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Chanin was the youngest Alpha ever to hold the position.

However, he made up for what he didn’t have in age and experience through tenacity and strength.

Those two things pissed his older cousin the hell off.

Farkas had crested forty-two years ago and had been waiting for his father to step down, but his cousin figured he would walk into the Alpha role—no challenge.

When Uncle Kenneally died, Farkas didn’t anticipate Chanin stepping forth, showing him that being a fucking alpha bully did not win popularity, nor did it make him the baddest wolf in the Pack.

In the end, after accepting Chanin’s challenge, Farkas was a beaten, loudmouthed, pompous jerk, unconscious and bloody on the ground.

Often Chanin got pissed at himself because he didn’t take Farkas’s life that day as tradition dictated to prevent an insurrection.

But their numbers were already suffering, and Chanin couldn’t find the strength to end another wolf’s life.

His mistake was trusting his cousin would put the Pack’s needs first and submit.

Chanin had been wrong. Farkas was a stain on the Pack’s reputation and a force that Chanin and all the new leaders had to deal with.

“We’ll follow your plan.” His security leader’s features were tight, set in fierce determination. “Where do you want the Fang Warriors to RV?”

“Let’s take a look.” Chanin headed to his home office. He crossed through his living room to an open sliding door on the front side of his place. Once there, he entered a spacious room set up for his office.

Rudie, who was always a step ahead of his thoughts, was already there and had the screen with the map of their territory pulled down between two bay windows. He, Boris, and Bleddyn moved to stand before it.

“According to your original report, Boris, Farkas’s band was last spotted holding up here in the Northern mountains.

” Chanin pointed at the area he was familiar with.

The Pack occasionally ran there, but it was a beautiful wasteland.

No life or vegetation returned to the area after the Great Catastrophe, the reason Chanin had led the Pack southwest.

“That should still be the case. It is where the scouts heard and spotted the women with them,” Boris confirmed.

Chanin growled. “How the hell are they doing it?”

“We are still trying to determine that.” Boris stared at the map with his arms folded. “The scouts have seen a few entrances, but Farkas always has them guarded. Without the approval to strike, the team held their ground.”

“I understand.” Chanin continued to stare at the area on the map for a moment.

In the back corner of his mind, something sat lodged.

It was problematic concerning the area, but it was an enigma.

Chanin knew he’d figure it out sooner or later.

“Concerning your question, Boris, we will meet on the Northwest side. Since they seem to be focused east on their deeds, they must be more concerned with an attack coming in from that way.”

“They’ve pissed off the dragons, and if the Fae discover their actions, they will come for them.” Bleddyn tossed in, his voice rough.

They all wanted a piece of Farkas and his band of deviants.

“Will do, Alpha.” Boris gave a sharp nod. “I’ll get going, and we’ll meet you there in a couple of hours.”

Chanin gave his security leader a quick, firm pat on his shoulder. “Make sure to tell the team to proceed with caution. I don’t trust Farkas.”

“Absolutely,” Boris agreed. He turned and headed out of the office; Rudie followed behind him.

Bleddyn moved closer to the map and stared at it. His Beta looked from their territory to the Fae’s. At one point, he reached out a finger and drew an invisible line across the three regions.

“I keep asking myself, how in the hell is the rogue band doing it? Maneuvering in and out of the other territories.” Bleddyn spoke to himself even as he directed the perplexing question to Chanin.

“They can’t use the mountains as cover the entire time because the range doesn’t continue outside our area. ”

“Even if it did, after they’d stolen from Aodh’s people, I’m sure he has an incinerate first and ask questions later order for the wayward wolves.” Chanin stepped beside his second and tried to sort out the situation before them.

“If Aodh and Liekki happened to catch Farkas’s band in the act and roast them, it would be a great solid for us.”

Bleddyn chuckled. “We can pray to the Great Spirit for some Farkas flambe. I’d give a tooth behind one of my canines to see it.”

“You’re not the only one, my friend.” Chanin fist-bumped his beta.

They fell silent for a moment, both still studying the map.

“You think they may have worked something out with a dragon? Maybe they got one to look the other way. Their females are pretty lusty, and Farkas never had trouble with finding multiple bedmates before he began to act up.”

Chanin squinted at the map, still studying it. “Perhaps, but doubtful. The link those Drahks share through their Alpha is strange. I don’t fully comprehend how it works. That may be the reason we’ve never heard of a rogue dragon.”

“What did I miss while gone?”

Chanin and Bleddyn turned to see Minsi entering the room as Rudie returned.

In a whiff, Chanin knew in the hour plus his ex-lover had been gone, she’d had sex and showered.

She was clean, but a male scent rose beneath the notes of her soap.

Faolan. One of the Fang Warriors. Chanin assumed the male had gotten Minsi off before the team had orders for this mission, which was not a case of dereliction of duty.

If so, Chanin would deal with the warrior wolf before Boris got to him.

Jealousy didn’t play a factor; he was glad Minsi had taken the time to get herself off.

Because the last thing Chanin needed was her still trying to hump his leg and begging to be fucked.

He considered for a moment if the situation was different and if it had been Morlie who came to him saturated in another male’s scent, his response would not be the same.

Hell, no. He would shift and tear that man to pieces and fuck Morlie on the guy’s dead body making sure she understood whom she belonged to.

Mate . His wolf snapped.

Yes, that was the difference between his ex-lover and Morlie.

For a moment he pondered the possibility of her getting with a dragon-shifter.

The miniscule amount of serum he’d dripped into her wasn’t enough to stop her from laying with a different kind of shifter.

Letting one of those fire-breathing bastards between her silken thighs.

He ground his back teeth hard to keep in the growl barreling fast up from his core, a hot air balloon being filled with too much heat too fast.

“We’re about to head out, but we were looking over the map trying to determine how Farkas and his crew managed to get from here,” Chanin set his finger on the mountain range and slid it over to the Fae area. “To here and grab two women.”

Minsi gasped as she stopped at his right side. “Females? You would never joke about something like that, but tell me this is an exception?”

“No.” He lowered his hand. “He’s becoming more reckless.”

“Yes. I know you. You won’t let this stand. When are you moving on Farkas?”

“We are headed out to get another I want in this fight. Boris’s specialized team can keep them contained until we get there.” Chanin left out of his office. “We need to try and get to them before Farkas or any of his band of misfits attempt to breed them.”

“The Fae should be able to hold them off with their elemental magic for a while,” Minsi offered.

“It depends if Farkas comes at them alone or he sets the females in the middle of his fucking men and lets them go wild.”

“I’m going with you, Alpha. I’ll rip Farkas’s fucking throat out myself.” Minsi growled.

The female flanking his other side as they left his house had her ways and was too damn possessive when it came to him, but she was vicious in her act when it came to protecting young and other females from abuse.

“Get in line,” Bleddyn called out from Chanin’s left.

“Rudie, contact Dolf and have him get the word out that I want everyone on standby until I return,” Chanin instructed his assistant, who double-timed her short steps to keep up with them.

“Make sure everyone understands Farkas could be a threat. If he is stupid enough to go into other territories, this may be an elaborate setup to draw me away and attempt to attack here or try to rob the Pack again.”

“Yes, sir. I’m on it.” She shuffled her feet briefly before she started in another direction.

“Rudie!” Chanin halted, then pivoted toward her small retreating form.

His assistant stopped on a dime at his call. She turned back to him. “Yes?”

“Stay at my parent’s house until I return,” he commanded.

Her eyes widened a little, and her mouth began to part, seeming as if she would argue about not being a child. However, she was smart enough to understand a clear command from her Alpha. She nodded and waited for him to turn away before he heard her steps again.

Bravery was Rudie’s superpower; however, since she didn’t shift, she wouldn’t be a match for any of Farkas’s crew if they did come this way. Chanin would not see her hurt in any way.

His long strides ate up the distance to the Silver on Tap Tavern.

Chanin saw the humor in the name since he was a teen wolf and tried to sneak in for a shot of apple corn liquor.

Raul and Wolcott’s father had found twenty cases of glasses with sterling silver bases and decided to make them the primary serving vessel for drinks.

As if drinking the crisp, sweet rot gut wasn’t risk enough on a Lupine’s life.

It took a lot, but everyone in the tavern knew when a wolf had reached his limit because he’d forget about the bottom of the glass and would let out a howl as soon as his skin made contact. The shifter would be escorted out and sent on their way.