A few minutes before 9 p.m., the three brothers, along with their sister, Melissa, drove to “Joe’s” diner. As soon as Ray strode through the door, it was clear to him that fear had consumed his pack. The ambiance of the diner equaled the quiet of a church. There were no voices in the air whatsoever. Most members were stealing glances at each other, lightly tapping their fingers on the tables, staring out the window or in the middle of the hall, in eager anticipation of Martin and Jimmy. The tension was so thick that Ray could cut it with a knife. Nevertheless, his brother did not seem at all bothered. As usual, Raul was oozing with confidence, patting each and every shifter on the back, speaking words of encouragement. He might have been popular among his kind for disposing of Warrick, the tyrant that once plagued Paxton, but, with this simple gesture, he was proving to them that he had precisely what it took to be their leader: the heart of a true Alpha.
Several minutes later, the two scouts that Raul had sent emerged from the woods. For some reason that Ray could not fathom, they were both in festive spirits, chuckling, as they made their way towards the entrance. Something was very wrong. They didn’t look like they had just encountered an enemy pack. More often than not, scouts returned with urgency, running back from such missions, but that could not be said about Martin and Jimmy. If anything, they appeared to be content; happy, even. Raul positioned himself a few paces behind the front door, and folded his arms across his chest, as his face tightened with an expression of skepticism.
“Evening, boss,” Martin spoke in his nasal voice, barging in. “Evening, fellas.” He went on, glancing around him.
“How did it go?” Raul asked him, his voice stiff.
“Awesome!” Martin exclaimed, his eyes sparkling with excitement. “Their Alpha’s a great guy! His name’s Dominic Granger. We, um…” he paused. “We introduced ourselves to him. Then, we tried to ask them about their intentions, but…”
“He wouldn’t let us talk,” Jimmy interjected, stepping beside Martin. “He gave us two of his pack’s females.”
“Each,” Martin added, with a wicked nod and a wicked grin which spread across his face.
“Oh, shit…” Ray muttered, tearing his gaze away from them.
“You fucked them?” Raul spoke, leaning forward, as he unfurled his arms.
“We sure did,” Martin chuckled, nodding at the same time. “They were…”
The Alpha didn’t allow him to finish his sentence. Raul’s snarl echoed back at the walls of the hall, as he thrust his arm up. He grabbed Martin by the throat, his fangs lengthening, as he turned his body to the left. The scout’s brows popped up, the skin on his face tingling with fear, as Raul pinned him up against the wall.
“How stupid can you be, you fucking, mutts!” He yelled, his eyes glazing over with rage, his knuckles white as he gripped Martin’s neck. “I sent you there to get information, not to get laid!”
“But, they were hot,” Martin choked out, his face slowly turning blue, as he struggled for air. “Sorry, boss.”
“Fuck!” Raul shouted, his chest heaving, as he tossed the scout to the left. Martin let out a cry of agony, as his body tumbled to the floor.
“Where are they?” Dean asked Jimmy.
“About half-a-mile east, give or take. Dominic said he’d only talk to the Alpha.” He replied, his gaze locked on his fallen comrade, as Raul spun around, curling his fingers into fists. Throwing an arm forward, he rotated it in midair. A tremendous strike to Jimmy’s jaw sent him reeling back. Hundreds of tiny shards of glass were thrown across the diner floor and the parking lot, as his body shattered the glass façade.
“Dean, Ray, come with me,” Raul commanded, striding towards the entrance. “The rest of you stay here.”
“Assholes…” Dean growled, following right behind him, as his brother stormed down the stairs.
“I couldn’t have said it better myself,” Ray agreed, starting after them. Raul stepped off the landing, turning his gaze down at Jimmy. His scout was still lying on the ground, moaning in pain.
“I should rip your throats out right here, right now, you retards.” He growled with his wolf, as Dean and Ray joined him. “Damn fucks. You couldn’t keep your dicks in your pants.”
“They learned their lesson,” Dean spoke his mind, gently slapping him on the shoulder. “Let’s go find that pack.”
“Can someone tell me why an Alpha would just offer up four females of his pack to a couple of strangers?” Ray inquired, as the brothers headed off to the east.
“That’s easy,” Raul grumbled, walking alongside them. “He tempted them to leave our pack and join his. ‘You come with us, you get pussy.’ And those idiots fell right into his trap. I’m actually surprised they didn’t stay there.”
“One doesn’t stay loyal to a pack just for the females, Raul.” Dean asserted, as they left the parking lot behind them. “No one would choose getting laid over a sadistic tyrant.”
“You wouldn’t,” Raul emphasized, his gaze settled on the first tree in front of him. “I don’t know about them.”
“Can we focus on the problem at hand?” Ray requested, his feet crushing a dry twig, as they crossed the forest line. “How are we going to handle this?”
“First of all, we don’t shift.” Raul instructed, his voice bass-deep, as he lifted his foot over a sizeable bush. “They might take that as an act of hostility. We’ll ask about their intentions, although I think it will be a stupid conversation. No pack ventures so close to another pack’s territory, unless they want to take over.”
“It could be something else,” Dean stated his opinion, brushing past a massive, oak tree.
“Don’t be ridiculous, brother,” Raul scoffed, a few beams of moonlight shining down through trees, as he turned his attention to him. “Make no mistake; they’re here for our land.”
“Maybe they need our help. Maybe they’re up against a witch, and they want to know how we beat Marianne,” Dean elaborated, moving around a bush that blocked his path.
“Stop:” Raul said, thrusting his arm sideways, across his brother’s chest, his feet frozen to the ground. Ray squeezed his eyes shut, as Dean obeyed. Tipping his chin up, he sniffed the air around him. Other than the fragrances of oak and elm, there were two, unfamiliar, wolf smells. Both of them were thick with testosterone, and rather strong, indicating that the strangers were too close for comfort.
“There’s a welcoming committee,” Raul added, forcing his brother’s eyes to snap open. Two, feral snarls tore the silence, as their owners sprung out of a bush, a few yards across from him and slightly to the right. The wolves padded toward the brothers, hackles raised, tails straight out behind them, their gazes locked on Raul. Neither of them would stop snarling, but they wouldn’t raise their lips, either. They were not threatening them, at least not yet. “Get the fuck out of my face, before I really lose my patience,” Raul commanded, narrowing his eyes down at them.
“You really have terrible manners,” A deep, hoarse voice rose above the noise, drawing their attention. Ray’s gaze shot up, only to discover that a towering man was pacing towards them. He was still a little too far for him to make out his exact height, but he had to be at least 6’4”, just as tall as his Alpha. The man in question was not alone. He was accompanied by a blonde female, not much shorter than him. “Get back, you two. I’ll handle this.” He ordered, glancing down at the two wolves. Their sad yips filled the brothers’ ears, as they turned around.
“That son of a bitch is big,” Dean commented, watching as the strangers closed in on them.
“Size is overrated, my friend,” the man continued, as his mouth curved into a smile of irony. “Let me introduce myself to you. My name is Dominic Granger. This is my cousin, Victoria. I’m the Alpha of this pack. You must be the Bradford brothers.”
“How do you know who we are?” Raul asked, as his face distorted in a grimace of surprise.
“Your scouts were quite talkative,” Dominic smirked, settling his gaze on Raul, as his
feet halted on the left of the bush. “But, I knew your names, long before I even considered getting here. Your fallen Alpha used to be my friend once. Warrick talked to me about you, a few months ago. I told him to get rid of you, but he didn’t listen. I had a feeling you’d destroy him. You should also know that your feat against Marianne McIntyre caused ripples throughout the packs all over the country. The way you disposed of her was just sensational.”
“I was attacked by one of your goons last night,” Ray interjected, his eyes glinting with anger. “Why?”
“You must be referring to Shane Marks,” Dominic spoke, his voice lowering, as his gaze focused on Ray. “He was one of us, but I had to kick him out. He was disrespecting my rules, particularly the one about fooling around with my cousin here.”
“What are you doing here? What do you want?” Raul posed the two questions, his own voice firm, as he put his hands on his waist.
“Let me tell you why we became nomads first,” Dominic murmured as a hint of discomfort entered his tone. “We were living peacefully in ‘Madame Sherri Forest’ in New Hampshire, until one day, a large chunk of it was sold to a construction company. We were forced to abandon our homes. We’re searching for living space; that’s why we came here. I offered those four females to your scouts as a token of my intentions. We simply wish to coexist with you. We mean you no harm.”
“What a load of shit!” Raul shouted, his face twisting in a mocking leer. “You just wanted them to think you’re better than me. And two packs, living in the same space? That’s got to be the dumbest joke I’ve ever heard.”
“That is my offer. Take it or leave it.” Dominic continued, his voice steady, completely unaffected by Raul’s nasty comments. “You are a very much respected adversary, Raul. You might be strong, but you are vastly outnumbered. Do not force my hand. You have one week to decide.”
“You mean ‘yield’,” Raul growled, casting a fierce glare at him.
“This conversation is over,” Dominic assumed an authoritative tone. “Think about my offer. You have a good night.”
The brothers began to glance at one another, speechless, as their rival and his cousin walked off into the night. Naturally, Ray was stunned by Dominic’s proposal. Packs could not share living space. Squabbles among them would be rather frequent, and fights would certainly lead to war between them. Still, neither he, nor his brothers could understand why Dominic had bothered suggesting coexistence, instead of declaring war upon them. He did have the numerical advantage. What was stopping him? In any case, they were now faced with the grim task of informing the rest of the pack, and Ray could only hope that they would not panic.
Chapter Nine
“They came all the way here from New Hampshire, because humans kicked them out of their land. Somehow, I’m supposed to believe that? Even if they did, New Hampshire is hundreds of miles away. They did find unclaimed land; they just wouldn’t stay there. That prick says he knows about our story with Marianne. He wants to claim Paxton. He wants to prove he’s better than me.”
Raul had managed to sum up the meaning of the rival pack’s presence outside their town in just a few sentences. It might have sounded cold, but it made perfect sense. Dominic’s pack was far away from home. There were plenty of forests and valleys between them, and yet, he had chosen their town. As much as Ray agreed with him, they also had to convince their pack.
Leaving the forest behind him, he noticed the seven males and the six females in the parking lot, facing in their direction. Apparently, they were so anxious about the outcome of their meeting with Dominic that they couldn’t wait for them in the diner. Raul quickened his pace, jogging ahead of his brothers, as they entered the lot.
“Alright, boys and girls, listen up!” He addressed them in a confident voice, his gaze sweeping around. “That prick said his pack wants to live in Paxton with us. I don’t know what you make of it, but I think it is total bullshit. There can’t be two packs in the same town. He gave us a week to decide. If we refuse to let them in, it’s war.”
“Live with us?” Bryant shook his head in mock skepticism, rubbing his cheek, as he paced towards his Alpha asking; “as in ‘together’? Like a big, happy family?”
A snicker rose up in the air, before Raul had a chance to speak. It was Martin, staring up at Bryant, biting his lower lip, as he held in yet another snicker. But, his attempts did not pay off. In an instant, he threw his head back, his mouth popping open, before he burst into roaring laughter. His fellow pack members seemed startled at first. They stared at him, some of them glancing up at Raul, and then back down at him. But, it wasn’t long before Martin’s entire 6ft body began to rock, his spine flexing and extending, provoking laughter in all of them. Ray banged his palm against his forehead, breaking into a hollow chuckle, as the merriment resounded through the wilderness. Raul was giggling, looking down at Bryant, whereas Dean bent his head towards his brother’s shoulder, cackling as he held his stomach.
“Goddamn…” he snorted, slapping his left hand against Raul’s back. “That was a good one.”
“Ok…” The Alpha spoke again, raising his left arm over his head. “Like I said, it’s bullshit. If it’s war they want…” He paused. “It is war they will get.” In the blink of an eye, the laughter turned into a loud, rumbling battle cry, as all eighteen shifters tossed their arms up in the air, putting a smile of contentment on Raul’s face. “Now, pay attention,” he urged, as Melissa jogged towards her brothers. “They outnumber us, two to one. We need to be smart here. If we meet them head-on, chances are we’re going to get our asses kicked. So, Martin and Jimmy, you need to do some more recon. Bryant, you go with them. Make sure they don’t do anything stupid again. You have forty-eight hours. Come over to my place when you’re done. Go. The rest of you can go home.”
Ray remained silent, thinking about the ugliness that lay ahead. Just like Raul and Dean, he had been in fights, but had never fought an actual war. He only knew about it from the stories his father used to tell him. He wished he could avoid it, but, sadly for him and his pack, this choice was being forced upon them. Judging by the stiff faces, and their unwillingness to speak on the drive home, his siblings shared his view on the matter. Once again, the Bradford family would have to fight for survival, and that fact had cast a shadow of worry over them.
The sight of his motorcycle outside his cabin instantly brought Julia back into his mind. Ray’s heart skipped a beat. Yes, he did believe that she was a little too childish, but, this attitude towards life was exactly what he needed that night, precisely what his heavy heart was missing. He needed to fill his neediness with a distraction, in the form of a beautiful redhead, but one that was, unfortunately, more than a hundred miles away. Ray switched on his cell phone. Hearing her voice was guaranteed to make him feel better, and a little closer to her. Still, the two incoming messages he had from her only tested his frustration tolerance.
“I’m having tons of fun with my girls. This road trip’s amazing, but it doesn’t even come close to last night. I can’t get enough of that bike of yours. Can we please ride further next time? You pick the place.”
“So, we’re out dancing in “Blue Island”, Monica’s favorite club. I think we may have screwed up. There’s a lot of tango music playing in here. Girls can’t dance tango with each other; lol. Wish you were here, so I could dance with you. I miss you.”
“What are you doing to me?” He whispered, leaning his head back against the wall. The sound of high heels on the concrete interrupted the moment. Turning his head to the left, he noticed Helena, crossing his front yard. Strangely enough, the witch had chosen to stroll to the Bradford’s property.
“No smoke this time?” Ray probed, pursing his lips.
“Your brother has been complaining to me about my timing of late.” She retorted, pulling her hood back from her head. “And I’m afraid rightfully so. I have caught him at bad times, more than once. Besides, the forest is but a short walk from here.”
“D
ean’s upstairs,” he sighed, casting a quick, sideways glance up his brother’s cabin to his right.
“I’m not here to see him,” Helena stated in a strict tone, reaching up to grab his arm. “I’m actually here to see you; and that redhead. Is she here?”
“No, she’s in New York.” Disappointment lined her face, upon hearing his answer.
“I’d like to talk to both of you,” She declared pointedly, intensifying her stare. “Come find me when she gets here. It’s very important.”
“Find you?” Ray squinted down at her. “Why? Is there something you’re not telling me?”
“It’s too complicated, Ray.” Helena raised her tone of voice out of frustration. “Frankly, I’ve never been this puzzled. Do as I say. It concerns you both.”
“Great; just what I needed: a riddle,” he thought to himself, as the witch turned her back on him. But, Ray was too emotionally drained to bother himself with it. Helena herself called it “complicated”, and he was in no condition to speculate on what she meant by that. Right now, he was in urgent need of some rest.
Chapter Ten
For the first time in months, Julia was actually happy to be waking up on a weekday morning. When she started working as a bank teller, three years ago, she was thrilled by the idea of meeting new, exciting people. Still, her expectations were proven woefully wrong. Making new acquaintances came at a price: a personal price, to be exact. Why? Because her job entailed too much fakery and Julia despised anything false. She had to smile at everybody, and that rule applied to every customer, no matter how rude a customer might be. In truth, she was beginning to hate her job; but, she was in such a fantastic mood that Monday morning that even rudeness could not wipe the smile off of her face. Julia had not spent a day with her friends since Monica moved to Shandaken, and she had been missing her and Kate dearly. They had had a wonderful time together the night before. More than that, her friends had slept over at her apartment, and they’d gossiped for hours about their mates and Ray. Mainly, though, the reason behind Julia’s smile was none other than her date with him, and the notion that many more dates like that would follow. She had intrigued him; this was the first – and most vital – step. Everything else would come naturally.
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