Pack claimed a slow burn.., p.1
Pack Claimed: A slow-burn fantasy romance (The Warrior Queen Legacy Book 2), page 1
Pack Claimed
Book Two of The Alpha Queen Legacy
Laurel Night
Copyright © 2021 by Laurel Night
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Contents
What’s with the Alpha Queen vs Warrior Queen Legacy?
Note from the author
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
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Also by Laurel Night
About the Author
What’s with the Alpha Queen vs Warrior Queen Legacy?
I originally titled the series The Alpha Queen Legacy—for obvious reasons. However, I ran into some issues with promotion because some systems dislike the word ‘Alpha’.
So, for the sake of my sanity I renamed the series to The Warrior Queen Legacy in all official places.
However-
It will always be The Alpha Queen Legacy to me. :)
Love,
Laurel
Note from the author
I feel compelled to say, one more time, that this is a slow-burn fantasy romance. If you love all the delicious tension of budding relationships and want to be practically gagging for it by the time the characters finally get it on, this is your jam.
If you’re looking for lots of sexy fun and kink that would make your momma blush, please reconsider reading this book. I don’t want to disappoint readers, and you will be disappointed if you just want sex. This is an epic romantic adventure story, and the sex will come… eventually.
Don’t say you haven’t been warned.
If you’re still here for it, then please read on!
Cheers, Laurel
Chapter 1
Kaliya
I’d never seen Taika this furious. He wasn’t the type to shout and stomp his feet, or lash out at the people around him. Instead, his lack of reaction was even more frightening. The fury rolled off him in palpable waves, his scent turning thick with the bitter emotion. His jaw clenched so tight I worried his teeth would shatter under the pressure. Every muscle flexed, tendons standing out on his neck.
“Where are they?” He growled, stomping across the swing bridge to the outpost building.
Or what was left of it.
The hardened wood structure had been peeled open like the soft side of a summer fruit. There’d clearly been a battle here; furniture was knocked over, in some places destroyed. Blackened grooves in the wood confirmed the outpost guard had fought with their lightning swords.
And, most telling, dark splatters of dried blood were painted across the wooden floor.
We all went on high alert when no guard came out to greet us, and Taika scrambled up the single rope that hung from the outpost before tossing down the ladder. The outpost ladders were all up; not a good sign during the day. Swords out, we raced across the empty platform to the grisly scene now before us.
Taika spun, distraught, still searching, as if his pack mates were playing a joke on him and would hop out any second. The rest of us remained silent, the jovial mood of a few moments before destroyed. I hit the igniter switch on my swords to turn off the crackling energy and stowed them in their scabbards, then stepped forward to lay a light hand on his shoulder.
“Taika,” my throat was thick. I cleared it before continuing, “they’re gone.”
“There were four men here, four of my men. They aren’t pups, they’re experienced warriors. They wouldn’t just leave their post.” His eyes were wild. The emotion in his voice cut me to the core.
My heart throbbed painfully, but I had no comfort to give him. “They didn’t abandon their post, Tai. You know what happened to them.”
His face crumpled in despair, and it nearly killed me. I reached for his head, pulling it to my shoulder, and hugged him close. He allowed me to hold him for a brief, tight embrace, then pulled away. “I need to go.” An impassive mask settled on his face, cold and completely unrecognizable from the Taika I knew.
I nodded, setting my hands on my swords. “Yes, we’d better get going. Let’s head straight to the next outpost-”
“No, that’s not what I mean. I need to run. Give me an hour, I’ll be back.” He turned and headed out the door, tossing the nearest rope ladder over the railing and descending rapidly.
“Wait, what are you doing?” I shouted as he reached the ground. I started to climb down the ladder but a large, warm hand grabbed my wrist.
“Let him go, woman.” Stig murmured.
As I watched, Taika stripped off his shirt, kicking off his shoes and dropping his pants. In seconds he went from a well-muscled brown man to a large black wolf. He shook out his coat and tore off into the woods, kicking up pine needles and fallen leaves in his wake.
Kaliya
Two hours earlier
We set off as soon as the Fortress Guard lowered the drawbridge. Sunlight was already dappling the road ahead, the air fresh and fragrant with pine. It was a pleasant morning to be on a solar cycle—or it would have been, if I were on one.
I opted to ride in the truck for the first leg; Emory wasn’t comfortable with the cycles, and I didn’t want to leave him alone with a pack of alphas that might resent his presence.
Two hours in and I already regretted that decision.
They weren’t talking. Emory made a few attempts at starting a conversation, but it fell flat and he eventually gave up, turning instead to stare out his backseat window. From the front passenger seat I watched the wind ruffling his tousled brown hair, the sharp angle of his jaw flexing as his brain worked. Mateo lounged beside him, laid back and as far as I could tell, asleep. His tan face was slack, dark curls bouncing on his forehead in the breeze, hands folded over his stomach.
I shifted in my seat to a forward-facing position. This truck was ancient, but rigorously maintained. Its softer materials had long since degraded or been stripped away, and all that remained was the hollowed-out shell. The windows no longer held glass, or even a mechanism to raise it. The dash had gaping holes where electrical components once existed. All the wiring that wasn’t used specifically to propel the vehicle forward had been cannibalized for something else. My seat was obviously a replacement; rough leather stretched over the metal frame and stuffed with something… poky. Perhaps straw. It was better than a hard metal seat, but on a bumpy packed-dirt road it wasn’t exactly comfortable. I missed the butter-soft leather of my cycle, the quiet motor, the sweet breeze on my face…
The truck engine wasn’t loud. It ran on electricity collected from the solar panels that topped the truck and stored in the battery below our feet. But the rumbling and grinding of all the metal parts was loud enough that it made light conversation challenging. Under all the rattling and protesting metal was a low, deep hum. I just hoped it wasn’t a sign the truck was about to rattle itself apart.
Taika drove, right hand on the wheel and left elbow resting on the window frame. As usual, he was calm, peaceful. His inky hair freshly cropped, a relaxed smile lifting his full lips. He gazed through the windshield, wind from the open windows rustling the neck of his long-sleeved cotton shirt. The sleeves were down and buttoned, revealing just a tantalizing peek of black tattoo on his wrist. I was dying to know what he’d inked onto his skin, but unsure if it was polite to ask.
His salty-pine scent mixed pleasantly with the mountain air that swirled through the cab. I soon realized the low hum I noticed earlier was
Returning my gaze to the road ahead, I tried to see through the dust billows kicked up by Rowan and Stig on their cycles. I’d never been this far west, but so far the road ahead looked exactly like the one we traveled from the east to reach the fortress: a wall of dense, towering pine on each side, interspersed with delicate aspen trees. The Fortress Guard maintained the roads to a certain point before the packs took over. They cleared the saplings that crept close to the road, providing several yards of cleared space on either side. Right now tall grasses filled in the distance between the trees and hard-packed road.
My eyes darted to Taika. He seemed so peaceful; I hated to distract him.
Taika’s smile widened, his right-cheek dimple appearing. “Yes?” He asked over the truck noise, keeping his eyes on the road. The humming stopped.
“I was just wondering how far your first outpost is from here.” The noise from the truck was loud enough that our conversation didn’t seem to catch the attention of Mateo and Emory in the back seat; they remained in the same positions as before.
“We’re traveling roughly twice as fast as the convoy typically moves. We usually travel about eight hours from one outpost to the next, so I’d say we’re halfway to the first outpost.”
I chewed over that information for a moment. “Do you think we can bypass two outposts a day, or just one? How many outposts are there between the fortress and your village, anyway?” I disliked speaking so loudly just to be heard over the rumbling machine, but I would have to get used to it with the long journey ahead.
Taika chuckled. “I don’t want to go over eight hours in a day in this beast, do you? And I don’t think we need to. It’s typically a ten-day trip for the convoy, so bypassing one outpost per day it’ll be five for us. Round-trip we should be back before the Clan Gathering is due to end.”
“But what about all the strategy sessions we’re supposed to have the last week of the gathering? Aren’t those important for organizing against the wraiths?”
“We can probably accomplish those talks in all the hours we’ll be on the road, or after we stop for the day. We have all the alphas, plus—according to you—a brilliant strategist with us. Not to mention, we’re supposed to see The Oracle about a legend that will lead to the end of the wraiths forever. Perhaps, after we see her, we’ll have the solution to all of our problems.”
I’d forgotten that part. “So you think that’s real?”
Taika shrugged, glancing my way with his unfathomable dark eyes. “Who can say? The Oracle knows more than I can imagine.”
“You’ve met her? This ‘Oracle’?”
“I have.” He nodded, casting his eyes back to the road.
“How come I’ve never heard of her? Why didn’t I know there were these ‘Elder’ elders? How many are there, anyway?”
“The true knowledge of how many Elders exist is something I learned as a beta. But if you think about it, you know about some of them; Sheila, for example. Because she resides at the fortress we share responsibility for her protection, but surely you didn’t think she was the only one of her age in the entire world?”
“I dunno, I guess I assumed if there were more, they’d all be at the fortress together.”
Another chuckle ripped from his lips. “You’re a warrior, Kaliya. Would you keep all your assets in one place?”
“When you put it that way, I suppose not.” I chewed my lip, thinking it over. “How many are there?”
“One for every pack.”
“So every pack has an Elder they protect?”
He nodded. “Yes.”
“Where’s the Central Pack Elder, then? I’ve never heard of them.”
“Sheila is yours, technically. Even though we all help with the fortress protection, it just made the most sense for her to stay there. It’s the safest space in your territory.”
“And Mateo, Stig, and Rowan all know the locations of their own Elders?”
“You got it.”
“If we’re going to see the one called The Oracle, do they all have titles?”
The dimple reappeared. “You’re quick.”
I waited, but he didn’t volunteer the information. “What are they?”
He quirked an eyebrow at me, holding my gaze for several seconds before returning to the road. “I suppose you are the Central Pack Alpha now, so nothing we know is off-limits. The rest are The Historian, The Scientist, The Teacher, and The Scribe. They each have two understudies, like Sheila, to protect them and continue the knowledge when they die.”
“How long will that be, before they die?”
“We don’t actually know. The wolf genes help us live longer than the Ancients did, thanks to our advanced healing. But otherwise we don’t know how long we could live if our lives weren’t cut unnaturally short by the wraiths.”
“Do you know how old Sheila is?”
Taika barked a laugh, bright teeth pearly against his dark walnut complexion. “No, I was taught it’s impolite to ask.”
“Which of the Elders is she?”
“Can’t you guess?”
I thought over the titles he’d just told me, committing them to memory as I considered the implications.
The Oracle handled the fortune-telling knowledge from the Ancients, hence the title. It stood to reason the other titles held similar meaning. Sheila didn’t seem to do much in the way of experimentation, and her duties weren’t anything to do with the ancient texts as far as I could tell. Since she worked with the current crop of living wolves, I had to assume she wasn’t The Historian. That left…
“The Teacher?”
Taika nodded approvingly. “Very good, Kaliya.”
“Kali.”
“What?”
“You don’t have to use my full name. You can call me Kali.” I hoped he didn’t pick up on the nerves that made my voice shake over the metallic rattle. Emory was the only other person who called me Kali. My heart thumped against my chest. For some reason, inviting another male to call me by his nickname felt like a betrayal.
He turned his full face to me again, dark eyes glittering. “Very well, Kali. Thank you. And you may call me Tai.”
“Tai, like tie?” He nodded. “I like it.”
His smile widened, deepening that dimple again. “I’m glad, it’s the only nickname I’ve got.”
I grinned in response. “Ditto. Unless you count Stig calling me ‘woman.’ But that may just be so he doesn’t have to remember my name,” I joked.
Taika threw his head back, releasing an appreciative laugh that resonated through his chest. The sound warmed me, a flush of pleasure heating my cheeks.
“You’re funny,” he commented, eyeing me with a speculative look. “I didn’t know you had that in you. I wonder what else you’re hiding.”
The words were a bucket of cold water on my mood. “I’m not hiding anything,” I retorted.
His expression was instantly serious. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you. I just meant that you surprised me. I like surprises. Very few people surprise me anymore.”
