“Then he started up a private security business and recruited plenty of his fellow veterans who were on the fringes. Had a few too many jobs turn into bloodbaths and basically became unwelcome in the security world,” Duke added.
“Last we heard,” Thorn said, “he’d holed up in some remote farmhouse, touting it as a ‘retreat’ for troubled veterans.”
Brax paced across the room. “I heard on the grapevine that he’d formed a pack, got in deep with some of those isolationists in the northeast. He actually reached out to me, six or so months back.”
Thorn looked up at that, startled. “What the hell? You never told us that, Brax.”
“I knew it was best to keep people like him at arm’s length or further. I was polite but made it clear that we weren’t interested in joining their community. We don’t share the same values.”
“That’s not the point. How am I supposed to protect us against outside threats when you don’t tell me they’re there?”
“He wasn’t a threat to us. Not then.”
“Well, he might be one now,” Duke pointed out. “If Daniel and Sammy belong to their pack, and Daniel turns back up alone, they’re going to come looking for their missing cub.”
“Daniel’s letter says he’ll tell Harrison he left Sammy with his family.” Thorn swallowed and added, “The only person he mentions by name in this letter is Harrison. Harrison must be his alpha, and Sammy’s father.”
He felt a sick sense of betrayal at that. Daniel had been bonded all this time, had a pack and a mate, yet had still let Thorn grow close to him, fall in love with him, mate with him.
“How can Daniel already be mated?” Kira asked. “He went into heat here, with Thorn.”
“Maybe heat cycles don’t much care what alpha you’re around,” Josh suggested.
“But that was Daniel’s first heat,” Oliver said. “Wasn’t it?”
“Who knows?” Thorn said heavily. “He lied about everything else, why not that?”
He was starting to see things more clearly, letting go of his first frantic instinct to track Daniel down and drag him home. Daniel had lied to him, repeatedly. Had betrayed him. Worse than that, Daniel had dragged their whole pack into danger, both by bringing Sammy to them, and leaving him there when he left again. If Harrison was Sammy’s father, then he wasn’t going to be pleased when he figured out they were keeping his kid from him.
“But if that pack isn’t a safe place for Sammy, then it’s hardly a good place for Daniel to be. Why on earth did he decide to go back?” Kira asked.
Cole pushed through the door as she spoke. Brax filled him in on what they knew and what they didn’t.
“I think I can fill in a few blanks,” Cole said. “Namely, why Daniel took off today. Deputy Thomas called by your house this morning, Thorn. It seems some local kids stole a moped that was hidden in your woods.”
“That must be how Daniel got here, when he came after Sammy,” Thorn guessed.
“Deputy Thomas called the moped’s owner. It seems he wasn’t too bothered about pressing charges but was very keen to know where the moped had been found. The deputy thought it was a little odd, so he went back to talk to the kids again. Which is when he found out where they’d taken it from. He stopped by to give you a heads-up.”
Thorn put that information together with Daniel’s note and came to an uncomfortable conclusion. “That’s why he decided to go back. He knew they’d come looking.”
“All Harrison knows is what town Daniel drove to, but not that he wound up here. That’s something,” Kira said.
“It’s not much,” Thorn said. “Not enough. It’s well known that there’s a pack living here. If Harrison hasn’t already put the pieces together, he will soon. Once he works it out, we’ll have his pack on our doorstep. Daniel’s lie won’t protect us for long.”
“Unless we hand Sammy back now,” Nathan suggested, looking uncomfortable at the idea.
There was a long silence. No one felt good about that plan.
“You all saw him when he got here,” Thorn said. “He was traumatized, and it wasn’t from being alone out in the forest.”
“No,” Kira agreed. “It was a much deeper trauma. One Daniel likely shared in, given the injuries he had when he arrived here.”
Maybe Daniel had lied to them and put them at risk, but Thorn knew he’d been trying to protect Sammy. That had to count for something.
“What do we do?” Cole asked. “We can’t go and demand Daniel back. That’ll just tell Harrison exactly where to find Sammy.”
Brax sighed heavily. “We can’t sit and wait for things to blow over, either. As soon as they figure out that Daniel is lying about leaving Sammy with his family, they’ll go right back to retracing his tracks. Even if we move Sammy now, the trail leads right to us.”
Thorn read Daniel’s letter again, noticing smudges in the ink and holding it up to the light. They were tears. He’d cried as he wrote it. As angry as Thorn felt, his heart ached for the omega, stuck between a rock and a hard place. He had lied, yes, but he’d been such a bundle of fear and nerves when he’d arrived. Maybe he’d thought he had no other choice?
“I have a plan,” he announced. “A really terrible one.”
“Maybe we should keep the terrible plans in reserve,” Cole said.
“Do we have any other ideas?” Oliver asked.
No one spoke.
“Then let’s hear it, Thorn. How bad can it be?”
“Bad,” he said simply. “Harrison’s got a pack, right?”
“Right.”
“And they are, presumably, mostly ex-military?”
“That’s what it sounded like,” Brax said. “The alphas, the betas. He recruits them at discharge, sometimes even before they’ve left. I don’t know about the omegas.”
“So, unless they’ve got far more kids than adults, they probably don’t fall under civilian jurisdiction.”
He saw all eyes turn to him as they worked out what he was getting at.
“You’re suggesting we…”
“The military wants a pack, right? I say we give them one.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Daniel drove until the bike ran out of gas, then parked it outside a police station and hitchhiked the rest of the way. That way, he knew Thorn would get his bike back but wouldn’t be able to track Daniel further than that. It took until late that night before he finally reached the outskirts of the pack’s territory. He made straight for the gate, knowing there’d be a guard there who’d be more than happy to escort him inside.
“Well, damn,” the guard said on seeing him.
He grabbed Daniel by the arm and dragged him toward the gate as he pulled out his phone.
“Harrison, guess who just turned up? No, no kid. He’s alone. Uh-huh. I’ll call the scouts back. They’re still on the road.”
Daniel hoped that was a good sign. If Harrison had only just sent the scouts out, and they hadn’t gotten to Thorn’s town yet, then maybe he’d got back in time to keep Sammy and the pack safe.
The guard put his phone away and pushed Daniel face-first against the wall, frisking him roughly. There was nothing there to be found.
The gate opened, and the guard shoved him through into the waiting hands of the pack’s Protectors.
“Harrison says to take him to the basement. He’ll deal with him later.”
That was Harrison to a tee. He liked to let Daniel stew on his mistakes, liked to pretend he had more important things to deal with than his wayward second mate.
Daniel didn’t resist. He just kept his head down, doing his best imitation of the submissive, obedient omega. Of course, it was Harrison that he’d really have to convince. He needed the alpha to believe that he was remorseful and repentant, that he’d learned the error of his ways. Somehow, he knew it wouldn’t be as easy as an apology and some groveling. It never was.
He was marched down to the basement, the heavy door creaking open in front of him. They stopped him b
efore he could walk through.
“Strip.”
Daniel froze.
“Alpha’s orders. Take them off, or we’ll do it for you.”
He didn’t let himself think, just stripped off what he was wearing and let them shove him inside. They didn’t follow him in. The door slammed shut behind him, leaving him in darkness.
He walked to the nearest wall and felt his way around the room. There was no thin mattress, no threadbare blanket. Just stone walls and floors, and a bucket in one corner. Harrison had been planning his return for a while.
Daniel crouched in a corner, shifting into his leopard form for warmth and curling into a tight ball. He was lucky. Who needed clothes when you had a thick coat of fur?
For the first while, he waited, expecting to hear Harrison’s heavy footsteps at any moment. But they never came and, gradually, sleep took him. It wasn’t restful, his mind and body too on edge to do more than doze.
He woke with a yelp as freezing cold water drenched him. A Protector loomed over him, an empty bucket in his hands.
“Change back,” he demanded.
Daniel did, shivering and soaked, vainly trying to cover himself from the alpha’s prying eyes. It was still early, maybe even before dawn. But that didn’t seem to matter as he was dragged unceremoniously upstairs and out into the yard behind the house. There, the pack was gathered, waiting.
The Protector threw him to the ground in the center of the crowd and moved back. Daniel curled up, trying to shield himself from their callous stares.
The crowd parted to reveal Harrison, striding forward as the sun peeked over the horizon behind him. Daniel almost laughed at that. Harrison did like to make an entrance.
“So you’ve come crawling back.”
There was nothing to do but play along. Harrison wasn’t the only one who had a role to fill.
“Yes, alpha. Forgive me. I— I was weak and unworthy of your love.”
Harrison scoffed at that. “You’ve always been weak. But I don’t care about that. Where is my son?”
Daniel ducked his head almost to the ground, but Harrison didn’t give him that luxury for long. His hand fisted tightly in Daniel’s hair, dragging his head up and forcing eye contact. “Where. Is. My. Son.”
“I— I left him with my family. You were right. I’m no good as a parent. I tried, but I’m not strong like you. I didn’t want to raise a weak son.”
“But you came back and left him there. Why?”
Harrison’s eyes flashed with fury, but he seemed to be taking Daniel at his word.
“I had to come back to you. You’re my alpha. I missed you. I need you. Please, forgive me.”
He cried out as Harrison dragged him to his feet by his hair. “I ought to beat you within an inch of your life for what you’ve done. Taking my child from me? Returning without him? Betraying me and our pack.”
The alpha looked around at the others, who voiced their agreement. Daniel’s eyes landed on Jaxon’s smug face.
“You’re right, alpha. He’s played you like a fool. No one does that to our leader and lives to tell the tale.”
Harrison’s eyes snapped to Jaxon. “Hold your tongue, bitch. Don’t think I’ve forgotten who let him out. You have your own share of punishment coming.” He shook Daniel hard. “Once I’ve dealt with this one.”
He spun Daniel around until he was facing away from him, a heavy hand on his shoulder.
“Are you happy to be here?” he asked. “Back in the safety of your pack?”
“Yes,” Daniel said woodenly. “I’ve missed my home so much. I’ve missed my alpha.”
“First, I’ll remind you of what you’ve missed. Then you’ll be punished.”
“Yes, alpha,” Daniel said as Harrison leaned in and scented his neck.
The alpha stilled all of a sudden, and then his hand on Daniel’s shoulder tightened, forcing him to his knees.
“You lying rat. Do you think I’m a fool? That you can bat your eyelashes and apologize while pulling the wool over my eyes?”
Daniel was confused by the sudden shift in Harrison’s demeanor.
“Alpha, I— I don’t understand.”
“Did you really think you could trick me into raising another bastard’s child as my own? I can smell it on your scent. You weren’t pregnant when you left, but there’s no doubt about it now.”
Daniel gasped and stared up at Harrison. “No, alpha, please. It’s not— I’m not—”
Muted horror filled him as he realized the terrible mistake he’d made. In trying to save Sammy and Thorn from Harrison, he’d forgotten that there might be another little life involved. He’d just put Thorn’s child into Harrison’s hands. The alpha would never let that go. Never.
Harrison yanked his head back, looming over him. “Who is the bastard? Where is he? He’ll rue the day he touched my mate.”
Daniel tried to shake his head, wincing when Harrison tightened his grip on his hair.
“No, alpha. There’s been no one but you. I promise.”
“You’re lying.”
“I’m not, please. I came back to you. Because I’m yours, your omega, just like you told me when you brought me here. There’d be no one but you, ever. I would live and breathe for you, obey you, submit to you.”
Harrison snorted and shoved him to the ground.
“All you’ve ever done is defy me. And now you’ve betrayed me. First, I’ll deal with the alpha you took up with. Then I’ll deal with you. Who is he?”
Daniel just shook his head again. He wouldn’t betray Thorn. “It’s only ever been you, alpha.”
Harrison turned his head to the side, regarding him carefully. His tone softened. “Did he throw you out once he learned you were pregnant? Or was it when he realized what a useless mate you truly are?”
He aimed a kick at Daniel’s stomach, but Daniel managed to hunch over protectively, shielding himself with his arms.
“Get the bikes and cars ready to leave,” Harrison said to the others.
Daniel closed his eyes and prayed Harrison wasn’t doing what he’d feared he would. He felt the alpha’s hand on his hip, the touch almost gentle.
“You’ll stay here and wait for us to bring your alpha lover back so you can watch him die.”
“But, alpha, you don’t even know where…” Jaxon started to say.
“Don’t I? Do you think it’s a coincidence he’s come back now?”
Harrison’s hand tightened, digging painfully into the soft skin of Daniel’s hip.
“That moped he stole turned up only a day ago, in a town made famous recently for one very particular thing. It’s got a pack living on the outskirts. I bet we’ll find the bastard we’re looking for there, won’t we, Daniel?”
His fingers dug deeper, and Daniel cried out, sobbing between shallow breaths.
Harrison’s hand tangled in his hair again, forcing him to his feet and dragging him around to the front of the house.
“You can see us off, then Greg here will take you down to the basement and give you something to think about while we’re gone.”
Daniel didn’t react to Harrison’s threats. What did it matter? What did any of it matter? He’d failed to protect Sammy, failed to save Thorn. Now Thorn’s whole pack would suffer for his mistake.
“Please, Harrison. Alpha. Please. I came back to you. I’ll do everything you ask.”
Harrison grabbed his face, forcing Daniel to meet his eyes. “It’ll never be enough, Daniel. You aren’t cut out to be an alpha’s mate. I should have tossed you to the boys to keep their beds warm long ago. After your punishment, that’s exactly what I’ll do.”
Harrison had threatened that many times before, but he was a selfish alpha at heart. This was the first time Daniel believed he’d actually go through with it. And what would it matter, with Thorn dead and Sammy given to Jaxon to raise?
“On your knees,” Harrison demanded. “All of you. Show loyalty to your alpha and courage for his endeavors.”
Daniel almost sprawled on the ground from the force of Harrison’s hand shoving his shoulder. He closed his eyes and silently wished for divine intervention: a lightning strike, a rival pack coming to pick a fight, Harrison deciding it just wasn’t worth the trouble. He’d take anything, so long as it meant Thorn and Sammy would be safe.
There was a shout in the distance, cut off just as suddenly as it started.
“Who was that?” Harrison demanded. “What’s going—”
They were suddenly surrounded by shouting and running footsteps as multiple vehicles raced out of the surrounding fields toward them. The sounds were everywhere, coming from all directions. There was even the roar of a helicopter overhead. Daniel watched with wide eyes as soldiers with guns launched out of the vehicles and surrounded them. What the hell was happening?
The pack descended into chaos, some of them shifting and running at the soldiers, only to fall when they were hit with whatever was in those guns. Not bullets, Daniel didn’t think. He was dragged to his feet by Harrison.
“You did this,” the alpha growled, pulling him back toward the house. Jaxon made a run for Harrison and tried to grab onto his arm, only to be roughly shoved away.
“What the fuck did you do, you little gutter-rat? I should have thrown you back where I found you, let you die on the side of the road.”
Harrison’s retreat into the house was halted by half a dozen soldiers surrounding them. Jaxon tried to crawl away but was quickly stopped by a boot to his back.
Daniel, with Harrison’s arm around his neck, could go nowhere.
“I’ll kill him,” the alpha threatened, tightening his grip. “Back off, or—”
The soldiers all shot at once. One of the darts hit Daniel’s thigh, pain exploding through him before his vision went dark.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Thorn couldn’t deny feeling some guilt for reporting Harrison’s pack to the military, especially given their own dealings with them. But it was the only way he could see to keep his pack safe. Harrison’s pack was based one county over, where the laws were stricter than theirs. There was no way they’d turn a blind eye to a report of a pack in their midst.
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