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Chapter Forty-Three

Dom

Run. Hunt. Find.

My wolf and I prowled the edges of the pack lands that came closest to Salt Fur. The bottom of the mountains where you could finally find stretches of ground that didn't tilt to the mountains' whim. Where you could really dig your claws into the earth and sprint.

The sun was rising, and if I wanted to avoid being found by Evander and his patrols, I might have to dip outside of pack lands while the morning runs went by. Or maybe I could find a message from Nathan and Naomi and slip back still, if I could find one soon.

Or maybe there was no message at all. Maybe the Salt Fur pack trackers hadn't found mine, or maybe it was blown away in the wind never to be seen again. Maybe Nathan never showed Naomi the letter, or maybe she'd forgotten how to decipher the notes we made as kids.

A lot could have happened to it, but I shook off the thoughts and pressed on. They must have gotten it. I had tied it to a damn tree at the edge of their lands, after all. If their patrols and trackers were missing this kind of blatant thing on their lands, then I'd have to tell Nathan to retrain them all. Hell, maybe I could send Tanner over for a few weeks once this all died down.

Once this all died down. I pictured a life with June, protecting Moonpeak. She deserved a place to run free, to go as fast as she could. And with her helping nature, her medical training, her tracking senses, Moonpeak couldn't ask for a better luna.

My chest puffed out, my wolf was beaming with pride over June. Too perfect.

And June wasn't the only one I could see a better life for once this all ended. My best friend would finally have a place where she fit in, and a pack of equally aggressive wolves to lead into battle. Amelia had always sought a fight like a moth to a flame. And Bianca, the petite luna, would be good for her. She seemed to have a good head on her shoulders and could keep Amelia cool when it counted.

And Naomi, she was safe with Nathan. I'll admit, I'd be hesitant to see her go too far away from one of us, either me or Amelia. She was such a quiet wolf before, and it seemed time had only made her more withdrawn. Maybe Nathan could open her back up, he certainly knew how to put a smile on most people's faces. Naomi deserved happiness, she had such a soft heart, we always knew she could be a luna.

I bared my teeth, a wolfish grin as I sped forward. Yes, it was all within reach, as soon as I took care of Evander.

But the sun was good and up, I couldn't delay much longer. A couple more laps back and forth and I would need to sneak back to the village.

My eyes darted to trees, to rocks, wherever they could put a note for me to find.

A branch behind me cracked. It was far away, but it was a branch for sure. Something big passed by behind me, and there were only so many big things in these mountains, most of them being wolves.

I stopped, crouching down, and listened for more clues. The sound of paws hitting the ground told me what I knew could be true: wolves were coming from within Moonpeak.

I saw them, far away so I couldn't tell exactly who they were, and yet the only wolves allowed to be out right now were Evander and his handpicked patrols.

Internally, I groaned. There was no avoiding it at this point, they were too close and my scent was all over the place from running through the grass. On top of that, I was definitely one of the bigger wolves in Moonpeak; there was no use in trying to hide.

I stood up to my full height. My wolf grumbled but conceded that there weren't many more courses of action to take. Not unless we wanted to look more suspicious than we already did.

Sure enough, the wolves caught my scent and headed my way. I recognized three of the warriors as new ones Evander had brought in over the last ten years, and then the bastard alpha himself.

I held in the growl my wolf tried to throw out, and watched with cautious eyes as Evander approached me, his warriors holding back.

The large gray wolf padded toward me, yellow eyes meeting yellow eyes.

Dominic. What are you doing out here? Evander asked.

I didn't answer at first, looking over each of the warriors he had brought with him. Judging the outcome if I had to fight them all. But a fight between alphas would be something else entirely.

I clenched my jaw tight. Thoughts of how equal we truly were tried to slip into my mind as doubts. But I couldn't afford that, not this late in the game. My father may have been a beta, but too many wolves had faith in me to become alpha of Moonpeak.

June had faith in me.

I'm one of the stronger wolves here , I said. I've already fought the rogues before. I can't sit still without having contributed to the protection of the pack.

Hopefully, that would be enough.

A noble thought, Dominic , Evander said, the sheen on his fangs visible. But you still go against your alpha. You are not even a moon cycle with the pack again, and already you disobey.

The last word had pressure behind it. A command in his voice that told me he expected me to yield to him. My wolf didn't like it, but I lowered my head slightly. Enough to show a bit of submission, but only the bare minimum of a wolf with beta blood.

Evander looked me over again. I thought he was going to say something, but then his head turned and he looked to where he and his warriors had come along the border. A new wolf approached, and Evander backed away from me to meet them.

He transformed back into his human skin. I was curious to see what would make him do that, considering we had so much danger here with the rogues. But my questions were answered when a smaller wolf, a tracker probably, came up to him with a folded white paper held gingerly between its teeth.

My heart dropped. That had to be a note from Nathan and Naomi. If they addressed it to me like I had addressed mine to them, Evander would know why I was out here, and would likely try to make an example of me. I knew that was what I'd do.

"Let's see it," Evander said, taking the note and unfolding it.

My legs tensed, my eyes stayed sharp on Evander's expression. The moment he showed signs of realization, I would have to fight him.

But rather than realization, his puzzled expression just grew to exasperation as he turned the note over to the back, and then the front again.

Thank the moon, the whole thing was well and truly coded.

I was relieved until I watched Evander bring the paper closer to his nose and sniff it.

Naomi. I closed my eyes as my hopes sank. It wouldn't really matter if she was the one to write the note, her scent would be on Nathan enough that it would leave traces on the paper as well.

"Thank you for bringing this to me. Don't speak of it to anyone else, I'll need to have a better look to see if I can figure out what these scratches mean," Evander said, and the tracker bowed their head before trotting off again.

Evander sighed, looking down at the note once more and flipping it over again. Then he turned his eyes on me.

"You wouldn't be out here looking for this, would you?" he asked.

No, Alpha , I answered. I'm here to protect the pack. Protect June.

Focusing on my heartbeat, I tried to slow it down. I tried to play on the two basic instincts of a pack wolf. Submission by calling him Alpha , and protecting my mate. It would be enough for most wolves to accept, but would it be enough for Evander?

Evander took a few steps toward me, his sharp eyes taking in everything about my shape, my posture, my wolf's agitation, or what of it I couldn't hide.

"You're from beta blood, aren't you?" he asked, more for himself and not really looking for an answer. "I suppose you could make a reasonable protector. Warrior."

I didn't answer as he paced around me. Some unspoken cue made the warriors he'd brought with him walk away. Did he dismiss them? Why would he want me alone?

Unless he was ready for a fight. I nearly grinned, this was what I had been waiting for, and if he instigated it I wouldn't have to wait for the full moon in a few days to claim my title.

Come on, do it. Fight me.

When all of the warriors were well out of sight, Evander smiled. "You're quite close to Amelia, aren't you?"

I paused. Where was he going with this?

"When I let you all back into the pack, I was hoping you had changed. Come to see the light in the last ten years." Evander crossed his arms over his chest, assessing my expression for any change. "It was an unfortunate way to solve the problem, but Liam wasn't doing the job with those nasty rogue attacks, now was he?"

A growl escaped me, no matter how hard I tried to stop it.

Alpha Liam was an outstanding alpha! I snapped.

"Hold on there, Dominic." Evander chuckled, putting his hands up. "I know you would have been close to him, what with your father being his beta and all. I suppose you had grand dreams of following in his footsteps someday, didn't you? Like father, like son. Forever a good line of betas ."

The way he spit the last word out was like an insult, reminding me of my place. My lips curled back, my fangs shining in the morning sun, which now felt lightly through the trees around us.

"Calm down," Evander said. "Consider what it would mean for you to lose your temper with your alpha here. What was your plan anyway, to back up Amelia in a plea for support against me? It would never have worked—her temper is astonishing, and she isn't fit to lead a peaceful place like Moonpeak anyway. Besides, what claim does she have? I've been a fine alpha for the past decade. The best Moonpeak could ask for."

Bullshit you're handling things here , I snarled. What about these rogue attacks?

Evander laughed. Outright laughed at me. In his naked human form, standing face to face with a wolf of my size, and he wasn't even flinching. The bastard was confident in himself, I'd give him that much.

"Oh, I rather like to think you lot are the cause of all the rogue mess," Evander said. "After all, they disappeared not long after you left and reappeared not long after your returned."

We have nothing to do with them!

"Are you sure?" Evander mused. "Do you really believe that? Would the pack really believe that?"

I crouched down, trying not to lose it on him before my rightful full moon. I snarled. If only Smokey was here, or Amelia, or any other witnesses to his behavior.

What's your hold over Moonpeak, Evander? Why did you come here, and what involvement do you have with magic?

"Dominic. It's such a shame you turned out this way"—he looked down at the note in his hand once more, then in a flash, shoved a hand toward me—"because I was willing to tolerate you. Pity."

A stab of pain hit me right in the chest, inches from my heart. If I wasn't in my wolf form, I would have been pierced through the heart by a thin silver blade.

You bastard! I snarled, but then spat up a rush of bile. The silver was very pure, very potent. Amelia won't let you get away with this! I'll have your heart between my teeth!

Evander backed off quickly, then shifted into his own wolf form. He lifted the note gently in his teeth and turned to walk away as my vision started to blur. This wasn't normal silver. Whatever it was, I was fading fast.

I wouldn't worry about Amelia , Evander said as he walked away from me . She'll have her hands full with the alpha of Winter Wind. He will be here to collect his daughter and her mate soon. I've already contacted him, and Alpha Bernard doesn't take no for an answer.

Fuck. One of the few wolves with a nastier reputation than Amelia. My weight became too much for my legs, and I struggled to stay upright as Evander faded from sight.

And that was when I heard the growls approach.

The rogues were here.

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