Chapter 5 #2
He nods toward the back hallway, and I follow him into one of the smaller rooms where the patrol maps are spread out over a long table. Pins are positioned along the border, marking the usual routes and recent activity. Too many of those pins are near the cult’s land.
“They’ve been moving around more,” Russo says. “Not crossing the border, but close enough to make everyone twitchy.”
“Any idea why?”
He shakes his head. “They could be getting desperate. Could be planning to leave. Or maybe they’re planning something stupid.”
My jaw tightens. “They already did that when they kidnapped innocent women.”
“Yeah,” Russo agrees, lowering his voice. “They did.”
I stare down at the map, at the line that separates our land from theirs—a line they’ve been smart enough not to cross so far.
They’re not going to stay smart forever.
My wolf presses close to the surface, and for a second, my vision sharpens. Every sound in the building gets louder. Voices in the hall. A chair scraping in another room. Someone’s heartbeat. Mine.
“You good, Cooper?” Russo asks.
I clear my throat. “Yeah. Who’s all on patrol?”
“Me. A few of the others are rotating farther east. Reyes is taking the western stretch.”
I nod, relieved that Reyes will be close. “What about the Alphas?”
“They know. They’re watching.”
That should make me feel better, but it doesn’t. All I can think about is Landry. She’s all alone in the house.
“Everything okay?” Russo asks.
“No.”
He arches an eyebrow.
“My mate is at home, and I’m here.”
“Tragic.”
I glare at him.
He smirks. “Come on. We’ve got a route to run.”
The two of us head out, taking off toward the northern border. We find the others and relieve them. They fill us in on what they’ve observed on the cult’s side, and I tense as they talk about the increased movement and the anticipation they can smell on all the cult members.
“Any idea what they’re up to?” Russo asks.
“Not yet.” Jameson sighs. “Keep your eyes open and your heads up. I’m going to update the Alphas. Everyone has their phone on them. Call if you need anything.”
“Will do,” I tell him.
He claps me on the shoulder and heads back toward headquarters. Russo and I split up. I run ahead of him, weaving through the brush. My wolf is on high alert inside me. I can feel his anxiety, which amplifies mine.
The cult is busy, and I pause to watch them. The leader, Michael, is there, limping his way out of one building. He looks bad—pale and thin. What’s going on with him? Does it have something to do with why the cult has been acting up?
Russo catches up to me, and we study the cult’s movements for a bit.
By the time we turn to run back down to the border, the sun is sinking behind the trees and the moon is already pale in the sky.
Not full yet, but close enough that my skin feels too tight.
My wolf is restless, pacing, growling, listening.
I don’t like this, my wolf growls.
Neither do I.
We continue our patrol, circling wide, careful not to cross onto their land. The Alphas have been clear—we don’t start anything unless they do, but fuck, it’s getting harder to wait.
Near the east side of their property, two men stand beside a truck, arguing. Their voices don’t carry far enough for human ears, but our enhanced hearing allows us to listen in clearly.
“Michael wants it done before they move again,” one of the men says.
The other shakes his head. “It’s too risky. You know they’re probably watching us right now.”
“They’re always watching.”
“Yeah, and you saw what happened last time.”
My wolf bares his teeth.
Last time.
Landry. Taylor. The women they took. The women they tried to take.
The first man spits on the ground. “Doesn’t matter. He says we need her.”
Her.
My blood turns cold. Russo swings his head toward me, and I know he heard it too.
My wolf surges, trying to launch us down the hill, but I lock him down so hard that pain lances through me.
No, not yet. We don’t know who they mean, I tell him. But the truth is that I do know. In my gut, my bones, and every possessive, terrified part of me.
Landry. They still want my mate.
I back away from the ridge, forcing my wolf down as I go. Russo follows, and we don’t stop until we’re deep enough in the trees that no human could see us.
“I’m going to kill them,” I growl.
Russo’s expression is grim. “Not alone.”
“They said her.”
“They didn’t say your mate.”
“They didn’t have to,” I hiss.
He doesn’t argue. That scares me more than if he had.
Russo runs a hand through his hair. “We need to report this first.”
“I need to get to my mate.”
“Cooper—”
I turn on Russo with a snarl.
His bear flashes in his eyes. “Report it. Then go home. If they’re planning something, the Alphas need to know tonight.”
He’s right. I hate that he’s right.
I pull out my phone and make the call, giving the Alphas every detail. The cult’s movements. The vehicles. The conversation between the two men. The word that’s still echoing in my skull.
Her.
When I hang up, Russo studies me carefully.
“You going to tell Landry?”
I look toward home. My first instinct is to protect her from this, to tuck her against my chest, tell her she’s safe, and never let the ugliness of the world touch her again. But I told her I wouldn’t keep things from her.
“Yeah,” I say roughly. “I’ll tell her. But I don’t want to scare her.”
“She’s already scared,” Russo says quietly. “Not knowing won’t make that better.”
I nod because he’s right again, damn him.
We finish the patrol because we have to. Every second of it is torture. My wolf snaps and growls at every sound, desperate to get back to Landry. By the time my shift ends, I’m barely holding him back.
The forest blurs around me as I sprint home. All I can hear is my heart hammering in my ears.
The house is dark when I reach it, except for the soft glow of the lamp in my bedroom window. I shift on the porch, unlock the door, and step inside, listening. It’s quiet, no strange scents, no unfamiliar sounds, no danger.
I relax, my shoulders dropping for the first time in hours.
I toe off my shoes and take a deep breath. I need to tell Landry about the increased movement over at the cult. I hate to worry her, but I can’t keep anything from her. She deserves to know. I’ll tell her and promise again to keep her safe. It will be okay. She’ll be okay.
I lock the door behind me and go upstairs, moving silently down the hall. She’s asleep in my bed again. Our bed. Curled on her side, one hand tucked beneath her cheek, wearing those little pajamas that make me want to forget every noble thought I’ve ever had.
My chest aches when I realize she left the lamp on for me. I brush her hair back from her face, turning the lamp off so she’s not disturbed.
I shower quickly, scrubbing the scent of the woods from my skin. Landry shifts when I reenter the bedroom but doesn’t wake.
Climbing in beside her, I finally relax as I spoon her.
I press my face into her hair and breathe her in.
My wolf settles for the first time since we left her.
Our mate is in our arms, our house is locked, and our pack is watching.
But to the north, the cult is moving, planning something, waiting for their opportunity.
I hold Landry tighter and press my lips against her hair because she’s here. She chose our bed, she kissed me before I left, and reached for me when I came back.
I stare into the dark, listening to her breathe, and make my wolf and myself another promise.
If the cult comes for her again, they won’t live long enough to regret it.