Spirit Wolves - 12. Chapter 12

Reilly stretched and opened his eyes. Sebastian was still sleeping, so Reilly took advantage of the opportunity to study his mate. Even in slumber, his features betrayed the stress he was under. There was a slight tension around his eyes and in the set of his mouth that was only apparent this close up. His eyelids twitched occasionally, hiding whatever dreams were spinning through his subconscious. Reilly had a feeling they weren’t good.

Sebastian’s nostrils flared in a steady cycle, matching the even breaths that flowed in and out. Reilly smiled, knowing that it was his scent that filled Sebastian’s nose. His wolf gave a happy rumble at that thought. Reilly’s wolf had slowly been making his presence known, especially at times like this, when he was so close to his mate. He was still really skittish and Reilly was still pissed at him for disappearing for so long, but deep down, he understood why.

As he watched Sebastian’s slumbering countenance, he contemplated their current situation. It seemed like his life had been turned completely upside down in such a short span of time, even though in reality, this had been a long time in the making. Reilly always knew he had an Alpha out there somewhere. Finding him when he was still so young was unexpected.

Sebastian’s eyes flickered as he stirred. Reilly watched as his handsome mate eased his way into something resembling consciousness. Sebastian’s eyes were a rich shade of brown, reminiscent of decadent, dark chocolate, the pupils barely discernible from the gorgeous irises. Gazing into them, Reilly felt an overwhelming sense of rightness.

Sebastian’s lips descended over his, melding them together in a kiss sweeter than pure sugar. It was more addictive than sugar too. Reilly felt every nerve in him respond. It wasn’t long before the gentle caress deepened and the heat that constantly simmered between them flared to life. Reilly would never tire of the way Sebastian’s big hands slowly stroked over his skin.

Caleb had set them up in a guest suite on the opposite side of the house from everyone else. Hunter and Kellan were in the other room in this wing. It was still early, judging from the barest whisper of light that was peeking out through the blinds covering the windows. Plenty of time and plenty of privacy.

Reilly let out a gasp when Sebastian took hold of his cock and stroked firmly. Dammit, that felt good. His body automatically responded by humping his hips into the firm grip. He returned the favor, reaching down to take Sebastian’s thickening shaft and give it a few hard strokes, running his thumb along the slick crown.

Sebastian growled his approval. Reilly’s body rewarded him with a spurt of fluid that immediately aided the slick glide of Sebastian’s talented fingers.

They took their time, stroking and caressing one another until Reilly felt that familiar tightness in his balls. He pulled back abruptly from Sebastian’s grip and threw back the covers, exposing them to the cool air. Not wasting a single second he flipped himself around and straddled his Alpha’s face, offering himself at the same time he swallowed down as much of Sebastian’s big cock as his throat would allow. Which happened to be a lot.

Sebastian immediately took what was offered and Reilly felt himself enveloped in wet heat. His muscles shook as he processed the sensations sweeping through him. Sensations that were heightened with his newly rediscovered sense of smell. Not only did Reilly enjoy the feel of Sebastian in his mouth, the scent of his pheromones so close to the source triggered his salivary glands into overdrive and allowed Sebastian’s flavor to explode across his taste buds. He felt his balls tighten even further and when Sebastian’s finger merely grazed his hole. He was lost, exploding and melting all at the same time, pumping his spunk directly into the tight throat that gripped him.

His release triggered Sebastian mere seconds later and Reilly greedily swallowed every drop of what was offered. When they both had completely drained themselves they licked the other clean and then Sebastian pulled Reilly up into his arms, sharing a kiss, mingled with the remains of their passion.

Reilly broke the kiss, his body too relaxed to do much more than sag against Sebastian as his bones turned into squishy goo. He draped himself like a boneless cat across his big Alpha.

“Good morning,” Reilly managed to say, his voice all sated, sex-drunk and raspy.

Sebastian chuckled. “Yes, it is a good morning isn’t it? Rather a nice way to wake up, don’t you think?”

Reilly only had enough energy to nod.

They lay there for a little while, letting their bodies and minds fully awaken. The more alert he became, the more Reilly realized that, in actuality, the morning wasn’t all that great. They still had missing pups and rogue families to deal with. The reality of the situation became clearer, just as the room got brighter with the rising sun.

“Sebastian?”

“What is it, love?”

“What if this is all my fault?” Reilly whispered, dread clearly evident. It had been a thought that had gotten stuck in his head on repeat, that somehow, he was responsible for his father’s and brothers’ actions. He didn’t know how, but he knew deep down that it was his first shift and subsequent beating that set these wheels spinning into motion.

“Nothing about this is your fault. Do you hear me? Nothing. Absolutely nothing, Reilly. You are as much, if not more of a victim than anyone. What they did to you is inexcusable and unforgivable. What they’re doing to those pups? All of the atrocities that we’re hearing about? That is completely on them. I promise you, we will find them and they will pay. They will forfeit their lives for what they’ve done. None of this is your fault,” Sebastian assured him, pulling him even closer.

Reilly sighed. He knew that Sebastian and probably everyone else thought the same way. He was still pretty sure though that if he had been ‘normal’, then none of this would be happening. He knew his father. Peter Nichols may come across to others as merely an average intelligent shifter, but Reilly knew that he was an opportunist and he was smarter than anyone gave him credit for. Something happened when Reilly was tortured all those years ago, something that planted the idea and made it possible for his father to figure out a way to freeze the shifting process midway and then profit off of it. He hoped Kellan’s dad might be able to shed some light on things for them when Kellan finally heard from him.

“Can we go check with Kellan and see if he’s heard from his dad?”

Sebastian nodded and gave Reilly a quick kiss before leading him into the bathroom for a shower. Reilly was grateful for the strong arms that enfolded him from behind under the hot spray. His wolf, always uneasy, calmed at the closeness.

Upon entering the kitchen they were greeted by Ben and Zev. Ben was working at the extra large griddle, flipping pancakes and stacking the finished ones on a platter under a warming lamp set into the stove hood. Zev nodded toward the extra large, commercial coffee urn that was on a side counter as he pulled a tray of crispy bacon from the oven. “Help yourselves,” he told them.

Sebastian grabbed two big mugs and filled them, putting cream in one before handing it to Reilly. Reilly pulled in a huge lungful of coffee scented air through his nose and he swore it was the next best smell, coming in after Sebastian’s own unique scent.

They were soon joined by Caleb, and shortly after, Kellan and Hunter made their appearance. Everyone helped themselves and took a seat at the table.

“Kells, did you hear from your dad?” Reilly asked, no longer able to contain his curiosity.

“I had an email from him first thing this morning. He’s going to call me as soon as he gets a chance. I’m getting a gut feeling that he’s trying to get the family away as fast as possible. Caleb, may I have your permission to invite them here?”

“Of course," the Alpha nodded. "As soon as you know for sure I’ll make sure one of the cabins is ready for them. How many people do you think will need accommodations?”

“Five, hopefully six if he can get Reilly’s little sister to come.”

Reilly’s heart stuttered at the mention of his little sister, Channon. She would be fifteen now and Reilly wondered if his father and brothers had poisoned her against him. She had hero worshiped him when she was little, always tagging along with him and Kellan whenever she could. He loved her and missed her ever-present smile and infectious giggle. He hoped she was still the carefree spirit she had been when she was younger.

It was a somber mood when the group sat down after cleaning up the kitchen. Silas joined them along with Wayne and Sandi.

Caleb nodded to Sebastian, deferring to his higher Alpha status.

“Well, has anyone thought of anything new?” he asked.

When no one answered Sebastian addressed the group. “Here’s what we know so far. Peter Nichols is Reilly’s father and head of his and Kellan’s old pack. Right now it seems like all signs are pointing toward him being behind all of this. Hopefully Kellan’s father will be able to give us a better idea of what’s happening when we hear from him. Without a doubt, Reilly’s father is responsible for the kidnappings of the missing pups. Reilly is certain none of his brothers are intellectually capable of pulling something like this off on their own. Now, whether or not Nichols is somehow modifying them genetically for rather nefarious purposes remains to be seen. My heart wants to deny that it could be true, but my gut is telling me otherwise. I have a theory, but nothing concrete to back it up.”

“Tell us what your theory is, Sebastian,” prompted Silas.

“I think that when Nichols and his sons were torturing Reilly, they may have inadvertently found a way to halt the shifting process. I have a feeling that it has something to do with hormones and how they relate in some way to painful stimuli. Reilly told us that they forced his wolf to heal him fifty-seven times.” Sebastian paused to let that number sink in for those who were hearing it for the first time.

He pulled Reilly close to him, letting his touch and scent soothe the skittish wolf. “Can you imagine being twelve or thirteen years old, hell, any age, and enduring that sort of torture? Reilly doesn’t remember all of the details, but what he does remember is clear. He remembers the pain and he remembers how it became harder and harder for his body to make the switch. I’m not a scientist or a chemist, but I do know that high levels of stress drastically affect the levels of all sorts of chemicals in your body. What if pubescent shifters create a unique chemical when they are put under duress while shifting? Something that could be used to halt the shift. Reilly has already confirmed that his shift took longer and longer, basically leaving him only half shifted for extended periods of time, before his wolf just, well, gave up and refused to shift anymore. It left Reilly stuck in human form, unable to call his wolf anymore.”

“So how do we stop them?” Zev asked.

Just then Kellan’s phone chirped and his face lit up as he looked at the screen and swiped at it, “Dad?!” His voice cracked. Kellan nodded and it was apparent he was on the verge of losing it. He hadn’t heard his father’s voice in over eight years. His lips pressed together tightly as he nodded and put his phone on speaker. “Okay, everyone can hear you.”

Jack Porter greeted everyone through the speaker. “Hello, uh, I guess I should start by saying that we’re all okay. I had plans in place for pretty much every scenario and we were able to get away safely. My wife is with the kids getting some food. Alpha Caleb, I’d like to formally request sanctuary within your pack for myself, my wife, our three children and Reilly’s sister.”

Reilly started to shake as Jack mentioned his sister. “Is she with you now Mr. Porter?”

“Hello Reilly! It is so good to hear your voice. Channon is with Connie and the kids. We left in a rush and it’s been a little hectic the past few hours. The boys were getting hangry so we needed to get food for them. We’re just outside of Mr. Micco’s territory. It should only take us an hour or so to get there. I need an address to put into the GPS.”

Caleb supplied him with the information.

“Reilly, Kellan. Sons, we will be there shortly and you can talk to everyone in person. Right now I’m going to round everyone up so we can be on our way. I’ve got a lot to tell you all.”

Kellan had tears in his eyes and his voice wavered as he replied, “I love you Dad. Tell Mom and the gang too.”

“You can tell them yourself when we get there. I love you too. Both of you.”

Kellan ended the call and burst into tears. Hunter pulled him close, but one look from Kellan spoke volumes. He needed his best friend. Reilly immediately went over and hugged his Lambda close. They were more evenly matched size wise, now that Reilly had filled out. His own tears flowed just as freely. Jack Porter had no idea how much it meant to him to hear him call Reilly ‘son’, and to know that he would be seeing his sister shortly.

Rosalie had been correct when she said that Lambda’s had unusually strong family ties. The past eight years had been extremely difficult for Kellan. It went against his natural instinct to be away from his family and pack. Only the overwhelming need to protect Reilly had kept him from going back. The next hour couldn’t pass quick enough for either of them, but especially Kellan.

Reilly and Hunter tried to keep Kellan occupied until his family arrived, but gave up after ten minutes. They merely watched as the shifter tried to wear a hole in the floor. All sets of eyes turned to the front when their keen shifter hearing finally picked up the sounds of a vehicle approaching. Kellan ran out the door so fast his body was merely a blur, Reilly was hot on his heels.

The rest of the shifters made it to the big front porch in time to see a group of shifters scrambling to get out of the minivan that had pulled up. The next few moments were pure chaos as everyone tried to hug and kiss the loved ones they hadn’t seen in so long.

Kellan’s parents smothered him, and his siblings surrounded the trio, effectively sandwiching everyone.

Sebastian watched as Reilly clung to a young girl in her mid-teens. Both of them were crying and the girl looked like she had her brother in a death grip.

Caleb and his pack watched, happy to witness such a long awaited reunion. It took a while for everyone to settle down and when the hugging and kissing had abated, Reilly led the group over to make introductions. Kellan was still incapable of speech.

As Reilly introduced his surrogate family to Caleb, each of them tilted their heads slightly to show respect to the generous Alpha. It wasn’t everyday that an Alpha took in a group of shifters without any questions asked. Alphas were extremely protective of their pack and territory which is why it was so important for visitors to get permission to enter pack lands. Failing to do so could result in death.

Jack Porter, his wife Connie and their three other children, Nick, Shawn and Hollie were introduced to everyone. Connie couldn’t hold back her gasp of delight when Hunter was introduced as Kellan’s mate. She was just as enthusiastic at hearing that Sebastian was Reilly’s.

Due respect was shown to Sebastian in recognizing his unique standing.

Caleb took over when it became clear that the group would stay outside all day and catch up if allowed. “I hate to break up the reunion, you may continue it inside, however, we do need to remember that there are pups still missing and time is probably not on our side. The faster we can figure things out the better off we will be.”

The group sobered up at the grim reminder and made their way inside. Sandi immediately said she would get an early start on dinner with a big group to feed. Connie and Hollie offered to help and Nick volunteered his service as well. He was sixteen and still at that age where Alphas intimidated him. Shawn was twenty-two and far enough into adulthood to be included in the more serious discussions.

Channon clung to Reilly, not wanting to let go of her big brother. Reilly had no idea of what her life had been like the past eight years, but he could pretty much guarantee that it hadn’t been a walk in the park. Sebastian gave him a look of understanding.

Reilly sat his sister down in a chair and squatted down in front of her. “Hey Channonball, are you okay with staying here and hearing what Mr. Porter has to say?”

Channon smiled at her old nickname and nodded. “Yeah, he told us everything in the car. I’m not a little kid any more Mr. Right of Way.”

Now it was Reilly’s turn to smile. Channon used to call him that when she got mad at him. She said it was because he always had to have the right of way when they argued. What Channon didn’t realize was that Reilly could only be that way with her. If he had tried to tell his father or brothers how to do something all hell would’ve broken loose and they would have smacked him around to exert their dominance.

Reilly gave her another hug and kissed her cheek. They could catch up a little later. Right now they all needed to hear what Jack had to say.

Once everyone had taken a seat, Caleb turned to Jack. “Okay. let’s hear it.”

Jack took a deep breath before starting. “First of all, thank you for taking such good care of our boys.” He tilted his head in respect toward both Sebastian and Caleb. “Kellan explained a lot in his email to me and I’m honestly embarrassed to admit that I stayed in the pack for so long. I should’ve left when Kellan and Reilly did, but I couldn’t leave Channon behind with that monster.”

“Thank you for protecting her,” Reilly said, pulling Channon close to him, at the same time leaning more closely against Sebastian.

“If there had been a way to take her away without putting anyone at risk, I would have. I knew that Peter was hiding something, I just had no idea how major it was. On paper, the pack finances haven't changed much over the past eight years. However, the Nichols family seemed to be doing quite well for themselves. I never had direct access to Peter’s personal accounts, but it seemed like he started a massive spending spree about six years ago. Renovations to the house, new trucks for him and the boys, toys like ATVs and snowmobiles. Things that I knew weren’t possible with any of the profits the pack was making on its legitimate businesses and investments. Granted, I controlled those investments and was directly responsible for the pack’s financial welfare. It was in my best interest to make sure the pack had enough funds to support its members.”

“Speaking of members, the pack seemed to go through a major turnover not long after Kellan and Reilly ‘disappeared’. Peter seemed to buy the enraged act that Connie and I put on when Kellan took off. I’m not sure if he even realized that Reilly was still alive. He told everyone that his ‘pansy ass faggot son’, ran away and good riddance to him. He told me point blank that our family was better off without ‘a cock loving traitor’ in its midst.”

“I wanted to kill him. No one slanders one of my pups like that!’ Connie interjected, rather indignantly. Reilly tried to hide his amusement as Kellan rolled his eyes at his mom. She was usually soft spoken, but became a true mama bear when it came to protecting her loved ones.

“She did. I’ve never seen her so mad. Anyway, there was a bit of discord from some of the pack who didn’t share Peter’s views. Within a year we lost about a dozen members. I thought that Peter would take it hard, but surprisingly he didn’t. Not long after, he received petitions from a few outside shifters for admission into the pack for themselves and their families. Let’s just say all of the newcomers were a little, um, odd. Over the course of the next year and a half the pack increased in size to seventy-eight. It doubled, and not in a good way. The original members that remained were scared to try and leave. Right now there’s at least four families who are pretty much stuck there. The rest of the new pack I’m sure is connected to whatever nefarious dealings Peter is up to.”

“Do you know if any of the new members have any sort of science or chemistry background?” Sebastian asked.

“Yeah, there are three that I know of. One said he had taught chemistry at the collegiate level. Um, a university in the midwest, Nebraska or Kansas, I think. Then there’s a female shifter who said she worked for a major biotech company and got burned out. The last one, he was supposedly a molecular biologist who was doing research involving the ancient catastrophic eruptions of Yellowstone. Something about trying to find molecular evidence that could help pinpoint when it would erupt again. I’m sure they were all lying about their reasons for joining the pack, but they are definitely scientists.”

Caleb nodded in agreement. “What about pups? Any new additions from the outside, specifically pubescent or pre-pubescent?”

“There were a few, although I rarely saw them. A couple of times at pack meetings. The additions were pretty recent, most within the past two, maybe three years. Connie, you probably know more about them than me.”

Attention shifted to Kellan’s mom. “In the past two years I know of four new families that have pups in that age group. As far as I know, none of them have had their first shifts. They all seemed rather quiet though. Unnaturally so. Most pups that age are rambunctious, particularly so in the couple of years leading up to their first shift. At that age, all of mine seemed to have boundless energy and no off switch. The new pups weren’t like that. Come to think of it, there is one of the pups that I haven’t seen around in at least three months. Not since the Harvest Moon run.”

That little bit of information sobered the group further. In all likelihood the pup had shifted for the first time and who the hell knows what happened after that.

“What else can you tell us Dad?” Kellan asked.

“Well, like I said before, the general state of the pack’s finances are legitimate. I’m pretty sure though, that one of the newcomers has his finger on the pulse of the illicit transactions. One shifter stands out, Jordan Kiersey. He’s become pretty chummy with Reilly’s brother Daryl. The friendship may be real, but it’s also a good excuse for him to be at the main house all the time. He’s been part of the pack for almost five years now. That’s not long after Peter’s extra spending started. My thoughts are that Peter found a backer for his research and Jordan’s connected somehow. There’s no way he could’ve pulled any of this off without some serious financial backing. I’m not a hacker and have no clue even where to begin to look for a financial trail.”

“You don’t have to. I think I’ve got that covered,” Sebastian said. “I’ve been in the security business a long time and I know someone who can probably help. I’ll call him and see what he can come up with for us.”

“Why don’t we take a break for a bit and get Kellan’s family settled in the guest rooms. Sebastian, please try to get a hold of your contact and get the ball rolling. We can continue this in a couple of hours over dinner. I’m sure you guys want a little bit more time to catch up.” Caleb nodded at Kellan. “Wayne, why don’t you and I relieve the Porters in the kitchen so they can join the rest of their family. I’m sure your mate will appreciate the help. We’ll reconvene in the dining room at six.”