Free Web NovelChapter 158: Thunderstrike I
"What type of pack is Thunderstrike?" I asked from the backseat of the car. Next to me was a bag of our supplies and a change of clothes.
We were on our way to Thunderstrike at the first sign of daylight, after we had an early breakfast. It was hard not to think about what would happen if we failed on our mission to procure food.
Once again Damon was in the driver’s seat, but this time, Blaise was the one riding shotgun. He had recovered enough from his wounds and he would not be dissuaded from making the trip, despite Damon warning him that the ride would be long and monotonous.
This new pack was so far away from us that we had to drive at least 6 hours to get there. They lived over the mountains; I had to roll down the windows to get some fresh mountain air to combat the car sickness.
These mountain paths were bumpy, and to make matters worse, I was sitting in the backseat. But I didn’t want Blaise to switch with me― if anything happened on route, he would be able to take over driving duties. freēwēbηovel.c૦m
Meanwhile, I might simply drive all of us off a cliff by accident. If Damon continued to insist on playing opera music in the car’s stereo system, I might do it on purpose anyway.
Blaise turned back and answered my question.
"Thunderstrike wolves are haughtier than most, and they take great pride in their lineage for a good reason," Blaise said with a wry smile. "Their pack is old, traditional, and prestigious, with a history that is longer than Fangborne. That means they have a lot of ties to other packs and to the wider human world too. If we manage to convince them to help us, it will be a load off our shoulders."
Damon scoffed. "They’re a pack of old farts. If not for the mess regarding Everhaven, I wouldn’t be arsed to travel all this way to get their help. They’re going to make us grovel and demand an arm and leg as repayment."
"This is why I’m going with you." Blaise shook his head, but he shot me a smile from the rearview mirror. I smiled back. "Imagine bringing this attitude to Alpha Thorton. He’d throw you out faster than you can breathe in his direction."
"Of course, I’m not going to show him that much cheek," Damon grumbled. "Why else do you think I’m saying all this now? I need to get it out of my system."
"What other complaints do you have about Thunderstrike?" I asked, partly due to curiosity, partly due to amusement. It was funny to see Damon bitching about other people unprovoked, instead of being the composed, domineering alpha that stayed silent with a death glare on his face.
"His son Darach is a nitwit who can’t fight his way out of a paper bag, yet he never stops opening his big mouth to talk about how his father will handle everything," Damon scowled. "Hopefully he finally developed a brain, a spine, and some hand-eye coordination. And Dahlia, his daughter..."
"Did she try to seduce the great Damon Valentine?" I drawled out mischievously. "Did she succeed in dragging you to some forbidden dark corner?"
To my surprise, I wasn’t even the least bit jealous when I cracked this joke. After all, even if something had happened between Damon and this mysterious Dahlia, it was in the past. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
I was his fated mate now, even if we hadn’t consummated the bond in a long time.
"I’m guessing she did," Blaise added wickedly. "She must have caught one glance of you from her bedroom window and her maidenly heart fluttered, causing her to be set on you for the rest of her life."
"Shut it, both of you," Damon grumbled, the back of his ears turning red with embarrassment. Blaise met my eyes and the both of us snickered at the disgruntled look that crossed Damon’s face.
"I’m looking forward to seeing them already," Blaise said, leaning back in amusement. "I would love to see anyone that makes you so angry."
"Spoken like someone who has never met the annoyances that are Darach and Dahlia." Damon rolled his eyes. "You’ll be eating your words soon enough."
***
"Wake up, Harper, we’re here," Damon said, his voice surprisingly gentle. Then he addressed his brother with a lot less gentleness. "Blaise, wake the fuck up right now!"
I was startled awake, and I quickly rubbed the sleep from my eyes. Apparently, Blaise and I had dozed off half-way into the trip, leaving Damon to drive us by himself. I felt vaguely guilty about it, but Damon seemed unfazed.
"I’m up, I’m up!" Blaise let out a mighty yawn and turned to look at me, his lips crooking into a fond smile. "Harper, your hair is a mess. It’s cute."
I patted my hair down, slightly self-conscious. Blaise might find it cute, but I wanted to make a good impression on the Thunderstrike werewolves. Every little bit counted.
"You look fine. Let’s go," Damon said brusquely, glancing at me from the corner of his eyes before looking away. He got up and slammed the car door.
"What’s his problem?" I grumbled, and Blaise merely smiled knowingly from his own seat, but refused to elaborate further. The both of us got out, and my mouth fell open as I took in the sight of Thunderstrike’s packhouse.
Calling it a packhouse seemed to be a disservice. It was practically a palace. I counted at least five floors in the building, and there were turrets with flags flying in the air.
"This doesn’t seem real," I whispered to myself. It looked like a castle out of a movie set. Any moment now, I would expect a prince to walk through the doors, chasing after his lost love.
"Close your mouth," Damon scolded without looking at me. How did he even... I glared at the back of his head and kept my mouth closed. Meanwhile, Blaise let out a low whistle, scanning the building from head to toe.
"Like I said, they really are a prestigious pack to build something like this," Blaise whispered into my ear, laughing at my shocked expression. "I wonder if the Alpha is compensating for something."
"Blaise!" I scolded, quickly looking around to see if anyone had overheard, thankfully, there were only the three of us.
How strange.
