153. Cade
Cade
It had been a long three weeks. Kaya had been in such bad condition. As well as the other northerners who were sent to help us. When I had gone to trash Howi's pack lands, I had left the northers, and only a few of Shadow Pack, and the rest had gone with me. Kaya and they had held off Howi for hours before we arrived.
All the northerners who were left with Kaya were in similar positions. Where they would wake up and be in such a panic that they began to shift and get violent. It was understandable. Up until the attack, no northern had been a part of war. They had never fought amongst themselves, and it had been traumatic. But Kaya had it worse than anyone else. Howi had wanted his forces to focus on killing her. She had been their number one target.
I had stayed with her the first few nights. She had woken up and injured some of the nurses until she was sedated once again. This kept happening, and I needed to keep Sol away until she returned to her routine. When she mind-linked me, I thought she had finally gotten better and could handle seeing Sol. The visit had been going well until she had realized she had been kept sedated. Then she reverted back to chaos.
I worried she would never go back to how she had been before. I had lived through war myself, as did some of Shadow Pack. And even those who didn't live through a war were familiar with it. There was always fighting amongst wolves in the South. But the North had no idea how bloody war could be. But they definitely were superior fighters. Without them, all of us would be dead right now. When Nieva had the North come in to aid us, they quickly wiped out Howi's war party.
It was not just Crescent Moon Pack, either. Nieva had hidden them away on a small island off the coast. It had been a sanctuary for northerners that only Lunas knew about. Since it was protected by the Goddess herself, no one could mind link or receive links from others while there. Other packs from the North had fled there as Howi had been killing many of them for years.
They all had come to our aid just in the nick of time. From what the Northerns had told me, the Goddess had been instructing them on what to do and where to go. They could not have come at a better time, and those who had come to our aid were not even close to Kaya's condition or the others. They had not seen the worst of the war.
I sat with Sol, playing on the floor beside my desk. So much had happened. Crescent Moon Pack was going to become Shadow Pack. Before they came here, Nieva declared that Kaya would be their next Luna. In the North, the current Luna chose the next leader; it was natural that they accepted Kaya right away. I had previously worried about not having everyone in the pack under my rule. But, after seeing what Kaya did for Shadow Pack, how well she fought, and everything she had done to hold off Howi as long as she did, I knew she was an extraordinary leader.
I would let Crescent Moon Pack swear to her instead of me. I was okay with that. I also knew she made decisions with me and that the two of us would lead together. I didn't know when she would be well enough to take that position. She had made progress, though. I looked down at Sol, who seemed perfectly content to lie on her play mat as I worked out the details of the housing situation for all the new wolves that would be joining us.
The other packs that had come with Cresent Moon had returned to the North. But they would be back to find mates next year. The weather was just now getting cold, and they wanted to return before winter hit. I also discovered that not only did Howi have his pack, but he also had others join him. He used the fact the North was so much stronger than the South to induce fear and convince them to help him wipe out the influence that Kaya brought to the South. Other alphas had sent warriors, but none came themselves, which had been a blessing.
There would have been no way Kaya could have outlived several alphas fighting her. It had been so long since I held her. I wanted so much to be there for her, but the best thing was for her to rest. I knew Sol missed Kaya. We had worked through all of Kaya's milk and had to resort to formula, which Sol didn't like, but Kaya could not nurse her while she was in that state. But today, Sol had her fill, and she seemed to be a much happier baby for it.
Another day dragged on before I heard Kaya's mind link me again. "Cade, I am sorry I lost it. I don't know why I shifted like that. I didn't mean to." "I am coming again; I am bringing Sol. She misses you; please try to remain calm, okay. You just have a trauma response that is why you shift when you are upset. It will get better with time. When you start to feel agitated or overwhelmed, the best thing to do is to take deep breaths and put your head between your knees. Now, hold on. We are on our way. We still have things to discuss." I mind-linked her.
I went and picked up Sol. I still needed to tell Kaya that Crescent Moon Pack would join Shadow Pack. I knew this would make her happy. Her family would be here. It already was a blessing having them here. Yara, Kaya's mother, had been spending a lot of time with Sol, which was good that she was. Kaya's youngest brother was not much older, and I figured they would grow up to be close. The family was nice, and I felt bad that I had none other than Kaya.
It would be good for Sol to have a family to depend on besides just Kaya and me. When we got to the clinic, I told Kaya everything I had yet to get around to the day before. She seemed calmer today, and Sol fed for over an hour, enjoying her mother. Kaya asked over the sign, "When can I go home?" "The doctors want to keep you for a few more days, but it will improve. I can promise you that." I gave her a smile, and she barely returned it.
I knew things would be difficult for her to readjust. She would have to work through fear and anxiety. It would not be safe for Sol to sleep next to her anymore as the doctors had warned she would have nightmares that could result in her thrashing, so I had a crib brought in to make sure Sol was safe. I knew the changes would be hard on Kaya, but I was sure things would improve with time. I had been in bad shape after the war that had killed my parents, but it had been nothing like what Kaya and the others had gone through. But I knew Kaya was strong and could get through this.
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