Chapter 25
Nathan
I stood outside the pack house, arms crossed, watching Elle and Bryce stomp their feet in protest.
"Dad, come on," Elle groaned. "We don't need babysitters."
Bryce crossed his arms, mirroring Elle's frustration. "Yeah, we're not little kids. We can stay home alone."
Krystal sighed, rubbing her temple. "Bryce, not now."
I took a slow breath, then crouched slightly so I was at their level.
My wolf paced restlessly inside me, on edge from the lurking danger.
But I kept my tone calm and firm. "Listen to me.
This isn't about whether you're old enough to stay home alone.
There's someone out there, someone dangerous.
Someone is targeting wolves. And right now, keeping you two safe is more important than what you think you're old enough for. "
Elle hesitated, shifting on her feet. Some of the rebellion faded from her posture. "So this is serious?"
I nodded, holding her gaze steady. "Yeah, it is."
Bryce looked between us, his brows furrowed with worry now. "But we'll be okay at the inn, right?"
Krystal nudged him gently. "Of course, baby. Ashton and Erin wouldn't let anything happen to you."
Elle exhaled, her shoulders slumping a little. I could see the gears turning behind her eyes as she processed the reality of the threat. "Fine. But I don't have to like it."
I smirked despite myself and reached out to ruffle her hair. She made a face but didn't duck away. "True. You don't have to like it. You just have to listen."
For once, she didn't argue. I straightened up, meeting Krystal's gaze over their heads. A silent understanding passed between us. Keeping the kids out of harm's way was the priority now. Everything else could wait.
As we approached, the warm glow of path lights spilled over the inn's front steps. I raised my hand to knock,, but the door swung open before my knuckles could connect. Ashton stood there, arms crossed and one eyebrow arched. "This the delivery service for grumpy teens?"
Erin appeared beside him, her smile warm and welcoming. "Come on in, kids. We've got snacks."
Elle and Bryce exchanged a glance. Bryce's resolve wavered first. He shrugged. "Well, snacks do sound good."
Elle huffed, but I didn't miss how the corner of her mouth twitched, fighting a smile. "Fine. But I'm not playing board games."
I stepped forward and gripped Ashton's hand in a firm shake. "Appreciate you keeping an eye on them." More than he probably knew.
Ashton's nod was solemn, understanding. "You'd do the same for ours."
As the kids stepped inside, Erin rested a gentle hand on Elle's shoulder. "You're always welcome here."
Elle glanced up at her, then over at Ashton. I watched as some of the tension eased from her frame. "Thanks, I guess."
Krystal crouched down and pulled Bryce into a hug. "Be good, okay?"
He made a face as she released him. "I'm always good."
Krystal and I both snorted at that. I met Ashton's gaze again as I stepped back, trusting him to keep them safe.
It didn't make walking away any easier. My wolf prowled beneath my skin, uneasy at the distance growing between me and my daughter. But this was how it had to be, for now until the threat was eliminated.
Krystal and I stepped off the porch into the night. She rolled her eyes, huffing out a breath. "Sure, kid."
I glanced back one last time, finding Elle through the window. Searching for any hint of fear or unease. But she just met my eyes steadily and nodded, a silent understanding passing between us. She got it, even if she didn't like it.
I exhaled heavily as we started down the path, gravel crunching beneath our feet. "All right. That's done."
Krystal side-eyed me, her lips pursed. "They're not happy."
I just shrugged, shoving my hands in my pockets. "They don't have to be happy. They just have to be safe."
She shot me a look but didn't argue. We walked in silence for a moment, the weight of what was coming pressing down on us.
The pack house came into view a few minutes later, warm light spilling from the windows.
I could hear the low murmur of voices inside, the restless energy of my wolves before a hunt.
The responsibility settled like a physical weight on my shoulders as we approached the door.
My wolf snarled, ready for blood. Ready for vengeance. But I pushed it down, forced myself to breathe. We couldn't go off half-cocked. Couldn't let fury and fear drive us. We needed to be smart. Calculated.
I reached for the door handle, my grip white-knuckled. No backing out now. "Let's get inside," I muttered.
The hinges creaked as I pushed it open, a dozen pairs of eyes snapping to me. My pack. My responsibility. My family.
I strode into the pack house, tension coiling in every muscle. My wolf prowled just beneath my skin, a hair's breadth from surfacing. This was more than a strategy meeting. More than lines on a map or theories to untangle. This was about protecting the very heart of our pack.
The main room was already full; my betas and enforcers gathered around the large wooden table. Gavin leaned against the far wall, arms crossed and jaw clenched. His eyes met mine, frustration and determination warring in their depths.
Kendrick, Caleb, and Marcus sat along one side, their expressions carefully blank. The enforcers were trained to be unreadable, but I could sense their unease. Their readiness.
Ula stood apart from the others, her focus on the map spread across the table. Her delicate finger traced a line, brow furrowed in concentration. As our tracker, she saw patterns the rest of us missed. Connected dots we couldn't yet see.
And then there was Rissa. She sat, arms folded and fingers tapping against her bicep.
To anyone else, she might've seemed the picture of composure.
But I knew her tells. The tension in her shoulders.
The stubborn set of her mouth. She'd already made up her mind about something, and I had a sinking feeling I knew what it was.
I lowered myself into the chair at the head of the table, the weight in my chest threatening to crush me.
I hated everything about this. The uncertainty.
The danger stalking my pack. But more than anything, I hated seeing Rissa in the middle of it.
She should've been safe. Should've been as far from this as possible.
I inhaled slowly, schooling my features. I couldn't let them see how much this gutted me. How terrified I was of losing even one of them. I was their alpha. Their rock and their strength. I didn't have the luxury of breaking.
"All right," I said, my voice far steadier than I felt. "Let's get this over with."
Gavin wasted no time. "We know the rogue is targeting Krystal, her kid, Elle, and now Rissa. The message on the door makes that clear. Not to mention the Gallagher name carved in the victim’s flesh.
" His fists clenched against the table, the muscles in his forearms bunching.
"Whoever they are, they're getting bolder. "
Krystal's fingers tightened around her water bottle, the plastic crinkling under the pressure. "But why? Why us specifically?"
Rissa leaned forward, her gaze sharp and unwavering. "We need to think about the connection. It has to be deeper than just random attacks."
Her voice was firm, but I caught the slight tremor underneath. The flicker of fear she couldn't quite hide.
Ula, still hovering at the edge of the room, tilted her head. "The scent at Krystal's house was almost like a wolf's, but wrong. Decayed."
My stomach twisted. "A rogue who doesn't smell right. Who leaves no real trace except for the destruction and messages." I glanced at Gavin, reading the unease in his face. The same unease that had settled like a lead weight in my gut. "We're missing something."
Krystal cleared her throat, drawing our attention. "Then let's stop waiting and make them come to us."
I frowned, not liking where this was going. Not liking it one bit. "What are you talking about?"
Rissa exchanged a look with Krystal, and a silent conversation passed between them. When she turned back to me, her determination was etched in every line of her face. "We should be the bait."
Silence fell over the room like a suffocating blanket. For a moment, no one moved. No one even seemed to breathe.
Then Gavin barked out a sharp laugh, the sound devoid of any humor. "Absolutely not."
I shook my head, my wolf snarling and snapping inside me. "No way in hell."
The thought of Rissa putting herself in danger, of Krystal risking her life, made my blood run cold. Every instinct I had as an alpha and as a man rebelled against the idea.
But even as I opened my mouth to shut it down, to put an end to this insanity before it could take root, I saw the determination in their faces. The resolve. They weren't going to back down. Not from this.
And God help me; a small, traitorous part of me wondered if they might be right. If using themselves as bait, as much as it made my skin crawl, might be our best chance at drawing out the rogue.
Krystal straightened her spine and lifted her chin. "Think about it. The rogue has been circling us, getting bolder. If they want to come after us, let's give them a reason to."
"With proper backup," Rissa added quickly, as if she could read the protest forming on my lips. "We won't be alone."
Gavin slammed his fist against the table, the wood groaning under the impact. "You think I'm going to let my sister and Nathan’s niece be used as bait?"
I leveled them both with a look, pouring every ounce of alpha authority into my voice. "Not happening."
But the women didn't so much as flinch. If anything, their resolve hardened, their eyes glinting with a challenge.
Krystal crossed her arms. "And what's your alternative? Wait around for the rogue to come after us again? What if next time they don't leave a message and just take one of us?"
The words hit me like a punch to the gut. Because, as much as I hated to admit it, she had a point. We couldn't just sit around waiting for the rogue to strike again. Waiting for them to hurt someone I cared about.
Ula broke the silence, her sharp golden gaze locked onto mine. "They have a point."
I growled low in my throat. "Not helping, Ula."
Caleb shrugged, clearly amused by the whole thing. "She's right, though. If we control the circumstances, we might actually have a chance to catch them."
Rissa leaned forward, her gaze unrelenting. "If we do this, it has to be on our terms. We stay relatively close to the pack house. The enforcers are hidden close by. If anything seems off, we pull out immediately."
I clenched my jaw so hard my teeth ached. My wolf was practically foaming at the mouth, demanding I shut this down now. Put an end to this madness before it could go any further.
But the logic was undeniable. As much as I hated it, as much as every instinct I had rebelled against the idea of putting Rissa and Krystal in danger, I couldn't deny that they had a point.
That using them as bait, as carefully controlled as possible, might be our best chance at drawing out the rogue, at protecting our pack.
At keeping the people I cared about safe.
I dragged a hand down my face, my mind racing. Trying to find another solution, another way. But I kept coming up empty.
Finally, I let out a breath, the sound harsh in the tense silence of the room. "I don't like this. Not one damn bit."
Rissa's expression softened just a touch. "We know. But it's our choice."
I met Rissa's gaze, those dark eyes full of determination and stubbornness. A look I was beginning to know all too well.
"Fine," I ground out.
Her lips curved into a small, knowing smile. "As long as we're not sitting around waiting for the next attack."
I gave a short, sharp nod. "But if anything feels off, we shut it down. Immediately."
"Wouldn't expect anything less, Alpha."
The title felt heavy on my shoulders, the weight of responsibility pressing down on me. The need to protect and keep my pack safe, warring with the knowledge that sometimes, the best way to do that was to take risks.
Calculated risks, but risks all the same.
Gavin swore under his breath, rubbing his temples. "I don't like it." His fingers dug into the edge of the table, knuckles turning white. "I don't like any of this."
I exhaled sharply. "Neither do I."
But what choice did we have? Wait around for the rogue to strike again, to hurt someone else we cared about? Or take the fight to them, on our terms?
It wasn't a decision I made lightly. But it was one we had to make.
For the sake of our pack. For the people we loved.
Even if it meant putting them in harm's way to keep them safe.