Return to the Pack

ELOWEN

I cranked the radio volume up until the bass rattled the rusted doors of my beat-up Wrangler. The blistering summer wind whipped through the open windows, tossing my chestnut brown hair into a wild mess and stinging my cheeks. I rested my elbow on the window sill, letting the blasting rock music drown out my chaotic thoughts. The tires chewed up the endless stretch of the freeway. Five solid hours of driving were behind me, and my lower back ached with a dull rhythm. I still had two more hours to go. Fourteen hours in total for this solitary road trip was pure agony, but skipping it was not an option.

I am Lysandra Elowen Kincaid. I am a shifter, born into the Obsidian Crest Pack, yet I spent the last five years living a human existence. Well, human except for my Uncle Gideon. He found his mate, a human woman named Fiona, and walked away from pack life without a backward glance. Watching them build a quiet life in a sleepy suburban neighborhood proved to me that walking away was a tangible reality.

My father sent me away. Shortly after my mother was killed in a rogue attack while visiting an allied pack, he packed my bags and shipped me off. Maybe my blue sapphire eyes reminded him too much of her. Maybe my presence was a walking tombstone for his dead mate. But grief is a poor excuse for abandonment. He lost the love of his life, but in his selfish despair, he stripped everything from me. I lost a mother, a father, an older brother, and the only home I ever knew.

Now, the pack means nothing to me. The invisible bond still exists in my chest, a faint tether I haven't been able to snap, but it only serves as a cruel reminder of my isolation. Returning to the territory doesn't feel like a homecoming. It feels like walking into a prison.

Fiona helped me survive those early years. She is patient, warm, and maternal. She anchored me during my rebellious phase, and I always pray the Moon Goddess blesses her with a child of her own. I spent my first year in exile begging my father to let me come home. I sobbed into the telephone until my throat bled. Then, one day, the tears dried up. I gave up on him. I embraced the human world, buried my dormant shifter instincts, and forged a life that had zero connection to my past.

I would have stayed hidden in the human world forever. But the Moon Goddess loves a cruel joke. In a few weeks, I turn eighteen. In exactly five days, the full moon rises, bringing my first agonizing shift. You cannot shatter your bones and transform into a massive wolf in a human suburb without drawing deadly attention. Most humans remain oblivious to our existence, and the ones who aren't know better than to speak up.

My plan is concrete. I will endure this miserable trip, survive my first shift on secured pack land, and then sever the bond permanently. I will rip that tether from my soul and walk away. They didn't want me then, and I do not want them now.

ZAREK

'Alpha?'

The sudden mind-link from my Gamma, Torin, sliced through the suffocating silence of my office. I had been sitting rigidly behind my massive mahogany desk since dawn, staring blindly at border patrol reports. My muscles were coiled tight as I waited for this exact mental connection.

'Yes. Where are you?' I projected my voice through the link, keeping my tone perfectly flat and authoritative.

'I am on my way to pick up Elowen. She is already waiting by the western border.'

'Good.'

I severed my end of the response instantly. I leaned back into the plush leather of my chair, and a rare, genuine smile broke through my stoic facade. The little princess had finally decided to return. Five long years had passed since that brutal morning she stormed down the corridor, her fists clenched in rage, walking away from me without a backward glance. I knew she harbored a deep resentment toward me for not forcing her father to keep her. But beneath her anger, Elowen always possessed a fiery, unbreakable spirit. I fiercely hoped the mundane human world had not extinguished that bright spark.

'Alpha.'

Torin’s voice echoed in my skull again, startling me. I had neglected to fully close the mind-link channel.

'Hmm,' I rumbled, pinching the bridge of my nose. I was not in the mood for an extended conversation.

'Do I need to bring Elowen straight to the pack house? Or can I take her home to see Dad first? He has been pacing the floors all morning. The wait is killing him.'

Torin maintained a polite, respectful tone, but I recognized the subtle pushback. He knew the standard security protocol for returning members, yet he was trying to maneuver around the rules for his sister.

'You know the rules, Torin. Bring her here.' I laced my mental voice with absolute ice.

'I know, Zarek. But she hasn't joined another pack. I am positive she hasn't done anything to sever the pack bond. I can even question her about it on the drive.' His determination bled through the link, thick and stubborn.

I squeezed my eyes shut and dragged a hand down my face. A sharp flash of irritation spiked through my chest. I let my dominant Alpha aura bleed heavily into the link, ensuring Torin felt the crushing weight of my displeasure.

'She was twelve years old when she left. If she managed to sever that bond while living among humans, I wouldn't necessarily feel it from this distance. I need to verify her status immediately. If she no longer belongs to this pack, an induction ceremony must take place before she steps foot further inside. I do not allow unsanctioned wolves to roam my territory. Being your sister does not grant her a free pass to bypass protocol. Do your job and bring her directly to my office. Am I clear, Gamma?'

I delivered the command like a physical blow, leaving zero room for negotiation.

'Yes, Alpha. I am almost at her location. I will notify you the second we arrive at the pack house.'

I slammed the mental connection shut, cutting him off before he could utter another syllable of defiance. Silence fell over the office once more. I exhaled a slow, ragged breath, and the hard, punishing lines of my face relaxed. I rubbed my jaw, a soft chuckle vibrating in my chest. I could have easily let Torin take her home for the night. Elowen posed zero threat to the pack's security. But I needed her in my office. I craved it. I didn't realize just how intensely I missed my little princess until the reality of her arrival finally sank into my bones. I adjusted my posture, fixing my dark gaze on the heavy oak door, eagerly waiting for it to swing open.