Vanessa Alpha Ebony sets a plate down before me, her brown eyes smiling. “Eat.”My stomach churns, the notion of food making me ill. But I know she’s right. I haven’t eaten all day. My nerves are all tied up in knots and my mind is fully focused on Jake , Kev , and Jordan .They checked in again about an hour ago before turning off their comms.We’re all waiting now for the trap to play out. Alpha Pan and Alpha Lance are in position.Alpha Duncan has them up on the feeds. And Alpha Ebony is busy trying to distract herself by feeding me. I can sense her concern, the scent subtle but there. So I try to calm her by picking up the sub and taking a bite. She has her own plate as well, one she focuses on when she sees me eating.Alpha Duncan wanders over to press a kiss to her head, his lips going to her ear. “He’ll be fine,” he says, the words low but easily heard via myenhanced senses.I pretend that I didn’t overhear it, though, not wanting to intrude on their moment.Their clan is dif
Kev Jordan gestures for me to lead, aware that this is my sort of playground.I take point, using my nose to lead the way. We’ve already doused our scent in mud, using defacing leaves and other woodsy items to make us smell more like the forest around us and less like Carnage Wolves.But a strong shifter will be able to scent us coming. Which is why we keep a good distance between us with me leading about twenty-five yards ahead. It’ll make it seem like I’m a one off at first, potentially encouraging any enforcer-types in the area to attack.I have two guns loaded with silver bullets and over a dozen knives tucked into various places in my jeans.One ballsy shifter won’t be an issue.Fuck, I could probably easily take down a dozen enforcer-types in my current mood.I move on silent feet, my boots barely touching the ground as I run through the trees. They’re as familiar to me as the island.Because Drone technology is fucking amazing.I’ve never actually been here, but I’m navigating
Vanessa Several Minutes Earlierhe silver burns against my neck, but I don’t stop staring up at the man I once called father. There’s something different about him, a sense ofindifference that feels wrong. He’s looking at me like he doesn’t even recognize me.Like he didn’t spend two decades raising me as his own. Most males leave the child-rearing to the females, but he often helped with my training as a child, ensuring I was the fastest female of my age. He pushed me, perhaps not kindly, but I am who I am today because of his influence.Yet his expression registers absolutely nothing as he holds the knife to my throat. It’s like he’s frozen there, demanding I stay without evenrequesting it.“Good job, Gafton,” a new voice says, the source of it making my stomach churn. Alpha Kin.He steps into view, his intimidating size immediately making me want to shrink into a corner. It’s also the look in his eyes that has me almost cringing. His fractured irises are blazing with fragments o
Jake Several Minutes Earlier our lives or hers, Bryson said.I choose neither, I think as he enters the clearing with the phone near his side.It’s a mistake. He’s still hooked up to the speakers, allowing me to hear Vanessa ’s response.She’s in pain and she’s furious. But he doesn’t seem to realize that because he’s grinning triumphantly.The three enforcers at his back don’t appear nearly as confident because they are all who remain of Bryson’s team.Meanwhile, all my wolves are still alive.Because I have something he doesn’t heart.He uses hive mind manipulation and enslaved pussy to tame his wolves.That only allows for so much loyalty in a pack. And those wolves at his back don’t appear too keen on dying for their insane leader right now.Because they know that’s what’s about to happen. A roar comes through the phone, the source of it all Vanessa , and a loud crash follows. Beta Gafton dropping the phone, I translate.Kev is moving before I can even lift my weapon.He has two bl
Vanessa They’re here.It’s an intrinsic reaction, one that causes the hairs along my nape to stand on end. Alpha Dirk must sense it as well because he perks up in his chair.“They’re going to try to kill you,” Alpha Ebony tells him conversationally.“I know,” he replies with a sigh. “I probably deserve it.”“You don’t,” she replies.And I agree with her. After Jake ’s howl came through the phone, Alpha Dirk fell to his knees and bowed his head.Not for Jake .But for me.He remained that way as we listened to the aftermath of that howl, overheard Jake ’s conversation with Alpha Crane, and his inevitable frustration over the phone not working on his end.Not once did Alpha Dirk stir.As the phone went quiet, my wolf started to move, sniffing the alpha male with interest.He didn’t move, allowing her to circle him while scenting the air for any signs of malcontent.She found none.I eventually stepped away from him with a grunt.Only then did he start to sit up, his dark green eyes inte
Jake he shock in Vanessa ’s gaze tells me how badly I’ve fucked this up.She’s surprised we’re going to claim her.She shouldn’t be surprised.She should be expectant.Instead she’s gaping at me.I slowly lower her to her feet. Jordanis immediately there behind her,grabbing her hips to provide balance. Not that she needs it. She’s fully healed, just has a bit of dry blood on her.And Alpha Kin’s saliva. My wolf growls inside at that.He had no right to touch her, let alone lick her. If he wasn’t already dead, I would kill him again.I cradle Vanessa ’s face between my hands as Kev enters the shower last. I walk her backward into Jordan , trapping her between us. “I should have bitten you the moment I knotted you,” I tell her. “You’ve been ours from the moment that Kev pulled you out of the water.”“But… but we don’t know if…” She trails off, swallowing. Then her brow furrows as her gaze drifts to the side. “Well, my mom did. So maybe…” She blinks back at me. “Is that what you’re basing
Jordan love’s sweet aroma makes me so fucking hard, I nearly come from the scent alone.Jake groans, his head falling to her shoulder. “Fuck.”Yes. Yes, that’s exactly what I want to do. Fuck Vanessa .But Jake is already inside her, his knot claiming the sweet heaven between her thighs.Kev growls, as do I. Not in anger, but in hunger.Our mate is going into heat. Her gaze is liquid black, her pupils blown so wide I can barely see the whites of her eyes. That didn’t happen last time.Which tells me this is the real deal. She’s about to lose herself to estrus for days, maybe even a week or more.And I cannot fucking wait.“I have to address the pack,” Jake says, sounding agonized by the mere notion of having to leave her in this state.But we just suffered a major loss with Alpha Duncan’s death. And experienced a huge win by taking down Alpha Bryson.Jake doesn’t have a choice. This is where his duty as Pack Alpha will have to come first. “You can make it a quick speech,” I tell him.
Kev Jake is a better wolf than I am.He’s somehow holding himself together for this speech and embracing the pack as though he has all the time in the world.While all I want to do is return to the den and fuck our mate into oblivion.However, it’s Jordan ’s turn. I’m just pissed I couldn’t be there to watch him finally let himself fuck her.“It’s a new era for the Black Mountain Pack,” Jake is saying.“Because we’re finally ready to go home.”Howls echo into the night, the wolves thrilled that we’ve handled the Blood moon Pack once and for all. The Santeetlah Pack is all that’s left. Butwe’ll save them for after Jake ascends.Alpha Bryson became our primary challenge seven years ago. And now he’s dead.A bit anticlimactic for my taste, but that’s Jake ’s way. He’s not the type to prolong torture or make someone suffer. When he has the upperhand, he uses it without remorse.I’m just sad I didn’t have a chance to take the bastard’s head.It would have made for a nice trophy in the de