The Imperial Wolf Series Books 1-3
Chapter 32

Kate POV

I lay in the bed covered up under a blanket. Angie lies beside me. We are both freaked out by seeing Lester dead in the cabin. Angie is crying, and I am trying to hold my tears. I need to be strong. I know Erick is furious. I wonder why Alexander killed him. I should have stopped and asked him what in the hell happened, but I was so scared. All I wanted to do was get back home to Erick and make sure Angie and I were both safe.

I am sure Erick blames Macon. None of this is Macon's fault. It is Alexander's fault. Whatever Lester could have told me is gone now. Maybe none of this matters. The only problem is every person who tries to help me ends up dead.

I hear Erick screaming at Macon. Those two are driving me insane. I know he wants to protect me, but I need Macon right now, and I need Erick to let him help me. More than anything, I need the two of them to stop fighting.

I hear Erick stomping up the stairs. He slows down when he gets to the bedroom. He peeks in to see if I am awake. I smile at him. He looks over at Angie. Her face is swollen from crying.

"How is she?" Erick asks.

I look over at Angie. It is obvious she is not okay. "She is upset, and so am I," I answer him.

"I can see that. I am worried about you both," Erick says.

"I know, but we will be okay. It was a horrific scene. I never want to see anything like that again," I say.

Erick comes to me and sits on the side of the bed. He reaches out and touches my face. I look into his eyes and smile. Even in the darkest of moments, looking into his eyes brings out the best in me. "I am so sorry that I am causing so many problems for you. This cannot be good for the pack," I say to him.

"You are worth every ounce of trouble. I would walk away from all of this for you," Erick says to me.

I realize he would. I do not need him to put me above his pack. I should not be first. He is Alpha, and his pack should always come first. "What is wrong?" Erick asks.

"I thought that I am not good for you or this pack," I answer.

"Do not be ridiculous. This pack needs your passion and your tenderness. A tyrant has run this pack for far too long. It is time there is a Luna who cares for the pack. I know you will do great things for every member here," Erick says.

"I promise to always put you and the pack before myself, but you have to do the same. The pack has to come first," I say to him.

"You are the love of my life. I never knew I could feel this way until the night I saw you by the creek. I could see something so special in you from the beginning," Erick says.

"The first time I saw you, I thought you were incredibly hot," I say, laughing. "That is true," Angie chimes into the conversation. I had forgotten she was in the room.

"So now what do we do about Lester?" I ask.

"I will have to take his body to his pack elders. They will want Alexander's head, I am sure of it," Erick says.

"I cannot blame the pack for that at all. If something happened to you, I would want vengeance myself," I say.

"I think we should keep it quiet that Alexander is your father for now. Macon wants to help you, but I think he only wants to help because there is something in it for him," Erick says. "What is in it for him?" I ask.

Erick runs her fingers through his hair. I can tell he is in turmoil about telling me the truth. "I won't lie to you ever, Kate, but I am not sure I can repeat what he said to me," Erick says. "Why?" I ask.

"Because I do not want you to make any crazy decisions about our future," Erick says.

"I do not understand," I say.

I pull the covers back and sit on the side of the bed. I lean onto Erick's shoulder. He puts his arm around me. "If we have a child, you will take your hybrid form, and our child will be a hybrid also," Erick says. "Will the pack accept a child and me if we are hybrids?" I ask.

"Yes, the pack will accept you, but when you take your form, it will pass to your twin as well," Erick says.

"Oh, so you think that is why Macon wants to help me? He wants to be a hybrid," I say.

"Yes, I think he wants to help for his own personal gain," Erick says.

"Well, we could just not have children. We could adopt an orphaned wolf. No one would have to know but us," I say.

"Kate, I want us to do whatever makes you happy, but we still need to find out why the imperial wolf elders are calling out to you and why your mother is trying to communicate with you," Erick says. "Maybe we should try something unconventional?" I suggest.

"Like what?" Erick asks.

"A wolf elder or medicine man or a witch. Someone who can help me communicate with her that has no interest in the situation," I say.

Angie sits up in the bed. "I know this is not my conversation, but I am in the room, so I am going to include myself. You two should talk to Karen," Angie says.

Erick snaps his head around and looks at Angie. "Why?" Erick asks.

"Because her mother is a witch, a damn voodoo queen in Louisiana," Angie says.

Erick looks at me. He is thinking hard. "What could it hurt? She does owe me big time," I say to Erick.

"So how do we shake Macon while we go talk to Karen," Erick says.

"Easy, I think I need to see the doctor, and I want you and Angie to take me," I say to Erick smiling.

"What is wrong with you," Erick asks.

"I want something to help me sleep, and so does Angie," I say.

"Well, then, let's get you two to the pack, doctor. I will pull the truck upfront. Never mind, you already did that," Erick says.

I get out of bed, and Angie follows. The three of us go down the stairs. To our surprise, Macon is nowhere to be found. Good, because I am a terrible liar. We go out to the truck and get into it.

"I know the two of you do not want to stop by the cabin where Lester was murdered, but I have to give Andrew instructions on how to handle his pack and to let him know we will be back in a few hours so I can personally address Lester's pack elders," Erick says. "We can handle it," Angie says. I nod in agreement.