Chapter 2

2

HUNTER

The mist of rain is more obnoxious than refreshing as my dad continues to discuss the latest news article. It’s regarding the deaths of more than six shifters from various packs, including one from ours.

For most of the last century, we have lived in peace alongside humans. As shifters we assimilate well, taking our human form most of the time, but when rumors spread of our existence, we are forced to flee and start over. That's how many of us came to Alaska. We risked a lot coming here, but each pack has found their way. Now the communities in and around Solaris rely heavily on Alphas and pack leaders to keep them safe.

I run my hand over my head, listening as my dad tells me how Umbra, another pack in the area, has started a nightly lock down. This is not the first time we have had conversations like this. I’m positive it won't be the last. Our pack isn't run in a totalitarian fashion, like most in the greater community. My dad and I have earned respect as leaders and fought for our positions. That's also why we have struggled to decide how to keep our pack members safe, though as the death tolls grow, we do need to start making drastic changes.

My dad’s eyes crease deeply at the sides as he continues his rant. “Hunter, I don't like this—it's been a year. We told everyone it was fine, that it was a coincidence. But three attacks has everyone panicking…we’ve lost six members.” His voice cracks softly. Even with a large pack of over five hundred, losing anyone cuts deeply.

I turn, breaking eye contact, because I’m the one who had to do the house call informing the Smith’s that their son wasn’t going to return. My scouts in Anchorage had confirmed the wolf found in the dump site was from our pack. My breath leaves me in a heavy sigh.

Realizing this conversation is going in circles, I cut in, “Let's implement a curfew and limit our run radius to the regional park near the Lodge.”

In reality, I shouldn't be making these decisions, but my dad’s struggles to make any kind of decision has cost us lives—lives I’m no longer willing to lose.

Both of us are swimming through overwhelming feelings of unease. I watch him pace. I can’t help but catalog his features, the small developments of age starting to seep through. From his salt-and-pepper hair to the wrinkles on his face, both are painful reminders that he is not the young Alpha he was before.

“I hired that doctor from Anchorage. She’ll be here by the end of the week.” Yet another large pack-related decision I had to make on my own. Despite the risks of bringing a human to our community—it was a risk I was willing to take.

A poison has worked through our population in the greater community. It somehow inhibits the ability to heal. Those infected live in a perpetual state of pain and discomfort, struggling to eat and drink enough to stay alive. They can still shift but their wolves struggle as well. We didn't see the problem at first, but there's been a pattern of sick wolves disappearing more often than healthy ones. I haven’t brought up that pattern to my dad yet. I fear it would be what breaks him.

My dad shakes his head, as if he has any reason to state disapproval. If loss of life matters to him so much, you’d think he'd be more on board with someone coming to help. “I still don’t understand why we need a human here?” His tone is harsh.

Taking another deep breath, I’m trying to stay calm. Even though I really want to tell him off, to tell him it's time to step down and call Jackson, my brother. He needs to delegate and not micromanage.

I don't say any of that, instead rolling my eyes to the bleak sky. “She's highly recommended by her colleagues and her residency and academic career have been incredible.” The woman seems too good to be true, add in the slight pulse of hope I get everytime I look over her file, or the way her voice had my wolf perking up for the first time in years.

“Uh huh, whatever you think, son.”

Hearing the smile in my dad’s voice, I twist to see my mom waving to him from across the street. Her smile is bright and full of love. She doesn’t carry the weight of decisions that seemed to be placed heavily on us.

His tone becomes more fatherly and his eyes soften to show a small smile. “I know you think I’m being hard on you, Hunter, but we have a responsibility to the pack.” He steps closer to me. “I hope your doctor doesn’t make more problems for our pack.”

My dad’s old school, he thinks everything should be handled by the pack or within the pack. I worry for the first time in our history, we are going to lose more lives because we didn’t provide adequate care, even if that means telling our secret to a human.

Breathe, Hunter . “I’ll see you tonight,” I say.

“Are you running with us?”

“Yeah, Will is on call, so I’ll be out there.”

The pack runs together more lately since we have had to be stricter on run radius and safety. Which means someone has to stay back in case of an emergency, another new protocol we have worked to implement. Before all of the disappearances, we were able to shift and run whenever we wanted. This is an adjustment everyone in the pack is getting used to. It’s also one of the biggest complaints I deal with. I think that's another reason my dad wants all of this solved.

My dad claps me on the back. “Good, see you then.” He steps from the sidewalk and heads towards my mom, picking her up in a hug.

The bell on the door rings out as I walk back into the station. The old brick interior looks like it could use a fresh coat of paint. The light fixtures hang haphazardly from the ceiling, swinging back and forth whenever the door opens and a slight breeze moves through the open space. The building used to be a part of town center but it, like many of the other large warehouses, sat abandoned when the mill dried up and the residents moved, leaving desks and chairs skewed everywhere. Simply put, the place is a dump and it has been since I made it our home base a month ago.

Will's bulky form is bent over his desk, his shaggy hair askew. He has been my right hand since I started as pack Beta. I have relied on his guidance and understanding through all of these big decisions.

He’s not from our pack and when his parents died, they left him in the care of the Alpha. Will was eight, and my brother and I were nine and quickly made him our best friend. He is just as much of my brother as Jackson. Being raised by the Alpha, Will has also earned his place in the pack and we both have worked hard to navigate the shifts in pack culture over the last year to keep everyone safe .

Without even looking up, he asks, “How's dear old dad?”

I let out a huff.

“That good, huh?” He tosses me a protein bar.

I catch it in midair, shrugging. There's not much to say. Making my way to his desk, I see the file we have for Dr. Fawnsbeck open again.

Tapping the desk twice near the file he's looking through, I say around a bite of bar, “I called that doctor, today.”

His eyes go wide with surprise. We only formally offered Doctor Emma Fawnsbeck the job last night. But my time frame is dwindling and Holly, my sister, is the newest resident to fall sick.

Opening up the clinic and posting the position was our last resort. Then Dr. Fawnsbeck’s application came in. She appeared on paper like the perfect fit for our clinic. The pressure in my chest eased for the slightest moment when her voice poured over me yesterday morning, confirming even more how fate has a hand in all of this. Unconsciously, my hand comes up to rub my sternum.

Will locks on the movement as he pushes the file towards me. “She's got great credentials…Hopefully she will handle the whole ‘we are wolf shifters’ conversation well.” He air quotes wolf shifters as if it's rhetorical.

I cringe, shaking my head while kicking some mud off my boot. I didn’t like omitting the truth of the position. I couldn't risk that she would say no or wouldn’t believe us. The pack needs her.

I need her.

Will pushes from his chair while flipping Dr. Fawnsbeck’s file closed and walks around the desk. He stands at nearly my height as his hand lands heavy on my shoulder. “I’m always going to have your back. We can win the doctor over. I’m heading out to lunch.” With that, he leaves me to stew in my thoughts as the tiny, obnoxious bell echoes through the large room.

Falling into a chair on a heavy sigh, the cloud of dust that puffs around me is suffocating—a whole hell of a lot like this shit show I’m navigating here. I was never meant to make pack decisions alone. Although I have Will and Holly, it's in these quiet moments when I feel the mounting pressure of the pack that I truly wish I could call my brother, Jackson.

The door chimes.

Note to self: take the fucking bell down.

My eyes lock on the small form that pushes through. Holly, my baby sister. Her white blonde hair flies aimlessly as the door shuts behind her. The blue of her eyes is a family trait we all carry. The signature warm smile she always has fills her face as she walks towards me.

Standing from my desk, I wrap her up in a hug and kiss the top of her head. “What are you up to, HellsBells?”

She gives me a smirk. “Mayhem, as usual.” She playfully taps her finger on my Sheriff badge. To be fair the badge is just a formality, a placeholder. With the arrival of Dr. Fawnsbeck, we will have to pretend to be normal. My dad will become the mayor, I am normally second-in-command, and will be sheriff. My mom runs the diner, even though she's Luna, or the matriarch of the pack.

Holly plops down into another abandoned office chair; it lets out a screech as she leans back. I need to clean this place . Her eyes drag slowly from Will's desk back to mine. I catalog the dark circles she's acquired over the last few weeks along with the sunken cheeks.

“I’m worried about you, brother.”

God. This woman.

I shake my head at her and look down at the desk. My sister is a natural Luna, and as the female daughter of the Alpha, she would come into that position as a birthright if my brother Jackson never marries. Her tender heart is what sets her apart. Even when I can clearly see she's been struggling, she still worries for me and many others in the pack.

She continues when I stay silent. “I'm proud of you for stepping up right now.”

The compliment ignites the flame of hope I try to keep lit.

The sudden surge of emotion has my wolf pushing forward. My eyes shift as the room comes into focus with richer deeper colors.

“I knew your wolf liked me,” she laughs softly.

Holly knows a lot more about what's going on with my wolf than anyone else. My wolf and I have been cut off for years. Around twenty-four, I started experiencing this burn in my sternum. It's so acute, so uncomfortable, it radiates through my chest and for the longest time I wished we could communicate again, just so I could understand why we’re broken. He has refused to reconnect with me, so we live together in a parallel world, but unable to share thoughts.

I rub softly on my chest, a motion I am very used to. “You know, the feeling is easing up. I don't know how to explain it. Something about bringing in help has the ache diminishing slightly.”

She nods thoughtfully. “You’re probably stressed.”

Sighing, exasperated, I look towards the front window. “Holly, how are you doing?” The huff she lets out is cute, but I pin her with my eyes. “Tell me honestly, sister.”

“I’m fine.” She pulls a tendril of hair in front and brushes her fingers through it. “For the most part, I barely notice anything is wrong.”

My wolf continues to take in my sister as she brushes through her white locks. He is uneasy and even though he won't speak to me, I can feel his anxiety. That she is one of the ones dealing with the sickness, even more reason to bring in Dr. Fawnsbeck, risks of humans finding out our secret be damned. I can't risk losing my sister.

Her slight smile breaks my inspection as she stands. “See you tonight for dinner and the run?”

“Yeah, I’ll be there.”

She taps me on the shoulder as she pushes towards the door. “Oh, Hunter? You need to clean this place up.”

I wave her off, and the damn bell rings over the door at the same time as my phone.