Page 17

Xander

“HAVE WE VERIFIED all the notices were received?” I question, my voice echoing through the pack house thanks to the acoustics of the vaulted ceiling in the main hall. My eyes glance around at the group of wolves under the soft lighting of the overhead chandeliers and wall sconces. Besides my mates, Luna Ophelia, Bruce, and the elders, I’ve also asked two of our pack officers, Sutherland and Dawson, and five mid-level betas to join us, one of them being Colin.

Knowing what we’ve—I’ve—got to do tonight, my stomach has been at a rolling boil of anxiety that’s been eating its way up my esophagus. All week I’ve been feeling stronger and more confident, not only in my ability to be the alpha this pack needs, but in my mates and in those I’ve sought counsel from. We can make things right. With each interaction I’ve had, with how we’ve been working through each dilemma, willing to not only uncover the wrongs that have been committed, but face them and take the actions needed to correct them, it’s all had me going to bed tired. Tired but hopeful. Hopeful that we can do this, that we can be the change the elders foretold months ago.

But tonight is going to require a part of me that hasn’t truly been tested. I will need to be uncompromising and merciless. The wolves we’re meeting with have chosen to not abide by the laws of my pack and are swiftly becoming more than threats. They’re becoming enemies.

My wolf and I may have fought Hogan and his wolf and won, but that was in a controlled environment, with set boundaries and rules of engagement. The only rules for this evening are simple: submit, roll over, leave, or die. The time for discussion is over. They were all made aware of the requirements and the options they had to choose from, and they decided to ignore those demands, to refuse the orders of the alpha of the lands they wish to reside on.

“Yes,” Bruce answers with a firm nod. He’s positioned across from me in the large group of us gathered in front of the raised stage. He crosses his arms over his chest and widens his stance. “The notices were all hand delivered, so there’s no way for them to claim ignorance.”

“So what’s the plan exactly?” Billie asks from her leaned-back position against Jax’s chest, her gaze going around the group before landing on me. She pulls at the tattered collar of one of Ethan’s old white T-shirts. “Just so I’m completely clear on what we’re expecting, how we’re proceeding, and what actions we’re to take or not take.”

“We’ll be visiting each residence of those who’ve refused to connect with me, one at a time. Colin, Shelly, Jasper, Madison, and Mike will all be in wolf form—” I abruptly stop when the sound of several vehicles thundering up the gravel path with enough speed to fling pebbles and small rocks against the parked cars and the slate steps that lead up to the hall fill the room.

My heart shoots up into my throat. Snapping my suddenly dry mouth shut, I begin the process of controlling my body, my reaction, breathing in and out through my nose, rolling my shoulders back, and erecting my spine. The thumping bass of heavy music pulses through the wooden walls while the accompanying howls, cries, and shouts seem to rattle the old iron hinges of the double doors at the front of the pack house. Floodlights blast through the stained-glass windows, casting blazes of colored lights into my eyes, blinding me with the harsh reality of the situation. Best-laid plans mean nothing if you’re not given the opportunity to employ them.

Being a leader means managing the unexpected, adjusting on the fly, creating new paths, and having the confidence to come out on top no matter what. And for an alpha wolf, that means having the willingness to accept that bloodshed could be what’s needed, what’s required. I look around at those gathered here, those I’m responsible for, and fear ices up my insides. Whatever happens to them tonight happens because of me. Any blood spilled will be on my hands. My paws.

My wolf rises and with him the desire for true combat. Those icicles of apprehension are chomped to pieces by his hunger for the fight, to battle alongside our wolves, to come together as a pack, and to eliminate any threat.

Bloodshed is part of being a shifter ,

my wolf urges. Bloodshed to take down a common enemy is bloodshed in unity.

We will take these wolves down. We will do what is necessary to protect our pack and our mate.

“U m,” Billie drawls, and I look down at her. Her brows are raised high above her wide multicolored eyes, while her heart-shaped mouth tips up into a snarky smirk. She snorts a scoff. “Did they not understand the”—she uses finger quotes— “we’ll-come-to-you part of the memo? I mean, really,” she adds with a bratty roll of her eyes. And I know—I know she’s purposefully playing off her worries, her concerns. She’s lightening the mood and just being her, being my mate. I snap a mental picture of her in this moment. My palms sweaty with the memory of her blood coating them, and my backbone hardens with a steel resolve. I won’t have her dying in my hands again. We will live through this, even if I have to kill them al l .

“I’ll check the back and side doors,” Ethan states, tilting his head in that direction, his old black hoodie showing more skin through the holes than the tattered fabric covers.

Jasper, one of my beta wolf-shifters, steps forward, his biceps bulging under his loose T-shirt as his dark-skinned hands work his long black braids into a low ponytail. His tawny-brown eyes fix on mine. “I’ll go with him, if that’s all right, Alpha.”

“Sounds good,” I affirm with a dip of my chin. He and Ethan nod to each other and take off in a slow jog toward the back, neither of them making a sound. I return my attention to the group and address two more of my mid-level betas. “Mike and Madison, I want you two on the balcony above the entryway. Stay out of sight and keep your eyes and ears peeled. You’ll know if we need you to engage.” They both nod and then take off toward the front of the pack house, banging a left and scaling the stairs two at a time, also silent on their feet.

Just then, Dawson’s radio pings. “Dawson,” White announces over the static.

Dawson slides his comm off his brown leather belt and brings it to his mouth, pressing the button with his thumb. “Here,” he replies. “What’s going on?”

“I think you’ve got company coming,” White says, his voice rough with ire. “The Devereauxs called me over to investigate a—” He stops himself and curses a few choice words under his breath. “I got duped. I got duped and held up on my patrol and—”

“They’re already here,” Dawson interjects as the heavy music from outside cuts off, and the sound of several car doors slamming bounces off the exterior of the pack house.

“I’m on my way,” White assures. “I’ll call Mayland, let her know what’s going on. She’s at the station but—”

“She needs to stay there,” I interrupt, my gaze on Dawson. His forehead wrinkles with the rise of his dark brows. “We need an officer at the station at all times. Have White call her, inform her of what’s going on, and have her ready to supply backup if needed. White, when you get here, check the perimeter, and secure our location. There’s plenty of us already inside.”

“You hear all that?” Dawson asks, the comm close enough to his mouth that his thick mustache brushes over the speaker.

“Yup, will do so,” White replies.

“Sutherland.” I turn to him. He faces me, the green stringer tank showing pale, freckle-covered skin and more muscle than one would have expected. “You’ve got the list of who we were to be meeting tonight. Take count and figure out who’s here and who’s not. Let Mayland know who’s unaccounted for and have her get them down to the station.”

“You’ve got it, Alpha,” Sutherland replies, pulling out a folded printout of the list of names from the back of his hiking pants, and I turn back to Dawson. “Go stand up on the stage to the side, hidden but able to see, able to...” I rake my fingers through my hair. “Able to draw if needed.”

Dawson keeps a blank face, not giving even a flicker of emotion about what I’ve alluded to. He dips his chin. “Yes, Alpha,” then heads back to where I want him.

The blue velvet stage curtains billow from him creeping behind them, just as the double doors to the pack house are thrown open with a loud bang. With a steadying inhale, I connect with my wolves, and as a group, we turn to face our visitors.

Merrick Devereaux, Colette’s older brother by a decade, strides in, his bare pale chest heaving, his dark eyes shining with malice, and his thin mouth stretched into a defiant smirk. He’s flanked by his two best friends, Tommy and Danny DuBois, the only pair of twins under the age of fifty in the whole pack. Multiple births have become rarer and rarer in wolf packs over the last several decades. Behind them is another half dozen or so wolves in human form, at least two females, neither Colette. They all seem close to Merrick’s and the twins’ ages or older.

“Behind me,” I order, stepping forward and taking my position as leader, as pack alpha. Jax and Billie follow, coming to stand just behind and on either side of me. Through the mind link, Ethan lets me know that he and Jasper are staying on either side of the stage in the back, and the rear entrance has been secured.

Merrick takes an assessing scan of the wolves at my back, his unlaced black construction boots dragging as he shuffles up the aisle toward us. He releases a derisive snort. “Is this the example of the wolf pack you plan on leading? Your sandbox best friends, mommy dearest, senior citizens...” His dark eyes cut a glare at Billie, and his upper lip curls into a salacious snarl. “And your tiny fox, who my wolf could eat in two bites?”

Just try to eat her , my wolf grunts. She’ll gleefully tear through your stomach from the inside . His offhanded comment and complete faith in our mate’s abilities to not only survive but to absolutely dominate helps keep me grounded. Merrick comes to stand right in front of me, our heights close enough that our eyes meet naturally, his bloodshot and surrounded by dark circles. Sweat beads at his hairline, and a faint sheen of moisture highlights the goosebumps scattered over his upper body.

“Are you threatening my mate?” I query in a calm flat voice.

He folds his arms over his bare chest, his thin but toned biceps bulging with the movement, his veins seeming to push out against his pale skin. “Just stating a fact,” he grunts. Reaching behind him, he pulls a folded piece of paper out of the back pocket of his loose black jeans and holds it in a shaky hand between us. Tilting his head to the side, he arches a pierced brow. “You really think you’re in a position to tell us what to do? The only things you’ve proven to be good at are taking beatings and succumbing to the needs of your cock.” He spins his head around to the wolves he’s brought with him and tosses them a twitchy, lopsided smile. “Maybe we’ll give you a chance to demonstrate those skills of yours.” A few low chuckles resound from his posse, and he rolls his tongue over his smirking lips as he focuses back on me. “Maybe I’ll show you how to own pussy and not the other way around.” Leaning in so his face is scant millimeters from mine, he bites out, “Alpha.”

To prevent my hands from curling into fists and slamming Merrick’s teeth through the back of his skull, I slip my fingers into the front pockets of my worn jeans. “Seems like you’re going above and beyond obeying me, Merrick,” I state with a casual hitch of my shoulder. “You’ve saved me the trouble of coming to meet you by showing up here tonight. So let’s get to the point. Submit, roll over, leave, or die. What will it be?”

Throwing his head back, he barks out, “Ha! That’s fuckin’ rich.” He brings his gaze back to me and blows out a bitter alcohol-laced breath. “Just get rid of the fox, and we’ll consider giving you the opportunity to be our alpha. Get rid of her.” He lengthens his spine and looks around the space. His eyes narrowing in on a corner in the back, and he lifts his chin. “And let Ethan and Colette spend some…” he looks down at Billie and purrs, “ Quality time together. Connect as they’re meant to.”

“Does he speak for all of you?” I question, ignoring Merrick’s posturing and looking to those behind him. “Are none of you here willing to connect with me and my wolf, all because Colette won’t accept the truth? That her wolf has no bond with Ethan’s? Are you willing to die for her delusion?”

“It’s not just about Colette,” Tommy DuBois argues on a wet growl while stepping up to Merrick’s side. His lower lip is pushed out from the ball of chewing tobacco tucked inside. He sucks in a breath, and he spits out a glob of the crap on the floor of the pack house in complete disrespect. Resting his heavy arms on the shelf of his rounded belly only slightly hidden under the baggy maroon muscle shirt, his thick forehead wrinkles with the rise of his dark-blond brows, and he harangues in a nasally voice that’s at odds with the size of him, “It’s about you allowing your mate to have a say in what happens in our pack. It’s about you taking away our choices. It’s about you not allowing us to bond with who we want. It’s about you tearin’ apart everything your father built for us, what he taught us.”

“Then leave the pack,” I reply with a shrug. “No one is keeping you here. I’ve given you time to make arrangements with other packs or find a new place to live. All I require is for you to connect with my wolf. That is all.”

“You mean connect with her fox,” Merrick hisses, pointing an accusatory finger at Billie. “Because it is her who is interfering. It is her who is causing wolves who would have never bowed to you to do so.”

“Is that what they told you?” I question with an arched brow. “These wolves you’re talking about, did they say something to make you think it wasn’t just them and me? Their wolves and mine?”

“Like they would know!” Tommy harangues, spitting on the floor again.

“Do they know you talk about them in this way?” Bruce ponders aloud from behind Jax. “That you think so low of them, that you think they’d not be able to tell if they were connecting with a fox or a wolf?”

“It’s not about them!” Danny yells from Merrick’s other side. “It’s about her!” His grease-stained finger lashes out at my mate. “She’s a royal! Who knows what she’s capable of? None of us know how to protect ourselves from the likes of a royal.”

All of those who have come with Merrick are nodding their heads in agreement. All of them stare at Billie with either hate or fear, neither of which will be swayed by words, not tonight anyway. “I see,” I say with a bob of my head, letting my wolf come to the surface, my eyes glowing as he looks at the wolves in front of him. I send his alpha energy outward, weaving it through those who have come here with the audacity to threaten me and mine, to question my commitment to my word and the lengths my wolf and I will go to protect our pack—to protect our mate. Our energy bumps and twists against and around theirs, making some of them stumble, while others release low warning growls, all of their eyes glowing. Good—their wolves need to be present for this.

“I don’t understand the problem,” Elder Ralph questions from behind me, his deep voice booming through the large space. “Some of you have applied to the Southeast Pack. You can still go there regardless of what happens once your wolves connect with our alpha’s.”

“You think that snooty, pompous pack would accept the likes of me and my boys?” Merrick huffs a sarcastic laugh. “Sure, Tommy’s and Danny’s parents along with my parents and sister will be welcomed, with their perfectly styled hair, posh personalities, and proper manners.” He throws an arm out at Tommy, then motions the other to Danny, both brothers lifting their rounded chins with bravado, making the fat on the backs of their necks roll. Merrick spits out, “But not us. Not the dark stains on the family crest. The ones who come home with oil and dirt under their fingernails and a twelve-pack of beer instead of manicured hands and a dry martini. We’ll not be accepted into that pack, and if we were—”

“We’d be their help,” Tommy finishes, shaking his head in disgust and widening his stance. “No, we’re staying here. To live free or die—like we’re meant to.”

“What about the Midwest Pack?” Elder Ralph offers, a hand stroking down his long beard.

“They’ve hit their cap already,” Danny says in a pinched voice from Merrick’s other side. “They only allowed a certain number in from our pack. Something about offsetting the balance with too many coming from another pack all at once.”

“And we sure as shit aren’t going to a mixed-subspecies pack,” Merrick scoffs. “So, looks like we’re at an impasse.”

“ You’re at an impasse,” I correct him. “You’re fighting reality here. You were given options and are choosing to refuse those options, leaving only one outcome.”

“What?” Merrick barks out with bulging eyes while his jaw drops into a wide-mouthed, mocking smile. “Do you really think you can kill us? The boy who just laid there and let himself get beat?” He smacks a hand over his sweaty chest. “You think you’re the only pup that was beat as kid? Please, my old man tried that shit on me too. But I fought him. I fought him every single time.”

My eyes scan Merrick’s pale chest, but I see no evidence. Feeling my gaze, he twists his torso, showing the faint scars from what looks like claw marks marking up one side of his ribs. “Yeah, he got me the first time, when I was about eleven. But my wolf came through for me the next time. We fought. We fought, and my wolf won. So please don’t even try to make me believe you could do anything to me, not in a true fight.”

“Yeah.” I bob my head. “He got you good there. Fought you in wolf form, huh? Your dad is what, a low-level beta?” I ruffle my fingers through my hair and blow out a breath. “But you were a kid, and that had to be scary as hell. But our pasts don’t matter, Merrick, because neither of us is an unshifted kid anymore. Leave or die. Your choice.”

“Please,” my gran implores while winding her way to stand between us. Her brows knitted together over pleading violet eyes. “Please, it doesn’t have to be like this. You can stay so long as you connect. Death doesn’t need to come from this.”

“I’m sorry, Elder Eleanor,” Danny says in a soft wheezy voice, his round green eyes weighed down as he gazes at her. “We won’t be part of a mixed-subspecies pack, and we’ve got no place else to go.”

“You could off on your own,” my gran suggests, tucking a strand of her thick curly hair behind her ear. “You could go off on your own until the Midwest Pack opens up for you or perhaps your parents sway the Southeast Pack.”

“No,” Merrick states with finality. “That’s not going to happen, and...” He sighs, the corners of his thin mouth pulling down. “I’m sorry that you’re here tonight. I’d hoped you’d stay out of this, that you wouldn’t be put in harm’s way.”

Just then the sound of shattering glass erupts from several metal canisters being thrown through the stained-glass windows. Red smoke begins puffing out as they clatter onto the stone floor. “But it was your choice to show up here,” Merrick says with a hard edge to his voice right before the sounds of cloth tearing and wolves howling resound through the hall.

Then chaos. Absolute chaos.