20. Chapter Twenty
Mitch
T he meeting at the Pack House weighs heavily on my mind as I make my way through the forest, the scent of pine and damp earth filling my nostrils. I can still see the faces of my packmates, the fear and anger that rippled through the room as I told them about Rowan and the threat he poses to our way of life.
I want my pack to be safe, and that includes telling them about the dangers that affect them all. We’re pack, and every wolf at that meeting vowed to stand together against our common enemy. Even if it is black magic.
The thought of it makes my hackles rise, a growl building in my chest. To think that someone would use such twisted power to control our wolves, to turn them against the very mates they're meant to cherish and protect...it's an abomination. A violation of everything we hold sacred.
I swore to my pack that I would do everything in my power to stop Rowan, to bring him to justice for the harm he's wrought. And I meant every word. But in the quiet of my own mind, I can't help but wonder...will it be enough? Can I truly keep my people safe from a monster who wields such dark forces?
I shake off the doubts that cling like cobwebs and lope through the forest in my shifted form. My huge wolf eats up the miles to the ward that Liam turned over, the one that alerted us to his and Taylor's presence.
I stop from sneezing in the stale copper of their blood and move to nose the ward back in place, but when I do, I see that same twisted symbol etched into the stone. It’s the same on the Chalice, and the same as on the ward stone that Ethan discovered.
As I crouch to examine the ward more closely, a sudden static in the air makes the fur on the back of my neck stand on end. I spin around, a snarl already forming on my lips to find myself face to face with Jonah Cooper in his human form.
Instinct screams at me to attack, to defend my territory, but he’s still on his side of the border. The Longtooth and Ironjaw packs have been at odds for decades, a bitter feud that runs deep in our blood. And Jonah...well, his reputation precedes him. A misogynistic brute who sees females as little more than breeding stock and pack mules.
I shift, the move violent enough to make me wince. “Why are you here?” I growl, the words clipped and harsh.
Jonah's lip curls. “Your pack keeps on getting injured, Alpha. You should take better care of your own.”
Rage boils up inside me, hot and fierce. “Care to tell me about the feral you took?”
Jonah's posture tenses into something wary and guarded. “That's none of your concern. But I do know your pack is finding human female mates.”
I bare my teeth, a clear warning. “What happens to our pack is none of your damn business. Especially our mates.”
To my surprise, Jonah doesn't rise to the bait. Instead, he takes a step forward, his expression grim. “It is my business,” he says, each word weighted with a gravity I've never heard from him before. “Because it's not just the Longtooth who've been cursed. Ironjaw suffers the same fate.”
I blink, taken aback by the admission. Jonah's pack...as cursed as Willowbrook? Losing wolves to the same feral madness that's been plaguing my own? No wonder he wanted the feral. He’s possibly trying to work out what’s happening as well.
“As much as it pains me to say it, I think it's time our packs put aside our differences. At least until this threat is dealt with,” Jonah continues.
I stare at him, searching for any hint of deceit in his face. But all I find is a grim determination, a resolve that mirrors my own.
“Our mates,” he says, the word sounding strange and foreign on his tongue. “They must be protected at all costs. Whether they be wolf or human.”
I never thought I'd see the day when Jonah, of all people, would advocate for the safety of human mates but then again, desperate times call for desperate measures.
“A truce, then,” I say, the words leaving a bitter taste. “Until Rowan is dealt with and our packs are safe. And then...”
“And then we can go back to hating each other,” Jonah finishes, a humorless smile tugging at his lips. “Just like old times.”
I snort, shaking my head. It's a bitter pill to swallow, to ally with a male I've despised for so long. But if it means keeping my pack safe, keeping Taylor and Liam and all the others out of Rowan's clutches...I'll do what I must.
Even if it means making a deal with the devil himself.
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Thank you for joining me on the journey through the fifth book of the Willowbrook Wolves series, Wolf Chosen. I hope you enjoyed delving into the world of Willowbrook and its captivating characters.
If you enjoyed the book, please consider leaving a review; your feedback helps authors reach out to readers who might also embark on the Willowbrook Wolves journey. The adventure doesn’t end here—if you’re eager to discover what happens next, don’t miss the next instalment: Wolf Hope, Willowbrook Wolves Book 6. Continue reading and immerse yourself further into the saga of the Willowbrook Wolves.
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In a world where wolf shifters turn feral without their fated mates, one cursed pack is running out of time...
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Amber Hawthorne, a determined investigative journalist on the brink of losing everything, stumbles into Willowbrook chasing a long-shot lead that could save her career. When she meets Caleb Tanner, a master craftsman and wolf shifter on the cusp of turning feral, her instincts tell her there's more to this mysterious mountain town than meets the eye.
As the attraction between Amber and Caleb ignites, they must navigate the secrets of Willowbrook and confront the wounds of their pasts. Amber, a loner scarred by the idea of vulnerability, must learn to open her heart, while Caleb races against time to bond with his fated mate before the beast within consumes him.
A dark force unleashes a final, devastating attack on Willowbrook and all shifters who live in the Longtooth packland. Amber and Caleb must unite to protect their love and their future. As ancient magic and twisted ambitions collide, they discover that only by embracing their bond can they hope to save everything they hold dear.
Fated mates, instant attraction, and a dangerous paranormal world collide in this steamy, action-packed wolf shifter romance.
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