74.
Jacob blinked at the disturbance that lingered at the edge of his territory. The moment, he stepped on the porch, his wolves were there to respond to the threat. Quil shared a knowing look with his alpha. Then their queen came outside. The air rippled around her. Their senses shifted from the pressing intruders to her presence.
"You don't need to worry about the buzzing of those bugs," said Renesme as she slipped her hand into his. His mind calmed the instant their skin touched. The alert ringing there; dulled. "Let's grab some breakfast." She smiled. Something seemed wrong. Deep in his guts, he suspected, knew, something was wrong. But each time Jacob was sure what felt so wrong, the thought eluded him, as a wolf chasing a fleeting moon. Always gazing down at him. Smiling at his useless efforts. Renesme urged him towards the waiting pack. They flinched when she got closer.
"Jacob?" called Leah tentatively. The two brothers, Dean and Malek, exchanged a wary look. Jacob gave a slight nod. It's OK, Jacob sent down the mental link that wrapped the pack into a firm group. They all marched as one towards the main house. Quil closed the march, he kept a narrowed eye on their new Queen. He would also smell something fishy about her. Different. Too powerful. He wrinkled his nose.
"Quil!" Jacob warned. His beta sighed and rolled his eyes skyward. Too blinded by love, the beta commented. The other wolves snorted.
The usually lively feast in their new kingdom was quiet. Only the occasional cutlery clanging and loud munching broke the silence. The tension wrapped around Jacob like a wet coat. His irritation set his pack on edge. Eyes darted from the rims of smoking coffee mugs, hands lingered on spoons as if they were dreading something would break loose. Something terrible. In the meantime, Renesme sat utterly still at the head of the table. She didn't eat, she didn't drink. But she watched, listened, and analyzed. Her head cocked to the side as if she was listening to dark music they couldn't hear.
Leah let her bread fall from her shaking hands. All eyes sprung to her. She was staring at her soup as if a bug was about to emerge from it. Her eyes glazed over.
"Leah?" called Jacob. He did the same through their link. The young woman shook her head and then wrapped her trembling fingers over her hair. "What's going on?" His attention snapped back to the head of the table. A menacing growl escaped from his lips.
"She's killing them," Leah whispered with a breaking voice. Dean leaned closer to her, a reassuring hand resting on her shoulder.
"Who?" he asked. She shrugged away from him and faced Renesme.
"The wolves!" Silence settled around the table. "Sam's wolves." Jacob slowly got to his feet, his gaze riveted on his mate.
"What are you doing to the intruders?" Renesme lifted her head, a slow smirk curled her lips into a vicious little thing.
"What is it, my love? All enemies should be squashed." A shiver ran down his spine. He took a step closer to her and her raw power smashed into him, Jacob staggered back and kept his footing by holding on to his chair.
"This is still, my domain!" he growled. The Wolves cowered away from their alpha. His voice. His command. Renesme slowly met his gaze, unflinching. Challenging him.
"Sit. Down!" The roar in Jacob's head rose to a deafening sound. He fought the order with every inch of power pulsing inside his veins. Sweat beaded his forehead. His heart thumped in his temples. His knuckles turned white as he gripped the back of his chair, the wood beneath his hand groaned from the strain. Within his chaos, a feeble voice called for him. He stilled and listened. Despite all the commotion threatening to overwhelm him, the red thread linking his soul to his mate trembled under the crushing raw strength. His eyes widened and he jerked his head up at her.
"I hear your call..."