On the Run (Texas Run Series)

Chapter 24 - OH MY Gosh!!!

I want to thank everyone who faithfully reads my story.   Thanks again to all who read and a lot of Thanks to JD Cave and Challengethemind for all her loving work in editing these for me.  Hope yall enjoy and if you like please vote comment and pass it along to others. Thanks so much. Tina

I dedicate this to flowergurl11 for being the first to comment . Thanks

Chapter 24

With a stunned look, Kaitlin’s uncle looked away ashamed. Luke had a bad feeling about what the old man would say next. Somehow, deep in his soul Luke sensed that he would not like the answer

Luke slumped his shoulders and shuffled his feet while Craig tried to still the butterflies that erupted at young Luke’s words. The young leader turned quickly enough to a lust filled man who was emitting strong mating pheromones.  Just the smell was making Craig quite sick to his stomach. Thoughts of giving away his young niece to this ruffian was beyond Craig’s thoughts. His poor young niece deserved a life of comfort and prestige not the rough and tumble life she would live as mate to such an upstart. Craig believed they might mate Kaitlin off to a son of a master Luna and stop the upcoming war.

The war was unstoppable unless the powers of the Luna’s and the powers of the shifters were to combine. They would need a level headed and faithful leader not one who earned his place by default. Luke had always been a second place brother who everyone allowed to be number one to keep the family peace.

 There was no way the fledgling would be strong enough and level headed enough to rule the entire shifter nation. He was too hot headed and cocky. He would set the shifters against each other in a matter of days. They would be fighting two wars the day Luke was allowed to mate Kaitlin. They would be fighting Shifter amongst shifter and Shifter against Luna. Without a firm and wise leader, the nations would crumble allowing the Lunas to win this war.

The Lunas wanted nothing more than for the shifter nation to turn on itself. While the Lunas could kill off some of the shifters, they could not kill them all. After all, their mates were shifters.  Though if the shifter killed each other off; the blood would not be on their hands and so it would be better.

Luke’s sense of dread built. Somehow, he knew Kaitlin’s uncle would not give their mating his blessing.  Luke’s heart began to break even before her uncle could utter the words that would forever tear his world in two. 

“Luke, son, I do not think you would be the best mate for Kaitlin. You are too rough around the edges and hot headed to boot. Come you must see this from my perspective. My niece has suffered at the hands of the Lunas. They kept her mother from her, killed her father, and stripped her grandfather of his very animal essence. If she were to mate to you, we would stand to be wiped out.  You, the second born son of a lower Alpha? What do you stand to bring to us as a leader? You rule your pack in a way that people fear you. They want their true leader yet you stand in the way. Please… the fight between you and your brother was a joke. Did you pay him to let you win? He did not even try. Please… we need someone who could rule with strength and blood. We need a smart, wise, and fair leader. Tell me son is that you? What do you mean to bring with you discontent and discord. Please do us all a favor and stand aside. Denounce your mate so she can be mated to a wise and fair ruler. One who might stop this upcoming fight and who might keep the shifters from self-destructing.”  Craig finished his speech leaving everyone stunned.

Even Mary Margret, Alpha Cliff’s mate, hung her head and turned back out the door she had just stepped through.  Luke fell to his knees his wolf howling out in pain.

Somehow, what Alpha cliff said made sense. How would he protect his sweet and loving mate when everyone else was killed before him? As he sat there contemplating his future without his mate his body seemed to be ripped in two. All of a sudden an anger ripped through him lighting a fire as it went. The anger that flowed through his body was not his or his wolf spirit. This anger stemmed from outside his own. The angry fire ripped and burned tearing him to shreds. As the anger consumed him, he knew it came from Kaitlin. She observed and heard from him all that had gone on. She’d seen her mate give her away with not one word of objection.