Bain
I’m ready to rip the fucking world apart right now. I can feel my wolf snapping below the surface, begging to be set free so he can hunt down all her enemies and destroy them.
I already ripped the rose to shreds, but it isn’t enough.
The note definitely took her off guard, but we’re not exactly sure why.
Is it possible she has a mate out there already?
I stop my pacing to glance at her, wrapped in Hunter’s arms. I doubt she would let us be so physical with her if she was already mated.
Besides, she’s shown no other indication of being mated, no mate bite that I could see, and she smells unbonded.
So who the hell is Blaze?
“If everyone would calm down for a moment, I’d like to get some answers,” Gage says, interrupting Chase and Maddox’s argument about going out and trying to follow the scent right now.
Hunter releases his grip on Red so she can turn her head to Gage as he asks, “Do you know who Blaze is?” She shakes her head quickly, and a collective breath leaves each of us.
“Do you know why he called you zero zero three?” This time, she dips her chin, making me resume my pacing. My hands clench angrily at my sides. Being called a number is a bad thing. A very bad thing.
“What the fuck does this mean then?” Chase asks in frustration as he stares down at the note.
“I’m not sure,” Gage says, still looking at Red. “Do you know?” She shakes her head and I frown. Even she doesn’t know what this means. We’re fucked.
“Maybe we should move to Starfall Haven,” Hunter mutters as he gently strokes her back.
I stop my pacing to frown at him. “It’s a myth.”
“Maybe not,” Gage says, surprising me. “I’ve been doing a bit of research on it since we got back. There is so much chatter about it that I’m starting to think it might actually exist.”
“You can’t be serious?” Chase asks.
Gage shrugs as he runs a hand through his black hair, pushing it away from his face. “I can’t prove it for sure, but I’m working on the location. With how the pack run went today, it’s something we should consider.”
“Fuck,” Chase hisses before flopping back on her bed. “I already forgot about that. When’s Juliet gonna take the hint and leave you alone?” he asks, his question aimed at Maddox.
“She doesn’t really want me,” he says, before turning to Red. “And I have zero interest in her.”
Hunter smirks down at her. “Yeah, I think Red might have put Juliet in her place today,” he says, ruffling the fur on the back of her neck. “Didn’t you, my good girl?” he coos at her.
I frown at him. “Don’t talk to her like a dog.”
“I didn’t! Besides, Maddox calls her a good girl all the time!”
“But it’s not like that,” Chase says, smirking at his twin.
“I hardly think it’s any different,” Hunter says in slight annoyance.
“Then how come when Maddox says it, her scent suddenly becomes ten times stronger and more intoxicating?” Chase asks through the bond.
There have been several times when her arousal could be scented. The first time was back in the forest when Maddox was cuddling her around the campfire. He’d quickly run off before his wolf did something inappropriate with her.
My need to see her and hold her in her human form is starting to consume my every thought.
What if she’s never able to change back?
What if the people who held her, and labeled her with a number, had done something irreparable?
At least if we could figure out what they did, we could start working on a way to fix it.
But without being able to communicate with her, it’s nearly impossible.
I had hoped that when Maddox declared her part of our pack, a pack bond would snap in place, but it didn’t.
Gage told us there are several reasons for that.
He said our bonds had snapped into place because we were all alphas, and Maddox’s energy is exceptionally strong.
It was also extremely uncommon to happen without a pack initiation ceremony.
Of course, there are so many unknowns when it comes to her; we can’t be sure of the reasons.
It feels like the problems are stacking up. If the mythical town that’s hidden from human eyes, Starfall Haven, actually exists, maybe we should try to find it. I know Maddox would leave the Westgrove Pack in a heartbeat. He’s never felt like he belongs here, and neither have I.
I only stayed here because of him, anyway. These four men, and now Red, are my pack. Where they go, I go.
Territory has never meant as much as the wolves standing beside me.
That’s why I left the Northern Iron Ridge Pack that I grew up in.
There, strength decided everything, and I was only viewed as a weapon, not a person.
I grew faster than the other boys, and by the time I was eighteen, I was the largest wolf in the pack.
That should have secured my place, but instead, it made the alpha wary of me.
In a pack like Iron Ridge, the biggest wolf is expected to challenge for pack alpha.
But I never wanted to lead. I had no interest in ruling through fear, and that was the only kind of leadership I’d ever seen there. I became the alpha’s enforcer, but when I refused an order that I believed was unjust, I made my position clear.
I would not fight for a title I didn’t want, and I would not enforce cruelty just to prove loyalty. Leaving was the only way to avoid becoming either a threat or a target.
When I crossed into Westgrove territory and met Maddox, I expected another alpha’s son who felt the need to posture.
Instead, I found someone strong enough to know his strength without pressing it on others.
He didn’t treat me like a rival, and he didn’t try to force submission from me.
He simply offered me a place to stay and expected nothing in return.
I stayed because he didn’t crave power, and when conflict arose, he stepped forward rather than pushing others into it. I chose him long before there was any talk of the Silverstorm Pack, and I would choose him again if he decided to walk away from all of this tomorrow. All four of us would.
Because if Starfall Haven is real, it could become a real home for us. I left one pack already because it didn’t feel like home. I’d leave this one just as easily if it meant staying with the only pack that has ever truly been mine.
Something wet touches my hand, and I glance down, seeing Red’s bright blue eyes staring up at me. She tilts her head, as if asking a question. When I look around, I see everyone has left her room, except for her.
She stayed to make sure I was okay, or to make sure I came downstairs too. Either way, it helps me relax a little. I’m not sure I’ll be able to have her out of my sight right now, and I’m annoyed that I was so lost in thought that I hadn’t even noticed the others leaving her room.
I run my fingers over the top of her head, and she presses it into my leg, letting me touch her a little firmer along her neck.
My wolf pushes for me to shift, and I have to take a breath and tell him to calm down. I’ve been in wolf form more in the past few weeks than I ever have before.
At least half the nights I spend in fur, in her bed with her, the other half I sit in her armchair, standing guard. Plus, I often shift when she’s in the yard, as my wolf is much faster and has a better nose for sniffing out intruders.
But my wolf doesn’t care about my human needs, he wants to be in wolf form so he can be with the one who he considers his mate. I’ve learned to stop arguing with him on that subject. It’s pointless when we can’t know the answer until she shifts.
“Let’s go,” I tell her, gesturing for her to go ahead of me into the hall.
Downstairs, I step into the kitchen and freeze. Gage has a large tray of chicken thighs out and is sprinkling some strange mix of seasoning over them, making my nose twitch with the strange combination of cinnamon, mustard powder, and… allspice?
I glance at Hunter, who’s watching Gage with concern. Chase is sipping his beer with a pinched brow, and Maddox looks like he wants to step in but is worried about upsetting Gage.
Sighing, I shake my head and step toward the counter. “Gage, go play on your computer. I’ll cook us lunch.”
He looks up at me, confusion covering his face. “What? No, I’ve got this.”
“Seriously, Gage, you should listen to him. Isn’t there a new website you said you found? Maybe you can find out something about this Blaze character?” Chase asks eagerly.
“Guys. I know how to cook,” Gage argues.
“I’d rather not risk salmonella,” Hunter mumbles, but of course, with our shifter hearing, Gage hears him.
“It wouldn’t harm you,” Gage says in frustration. “Besides, I can cook chicken perfectly. You guys can just fuck right off out of my kitchen.”
Chase mouths, “Pizza. Later,” to me over Gage’s shoulder, and I nod, knowing we aren’t going to get through to him right now.
I don’t know why Gage is so insistent on cooking; he’s terrible at it. And there are four other people in this pack more than willing to do it. In fact, we insist on it, but occasionally he still tries, determined that he can make a tasty meal.
I open the fridge and grab a beer as a bowl of cherries catches my eye. I haven’t had those in ages. I grab one and pop it in my mouth, the slightly tart taste exploding on my tongue, making me moan.
“Uh, Bain? You alright there?” Chase asks as he tries to look over my shoulder. “You getting frisky with the fridge again?”
I grab the bowl and turn, holding it out to him. “Try one.” He quirks a brow in amusement but takes one and throws it in his mouth. I watch him chew, then his eyes widen before closing as he lets out a long moan, making me grin.
“Good, right?”
“Fucking delicious,” he says, diving in for more as I kick the fridge door closed, my need for a beer long forgotten.
“Those were just harvested, apparently,” Hunter tells us. “I figured it’d been a while since we had any cherries.”
Red lets out a bark, startling us. I look down to where she’s standing between Chase and me, her tail wagging more than I’ve ever seen it before.