leader Tasha and her mate, Will.
“No, I don’t. I don’t really want anyone to fight. But I recognize that for some, that is not a choice we have. Ettore’s army is large, and we will need members to battle him. However, you are all the next generation; once we return to the creator, to the After World, it will be your job to take over as pack leaders and pack members. That is why I’d rather you all run if you had the chance."
Zachary nodded his head and glanced over at his Mama, that was sitting to my right. “Do you think like that too, Mama?”
Tasha nodded her head. “I do. I want my children to be safe. And if that means for you to run, then that is what I’d like you to do.”
Zachary nodded again and sighed. “I guess we better learn how to shift on the run.”
I smiled. “You all ready to get back to it?”
The kids all nodded, and we stood. “This time, I’m going to use my alpha tone to help you shift so that you get the feeling of what you are doing as you are running,” Herrick said.
The kids lined up after dropping their blankets. At least now that they were all naked, it would be easier for them to shift without the concern of tearing out their clothes.
“Ready? Start running,” I instructed. The kids all took off toward the bags at the end of the field.
They were only meters away when Herrick roared. “Shift,” his alpha tone rippled through the air as it hit each kid. I watched them alter mid-stride. Now we just had to teach them to be able to do it on their own.
Chapter Two
Boyd
“We are all set,” I said to Estesius as I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and kissed her cheek. She looked up at me with that slight smile she always gave me from the first moment I met her.
It was hard to believe that we had been together for almost twenty years. I still remembered the first day I ever met her. Craig and I were at an arcade; we were pains in the ass like always and competing against each other on pinball machines. Craig and I were as tight as possible, but we were each other’s biggest rivals.
I was cackling as I kicked Craig’s ass on the pinball machine when Estesius’s scent wrapped around me. I gasped and spun, catching the eye of the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. She was staring at me with wide eyes. Her hair was a mix of blonde, purple and pink at the time. She had the most gorgeous purple eyes I’d ever seen, and I couldn’t have stopped my feet from gravitating toward her if I had tried.
In the middle of the arcade, I took her hand and leaned down to kiss her. I received a slap in the face which quickly snapped me out of it.
“You ask a lady before you manhandle her,” Estesius snapped at me.
“Man, what the fuck?” Craig had asked.
I apologized like crazy and quickly explained that Estesius was my mate. The rest was history, Estesius had agreed to go home with me, and she never left. As it turned out, Pegasus was as affected by me as her. The only difference was that she had more control—something I’ve loved about her ever since.
“Great,” Estesius said. “Was Petra okay about stepping into the head alpha role while you and Craig left?”
Petra was our sister and the next alpha in the pack line. She was mated to our best friend that we grew up with, Bryan. The two of them had eight children. I swear that woman was constantly pregnant. Something that Estesius and I hadn’t been successful in. We’d seen doctors, but as it turned out unless we found our other mate, there would be no baby for us. The day that we found that out was hard. Not only did I have to get used to the thought that I would have to share my mate, but that somewhere out there was another person who was key to unlocking our family. We didn’t know where they were or who they were; we just had to hope that Mother fate blessed us by bringing them to us.
“Yeah, she is happy to do it. Happy is probably the wrong word; she’d growled at Craig and me and said something about not having enough on her fucking plate,” I said with a chuckle.
Estesius laughed. “I can envision that. But running the pack isn’t as stressful as raising her brood.”
I grinned and nodded my head, kissing the side of Estesius’s head again. “Ready to start heading off to Lalbert?”
Estesius glanced around the living room. Most of our furniture was still in place; we’d decided only to take our personal belongings, paperwork, clothes, that sort of thing. We were walking into this war; there were bound to be casualties, even with the gods on our side. After this war, I had full intention of coming home. Of course, if I was still alive to go home. I couldn’t think like that. The thought that we might not all be alive at the end of it was terrifying, but one that was a reality.
The front door swung open, and Craig stepped into the living room with his mate, Raleigh, behind him. She had decided that she would come along with his three sons. I knew that Craig wasn’t happy about it. Hell, I wasn’t happy about it. But the one thing the Palecrest Pack had was strong-willed women. We wouldn’t love and respect them if they weren’t strong women, but it made moments like this difficult.
Tommy and Nevin, Craig’s sons, came into the living room behind their parents. The boys were identical twins also. Both were sixteen, tall and dark-haired, just like Craig. Looking at the four of us together, you’d swear we were all brothers.
“Everyone is ready; we are just waiting on you two before we get on the road,” Craig said.
I breathed in deeply and nodded my head. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous about this. We’d known about the coming war for years. It was something we’d been told about by our parents. But it was one of those events we thought were way off in the future that we wouldn’t see. Then, when Connell from the Wild Claw Pack contacted me a month ago, I knew that this wouldn’t be a war we could avoid.
I never broke a promise to my Papa. I’d promised Papa before he died that Craig and I would lend our assistance when the war came. So, we were packed and ready to go to Lalbert and fight a battle to protect the supernatural race.
I nodded my head and linked my fingers with my mates. “Let’s go.”
Craig nodded and turned to walk out of the house. I followed him out with Estesius by my side. Glancing back at home, I sent a little prayer into the universe. Even if I couldn’t come back, I hoped that Estesius would.
Chapter Three
Fenris
“That’s it, Ryan,” I called as I watched the pup swing and kick at one of the older boys, Traison. We’d spent the morning sparring and teaching the smaller ones how to get out of holds. It wouldn’t help if they came up against magic, but I felt it was just as vital for them to learn how to fight with their fists and weapons and use their magic.
Everything and everyone had been moving at warp speed. From the news we were getting back, Ettore was assembling his troops, and there was a rumor that he was going to come to the Devil’s Advocates compounds in an attempt to fight us there. He didn’t realize that the gods had warded down the place that he would never be able to step foot on.
I was worried about what would happen when he worked it out. An average person would give up their idea of world domination. An average person would realize that their fight was already lost. But Ettore was far from average. He was as crazy as a hatter, and that scared me. I couldn’t predict what he was going to do next.
Everyone was working hard at trying to gather as much intel as possible. Some Wild Claw members could use their powers to get into the training center. But we had to be so careful. If Ettore discovered them, they would be instantly executed. I didn’t want to lose anyone. It was a silly thought; I knew there would be wartime deaths. I just hated the idea of it.
When we lost Mondo in the facility explosions, it rocked everyone. Samara, his mate, wasn’t coping all these months. The gods had agreed to send her to Middle Earth to stay protected, but her pain was overwhelming. I worried about her. I didn’t think she would ever be the same. Mondo was not just her fated mate; he was the love of her life. Her whole world revolved around that man.
“They are doing really well,” Selene said as she came to stand beside me. It was still taking a lot for me to get used to the goddess we worshipped, walking around and talking to us as if she wasn’t a goddess.
I nodded my head. “They are. Although I don’t want the kids to fight, I know they should be able to run and protect themselves if trouble comes.”
Selene looked over at me and smiled. “That’s what we can hope for.”
