by J. L. Wilder
Owen regarded the youngest member of his pack, then nodded. Arguments were hard on Joel, he knew. The kid had only joined the Wild Grizzlies about a year and a half ago—he’d been nomadic when the pack had found him hunting in their territory. He’d never been part of a family before. At least, not that he could remember.
“Okay,” Owen said. “You stay. Talk to him if you can. Try to get him to eat something, maybe. And when we get back, there’ll be a stew.”
“Rabbit?”
“If we can get it.”
Joel grinned at that and nodded. “I’ll take care of things. Don’t worry.”
Owen got to his feet. “Okay,” he said. “Everyone else ready to go?”
They made their way out to the yard single file. The Wild Grizzlies were a small pack, and without Joel and Damon to round out their numbers, the group felt especially sparse. Besides Owen himself, there was only Dusty, Angus, and the twins, Riley and Nova. The girls weren’t much older than Joel, and even though they had grown up with the pack, they hadn’t been on that many hunts.
But that’s okay, Owen told himself. So they’re still green. Everything’s a learning experience, isn’t it? We can use today’s hunt as a chance for them to test their skills.
The five of them scattered to various points around the yard that provided shelter so that they could strip off their clothes in relative privacy. Owen’s hideaway of choice was behind an oak tree on the edge of the property, the only one that was broad enough to conceal him. He folded his clothes and left them in a neat pile at the base of the tree. Then he closed his eyes and breathed in the scent of the forest around him.
Shifting felt like nothing so much as sinking. The primal part of him, the part that made up his bear self, lived deep within. Owen allowed himself to fall inward, away from his human senses and thoughts and anxieties and toward that inner animal.
He didn’t feel the actual physical change at all. He never had, although others in the pack had reported feeling something at the moment of the shift. Instead, he was aware it had taken place by the fact that his senses were heightened. He heard the movement of leaves. He smelled the moisture in the dirt.
He opened his eyes.
It felt wonderful to be in this form. There was so much strength and power in the body of the bear, and so much less stress and worry. He padded his way out from behind the tree and into the center of the yard, where the others were waiting for him.
Riley and Nova were the smallest of the bears, lean and limber and with a lighter coloring on their faces that distinguished them. Owen looked at them, then jerked his head toward the woods in a gesture meant to indicate that they should lead the way.
One of them—he couldn’t tell them apart when they were human half the time, much less in this form—cocked her head as if to ask him if he was sure.
He nodded.
The girls loped off toward the woods. Angus gave Owen a measured look, then followed after them. Owen could tell that Angus was questioning his decision to let the girls take the lead, but that he wasn’t going to disagree right now. If Owen was honest with himself, that was why he had waited until they’d shifted to make the call. It was hard to get in an argument when you couldn’t actually speak.
Owen followed Angus into the woods. He heard Dusty behind him, bringing up the rear. That position would ordinarily have belonged to Damon, as second in command, but since Damon had stayed home for the evening, the third in command took over his responsibilities.
Owen had to admit that he had been worrying about Damon lately. The argument tonight, about the motorcycles, was far from their first. Lately it seemed that Damon would argue against anything Owen said.
He could have put a stop to the arguing by ordering Damon to keep his opinions to himself. As alpha, he had that power. But it seemed almost criminal to abuse his influence over his second in command that way. Besides, he knew, an order like that would chafe. Damon was already angry. If Owen tried to control him too rigidly, he would become angrier.
That might lead to a revolt.
And that would be the worst thing that could happen.
Owen prided himself on his leadership. He knew he was taking the Wild Grizzlies in the direction that was best for them as a pack. He knew he was strong and capable. But even strong alphas could be overthrown. If that wasn’t true, corrupt alphas would never come to power. All Damon would have to do would be to get lucky in a fight. If he could defeat Owen, he could take over the pack.
Damon wouldn’t be a good leader. He’s too self-centered. Too prideful. His quest to get those shiny motorcycles is a perfect example of it. We don’t need those when we have perfectly good bikes as it is.
He couldn’t allow Damon to come to power.
Would Damon try?
He didn’t know, and the fact that he didn’t know scared him. When a pack was functioning correctly, an alpha should be able to say with certainty that none of his packmates would challenge him for dominance. Everyone in the pack should be in agreement that they had the best possible leadership.
But Damon questioned him.
Perhaps that was why Owen felt so eager to let Riley and Nova take the point position in today’s hunt. It was for their own good, yes, but maybe he also wanted the others to see that he was capable of bringing them along, helping them reach their potential. He wanted the whole pack to feel like they were going to be their best selves under his leadership.
And they will be, he thought fiercely. We all will be. The Wild Grizzlies don’t need shiny bikes to intimidate other packs. Anyone who sees us will know how great we are by the time I’m done.
He hoped that was true.
He stood back as Nova chased a rabbit toward her sister and Riley went in for the kill. There would be rabbit soup tonight. There would be a party to celebrate what the girls had accomplished.
Owen just hoped that Damon would be willing to join in.
Chapter Three
FIONA
Things were awkward over breakfast. Nobody spoke. Percy and Leo sat at one end of the table, heads bent together as if they were whispering, but they didn’t seem to be saying anything.
Wes glanced over at them, then back at Fiona, as though he expected her to do something. Disrupt them, maybe. But what could she do about it? They weren’t doing anything wrong. They were at perfect liberty to sit there and gossip, if they wanted to.
And they weren’t even talking, for God’s sake.
If I thought they were planning some sort of coup, I could stop them, she thought as she tore her muffin into crumbs on her plate. If I thought they were finding ways to evade orders I had given, I could try to interfere. But they’re not doing anything I can get upset about, not without looking like I’m being hypersensitive.
That was the problem with being a she-alpha. Everything always came back to appearances. In addition to worrying about the practicalities of managing her pack, she had to worry about their perception of the way she was doing it. And the last thing she wanted was for anyone to think she was being hysterical or oversensitive.
But a good alpha would know what to do when they saw division growing in the pack, she thought. My father would have known what to do. And if he had ever taken the time and the trouble to train me properly, I would know too.
It was a thought that plagued her. She was the alpha of the Hell’s Wolves, but she was woefully unprepared for the responsibility of the role. She had seen her pack nearly fall apart under Tank’s leadership. What if the Wolves didn’t recover with her at the helm? What if things continued to go downhill?
It would happen, she knew, if she couldn’t manage to control the dissent that seemed to be growing in her ranks.
A distraction. That’s what’s needed. Something to stop them from whatever they’re doing without calling attention to the fact that they’re going it. Something that will effectively separate Percy and Leo.
“We’re going on a ride today,” she announced.
Everyone looked up from
their breakfast, surprised. “A ride?” Percy asked.
“That’s right.”
“You mean on the bikes?” Leo asked.
“Of course on the bikes,” Percy said, rolling his eyes. “What did you think, that we’d go on horseback?”
Fiona had to admit that Percy’s attitude, obnoxious though it was, pleased her a little. It wouldn’t hurt her cause at all that he was speaking to Leo so dismissively. Percy was putting a wall up between himself and his most likely ally. That was good. She felt a little more confident when she spoke again.
“It’s been too long since we’ve been out,” she said. “We haven’t really had a ride since Tank left.”
“We’ve gone places,” Wes said.
“Just locally, though,” Fiona countered. “We’ve been to all the nearby cities. We’ve had bar nights. We’ve had fun, here and there. I’m saying let’s spend the whole day on the road. Let’s see how far we can get in six hours, and then we’ll turn around and come back. It’ll be a challenge.”
“That’s random,” Percy said, but his voice betrayed him. He was excited. Fiona could tell. Nothing was as good for the spirits of her packmates as a nice long ride.
“Which way will we go?” Carla asked.
“South,” Fiona said. “Let’s see if we can make it to Colorado.”
“Ambitious,” Wes said. He looked excited. “When are we leaving?”
“Just as soon as everyone’s done with breakfast.”
Percy tossed down his half-finished toast. “I’m done.”
“Go prep your bike, then,” Fiona said.
Percy disappeared into the garage, and Fiona forked up a last bite of eggs. This was more like it. This was how being an alpha should feel. She was satisfied, aware that she’d taken a problem her pack was having and solved it for them. She had turned the day from one of awkward discomfort to an exciting adventure they’d all be able to enjoy together.
If I play this right, we’ll bond over it, she thought. If I handle it well, Percy and I will be friends when it’s all over.
She hoped that was true. She liked Percy. Growing up, they had been friends, playing in the woods together, hunting and racing. It was only since she had taken the alpha role—the role he thought he should have been the one to take away from Tank—that Percy had turned away from her.
She finished her breakfast, took her plate to the sink, and headed out to the garage to prepare her bike for the day. “Stay and finish,” she told the others. “Just come out when you’re done eating.
Percy was crouched behind his bike doing something with a ratchet. He was a good mechanic, always had been, and she knew that if he was spending time tinkering this close to a ride, he was doing something that needed to be done. Fiona grabbed a full gas can and hauled it over to her own bike, then checked the fuel level to see how much she needed.
Slowly, one by one, the other members of the pack made their way out to the garage and began preparing their own bikes. Carla and Wes filled up their tires. Leo started his bike up and rode out of the garage and into the drive, turning slow circles while he waited for everyone to be ready.
Finally, everyone was ready to go. Fiona rode out to the drive and joined Leo, and the others followed, one by one. They formed up in their positions in there in the drive, ready to take to the road.
Fiona raised a hand, indicating that everyone should pay attention and follow her lead. Then she pointed forward, gunning her engine at the same time.
They were off.
As alpha and second, Fiona and Percy rode side by side at the front of the pack. They were followed by Leo, and then by Carla. Wes, who ranked third in the pack, rode at the tail. It was his responsibility to monitor those ahead of him so that no one would be lost or left behind.
It was quite an undertaking, trying to reach Colorado in a single day while still leaving enough time to make it back home, but Fiona had never been one to shy away from a challenge. Her father, she knew, would have been impressed by this undertaking, and there was nothing she liked more than the idea of impressing him. There would be a sense of success and pride that would come along with the completion of today’s ride.
It’ll be nice, for once, to feel like I’m actually doing something right.
They made it to the highway without incident. Fiona even began to settle in, to feel calm and in control. It was a relief to feel that way after so long spent feeling like she was barely keeping her pack together. On the road, she knew exactly what she needed to do. On the road, things were easy.
Suddenly, something fast, so fast that it was a blur, whipped past her.
Only Fiona’s good instinct as a rider kept her from veering off the road in surprise. Another blur whipped by. Other bikers, she realized. And they’re riding dangerously.
She held up her hand again, then extended it to the right, indicating that her pack should pull over onto the shoulder. She veered over herself, then looked back to make sure that everyone under her charge was safely off the road.
The other pack came roaring past, not slowing down. As they passed, some of them rocked their bikes back onto the rear wheel, lifting the front wheel from the ground. Stunting. It was the kind of stupid move that often got people killed. It was forbidden among the Hell’s Wolves, a rule that predated Fiona but that she had no intention of ever redacting. Fiona inhaled sharply as one of the stunters wobbled slightly, looking like he might lose control.
And as she inhaled, a second shock hit her.
Wolf.
These weren’t just bikers. These were shifters. Wolf shifters.
And there shouldn’t be any wolf shifters here.
Southern Montana was Hell’s Wolves territory. It wasn’t unthinkable that a rogue shifter, a nomad or someone too young or green to understand the rules, might drift into the area. That sort of thing had happened plenty of times before, and Fiona’s practice was generally to leave rogues alone unless they sought out her pack.
But this was different.
This wasn’t a rogue. This was a pack. A pack blatantly violating the boundary line that marked out the Hell’s Wolves territory.
She glanced over at Percy, wishing like hell that she had someone else to tell her what to do right now. Being alpha was hard. Being alpha meant taking control when there were tough decisions to be made, and that meant taking the chance that something might go wrong. What if she handled this badly?
What if she provoked this strange pack?
Percy looked just as nervous as Fiona felt. “Is it possible they don’t know?” he asked. “Maybe they’re just passing through, and they don’t know it’s our territory.”
“How could they not know?” Fiona knew every inch of the United States and Canada and how all the different areas split up among packs of shifters. She knew where all the other chapters of Hell’s Wolves lived—those were safe places for her and her pack. She knew where other, rival packs belonged, too.
“Did you see their colors?” she asked Percy now.
“Definitely not ours,” he said. “But I couldn’t make out what they were.”
“Nothing you recognized?”
“No.”
“Maybe one of the others caught it,” Fiona suggested. “I think we’d better get home.”
She expected Percy to put up a fight, to say that they shouldn’t cancel their ride just because someone else was out there, but to her surprise, he agreed. Fiona signaled an about face, then turned and started driving back toward the house.
What are we going to do? she wondered as she drove. She felt frightened, suddenly, and desperate. This was exactly the kind of thing she had worried about since realizing that Percy was agitating under her leadership. Bad enough to have a second in command who didn’t have faith in her when times were good. But what would happen if they were actually facing an outside threat?
Fiona would have to make decisions that would keep her and the rest of the Hell’s Wolves safe. She would need to trust herself, and sh
e would need the rest of them to trust her as well. She would need to believe that everything she was doing was serving the best interests of the pack.
But what if Percy couldn’t believe in her?
What if he decided to challenge her?
If he honestly believed that she didn’t have what it took to keep them safe, she knew, he would have to make a challenge. His conscience wouldn’t allow him to do anything else. He wanted what was best for the Hell’s Wolves, just as she did. He wouldn’t let them languish under a leader he felt to be incapable.
I am capable, though, she thought fiercely. I can keep us safe. Whoever this other pack is, whatever they’re doing in our territory, I can handle it.
Now was her opportunity to prove that to the rest of the pack. Now was her chance to show them that she had what was needed to lead.
I won’t let them down, she said, wishing she believed that as wholeheartedly as she had once believed in her father’s leadership. I’ll secure our borders and ensure that our territory is safe, and when I’m finished, everyone will know what a good leader I can be.
Chapter Four
FIONA
“Don’t smoke in the house,” Fiona said sharply.
Percy scowled, but he complied with her order and slid his pack of cigarettes back into his shirt pocket. Fiona had to admit, she was relieved. Lately, it felt as though every order she gave was a gamble. Would Percy stand against her?
So far, he hadn’t. But that meant nothing. She would be a fool to let her guard down.
“We can take a break,” she said. “If you want to go outside and have one.”
They had been sitting around the table in the kitchen since returning from their aborted ride, trying to decide what they were going to do. Only Wes was absent. Fiona had sent him to ride south, along the same path the intruders had been following, and to see if he could learn anything about them. If they really were just passing through, even if they had disrespected her territory to do so, Fiona would let it go. She wasn’t looking for a fight.
“I don’t need a break,” Percy said.