8. Cannon

Royce wasthe first to speak. “You don’t know that.”

Wetting my lips, I turned back to the window. “Don’t I?” I could feel the wolf inside me, prowling, eager to go find his mate and rip out anyone’s throat who got in the way. I was on board with that plan.

“Cannon,” Leo began, blowing out a low breath as he searched for the right words. “I get it. I do. Your mate is…everything, but?—”

“There is no but.” Keeping my eyes on the streets outside, I stubbornly refused to turn around. I didn’t want to see reason. I didn’t want to hear buts. I didn’t want to be here. I wanted to be running up that mountain and finding where that bitch took my mate.

“Of course, Alpha.” Leo didn’t hide his sigh of disappointment, and I knew there was more than him in the room who didn’t like my answer.

I also knew not all of those in the room would stay quiet, and Royce didn’t disappoint me.

“You’re alpha in this pack, Cannon. Every shifter in this pack is your responsibility. So, yes, there is a very big but.”

Nikan snorted and I heard the oomph as someone elbowed him, but my brother’s snort of inappropriateness eased the tension. Turning to them, I saw Leo smirking and Doc shaking his head.

“You’re such a juvenile,” I chided him with a small smile. Nikan cleared his throat but couldn’t hide his grin.

Royce’s attention was all on me. “How long do you think it will take you to find her?”

“I don’t know,” I told him truthfully.

“It took us five months last time,” he continued as if I hadn’t spoken. “And she was Kezia the whole time. Five months,” he ground out. “You think Moonstar doesn’t know how you hunt by now? You think she doesn’t know how to evade you, if you even knew which direction to look in?”

“I have to find her,” I told him.

“We will, Alpha.” Royce was solid. Steady. He didn’t let emotion overcome him or rule him. Until Kezia, neither had I.

I hated that he was right. I knew he was right; I knew I was letting the need to protect my mate rule my emotions. “Ever since I met her, she’s made me irrational,” I mumbled, and I saw my beta dip his head to hide his smile, knowing that I had heard him. “After Tev stabbed me, what happened?”

Nikan leaned back, mockery in his eyes. “Finally! You ask the questions we can answer.”

Dragging my hand over my face in frustration, I accepted all their criticism. They were right; I wasn’t acting as I should. “Start talking,” I ordered them. “Tell me everything.”

“I heard your call,” Royce began. “Faint. But I heard, and I found you. Nikan wasn’t far behind, and you were…” They exchanged a look. “It was bad. We got Doc, and Nikan and Leo enforced lockdown.” I watched him scratch his cheek. “Put the pack in panic, but too many had seen you injured by then. Rumor spreads quicker than wildfire after all.”

“Lockdown was in place. Patrols were in place within twenty minutes of Royce finding you,” Leo told me, and I could hear the pride in his voice.

As he should.

We were a well-disciplined pack, and that was reflected in how quickly they had responded to the threat. The pack had rallied without me telling them to—that’s how well communication ran through my pack. They didn’t need the mindlink to gather them. We had systems in place for all eventualities.

“Vic saw Tev try to leave despite lockdown,” Nikan carried on the retelling. “Contacted me immediately.” My brother looked at me with steely determination as he spoke. “Only for him did I leave your side that night.”

“Good.” I knew what he was telling me. “The answers to what was happening weren’t going to come from me,” I added. “Did he break?”

“Like a twig.” Nikan’s fierce satisfaction should have worried me, but I’d recognized a long time ago that the fire in our veins ran hotter than most. It wasn’t always a good thing, but the very moment that Rek became our father, our DNA was against us. “He folded within a few hours,” he said smugly. “Do you remember, in the food hall, he had said he had been in Anterrio Pack, and it was him that told everyone that Landon was missing a mate. I didn’t remember it, I’d been distracted that night…” I watched the flush on his cheeks, knowing it was because he was remembering his hurt at finding out Kezia was my mate.

“We all forgot it,” Royce grumbled. “I meant to ask the prick why he’d been there, but I was more focused on trying to keep Cannon and Kezia apart.”

“Apart?” Leo asked in confusion. “Why would you want to be away from your mate?”

“We haven’t completed the bond,” I answered gruffly. “At the time, we didn’t think we wanted it.” His eyes widened in surprise, and I knew I was scowling in return. “It’s complicated, okay?”

It was Doc’s turn to scoff, but he kept his mouth shut.

“What did Tev have in common with Anterrio?” I asked my brother and knew the answer before he told me. “Stefan, right?” The old pack leader, Bale’s father, knew about silver bullets. “He wanted to know if Bale was carrying on his father’s practices?”

Nikan was nodding. “Pretty much.”

“The apple never falls far from the tree,” I grumbled. I met my brother’s look. “What the fuck that says about us, I don’t know.”

“It says we’re adopted,” he quipped with a wink, and I grinned in return.

“I wish.” Growing serious again, I motioned for him to continue. “What did Tev tell you?”

“Bale’s building something, I don’t know what. I’ve scouted that pack for days, but it looks like it did when we were there last. I can’t see anything that looks out of place. They’re like they always are. Blind and ignorant.”

“Not so ignorant they didn’t almost kill our alpha,” Royce murmured. “We’re missing something.”

Leo was nodding in agreement. “Nikan interrogated the traitor, and I’ve been with him when we scouted after. I’ve been back alone because something didn’t fit. The pack looks the same with two exceptions.”

“Which are?”

“The pack leader is not present. I realized the second time I went back alone. The pack looks better and…happier. I don’t think he’s been there for a while.”

“Which means he’s somewhere else,” I concluded, following Leo’s train of thought. “We need to know where,” I said, stating the obvious as I once more looked out the window, trying to sort through everything that was happening while my whole being screamed at me to find my mate.

“That’s one thing,” Royce spoke to Leo. “What’s the other?”

Leo sounded almost nervous as he spoke. “His beta and his daughter are nowhere to be seen either.”

I spun to face Leo. “His beta? Kris is gone?”

Leo nodded slowly. “I got as close as I could, but I never saw him. Their security is slack too, something it never is when he is there.”

“How often do you scout the pack?” Doc asked curiously. When Leo gave him a flat stare, Doc huffed out a laugh. “Right. Always. Forget I asked.”

“Shifters fight,” I reminded him. “Anterrio Pack may be our nearest neighbor in these mountains, but they are not our allies. And they have no alpha,” I added. “Their pack is prime to be overtaken by rogues.”

“Unless you have silver weapons in your arsenal,” Leo added gruffly. “Then you might just have the advantage.”

“Why would he want you dead?” Nikan asked. “Bale’s never bothered with us before, not even when Rek was alpha.”

“Kezia?” Royce suggested. “No, that makes no sense. He doesn’t even know she’s your mate.”

“Why would that make a difference?” Doc asked. As a scientist, he kept his opinion about the mate bond to himself these days.

“It wouldn’t.” I agreed with him. “Unless…” Royce and I shared a look.

“Kris,” we both spoke at the same time.

“The alpha in the pack.” I closed my eyes as it became clear. “It’s not about Kezia, not to him. Fuck. We’ve been blind!”

“Her brother is an alpha?” Nikan asked, looking at us both incredulously. “And you didn’t tell us?”

“It’s complicated.”

“It really isn’t, Cannon,” Nikan snapped, and I saw Leo nod in agreement. “An alpha in the next pack, undeclared, is a threat to us all.”

“I only figured it out recently,” I countered defensively. “Kris doesn’t want the pack. He was working his own angle.”

“Which is?”

The question hung between us.

“Cannon?” Nikan pressed.

“I don’t know.” I avoided all eye contact as I admitted how badly I’d dropped the ball. “But I do know we need to find him.”

“Find him, find Kezia, we’re not fucking scavenger hunters!” Nikan was on his feet. “Bale is the threat to this pack. He needs to be eliminated.” Nikan and Leo exchanged a look before my brother looked back at me. “Then we deal with their alpha.”

“Kris is not their alpha,” I reminded them sharply.

“Yet,” Royce amended.

I stared at Royce in disbelief. “Kris is no threat to us.”

“Yet,” Nikan echoed Royce. My brother’s temper was overriding his common sense.

“And he won’t be, because his little sister is my mate.” Inhaling deeply, I looked around the room. “He keeps her safe, he would never hurt her. Hurting me is hurting Kezia.” I gave them a shrug. “Plus, he likes me. We get along well. There is no fight there. Trust me.”

“Oh fuck, we’re doomed,” Nikan groaned, dropping back onto the couch. “Our alpha is testing pack safety on how popular he is.”

“We’ll be annihilated,” Royce kidded back.

“I thought it was only Tev that stabbed me in the back,” I grouched as I glared at my brother and my beta.

The reminder sobered them both.

“What next?” Doc asked the suddenly quiet room.

“If Bale has acted against Kris, we need to move. Removing the threat of someone who can control him with their Will is the first thing I would do,” I reasoned. “Kris is his daughter’s mate, so he wouldn’t hurt him…I don’t think.” I wouldn’t bet my life on it, but I never said that. “The shaman was hurt?” When more than one of my companions nodded, I chewed my inner cheek. “Retaliation? Or a move to strike?”

“A shaman is the Goddess’s power on earth,” Leo mused. “Remove an alpha and the influence of the Goddess, it evens the odds in your favor.”

“Add in an armory of silver, and you’ve got one hell of an advantage,” I added grimly. “What a fucking mess.”

“You know,” Doc piped up, looking uncertain. “The more we talk and the more I hear, I don’t think this has anything to do with you.”

“What?” Nikan turned his full attention to the Doc. “You saying my brother isn’t as popular as he thinks he is?”

Doc gave him a flat look. “I think it may be a benefit, but honestly? It sounds like a coincidence.”

“How so?” Royce leaned forward, his elbows on his knees.

“It seems the focus is on the siblings. Kezia was taken or tricked into leaving. Her brother, we think, has been taken. Only Tev struck against this pack.”

“Our alpha has been brought down for weeks.” Leo leaned back in his seat as he thought about it. “Plenty of time to wage an attack, when we are at our weakest.”

“We’re a strong pack,” I countered. “They don’t need me as much as you think.”

“We still need our alpha,” Royce corrected quickly. “We are strong, but we are strongest with you among us.” He shifted in his seat as he thought about it. “What if they didn’t make their move because they were waiting on us to make ours?”

“And in that time, they moved against the ones Bale actually wanted rid of,” Leo concluded. “We’ve played right into their hands?”

“Why take Kezia?” Nikan asked.

I knew the answer immediately. “Landon,” I breathed. “That little prick wanted her. Bale wouldn’t care. I get the impression Bale’s never cared about her. Why start now?”

“Moonstar?” Royce asked.

I shook my head. “No. Kris kept that secret very close to his chest. He never told his sister; he wouldn’t risk anyone other than the shaman knowing.”

“Which means Bale never knew his biggest threat was the one he wasn’t paying attention to?” Leo said. “Pity Kezia escaped.”

My rage erupted so quickly that I’d taken two steps towards him before I got a hold of it. “Never say that again.” I watched the younger shifter nod his head rapidly, eyes wide as I fought for calm.

“You okay?” Royce asked quietly as they watched me rein my temper in.

“Yes.” I shared a look with him. “No,” I conceded. “I could be slightly on edge.” I felt the tension ease as more than one of them relaxed. “Just don’t…” Taking a deep inhale, I looked at Leo. “Try not to be careless in what you say. The bond, it’s riding me closer than I thought.”

“Understood, Alpha,” Leo said. Nikan nudged him. “Sorry, Alpha.”

“We need to strike Anterrio Pack.” I knew they were all staring at me. “What? This is what you wanted when we walked into this room. Why so surprised?”

“And it wasn’t what you wanted,” Royce reminded me. “Why change your mind? Kris?”

“Yes.” Looking at Doc, I addressed him. “You said you thought you could break the bond, with your science.” He nodded as I spoke. “It’s not just this pack that seems to have embraced science and technology. Bale’s manufacturing silver weapons. What else has he been able to make?”

“You think he will try to break the bond between his daughter and Kris?” Royce realized.

“I do. The pain of a mate’s death is allegedly so powerful that the one who remains fades rapidly. He’s a prick and a pile of shit, but he cares for his children. He won’t want her to suffer. When we searched, we never found a recounting of a broken bond. There’s no way to tell if it has the same effect as the death of a mate.”

“Because we don’t think it’s possible,” Royce reminded me.

“I think it is,” Doc spoke quietly. “In this world, anything is possible. You think he will break it and then kill Kris?”

“I do. I think we need to act as if this could happen at any moment. We need to move and move fast.”

“An attack?” Leo asked. “Or a rescue mission?”

Excellent question. A stealth grab and take, or an act of war? “We go to war.”

Their eyes met briefly before shifting to me. Three stood up, their heads inclined in deference. My gaze lingered on Doc, who remained firmly seated.

“Never could agree to causing death.” He kept his eyes on the floor as he spoke. “I heal, not kill.”

“I have a council,” I spoke calmly and clearly. “But this is not a democracy. We go to war with Anterrio, make no mistake about it.” With my eyes on Nikan, he straightened when he saw my look. “How soon can they be ready?”

“They’re ready. They’ve been waiting for you to wake, Alpha.”

He took my tight-lipped smile for what it was, approval. “Good.” Turning to Royce, I saw my beta was more than ready.

“The ones who remain with the vulnerable are all armed, and we have enough food stocked.”

“Hannah?” I asked him about his wife, a fierce fighter but also the mother of his children.

“Will remain with the girls.”

I nodded even though my lips quirked. “And have you told her that yet?”

“No, Alpha.” He swallowed. “That’s a conversation for later.”

Nikan failed to hide his snort.

“Nikan?”

My brother straightened his shoulders. “Perimeter is secure. We’ll leave two full units behind to protect the town. Weapons stock was low; it’s been replenished.”

I gave him a look. “Do I need to know?”

My brother glanced at Leo before giving me a half shrug. “Maybe later.”

Right, I wasn’t touching that one with a ten-foot pole right now. I had enough problems.

“We leave in two hours,” I told them. The three of them headed to the doors, while Doc remained seated. Royce glanced back once, but seeing my look, he left, closing the doors firmly behind him, the room once more spelled.

“You want to tell me?” I watched him as he kept his focus on the floor.

“If I say no?”

“I’m not asking, Mal.”

Doc raised his head and looked at me. “I hate when you call me Mal, reminds me of the man I used to be.” He shifted his focus from me to the window behind me. “Maybe I was a fool, maybe I will always be Mal.”

“What have you done?” I waited, unmoving and patient.

“I fucked up.” He took a shuddering breath. “I never meant to betray you.”