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I couldn’t believe I had overlooked the signs that Gage was planning something like this. As we raced toward Jenny, I kicked myself, feeling like a failure for not protecting my daughter from such an obvious threat.

We’ll find her, Colson, my wolf assured me. I can smell them now—we’re close.

I failed her, Orin.

We did not fail her. She’s going to be fine.

I prayed he was right, but my feelings of incompetency remained. It was my duty to protect my family, but I had allowed myself to get distracted by Sparkle Hollow and missed the signs that were right in front of my nose.

Christa’s wolf, Cassia, had caught up to me by now, and we barreled through the tall grass together as we followed the smells of the wolves who had taken Jenny. After a few minutes, I saw another set of footprints joining the trail, and then another. It appeared that Alpha Desmond’s pack had met up with him after the abduction.

We came over the crest of a hill and saw a group of wolves waiting in the valley below. In the center of the group stood Jenny. Her face was red as if she had been crying, but she didn’t appear to be harmed. She stood tall and proud, and I was immediately reminded of her mother. No matter what we encountered or how it played out, I could die knowing that my family were the strongest and most noble she-wolves in the land.

Jenny’s head snapped up toward us, and a look of fierce determination settled on her face as she realized that Christa and I had come to her aid. She kicked the back leg of one of the wolves standing guard over her and began to make a run for it, but the others closed in ranks and pushed her back to the center.

“Gage!” I shouted, shifting into my human form. “You won’t get away with this!”

“I already have!” Gage shouted back.

Christa and I raced down the hill toward them, prepared to enter into battle at the first indication that Jenny was at risk.

“Give Jenny back to us now,” I commanded through gritted teeth.

“I don’t think so,” Gage responded.

“Why are you doing this?” Christa asked. “What have we done to you?”

“I’ve been warning you and Colson for weeks now that I wouldn’t stand idly by while you conspire with Sparkle Hollow and its allies against the Dark Alphas,” Gage explained.

“We’ve done no such thing,” I argued. “In fact, my entire pack has been banned from ever going to Sparkle Hollow territory on pain of imprisonment.”

“I know what I’ve seen,” Gage hissed.

The rest of his warriors were still lined up in a defensive position around Jenny, and I could see his beta—the wolf she had attacked—standing mere inches away from her.

“If you aren’t going to let Jenny go, at least tell your wolves to back off so we can discuss this like civilized people,” I said.

“That’s your mistake, right there,” Gage replied. “Thinking you’re speaking to ‘people.’ We are wolves, and we act like it. Our entire way of life is at risk if alphas like you keep trying to ‘civilize’ their packs. You’re ruining our legacy for future generations. You aren’t fit to raise your young. That’s why Jenny is coming with us: so she can learn how to be a real wolf.”

“Like hell she is,” Christa growled.

“What are you going to do? Fight me for her?” Gage scoffed.

“Yes,” I replied. “To the death, if need be. One-on-one combat, just you and me, Desmond. Unless you’re too afraid?”

“I have nothing to prove to a weak alpha like you,” he said dismissively.

He was trying to put on a show of power, but I could see that my words had gotten under his skin. Alphas didn’t like to be questioned, especially not in front of their pack.

“Don’t be so sure,” Christa chided. “It seems like your warriors are wondering if you’re as tough as you claim to be. Walk away from Colson’s challenge, and you might just have an insurrection on your hands when you get home.”

It was a clever tactic, but Gage was a master of words and found a way to twist it around on us yet again.

“That’s exactly what you want to happen, isn’t it? You came here and infiltrated Pack Marsden, and now you’re trying to bring down all the Dark Alphas. But I saw right through you. And look,” he said, nodding toward the hill to the west. “The rest of the group is here to witness your downfall.”

The other alphas had indeed arrived at the scene. Gage believed they were on his side, but I noticed that they weren’t joining him on his side of the imaginary battle lines. They had come down the hill to stand between us, looking back and forth between our two parties.

“What’s going on here?” Alpha Vitali asked.

“Exactly what I told you would happen, Axel,” Gage declared. “Colson and his little bitch are trying to take us all down, so we picked up the trump card. Their daughter will be joining my pack now and learning what a real alpha looks like.”

The Dark Alphas looked at each other thoughtfully, trying to make sense of what Gage was saying before observing Christa and me with a look of careful consideration. While our bond was tenuous at best, it was also clear that Christa’s presence at the last meeting had been a turning point for them. With their help, we might have a chance at getting out of here unscathed.

“Bring the girl forward,” Axel commanded.

“But Vitali—”

“Now,” he interrupted Gage’s protest with a daggered look.

Gage grumbled and indicated that Jenny should be brought forward. His beta stood by her side, watching her carefully to make sure she stayed within their ranks. Axel continued his silent observation and then turned around to speak with the other alphas. Their low voices were hard to make out, but when he turned around to address us, I could see that a decision had been made.

“Your concerns have been heard, Alpha Desmond,” Axel said. “But the girl must be returned.”

Christa breathed a sigh of relief and opened her arms for Jenny to run into them. Jenny took a step toward her mother when Gage caught her arm.

“If we don’t get her, then no one does,” he threatened.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Gage’s beta lurch forward, ready to enact his master’s threat and end Jenny’s life. His elongated claws were poised to rip into her as I shouted for Jenny to drop to the ground. She obeyed without hesitation, and the wolf sailed through the empty air where she had stood. I jumped forward, shifting into my wolf form, snapping my jaws.

“No!” Gage screamed, but he was too late. Without a second thought, I clamped my teeth down on the beta’s exposed throat. Blood gushed from the wound as I ripped into him, tossing his lifeless body aside carelessly as Pack Desmond looked on in horror.

“I told you not to touch my daughter,” I growled, striding toward Gage in my human form.

“You’ll pay for that,” Gage spat, preparing to meet me on the battlefield.

“Enough!” Axel shouted.

Gage whirled around to look at the other alphas, a furious and dumbfounded expression on his face.

“There must be retribution for this,” he said.

“That was the retribution, Desmond,” Axel countered. “We all witnessed the exchange between you two and saw that your second had broken ranks to take matters into his own hands. You may be an alpha, but so are the rest of us. You do not have the authority to go against our agreements.”

“Rutherford, Wentworth,” Gage said, appealing to the other alphas, “Charles—come on, you know I’m right. We can’t let them get away with betraying us like this!”

“Sorry, Gage,” Alpha Charles replied. “But you started it.”

Gage screamed, spittle flying from his mouth as his unintelligible yell hurtled through the air. His face was red and splotchy as he shouted, but it had no impact on the rest of us. For the first time, he allowed himself to look like the short- tempered child he was. When his scream was done, he kicked at the ground and took a deep breath to quell his anger.

Someone in his pack cleared their throat awkwardly, and I realized they had all shifted back into their human forms, unwilling to be my next victim if they appeared to be a threat to Jenny or Christa.

“Alpha Desmond,” Axel warned, “your pack will go home without any further displays of violence toward Alpha Marsden or any other member of the Dark Alphas group. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” Gage said quietly.

“If you engage in any violence against a member of the Dark Alphas in the future, we will have no choice but to remove you from the group and hunt you and your pack down. It is only through our cooperation with one another that there can be any trust,” Axel added.

Axel helped Jenny back to her feet and ushered her toward me and Christa while Alpha Charles moved in to talk with Gage.

“Trust,” Gage scoffed at him. “As if there is any trust between us.”

“Look, Des,” Charles said quietly as he placed a hand on his arm. “You’ve got to get on board with this. If Axel lets you go against a member of the group, then what is there to keep the rest of us safe from each other? Or you safe from us? This is how it has to be.”

“Whatever,” Gage muttered, shaking Charles’s hand away from him. Gage whistled for his wolves, who followed as he left the valley and ran off back to their homes.

Axel sighed as they departed. “That one is trouble. Maybe more than he’s worth,” he said.

“But he’s still a member of the group,” I pointed out. “As you said, we can’t go against a member of the Dark Alphas.”

“I know. But if he senses any weakness in our frail alliance, he’s going to exploit it. We’ll need to be on guard against him,” Axel said.

“We will be,” I agreed.