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CHAPTER SIX

REECE

"Another!" Reece yelled to the bartender, his voice slurring slightly as he slammed his empty glass down on the counter.

The bartender, a grizzled man with a perpetual scowl, shot him a hard look.

"You sure you can pay for this? That's your what, seventh whiskey of the night?" the bartender asked, suspicion lacing his words.

"I can, so shut up and pour me another glass. And none of that watered-down crap," Reece snapped back, his tone brooking no argument.

The bartender shook his head, muttering something under his breath, but obediently poured another drink.

Reece knew it was the same inferior swill he'd been served all night, but at this point, he didn't care.

He just wanted to get roaring drunk, to drown out the memory of the hell he'd been through tonight.

As he downed the whiskey in one long gulp, Reece reminded himself to keep a low profile.

The bar was crawling with more of the Iron Fang MC bikers than usual, their leather jackets emblazoned with the snarling coyote that marked them as members.

These coyote shifters claimed this territory as their own, and Reece, technically an outsider, didn't want to draw unnecessary attention to himself.

Though, truth be told, the bikers seemed distracted by something else.

Their conversation, though hushed, carried to Reece's keen ears.

"...have no idea how that sneaky bastard managed to escape the compound. There were no tracks, and he knocked Daryl out cold."

"We retrieved his phone and wallet from his ugly truck. Here's his driver's license, but it looks fake. Tracer hacked his phone but said there wasn't much useful information in it. Whoever this shifter is, he's careful."

Reece straightened up at those words, his bloodshot eyes narrowing.

The whiskey was making his head fuzzy, but his mind sharpened with a sudden jolt of recognition.

He thought of that monster that had stolen his prey from him in that ravine.

His jaw clenched, and his fists tightened around the glass in his hand, nearly shattering it.

The shame of pissing himself and running away like some weak-ass omega still burned in his gut.

He had a reputation as a ruthless alpha, and he'd never forgive himself for that moment of cowardice.

Then again, he had a feeling even these bikers would run for the hills if they confronted that… creature.

A dragon. There, Reece had said it to himself, though the word still felt foreign and impossible in his mind.

If he told anyone about it, they'd probably laugh in his face.

Hell, he barely believed it himself.

Dragons were supposed to be extinct, wiped out long before Reece's time.

And yet, lady luck hadn't been on his side when he encountered one in that ravine.

A cold shiver ran down his spine just thinking about it.

His thoughts were interrupted when one of the bikers ran into the bar, breathless and wide-eyed.

"The bastard's back for his truck!" he shouted, sending a ripple of energy through the bar.

"After him!" another biker barked, and the group sprang into action, leaving their drinks and crowding toward the exit.

Reece lingered a moment longer, his heart racing with a mix of fear and morbid curiosity.

He watched them go, then slipped off his barstool, following them cautiously at a distance.

His instincts screamed at him to turn back, to leave well enough alone, but a twisted part of him needed to see the dragon again.

To prove to himself that he hadn't imagined the whole thing.

As he stepped outside, the night air hit him like a slap in the face, cold and sobering.

The bikers were already mounting their bikes, engines roaring to life as they prepared to give chase.

Reece hung back, staying in the shadows, his breath coming in shallow, uneven gasps.

"Hey, you haven't—" The bartender's shout cut through the air, but Reece ignored it, his focus locked on the unfolding chaos.

His pulse hammered in his ears as he watched the bikers speed off into the night.

Reece followed the bikers on his motorcycle, the wind whipping past him as he kept a steady distance.

The Iron Fangs were ahead, chasing the truck with a single-minded determination that bordered on desperation.

Reece, however, was more patient.

He knew better than to charge headlong into a situation, especially when his quarry had already proven to be more than capable of outmaneuvering those who sought him.

The truck driver had led them into the forest, forcing the bikers to split up and take different paths.

Reece chose his own route, one none of the others had taken.

It was a gamble, but one that paid off as he soon heard the rumble of the truck's engine somewhere up ahead.

He slowed his pace, making sure to stay out of sight. The truck was fast, but Reece was faster when he wanted to be.

Reece kept a careful distance, not wanting to alert the driver to his presence.

The forest soon gave way to an open road, and Reece watched as the truck sped away, leaving the bikers behind.

One by one, they fell away, losing sight of their target. But not Reece.

He was still there, still tracking the truck with a predator's patience.

Three hours later, a sign came into view on the side of the road: “Welcome to Sky Stead.”

The words meant little to him, but the image next to them—a red dragon coiled in a fierce stance—set his teeth on edge.

There was something about that sign, something that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

He killed the engine of his motorcycle, coasting to a stop just short of the sign.

The air here was different, charged with a kind of energy he couldn’t quite place.

Reece swung off his bike, his boots crunching on the gravel as he approached the sign, his eyes narrowing as he studied the image of the dragon.

It was a warning.

The town beyond was the dragon’s territory, and Reece knew better than to walk into a situation without understanding the stakes.

Reece took a deep breath, the scent of clean ozone hitting his nose like a sharp tang. Magic. There was a barrier around this place.

He’d encountered barriers like this before—some that warned the territory’s owner of intruders, others that were designed to kill.

His wolf growled low in his chest, uneasy.

This wasn’t just any territory. This was the domain of something ancient, something powerful.

Reece could feel it in the air, in the way his instincts screamed at him to turn back. But he wasn’t about to give up now.

He had what he came for. He knew where Nathan was hiding, and that was enough for now.

Reece drew his lips back in a snarl, the memory of the ravine flashing through his mind.

The shame of his own fear, of running away like a scared pup, burned in his gut. But he wasn’t stupid.

He knew when he was outmatched, and going up against a dragon on his own was suicide.

No, he needed to regroup, to call in the rest of the pack.

Nathan thought he was safe here, hiding behind this magical barrier, but he was wrong.

It was only a matter of time before Reece got to him, before he made him pay for the humiliation he had suffered.

He turned back to his motorcycle, his mind racing with plans.

Trevor, Chad, Ron—they were part of a nomadic pack, moving from place to place, taking what they wanted and leaving chaos in their wake.

They had faced down barriers before, had crossed into territories that were supposed to be off-limits.

This would be no different. They’d find a way through, and when they did, Nathan wouldn’t stand a chance.

As he mounted his bike and started the engine, Reece cast one last look at the town. Sky Stead was quiet, unassuming, but he knew better.

Beneath the surface, something dangerous lurked, something that had already cost him dearly.

But he was done being afraid. The next time he faced that dragon, it wouldn’t be in fear.

It would be in rage, in cold, calculated vengeance.

With a final sneer, Reece revved the engine and sped away, leaving the town and its ominous sign behind.

He had what he needed. The hunt was far from over, but now the odds were in his favor.

He’d be back, and when he returned, he wouldn’t be alone.

Nathan’s days of running were numbered. Soon, Reece would make him regret ever crossing paths with him.

The dragon might think it had won, but this was just the beginning.

Reece’s lips curled into a dark smile as he rode into the night.