1. Jackson

1

Jackson

(ONE YEAR AGO)

I watch the sun disappear into the forest, bringing with it the darkness that makes my wolf anxious. He paces impatiently from side to side. His anxiety is warranted. He’s feeding off the emotions running through us. The reality is I need to go home. It’s a place I’ve avoided for nearly twelve years, but my earlier phone call with my brother confirms my future. It’s time to take over as Alpha of Solaris Village. It’s time to face my past and give up everything I’ve worked so hard for. The bitterness of my future eats at me because I have to return to clean up a mess I didn’t make.

Killian steps out of the forest. His large wolf has deep red eyes, and they take me in. I bow my head slightly to the alpha male as he shifts and walks towards our campsite. His large frame and dark hair are opposing, but he is the kindest man I’ve met. A smirk graces his face as he approaches the fire pit we built in the camp spot we frequent after missions.

As if he senses my unease, he asks the one question we have avoided as a unit: “What’s your plan after this, White? Are you going to re-up?” His big frame falls heavily into the chair next to mine.

I shake my head. I know what to say, but the words are stuck in my throat. Instead, I shrug, drinking the rest of my lukewarm beer. My large combat boots rock on the boulders surrounding the fire, the heat beginning to work through the thick soles.

“I’m not sure yet.” I finally manage to mutter. The reality is I’ve served a very successful twelve years. I’m eight away from retirement. I moved up in my rank quickly and am now a team lead—a position my wolf loves to be in. Joining the special forces for the army was the first thing I did for myself; I built a unit of men who are all shifters, and the core group of us have, in some sense, formed our own Pack. I love these guys with everything I have. It would be the family I would choose if I could choose one.

Wyatt comes up behind me, and instinctively I growl at him, “Asshole, don’t approach from behind.”

“Chill out, here, I brought you a beer. I heard we are talking about re-upping.”

I take the beer and open the top with my wolf’s nail. Wyatt is a bear shifter and the biggest of all of us, his large Kodiak bear is intimidating, and he can be a moody asshole. His tattoos and piercings set him apart. He has met some witches who made them a permanent part of his human form, so even between shifts, they remain. His giant body slides into the chair on my other side, and he pushes his dirty blonde hair out of his eyes.

“You need a haircut.” I comment.

“Yeah, yeah, Alpha, tell me something new. Now, about our future. What’re we doing?”

I shake my head, “Why don’t you assholes figure it out yourselves. I have to go home.” I growl.

“Hey, Hey,” Reacher’s soft voice fills the space as he comes up and sits across from me at the fire.

“What climbed up your ass, Jackson?”

I chug the rest of my beer and toss the glass in the fire, watching the bottle shatter in the flames, enjoying the slight burn as the heat singes through my boots.

“My brother called, I need to go home. I… I will start the paperwork when I get back to get out.”

My brother Hunter’s phone calls started slowly last year. He would call to check on me, but he has seemed more stressed over the last few months as my dad fails to be the Alpha he needs. Now, Pack members are disappearing, and my brother has to sit in the roles of Alpha and Beta; the weight of it is all too much. I needed to return a few years ago. This was my agreement with my dad, but I’ve questioned if I can even be a good Alpha to a Pack that I don’t know.

A quiet falls on the valley we are all sitting in; the flames crackling are the only sound for miles. “Do you want us to come with you?” Reacher finally asks.

I shake my head, “I can’t ask you all to give up everything you’ve worked so hard for.”

“Hey, we are a team, a Pack. We wouldn’t be giving it up.” Wyatt adds, “I don’t think I can get bossed around by a human, and my rank isn’t good enough to make me a lead.”

That has been the blessing of our unit. I established my dominance quickly, and the other shifters in the military camp seemed to circle around me. Our request to be in the special forces unit solidified our future together. Now, we tour the country working on cases that a “normal” military unit can’t handle. We just got home from a waste of time in Alaska chasing a weapons agency that has popped up recently.

I feel selfish even thinking this, but a part of me wants to take them home and have them by my side while I navigate Pack dynamics. I know that is impossible; bears and wolves don’t tend to live well together. However, I think Wyatt and Reacher would be no problem in our Pack.

I tell my team, “I’m going to miss you guys. You are the Pack I would choose every time.”

A somber quiet fills the campground. I know I brought the party down, but I’ve never been good with goodbyes.