Page 1 of The Alpha’s Bounty (Night Grove Falls: The Alphas #2)

ONE

Cyrus

The forest is quiet today. Too quiet. Usually, the birds chirp, the wind whistles through the tree branches, and various animals scurry across the forest floor.

Not today, though. Today, it’s silent. The kind of quiet that settles deep in your bones, prickling under your skin, making you listen harder for what you already know isn’t there.

The air is cool, carrying the scent of pine, wet earth, and faint traces of deer somewhere upwind.

My bear paces in my head, restless. He doesn’t like the quiet. Not this kind.

I adjust the strap of the rifle slung across my back. I don’t need it; my claws and teeth are more than enough if trouble comes calling. However, as the Alpha of the East Pack, walking patrol means showing my people that I take their safety seriously. That I’ll bleed for them if necessary.

It’s been five years since I took the title.

Five years since my father’s last breath rattled from his lungs.

The weight of the Alpha bond slammed into me before the scent of death had cleared from the room.

I was ready, but not. My whole life was built, trained, and designed for this, but nothing could’ve prepared me for the moment the pack’s heartbeat became my own.

The responsibility never leaves. Not when I’m on patrol, not when I’m in town, not when I’m trying to sleep. Especially not when I’m trying to sleep.

My boots crunch over the thin frost lining the trail, and my bear huffs in my mind, his mood bleeding into mine. He’s restless for another reason tonight.

We should have found her by now.

I grit my teeth. I know.

Rhodes found his mate recently. Adeline. Sweet girl, who fits him like she was made for him. Which she was, if you believe in fate. And we do. Mates aren’t a matter of chance. They’re not accidents. They’re the other half of your soul.

It’s the one thing my bear and I agree on without argument. We want our fated mate. We need her.

Some nights, I can almost smell her. Like she’s close enough to touch. When I wake in the morning, my chest aches with dreams I can’t remember but know are about her.

“Soon,” I murmur into the dark. “We’ll find her soon.”

My bear’s answer is a low, impatient growl.

I push the thoughts aside before they dig in too deep and refocus on the job.

The border patrol is quiet tonight—no signs of trespassers or unusual scents.

The East Pack’s land stretches from the foothills down into the valley, dense with old forest and winding creeks, dotted with cabins and family homes that have been here for generations.

It’s good land. Safe land. And it’s my job to keep it that way.

By the time I loop back toward town, the sun is high in the sky, the light brushing the tops of the mountains with brilliant gold. The meeting’s at City Hall in twenty minutes, and I’m not in the mood to listen to Camden bitch about me being late. Again.

City Hall sits at the edge of town, an old two-story log building with wide porches and a big meeting hall. The four packs of Night Grove Falls use it for everything from strategy sessions to weddings. This morning, it’s all business.

Inside, the big table is already surrounded.

Camden, the Alpha of the West Pack, leans back in his chair, arms crossed, dark hair tied back, and his signature scowl etched on his face.

Rhodes is beside him, his expression softer than usual. Mating has been good for him. To his left is Foster from the South Pack, massive even by shifter standards, his dark beard neatly trimmed.

“Nice of you to join us,” Camden says as I drop into my chair.

“Good to see you, too, sunshine.”

He rolls his eyes, but there’s no heat in it. We’ve known each other for too long.

Rhodes clears his throat. “Let’s get started. First order of business. The cult.”

Foster leans forward. “The northern border’s been busy. They’ve been building. More cabins, a bigger perimeter wall. My patrols say it’s double the size it was three months ago.”

The cult’s not technically on our land, but they’re too close for comfort. Reclusive, secretive, and weird as hell. No one knows exactly what they believe in, but we know they’ve taken people before. Humans mostly. Sometimes shifters.

“They haven’t crossed into our territory,” Rhodes rumbles. “Not yet.”

“Key words— not yet ,” Camden mutters.

“We’ll keep an eye on them,” Rhodes decides. “No direct action unless they breach or provoke. Agreed?”

We all nod.

The room shifts as the next agenda item lands on the table. Crime reports. That’s my territory.

“Got a couple warrants floating around for people believed to be in or near Night Grove Falls,” Rhodes says, sliding a folder across to me. “Bounties on them all.”

I flip it open, scanning the pages. Shoplifters. A guy wanted for assault. A woman who skipped her court date.

The first two are faces I’ve seen before, names I’ll track through the usual channels.

But it’s the third that catches my bear’s attention.

The picture is grainy but clear enough. Dark hair. Gray eyes. A stubborn tilt to her chin. She’s not smiling, but something about her face pulls at me, sharp and sudden. My bear perks up, ears pricked like he’s scented something important.

Pretty.

I ignore him, scanning the details. Mina Carver. Eighteen at the time of the charge, nineteen now. Theft. Skipped her court date. Bounty posted.

“What’s her story?” I ask casually.

“Stole money from her foster parents,” Rhodes says, flipping through his copy. “Or so the charge says. Could be more to it. You know how that system works.”

I do. I’ve seen enough good kids chewed up and spat out by humans who only took them in for the monthly check.

I tuck her face away in my mind and close the folder. The meeting moves on to other topics, a budget for the next quarter, and some holiday planning. I zone out a bit, my mind still on Mina. I can’t get her silvery eyes out of my head.

“Cyrus?”

I blink at Foster. “Sorry, what?”

“We asked if anything else needed to be discussed,” Camden answers.

“Oh, no. Not from me.”

“Great, then the meeting adjourned.”

We all gather our things, and I trail after the other Alphas, drifting out into the pale winter light. I turn to head home, trudging along the well-worn path to my cabin.

On my way back to the East Pack’s land, my bear won’t shut up. He’s pacing hard now, pushing at me, restless in a way I can’t explain.

Halfway down one of the side trails, I see movement. Small, quick, slipping through the trees like she’s trying not to be seen.

Every instinct sharpens.

I jog forward, keeping low and silent. She’s ahead of me, walking fast, a worn backpack slung over one shoulder. Dark hair spilling down her back.

Recognition slams into me like a freight train.

Mina Carver.

“Hands up,” I say, using my Alpha voice.

She reacts instantly, her back snapping straight. She turns her head slightly, tension radiating off her in waves.

My pulse kicks hard, but I clamp down on the rush, focusing on the job. She’s a bounty. Bringing her in will mean cash in my pocket, money I’ve been saving for months to take a trip and search for my mate.

Except now… I don’t need to.

She’s right here.

My bear’s reaction is instant. Loud. Unmistakable.

MATE, he roars.

My bear paws at my ribs, ready to shove his way out and claim her right here in the snow, but I lock him down, eyes fixed on the girl who’s turned my whole damn world upside down.

I gulp, my heart racing out of control. I can’t believe this is happening.

I’ve found my fated mate.

And she’s a criminal.