Abandoned Treasure
Saddle Up

Nathan Storm’s POV

Arrowhead Pack Beta Home

Wednesday, July 22, 2020

“What do you want to do tonight,” Tammy asked her adoptive daughter. We’d finished moving her things to the Beta’s basement room, and I’d put my things next door. “You’ve only got one more day before it starts.”

“I know that,” Mykayla said with a roll of her eyes. “I want to have fun, but I’m so tired anymore. And Doc doesn’t want me hanging around people who might get me sick.”

Her weight loss and weakness took away a lot of possibilities. “Can you shift?”

“Maybe. If I shift, it will wipe me out the rest of the night. I want to run, though. I miss being in the woods.”

I knew what she was feeling. When we were living in cities, we could only shift indoors. We only got out to run every few weeks. Our wolves needed it, and she would be stuck indoors for months. Taylor had an idea. “Could you ride on his back?”

Her smile lit up the room. “Could I?”

“Sure.” I’d love to spend time with my daughter. I told Jade over the link that we were going running, but the cats wanted to keep playing in the water.

We went outside to one of the golf carts, and Tammy drove us to the back of the Pack House. This area had cubicles for clothes and was out of sight of the lake and the neighbors. It wasn’t as much of a requirement anymore, but no one needed to see us shift. Taylor and I changed into our wolves; she was the size of a big German Shepherd, while I was twice as big.

Tammy walked to a cabinet. “Hang on, this might help.” She took a harness off the peg. I had to step into the openings in front, and then she tightened the leather until it was snug against my forechest and behind my front legs. A padded section ran along my back like a saddle, cinching around my stomach, and loops hung down both sides to just below my waist. I felt like a horse with this thing on; all it was missing was a bit and reigns. “We got this idea from the Beloretsk Pack,” Tammy said. “It gives her a better grip and stirrups for her legs, and for you it distributes the weight better and protects your spine. Mykayla, put on the training belt.”

“Mom! I’m not a little kid!”

“You’re about as strong as one, and I don’t want you falling off.” She fastened a heavy leather belt around her hips, then had me lay down so she could get on. I looked back to see how it would clip to the harness, keeping her in the saddle. Tammy had me stand up and move around, and I was impressed. It was much more stable, and she wouldn’t be yanking fur off my neck.

Tammy stripped and shifted, and then we headed into the woods. The sun was still high in the late afternoon, with another five hours until sundown. I picked up the sound of running paws behind us. “Are we being followed,” I asked my daughter. Since I wasn't Pack, she was the only one I could link to in my wolf.

“Warriors. Alpha said we need protection,” she replied after checking with her Pack. I didn’t know if the protection was for me or from me. Either way, this wasn’t my land, and I couldn’t stop them. I put them out of my mind and focused on giving my daughter a good run. Tammy set a good pace on the well-used trail going deep into their lands. Soon, only the scents of the pines and the forest animals filled my nose. There were many hills and turns and occasionally a leap over a fallen tree. Mykayla held on and screamed in joy at the good parts.

We ran for almost an hour, and Mykayla was exhausted and elated when we arrived back at the Pack House. Taylor helped me remove the gear while Tammy set her daughter on a bench. She smelled like pine needles and sweat as she caught her breath. “I’ll get her home and into the shower,” Tammy told us. “I think she’s done for the night.”

“What about dinner? I’ve been smelling that barbecue the last mile.”

Taylor looked off as she linked. “Swing by the pavilion. They’ll set aside meals for the three of us.”

I linked Jade, who told me the girls were eating dinner after an exhausting afternoon. “Movie night? There is that theater next to our rooms. I’m sure my girls would love to spend time with their sister while they can.”

“Could they? We could have popcorn and watch Dinosaur!”

She was the only child in the Pack older than a toddler, so I bet she’d never had a slumber party. “As long as you get your rest,” Taylor agreed. I filled Jade in on the plan; she would take the kids back to the RV for showers and to change, then bring them to the Beta’s house. Tammy brought a cart around for Mykayla, and I took the cart back to the beach.

Arrowhead knew how to party. They had a charcoal grill that must have been twenty feet long, with racks of ribs and chicken cooking over the hot coals. The serving area had cafeteria-style hot and cold serving sections full of side dishes and an entire chilled section for the desserts. There was space for almost two hundred people at the picnic tables under the pavilion and along the beach, and most were full. Wolves and humans side by side, enjoying the food and the summer weather. Reggae tunes played in the background as I parked the cart in a designated area.

I walked towards the party, my eyes searching for the Alphas. I saw their table on the beach side of the eating area and started weaving my way through the tables towards them. People got quiet as I walked by; I’m sure they knew who I was by now and what I’d done.

Then I scented HIM. I stopped and looked around, replaceing him sitting with some wolves, eating ribs with his back to me. I turned to head his way as everything got quiet. I stopped behind him, and I could tell he’d also scented me. “It’s been a long time, Enforcer Knightly,” I said calmly to the killer of my mate.

He turned around and looked right in my eyes. “You’re looking better than the last time I saw you, Nathan Storm.”

My wolf wanted his blood years ago, and now he stood before me. Wolves around us watched carefully, ready to step in if I attacked. I did what they didn’t expect; I smiled at him. “Since you left me in a ditch with a bullet in my head, you’re probably right.”

“I didn’t want it to happen that way. I received orders straight from the Chairman to take you out.”

“I know.” I let out a breath; I couldn’t hold him responsible for Carol’s death at Council orders, then ask the Packs for mercy after my role in the Arrowhead Luna’s death. “I came over here to thank you.”

That shocked him and everyone around us. “Thank me? For what?”

“I’ve read the reports. Carol wouldn’t have lived long enough to reach a hospital, much less deliver Mykayla. You saved my daughter, Vic. I don’t know how, but you did it.”

“Mykayla’s a good kid. It hit me hard when Bitterroot reported her dead. I would have adopted her if I knew what Todd was planning.”

I held my hand out to him; he looked at it for a second, then reached back to wipe the sauce off his hand with a napkin. He shook my hand firmly. “Take care of her, Nathan.”

“I will.” Tensions lowered as we broke the handshake and stepped apart.

No one spoke as I walked away from him towards the Alpha’s table. Rori stared at me while her guards took positions around their pregnant Alpha. “Alphas,” I said as I bowed my head in respect. “Congratulations on your pregnancy. May the blessings of Luna continue to work in your lives.”

Rori gripped the table as she stared me down. “You’ve got some nerve to speak about Luna’s blessings.”

“I didn’t expect any after everything I’d done. The Goddess gave me a second chance mate, three wonderful children, and now a daughter I thought had died. I don’t deserve it, but it was never up to me.”

“You’re right about that,” she replied.

“Thank you for the hospitality you’ve shown to my family.”

“We owe Jade a debt, and your children are innocents. Damn cute, too.” There were chuckles at this.

“I will leave you to the party. I would ask for a few hours of your time to walk with me after breakfast tomorrow. Bring along your mate and anyone else you feel should hear it.”

“Hear what?”

“I’d like to show you what I know about the attack on Arrowhead and the last moments of your mother’s life.”