Page 35 of Taken By The Wolves (Blackwood Forest #2)

NIXON

I stand in the lumberyard, looking over the business my brothers and I bought as a fresh start.

When we made the decision to leave our pack behind, it felt like chopping off a limb and limping on the bloody stump.

Still, after Matt’s death and the blame that continued to hang over us, it was our only option.

I understand our parents’ grief, but their blame was unfair, and it ruined our pack, rotting it from the inside. A son should never have to become alpha until his father is weak or dead, but I was forced to walk away and step up to that role, and there’s no going back.

Now we need support. Gregory’s pack is large, filled with all the stray wolves he can find to bolster numbers.

It never bothered me in the past. We have clear boundaries that haven’t been challenged, but now his goons are running through our territory, making threats to come for a baby that our mate has adopted as hers.

There’s no negotiation here, no middle ground to reach.

Ahya is ours now, unless Aura changes her mind.

Scarlet would never break another woman’s heart, but she’ll defend that child like she’s her own, in place of a mother too broken to do the same.

An alpha doesn’t crawl or beg. An alpha doesn’t plead for the support of others.

Going back to my father’s pack and asking for support will be challenging, but I’ll do it for my mate.

I’ll do it for my pack. I’ll do it for the safety of a little wolfling whose presence in the world must have a greater significance than any of us can comprehend.

“You okay?” Reed asks. He’s leaning against our newest delivery while Finn checks on Scarlet and Ahya in our office. Leaving her at home unprotected is no longer an option.

I rub the center of my eyebrows, an ache permeating my skull. “I never thought we’d have to go back.”

“I know.”

“They’re not going to help us.”

It’s my greatest fear, which I’ve verbalized to my brother. He looks shocked by my admission. “We’re still family.”

“We walked away. Left dad without a bloodline.”

“He has Chris and Macon.”

“His brother’s sons are not his bloodline.”

Reed nods. In wolf packs, an alpha is responsible for siring the future alpha, much like human kingdoms. For our father to groom his brother’s sons for leadership is unusual, just like it’s unusual for three brothers to take one mate.

Nothing in our lives is as we expected.

“There isn’t another option,” I say.

“Hunter?”

I jerk my head to stare at my brother. Is he seriously suggesting we approach a clan of bear shifters to come to our assistance?

“They have their own family and their own pack issues. They’re a small unit like ours. They won’t want to step into problems in a world that isn’t theirs.”

Reed shrugs. “We live in the same world, Nixon, and they’ve experienced their own wolf issues. You forget what Gregory’s pack did to Goldie. Hunter would have an opinion on this situation. You could reach out, alpha to alpha. There may come a time when he would benefit from your support.”

I stare out of the open doorway at the forest beyond. We’ve made peace with the bears, a peace that shouldn’t have been possible. I trust Hunter and his bear clan far more than Gregory’s. Wolf should ally with wolf, but our world has tipped upside down.

“I’ll call him,” I say. “You stay with Finn and Scarlet.”

I don’t need to tell him to protect our mate at all costs.

***

An hour later, I stand in front of Hunter’s mansion in wolf form.

The scent of bear is everywhere, rubbed into the bark of every tree, brick, and thick in the air around the old mansion.

Hunter pulls open the huge wooden door, and strides forward, clutching some jeans. He’s come alone as a mark of trust.

I shift quickly, taking the jeans from Hunter’s hand and pulling them over my naked lower half. “Thanks for these,” I say.

“Easier to talk to a man, eye to eye, if his junk isn’t hanging out.” Hunter smiles from one corner of his mouth.

“It definitely is,” I laugh. “Shifter problems.”

He smirks. “So, what’s up?”

I cup the back of my neck with both my hands, the discomfort of sharing things I should be able to decide for myself clawing beneath my skin.

“Why did you leave your clan?” I ask. Maybe if I understand him better, I’ll be able to work through my own issues.

If he’s surprised, he doesn’t show it.

“I didn’t agree with the direction of the wider clan on many issues,” he says. “Mostly, it was this place… I couldn’t leave it behind to live in the compound.”

He waves his arm at the house, and I understand immediately. He’s rooted in a home that’s been in his family for generations. Of course, he wouldn’t want to leave.

“And now your clan is small—you and your brothers—do you feel…” I struggle with the next word but force it out anyway. “...vulnerable?”

“There is a strength in numbers that shouldn’t be underestimated. That’s why we’re working on growing our own pack. Goldie is pregnant again, with triplets.”

“Congratulations.”

“Thank you.” There’s a flicker of wariness behind his eyes. He’s still gauging me, trying to understand what I’m here for without pressing too hard.

“I wouldn’t be here if I had another option,” I admit.

Hunter crosses his arms over his chest, his bare forearms dusted with faint scars. “What’s Gregory done?”

“He sent two of his wolves into our territory yesterday. Claimed he wants to see the baby.”

Hunter’s jaw tightens.

“Scarlet’s ours now. Fully bonded.” Saying the words aloud sends a pulse of warmth through my chest despite everything.

“Scarlet won’t give the baby up. Neither will we.

She’s part of our family now. But Gregory…

” I shake my head. “He’s building an army out of strays and rogues.

I used to think it was for status, but now—”

“Now you think he’s preparing for war.”

“I can’t risk him hurting Scarlet. Or that little girl. We’ve rebuilt after leaving our pack. I won’t lose everything again.”

Hunter is quiet for a long moment. Then he says, “I know what it’s like to be on the outside of something you were born into. To feel like everyone’s waiting for you to fail.”

His words hit harder than I expected. I clench my fists at my sides.

“We were blamed for something we weren’t responsible for.

Our innocence didn’t matter. The blame stuck.

We couldn’t stay and be torn apart by that.

So we left to build something new, but I’ve never stopped dreading it could all be taken away again. ”

“You’ve made something strong. The mate bond changes you. It gives you roots.” He watches me closely now. “So what are you asking, Nixon? Speak plainly.”

I draw and hold a breath, pride burning hot in my throat.

“If Gregory challenges us, I need to know I won’t stand alone.

If his wolves cross the boundary line again, he’ll be encroaching on your territory, too.

If they come for the child, we’ll fight to the death.

But I want to know there’s someone behind us.

Just one other pack who’ll say no, this won’t stand. ”

Hunter tilts his head. “You’re asking us to fight your war?”

“No,” I say firmly. “I don’t believe it will come to that. Wolves don’t like to challenge bears at the best of times. There has never been a time when wolf and bear have stood shoulder to shoulder. I think the sight of us united will be enough to make Gregory think twice.”

He rubs his lips slowly, eyes sharpening.

“A rogue pack on our borders is a cause for concern for all of us, especially one that believes it has the strength to overwhelm. You and your brothers have kept peace in this territory, a peace we appreciate. You’ll have our support, not because I owe you, but because I trust you to do what’s right. ”

Relief hits me low in the gut, almost making me stagger.

“Thank you,” I say. “I’m returning to my father’s pack with the child. Maybe she’ll be enough to bring about a truce.”

Hunter claps a heavy hand on my shoulder. “Going back is always hard. But in this case, it’s worth it. Your new life is worth protecting at all costs.”

***

By the time I return to the yard, dusk is already crowding around the lumberyard. The saws are quiet. I find Reed pacing outside the office, his arms crossed.

“Everything okay?” I ask.

He looks up, eyes sharp. “Scarlet’s worried about you. She doesn’t like it when we leave.”

My heart stutters. “What did she say?”

Reed shakes his head. “Not much. She keeps staring into the woods.”

My chest tightens. I’m not used to having a mate to worry about me while I’m away.

I need to be more mindful of my communication, so Scarlet doesn’t fret unnecessarily.

But she also needs to understand the dangers that lurk in the shadows, and how strong we are in both wolf and human form, capable of protecting her, as long as the odds aren’t too stacked against us.

There’s a storm coming, but we’ll be prepared.