Chapter 11 #2
“I’m on patrol soon.” I heard the beep in the silence that followed. “The phone will cut out; I’d better go.”
“Wolfe?”
“Yeah?”
“You’ll be careful?”
I smiled at the genuineness of her voice, and the bond pulsed slightly with concern. “Always am, princess.”
I left the house shortly after, and I had a surprisingly quick and enjoyable patrol. The pack I patrolled with was quiet, efficient, and I think my good mood rubbed off on them. By the time I went to bed, I was hoping that Rowen would call me again soon.
The fire in the hearth had burned low, but I didn’t mind the cold as I sat in Malric’s old office and looked around.
It was quiet, for once. Not silent—Hollow quiet. The kind of stillness that clung to the stones of the den and made you wonder what was waiting just outside it.
I rolled my shoulders, feeling the pull in the muscles from having sat still for too long.
Diesel was nearby; he’d moved through the pack like a wraith, gathering what he needed to know.
Leaving and coming back. I’d let him be.
I knew he had already made his way into at least two of the pack’s beds, but I said nothing, knowing Rowen would say enough for both of us when she heard.
My thoughts drifted back to last night’s call with my mate.
It had started off unsure, hesitant, but we’d said some things, skirted around others, and overall, I think we’d actually made progress.
“You’ll be careful.”
She hadn’t meant it to sound like affection, but my wolf heard it anyway. And the bond…it didn’t burn this time. It pulsed. Quiet. Present.
I’d take the win.
The door opened and Diesel walked in, his face hard. “East ridge,” he announced. “That’s where I’ll start.”
I didn’t doubt his tracking skills, but a barely weaned pup could tell him that east ridge was where to start. “It’s taken you all this time to tell me you’ll start where they attacked from?” I looked up at him. “Really?”
“You’re… Ah.” He smiled a knowing smile. “You heard I made new friends, and you don’t approve.”
“Sleep with whoever you want.” I brushed him off. I stood and walked over to him; he straightened up as I approached, his look questioning. My punch knocked him off his feet. “Talk to Rowen like you did again, and I’ll break every bone in your body and refuse you the shift to heal. Understand?”
He got to his feet and spat out blood as he grinned. “Was wondering when she would tell you,” he said, wiping his mouth. “Killian’s working on her strength; her punch lacked weight. She’s fast though.”
“She is my mate.”
“I know,” he said and sat down. “And she needs to be stronger, physically and mentally.”
I looked at him. The problem was, I didn’t disagree with him. “Just…less insulting going forward. Okay?”
“Rowen and I will be fine,” he said with a smirk. “You need to bed her though.” He saw my look. “Your pack needs it. The sooner you two orgasm, the better we’ll all be.”
“Can you not?”
“I know you know how to,” he continued without blinking. “I’ve heard you, so I’m not worried about that, and”—he gave me a smug smile—“I worked the ward for the house. It’s soundproof.”
“You sure you aren’t a shaman?” I asked dubiously. “How do you know how to do this?”
“Talented.” He stood. “I’ve done what I need here. Apart from the widow, I’m not seeing anyone else that stands out, other than your Rowen.” He didn’t stop. “There’s enough Stonefang here too. You sure it isn’t one of yours?”
“One of mine? No. One of ours?” My jaw tightened. “Still possible.” I thought of Cale. “Did you check Cale?”
He nodded once. Nothing defensive in his posture. Diesel didn’t flinch at the hard truths. That’s why I trusted him to go hunting.
I walked over, reached for the patrol reports he hadn’t seen yet, and handed them over.
“They’re targeting supply runs now,” I said.
We’d taken more hits in the days since she’d left.
No casualties, but the attacks and the disruption hadn’t lessened.
They also weren’t as obvious and rightly or wrongly, I wasn’t broadcasting them to the rest of the pack.
“Not just patrols. Someone knows our weak spots. And they know when we’re stretched thin. ”
“That means they’re watching from the inside.”
“Or being told from the inside.”
He tucked the reports into his pack. “You want me to bring one back alive?”
“If you can,” I said. “But if it’s a choice between answers and survival—”
“Survival wins.”
I nodded.
Diesel adjusted the strap across his chest, then hesitated. “You good, Alpha?”
I blinked. “Why?”
“You’re quiet,” he said. “Not storm-quiet. Calm.”
I almost laughed.
“I spoke to Rowen,” I said instead. “She asked me if I think she’s a traitor.”
He raised a brow. “She affects you this much?”
“Maybe?” I rubbed my jaw. “Apart from that, the conversation was civil. Pleasant.” I met his look. “I don’t think it’s her.”
“And?”
“I miss her fire.”
He grinned, wolfish and sharp. “Careful. You keep that up, someone might think you actually like her.”
I didn’t answer because I did. I really did. And I didn’t know what to do with that.
“I’ll check in in two days,” Diesel said, moving to the door. “If I’m not back—”
“You’ll be back.”
His grin faded into something serious. “If I’m not back, you burn the trail behind me. No hesitation.”
I nodded once. “Go.”
And he was gone.
I stood alone in the flickering light of the afternoon, feeling the bond stretch toward the west where she was, steady and sealed in—but no longer fraying at the edges.
She hadn’t betrayed her pack. She hadn’t betrayed me.
I let myself breathe. I wondered if Thalia would show her how to video call. I scoffed at myself for acting like a fool.
I picked up the next report and got back to hunting my traitor.