Page 8 of Welcome Home: When Shifters Unite!
“Friends help and support each other, Adira, and hopefully one day you will see me as the friend I would like to be. Yes, an older than you friend, but a friend none the less.”
“I would like that. I’ve more friends now than I think I’ve ever had. Leo is great and is going to live in the house with me, so are Robbie and Stella.”
“That will be good. It’s a large farmhouse and with six bedrooms, so you’ll have more than enough room. You’ll be creating your very own pack.” Mavis gives me a huge smile, and I giggle at her comment.
Once I left Mavis muttering about finding information and dismissing me, I arrived at the B&B where I assisted Joyce in cleaning the kitchen, and getting everything ready for breakfast the following day.
Alan Letterman has the clause added to the lease regarding the option to buy, and it’s passed by the town council. I sign the lease, and we all four move into the old farmhouse quickly.
The next week we spend every spare minute cleaning every room in the place. Which is hard after working all day at the school. But we do it with smiles and laughter. Creating our home and, yes, our tiny pack. A pack of misfits, but a pack all the same.
The old furniture was in good condition, and after we scrubbed it and left it out in the sun to dry, it looks much better. The rooms smell of lemons mostly thanks to the cleaning agents we used. We will have to decorate some of the rooms because the wallpaper is peeling.
Thankfully, we can all work easily together, and we hold each other in high regard, with respect and love as family. Leo does a lot of the heavy work. Stella and I wash out and organize rooms. Robbie has scrubbed clean every inch of the kitchen and has become the cook and bottle washer. Between us, we are creating a home and we are going to protect it fiercely.
The library is magnificent, but it is disgustingly dirty. I have spoken to Mavis, and she is going to help clean and organize it. While also looking for anything that can help me search.
At the end of the second week, the library was taking shape and Mavis had found a book about the forming of the Elder Council. I am reading in the evening after my share of the chores are done and I’m finally finished for the day.
‘Adira, I think we cannot trust the Elder Council.’
“The book tells us it is a different Elder Council way of doing things to what we know today. They are supposed to put every pack’s needs as a priority. Travel to each at least twice a year. Hand out punishments to the officers of the pack if needed, and to make sure Alphas don’t overstep their position.”
‘We need to be careful. Always be alert and warn the others.’
“Yes, we will.”
Before I can say more snarls, growls, and fighting can be heard coming from the woods. It’s not on our property, but it’s not far away from us. I run downstairs and see Robbie in the kitchen, taking out his double-barrel shotgun.
“Stay here, Robbie, protect the house. Is Leo or Stella around?”
“They both went to see what was happening just before I heard the fighting start.” Robbie is ready and standing at the back door looking out towards the woods.
I allow Blue to take over and I give her control while we race to where the fighting is happening, and reaching it, I can’t help but be shocked to see three lions, plus one fighting with Kazi. Now, Leo’s lion, Kazi, is enormous, and he’s half the size again of these others. He’s also vicious, so I’m not overly worried, but I am watching the others because I don’t want them joining in with the fight.
Biting, swatting with his claws out, Kazi is not posturing or making any noise. He is in this to kill, and it’s more than obvious by the way he is fighting.
Blue is alert and Iris, Stella’s wolf, is standing beside us, waiting and watching. The three lions that are not fighting are pacing but not attempting to join the fight, but one false move and I’ll not stop Blue from ripping into one of them.
We may not win, but we’ll fight for our family with everything we have. Iris is the same, and the conversation Stella had with us about forming a small pack so we could all mind link, now is making far more sense. I think Leo would be the perfect Alpha or, in Lion shifter terms, King. But convincing him could be more than a little difficult.
A huge roar sounds and Kazi shifts back to his human self. I keep my eyes off him and watch the other lions who are backing away slowly.
“DO. NOT. COME. BACK.” Leo roars at the three as they turn and run. We dig once more to bury another body.
“What do they want?” Stella asks and Leo shakes his head, rubs the back of his neck, then starts to walk toward the house. Both myself and Stella following. Me with my eyes on the ground, although Blue was happy to have sneaky looks before I shiftedback to human. Stella, however, isn’t shy at all and is walking along buck naked and ogling Leo’s ass.
“Get your eyes off my ass, Stella,” Leo snaps. I giggle and place a hand over my mouth while he continues. “I should have been helping lead the pride, but I didn’t want a part of it. I still don’t want a part of it. We will place some traps around our yard, giving us some warning if they come back and get close.
“We are going to have to tell the town council, aren’t we?” I ask, because that has got to have been heard by someone.
“Yeah, I’ll do it. I don’t want you to be seen, Adira, as part of it. Keep your head down, work as normal. I’ve a bad feeling something is going to happen and you are going to be in the middle of it.”
I stumble to a complete stop and watch as Leo and Stella continue walking back to the house. What could I possibly be in the middle of? I’ve done nothing or caused any trouble! Leo has to be wrong. He may be the one they are after and that’s all there is to it.
Leo comes back from the town council later that afternoon and looks far more relaxed than when he went. Robbie has plated our meal and we all take a seat, but are waiting for Leo to tell us what is going on.
“The town council are not happy that a pride is encroaching on our territory. Yes, we are rogues, but the Elder Council has given it to us so we can live peacefully, and as legally as we can be without being under their control. It stays that way as long as we do nothing to break the peace and trust that was formed. They will be speaking to the Pride involved, and I hope that will be the end, but we need to be alert just in case they won’t step down.
