Page 19

The Dark Alphas gathered at the territory we had scouted. It was time to take our next step.

“Remember, we’re surrounding them before we attack,” I said.

“We got it, Marsden,” Desmond said, rolling his eyes. “You don’t have to keep reminding us of the plan we all made.”

I bit my tongue. Now wasn’t the time for infighting.

“Let’s go,” Axel said.

The alphas and their warriors fanned out around the small group of homes we had seen before. Once the circle was complete, a howl went up around the ring, and we all charged toward the center.

My wolf was strong and fast, but this time, I held back. I had told the group that this pack would not be a danger to us, but they had decided to use our full force to take it, anyway. That didn’t mean that I had to use my full force.

By the time Orin and my warriors reached the homes, the sounds of screaming were already coming from inside. I transformed and kicked in the door of the nearest home. Inside, an old man and his wife were standing in the corner, huddling together.

“We surrender!” he shouted. “Please, don’t hurt anyone!”

“Let’s go, then,” I ordered, grabbing their arms and pulling them out the front door.

We took them to the center of town and forced them to their knees next to the others who had already surrendered.

“How many more are there, waiting to attack us?” Alpha Rutherford asked the man in an intimidating voice as he towered over them.

“None of us will fight back. We aren’t that kind of pack,” he explained. “We will all come quietly. Just tell us what you want.”

“Your land,” Axel said. “And your fealty to the Dark Alphas.”

The man looked around at his people, huddled together in fear, and made the easy choice.

“I hereby renounce my title as Alpha of the Twin Rivers and pledge our loyalty to the Dark Alphas,” he said sadly.

While I was happy that our mission had been successful, and especially glad it had been done without loss of life, a part of me felt disappointed. It really was true that allies could make or break a pack’s ability to remain free. This pack had been small and unprotected. Their way of life was about to change, and there was nothing they could do about it.

The other alphas began to organize everyone so that they could give their own oaths individually, protecting us from retribution if they changed their minds in the future. Once the oath was made, they wouldn’t be able to fight against us.

“Time to divvy up our spoils,” Axel said to me. “We’ve got two hundred acres to claim. Which section did you want, Colson?”

“None,” I said.

He seemed surprised by my response, but I had been thinking about this move for a long time. My loyalty had been in question lately, and it was time for me to prove my willingness to work with the group in a way that they would understand.

“That doesn’t sound like you,” he replied.

He was right. The old me would have fought tooth and nail against all of them to claim the biggest portion I could for myself and my pack. But that wasn’t me anymore. The larger the area one pack had, the more they had to defend. I was happy with my land, and with the safety of my pack. Those were the things worth fighting for. Not more land that could be taken and given at a moment’s notice.

“Maybe not, but that’s my decision,” I told him. “This land can be divided among the rest of the Dark Alphas group. I’m sitting this one out.”

Axel clapped me on the back, impressed with my sacrifice. He headed back to the other alphas to continue their land negotiations.

It worked, Orin said excitedly.

For now.

As I transformed and ran back toward home, I felt a rush of adrenaline, a high unlike any I had felt in a very long time. It was all because of Christa. All I wanted to do was get back home to her and Jenny.

For the first time since I had found her again, things seemed like they had fallen into place. We had made more progress toward trust and openness than I ever would have expected, and I felt like we had a real chance this time. A chance at something real, and lasting.

I knew she still thought about going back home to Sparkle Hollow, and that worried me. I couldn’t imagine saying goodbye to her again, or to Jenny.

Everything we had experienced together over the past few weeks made me certain that she had feelings for me, but whether those were enough to conquer her duty to her pack and the draw to go home remained to be seen. If she loved me, it would be different, but as much fun as we had together, I was sure her feelings came nowhere close to being as strong as mine were for her.

There had to be a way to convince her to stay for good.