The Imperial Wolf Series Books 1-3
Chapter 33

Erick

POV

I pull into the cabin. I leave Angie and Kate in the truck. I think they have dealt with enough today, and I need Kate mentally prepared for whatever Karen might tell us about communicating with Kate's mother, Rainwater.

I step onto the porch. Cassie and Andrew come out to talk to me. Cassie looks over to the truck to see Angie and Kate inside the cab. "Where are the three of you going?" Cassie asks me. Andrew perks up with interest. "We are going to get some answers, I hope. Macon is nowhere to be found. He took off," I say. "I am sure he is lurking around here somewhere," Andrew says.

"Keep your eyes open for him. I do not need him terrorizing the pack," I say. "I do not think he will; he seems concerned when you two are not screaming at each other," Cassie says.

Andrew steps off the porch and walks over to the truck to check on Angie. "Something going on with the two of them?" I ask Cassie. "I think they are both too shy to admit it; maybe I can give him a push," Cassie says.

"Where are the three of you going, seriously?" Cassie asks. "Cassie, I do not want Macon to know, so I am going to keep it to myself," I answer her. Cassie looks disappointed in my response, but I cannot tell her, and she accidentally let it slip out to Macon. Andrew comes back to the porch. "Listen, I need to notify Lester's pack immediately. I know they will want to do their own investigation, and his body will need to be picked up by imperial elders," I say.

Andrew nods his head. "I will reach out to the imperial pack. What do you want me to tell them?" Andrew asks.

"Tell them the truth. Tell Lester's pack that Alexander killed him. At least, that is what we think happened. We really do not know what happened. I will be back by the time they come to collect him. This errand should not take long. You should ask Trip and John to help you. They are good men; just ask Cassie; she can vouch for both of them," I say.

Andrew and Cassie go to his truck, and I go back to Kate and Angie. The two seem okay as we leave the cabin. "What did Andrew say to you, Angie?" I ask her. Angie blushes. "He only wanted to know if we were okay," Angie answers. I bet he did.

"Before we get to Karen's house, I have to tell you both that she has a boy there that is very sick, Austin. He is my brother, and I will not allow anyone to hurt him. Whatever happens, he is not to be harmed," I say.

"I would never hurt a child," Kate says. "Me either," Angie says. "Good, I don't want any high emotions in front of him either if it can be prevented. We are going to talk to her civil. I know it will be hard, but we need to know if her mother can help Kate," I say.

We ride in silence. My mind is going a thousand places. We need to get back to the pack before the imperial elders come to collect Lester. I know the elders will have a lot of questions. Some of those questions will be difficult to answer, and I want Kate prepared. I need to locate Macon before he goes off the rails and starts trouble. I wonder if he will take over as Alpha. He has one of the imperial packs, but if he had both, he would be unstoppable.

We pull into the tiny house where Karen and her son Austin live. Karen comes to the window. She sees me, and I can tell she is puzzled. She comes out to greet me when she sees Angie and Kate. She immediately becomes terrified.

"I have committed no crimes. I have not left this house. Please don't take my son or my life," Karen says.

"Stay in the truck," I say to Angie and Kate.

I get out of the truck and go to Karen. "I need to talk to you. Actually, Kate needs to talk to you. We are not here to hurt you or Austin. We need your help," I say.

Angie looks behind me at Kate and Angie. She nods her head in agreement. "Okay, Alpha. I will help you," Karen says.

I turn to the truck and motion for Kate and Angie to get out of the truck. The two get out and walk up to the sidewalk where Karen and I are standing. Karen looks at Kate and gasps. "Oh my," Karen says.

"What is it?" Kate asks. "You look different. You look more like your mother than before," Karen says.

"I need your help to communicate with her," Kate says. "You have to ability to do all of that on your own," Karen says. "I cannot focus enough to do it. I need to know why the wolves are screaming at me in my head. I need to know about my past, and I need to know who I am," Kate says.

"Kate, your past is your past; there is no need to go back there. Trust me, I know better than anyone what the past can do to you. As far as your mother goes, Macon told you the truth. He is a prick, but he is not a liar. The wolves do want something from you," Karen says. "What do they want?" Kate asks.

"They want you to complete the transition so you can protect the imperial pack," Karen says.

"I do not understand. I am not a member of their pack," Kate says.

"Don't you see what is happening? When you transition, you can merge the two packs into one unstoppable badass pack with you as Alpha," Karen says.

"I do not want to be anyone's Alpha. I want to be a wife and a mother," Kate says.

"You and Erick are destined to be together in a way. My Alpha knew it. He was afraid you would kill him and take the pack from him. That is why he wanted you dead. You, my dear Kate and Erick, will form one hell of a pack together, You as the Alpha of the imperials and Erick the Alpha of Moon River. Don't you see?" Karen says.

"Where does this leave Macon?" I ask.

"It leaves Macon one pissed-off wolf that will probably try to kill you both," Karen says.

"Do I have any choice in any of this?" Kate asks.

"Yeah, you can skip breeding with Erick and just be a small pack, or you can have a child and built one hell of an army, but be ready because Macon will come for you and your baby," Karen says.

"How do I make the wolves leave me alone?" Kate asks.

"Easy talk to them. Imperials have the ability to communicate with nature in a way that we do not. You can communicate with your ancestors and other imperials. All of you are linked in your mind and in nature. It is a really cool thing, but it can be dangerous. There are no secrets among the imperials," Karen says.

"Wait, so I can communicate with Lester and see what in the hell happened to him?" Kate asks.

"Yes, I am sure his pack is already on the way. No need to notify them, Erick," Karen says.

I grab Kate by the arm. "We need to get back to the house before they get there. I do not need a slaughter," I say.

"You better hurry. I bet the imperials are mad as hell. If I were you, Erick, I would let Kate do the talking," Karen says.

The three of us get into the truck. I drive fast to get back to the house before the imperials have time to get to the house. We need to be ready for them.