Keeping My Pack (34 page)
Authors: Lane Whitt
Tags: #Romance, #New Adult & College, #Paranormal, #Werewolves & Shifters
Remy
“Fuck. This can’t be good.” I groan, scrubbing a hand down my face.
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War usually isn’t.” Maksim agrees.
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All this, just because we’ve accepted a few more changed wolves? Were they not aware that the eight Alphas of this pack are changed wolves or are they just ignorant all together?”
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In all fairness, I did warn you this could happen.” The Russian reminds me. I shoot him a look, expressing how unhelpful he’s being.
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Well, if they want to declare war on us, so be it. We won’t strike first, so they’ll have to come here.” I state firmly.
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Is that a wise choice, Rem? These guys have come a long way in a month, but I don’t know if they’re reading for the real thing.” Ash asks. He’s got a point.
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The UK pack is small compared to ours. We’ll at least have the numbers, and the men will be fighting for their home and for their family, that might help tip the scales in our favor. Besides, I don’t want this fight to happen if it doesn’t need to. Declaring against us, doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll come for us. They could just be taking a stand against changed wolves being granted entry into packs.” Finn adds his opinion.
I nod my head. “That’s true, but we need to be prepared, just in case. Tristan, can you place additional orders to the food suppliers? Make sure to add more non-perishables.”
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I can do that, Rem.” He confirms.
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Do we let the rest of the pack know? I mean, we don’t even know if this is a real threat yet.” Reed asks.
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I think we should hold off for now, see if any other packs declare for us or against us. There’s a chance Finn is right and the UK pack is just getting pissy.” Logan suggests.
I notice out of the corner of my eye that Kellan looks a little nervous. Since he used to go to war with Ash as a medic, it’s out of character for him. “Do you have something to add?” I ask him.
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Not really about this.” He answers. “Well, kind of about this. I think we should hold off on mentioning it to Kitten as well.”
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Are you crazy? She’ll rip our balls off if we don’t tell her that someone has declared war against us. Can you imagine how she’ll react if we wait to tell her we knew until their knocking on the front door?” Logan questions. I agree that she’d be fairly angry about that.
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How, exactly would we explain that she should stay indoors as well as the other women and children? She won’t do it without asking why.” Tristan asks.
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Why don’t you want to tell her? If anything, an angry Kitten will rally the troops better than any of us ever could. Angry Kitten gets things done.” Ash directs his question at Kellan.
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I’m not suggesting we don’t tell her until war is at our door, I’m just saying we can wait a little while. If you haven’t noticed, Kitten hasn’t been herself lately. She shouldn’t be able to get sick, so I don’t know what’s going on with her, but something is.” He says.
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She has been more tired than usual. She takes at least one nap a day.” Tristan points out.
Reed’s face scrunches up as he thinks about it. “And she’s either starving herself or eating a meal fit for a family of six.”
Thinking back over the past couple of weeks, I realize my brothers are right. Kitten has been acting strangely. We’ve had to keep her away from the television because she either gets angry at the commercials of old people falling and no one helping them up or balling her eyes out at the commercials of abused animals and hungry kids. Even Mikey’s animated films seem to set her off. She’s also either been sleeping like a rock when we come in or ready to tear our clothes off, one or the other with no in between.
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Alright, I agree to hold off on telling her, for now. But only until we figure out what’s going on with her, which will be as soon as this meeting is over.” I put my foot down on this, I’m not keeping things from her; it’s just now how this family works.
Maksim bursts into hearty laughter, holding his gut he’s going at it so hard. Albert joins him, looking to my brothers and me and laughing harder.
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Is there something we don’t know? Care to share? Or do you think a declaration of war and a sick granddaughter is something to be laughed at?” I grit through my teeth. The Russian’s continuing laughter is getting on my last nerve.
My tone calms his laughter down into a shit-eating grin instead. “It’s funny you say she’s sick when we all know that she can’t be sick. It must be something else, don’t you think?” He asks me, the twinkle in his eye and his rosy cheeks making me want to punch him. I f I knew what was wrong with Kitten, I would have fixed it by now. I'm not sure if she’s just stressed out, or adjusting to having so many people around, or what. I think she just needs time.
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Shit,” Kellan mutters as he stands abruptly, his face as white as a sheet, knocking his chair down behind him. In a flash, he’s running from the room, the door slamming into the wall behind him.
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What the fuck?” Logan asks, standing as well. His worried eyes glance at me, asking questions I don’t have the answers to.
As I follow after my panicked brother, I spare a glance back at Maksim. Both him and Albert are wearing matching, satisfied grins. I’m a tad creeped out by it if I was being honest.
When the rest of us finally track Kellan down, back up on our floor of the house, my heart nearly stops beating. Kitten is standing in the middle of the family room, her hands clasped over her mouth, tears streaking down her face. Kellan sits on his knees in front of her, his head resting on her stomach, hands at her hips, fisting the material of her shirt. And he’s crying. Great, wracking sobs, crying. I suddenly have no desire to learn what’s wrong with my girl, not when the doctor of the family is on his knees crying.
Kitten notices us then, her light green eyes shining with tears, the gold lighting around her irises flaring wildly. She hiccups in laughter, smiling brightly at me. Then she says the words I never thought I’d hear.
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I’m pregnant.”
Lane Whitt is a reader turned writer who found her niche with Reverse-Harem. As an Ohio resident, she spends her summers outdoors and winters inside freezing her butt off. She likes sticking her tongue out at people from the safety of her car, ice cream, and short walks on the beach (walking in sand is hard, ya know?)
With no formal training in writing, Lane Whitt takes pride in writing in plain English for those who speak plain English.
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