Cernunnos - 24. Chapter 24

All eyes rested on the scribe. Walter, Arric, and Shea knew that their secretive information was no longer in their back pockets. Shea kept his hand behind him, ensuring that Cyn stayed behind. This is strange! He knows something, but...my instincts tell me otherwise.

Kieran kept a smile on his face as he turned to face the Enforcer, “Two, as in two people.” Opening his mouth in surprise, he turned to his Alpha and Beta and let a small breath out, “Oh! Did...did you guys not know?”

Arric’s curiosity was piqued. He assumes we didn’t know? This is about to be interesting. He's not even trying to cover for his mistake. “Didn’t know what?”

With a small giggle, Kieran sat upright, “Well, I saw Pris talking with some of the tracking team members about Marric getting killed. I don’t know if it’s true, but they were pretty serious about it, whispering and all that.”

Snorting, Arric kept his eyes glued, “Tell me more.”

“They were at the Paradigm earlier when I was reading my lesson plans for the kiddos tomorrow.” The lycan leaned back and set his phone down on his lap, “I don’t think they noticed me, but they were whispering pretty quietly. Pris and Cait talked about Marric, and that really upset Cait somehow.”

Shelly darted her eyes to Arric, “Alpha, Cait’s been with Hauser recently and their scents have started to blend.”

Dating. That’s a connection. Nodding to the hunting commander, the Alpha’s eyes returned to Kieran, “I want a full transcript of what was said between those two before you leave.”

Kieran grinned and bobbed his head slowly, “You got it, Alpha. But seriously, did you guys not know about Marric being dead?”

“We knew, but we didn’t expect any of you to know. Marric was waiting at the scene of the attack on the cernunnos, knowing we’d come to investigate. Kara took him down, but we would not be in this scenario unscathed without Cyn’s assistance.”

Pierce subtly took a glance to the deer behind the Enforcer, “Alpha, what do you mean by that?”

“It was Cyn’s natural instincts that spotted Marric’s rifle scope. He noticed it before the first shot rang out. I’m going to say that without him, one of us might not be here.” The statement garnered whispers from the four lower council members.

Shelly turned back to Arric, “Sir, if I am to assume the tracking team is compromised, I can have my members change priorities to become the impromptu tracking regiment.”

Walter and Arric nodded, agreeing with the plan. As the two began laying out what information they carried, the Alpha looked to his Enforcer, “Are you going to join us, Farren?”

Shea turned and looked to his boyfriend, “I’ll be with you in a bit, little man. Kara can take you back upstairs.”

“Nonsense!” Everyone turned to the elderly councilwoman and her exclamation. Greta slowly rose from her seat and faced Cyn and Shea, “It is my understanding that this young cernunnos assisted our pack and potentially saved a member’s life, if not more?” Shea nodded in response, “Then, with my requested permission from Alpha Claude, I’d like for the young man to accompany us. He’s been a part of this ordeal since the beginning, and I think I speak for the council when I say he is welcome among us.”

Arric smiled and let a puff of air out, “Greta, you should know by now, you don’t require my permission for anything around here. Cyn, you are welcome to join us. I’m sure we can use your help.”

Leaning out from behind his boyfriend, Cyn blinked as he processed the request. They want me to help? He felt a hand placed on his back and instantly recognized it as Shea’s. I...I can do this. He walked out in front, but the hand on his back transitioned to his palm. The sensation of having the larger fingers interlock with his created a natural smile on his face.

The motion went unnoticed, as the couple earned gawking expressions from Kieran and Shelly. Pierce seemed unphased and Greta owned her pleasing smile, “Sheamus, this is a surprise! I take it you have blamed fate for this courtship?”

His chuckle barely left his lips as he caught Cyn staring at him, “I suppose fate had something to do with it. But yes, my time with Cyn has been something special.”

Pushing up her black rimmed glasses, the elder cast a smile towards the deer, “Young one, may I approach you?” Hesitating for only a second, Cyn nodded but kept his grasp on Shea’s hand. Greta took a step forward and looked over the taller buck, “It has been decades since I have had the pleasure of meeting a cernunnos. Your name...Cyn. That name has a Greek background, and it rings peacefully when spoken. Your parents were wise when they named you.

“My name is Greta, and I would like to introduce you to everyone here. This here is Pierce, and he is our pack liaison to all human public offices across the city.” The brooding and suited bear nodded, barely putting in an effort to smile, “Then there is Shelly. She may be the hunting commander, but she is a true gem." The black-haired lady bowed her head and gave a gentle wave, “Lastly, our resident academic, Kieran. Appearances are deadly with this one. Dim-witted on the outside, but he carries a library’s worth of information on the inside.”

Kieran looked towards Greta and grinned cheesily, “Thanks, Miss Greta! Let me know if you want to know anything, little dude. I’m always happy to help someone learn about...well, anything!”

Cyn smiled meagerly towards the seated three and the elderly woman in front of him, “Th-thank you.”

“It is us who should be thanking you. Without you, we wouldn’t have a lot of information that we do now. We wouldn’t know of treasonous members in our pack, and our beloved Sheamus wouldn’t have such a grin on his face!” Greta tilted her head towards the Enforcer, who responded with a similar motion. She turned back to her seat and questioned the Alpha, "How much do you need from the emergency fund, Alpha Claude?"

Arric eyed the treasurer with sincerity, "We shouldn't need much. The hunting team may need some overtime pay if we're having them perform regular searches. Pierce, if you could notify the police chief to have her officers on the lookout. Express to them that they are to search, not instigate. I don't need a higher body count than what we already have."

"Yes, Alpha." The hulking bear grabbed his phone and tapped furiously, "Want me to alert Mayor Cayle? If I tell the chief, the humans will talk to one another."

"Go ahead, and begin alerting Milwaukee and Green Bay. We could use the assistance and they might want a heads-up about our rogues. Shelly, work with Walt on your course of action for your teams and coordinate with him and Kieran's database on the accused. Include Priscilla on the manhunt, she's beginning to appear involved in the plot. Kieran, I need you to assist Jaime in every way possible. We have Marric's phone and need to know what's on it."

Arric swept his vision across the seated four, "I can not stress enough that this is a serious issue. I want this dealt with. Use swift feet and a crushing fist. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Alpha!" All six council members affirmed the plan of action. Walter and Shelly immediately began laying out routes for her teams to take, while Pierce rose to make several phone calls.

Still holding Cyn's hand, Shea approached the Alpha, "What would you like for us to do?"

Looking between the two, Arric sighed and turned to the hunting commander, "Shelly, do you have a team of five ready to go?" Earning a nod, Arric ordered her to mobilize them and returned to Shea, "I hate the idea of sending you two out, but we need to find that vehicle. You, Cyn, Kara, and Shelly's team will scour the Kettle's parking lots. Find it, and bring it back here. Go as one group, and no one is to stray."

"Yes, Alpha. Ready to go, little man?" Looking down at the adorable man, he saw an unusually ambitious smile. He's really fitting in with the whole mission mindset! "Shelly, have your team meet us at the Parnell Tower lot." With the commander's confirmation, the couple went out the front door with Kara following behind.

Holding hands, Shea led Cyn to the passenger side of his car and opened the door. Just as the deer was going to hop in, he felt a tug on his hand, "You sure about coming, Cyn?"

The buck shook his head and reignited his determination, "Yeah. I...I want to. This is important to you and I don't…" His voice trailed away.

Shea squeezed Cyn's hand and pulled him in close, "I'm not going anywhere."

Kara opened the rear-passenger door and tapped her fingernails on the faded crimson top, "You two are so adorable. Just make sure you aren't making cute faces on the way there, Commander. I don't want to crawl out of this heap!"

Cyn covered his mouth as he giggled while Shea's face grew pink in a mix of embarrassment and irritation, "That's Enforcer now, Karr. Commander Farren is no more!"

"Oh, shit! Yeah, that's going to get annoying!" With the other two buckled in the vehicle, Kara couldn't help but follow the near-forgotten train of thought, "So, does this mean...that the Tracking Trio is no more?"

As he pulled away from the manor's driveway, Shea furrowed his brow. Holy shit, she's right! I guess that makes Stella the commander now. Taking a hand off the wheel to scratch his temple, Shea grumbled, "Not too sure. I'd like to ask Alpha if I can keep you two as assistants or something, but you and Jaime are too good to take off the team."

"Well, as of now, the team is compromised. It might be up for discussion, but I say combine the hunting with the remains of the tracking team. It's essentially the same concept and it would open up some ideas like a science team for Jaime and the other whizz-heads."

Now that's an idea! "Yeah, that's something! I'll talk to Arric about that when we get back and bring you in the conversation."

Kara was quick to put her hands up, "Oh, no! You keep me out of the big man talks! I'm just spitballing here. Just give a girl some credit."

"Nope! You're idea, you're presenting it. Use that comedy mind of yours a bit. Comics come up with the best ideas and that was a bright one." Cyn and Kara kept their eyes on their scruffy friend as Shea darted his eyes between the two, "Oh, come on! That was a good one!"

In an exasperated gasp, Kara dramatically folded her hand over her heart, "Oh...oh, no. Do not tell me you call that a joke." Seeing the unwavering gaze from the rear view mirror, she shook her head vigorously, "Dear Lord, help this child. Cyn, you need to tell me when and where he makes a sad attempt at a joke."

Another chuckle from the buck forced him into the conversation, "Well, I did think it was a little funny."

Pumping his arm back in excitement, Shea took his victory in all of its glory, "Take that, Turbin! I'm officially funny!"

Puffing her breath through closed lips, Kara wasn't impressed, "Your boyfriend doesn't count. Come back to me when you make Arric laugh."

Narrowing his eyes, the Enforcer silently accepted the challenge, but quickly reviewed his thought process. What...just happened? I'd normally groan at something like that! Is this more Enforcer stuff changing me? I actually feel the need to one-up Karr, to be better than her! The lycan stewed in his personality changes and absent-mindedly grabbed Cyn's knee. Well, one thing's for sure. I now want him. There's no doubt about it. He...he will be my mate.

After a lengthy playful conversation, Shea pulled into the oval parking lot and exited his car. Without questioning himself, he scoped the immediate and dimly lit area for danger. No, it's all clear. Shaking his head, he tried to understand his actions. What is up with me? First being determined and now paranoid? I'm going to need to talk to Walt or Arric about this.

What surprised him was that Cyn was doing the exact same thing! He's looking too! Walking up to the buck, Shea wrapped his arm around the small waist. That...feels nice! He's just the perfect size for me. Holding the buck in place created a calming peace between the two. Although they were still scanning the nearby areas, the couple did so with no tensity.

Cyn was in a blissful state. The bulky arms that encompassed him brought a sense of security into his body. He didn’t feel any shame or guilt by leaning against Shea. Looking up, he noticed the lycan staring back. A sincere smile came to the wolf’s face, followed by a light vibrating rumble from his chest. Cyn exhaled, borderlining between fear and pleasure. He...growled at me, but it wasn’t a bad one. I think...I think he really wants me! I don’t really know how a wolf could want a deer like this...I guess it’s the same way how I want him. “Sheamus?”

“Yeah, little man?” The low and sultry voice sent a shiver down Cyn’s body.

“When...when we get back, can we keep dating?”

Shea blinked several times, trying to formulate a response to the deer’s odd request. He looked to Kara, and understood Cyn as his subordinate pumped an eyebrow upwards twice in quick succession. Oh. Oh! Dipping his head down next to Cyn’s ear, Shea inhaled through his nose and let his voice lower, “I think we can do that, and I think you meant to ask if we can take the next step in the relationship.” He pecked the buck’s rosy cheek and was smitten by the underlying blood. Being playful, Shea took a quick swipe of his tongue across Cyn’s skin between the shoulder and neck.

Sighing, Cyn’s heart ran rampant. He really is claiming me! His former daydreams of wandering with countless herds of deer came back to the cernunnos. I...I know I’ve always thought of being with a head buck one day, but...I think this will work too! Sheamus is strong, he’s a leader, and he’s...he’s the first one to show interest in me. Sinking back into the larger body, Cyn felt perfectly molded to Shea.

Cyn’s eyes were the first to dart to the road, “There’s a car coming.” With Shea and Kara following the deer’s line of sight, a few seconds passed before they heard the sound. A large, beige Chevrolet Suburban slowed down and took the neighboring spot next to Shea’s red car. All four doors opened concurrently and feet touched the gravel lot. Shea felt his man shiver for a moment, but after a tight squeeze, the deer calmed once more. “Thank you, Sheamus.”

The lycan whispered silently, “It’s going to be okay. It will be just like earlier today, but with some different faces.” Shea looked up to the group of five, standing and ready for orders. “Which one is the patrol leader?”

“I am, Commander.” The most slender man on the squad stepped forward, causing his long, black-haired bangs to bounce across his forehead, “Oskar Reyn. Been a while since I saw you, Farren.” After a few steps, Oskar halted and squinted his eyes at the larger lycan before him, “I-uh, I’m sorry...Enforcer Farren.”

Snorting, he didn’t expect his high school classmate to stumble across his words, “It’s all good, Oskar. I’m getting used to it myself. Have you all been briefed?”

“No...sir.”

Hearing the uncomfortable leader did not rest well within Shea, “Relax, let me get everyone up to speed. What I’m about to cover is classified information, and is to be kept within the ranks of this team. First and foremost, Eike has been stripped of all council power and is to be considered a rogue member of our pack.” The statement captured all five lycan’s attention and forced their eyes on the new Enforcer, “Alpha Claude has instated me as the pack Enforcer during an emergency council meeting. We have two primary objectives. The first is to search all parking areas of the Kettle Moraine to find the vehicle that matches this key fob.” He brandished the large key with the attached ring and remote.

“Secondly, we are to guard this cernunnos. His name is Cyn, and I-”

“Woah, hang on a minute!” One of the other male members of the team garnered the group’s attention, “A cern? Like, a real cern?”

Snarling, Shea unlatched his arms from Cyn and swapped places, positioning himself between his boyfriend and the bewildered hunter, “Yes, and I will make every one of you understand something. No one, and I will repeat,” darting his eyes to the man who interrupted, Shea glared menacingly, “no one...will lay a hand on him. He is here to assist us, since he has finer instincts than anyone in our pack.”

Feeling the pressure from the Enforcer’s stare, the weaker lycan backed down with his neck exposed, “En-Enforcer Farren! I meant nothing to demean him. I’m just...I’ve never seen a cern.”

“I understand that, but there’s already three of our pack that have tried to get their hands on him, and one of them is dead. I suggest you keep your paws to yourselves. As I was saying, Cyn, along with Kara, will be leading the way. I want a tight formation surrounding them, no wandering, no scouts, and no nonsense.”

The group nodded, but Oskar held up his hand, “Sorry, Enforcer Farren, but...can we get some elaboration on why Eike’s gone rogue? Not saying it would be an issue, but as the leader of this squad, I want to know if we’ll run into any trouble.”

Fair question and reasoning. “Eike Thomas, as well as Marric Detloph and Hauser Muell have broken the new governing laws against hunting other shapeshifters. Detloph’s body has been left to rot in the south-eastern section of the forest after shooting at our earlier search party, which included the Alpha.” A few gasps filled the parking lot, as Shea aimed to conclude his explanation, “I realize that you are a hunting team, but this is not a strike mission. Should the enemy reveal themselves, on my command, we will pursue but will not engage unless necessary. This will be a long night with plenty of territory to cover. You know the objectives, now let’s get suited up.”

“Yes, Delta!” The team turned and grabbed their gear, preparing for the upcoming trek.

Shea shook his head and opened the trunk of his car. Man, that’s going to take some getting used to.