Chapter 18
Gray
Waiting was not my strong suit.
I sighed, casting another glance at the fucking spreadsheet on my computer telling me everything I didn’t want—but apparently needed—to know about pack finances.
It’d been three days since Nix had connected the second wave of pack members to the barrier, and he’d set up everything in a way that made it easy for him to enforce it to a point where it’d keep the intruders in should they cross the barrier again.
If he managed to get to the barrier in time, that was.
It was a gamble, but there was nothing we could do about it. Aside from letting Nix camp next to the barrier. Which had been a big no for me, Rhett, and basically everyone else out there.
“Are you okay, son?” my dad asked, peeking into my office with his brow furrowed.
“I’ll be better once those fuckers are dealt with.” I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “They upped the frequency of their attacks a lot over the past few weeks, but now that we want them to get in here… nothing.”
My dad entered the office, his eyes scanning the room, a smile tugging at his lips whenever he found little things he recognized. Like the photo from my graduation. And the small wolf he’d carved out of cedarwood. I’d loved playing with it as a kid, and it still sat on my desk to this day.
“You need to be patient.” He was calm, at peace in a way he hadn’t been as the Alpha.
I hadn’t seen it back then, but since he wasn’t responsible for the pack anymore, I could see the change.
He seemed younger, and his smiles came more easily.
He really looked like a weight had been lifted off him—and I got it.
The responsibility was a lot. It was an honour to be the Alpha, but it came with a hefty price tag.
“Try being patient when your mate flinches every time a shifter walks up to him,” I growled, and ran a hand through my hair again until I found one of the tiny braids the teens had given me. “Try hearing him wake up gasping, eyes wide in terror every fucking night.”
I hated it. The few seconds it took Nix to remember where he was and what was happening. Two nights ago, he’d flinched away from me, scrambled all the way to the end of the couch, and then fallen over the armrest. Hitting the hardwood floor in my room had snapped him out of it.
Last night, after Nix had fallen asleep on the couch, I’d placed cushions on the floor, just in case he fell again. He hadn’t, but he’d woken up with a smile and a small laugh this morning. Which yeah, hadn’t been what I’d been going for, but if it made him smile, I’d happily do it again.
“I know it’s hard…” my dad started.
“No. You imagine it’s hard. But you don’t know.”
And adding to all that shit, we’d gotten a letter from Connie’s brother demanding he be handed back to him. Hell, he’d threatened to call in the human police and have me charged with kidnapping.
Paul was working on it, but he wasn’t positive there was much we could legally do. If Connie’s brother did involve the human police in shifter matters, he’d be able to get the council to put a stop to it, but as it was, it was a grey area in the worst possible way.
“Sorry, son. You’re right. I can only imagine.
But that’s not why I’m here. I came to let you know I’ll be taking over driving duty for your mate.
Paul was called to work for some kind of emergency.
I told him not to worry, that I’m perfectly able to drive an ATV and know our territory well.
I can get your mate to the barrier fast.”
I nodded, letting out a sigh of relief.
“Thanks, Dad.”
“Don’t worry about it. It might give me a bit of time to bond with him. He seems… wary.”
I snorted. Understatement of the year.
“Yeah, he’s not…”
I didn’t finish; the words died on my tongue as an alarm pushed to the forefront of my mind. A blaring siren, quiet on the outside, but impossible to ignore for me and everyone else in this pack. An intruder.
Finally
By the time I registered it was go-time, I’d already found myself hurrying through the corridor. Faces flew by as I ran for the door. I heard encouragement and the faint sounds of cell phones ringing, but I had my eyes set on the prize—the door leading outside.
My dad was behind me, hot on my heels until he needed to take a turn to the left to get to the entry hall, while I only had eyes for the glass doors leading outside.
Plates clanked, chairs scraping as they were pushed back.
Someone rushed to the door and opened it for me.
A wave of cold air welcomed me, spurring me on, and I jumped over the threshold, letting go of the reins I usually had on my wolf.
With a snarl, the beast inside me tore free, letting out a snarl.
Hunt, he shouted. Maim.
We jumped from the patio, dodging the lawn chair Nix liked to curl up in, and dashed across the lawn.
Maim, my wolf snarled, and I let out a loud howl.
Those wolves had hunted my mate for six months.
They’d bought him.
Tried to enslave him.
And today, I’d rid him of this burden. I’d set him free.
After I was done, the hunt would be over.
Multiple howls echoed mine, and a shiver ran down my spine. I’d just reached the edge of the woods when others fell in line.
Rhett, snarling in anger, the pattern of his paws hitting the ground unmistakable.
Maim, protect. Free, my wolf demanded. My right front paw slipped on a frozen puddle, and for a moment, my heart stopped, but then I got my bearing back and took a narrow corner, rounding an old oak to run along a well-used path.
Wind whipped past me, the air tight with tension.
There were three more wolves, our paws a rhythm of doom. We weren’t out to take prisoners. We were out to kill.
The air tasted crisp and clear. We were too far out to smell the wolves yet. I pushed, speeding up, taking more and more risks. The tricky root systems were covered by snow, but I knew these woods by heart. Knew where to jump.
A howl echoed through the trees. The patrol was on its way.
My wolf grinned.
Snow splashed, clouding my vision for a moment as I jumped down a ravine into a pile of snow, a cloud surrounding me.
My lungs were burning, hurting oh so good and satisfyingly.
There.
The scent was faint but fresh.
Minutes had gone by, and we’d already caught on.
We’ll get them, I thought, my wolf letting out a gleeful yip, agreeing with me.
Today was the day. I felt it in my core, in every cell of my body. Today was the day I’d set my mate free.
Small prey shied away from me, their scuttling in the underbrush a faint noise. My wolf and I were focused on more important things. We could feast later. Work first.
The intruders were still here, the barrier a constant nagging feeling in the back of my mind, but we were gaining ground, their scents heavier. They were familiar, aggravatingly and annoyingly so.
I let out a growl, speeding up as their stench intensified.
My paws beat a steady rhythm, my breath short, panted puffs of clouds in the icy air, the trees blurring, I was running so fast. My heart hammered, anticipation and exertion warring.
There.
There was something in my periphery.
I jumped, my paws hitting the trunk of a fir, and I used my momentum to twist around, pushing away from the tree and thundering on. Left turn successful. And right in front of me was a greyish blur, a flickering of brown in the underbrush, a sour stench biting my nose, paired with hot anger.
Angelo fell back and let out one of his earth-shattering roars. I snarled.
The sour stench intensified.
Yes, my wolf sneered gleefully. Be afraid. Be so very afraid.
Another rhythm of paws shredded the silence. Four, no, five more. The patrol was closing in from the left.
I chased after them, the hunt almost too easy now that they were within my field of vision.
They won’t get away.
Maim, my wolf panted, eyes trained on the smallest of the bunch. Still a big wolf, but so afraid.
Bare branches tugged at my fur, ripping out hair here and there.
I didn’t care. My mate’s attackers were close, the distance melting away fast. They weaved through the trees, tried confusing us by switching places, but they miscalculated.
One moment they were running, the next the ground beneath their feet was gone, and they tumbled down a ravine.
I slowed down a little and let out a snarl.
Nix hadn’t closed the barrier yet.
How long had it been? He had to be close, right?
The spot he and my dad were headed to was actually not far from here at all. Two, maybe three miles.
Oh, fuck, we couldn’t let the wolves come across them.
I snarled, picking up my speed again.
If push came to shove, we needed to herd them in a different direction; we just couldn’t let them cross the barrier.
White flashed next to me, almost the same colour as the snow on the ground. Heath. He took the spot to my left, and I let out another howl, greeting my patrol.
The sounds of paws had doubled, the deadly rhythm louder than ever before, our pants a melody of doom, promising pain and death as we closed in on them.
Come on, I thought, pushing myself.
The barrier was fast approaching, and if Nix didn’t close it soon, we’d have to do it all again.
I took a decline with a jump, rolled through the snow and got back on my paws mere feet from the wolves.
Fear soured the air, their bravery long gone.
They were outnumbered.
I snarled and snapped at the tail in front of me.
Come on, Nix…
If I wanted to, I could jump on the wolf’s back, sink my fangs into his neck, subdue and kill him with one swift motion.
Rhett sped up, pulling up next to me, turning his head in my direction, then straight ahead, eyes filled with questions.
Electric crackling filled the air.
The barrier was close, a hum at the back of my mind.
What did we do if Nix didn’t get to the barrier in time? Did we risk walking into their trap? Did we end them now? Or did we let them leave again?
I snapped at a leg in front of me, my teeth scratching over fur.
A yelp echoed off the trees, a whimper.
Sour fear clouded my mind, so intense it blinded me for a moment.