Page 182 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha

NIGHT

Iwatched Bryn, Tavi, Lance, and most of the women walk away to speak to the injured.

It was a struggle to hide my annoyance, but I should have expected it to be this way—the Camas Pack had always been more conservative than us Wargs.

The farther they got from us, the more Oakley and Birchen started to relax.

“Oakley,” I said, pulling his attention from the women. “Why don’t you take me through what happened?”

He nodded. “Right. At three in the morning, when most of us were sleeping in our homes, the attack started at the borders of our territory. We didn’t know anything was wrong until the ferals forced their way past my men and onto our lands.

Someone sounded the alarm to wake us, but by then, plenty of damage had been done. ”

“Where is that alarm?”

He led us farther onto their land, toward the center of their territory.

Oakley gestured to a siren pole that was about three stories tall.

It was hard to tell its original color because of the splotches of brown rust and patches of exposed steel.

The siren was also coated in rust, its cylinder chipped.

Dom went to the crank that made the siren sound. When he touched it, it squeaked as it see-sawed back and forth from an old screw. It would take forever to get the thing to make any sort of noise. He and I shared a brief look.

“Is there an alarm system near where your men patrol?” Dom asked. “One they would have easier access to?”

Oakley sighed. “This is the only one.”

“I see.” Dom sent me another look, this one more worried than the other. “I’ve never seen anything like this,” he spoke through our bond. “No wonder they were taken over so easily.”

No kidding. I didn’t blame them for the attack itself, but it was hard not to get even more frustrated at this overly traditional pack.

They had fighters and hunters, but because they hadn’t had to defend their borders in fifty years, they’d grown soft.

That was evident from how unprepared they were for an attack.

“The ferals also attacked our nursery,” Birchen said.

My head whipped toward him. “Was anyone killed?”

“Unfortunately, yes, a few of the women who defended the building. Thankfully, no pups were injured.”

I clenched my hands into fists. Only Troy would be that heinous. “Take us there.”

We left the siren pole behind, and Birchen led us to the nursery. The single-story cabin’s windows were all shattered, and the front door had been ripped from its hinges. Inside the nursery was the stench of blood, fear…and something else. Something that chilled me to my bones.

“You catch a whiff of that, Night?” Dom asked.

“Of course I do.” My response was little more than a growl. If there had been any doubt in my mind that this was Troy’s doing, his scent all over this nursery banished it.

I stepped inside the nursery and tried to find the source. Blood covered the walls and floor. Bits of fur and hair, claw marks, ripped drawings and homework, demolished furniture…it was clear there had been a huge struggle.

“Either the son of a bitch came to do this himself,” I said, “or he had his army leave his fur here.”

“Either way, he wanted us to know he was behind this. Sick fuck,” Dom said.

We walked through the nursery and out the back exit.

Bodies covered in white sheets lay on the ground.

Undoubtedly, these were the women who had defended the nursery.

It was a miracle no pups had died or been taken.

Neither of us wanted to go through the carnage that was the inside of the nursery again, so we walked around the outside of the cabin to get to the front.

Birchen and Oakley were waiting for us there.

“We confirmed the culprit,” I said. “It’s Troy Redwolf. I’m sure you’ve heard of him.”

“Yes,” Oakley replied. “You replaced him.”

“Actually, my mate replaced him as alpha before I did,” I said.

Oakley glanced at Birchen but said nothing. That reaction irked me. It wasn’t inherently disrespectful, but it was skeptical. I got the impression they were pitying us.

“I know that look, Night,” Dom said. “For the sake of this man’s pack, don’t call him out.”

I didn’t want to take his advice, but I knew it wasn’t in my best interest to pick a fight with this man. That was why Bryn and the others had left initially. She, I was positive, understood that forcing the Camas to see things our way wasn’t the way to give them aid.

“Like I was saying,” I said, “we caught Troy’s scent in the nursery. He’s behind this attack.”

“But why would he do this to us?” Birchen asked. “We have never interceded in what he and his father did.”

“I wish I could give you a clear answer, but we’re not sure, either. His issues are with my pack.”

“And yet, he and his army of ferals have made a habit of attacking us and much smaller packs in the panhandle,” Oakley said.

I frowned. “This is the first I’m hearing of this.”

Oakley nodded. “We’ve seen evidence of the carnage when we go out to hunt. It wasn’t clear what had happened until it happened to us.”

I’d known Troy had gone for smaller packs in the past, but things had been quiet near my territory. I made a mental note to have my men speak to Oakley’s hunters and investigate the locations of these other packs.

“How does he have so many ferals under his control?” Birchen asked.

“We’re still investigating that. Whatever his methods are, they aren’t normal.”

“I see.” Oakley chewed on the inside of his cheek. “As you know, we’re a peaceful pack, but we are, of course, willing to help you find him with whatever resources or trackers we can spare.”

“That offer is appreciated. I believe the Wargs and Camas once had a trade deal for wooden goods.” Decades ago, before relations soured between the Camas and pretty much every other pack that became less “traditional,” there had been a trading deal.

The Camas were known for their strong wood and dense forests, and their craftsmanship was some of the best in the state.

“If you would consider reopening negotiations, I’d be eternally grateful. ”

He hesitated. “As long as your assistance doesn’t hinge on my saying yes right away…”

I shook my head. “That’s not how we operate. We will help you recover regardless of your decision.” After all, Troy should have remained our problem, not his.

“Then I will confer with my beta and my council on what we can do for you.”

“Thank you.” I glanced back at the nursery again, my heart clenching at the women who had lost their lives defending it. “Who organized the defense of this nursery? Was it one of your men?”

When Oakley didn’t answer, I looked at him. He was staring at the nursery, the muscles in his cheek twitching. What the hell was with that reaction?

Birchen answered instead. “All of us were at the front lines from the point the siren was pulled. We had to get involved because they’d killed so many of our men.”

I’d heard that the reason that the Camas were able to be peaceful was because Oakley was such a force to be reckoned with in his youth. It didn’t surprise me that he and his beta were able to put an end to the carnage. But that didn’t explain the nursery.

“Then who?” I asked.

“Er, that’s…” Birchen hesitated and lowered his head, obviously deferring to his alpha, who showed no sign of answering my question. In Oakley’s posture, in his eyes, I read hesitation but also a sense of deep, deep anger, pain…and shame?

“Samara did this,” he replied finally. “My daughter.”

My eyes widened. Shit, no wonder he was so reluctant to speak. “I don’t want to ask you, Oakley, but I have to know. Was she killed in the fray?”

“No. She survived.”

“That’s a relief to hear. But if she made it, then where is she—?”

“I don’t see how that’s any of your business, Shepherd.”

The venom in his retort took me aback, as did the blood that filled his cheeks and spread across his face. He was pissed in a way that he hadn’t been only a few minutes ago. Even Dom stiffened beside me, immediately on guard.

Oakley and I stared at each other for several seconds, and when I spoke again, my voice was firm, but I tried my fucking best not to be accusing.

“The reason I wanted to know,” I said, “was because she and the women defending the nursery did a fantastic job. Without training, and while their men were absent, they kept their young safe. It’s amazing what they were able to do.”

A few more tense moments passed, and then Oakley let out a tight breath. “My daughter is in prison.”

“What?” I demanded. “Why?”

He raised his chin. “Because in defending this nursery, she defied our most sacred rules.”

“What the hell are you saying? Didn’t she keep the children safe? Didn’t she help—”

“At the cost of many young women’s lives,” Oakley snapped. “Some had pups, others were unwed. Losing some of our men is one thing, but our women?” He shook his head. “It is against our way to risk such a valuable resource.”

My eyes narrowed at him.

“A valuable resource?” Dom repeated, incredulous. Even he couldn’t let something like that slide. “Every life is valuable.”

“We treasure our women,” Birchen snapped. “We’re not so eager to put them on the frontlines as you lot.”

“So they should have abandoned the pups?” I demanded. “What other options did they have?”

“Of course not!” Oakley snapped. “They should have tried to escape with them.”

“Escape?” I could hardly believe what I was hearing. “And go where? To the forest, where there were more ferals? You said yourself that you were overwhelmed by this attack. If everywhere was overrun, nowhere was safe. Their only option was to stay somewhere defensible.”

He said nothing. He knew as well as I did that his words made no sense.

Still, he stared down his nose at me. He had a few inches on me, but I couldn’t give a shit.

The last time another wolf had made me feel small was when I was a kid.

Oakley had another think coming if he thought he could intimidate me into silence.