by Alisa Woods
Okay, knock it off, Daniel broadcast to all of them.
Noah and Owen stopped their wrestling, shaking off their wounds and seeming fine in spite of looking like extras in a horror film. They each brought up a paw behind their heads as if cleaning the back of their ears, only instead, they whipped their paw forward to release a blue ball of energy. The two balls zipped through the forest, lighting it up in an eerie whitish blue on top of the early morning sunrise. When the balls slammed into a tree trunk, they blasted away half the wood and threw off a million sparks, which quickly died.
Noah and Owen were already preparing new crackling balls of magic as Kaden joined them—soon they were sending volley after volley into the dark dawn of the forest.
Troy and Daniel held back, out of firing range, trotting to a halt next to a large fallen log.
Are you all part of the same pack? Troy asked Daniel, again being careful to keep his thoughts from broadcasting to everyone and distracting them during their magical practice.
Daniel shook his head.
Troy wasn’t sure if he was answering or shaking off some of the early morning dew.
Kaden and Noah have submitted to Jaxson, the alpha of the Riverwise pack, Daniel sent the thought back to him. Owen has his own pack.
Submission. Troy knew what it was, but he’d never experienced it firsthand. I’ve never been in the pack before, he admitted. I managed to get out of the gangs downtown before I was forced to submit. And I’ve never met anyone I’d be willing to pledge myself to—hell, I really haven’t met that many wolves at all. But man, I’ve been watching you on the news… He stopped because this level of fanboying was getting embarrassing. He wasn’t quite sure how to tell Daniel that he would join his pack in a heartbeat.
The news doesn’t exactly tell the whole story. But I know what you mean about who you’re willing to submit to. I haven’t submitted to anyone in a while, not even Jaxson, even though I respect the hell out of him. The last wolf I submitted to was my father, and you probably know how well that worked out.
Troy ducked his head in acknowledgment. Daniel’s father, Colonel Astor Wilding, was in jail for experimenting on shifters, and Daniel helped put him there. That was part of why Troy respected him so much—the man had to have a seriously straight moral arrow to put his own father in jail for crimes against shifter kind.
This seems like a good group here, Troy thought, giving a nod to the three white wolves who were still practicing their magic, tearing up the forest.
Daniel dipped his head. Noah shows me every day how white wolves don’t have to be assholes. I hope he’s right because it’s possible I might be one, too.
You look pretty black-wolf to me, Troy thought with a wolfy smirk. Is that something you really think can change?
I don’t know. But it’s been a pretty shitty ride for the Wilding family. This white wolf thing is potentially lurking inside of all of us.
Troy was dying to tell him that Zoe’s white wolf wasn’t exactly lurking inside her. She was a full-blown white wolf or, he guessed, a witch. And a hell of a powerful one, too. As much or more than these guys in the forest with her insta-healing leg and magical shield.
But that wasn’t his secret to tell.
Isn’t that a good thing? Troy thought. Having these special powers?
I guess. Daniel was staring hard at the other three wolves in their practice. The Wilding pack was broken up by a white wolf—one of our grandfathers, at least in the biological sense. There were two brothers—an alpha and a beta—and the beta was a white wolf. He slept with the mate of the alpha and then killed them both. That’s our secret family shame. And why no one in the Wilding family actually wants to be a white wolf.
Oh. Troy hesitated. I guess that’s why you don’t want Skylar to help you bring out your inner white wolf?
Uh… no thanks. Not going to happen. Even if it were possible, I wouldn’t want her to be the one to help me.
Troy cocked his head. Seemed like Daniel was protesting a little too much. No? She’s pretty hot. Doesn’t she get your wolf humming?
Daniel whipped a look to him. No.
Troy huffed a wolfish laugh. Okay man, if you say so.
Daniel snarled at him. What about you and Zoe? Something going on there I need to know about? And be careful how you answer that—she’s my cousin. You fuck with her, and you’re going to fuck with all of us.
Troy took a step back. No, man, I swear. I mean, yeah… she’s hot, and well… Fuck, he was screwing this up. I get it—I’m an outsider. Not part of the Wilding or River packs. But I’m all-in on this fight, bro. If you want me to prove that, I’d be willing to pledge submission to, well, you… or… whoever’s in charge here. Jesus, he was rambling. It was even worse when it was just straight thoughts.
Daniel regarded him for a moment. I’m just saying—family takes care of each other. Don’t hurt Zoe, and we’re all good.
Troy bobbed his head. He wished it had been like that for him, growing up, but he’d never even known his dad, much less had a pack to rely on. Like I said before, I’ve never had a pack. Must be nice.
Family and pack are everything. Daniel nodded sharply, but the tension had stepped down.
Troy returned his nod and stepped forward again. I don’t think you realize how much the Wilding family has had an impact on wolves like me all around the Seattle area. I came out as a wolf when I joined my crew at the fire station because we had to have each other’s backs. But it’s not like that for everyone. I think there’re a lot of wolves out there like me. Lone wolves. Orphans. Wolves who are isolated and not connected to a pack.
Daniel tipped his head to him. Even when we’re not family or pack, wolves should still stick together.
Troy nodded more fervently. You’re a hero, man—your whole family is. You guys are leading the way, and that’s fucking awesome. I just want to be part of it. Do what I can to stop the bad guy who’s hunting all of us. That’s all.
And what about Zoe? Daniel asked, but it wasn’t quite so hostile this time.
Troy pawed at the ferns next to his feet. Hey, I’d go there in a heartbeat. She’s amazing. But she pretty much told me she wasn’t interested last night.
Daniel bobbed his head again. Wilding women are well, wild. But Zoe… she’s always been different. She’s the most serious, least crazy, female relative I have. If she told you she’s not interested, I’m sorry, man. That’s probably just what it is.
Troy nodded, but inside, his wolf protested. And he really didn’t believe it. Daniel’s words just made him want to bring out the hidden wild side he knew was inside Zoe—just like her hidden wolf. And her hidden powers. She’d already let him in for part of it, even if she hadn’t intended to. And the more time he spent around her, the more he wanted to get inside for the rest—not just because she was hot, but because there was something very deep in there, some kind of darkness that needed to come out.
Daniel barked to get the attention of the others. We need to head back, he broadcast out to them. The mayor’s coming to visit.
The mayor? But Troy didn’t ask, just fell in line as they trotted back to the main house, shifting at the edge of the forest and getting dressed before they headed inside. Owen, Kaden, and Noah split off, striding toward the parking lot to apparently disperse for the day. Troy and Daniel went around the back of the house, coming in through the kitchen. From the front room, conversation drifted in, apparently between the mayor and Mama River.
She had stopped him cold at the front door.
“You’re not going to haul away another one of my wolves, are you?” Mama River demanded. “Because the last time, when you sent your man here to take away Terra, it tore apart my family. Scattered them to the winds. I’m just now getting them back together. So don’t think that you’re going to take away another one of my babies—”
The mayor’s hands were up in defense. “Of course not, Mrs. River. I just want to see to Zoe and make sure she’s all right.” The man
was older—probably mid-forties by the gray he had invading the dark black of his hair at the temples—but he was definitely a politician, with that charming smile and blue eyes.
Daniel and Troy both hustled to back up Mama River. Troy didn’t know what Daniel was planning, but he was more than willing to take down the mayor if he was giving any shit to the matriarch of the River family.
The mayor lifted his hands higher. “I would never mess with a woman who has the love of so many behind her.” He smiled again, but it was less slickly charming, and a little more genuine.
Mama River put up her own hand to keep Daniel and Troy back. “There’ll be no fighting in my house,” she said. Although it didn’t carry the strength of an alpha command, Troy felt it ripple through his body regardless.
She turned back to the mayor. He had dropped his hands, following that up with a softening in his voice. “I would apologize for what happened with Terra if it hadn’t had such a happy outcome in the end.”
Mama River’s eyes narrowed. “Finding a mate is one of the most important things that can happen to a wolf. I’m not sure a human can fully appreciate it.”
“You might be surprised.” He gave her a small smile that seemed pained. “I lost my wife several years ago. It’s something that still haunts me. Not unlike this place, Mrs. River—you built this with your husband, isn’t that right? I can understand why you would defend it with your life.”
Troy could see his words having an effect on Mama River—he just wasn’t sure if the mayor was genuine with any of this bullshit.
“I’m glad you understand,” she said softly. “I’m still not entirely comfortable with you visiting with Zoe, however. It’s early, and the girl had a hard night last night. She’s still resting.”
“I can come back, of course,” the mayor said hastily. “It’s just that I talked to Grace, your son Jared’s mate? And she was concerned. I’m mostly here at her behest, but I did also have a private matter to discuss with Zoe.” He threw a glance to Daniel and Troy, with a special frown for Troy, as if he was trying to figure out who he was. No doubt some random firefighter didn’t factor into his world of political scheming or even his knowledge of the Wilding and River packs. “I’m just trying to respect Zoe’s privacy by wishing to speak to her alone.”
Troy didn’t like that much at all. “Well, how about if we let her decide what she needs to keep private?”
Daniel arched an eyebrow at him, but most of his suspicious looks were aimed at the mayor. “It’s up to you, Mama River,” he said, “but if you’d like, Troy can accompany you and the mayor up to see Zoe. I’m pretty sure she’s up—I checked in on her first thing this morning before we went out to run.”
Troy frowned. He had heard some rumblings in Zoe’s room, but he hadn’t realized it was Daniel stopping by to visit her before picking up Troy for their morning activities.
“All right, then,” Mama River said, stepping away from the door and inviting the mayor in with a sweep of her hand.
Daniel stayed by the door as the three of them—the mayor, Mama River, and Troy—tromped up the stairs to go see Zoe. When they got to her room, she had dark circles under eyes, but apparently Mama River had gotten her scissors out this morning, too—Zoe’s hair was no longer lop-sided, her long black waves now neatly trimmed at shoulder length. She seemed weary and a little surprised to see them, but she welcomed them all into her room. Daniel must have brought her some equipment—she had a small scientific-looking machine sitting on her dresser, along with a couple different laptops and some portable Wi-Fi units scattered on her bed. She was still in her pajamas, which was pretty damn adorable with her bare feet and the little wolves on her light pink flannel.
Zoe scurried around, picking up discarded clothing and straightening the room. “I’m fine,” she was saying to the mayor. “I’ve just been buried in work, trying to recover some of the data from the secure off-site storage. I just haven’t had time to return Grace’s calls. You didn’t need to come out and check on me.”
She seemed a lot more comfortable with the mayor visiting than Troy was… and Mama River seemed to take that as a sign that all was okay. She excused herself from the room, with the insistence that Troy stay to keep an eye on the two of them, “in case Zoe needed anything.”
She didn’t need to worry. No way in hell was Troy leaving Zoe alone with the mayor. He folded his arms and stood by the door, acting as a security guard.
“I just wanted to see with my own eyes that you’re all right,” the mayor was saying. He was eyeing her equipment like he was trying to figure that out as well. He glanced at Troy. “I had something I wanted to discuss with you, but I’m not sure if I should speak in front of your friend here.”
“Go ahead.” She waved to the mayor as she straightened more of her things. “He knows most of my secrets already.”
“I know you’re using Agent Smith’s data to find the Wolf Hunter,” the mayor said flatly.
What? Troy’s alarm ticked up two levels.
Zoe stopped in her fussing and stared at the mayor. “I see.”
Troy’s mind whirled over everything he knew from the press. Agent Smith performed medical experiments on shifters. Grace Krepky had exposed all the experimentation and claimed to have data to prove it. Zoe was genetics researcher. Did Grace give her access to Agent Smith’s data? And was she somehow using it to catch the Wolf Hunter?
“I’ve been discussing this with Grace all along,” the mayor continued under Zoe’s scrutinizing stare. “And I want you to know I’ll support you in any way I can. I understand the Wolf Hunter is obsessed with finding a certain white wolf. And Grace tells me that wolf might be her father. Are you having any luck with that?” He was rather pointed about that question.
It was raising the hairs on the back of Troy’s neck.
“I know Grace would like to find her father,” Zoe said with a sigh. “But my focus is on finding the Wolf Hunter himself.”
“But you think the Wolf Hunter has somehow gotten hold of Agent Smith’s data?” the mayor pressed. “And that he might be using it to find Grace’s father?”
“Yes,” Zoe said, gritting her teeth. “I’m convinced of it. I don’t know what he would do if he found him, but I doubt it’s anything good. And besides, we want to get to this white wolf person before he does.”
The mayor had been nodding, but he stopped. “You do?”
“Yes.” Zoe tensed up. “It’s difficult to explain, but it would make my research easier.”
“I see. Well…” He looked around at the meager equipment she had, no doubt nothing like what was burned up in her lab. “If you need anything to help with that effort, please let me know. Meanwhile, I wanted you to know the police are actively investigating the firebombing in your lab. I promise you, I’m putting every resource into capturing this Wolf Hunter before he can harm anyone else.”
That seem to help Zoe relax. “Thank you, Mr. Mayor.”
He stepped forward and took Zoe’s hands in his, which made Troy’s wolf bristle. He nearly snarled at the two of them but managed to hold himself back.
“Please, call me Robert.” The mayor handed her a small card. “Here’s my private number. If you need anything.”
It sounded innocent enough. Troy still didn’t like it.
With that, the mayor excused himself, leaving Troy to linger behind and watch him go. He turned back to Zoe. “So you’re hunting the Wolf Hunter with this data?”
“Yeah.” But she seemed exhausted. And like she really didn’t want to talk about it. “I don’t know if the Wolf Hunter knew I was getting closer to finding him or what, but the firebomb really set me back. At least, I still have the data…” She dropped a little hopeless look on the two laptops sprawled on her bed.
Troy closed the bedroom door and stepped up to her. “I don’t understand why you don’t want to train with Skylar and the other white wolves. Is it because of your grandfather?”
She stepped back and gave h
im a horrified look. “Since when do you know about my grandfather?”
He cringed. Maybe he shouldn’t have said anything. “Daniel told me about the Wilding family secret. We were out running in the forest and—”
She recovered and waved him off. “Okay. Fine. Whatever.”
He pressed on. “But don’t you see? They’ll understand. And I’ll help you any way I can. If you just tell them —”
“No!” Her eyes were suddenly on fire, and the dark blue of them just got brighter. “You promised me!”
“And I’ll keep my promise,” he rushed out, then eased closer to her. “But do you really want to catch the Wolf Hunter? Because this is a way to do it. If you can’t trust your family and your pack, your fellow white wolves, who can you trust?”
She seemed to be struggling with that idea, so he moved even closer. “I know you don’t know me. And these other guys don’t know me, either. But as someone on the outside? Trust me, when I say you’ve got something special here with this family of yours. You guys look out for each other. That’s not something everyone has. Don’t push it away.”
Her expression softened in a way that called to his wolf so powerfully he almost took her in his arms right then. But the moment wasn’t right, so he held back.
“Okay,” she said softly.
“Yeah?” he asked just as quietly.
“Okay, fine, I’ll do it. I’ll tell them.” Her shoulders slumped.
He smiled broadly and leaned in to whisper, “So... I only know most of your secrets, Zoe Wilding? I want to know all of them.” He was teasing, but the look in her eyes told him there really was something more—something she wasn’t telling him.
“I don’t have any more,” she said, stepping back and waving him off. “I have some work to do first. I hear the white wolves are training every afternoon out in the field. I’ll tell them then.”