41. Marcus

Bravo team works on the California side of the territory just across from Sacramento. The Northern Nevada pack works to keep them on their side of the border, and for the last two nights, so have I.

Twelve-hour shifts wouldn't be so bad if the time between the action didn't feel so long. It's a lot of silent walking, looking for signs that anyone has been in the area.

Bravo team night shift consists of six wolves: Frank, Bobby, Troy, James, Alan, and me. Apparently, when I joined the squad, one of the other members was moved to days. We switch off at different parts of the night being in wolf form, so we can use our wolves to scent the area and ensure nothing slips by us.

Last night, they convinced me to be in wolf form for the first chunk of the night, and I spent the early morning hours of darkness utterly unprepared for the cold. Tonight, I added layers. I'm unsure if it was hazing or just veteran enforcers, but I wouldn't be fooled again.

Frank was a solid leader, and I could see how respected he was among the other wolves. I was also surprised to find out he was an Alpha. It made sense the way he was able to lead the enforcers without any issues.

Deacon told me I could trust Frank, which has proven true.

I caught my right paw in a bear trap just an hour ago. Frank's quick thinking freed me in less than a minute, and two shifts later, I was back to completely fine. Frank didn't think that the trap was accidental. He spent several minutes examining it, and we determined it was made of silver, unlike most bear traps, which are ordinarily made from iron or steel.

Someone set that trap for a wolf shifter.

If the silver had been in my leg for much longer, I would be sick now from the poisoning of my blood. After that, we found eight more traps in our territory.

Oddly, we couldn't catch the scent of whoever had left them. They either set them quite a while ago, and no one had found them until now, or they did a hell of a job covering their tracks to keep their scent from being in the areas.

My guess is the latter. Frank is too meticulous to have missed nine traps.

Nine? We had to be missing another one.

Keeping my mouth shut, I scan the boundary for signs of disturbance, and my eye catches a flash of light on the other side.

I threw my arm up, silently signaling the two behind me to stop, and then shifted. Bobby sent a mind-link up to James, whose wolf was leading this portion of the area.

Frank moves silently back to me, kneeling to my left as I point at the shiny piece on the other side of the border. Nodding, he calls Troy over and indicates the reflective piece.

Troy lifts his binoculars from his bag and focuses in.

"It's another trap," he says in a low whisper.

Why do they have them in both territories?

Confusion mars Frank's face as he considers the situation. Having no ill will against the other pack, my instincts are to set off the trap and leave it for them to find once we have eliminated the threat, but knowing that they may have a history, I hold my tongue and wait for orders, something my wolf doesn't take too kindly to me doing.

"We leave it. Let's get away from the area, and we can radio it in. Alpha will want to know about this. Someone is hunting shifters, and it doesn't appear they give a damn what pack they come from," Frank finishes before standing and signaling for James to continue forward away from the border.

I hesitate.

Anyone could come along here—human, shifter, or child. All are vulnerable to the traps left here, and it doesn't sit right with me.

Without waiting for permission, I leave our formation, cross the imaginary line between territories, pick up a large rock, and set off the trap before turning and returning to the team.

Frank's glaring daggers at me, and my mouth forgets its place.

"Look, you may be okay with collateral damage in the battles we fight here, but I'm not. There's a cabin less than a mile from here. Humans hike these trails. If you want to be mad, fine, but I won't have innocent lives hurt on my watch," I finish, keeping my tone even and professional despite my wolf wanting to jump in to prove to him that I don't take orders.

"You aren't out here to play cowboy to the locals. You are here to understand how to be an Alpha, and a big part of that is trusting your teams and learning to follow their advice. Your goddamned hero complex is going to get you killed before you ever have the chance to lead." He shakes his head, throwing his hands up in defeat before walking away from me.

Part of me knows that what I did is stupid. I'm here to fly under the radar, learn what I can about leading a full-fledged wolf pack, and keep Grace safe while Deacon is gone. Frank will likely relay my insubordination to Giovanni, and I will be punished if not returned to my pack for my inability to follow orders.

But the other part of me knows that I did the right thing. I made the moral decision despite the path given to me. In my heart, I know that I will not lead my future pack with fear or greed. My reign will be earned with respect, compassion, and loyalty.

True leaders are loved by those who follow them, not feared.

I fall back into step with my team, feeling lighter than I had earlier, knowing the situation didn't compromise my integrity. Knowing my father would be proud of my choice.

To my surprise, Frank doesn't mention me to the Alpha. When he relays the evening events, he ignores my role in crossing the border and springing the trap entirely. We have a meeting tomorrow to discuss these new issues, though.

The sun is up by the time our shift ends, and I'm starving.

As we return to the packhouse, I notice a petite redhead sitting on the front steps, holding a book and a basket by her feet.

"Hey, Gracie," Frank says, a smile hitting his voice for the first time, which causes me to pause. Frank isn't cheery to anyone. He barely passes for professional with his curt tone.

"Hi there, Frank! How's the bravo team running these days?" she asks, oozing with Southern charm.

How in the world does she have that accent if she grew up here with Deacon?

"We"re doing alright despite some young enthusiasm," he says, looking pointedly at me.

"I seem to recall you specializing in young enthusiasm," she says with a short chuckle that's contagious. I find myself smiling despite being weary.

"Maybe that's my problem. I do too good of a job with the wild ones, so they keep giving me more. It's nice to see you again. If I speak with Deacon, I'll tell him you said hello," Frank finishes before moving into the house.

"Thanks, Frank," she says to his retreating back before turning to me. "Getting yourself into trouble already, I see. I pegged you for a rule follower; maybe I was wrong in that regard," she says, examining me like a puzzle she is trying to solve.

"Oh well, I admit I am a fan of the rules, but I don't do well with moral dilemmas. My conscience tends to win in those cases; rules be damned… err, danged? Sorry," I finish, apologizing for my mouth again.

Jesus, Marcus! Watch your mouth.

"It's fine, really. You don't have to worry about your language. I hear worse all the time, but it's kind of you to try." She smiles at me, the sun hitting her face and causing her eyes to crinkle.

In that moment, she looks exactly like the girl in Deacon's photo. The one he carries with him everywhere, and I see why he chose it. There's purity in how beautiful she is without even trying.

"Well, my dad never swears in front of my mom despite his mouth being worse than a sailor the rest of the time. She told me once that it's the most ‘gentlemanly' thing about him, and it kind of stuck, so I do my best to be like him. Plus, your boyfriend kind of scares me, so I figure I should mind my manners, lest you tell him I'm being disrespectful." At that, she throws her head back, a full laugh escaping her. Tears fill her eyes, and she can't breathe for a moment because she is laughing so hard.

That's when she snorts.

Loud and obnoxious and adorable in a way I couldn't explain if I tried, and I double over laughing right along with her.

"Oh my gosh!" she squeals, hitting me with the back of her hand while her cheeks flush with embarrassment. The attempted attack only makes me laugh harder. "Marcus Stone, how dare you laugh at a lady in a moment of distress!"

It takes everything in me to compose myself, and still, I can't remove the delirious smile.

"Apologies, I will pretend I did not hear that," I say, barely containing the laughter building again.

"Absolutely you will, or I will throw these freshly baked banana nut muffins right in the trash.

That statement sobers me, and my eyes flash to the basket still sitting on the step.

She made my favorite muffins? The ones my mom made for me before big games or after big losses.

How? How could she know?

As if she is reading my mind, she answers, rambling in my silence.

"Deacon told me they were your favorite, and I figured since you've been away from home and haven't seen your family for a while, the muffins would be like bringing a little piece of home to you." Before she can even breathe, I wrap my arms around her and pull her in for a hug, squeezing her tightly.

"Ohf."

After a moment she wraps her arms around me and squeezes back.

That snaps me back into the moment, and I release her like she is on fire, slamming my hands into my pockets like I've done something wrong.

"I'm so sorry for attacking you." I stutter, "I just, I don't, I mean, how Deacon would have known? It's not something I talk about, and it just hit me in the moment, you know?" I stop and take a deep breath before trying again.

"Thank you, Spitfire. It means more than you know." I exhale, hoping she understands that I appreciate the thought behind her gift.

Her eyes show her understanding in a way that makes me feel seen.

"You're welcome, Marcus. Anytime. And for the record, I wouldn't exactly say hugging someone is attacking them. Usually, it's just a form of gratitude." Her smile grows as she picks fun at me.

"Anyway, I have to get to school, but enjoy them and stop by the diner if you want a respectable burger. Bernadette is a master of many things, but the American burger still eludes her." She walks away with a wave over her shoulder.

Turning back to the basket, I find myself smiling again.

A good deed, banana nut muffins, and a friendship I didn't realize I needed.

The Fates must be on my side today.