CHAPTER 28

VENUS

When nightfall hit, Griffin and I made our way back to the pack house to pick up the Beta for our patrol. This was our usual little unit, the three of us. Although occasionally when Carter was not around, I swapped out to join Kit or Billie on theirs with whichever wolf was on lookout with them.

I had brought a book to loan Sky, so I told Griffin I'd just be a minute when we arrived, heading in to locate her and let Zander know we were ready to leave.

Descending the stairs a few minutes later, after successfully leaving Sky to dig into her new read, I saw the Beta in the kitchen and noticed that Griff was waiting by the door, doing what he did best—leaning against it as the perfect picture of boredom while scrolling on his phone.

"Zan, you ready for patrol?" I asked over my shoulder as I headed towards the front door and the Knight guarding it.

"Actually, I have a date tonight," he replied, rounding the kitchen bench and following me outside.

"Yeah, because that's important," Griff scoffed.

The Beta winked. "What can I say, I'm a wanted man."

"Hard to believe."

We walked towards the Jeep and Zander trailed, even though it seemed he had no plans on joining us.

"I'm surprised you date and don't just skip to the end," the Knight captain added, continuing on from his previous teasing remark.

"Please, I like to woo a girl. Take ‘em to dinner first." His lips tilted in a confident smirk. "I also scrub up well. It'd be a shame for them to miss the opportunity to see me like this." He gestured to his outfit. He indeed looked dressed and ready for a date in a pair of dark chino pants and a white linen shirt. Most of the time, if Zander wasn't in gym attire, he wore oversized basketball and baseball tees, or in the case of a barbecue or gathering, colourful button-down t-shirts. But when he did go on dates, he scrubbed up well.

He went on to add, "Don't worry though, I always bring them back here for a little Netflix and chill. Light some candles and then give them the pleasure of getting to undress me."

Griffin crossed his arms and leaned against the car before he popped a brow. "What a gentleman."

"Anyway," Zan continued, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "I know you'll miss me but our Alpha has kindly offered to be my replacement for the night."

My mouth popped open.

Great.

"Well," Griff drawled, "this will be fun." He got in the car, not bothering to wait for a reply before he slammed the door.

A moment later, River jogged out of the house and headed towards us.

"I'm here. I'm here," Riv called out as he approached, hand up in a wave.

I smiled at him. "Hey, Riv."

"Hey, Angel."

Addressing the hunter in the driver's seat, whose window was currently rolled down, River said, "Sorry about the change of plans." Despite his words, River looked uncharacteristically not sorry. A subtle grin graced his lips.

Griff certainly brought out a different side to the Alpha that I'd never seen before. He had never had to fight for me like this. Was never challenged. But even so, the territorial male role was still done in a very River way.

"Get in." Was all Griffin said in response, nodding to the back seat of his vehicle.

"Always a pleasure, Hunter."

"Likewise," Griff said with a faux smile, narrowed eyes and a whole lot of attitude.

Without another word, River hopped in the back and I walked around to the passenger seat, shaking my head in disbelief.

Why me?

Zander gave us a mock salute and a knowing smirk before he walked back into the house, looking pleased with the trouble he'd just stirred. He'd lit the fuel on fire and then quite literally walked away like it was nothing.

I wanted to kick his ass for putting me in this position.

Heading to the patrol spot we'd commence from, a hush fell over the car, uncomfortable and poignant.

Griffin seemed content not to speak. River seemed awkward, not wanting to break the silence. And I was desperately racking my brain to think of something to say to cut the tension. But I came up short.So I also stayed quiet.

I thanked whatever god was watching over us when we arrived and tumbled out of the car into the open night.

Not that we'd have space, the three of us would be stuck together for the next handful of hours until Winter and Bleu took over the next shift. But at least we had fresh air.

I needed all the oxygen I could get after being stuck in a car with those two.

Both of them had a presence that was tangible and so very Alpha-male that it seemed to weigh me down and stick to the back of my throat. And the two of them together in such a small space … it was giving me a headache.

We walked to the post; a little ranger type shed at the top point of River's territory. We'd start here and police the northern border while Dalton and Koda took the south. Their sentry duty usually occupied this northern post but every so often they needed a change of scenery, since they were on watch more than any of the others and we didn't want them to go stir-crazy.

I picked my way to the shelter in front of the males, opening the door to throw in my belongings. The space was small, but large enough for two or so people to stay in overnight. There was a bunk along one wall, a large viewing window and a tiny bathroom.

Walking over to the little trunk in the corner, I opened it up and pulled out a bag of cookies. Every time I'd been on patrol so far, I'd felt like a girl scout. The cookies only added to that image. And I'd come to rely on the sugar hit, so the box was coming with me.

When everything was secure, we armed up—at least Griff and I did—and headed back out into the dimly lit forest.

"Cookie?" I awkwardly offered as we walked along the beaten path.

"Sure," Riv smiled, and I threw one at him which he expertly caught in his mouth; a move we'd perfected over the years.

"Griff?" I waved the box at him.

Stalking up to me, still silent, I assumed he was going for the box. Instead, he grabbed my other hand, which held my own bitten cookie, and pulled it towards his mouth, taking a large bite.

He didn't break eye contact the whole time.

"Delicious." His husky words rang out a moment later, the first he'd said in a while.

I stepped away from him, putting space between us and then cleared my throat.

"Happy to head this way first?" I asked River, motioning to the direction I'd already started walking in.

Riv followed. "Yep, lead the way."

After a few quiet moments he asked, "Were there any updates from the Knights in your meeting today?"

Griffin, who took up a guarding position at the back, responded. "We ran some checks on the rogue Alpha. Had his face run through our systems. He doesn't match any of the Alpha's we have in our records of around that age." I turned, walking backwards to face them as I relied on my hunter senses to keep me upright and stable on the uneven ground. "Past or present," he added with a scowl.

It was a small piece of information that we'd learned, but it felt massive. It was finally something.

I was a girl who loved mysteries. It's what made me read and devour TV shows the way I did. I loved trying to piece together the plot and figure out the ending before anyone else. Made sense that I was so drawn to Griff right from the start; he was one giant, beautifully packaged mystery that I so badly wanted to solve.

Now I hoped to use those wannabe detective skills to deduce why on earth the rogues were doing what they were doing. And this brought us one tiny step closer.

Riv turned to face Griffin, his eyes slightly glowing amber as he accessed his wolf's eyesight to see in the poorly lit forest. "So likely a wolf without any status then, looking to find a way up," he said. It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

"Yep," Griff nodded, answering anyway. "Doubtful he was an Omega. Given what he's accomplished so far. He'd have to be someone still high enough. But unlikely a Beta or Delta either. We have pretty extensive data on most of the packs. Whoever he was, he clearly saw an opportunity with the rogues and didn't hesitate to pounce on it." Griffin's eyes narrowed again. "Of course, our information isn't a hundred percent accurate, since we weren't aware of your pack living under the radar." His words held a bite to them—the hit to their pride from not knowing about the Saint Claire pack still fresh.

The cogs in my brain were working and I tried to defuse the tension. "What about an Eta warrior? They would have all the strategic thinking required to pull off something like this."

"Yeah." River looked like he was mulling it over, no longer focused on the hunter. "That could definitely be it."

"The fact that he's actually gotten the rogues to follow him means he must be a damn good salesman. Or he's offered them something. But who the fuck knows what." Griff's jaw tightened and he looked off into the distance as if he could see the beasts wherever they were hiding.

"So that's your next focus then?" Riv asked, hands digging into his hair.

"Pretty much," the hunter offered with little emotion.

With that, we all went silent again for a while, searching and watching the perimeter. Griff guarded my back, keeping his distance but always watching, while River stayed mostly at my side, occasionally going ahead to pave a safe path.

"Do you guys want to play a game or something? Eye spy?" I tentatively asked. I knew it was stupid, but I was bored and the awkward silences were killing my soul.

River looked between Griffin and I, seeming to weigh up an answer but before he had a chance, Griff's gravelly tenor cut through the swollen silence. "I spy with my sexy eye, something beginning with T."

Riv scanned our surroundings. "Tree?"

"No." Griffin gave him a hard look.

"T-shirt?" I tried.

"No."

"Trunk?" I tried again.

"No."

Already frustrated, I scrunched my face. "What is it then?"

"Tree," he deadpanned, crossing his arms. A ghost of a smirk appeared on his lips.He was having fun. The dickhead.

"You're not really helping break the ice," I accused.

He raised a brow at me. "What do we need to break the ice for, Supernova? We're all friends here. Right, Riv?" His silver eyes found the Alpha's amber ones.

"Friends," he agreed with a nod and a charming smile. "I was under the impression we had been for a while. I mean, I have been feeding and looking after you guys. We've fought rogues together. Trained together. Makes me feel like we're more than acquaintances at this point."

Griffin didn't respond, going deathly quiet. His head snapped in the opposite direction, eyes flashing with The Sight. I slowly pulled a sai from where it was tucked into my utility belt.

River had already positioned himself at the front. He held out a hand to signal us to stop as he slowly crept forward.

I hardly noticed Griffin move, his feet near silent as he angled himself around my back.

Ignoring Riv's warning, we both advanced cautiously, our steps in sync as we readied ourselves for whatever was about to come our way. Slowly, Griffin's hand slid down and around the side of my back. My body urged me to look at the spot where his touch branded me but my head thought better of it, keeping my senses on high alert as I scanned the forest. He found the small compartment on my belt that held my stash of Tranquiliser powder, and with nimble fingers he slipped it out and palmed it into my free hand, arming with me everything I needed.

Bright blue eyes glowed only feet away from us in the darkness of the trees.

"I think it's one of Cara's wolves," River got out, his voice still hushed. "Her border is just up ahead."

An instant later, River's black wolf graced us, prowling forward with a low snarl.

The blue-eyed wolf approached, revealing a sable tri-coloured coat. The wolf seemed to communicate with River and then Riv's large, dark-furred head snapped back to us, a dip of his chin the only sign that this wolf was on our side.

I felt a prickle at the back of my neck and looked further out to see another two wolves in the distance; one fawn-coloured and the other a reddish brindle. Their stances remained relaxed as they watched us from afar.

Running into Alpha Cara's pack in the open forest was a pretty surreal moment, coming face to face with another pack of wolf shifters just out here on their own border patrol. I didn't expect it—to see other wolves that weren't part of our pack or belonging to the rogues. In all my time with the Saint Claire pack, I'd never met another wolf—likely another thing they'd shielded me from.

Griffin and I relaxed slightly as we observed the interaction. When River in wolf form headed back towards us, the others turned and trotted further into their territory.

The little canine nod they gave us upon their departure was an image I'd never forget.

River's large majestic wolf turned to us and then pointed his snout in the direction of the Northern Post we'd come from before he made off in a sprint.

I knew what he was implying: he was going to go back to get some clothes, considering he shifted in such an instinctive rush that he didn't get a chance to preserve his own. If he shifted back now, he'd be butt naked.

We weren't too far from the post, so Griffin and I walked back in that general direction.

Pushing through the trees, I didn't make eye contact with Griffin as I asked, "What time are Winter and Bleu taking over?"

Without missing a beat he said, "Winter texted not long ago. They'll swap with us at two am."

I bristled at his response. Not at the fact that we still had another good few hours of this, but because Bleu hadn't been the one who texted.

I forced myself to sound normal. "Great. By the time we make it back to the post and then do a circuit in the other direction, that should almost cover it."

He didn't reply. But I could feel the way he was scrutinising me, trying to pick apart my words and tone.

When I paused to look back at him, he searched my face. His brow lifted and mouth kicked up on one side. The asshole smirked like he had read my thoughts. Knew exactly what the high-pitched change to my usually raspier voice meant. And he clearly liked it. Liked the jealously he picked up on.

"What?" I demanded. Annoyed at both myself and him.

"Nothing."He grinned wickedly.

I stormed off, ignoring him as I stalked along the path.

"Winter's pretty hot," he stated. His voice reached me even from the distance I'd put between us.

I knew my body stiffened but I forced movement back into my stubborn limbs and continued forward."She is," I said through gritted teeth, glad he couldn't see my face.

He chuckled. "Too bad I'm waiting for this girl I like to come around."

I paused. And then swung around to face him.

Somehow he was closer now. Eating up the space between us like it was nothing.

It was my turn to scrutinise him.

From the way he looked back at me, I knew there was no one else. Knew he wouldn't even entertain the thought of Winter. Of anyone but me. At least not until I told him too.

My gaze involuntarily softened and I gave him the smallest hint of a smile. Then I turned and continued up the path with him following behind.

When we got closer to the shed, I knew River would be waiting for us, and although we couldn't yet see him, he'd likely be able to see us. Let's be honest though, Griffin could probably see that far too. It was just me that was lacking when it came to our little trio.

Offering a lopsided smile, River came out to meet us a moment later. He was dressed in some causal shorts and a charcoal-coloured muscle tank—an oddly dark colour for him, but it was clearly what was left in the cabin, and would blend in well given the environment.

Reunited, we headed off in the other direction.

"Glad you understood me." Riv pushed his hair back again and grinned warmly at me.

I laughed. "Of course. I've had years of practice."

"That you have." He held back a low-lying tree branch to let me pass.

"All good with the other pack?" Griffin asked, voice tight once more.

"Yeah, they were just on patrol too. No sign of any rogues from them either tonight."

"And you couldn't sense them? What happened, your Spidey senses broken?" Griffin snickered.

A low sort of rumble came out of River. But he controlled the wolf before he spoke. "I'm not taking any chances these days. Unless I can confirm it with my own eyes, all shifters that I don't know will be considered a threat until proven otherwise."

Griffin smirked. The look even more menacing in the dark. "Cautious. I like it."

I was pretty sure that was a compliment. At least I thought it was. But I wasn't certain when it came to them.

Either way, this had been a long night, and it wasn't over yet. Keeping these two amicable and entertained was draining without others around to act as a buffer.

Given my previous apprehension to Winter coming to relieve us of our duty for the night, I was now counting down the minutes until I saw her pretty face.