Page 14 of Malcolm (The Sunburst Pack #1)

A T THE EDGE OF the gathering on Sunburst Mesa, Malcolm could feel the wolf within him pacing restlessly.

He scanned the crowd of pack members, taking in their excited chatter and nervous energy. This was it—the final alpha challenge. Everything he’d worked for all his life had led to this moment.

Malcolm glanced at Larissa as she moved to stand nearby.

He could almost feel the phantom pressure of her lips against his, taste the sweetness of her mouth from their kiss during patrol.

Even at this distance, a frisson of awareness passed between them, and Malcolm had to forcibly tear his gaze away.

Stop it, he told himself sternly. You can’t afford to be distracted now.

Nick’s voice cut through the murmur of the crowd, silencing the chatter as effectively as a gunshot. “Sunburst Pack,” he began “we gather here today for the final challenge that will determine our new alpha.”

Malcolm straightened his shoulders, forcing his face into a mask of calm confidence. He could feel the pack watching him, could smell their anticipation and curiosity. They were wondering if he had what it took to lead them, to protect them.

He intended to prove he did.

Nick continued, “This challenge will test not just your strength and speed but your ability to lead, to make difficult decisions under pressure. As alpha, you’ll be—”

A sudden commotion at the edge of the gathering cut Nick off midsentence. Malcolm caught a whiff of two scents he’d never expected to smell again. His heart stuttered, then began to race as his mind processed what his nose was telling him.

Gregory and Hannah?

Impossible. They’d fled after Vincent’s defeat. They couldn’t be here. And yet…

The crowd parted like a wave as Gregory and Hannah pushed their way through, their sudden appearance eliciting gasps and growls from the pack.

Malcolm tensed his muscles, preparing for action, as he took in their appearance. They looked haggard, their clothes dirty and torn. But their faces were set in fierce expressions.

Nick’s voice rang out, barely containing his anger. “Why are you here?”

Hannah’s laugh was sharp and bitter, cutting through the tense silence. “How dare you ask us that, Nick Reagan? You, who stole this pack from its rightful leader?”

Her words were like a match to kindling. The pack erupted into chaos, voices rising in anger and confusion. Malcolm could smell the fear and aggression rolling off his packmates in waves.

“Traitors!”

“Throw them out!”

“Let them speak!”

The cacophony of voices made Malcolm’s head spin.

Larissa began to move toward Gregory and Hannah, her stance defensive but her expression conflicted.

Without thinking, Malcolm reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her back. “What are you doing?” he hissed.

Larissa wrenched her arm free. “I’m going to find out what they want,” she snapped. “Or would you rather we just attack without knowing what we’re dealing with?”

Her words stung, but Malcolm pushed the feeling aside. “And walk right into whatever trap they’ve set? Use your head, Larissa. We need to approach this carefully.”

A scuffle broke out between two younger pack members, their growls turning into snarls and yips as they grappled with each other.

This was supposed to be his moment, his chance to prove himself as alpha. Instead, it was devolving into chaos, the situation spiraling out of control. His dreams were slipping away, replaced by the very real threat of pack infighting.

Malcolm moved to intervene in the fight, but before he could take two steps, Nick’s voice boomed across the mesa.

“Enough!”

The single word carried such power that everyone froze.

Nick’s eyes blazed as he looked around at the pack. “We are not animals,” he said into the stillness. “We do not turn on each other at the first sign of trouble. Now, everyone will calm down and we will deal with this situation like the civilized people we are.”

As the pack settled, mumbling apologies and averting their eyes from Nick’s stern gaze, Malcolm’s mind raced. How had Gregory and Hannah managed to return undetected? The pack had been on high alert since Vincent’s defeat, with increased patrols and…

Oh shit.

The patrol.

The kiss.

The memory hit Malcolm like a physical blow. He and Larissa, lost in each other’s arms, completely oblivious to their surroundings.

A wave of self-loathing washed over him as he realized his lapse in judgment may have jeopardized the pack’s security.

He turned to Larissa, his anger at himself finding a new target. “This is your fault,” he muttered, low enough that only she heard. “If you hadn’t distracted me on that patrol—”

Larissa’s eyes widened in shock, then narrowed. “My fault?”

“Yes. You were the one who kissed me. Or have you conveniently forgotten that part?”

Her voice rose. “You didn’t exactly stop me. Or have you forgotten that part?”

Larissa’s words were like claws raking across his soul, but Malcolm was too caught up in his own guilt and frustration to back down. “I didn’t see you pushing me away,” he snarled. “Face it. We both screwed up, and now the whole pack is paying for it.”

“That’s enough, both of you,” Nick’s voice cut through their argument as he stepped between them. “Whatever is going on between you two, it can wait. Right now, we have bigger problems to deal with.”

Larissa walked away, and a flush of shame climbed up Malcolm’s neck. Nick was right. He was letting his personal feelings cloud his judgment—exactly what an alpha couldn’t afford to do.

Gregory’s voice rang out, silencing the last of the murmurs. “Before you make any rash decisions,” he said, his tone maddeningly calm, “you might want to consider the information we possess. Information that could…shall we say, destabilize the pack’s current power structure?”

Malcolm’s blood ran cold. What could Gregory and Hannah know that would give them such confidence? His mind raced through possibilities, each more alarming than the last.

He glanced around the crowd until he found Larissa again. Despite their argument, the same concern was reflected in her gaze. Whatever their personal issues, they both understood the gravity of the situation.

Nick, his face a mask of controlled anger, moved a few steps closer to Gregory. “Say what you’ve come to say. But if you’re here to cause trouble, you’ll find no welcome here.”

Gregory’s smile was cold and predatory. “Oh, I think you’ll want to hear what we have to say, Nick.

After all, it concerns not just you but everyone here.

” His gaze swept the crowd, lingering on Malcolm for an instant before moving on.

“The question is, Are you brave enough to hear the truth about your so-called leaders?”

The pack shifted uneasily, the scent of fear and anticipation heavy in the air. Malcolm squared his shoulders, refusing to show any sign of weakness.

“Whatever lies you’re here to spread,” he said, “we’re not interested. The pack has moved on, Gregory. We’re stronger now, united.”

Hannah’s laugh, sharp and mocking, rang out across the mesa. “United? Is that what you call this?” She gestured at the tense faces surrounding them. “Face it, Malcolm. This pack is as divided as it ever was. You’re just too blind to see it.”

Her words struck too close to home, echoing doubts that had been plaguing Malcolm since Vincent’s defeat. He opened his mouth to respond, but Nick beat him to it.

“This isn’t the time or place for whatever game you’re playing,” Nick said, his voice firm. “If you have something to say, say it. Otherwise, leave. Now.”

For a moment, the only sound was the wind whistling. Then Gregory spoke, his voice dangerous.

“Very well,” he said. “Let’s start with the truth about how Vincent really died. It wasn’t the noble battle you’ve all been led to believe. No, the truth is far more…interesting.”

As Gregory’s words washed over the pack, Malcolm’s mind was already racing, planning, strategizing. He might not become alpha today, but he would be damned if he let Gregory and Hannah destroy everything they’d worked so hard to build.

He risked a glance at Nick, trying to gauge his reaction. The interim alpha’s face was a mask of stone, but the almost imperceptible clench of his jaw gave away his dismay.

“You see,” Gregory continued, his voice dripping with false sympathy, “Vincent’s death was planned and executed by those who claim to want only the best for you. For the pack. But really, all they wanted was power.”

Malcolm’s mind raced. He needed to do something, to say something, before Gregory’s poison spread any further. But what? If he defended Nick too vigorously, it might look like he was complicit. If he stayed silent, it would be as good as admitting guilt.

Before he could decide, Hannah’s voice cut through the murmurs. “And that’s not all,” she said, her voice practically glittering with malice. “Should we tell them about the deals you made with other packs, Nick? About the promises you made to secure their support?”

Nick’s head snapped up, his eyes narrowing. “What are you talking about?”

Hannah’s smile was sharp as a blade. “Oh, you know exactly what I’m talking about. The territories you promised to the Moonstone Pack in exchange for their help. The hunting rights you offered to the River Valley Pack for their neutrality. Shall I go on?”

“Lies,” Malcolm said. “Everything you’re saying is nothing but lies designed to divide us.”

Gregory turned to him, his expression one of mock surprise. “Is it, Malcolm? Are you sure about that? Because we have proof. Documents signed by Nick himself, detailing every sordid deal.”

The reaction from the pack was immediate and visceral. Growls and snarls erupted from all sides, the scent of anger and betrayal thick in the air. Malcolm’s own anger rose, not at Nick, but at Gregory and Hannah for the chaos they were sowing.

Larissa stood apart from the fray, her gaze calculating as she moved back toward Malcolm. “We need to shut this down,” she said as soon as they were close enough to speak without being overheard. “Every second they keep talking, we lose more of the pack.”

Malcolm nodded, his mind already racing through possibilities. “But how? If we try to silence them, it’ll look like we’re hiding something. If we let them continue…”

“We lose everything,” Larissa finished for him.

Malcolm’s voice rang out, cutting through the din. “Stop!” The power in his tone brought a momentary hush to the crowd.

“Listen to yourselves,” Malcolm continued. “Listen to how quickly you turn on each other, on the very people who fought and bled to free us from Vincent’s control.”

Larissa picked up where he left off. “Gregory and Hannah come here with pretty words and vague accusations, and you’re ready to throw away everything?”

Malcolm saw the doubt in some of his packmates’ eyes beginning to waver.

He pressed on. “Think about who’s making these accusations,” he said.

“Gregory and Hannah, Vincent’s most loyal supporters.

The ones who stood by and watched—who helped—as he tore our pack apart.

And now they want us to believe they have our best interests in mind? ”

A low murmur ran through the pack, but this time, it held a different note. Malcolm could smell the shift in their scents, anger giving way to uncertainty.

But then Gregory took another step, until he stood in the middle of the pack, and called out, “I don’t think you and Larissa are the ones to be defending Nick. After all, we have information about you too.”