Read Online Psyche Shield by Chrissie Buhr - Free Book Online Page B

patch him up, and good thing. He
would have bled to death if she hadn’t done that.”
    Sierra looked cautiously at Nathan and frowned thoughtfully
as she absorbed the story. Billie continued. “We hid in the mountains, and Kato
joined us. They told me about the vision and what Sadie was doing to prevent
it. John’s death and Nathan’s disappearance gave us the opportunity we needed.
Without Nathan here to spy for her, Cassandra didn’t know what was going on in
the pack, and we were able to continue with Sadie’s plan. She met the Mages with
her pet Beta on her arm.”
    Bile rose in my throat as I recalled that day. “It was
disgusting. I showed her off like a fancy car, and that’s all she was to them.
My possession. A prized pet. There were three of them. Three Mages, one pet
Wolf, and seven pet Humans. Plus a large handful of other Humans they used as
sentries in the nearby towns. They wanted to use Billie to lure the whole Pack
into a trap on the next full moon. They told me how they planned on claiming
everyone and offered me a share of pet Wolves in exchange for using Billie.
They never got the chance.”
    Billie picked up the story smoothly. “She uncollared Nathan
and the Humans. One of the Humans died, but everyone else got to go home. We
had Nathan back, fully himself and very different than when we first met him.
Thank the Gods for that. He was a real ass before. We’d stopped Kato’s vision,
but we were still on the outs with the pack. We headed back into the mountains
to regroup with Kato and figure out our next move. The next morning they found
us.”
    “You must have some excellent trackers to find you so
quickly,” Sierra remarked.
    Amy boasted about her friend’s skills. “Kathryn’s the best.
We went with the hunting party, but not to kill them like everyone else. We
wanted to hear their side of the story.”
    Billie interrupted Amy so she could control the flow of
information. “They found us. It was a showdown, and Jason and I had a lot to
work through. Sadie told them all about the Mages we stopped and why she
deceived us. Jason believed us. He’s still not happy about having a Mage
around, but he knows Sadie won’t hurt us. She’s proven herself. He set some
ground rules that Sadie has to follow and let us come home.” Her packmates
appreciated how she summarized it. Billie effectively excluded every sensitive
Pack detail including how she won a second fight against the Alpha. Once again
she deferred to Jason’s authority and saved his pride despite everything.
    “Incredible,” Sierra declared, obviously believing us. “I
wouldn’t have believed a Mage could ever be Pack.”
    “I’m not Pack,” I corrected her reluctantly. Jason denied me
Pack Status largely as a statement to outside Wolves, and I felt obligated to
uphold it. “I’m a Mage, and that still makes some people uneasy. Jason decided
it was best this way.”
    “But you consider this your pack and obey the Alpha’s
rules,” Sierra pointed out.
    “True.” I hadn’t thought about it quite like that. I hadn’t
had much time to ponder everything. “I guess I consider myself Pack even if I
don’t get the benefits of Pack Status.”
    “Interesting.” She thought about it as she formulated her
next statement. “I need to call my Alpha and tell him where I am. If I tell him
I’m staying with a Mage, he’s going to think I’m collared. If I don’t tell him
and he finds out later, it’ll be even worse. I don’t know what to say to him.”
    Kathryn jumped off the couch and shifted into human form
before sitting once again near my feet. The entire motion only required a few
seconds, and we didn’t have to wait for her to speak. “I can speak to your Alpha
on your behalf. I have known Graham since we were Pups and have a chance of
convincing him all is well.”
    “I appreciate that,” Sierra replied without much hope of
success.
    I shared her opinion and envisioned Sierra’s Alpha coming
after me,