Page 28 of Alpha Wolf’s Arranged Bride (Rose Hollow Wolves #1)

A couple of weeks after the incursion, I met with WS agents at their temporary base just outside of Rose Hollow.

I find it almost funny that they are calling it “temporary” when it looks extremely permanent, more like a mini-city than an emergency base.

I know Wolf’s Shadow have no intention of leaving anytime soon.

The incursion spooked every level of our secret agency, from foot soldiers to the head office.

I have no idea of the nature of our ruling body, only that they are very old and powerful, and that they have managed human and shifter relations for hundreds of years.

They want the situation under constant surveillance, with reports given to them several times a day.

I have not shared what happened to Scarlett when we were in the middle of the circle. Our higher-ups know that the snake seems no longer bound to the stone, that it killed Azarian and Vanessa even though they served it, and it definitely has a will of its own we can’t hope to fathom.

That’s all they need to know. There is nothing else to tell.

As I approach the main tent, I see Bradley waiting out front with Marcus, Daniel, Shawn, and Luke. All of them look just a bit too pleased with themselves, and I start to worry they’ve cooked up an embarrassing surprise for their former troop leader.

It’s not an unusual thing to do. Hell, it’s pretty much expected that you prank a retiring commander.

“What are you so happy about?” I ask, greeting my boys with handshakes and arm punches.

“We’ve got some news,” Brad says. “But I think I’ll let the top brass pass it on.”

“Sounds serious,” I mutter.

Brad shrugs. “Potentially.”

I frown at him, then the others, but all of them stay quiet.

“Alright, then, keep your secrets,” I say, sighing. “Let’s get this done so we can go join the fun.”

Scarlett and the guild leaders organized a market fair in honor of the two packs joining, and she and Jarrod have been out since early this morning, setting up with the others. I’m itching to get there and support her. She’s been working so hard to bring us together.

We are currently the leaders of both Rose Hollow and Eccles.

After the incursion, everyone in the Eccles pack was completely shell-shocked.

Many had not liked Azarian or Vanessa, but they never guessed he was attempting to tap the ancient power of the stone.

In the aftermath of the incursion, their council fell apart in the power vacuum, and I was forced to step in to keep the peace. Nobody objected.

The elders shared their knowledge with us, the stories that had been handed down to them as warnings about the Old Gods and their power. It wasn’t much, but it gave WS’s head office a research lead and reassured us that the situation was resolved for the time being.

Except that the snake has never been free before…

“Private Stanton!” a sharp voice cracks through my thoughts, making me snap to attention and salute.

“Yes, sir!”

“That’s ma’am,” my commanding officer laughs.

“Apologies, Agent Sloan,” I say. “I was expecting Commander Gent.”

“He’s been reassigned. For heaven’s sake, soldier, at ease.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Sloan rolls her eyes, waving her hand to invite me over to the table where a map is stretched out in front of her. Behind me, the rest of my squad enters the tent, and she tips her forehead in a light salute.

“Thank you for coming out,” Sloan says. “I know you’re retired, so this was a favor from you, and I appreciate it.”

“I wouldn’t want to get court-martialled,” I laugh. “Since I’m a civilian now, I can get carded if I don’t cooperate.”

“True,” she says, winking. “But I’d rather not lock you up if I don’t have to. How are things going between the packs?”

I know this isn’t just a casual question. Relations between Eccles and Rose Hollow have been simmering for years, and after the incursion, you’d expect incidents to occur, frightened people blaming and attacking each other.

“It’s been extremely quiet,” I say. “So far, the Eccles are just happy to go along with anything I say. I know that could be suspicious, but I genuinely don’t believe they’re playing us.

The elders are too shocked by what Azarian did, and that he almost destroyed the entire town without them knowing about it. ”

“It’s interesting he didn’t use his own town for sacrifices,” Sloan considers, tapping her finger on the table thoughtfully.

“He actually had some feeling for his own people, if you can believe that,” I answer.

“He told the town there was going to be an exercise to test the warriors that day, and that he wanted everyone to act as if the town were being attacked. Everyone was hunkered down. He expected to walk back into town, glowing like he had gold bars up his ass, and have everyone kneel and worship him.”

“Interesting strategy,” Sloan says, raising an eyebrow.

I shrug. “He was going to use his defeat over Rose Hollow as part of his hook. ‘Here I am, check me out, I embodied the spirit, and I demolished our enemies.’”

“Okay,” Sloan says, shaking her head a little. “The main reason I called you here is because our satellite detected a thick cloud moving from the site out to nearby mountains. From here, to here.”

Sloan runs her finger across the map, showing me a straight line between the two points.

“You think it’s the snake?”

“We’re calling it Anomaly Eight,” Sloan answers. “We have no evidence that it’s a snake.”

“A few hundred eye-witnesses?” I point out.

“Eyes on the ground aren’t always reliable, Stanton, and it may change form. From a military perspective, it’s Anomaly Eight.”

“Okay,” I agree, wondering why it’s number eight, specifically, but knowing better than to ask. “So, you think it moved?” I ask instead.

“Well, whatever it was, it wasn’t natural. No weather pattern moves like that, and the heat and density were all wrong.”

“But there’s no sign of it now?”

“No. The area appears quiet. But there are cave systems there, so maybe it’s gone underground.”

“It just got out of one rock. Why would it jump straight into another one?”

“I don’t know,” Sloan shrugs. “Not my area. We’ve got some science geeks here if you want to ask them.”

“I’ll pass, thanks. There’s nothing going on at the stone?”

“Absolute zilch. It’s just a rock. Our magic guys are having fun trying to decipher the runes, though.”

“So, why did you want to ask me about this?” I ask, beginning to suspect the conversation isn’t casual.

“I want to know if you have anything to add to your report,” Sloan says, looking at me steadily.

“No.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes.”

“Big snake popped out, got all scary, killed the people trying to free it, then fucked right off to you don’t know where?”

“That’s my understanding of it.”

Sloan narrows her pale, slate-blue eyes, and I stare her down. She’s been in command for a few years and has earned every single badge on her chest.

Eventually, she just shakes her head and goes back to studying the map. “Okay. Well, I guess you can go. Take note of our formations, though, because we’ll be setting up watchtowers between Eccles, Rose Hollow, and any locations we think the snake might be hiding in.”

“Right,” I say, checking out the map. “Let me know if you need any help with it.”

“Funny you should say that,” she grins. “Because your liaisons are right here.”

I look over my shoulder to see my boys, all grinning. “What’s this about?”

“Looks like we’re retiring, boss,” Brad says. “Right here in Rose Hollow.”

“Fuck off!” I scoff. “Actually?”

“Semi-retired,” Sloan corrects. “May be recalled to active duty, should the need arise.”

Part of me feels like she’s using my buddies to infiltrate my town because I won’t suspect them, but the rest of me is just too happy that my best friends in the world are going to be joining my pack.

“Told you we had news, boss,” Brad laughs.

“You can stop calling me boss,” I say, rolling my eyes.

“Ah. Alpha Stanton, then.”

“Jesus Christ. Take them back, Sloan. I can’t take any more of this.”

“Sorry, Stanton. All of them are due for long leave, and they’ve decided to put their feet up here—right in the biggest hotspot of anomaly activity in the States.”

“Sounds relaxing,” I quip.

“Sprinkle a little pack war on top, and it’s just plain boring,” Brad says, mock-yawning.

“Don’t make me kick you out,” Sloan says. “This meeting is over. All of you coordinate as instructed.”

“Sorry, ma’am, but I’m officially off-duty,” Brad says, taking off his hat and tossing it on the table.

Sloan waves her hand impatiently at us, then calls in her commanders for a meeting as we leave.

I don’t like this military presence hanging over my town. I know they’re spying on us. On the other hand, though, it wouldn’t hurt to have some firepower if the snake returns.

Or, rather, Anomaly Eight…

“What’s the first thing you do when you retire?” Brad asks as we jump into a Jeep.

“Party,” I state. “There’s a market fair on today, run by my wife and the guild leaders.”

“Sounds fancy,” Dan comments. “Should I put on my Sunday best?”

I laugh softly under my breath. “You got the wrong idea, Shadow. This isn’t a formal event.

Both packs are coming together to heal old wounds—you better believe the liquor will be flowing.

The distiller from Eccles met the brewer from Rose Hollow, and they hit it off.

They invented this thing they’re calling rocket fuel—”

“Say no more,” Dan says. “Drive faster. I’m getting thirsty just hearing about it.”

“I can smell the ribs frying on the barbecue,” Luke says dreamily, sitting up in the back seat as he puts his nose to the wind.

We pull into the center of town and join the crowds of people walking up the main drive to the park. The air is filled with laughter, the happy screams of children playing, and the mixed scents from the food stalls.

I start looking for Scarlett, losing my crew along the way as they divert to the food and drink stalls. My senses are on alert, looking for any sign of trouble, but it looks like both packs have integrated together better than I expected.

It’s still early days yet. We have to be careful, just in case there are any left who followed Azarian—or his philosophy.

When I find Scarlett, she’s sitting in a big circle with the other women. Most of them have sewing baskets at their feet. I see Gen sitting next to Scarlett, and the sight warms my heart.

“You’re almost there,” Scarlett says, pointing at Gen’s stitches. “It just takes practice.”

“I never realized how difficult it was,” Gen moans. “I’m so sorry again, I didn’t take your skills seriously—among other things.”

“All forgotten,” Scarlett says, giving her old friend a hug.

I stand and watch for a few minutes, enjoying the happy look on Scarlett’s face as she chats with the other women, both Eccles and Rose Hollow.

When Scarlett finally looks up and notices me, she excuses herself and runs over to me, throwing her arms around my shoulders. I squeeze her against me, picking her up a little and spinning us around.

“How was your meeting?” she asks.

“Boring,” I answer. “Except for the fact that my squad is retiring, right here in town.”

“Wow, really? That’s great.”

“It is,” I agree. “But I think WS are keeping an eye on me.”

“Is that bad?”

“Not exactly,” I reply. “We just have to be careful.”

Scarlett nods, a serious look clouding her eyes.

Since the incursion, she’s tried to make sense of her experience with the snake, ultimately deciding it could have been a hallucination based on her own fear.

I’m not sure if she really believes that, but I know she wants to put the incident behind her.

And the last thing we need is WS knocking on the door every day, asking if she’s had secret messages from “Anomaly Eight.” Or worse—putting her under observation with the magic workers.

Scarlett takes my hand, and we walk for a while along the edge of the playing field. I can see Jarrod out in the center, kicking a soccer ball hard towards the goalposts. His team cheers as the ball flies straight between them, and Jarrod jumps up and down, pumping his fist.

He sees us on the sidelines and waves. I wave back, my heart full of love for my son. Since I came into his life, Scarlett says he’s changed, becoming more confident and relaxed. And definitely happier.

Scarlett leans against my arm, and I look down at her beautiful face, stroking her bright red hair.

“I love you, you know,” I say.

“Really?” she giggles. “I wasn’t sure. You’ve only told me five times today.”

“Damn,” I mutter. “I’ve got to do better. I thought I’d said it at least ten times.”

“Nope,” she says, teasing me. “But maybe I can’t count.”

I wrap my arms around her waist and draw her close to me, seeing her eyes brighten at my touch. As I lower my lips to hers, I know that whatever challenges lay ahead of us, I can face them without fear.

Because we are together, and always will be.

*****

THE END