His Reign (The Opeth Pack Saga Book 1) Page 2
He hated hearing her beg but he stroked her soft hair and whispered, “This is the way of wolves. It truly is survival of the fittest.”
“No!” Lukina burst into hysterics, pounding her fists on Józsi’s back. “No, not like this! This isn’t us against man or nature! It’s insanity at the hands of the Flower Maiden!”
That bitch again. Their supposed goddess whose sole purpose was to guide them toward this ideal of paradise…Józsi scoffed. With Lukina's outburst, he tried to remain calm despite the storm raging inside of him. “We all knew it would happen someday, Lukina. The prophecy said so. The pack must now make a choice.”
“No, Józsi! It cannot work that way with an insane maniac on the loose. He’ll kill us all. Even our pack witch has left us, leaving us defenseless. Her absence we can deal, with but do you not care for your other mate?”
He turned from her, shook his head. Of course he cared for his two mates, but the triad of him, Lukina and Ilona was nothing more than an experience he'd regretted because of the outcome. Why bother with the painful details? “Why do you both need me?”
“Because Kiba is losing his mind and needs to be stopped. He is causing problems with other packs and will not listen to our Elders or anyone else. And we still rightfully belong to you!”
He'd felt Kiba losing his mind from across the ocean. The weak bond had nagged at him at various times throughout the years, particularly in the winter, but there had been no way for him to be sure since he’d broken off most of his contact with the Moon pack, finally severing ties after his last trip six years ago. “What makes you think I can stop him?”
“Nothing. Ilona and I want out of Hungary. We want to be free again as we were before Kiba.”
Trailing a fingernail over her soft cheek, he wiped away tears. “The man is a fucking psycho. I cannot help you. There’s nothing I can do. I’m sorry. ”
Her eyes widened. “But you promised Ilona and me. You promised you’d always defend us, always love us. You promised that someday you’d come back for us.”
“I…I…” His mouth hung open. He had no defense. In truth, he'd given his word at an early age before he'd had all the shit to he had to deal with. He'd sworn before the moon itself to protect them from harm as they were bound to him, and he to them.
He realized now there was no other choice. “Okay.”
Her head tilted to the side and her voice lowered. “You’ll be on the plane tomorrow?”
He sighed heavily. “Tonight.”
Lukina looked into his eyes. “Really?”
He blinked. Seeing desperation in her exhausted expression tore at him. He couldn’t leave his mates alone, even if he wanted to. “Yes. Really.”
Her eyes lit up. “Thank you, drága.” Dear.
Anything for Ilona. “What is her American name now?”
Lukina ran a hand through his dark hair. “She calls herself Meredith.”
Surprised, he shifted his weight and held Lukina closer. “Does anyone actually call her that?”
She nodded. “Yes. She’s grown quite fierce and violent since Kiba lost his mind.”
He sighed heavily. “Has Kiba been talking about finding Paradise again?”
Lukina blinked and wiped away tears that streamed down her cheeks. She sniffled. “Yes. Swears he can find it, and that all of us belong there. Says the way to Paradise has to do with sacrificing certain females of our pack. He’s also been talking about showing humans exactly what we are so they can worship us.”
Paradise. The magical place wolves were said to have been created in, then kicked out of, and granted return only upon fulfilling a prophecy no one knew much about.
Pure bullshit, as far as Józsi was concerned.
He hated that she’d been here ten minutes and already he’d been brought back into pack politics.
“The man was always an old fool, ever since I can remember. Now he’s just slipped further into madness.”
Lukina pulled away from Józsi and returned to his leather recliner. She picked up his cigar and took a puff on it.
He rolled his eyes at her and let her take his cigar.
Finally he tossed her his torch. “It needs to be relit. And since when do you smoke?”
“Drága, anything to be close to home again.” She referred to her father and his own. Both men used to smoke cigars while out walking around the castles on the north side of Lake Balaton. She picked up the lighter and lit the end of the cigar, taking a few short puffs before getting a deep breath. Exhaling, she blew out a thick ring of smoke that billowed above her head. “I like the smell of these things.”
“I do too.”
Neither said a word for a few moments. Józsi watched Lukina closely, wondering what exactly was on her mind. She'd loved their homeland, so had Ilona. Could they both really want to live elsewhere when the proper nourishment and environment existed for wolves in Hungary?
He had to suppose so.
Lukina had always been progressive.
She twitched nervously, fiddling with her fingers while sitting in the recliner.
“Why didn’t your sister accompany you here instead of remaining back in Hungary?”
Lukina’s eyes widened. Sorrow crossed her beautiful blue eyes.
Józsi felt like shit for asking, but the question needed to be voiced.
“Because Kiba had been chasing her. I didn’t know what else to do so I came here.”
Naturally. Józsi rubbed his temples, feeling the stress build already. “Where did they last go to?”
She took another puff on the cigar. “I don’t know. He wouldn’t say to me or anyone else who asked, for that matter.”
“I assume this behavior has to do with Prophecy.”
She nodded slowly.
His jaw twitched. “Figures.”
Lukina finished her glass of wine. “Hit me again.”
Józsi filled her glass. He hated asking but needed all the information if he was going to risk his life for his mates. “So, what’s new in this prophecy?”
Lukina took a long sip of her wine and set her glass down. “You’re still the one we’re all betting on who will be Alpha.”
He snorted. Never. He wasn't cut out for the responsibility of giving others hope only to have it yanked it out from under them like a cheap rug. “As if.”
“Hush.” She clasped her hands together and tilted her chin up. “The witch left us, as I said earlier. She could only translate about half of the texts left by the Elders before they died. Once the pack is structured properly with all the parts are in place, the heavens will supposedly open up and let us into Paradise.”
He frowned. “The idea is pure bullshit at this point. We’ve been on this planet for how many years, and so far have been given what? A witch that left us, an insane wolf who became Alpha, and what of Les?”
She ran a hand through her red curls. Pulling her cloak around her, she sighed. “Les is staying with us but keeping mostly to himself. He made a play for the witch but Marco interfered.”
Les. The young pup once thought of as the loser of the pack. Józsi had heard of him through the grapevine, was aware that the Omega had managed to find himself dumped on American soil and that was the last he heard. “Marco, huh? What happened there?”
Lukina smiled. “Long story short, turns out he and our witch are mates.”
Shock must have registered across Józsi’s face because Lukina’s grin widened.
“Yeah,” she continued. “Surprised me too. But he’s destined as we all are, to fulfill roles in the prophecy. Just as it is writ, it has been fulfilled.”
“I want no part in it.”
“Fine.” She reached for her glass. “We hear you. I just want my mate back. And…”
Józsi nodded. “Good. Now that we’re settled with that.” He took back his cigar from Lukina and puffed on it, only to find it had gone out again.
She handed him the torch.
He relit his cigar and inhaled, sucking in th
e opulent creaminess of the Ecuadorian cigar before blowing out a huge cloud of smoke. “It’s time for bed.”
She stirred in the leather chair, caressing his thigh with her foot.
The gesture made him hard. It also annoyed him. He looked down at her, seeing her through her mass of red curls to see her beautiful round face. She’d developed hard lines from age and hardship, no doubt. But she still looked as beautiful as the day he met her.
That memory was one he’d keep buried.
“I’m still sober.” She thrust her empty glass in his direction.
Sighing, he poured another glass of wine and handed it to Lukina. “Drink up. Get some rest.” Taking a long, slow sip, Józsi finished off the bottle. “We must leave late tonight if we are to return and avoid detection.”
Lukina reached for the glass and took a long sip before setting it in her lap and swirling it around. “Kiba doesn’t know I left. I was out on errands when I made the choice to come find you.”
“Oh.” Józsi swirled his still full glass for distraction. “He knows you’re gone. Through the link our pack shares, weak as it is, I’m also sure he knows that you’ve found me. I’m sure he’ll have something waiting for us.”
She sighed. “Is there nothing we can do?”
He met her gaze, and saw his anger reflected in her beautiful eyes. “Get some rest. I’ll handle this.”
Lukina nodded. “I’ll help. I want to.”
He cocked his head slightly. “You’re just out to further annoy me, aren’t you?”
She stuck her tongue out.
The offer of help was definitely heartfelt, yet he remained determined to keep her from danger. “You need me to. You don’t remember the lands, I’m sure.”
He growled low again. Lukina was right. He hadn’t remembered most of the land or the way to where their pack called home. He’d left that information behind when he came to America.
It only took several years and for him to stop visiting…
Lukina slid down the leather chair and onto the floor before she leaned against his knees, resting her head on his thigh. “How have you managed avoiding discovery of what we are here?”
“I live in a large city. People here in Houston are too busy with the mundane dealings in their lives to notice what’s right in front of them.”
“So you hide out in the obvious.”
He nodded.
“Come on, let’s go to bed. There’s room for you.” He sighed heavily. He did not want to revert back to pack habits of sleeping huddled up. But the sight of Lukina’s body and the warmth she’d provide him with was something he’d missed anyway. If he could only get Ilona out of his mind.
He stood and walked down the short hall to his bedroom.
Lukina slid off the chair and followed behind him.
“Why did you leave us, drága?” Dear.
Walking to his bedroom, Józsi peeled off his shirt and turned to face Lukina.
Grinning, she licked her lips.
He tossed his shirt aside and turned away. “Because I don’t take orders very well. And I hated hearing all the bullshit about the prophecy.”
“You do know,” she said as she dropped her cloak behind her and stepped out of her pants, “that our witch is pregnant with our future ruler, right?”
Glaring at Lukina, Józsi reached into the top drawer of his dresser and found a pair of sweatpants. “Here. You are not at home, so you will sleep clothed.”
She frowned. “I could put you in the mood, you know.”
Damn right she could, but it wouldn’t be right. Not after ten years of absence and not without their third. Józsi glared at her.
She spoke in a sweet, singsong manner. “It’ll be our first time.”
Józsi continued ignoring the fire beginning to heat his body. “And I don’t care what the witch’s business is. It’s none of mine.”
“It’s Marco’s baby.”
His jaw twitched.
Marco was a troublemaker. Several years younger than Józsi, Marco was always stirring things up and causing mischief. “So the little bastard settled down finally?”
She nodded. “He nearly killed Les.”
Józsi did well to hide his surprise there. It also figured that he’d end up with a softhearted witch.
Józsi handed Lukina the top he’d picked out for her. It was oversized as well, dwarfing her. “You’ll get used to clothes.” He threw on a tank and shorts and climbed into bed.
Lukina climbed in beside him, facing him. She wore a pout on her face. “I’ve gotten used to seeing you and your large muscled body very easily.” Her voice dropped another hitch.
She was cold compared to him. Snuggling closer to him, she wrapped an arm around his waist.
He let out an exasperated breath and rolled away from her. Closing his eyes, he felt her arm snake around his waist. Józsi pushed her away and lay on his stomach. After a few minutes, he heard her breathing settle into a slow rhythm. When he was certain she was asleep, he finally closed his eyes.
Her fingers found his and interlocked. “I need this…”
The warmth felt so comforting. He hadn’t felt this feeling in years and it seemed he needed it too, even if she would be naked and tangled around him in the morning because instinctively, he'd strip off his clothes and revert back to pack mentality of cuddling for warmth.
Chapter 2
Józsi kept his teeth clenched tightly the entire ride back from the airport to Lake Balaton, southwest of Budapest. His body felt tight with the thought of being reunited with any of his old pack members. Marco hadn’t returned from the States; he was still off with his mate and pack witch, Selene. The change would be interesting to see if he cared more for the pack. True, he had been taught pack was supposed to come first but in the end, the daunting idea of prophecy and all its' bullshit destiny pissed him off and shattered any idea of loyalty beyond those he loved.
The beat up truck Lukina led him to would get them back toward their lands. "I'm amazed this piece of shit still runs."
She didn't acknowledge him, she simply opened the door, slid in and slammed it shut.
He crawled in, had to jerk the door to get it to shut with a loud squeal. The cracked leather gave way to his weight and he swore he heard fabric tearing once Lukina adjusted the seat and steering wheel to compensate for her shortness.
Of course it took a few times for the engine to turn over, but Lukina managed to get it started before they made their way from the airport to the more rural areas by the lake.
The paved road gave way to a dirt road that cut through wheat and cornfields on both sides. Lush vegetation could be seen in the distance. His stomach clenched.
Lukina drove the truck down the path into the forest. “We’ll stop the truck about ten miles from here and have only a two mile jog back to where we are in a nearby villa.”
“Are we still in Balatonföldár?” Józsi looked out the window, watching the landscape change from modern buildings and classic European architecture to the flora and fauna of the flat lands.
“Yes. We haven’t changed locations in over a hundred years.”
Józsi nodded. The region by Lake Balaton was still sparsely populated. The sun set behind them over the lake, giving it a beautiful glow. “Seems as though nothing’s changed.”
“Nothing has, really. Other than Kiba’s madness.”
He snorted and his gut tightened at the mention of Kiba. “We suspected that would happen someday. The other Elders were mad to let him have the pack.”
“I wish I had known earlier. I would have followed you with Ilona out of Hungary.”
“It wouldn’t have mattered.”
“Why did you leave us, Józsi?”
He turned to look at Lukina, met her fierce gaze, saw the fearfulness in them. Her eyes were focused on the road, but he knew she was paying close attention to what he was saying. The narrow set of her eyes made clear she wasn’t going to take any bullshit answer he gave her, either.
“Because I had no business remaining here. I don’t love this country, and I don’t care about wolf pack politics. I just wanted to be left alone. Is that too much to ask?”
She gasped, then closed her mouth and frowned. Her eyes lowered and what seemed like her last sense of hope shredded before him. “I suppose it is.”
He had no idea what to truly say other than the things he felt. “I didn’t mean to hurt anyone.”
“Tell that to Ilona. You’ll have to deal with her. I’m just her little pack sister and lover. Don’t expect her to be too happy with you.”
Józsi looked away. He’d known what was coming from her when he saw Lukina. “You’re just more forgiving than she is, I take it?”
“With you, no. I just love you, that’s all.”
Lukina had always been logic and reason whereas Ilona let her emotions rule her world. They'd served her well until he'd left. He hoped she'd grown used to the harshness of the world but still retained her inner beautiful light. “I see.”
The truck stopped in front of a large wire fence. Forest and flatland beyond that lay just ahead of the fence. Lukina shut off the engine got out of the truck, pocketing the keys before slamming the door shut with a loud groan. “What are you waiting for?”
Józsi looked at her, watching her intently. The beautiful redhead standing before him in her white cloak, boots and pants with matching gray top became a wolf with narrow killer’s eyes and soft gray fur. Lean and muscular, she paced back and forth in front of the truck, motioning with her head for him to follow her.
“I…”
She barked.
He swore he'd protect them. He had loved them once, very deeply. Now, he was just doing a favor to Lukina but the gesture still irritated him. “God damn it!”
Józsi stepped out of the truck. Slamming the door shut, he heard an echo in the distance, a wolf crying.
His gut tightened. The yelp sounded familiar.
“God damn it!” He became a wolf instantly, suddenly remembering the feel of walking around stealthily on all fours, having much more heightened senses than he did as a man. It had been forever since he'd shifted and ran in Texas. He had time, energy and lack of desire to thank for that.