Alpha King’s Secret Baby (The Runaway Mate #1)

Chapter 2

Bastien

I walked the perimeter of our pack commune, scanning the forest as I went. I could have left it to my subordinates, but I liked to do it from time to time before I went on patrol. Things had been peaceful lately, but there was always a possibility that a rival pack would seek to take our territory or other shifters would try to move in. The Moon Edge pack had many enemies and few allies. The Kisatchie Forest was a highly sought-after territory. With natural, wild areas growing rarer each year, shifter packs didn’t get the space to run free like we used to. Our territory was vital to preserving our pack and avoiding integration with humans, and we’d defended it for decades. As leader of the pack protectors, I took my job seriously.

All was quiet. I breathed a sigh of relief and let my shoulders drop as I returned to the commune. In recent years, the only strangers we’d seen near our territory were humans who stumbled upon us while hiking. They usually assumed we were some kind of weird religious group and left us alone.

It was just past midday, and the commune was alive with activity. The women who weren’t involved in teaching the children were busy with chores. The men either worked in Jensen—a nearby mid-sized town—as handymen and laborers to provide money for the pack or joined the pack protectors.

My friend and second-in-command approached me. Jules was the closest thing I had to family since the death of my parents when I was a kid. I’d been raised by the pack, bouncing from house to house, but more often than not, I ended up with Jules’s family since we were the same age. His mom had always looked after me like I was her own. If I hadn’t been the only one with black hair—a contrast to Jules’s and his mother’s vibrant red—strangers might have mistaken us for blood relatives.

“Hey, man,” Jules said. “You ready to head out?”

“Yeah, I just finished walking the perimeter.”

“You really should let the newbies do that.” He rolled his brown eyes. “It’s boring grunt work.”

“I like the quiet,” I said with a shrug. It was the truth, but I also liked seeing all was well with my own eyes. I knew Jules would call me paranoid if I mentioned it, though. Maybe I was, but I’d rather stay alert than be caught off guard.

Jules just shook his head, and we set off toward the guard post at the commune entrance.

“Did you hear James and Diana started seeing each other?” Jules asked, talking about two members of our pack I didn’t know well.

“Oh,” I replied blandly. I didn’t care about the romantic lives of —well, anyone.

“My mom told me,” Jules continued, unperturbed by my disinterest. “She’s been asking when I’ll settle down.”

I grimaced. “Better you than me.”

“Careful, she’ll start nagging you next,” Jules warned.

“I have the benefit of not being a relation,” I pointed out. “It’s grandchildren she’s after.”

Jules nodded. “It would be easier if I found a fated mate, you know? At least that way, it’s like, bam! Here’s someone perfect for you, and she feels the same way. Go forth and multiply.”

I shuddered. That was the last thing I wanted. “That’s one pack duty I’m not doing,” I stated, my jaw tensing.

Fated mates—like my parents—made stronger offspring, but I hadn’t connected with any of the women in our pack when I came of age. I didn’t have a mate, nor did I want one. I proved my worth to the Alpha in other ways. My strength protected Moon Edge .

“Are you really sticking with that, man?” Jules asked.

“Why wouldn’t I? Nothing’s changed.”

Jules let it drop.

We met up with the patrol team at the guard post. I didn’t need to instruct the six other wolves who would join us, as they knew the drill. We’d head south first, sweeping clockwise until we covered every section of our territory. The patrol usually took an hour if we didn’t run into any problems, and we usually didn’t.

“Let’s head out,” I commanded.

We shucked off our clothes and left them at the guard post. After we shifted, I took point. We didn’t take the same trail every time. Jules called me paranoid—a complaint that came up often—but there was a reason I was the leader of the pack protectors at such a young age, and it wasn’t solely my strength. Our Alpha chose me for my tactical mind, too.

I usually loved running through the forest, but as we darted through the trees, I couldn’t enjoy the dirt beneath my paws. My skin prickled uncomfortably, and my hackles rose. Something was off.

I glanced back at Jules, and even in his wolf form, I saw he felt it, too.

The forest was our territory, and the creatures within were used to us. While they largely stayed out of our way, they didn’t react much to our patrols. But there was a stillness to the forest that could only mean one thing. A predator was around, and it wasn’t us.

On high alert, I followed our route, scanning the trees and sniffing the breeze.

Tension coiled within me, my wolf readying himself to defend our pack with force. It wouldn’t be the first time we came across intruders in the forest, and so far, my track record was perfect. But I knew the penalty for failure, and it wasn’t my Alpha’s ire that I feared. Losing more people I cared about kept me up at night.

Within ten minutes, I picked up a feline scent—different from the occasional wandering wild cat. This was a shifter scent. Worse, there were multiple of them. I growled and adjusted course, the group following my lead. We followed their tracks, ready to chase them off or fight.

But another scent caught my attention. It belonged to an unknown wolf. She was strong but scared.

Feline shifters and another wolf? Are they hunting her?

A howl pierced the air, and my gut clenched painfully. I knew it was her. It was a plea for assistance from a pack. She may not be ours, but we’d answer her call.

I howled in return and doubled my efforts, wanting to locate her as much as I wished to take down the mountain lion shifters that had invaded our territory. We were close.

I burst through the trees to find three mountain lion shifters ripping and tearing at a wolf’s limbs while two others flanked them. She tried to fight them off, biting and shaking, but even an Alpha would have trouble against five foes.

Jules and the other pack protectors fanned out as I raced to assist her. Something drove me forward, an urge to protect stronger than I’d ever experienced. I clamped my teeth around one of the mountain lion’s legs and yanked him off her. The lion scrambled, claws moving like scythes, and sharp pain erupted in my face. One eye went blurry as I tried to blink away blood, but I didn’t let go. I snapped his leg with a twist of my head, and he let out a roar of pain. I threw him aside. My priority was the injured light-brown wolf.

My team dispatched the two flanking mountain lions like it was child’s play. They’d made a mistake coming into our territory, and they’d pay with their lives.

Jules helped me take down my next foe, freeing the girl from its clutches. It didn’t stand a chance. The third released her, understanding that the odds were in our favor. My team waited for my command. I had two choices: kill the final lion or let him go. The latter would allow him to warn others that the Moon Edge pack territory was not up for grabs. Killing was a necessary evil, but I didn’t relish the opportunity. But the safety of my pack was my top priority. I stalked forward, ready to do my duty.

The girl’s legs collapsed beneath her, and everything within me demanded I go to her. The mountain lion made his escape, jumping into the river and braving the rapids. I didn’t chase after it and signaled for my team to stand down. If the lion survived, he would be a fool to return. And we’d be ready for him.

The girl lay on the ground in her wolf form, panting. I slowly walked toward her, trying to demonstrate I meant no harm, but she gave a warning growl as her eyes darted to Jules and the others.

I shifted into my human form. The wound over my eye stung, but I wiped the blood away and focused on the girl.

“Hey, it’s all right,” I said, attempting to soothe her. “We’re here to help.” I turned to my team. “Give her some space.”

They backed off, shifting into their human forms as they retreated. I also stepped away and crouched so I wasn’t looming over her. She stared at me. Her eyes were the darkest gray I’d ever seen—almost reflective. My wolf wanted me to pick her up and take her back to the pack, but it would be better with her compliance.

She bowed her head and let go of her wolf form, revealing a slender body and wavy brown hair. Scratches and bite marks marred her arms, legs, and side. She crossed her legs and covered her breasts. I frowned. Nakedness was normal in wolf packs. I wondered if she grew up around humans.

Her scent was stronger than the pines that surrounded us, feminine and earthy, urging me to bury my face in her neck.

I tried to suppress my attraction. Her small hands didn’t cover much, but it wasn’t the time to be thinking about sex. She was hurt and vulnerable, but I wanted nothing more than to mount her right there on the forest floor.

I’m a terrible person.

“What’s your name?” I asked. “I’m Bastien of the Moon Edge pack.”

Her eyes darted down, and her cheeks reddened before she quickly looked away from my crotch. “I’m Casey,” she said. No mention of a pack name, but that wasn’t a surprise.

“Can you walk?” I asked. My wolf urged me to pick her up. She was hurt; I should be acting, not talking. But I didn’t want her to fear me.

She shrugged, hesitant.

“Do you have clothes somewhere around here?” I asked, wondering if that was the sticking point.

“I left them”—she waved vaguely over her shoulder—“back there. I got turned around when I was running away.”

“My men can find them.” I glanced at my team and said, “Jules, set up a perimeter with Duncan and Tom. The rest of you follow Casey’s scent and retrieve her clothes.”

I didn’t check that my orders were being followed; I knew they would be. Casey relaxed as the other wolves disappeared.

“What were you doing out here?” I asked.

Her gray eyes filled with sorrow, and her pink lips thinned. “My father died recently, and I came to spread his ashes,” she whispered. The pain in her voice was still fresh.

“I’m sorry,” I said, my heart clenching as if her loss was my own.

She tilted her head. “You know, I typically hate when people say that. But not with you.”

“I know what you’re going through,” I said. “I lost my parents when I was young.”

I hadn’t talked about my parents in years—the pain was still too sharp, even after all this time—but somehow, Casey made me feel like I could.

“I’m sorry.”

“I typically hate when people say that,” I joked.

She gave me a faint smile, but it turned into a wince as she clutched her ribs.

“I’m going to check your wounds,” I said. It wasn’t a request, but she didn’t argue.

The shallow cuts were already starting to knit together—a benefit of shifter healing—but the gash on her side would need time. Wounds from other shifters could be tricky.

“I’ll take you home,” I said. “You can recover with us.”

I put my hand on her hip, and she leaned into my touch. Her skin was soft, and it took all my willpower not to caress her. She wasn’t pack, but she was under my protection for the moment. And just like with my pack members, I’d defend her with my life.