Autumn Feast - Charlie Richards Page 0,54

stranger.”

“The feeling was mutual.” Donner laughed. “And what about now?”

“I love our herd. I love Emma and the kids.” He shuffled around. “I’m still wary of the bucks—”

“That’s natural.” He pulled Rory in tighter. He didn’t want him to worry.

“I know. I feel awful with Rocco hurt. But my inner deer still struggled against leaving him in Emma’s care.” Rory had helped birth Emma’s fawn. He was very protective of both of them.

“Things have a way of working out.”

“I know. But I have a more important question.” He sounded hesitant.

“Ask me anything, Rory. You know you can. Always.”

“What are we going to do about the wolves?”

Nothing was settled. Donner wanted to declare war officially. Wanted to eradicate the wolf problem from the inside out. In fact, he’d placed a call to a vulture shifter who specialized in, well... taking people out. Or shifters, as the case might be. Donner wanted them all out, but he settled for putting the hit out on Prichard. If a better leader took over the pack, maybe that new wolf would end their issues.

He pulled on his sweatpants and a t-shirt and jogged down the stairs. Rory and Emma were feeding the kids leftovers of turkey sandwiches and sweet potatoes from the feast for lunch. Alana was obviously sulking as she sifted through her food without eating much.

“What’s going on?” All eyes lifted to him.

Alana set her fork on the table in front of her. “It’s not fair, papa.” Her accent was a strange mix of the Scottish and American of her parents. She shoved her long red hair, obviously inherited from Rory, behind her ears.

“What’s not fair, darling?” Donner bent over and kissed her forehead, but that only made her huff in protest.

“Daddy says I have to share a room if we get more deer.”

“If you don’t, where’s everyone going to sleep?”

She looked down at her food with a scowl. “I didn’t think about that. But I don’t want a room with Fin. He snores. Ouch.” She bent and rubbed her leg. Finley had kicked her under the table. For twins, they sure fought a lot.

Rory stepped in. “Now stop. I suspect you’ll share with Maja and maybe another, if we have more little girls.”

Donner saw Emma off to the side, smothering a smile. Donner raised an eyebrow, but she only shrugged.

Maja had declared herself the minder of babies, wanting little Lotte to room with them, which started another row with Alana.

Emma handed Donner a plate with a sandwich, salad, and her baked pears, which he loved, on it. “You’ll need your strength for this crew.” She nodded to the table where the kids were eating.

“No lie, droch isean. All of them!” Donner joked, calling them brats. They were good kids going through some growing pains. He took his plate and sat between Alana and Finley, smiling at both of them.

Everyone settled into their meal, and even Alana was eating. The other adults were around the house. Eryk had taken Lotte upstairs to play, and Rocco was still on the couch with his injured leg. Isla was probably taking a nap as well, which made Donner contemplate naps for everyone, especially him and Rory.

Then a gunshot exploded, and everyone jumped. The children’s’ eyes all grew wide.

A second shot.

“Get them below. Go on.” Donner rushed them, but Rory and Emma had already started guiding the children away.

“Where’s Lotte?” Maja called out, refusing to go to the basement without the littlest of them.

Emma nudged her. “Come on. Eryk will bring the babe.”

Donner pulled his phone out of his pocket and texted Martin. In seconds, Martin replied.

Wolf shot near the barn.

The barn was an extension of his house that he’d created for having babies. How’d they get so close? Shifters always gave birth in animal form, and deer were extremely vulnerable at that time. He’d made it a sanctuary. It was where his children and Maja were all born and where Donner hoped they’d have more fawns the next year. He was angry at the wolves for invading and tarnishing it. He shook himself out of that line of thought. There was no time for it. He typed a furious reply. How many?

Only two. One injured. The other fled.

By all rights, they both should have been dead, but the guards had done their job by stopping them. Martin was sacrificing a lot to have armed men stationed there. Whether the council admitted it or not, they were in a war, and Donner wasn’t about to fight fair.

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