Page 83 of Bad Wolf's Nanny

It was meant to be a casual pack gathering; a few members of the Green Mountain Pack had been invited over to build stronger ties in the wake of the recent attacks. The children were playing, the adults mingling. The mood should’ve been easy.

It wasn’t.

Dane could feel it the moment he stepped onto the grass. A tightness in his shoulders. An unease in the pit of his stomach. He nodded at Rick, who stood off to the side on the porch. Cold brown eyes tracked everything from behind a glass of whiskey, never lingering too long on any one face.

Typical Rick. The negotiator, the charmer, the predator dressed like a gentleman.

The lawn was a patchwork of folding chairs and picnic blankets. Felix knelt beside Danny and Logan, adjusting the straps of their boots while keeping an eye on the perimeter. Nearby, Nicolas stood immaculate as ever, bouncing baby Max in his carrier while Thea played a game with a gurgling Gracie on the porch. Eva, Rick’s shy little daughter, sat to one side, looking at Thea with something like awe in her gaze.

Dane barely acknowledged anyone. His mood was shot.

A sharp whistle caught his attention.

“You planning to growl at everyone today, or just me?” Felix called, dryly.

Dane grunted. “We’ll see.”

Then he saw them. Three younger Iron Walker alphas by the cooler, laughing too loudly, throwing around stories about border patrols like they were war veterans. Posturing. Showing off. And in front of guests.

John Heath, the Alpha of the Green Mountain Pack, stood talking to some of his alphas near the grill. He was older, perhaps in his sixties, lean but upright, his silver hair cropped short, eyes like sharpened flint. His posture spoke of dignity, military pride. Despite the relative size of his pack, he wasn’t here to kiss Felix’s ring.

The young wolves didn’t seem to care. They cracked open beers, bumping shoulders, talking too loudly.

Dane’s wolf surged forward.

“Hey!” he barked, voice slicing through the conversation. The laughter stopped. The young alphas straightened instinctively.

“You think this is a fucking game? Show some damn respect. There are children here. Guests. Or are your heads too far up your own asses to care about anyone but yourselves?”

A heavy silence fell over the yard. Thea looked up sharply from her game. Logan moved to his twin’s side, his little face uncertain.

Dane didn’t care.

One of the young wolves opened his mouth, but Dane was already moving, handing Sam off to one of the other males.

“You want to play soldier?” he growled, “Then you can do it under my command, and you can start by learning discipline. We are at war. This isn’t some bar brawl where you get to puff up your chests and pretend to be alphas. If you don’t smarten up, you won’t be on the front lines, you’ll be in the fucking club kitchen, peeling potatoes.”

“Dane,” Felix warned.

“They’re a liability,” Dane snapped, “and liabilities get people killed.”

Felix rose to his full height. His voice was still calm, but the edge in it could’ve cut stone.

“Enough.”

Dane turned, still bristling, his fists clenched.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Felix asked, loud enough for the others to hear. “You think this helps anything? Acting like a rabid dog in front of the kids? In front of our guests?”

Rick moved then. Quiet as a shadow, leaving his spot in the shadows. He didn’t speak. Just watched. Always watching.

Nicolas handed Max to Thea, smoothing his shirt like he wasn’t about to step into a brewing storm.

Dane’s pulse pounded. The weight of eyes on him burned.

And still, he couldn’t stop himself.

“If they’d take this seriously, I wouldn’t have to say anything.”