Chapter 35
Chapter Thirty-five
Phoenix
I was standing with my arms crossed, my betas fanned out—especially Isla—behind me when they were escorted past the barriers into the pack circle.
My gammas had relieved them of seven shotguns and five knives—which just went to show how lazy the pack had gotten if they relied on human weapons, not their animals.
And gunfire brought about attention that wasn’t a good idea.
In my grandfather’s day, it had been suggested that weapons should be used in my pack, but he’d quickly nixed the idea, saying what would they do with them once the wolf carrying them had shifted?
Leave them on the ground for the pack children to find?
Maybe not an issue at the moment, but it was still a valid point.
I’d met Bayer for a few seconds and asked him to keep Emery safe for me as I needed all my betas outside.
He knew what I was doing, saving him from any indignity Micah was about to heap on him, and I thought Emery did, too, because he didn’t object to staying out of sight.
I didn’t trust Micah not to insult Bayer, and he would be the last person I would tell about Emery being pregnant.
I still had Emery’s dad to deal with, to say nothing of the silver-skins, and Micah Olsen was a pain in my ass I didn’t need.
He lumbered out of his truck, and I took in the sorry state of the guys in front of me.
Bayer had a passing resemblance to Micah, but while Bayer was gentle and the kindest guy I knew, Micah was a mean and cruel bastard.
How he’d managed to have two great kids, I’d never know.
I knew their mom had died when Bayer was small, but I didn’t really know much about their stepmom.
Micah Olsen stood. His ragtag group of men trying to look threatening were pathetic. “I demand to see my son.”
I arched an eyebrow. “What makes you think I’m interested in any demands you think you can make?”
He glanced at Isla, and his mottled face darkened even more, already red with what I assumed was too much beer and food.
A shifter’s animal usually kept them fit, but Micah was a lazy asshole I imagined his bear had given up on.
The rest of the men weren’t as bad, but then, from what we saw, food was scarce and poorly managed. He glanced at my father and scoffed.
“This is how you let the pup talk to his elders?”
In a blur of motion, I had Micah Olsen by the throat and pressed up to the truck before any of his men had a chance to react. “That’s Alpha Phoenix to you.”
He struggled, weak arms trying and failing to dislodge mine, which shocked me a little.
I knew bears were stronger than wolves. It was only our speed that made us superior, but I knew Bayer could snap my neck if he ever got me in a choke hold.
Not that he would, of course. I knew Micah wasn’t fit, but the ease at which I held him surprised even me.
“I suggest you get off our land.” I released my grip and let Micah sag against his truck, resisting the urge to wipe my fingers on my pants. “Bayer is under our protection and is a valued member of our pack. He doesn’t need you.”
“Pack?” Micah scoffed, which was brave or reckless of him, considering I’d just had my fingers around his throat. “Misfits more like. You even have a human mate,” he spat. “I don’t see him, or has he already gotten sick of you and gone?”
I didn’t need to hear the disbelief in my dad’s voice to understand his confusion. “Why are you doing this, Micah?” he asked. “What possible advantage could you gain by coming here and making a fool of yourself? I—”
But clarity hit me like a fist, and I snarled, every sense on alert.
“Isla, this is a distraction,” I snapped.
“Have the gammas shift and check the perimeter.” I’d made them come forward to protect the pack, and it could have been what Micah was hoping for.
I smelled the intrusion before I heard it.
“Humans,” I spat. Then the gunfire started.
Swearing, I drew back my fist and connected with Micah’s jaw, sending him flying and putting a satisfied dent in the truck.
His men immediately started backing away, but I didn’t have time for them.
“Secure the weapons and the pack,” I yelled.
I turned and raced toward the pack house, knowing I needed to secure the pack, but needing to see Em with every beat of my heart. Bayer met me at the door.
“He’s fine, Alpha. I won’t let anyone get to him.”
Much as I wanted to stay, I trusted Bayer with my life, and more so Emery’s, so I turned and headed toward the gunshots.
I wasn’t sure what the humans expected, but camouflage and a poor attempt at hiding their scent made no difference to my wolves.
The only problem was one fucker had climbed a tree thinking he could pick off the wolves below.
Two of my wolves got shot, but they managed to shift so quickly and heal that it barely slowed them down.
But I wasn’t waiting around for the shooter to work out that he needed a head shot to kill them and wolves couldn’t climb trees.
My vision in the dark of the trees was excellent, but they were all wearing some sort of goggles I assumed was fancy tech that meant they could see better. This one needed to be taken out.
Wolves couldn’t climb trees, but humans could.
The trouble was, in my human form, I wouldn’t be fast enough to avoid being seen.
I reached inside of me for my human side as usual, but slowly.
I’d done this so many times it was instinctual, and I’d always wanted the shift to be as quick as possible because it was when we were at our most vulnerable.
I could feel my body hovering over the change and opened my eyes to look at my hand.
It was still human, but covered in dark fur and sporting claws where fingernails generally were.
In a flash, I leaped for the tree, my clawed hands and feet giving me the purchase I needed and my wolf the speed necessary.
I was on the human before he managed to swing around, and I snapped his neck, letting him fall to the ground.
The last gun fell silent, accompanied by a yelp.
I jumped to the ground, then took in the stares and shifted back to my human.
Matthew gaped, as did my dad. “Son?”
I shrugged. I’d certainly never done a half-shift before and didn’t know it was even possible. “Are they all dead?”
Kasim, one of the Curtis River wolves, came out of the trees carrying a human over his shoulder.
“This fool tripped running from me and hit his head. I think I smelled some animal in him, but he made no attempt to shift. I haven’t killed him yet in case you or Bayer want to find out what’s going on. ”
“Good idea,” I said approvingly. I still had much to learn about running a pack. Isla appeared a few seconds later.
“The pack is secure, Alpha.” Then looked at the man on the ground. She wrinkled her nose. “Where did he come from?”
I glanced down. He was scrawny, dirty, and didn’t look like he’d been fed in a while. “You don’t recognize him?”
“No.” She inhaled. “Not sure I can smell shifter. But there’s something odd about him.”
I agreed. “Secure him until I’m ready to question him,” I ordered Kasim. “Let me know when he wakes.” I turned to stride back to the pack, my dad falling into step next to me.
“Micah?” I asked Isla. She shrugged.
“Restrained until you’re ready to talk to him, as well. His gammas ran, and I assumed securing Emery and the pack was more important.”
I nodded, grateful I’d made the decision to bring her into the pack and appoint her beta commander.
She was proving an excellent choice, and I was happy to see her with Matthew.
He was steady and wouldn’t resent his mate in a superior position to his own.
I knew they were altering one of the older cabins to suit themselves.
We arrived back in the pack circle to see some anxious faces, and I didn’t blame them. “All gunmen are dead,” I announced. “No wolves received any permanent injury. We captured one to interrogate.”
I turned to the pack house and smelled my mate a second before he appeared, hanging onto Bayer’s arm, and I was up the steps before he could blink.
None of the pack showed surprise, and some of them smiled affectionately.
I took him in my arms and bent down for a kiss, getting lost in his taste, before a few chuckles reminded me where we were.
He was smiling as I drew back, though. “Are you okay?” I gazed at him up and down, and he grinned.
“Yes, my bodyguard was excellent.” He patted Bayer’s arm.
“We’ve secured Micah and another for questioning.” I hesitated. I wasn’t going to apologize.
“It was a ruse, then? Distract you while they attacked, or attempted to?” He shook his head at the idiocy.
“They had high-powered rifles, and one was in the tree trying to pick us off,” Isla said, coming up the steps.
Bayer frowned. “What did you do?”
“I took care of it,” I said vaguely, wanting to talk to my dad and Esther first.
He nodded. “What do you need from me?”
“Do you want to speak to Micah?” I didn’t call him his father. That term demanded respect I wouldn’t give.
Bayer shook his head. “I’d like to see the other one, though.”
I turned back to Emery. “Give me a few minutes.”
He yawned and patted my arm. “Take all the time you need. I’m going for a nap.”
I smiled like a goof as he waddled back inside, but then I turned to Bayer. “Let’s go, but I want to ask you something first.”
Respectfully, all the other shifters stepped away. Even though I was sure some could still hear, the ones close I trusted. “I need a favor.”
Bayer’s eyes widened. “Anything, you know that.”