The Pack Girl's Retribution (Sequel to The Pack's Girl)

Gifts

"I know..." I whispered. Gaze falling. "But my mates thought you hold more power over him than you sound..."

"Did they?" The smiling note in her voice made me lift my head.

"Does that please you?"

"It does some, that they'd think so."

"One confided to me that you've had him under your sway since you were nearly pups."

That made her face brighten even in the dark. "Thank you for that Vanna. But please don't say such things to anyone else."

I understood why she asked. It could make the alpha seem weak.

"I won't." I promised.

"I will need all your help very soon." I told my mates around the dinner table.

Vanquish set down a hawk's leg to eye me. "Did you get the Alpha's permission?"

"I talked to Lyra Lani."

"That was a good call." Racer applauded.

I looked at Vanquish and he lowered his head in a subtle nod of welcome.

"I think we may all end up separated if things go the way I suspect. And I want you to know that you three are everything to me. You mean the world to me." I reached over to stroke the back of Vanquish and Hunter's hands. Giving Racer a long look across the table from me, so

he understood he was equally as important.

"Why would we be separated." Vanquish eyed me askance.

"That's a poor idea." Racer chimed in.

I don't know of another way.

"I don't know what'll happen yet." I told them. "I

don't even know if Draven will approve my request."

But I hope so. I'm relying on Lyra Lani to plead with him, use her wiles, whatever she must do to convince him.

"Where is this conversation going?" Vanquish cut to the heart of the matter in characteristic fashion.

I've commissioned gifts for each of you. A testament of my devotion to you.

Hunter was already holding out his hand. Curiosity written over his face.

Eager for any gift I'd give him.

I pulled the three leather medallions from under my dress and lifted them over my head. Each of them was strung on a leather necklace. I slipped one in every direction.

Each male took one and studied it.

"This is really beautiful." Hunter proclaimed. "Remarkable really."

"I think this is the first time someone's ever given me a gift." Racer breathed.

"This will not suffice if we must be away from you." Vanquish's hand fell to the tabletop with it in hand and his eyes roved my face as if memorizing every line of it.

Somehow, I'd known he would be the one that'd be difficult.

He always is...

***

I knew I'd been having the same nightmares again because when I finally started enough to wake up, I found my mates curled into a frame around me. One on each side and one slung across the foot of the bed. Their dark shadows calm as they rested in slumber.

Guarding me as best as they can from my own memories.

But as much as the nightmares tormented me, I lived for them. I was garnering pieces of memory from each of

them.

Fragments of my life before... I knew I'd been important but didn't know who I was or who my pack was or if it'd matter to anyone but me.

It feels like it should.

Feels like it would be very important to all of us. But I sensed that was just my own urgency pounding beneath my flesh.

Sighing I smeared a hand across my sweating forehead to dry it and slumped back to the bed.

"Everything okay?" Hunter asked.

"As much as it can be."

"Dreaming again."

"Nightmaring again." I corrected.

"I'm sorry." He sounded mournful. "I wish we could bear them for you."

"You wouldn't want to."

I sensed his desire to argue but he subsided.

***

I rolled over, finding Vanquish on the other side of me. I flopped a leg over him and wrapped an arm over his chest.

Hunter tucked against my back and rubbed between my shoulders to help me relax.

Between them, I felt much safer.

Which should've made it unsurprising that I was soon lost back in slumber again.

But this time was very different from the rest. I was younger. Very small and I was skipping from the woods. I could see a flawless white skirt over scrawny legs. And I held a fistful of ugly flowers I planned to give my mother. Very proud that for once I had collected them without the help of my brothers.

It was a sunny day, and in the distance, I could hear the drizzle of a river. Early morning yielded dew still clinging to the leaves above me and dripping on my dress and hair as I passed, beneath them. But I felt so cheerful I hardly noticed as I skipped back home.

I flung open the door and found everyone around the table. Making the huge Main Room seem incredibly small. The sunlight poured in behind me and my two older brothers grumbled and cursed me as they shielded their eyes from the abrupt early morning light.

My older sister, Laila Bae, defended me laughingly.

"Be nice to your baby sister!" She chided the older ones.

Still grumbling, the blonde one stood and strode to the door. Hooking it with a booted toe to swing it closed. "It's too early for that shit."

"Aviari!" BailaLae chided. "Language!"

"Yes." Killian drawled. "Do watch your foul tongue around the delicate ears of our baby sister."

Aviari tilted his blonde head and quirked a square jaw. "For the record, both you and Vanna Rae have fouler mouths than anyone in this house."

"Not sweet little Vanna Rae!" Killian objected in horror. Holding his arms out to me.

"How could you say such a thing?" He feigned shock.

I skipped to my favorite brother.