Page 54 of Wishes in the Moonlight (Rocky Mountain Wolves #4)

~Troy~

A scream tore me from unconsciousness; my mate’s cry, dragging me out of the dark with violent force.

My body protested, my chest still aching from where the bullet had been, the silver still working its way out of my bloodstream.

I needed rest, needed time to heal, but none of that mattered when I heard her.

She was in pain. She needed help, and I wasn’t there.

I forced myself to sit up and nearly blacked out again immediately.

A soft, small hand pressed against my shoulder.

“Stay down,” Evalina murmured. “You’re safe. Felix said you should stay here.”

Her face came into focus, the pointed ears poking out beneath her braided hair.

Behind her, I could see Leo kneeling over an unmoving Kalo.

The genie seemed solid again, no more fading in and out, but I couldn’t tell if he was dead or alive.

Leo’s face was pale, his body tense, with every ounce of his attention focused on Kalo as if nothing else existed around them. He didn’t even glance my way.

The still-healing wound in my chest pulled tight as I pushed to my feet, ignoring Evalina’s protests. No way in hell was I lying there a second longer, not when Amanda needed me.

“Thank you for your help,” I managed to bite out before I took my wolf form.

Never had shifting been so ragged or painful.

Bones cracked, muscles strained, and every heartbeat felt like it might tear me apart, but eventually, four legs supported me rather than two.

My fur might be slick with sweat and blood, lungs rasping for breath, but Hunter let out a howl anyway as we took off in search of our mate.

Dozens of scents assaulted me as I went but hers cut through it all, pulling me forward. My Alpha.

My Amanda.

I followed her scent until the sounds of battle quieted and the trees opened into a clearing. There, I stumbled to a stop, ribs screaming in protest, and stared.

Amanda’s wolf stood tall, bloodied but unbroken, and my chest clenched painfully with relief. Thank the goddess she was okay.

In front of her stood a man: naked, bloodied, and defiant. Still broad-shouldered and solid in his late forties, his eyes glittered with contempt.

Recognition hit me all at once, slamming into me with all the subtlety of a steamroller.

For the first time in my life, my own features stared back at me, the ones I’ve never shared with anyone in my mother’s family. Not an exact match, but close enough that the truth couldn’t be denied.

This man had to be my father. Nothing else could explain it.

‘Father’ wasn’t the right word though. This was the man who never wanted me. The man who let my mother die alone. The man who made me a bastard.

Before I could speak or even fully process what I was seeing, another wolf limped forward and shifted, collapsing onto two legs at the older man’s side. This one was younger, leaner, his face less hardened, but the resemblance was unmistakable. The eyes, the brow, the proud, angular chin.

Again, he wasn’t an exact copy of the older man, or of myself, but there were enough similarities to make it devastatingly clear who he must be.

My brother.

“We’re willing to negotiate,” the younger one panted, voice wary as he glanced between Amanda and the older man. “I’ll speak for our pack.”

Hunter snarled, deep and violent. Negotiate? After what they did?

I stepped forward out of the shadows, shifting mid-stride despite the agony tearing through my body. Muscles screamed and bones cracked as I emerged naked, panting, and full of raw fury.

“There’s no negotiation here. You’ll follow the Alpha’s orders or you’ll die.”

Both men turned. My father’s gaze met mine and a flicker of realization darkened his eyes. Cold calculation lingered there, followed by something else.

Regret? Disgust?

Maybe both. A heartbeat of heavy silence passed before he snarled, “I thought you’d be dead by now.”

The words were designed to hurt, so I didn’t give him the satisfaction of flinching. “Disappointed?”

The younger man, my brother, stared openly, confusion written across his face. “Who is he?” he demanded, turning to his father.

Alpha Craig didn’t answer. His eyes remained locked on me, disdain radiating off him like heat.

Amanda shifted beside me, brushing my arm with her own in silent support as her voice rang out sharp and cold. “This is my Commander, and my mate. He speaks for me.”

I never looked away from my father. “You’ll pull every single one of your wolves off Ravenstone land immediately or I’ll take the life she spared you.”

The younger man bristled, but he deferred to his Alpha. The older man’s jaw clenched so tightly, I thought his teeth might crack.

Finally, after a long beat, Craig nodded stiffly. “Alexander, send the order.”

Alexander hesitated only a second before bowing his head and sending the retreat through their pack link. One by one, enemy wolves slipped away into the trees.

Amanda’s voice cut through the silence like a blade. “You two will accompany me to the Ravenstone pack house. We’ll settle this with reparations for your unprovoked attack.”

Craig’s lips twisted into a sneer. “As you wish… Alpha.”

I almost cracked a smile at the way he unknowingly echoed Kalo’s words. Ironic, since Kalo’s magic had been instrumental in buying us the time we needed to stave off this attack.

Hopefully the genie would be alright now that the rest had been handled.

Medical staff, attend to the wounded, Amanda directed through a pack-wide link. Report any unauthorized wolves to your unit leaders. Stand down, everyone. Well done.

To a smaller group, she sent out one more message. Jasper and Savannah, take our guests here to the pack house. I need to see the doctor, but I’ll be there in a minute.

I immediately spun to face her, my eyes roaming her body. “Where are you hurt?”

It didn’t take me long to spot the jagged teeth marks along her side and a growl rumbled deep in my chest.

“I’m going to fucking kill him.”

“I think you should try to get some answers first.” She gave me a smile that only partly masked her pain. “Come on, let’s both get checked out by the doctors, and then we can deal with your father, together.”

Together. That word would never sound anything less than magical to me.

Reluctantly, I stood back while Jasper and his men led Alpha Craig and Alexander deeper into our territory while I stayed by my mate’s side until the doctor arrived.

My father had a lot to fucking answer for.