Page 4 of New Blood (Werewolf Alliance #1)

Mason appeared next to him and handed him his clothes. Jude pulled on his pants, but took the shirt and handed it to the vampire.

“For her.”

The vampire took it and covered Fallon with it.

“You can call off your witches,” Jude advised. “We won’t hurt you or your people.”

The vampire hesitated. “Why should I trust you?”

“Because Striker Reed does.”

“You’re Striker’s intervention?”

“That’s what he called it?” He shrugged. “Jude Beaumont from the Werewolf Alliance. I’d shake your hand, but…”

The vampire nodded. His hands were otherwise busy, cradling Fallon in his arms, putting pressure on her wound, and feeding her his blood.

“Patrick Woodford, Scanguards,” he introduced himself, then added, speaking into his mic, “Everybody, lay down your weapons. We have a truce.”

Jude watched as the vampires slowly followed his command, and the two witches terminated their spells. Peace and quietude descended around him.

He nodded at Patrick, then addressed the assembled, “In the name of the Werewolf Alliance, I command the Gallagher pack to kneel.”

“In nomine Lupinotuum Societatem,” his team members announced.

“Never!” came a yell from the crowd. “You had no right to interfere in our business.”

Jude recognized William Gallagher from the photos he’d been given.

With calmness and confidence, and knowing that the law was behind him, Jude stepped closer to the older Gallagher.

“We do when a pack becomes a danger to all werewolves. You should have reined in your son when you had the chance. His death is on you.”

“You killed Cameron? You killed my son?” Gallagher yelled, lunging for him.

But Mason and Austin snatched Gallagher, imprisoning his arms so he couldn’t lash out.

“I’m the alpha of this pack!” he yelled, pure hatred spewing from the stubborn man’s eyes.

Jude ignored his outburst and turned to Patrick. “Take your people and leave. Never come back here.”

“What guarantee do I have that the Gallagher pack isn’t gonna retaliate?” Patrick asked.

“It’s not the Gallagher pack anymore,” Jude announced. “It’s the Beaumont pack. I’m their new alpha. And we mean you no harm. In the name of the Werewolf Alliance, we vow it.”

“In nomine Lupinotuum Societatem,” his companions said in unison.

“And William Gallagher?” Patrick asked, furrowing his brow. “He’ll seek revenge.”

“William Gallagher isn’t your problem anymore. He’s mine.”

With a nod, and with the help of the woman whose supernatural aura he didn’t recognize, Patrick rose to his feet with Fallon in his arms.

“Let’s go,” Patrick ordered his colleagues. “Anybody killed?”

“No,” a huge vampire replied. “A few injuries, nothing serious.”

“Alright, Jude Beaumont,” Patrick said. “As long as this pack doesn’t cause any more trouble, we won’t have a reason to come back.”

“Understood.”

He looked at Patrick and saw honesty in his green eyes.

The vampire would keep his word. Jude gave a curt nod before Patrick motioned to the vampires and witches he’d brought.

Casting cautious glances at the werewolves, they made their way down the long driveway that led to the entrance gate.

Jude gave Francisco a sign to make sure that all vampires were indeed leaving the property before he turned back to the Gallagher pack.

Several of them were now helping those pack members who’d gotten caught in nets tied to trees to free themselves. He had to admit it was a genius idea by the vampires to use nets to tie up their opponents while in wolf form.

Jude saw fewer than ten pack members assembled in front of the house, all of them naked, having shifted out of their werewolf forms only moments earlier.

Nudity wasn’t something anybody in the werewolf community was concerned about.

It was part of their nature, and in a closely-knit pack, everybody had seen everybody else in the nude at some time or another.

His own men were already partially dressed, since Mason had retrieved their clothes from where they’d left them in the woods.

However, to the Gallagher pack, Jude and his men were strangers, and it was common courtesy to give them a chance to get dressed.

After all, he didn’t want them to see him and his team as enemies.

“Go and get dressed. Then assemble in the common area inside the house. You have twenty minutes,” Jude ordered.

William Gallagher tried to shake off Mason’s and Austin’s arms, but failed. “Let go of me!”

“Mason and Austin will help you get dressed,” Jude suggested. “Take him to his bedroom, and don’t let him out of your sight.”

As several of the pack members turned away and headed for the front entrance of the house, Jude tipped his chin in Wendell’s direction.

The massive werewolf stepped closer. “What do you need?”

“You have the list of pack members who reside on the estate?”

Wendell nodded and pulled his cell phone from his pocket.

“Make sure everybody is accounted for. And then take Ransom and Parker and search the entire house, in case somebody is hiding. I don’t want any surprises.”

“You and me both,” Wendell replied and turned toward the house.

Jude remained standing where he was until everybody was inside the house.

Then he let his gaze wander while taking in every scent and every sound.

The scent of the vampires was slowly fading, and from his judgment of Patrick Woodford, he was confident that they would never be a problem again.

The Gallagher pack, however, was a different thing altogether.

He expected opposition and pushback. It would be up to him to do what was necessary to unite the pack under his leadership.

He’d trained for this all his life. All male members of the Werewolf Alliance who weren’t mated yet were trained to one day take over as alpha of a pack that needed new leadership.

He’d waited all his life to show his loyalty to the Werewolf Alliance and to make the sacrifice expected of him.

But now that the day was here, he couldn’t quite muster the excitement he should feel.

Because there was nothing exciting about killing a fellow werewolf—even a murderous one—and deposing an alpha.