The Imperial Wolf

Erick POV

My morning has begun the same way it has over the last six months. I wake up alone and look at the empty side of the bed where my wife should be; I forcefully pull myself together, so I appear strong before my pack. I get dressed, and I go downstairs to help Cassie with Austin.

Austin beams when he sees me every morning. It was hard the first month after his mother died. I took on the responsibility of Austin, my brother. He is just a child, and like me, he is alone in this world. After I make sure Austin eats and is ready for his nanny, I go to my office and deal with whatever pack business is on the agenda for the day. Then, just like every day for the last six months, I begin my search for my wife, my love, my Kate.

Lester’s pack joined my pack after his death. Overnight, the Imperial pack and the Moon River pack became one pack. I took on a huge responsibility. Lester’s pack of Imperials is not as large as Macon’s pack, but the extra wolves help with protection and the search for Kate.

There have been so many lies told over the months about Lester’s death. When Lester’s son, Shawn, connected with him in a mind link, he knew it was Macon who killed Lester and that Macon was the one who set all of these events into motion. There are still many unanswered questions, but I will not give up until I know the truth.

Alexander has not been seen since Kate disappeared. I saw Alexander in the woods the night Kate was taken. I ran that night for hours to blow off steam and to try to channel my anger for letting my wife be kidnapped right in front of me. When I saw him, I let my anger get the best of me, and I tried to kill him. I should not have gone after him. He could have helped us find her. The wolves that do know where Kate is will not talk to me or any of my wolves. Being without Kate and not knowing where she is or if she is okay is a living nightmare for me. I want my wife back. I miss her.

“Erick, there is someone here to see you,” Andrew says as he enters my office.

“I have things to do; put it on the agenda for tomorrow,” I say sternly.

“It is Shawn, Lester’s son. He says it is urgent, and he must see you now,” Andrew says frantically.

I don’t want to deal with anything other than looking for Kate, but I will not turn Lester’s son away. He gave up being Alpha so that our packs could unite to fight off Macon. He did what was suitable for his people. “Send him in,” I say. I lean back in my chair and wait for Shawn.

Andrew leaves the doorway of my office and goes to collect Shawn. I wonder what could possibly be so urgent. Everyone knows I do not see anyone in the afternoon. If you want to see me, then you make an appointment for the morning. I spend the afternoons looking for Kate and following up on leads.

Andrew comes back with Shawn. Shawn is a giant wolf. He is bigger than Andrew and me. He is solid and smart as hell. He would have been an excellent Alpha to his pack, but he felt combining the packs was for the best, and he wanted his people to follow me. He has helped me a lot with the structure of the pack. Shawn knows his stuff. He has been an asset in so many ways to the pack and me.

“I am sorry to disturb you, Alpha Erick,” Shawn says.

“It is okay. I always have time for you, Shawn. What is up?” I ask him.

“I have been doing some research on my own about Macon and his pack. I hope you do not mind,” Shawn says.

“No, I can use all of the help I can get. I am not getting anywhere finding Kate or Alexander,” I say.

Shawn comes closer and hands me a photograph. “Is this Kate?” Shawn asks.

I look over the photograph, and it is Kate, but she has put on a lot of weight. She looks pregnant. “Where did you get this?” I ask him, growling.

“As I said, I have been doing my own research and investigation. I want to find out everything that happened to my father,” Shawn says.

“Where did you get this, Shawn?” I ask him again.

Shawn lowers his eyes. “I know where she is, but you will have to trust Alexander and me to get to her,” Shawn says.

“Shawn, I have a hard time trusting anyone after Angie clocked me in the head with a tire iron,” I say, growling louder at him.

“Well, I am not planning to clock you in the head with a tire iron, but I am planning on helping you to get your wife back,” Shawn says.

“Andrew, what do you think?” I ask Andrew, who is standing behind Shawn, listening.

Andrew moves closer to us. “I think we should try,” Andrew says. Andrew picks up the photograph of Kate. He looks at it and looks at me. “She is pregnant,” Andrew says.

“I can see that,” I say.

“She has been gone for six months, Erick. If she is pregnant, she doesn’t have long to go. We need to find her fast,” Andrew says.

“I know,” I say softly.

The thought of Kate having a child without me is the worst thing I can think of for her. Kate is a strong woman. I know she is surviving without me easier than I am without her. I need her back here with me, and I want her with me when she has our child.

“Okay, Shawn. What are we going to do to bring her home?” I ask.

“Alexander is waiting for us in Seanet. We need to be there by nightfall,” Shawn says.

“You already made arrangements with him, I see,” I say to Shawn.

“Yes, I was planning to go with or without you, Alpha Erick. No disrespect, but I plan to kill Macon,” Shawn says.

“We cannot leave the pack unprotected. We can only take a few wolves. If Macon came here while we were gone, it would be disastrous for the pack,” I say.

“I know. It would be stupid for the Alpha to leave without leaving someone here to look out for the pack,” Shawn says.

“Cassie can do it. I trust her, and she loves this pack,” I say.

“Wasn’t Cassie sleeping with Macon?” Shawn asks.

“She only slept with him the one time, and, trust me, she regrets not killing him. Macon kept Cassie distracted, so she wasn’t on her game, and she was his alibi for killing Lester,” I say.

“Do you trust her?” Shawn asks.

“Yes, she has been here since Kate was taken. She has helped this pack tremendously since everything happened. She is a warrior and a damn good wolf. I trust her to oversee the pack while we go get Kate,” I say.

“These are my people too, Alpha Erick. I need to know my wolves are safe while we are gone,” Shawn says.

“I understand that, and they will be safe. I promise you that. Cassie will take care of the pack,” I say.

“I am coming too,” Andrew says.

“Andrew, I need you here with Cassie. I can take John and Trip,” I say.

“As you wish, Alpha Erick,” Andrew says.

Erick POV

Andrew and Shawn leave me to make arrangements; I have the responsibility of Austin and two packs now. I start making notes for Cassie. I try to think of every small detail that may come up while I am gone. What am I doing? Cassie is bright, and these notes make it look like I do not trust her. I throw the notes in the garbage.

As I lean back in my chair, thinking when I should be running out the door to get my wife, Cassie knocks and enters my office. “Alpha Erick, Andrew said you needed to see me urgently,” Cassie says.

I lean forward. “Yes, we are going to search for Kate. I have a lot of responsibility to throw in your lap on short notice, and I am sorry for this, but I need you to do this for me. You are the only wolf I trust to oversee the pack while I am away,” I say to her.

“It is okay; I can handle it. Whatever you and the pack needs, I am willing to help,” Cassie says.

“I can have someone come to help you with Austin in the mornings and at night. I know he has a nanny, but you have a lot of responsibility with him. Now until I come back, I need you to be responsible for the pack,” I say.

“No, I enjoy being his caretaker. If anything comes up, I will have his nanny help me. He does not need people he does not know around him. He has been through enough. I love that boy,” Cassie says.

“Andrew will help with the day-to-day stuff, and he will stay in the house until we return. I hope we are not gone long,” I say.

“Andrew told me she looks pregnant in the picture Shawn has of her. Did Shawn say where he got the photo of her from?” Cassie asks.

“It does appear she is pregnant. I need to get her home quickly. I bet she is terrified,” I say.

“And the photo, where is it from, Alpha Erick?” Cassie asks again.

“Alexander tracked her down,” I say.

“Alexander, can you trust him?” Cassie asks.

“Right now, I only want to get Kate back. I have no choice but to trust him. We are meeting him tonight at Seanet,” I say.

“Vampire country, you are going to vampire country,” Cassie says, worried.

“Yes, I know, but I have no choice; I need to get her home,” I say.

Cassie sits down in a chair in front of my desk. “Listen to me, Erick, we need you to come back here in one piece. Try not to take any unnecessary risks and keep your temper under control. Get her and get back here to us. The pack needs you, and Austin needs you,” Cassie says.

“I understand all of that. I will be careful. I will try not to lose my temper with those damn vampires,” I say.

“Good, don’t worry about the pack. Andrew and I will take care of the pack,” Cassie says.

“Cassie, thank you for everything you do here. This pack is lucky to have you,” I say.

Cassie smiles and leaves me to prepare myself to look for Kate. I am fortunate to have her here. She has been good for Austin and the pack. She has become the pack mother in Kate’s absence. She has fought with the men and consoled the women in times of need. Cassie has been at the side of every woman having a baby or losing a husband. She has become something very special to this pack. Cassie is a warrior and a gentle counselor to everyone, even me.

I look at the photo of Kate. She looks so beautiful—her petite frame with a prominent baby bump. I wish I had been there for her through this. I hope she is not scared. I want her home to give birth. I want to be with her. I do not want even to think about what Macon would do to our child. He said our child would be a great weapon. I will be damned if he uses our child as a weapon.

I finish up in my office. I go out and close the door. I hope when I return that I return with my pregnant wife. I hope Macon has treated her well over the last six months. I cannot bear the thought of her being mistreated in any way.

I walk out onto the front porch. John, Trip, and Shawn are waiting for me. “Are you ready?” Shawn asks me.

“Yes, let’s go get our Luna,” I say to the men.

John and Trip are ready. They are both well packed with weapons. “I hope you have something in that pack to kill vampires,” I say to John.

“You know it. Andrew fixed us up with some badass weapons just in case,” John says. Trip does not say anything. I pull Trip to the side. “If you are afraid, I can take someone else. I know you are expecting a child any day, and I do not want you to feel obligated to go,” I say to him

“No, Alpha, I am not afraid to go with you. I am worried about my wife having our baby alone while we are gone,” Trip says.

“Cassie will look out for her, I promise you. Megan will not be alone. The pack will look after her,” I say to him. This seems to put his mind at ease.

We walk across the yard to my truck. I hand the keys to Shawn to let him drive since he knows where in the hell we are going. Vampire country is where we are headed. Not a place any wolf should go, but I will face it for Kate and hope we come back alive with her.

Shawn drives with care as we head to Seanet. Seanet is a beautiful town on the bayou. It is the perfect place for vampires. There are a lot of tourists to feed on and plenty of land to spread out. The vampires in Seanet are older vampires. The older vampires have a strong distaste for wolves. It makes me wonder why Alexander wanted to meet there of all places. Right now, he is calling the shots. He is the only one that can lead me to Kate. If he wanted me to meet him in hell, I would storm the gates and fight the devil to get my wife back.