29

Ranger

There was a darkness I sometimes slipped into as a young pup when the nights got too long and I couldn’t keep things together. The control would slip and I’d tunnel, letting my beast instinct take over.

It was what kept us alive.

When Fredrick came knocking around, he recognized that darkness in me. I hate to say I owed that mean old bastard anything, but he taught me to use those instincts. To hone them. To give myself over to the darkness when the time was right.

As I grew out of Fredrick’s hold, I learned I was much more deadly when I stayed in control. The darkness was always there, hanging on the edges of my being like shadows, but I hadn’t truly wanted to welcome it again.

Until now.

He was a nobody. Some young punk that still smelled of the city and fresh ocean water. But in that moment, he was a threat. The Alpha in training was just ahead of me in line as we walked past the crates of the females’ nests. There were numbers assigned to the structures, but we didn’t know who they belonged to. The cards we carried had twenty boxes. We were supposed to check off which ones called to our wolves and casts our votes that way.

The number 28 was the last real rational thought I had until I ripped the young Alpha backwards, baring my fangs, and smashing his nose with my fist.

Blood coated my hand as I slapped it against the door, closing it to block the contents from view of the unmated males who had no right to look upon it. My beast howled his claim. The primal sound came from my own lips. A feral rage had me shaking as I stared the rest of the males down, daring any of them to challenge me.

Her scent was everywhere. In the bedding. On the walls. From the furs on the floor to the slight breeze that drifted through the open window.

Aspen was mine.

*

I came to a little while later, sitting on the couch of my penthouse suite with Ivan and Fallon hovering anxiously around me. And I knew from their faces that whatever had happened was really fucking bad.

“How many?” I coughed out, reaching for a bottle of water on the glass coffee table.

“Just the one,” Fallon whispered. Tears shimmered in her eyes. “He’ll live though.”

I nodded, choking down the cool liquid as shame laid itself heavy on my shoulders. “I remember the one.”

“Good.” Fallon sat down beside me. “It’s not like before then.”

“No. This was different.” I wiped my jaw. “My wolf was still there.”

“Boss, I can’t delete that footage. We need to get more of our team in here.” Ivan stood back a few steps, looking anywhere but my face.

A good leader knows when to admit they are wrong. And I was so wrong right now. “Whatever you think is best. Tell Mattox to set it up and I’ll call him later tonight.”

The relief on Ivan and Fallon’s face made me sick. Had I gone so far that they were scared? There was always an undercurrent of fear with people I dealt with, but I never wanted to be as bad as those in charge who came before me.

I turned to my sister, needing someone to give it to me straight. “Have I been slipping?”

“Not like you think.” She gave me a small smile, looking so much like our mother before the darkness took her too that it hurt. “It’s Aspen. Something is happening that is making you react rashly. I wouldn’t say that was a bad thing if we weren’t in the situation we are in now.”

“It was her nest, wasn’t it?” My eyes shot to Ivan and he nodded.

“Fuck.” I let out a long breath. “There’s no coming back from this.”

“Well, you already kind of made her a target by not letting anyone vote for her.” Leave it to my sister to mock me right now. “But yeah, this will be shown on television so the whole world is going to know.”

“I’ll try again to get her out of here,” I said, rising to my feet.

“Not in this condition.” Fallon pulled me back down. “Wait until we get more of the pack here to guard her. She’ll be okay until then.”

My fists clenched at my sides, but I didn’t argue. I’d already lost control once and I had to make sure it didn’t happen again.

“I’m going to make the calls. Do you need anything else before I go?” Ivan asked.

I shook my head, staring out the glass doors of the balcony to the woods beyond.

Once we were alone, Fallon put her hand on my shoulder. “I know I was teasing you earlier, but I think we need to consider that she might be your fated mate.”

My beast settled down with a quiet sigh and I looked to my sister. “I think you might be right.”