“Turns out it was a good idea since I knew how to get into all of them.” He went quiet for a moment. “After the Convergence, I moved the pack here in case the Leos decided to come finish the rest of us off. The pack members are all sharing the houses, making sure everyone has access to a kitchen and a bathroom. Some of the houses are pretty packed, but we're safe here at least."
It hit me then—my brother was the Cancer alpha now. He was the one making the decisions and shouldering the responsibility for the entire pack. I'd hoped and prayed for such a thing for most of my life, for a time when the pack would be free of my father and in my brother's capable hands. I'd just never expected it to happen this way. Or this soon.
“What do you do for supplies?” Kaden asked.
“We had years’ worth of supplies stocked in the lighthouse," Wesley said. "My dad was prepared for an attack from the Leos at any moment, and he turned this place into the ultimate shelter. Plus we can fish for food, there are chickens and goats at a few of the houses, and we have weapons stockpiled too. If the Leos ever actually found us here, we would be able to defend it easily."
For once, I was glad for Dad's hatred and paranoia, though I wasn't surprised. The Cancers and Leos had been at war on and off for my entire life, and well before it too. Dad had always expected an attack, he'd just never foreseen it would happen at the Convergence.
"How many of you are left?” I asked as we walked along the path leading up to our house.
“Not enough,” Wesley said, his face turning grim. “We lost so many at the Convergence.”
I remembered all too well. The shock and fear when Dixon had murdered our father felt as fresh as if it had happened only yesterday, and I could still hear the screams and growls of the Cancer pack being slaughtered all around me. No matter how much time passed, I wasn't sure I would ever get over what I went through that night.
“Here we are,” Wesley said, shaking me out of my thoughts.
I looked up at the familiar light blue two-story house with the white wrap-around porch and felt a smile tilting my lips up. So many memories were stored in this house, and most of them were happy. It felt strange being back without our parents, but I supposed this was Wesley's house now.
He opened the door and led us inside, and I heard the faint sounds of people in the other room. "Since it was just me, I gave most of the house up to other shifters who needed a place to stay, but we can move people around to get a room for you two."
“A room?” I asked, glancing back at Kaden. Is it that obvious?
“Your scents are intermingled, and…” Wesley’s eyes caught on where my shirt had slid away from my neck, and he gestured awkwardly. "I just assumed you would be sharing."
I blushed hard. So he had seen the place where Kaden had marked me. I mean, that was the point of the mark, but I'd never thought my brother, of all people, would see it.
Kaden cleared his throat and stepped forward. “Yes, she’s under my protection, and I’ll be by her side.”
Wesley nodded. "Why don't you head out onto the back porch? I'll get your room sorted, and meet you there so we can talk."
"If it's a problem, we can camp outside," I said.
"No, it'll be fine." Wesley grinned. "Besides, the Ophiuchus alpha is our guest of honor. I can't let him sleep in a tent."
Kaden shrugged, and I knew he'd be fine with it, but as the new alpha, Wesley probably felt he had to provide suitable accommodations. I was just grateful my brother was treating Kaden with the respect he deserved as an alpha, instead of the hostility other packs had shown at the Convergence.
Kaden and I passed through the living room, and I saw some other Cancer shifters sitting on the couches playing video games or reading a book. They were all young, somewhere between ten and eighteen, and I realized their family members must have died at the Convergence. Orphans, like me. Like Wesley.
As we passed by, one of the females looked up from her book, her eyes wide. Then the other four stared at us too, as if they didn’t know what to say. I couldn't tell if they were shocked to see me alive, or wondering who Kaden was, or if they were just being typical teenagers.
I led Kaden out onto the back porch, which was set right on the beach, with the waves only a few feet away. I stopped and breathed it in, then we took our seats on the old wooden furniture that had somehow survived years of weathering. With the waves lapping at the shore and the moon overhead, it was peaceful, and for the first time in hours, I let my body relax.
Wesley came out and brought us some crackers, salami, and cheese, along with a couple of beers. "Your old room should be ready in a few minutes, and then you can go rest. I'm sure it was a long journey getting here. But first, let's catch up a bit."
I leaned forward, with one burning question I needed the answer to before we discussed anything else. "I saw the Scorpios take you down. How did you survive?”
Wesley popped open a beer and stared at the waves. “I barely did. The Scorpios attacked me with their poison claws, and I used my crab armor to block what I could, but eventually I passed out. I probably should have died, but I woke up and managed to crawl out from the pile of dead shifters around me. A woman from the Virgo pack found me and healed me. There were almost no survivors, but somehow I made it.”
“You were too stubborn to die," I said with a wry grin.
Wesley took a swig of his beer. “I could say the same thing about you. What happened?”
I took a deep breath and cast my mind back to that night, as I recounted it for him. How I ran from Jordan and found the Pisces pack, only to be left for dead again. How Kaden had taken me in, trained me, and made me one of them.
“Look,” I said, pushing the sleeve of my shirt up so Wesley could see the pack mark.
Wesley's eyebrows darted up. "Wow. I always expected you to join another pack, but I have to admit, I never thought it'd be that one." To my surprise, he leaned forward and offered his hand to Kaden. "Thank you for helping my sister when I couldn't. I owe you a debt."
Kaden shook my brother's hand and bowed his head slightly. "She's made a fine Ophiuchus."
"I don't doubt that." Wesley's eyes flicked to me. "I am sad you won't be in our pack anymore, but I guess it's better than having you be a Leo."
"If not for Kaden, I would be one now," I said with a slight shudder. "Jordan decided he wanted me back and he held me captive for a while, but the Ophiuchus got me out. Then we decided to come here to see if any of the Cancer pack was still alive. Thank you for the photo, by the way."
"I left it there in the hopes you might still be alive and would find your way to us. But if you didn't know I was alive, why come back at all?"
"We came to offer our help in getting revenge on the Leos," Kaden told Wesley. "And in return..."
I shot Kaden a sharp look, knowing he was going to say he wanted the Cancers to submit to him, but that was before we knew Wesley had become the alpha. Surely he wouldn't suggest such a thing now?
Kaden paused, meeting my eyes with a frown, and then continued. “In return, I want the Ophiuchus pack accepted back into the Zodiac Wolves.”