Chapter 1
Rafe
Dawn spread across the mountain, bathing it in early light. Rafe finished his coffee as he stared out of his living room window. This quiet time before all the patrons arrived was his favorite time to ski. He would have a few minutes to himself as he navigated down from his home built on the side of the mountain to his office in the lodge.
He needed that serenity, especially in recent weeks. With his pack growing ever closer to war with their rival pack, the Saccos, he was on edge as his enforcers, who were stacked along the borderline, itching for his go ahead to tear into Sacco flesh or fur.
Rafe finished his breakfast and then put on his gear, strapping on his skis once he stepped outside. He skied on a path carved through the forest to a main trail on Franconia Mountain. The morning sun was bright and dew lingered in the air. As he approached the bottom of the trail, he caught a scent and skidded to stop. A Sacco wolf had been there. Its stench still permeated the air.
That meant they’d trespassed into his pack’s territory. Rafe swore and gripped the ski poles so tightly, he wouldn’t be surprised if they snapped. He searched for any sign of a Sacco. If he spotted one of them, he’d impale him with the pointed end of the pole. The mountain appeared serene, with no signs of intruders.
A Sacco wolf has been near the main chairlift. The scent is fresh, hecommunicated telepathically to his enforcers.
We’ll look into it,Valen, one of the veteran enforcers, replied.
You haven’t detected them along the border?
The enforcers had been patrolling the pack line, on watch for a Sacco attack.
We haven’t seen any sign of them along this border,Valen replied.
They must have accessed our territory from another entry point. Watch for them.After he ended the conversation, Rafe completed his run and tore off his skis before he entered the lodge and switched from boots to shoes and then bounded up the stairs to his office.
Was war the better option?
He’d been trying to avoid war with his rival pack to avoid unnecessary death. His beta wolf, Grayson, had convinced him that peace was the best option. However, Grayson’s negotiations with the Saccos had failed. And the Saccos had sneaked over the past few nights, committing infractions to hamper operations of the Franconia Mountain Ski Resort. Rafe was furious and only a hair’s breadth away from declaring war.
He was an alpha, after all. He wouldn’t tolerate these assaults. He’d spent the past decade building up the resort with Grayson to the success it was today—a venture that allowed him and his wolf pack to live and prosper here in the mountains. During negotiations, the Saccos had dared demand Franconia Mountain as retribution for the death of one of their enforcers.
How dare they ask for something they expended no energy in building? Rafe clenched his jaw. He thought he figured out why—they didn’t want the resort to exist at all. The backward pack preferred to live in nature. If they took control of the mountain, they’d let the wilderness take over the way it did in their territory. Trees would grow on the ski trails, cutting through the abandoned chair lifts. Rafe would tear apart every wolf in their pack before letting them destroy what he’d built.
Minutes after he’d removed his ski boots and switched into a fur-lined pair, Grayson, who was both beta of the pack and CFO of the resort, entered his office. He was usually well-groomed, but he had growth on his face and bags under red eyes. Stress and lack of sleep were affecting all in the pack.
“I smelled them too,” Grayson declared.
Rafe slammed his fist on his desk. “The audacity.” He spat and shook his head. “Did you find any damage to equipment?”
“No. It looked like they attempted to break through a lock, but weren’t successful.”
Rafe scowled. “They might return to finish the job.”
“I have an enforcer who can guard the area.”
Rafe cocked his head. They were already spread thin along the mountain. “Who?”
“Damon.”
“Damon?” he repeated with a surprised flinch.
Damon was the enforcer who had fought the Sacco wolf—and fortunately, he’d won. When the Saccos had demanded his head, Rafe and Grayson had told him to leave with his new mate for their safety until the situation was resolved.
“Once he learned that negotiations had failed, he returned, eager to do his part to defend the pack.”
Rafe nodded. “Yes, station him near the main lift tonight. I have a feeling they’ll be back.”
“Will do, Alpha,” Grayson replied.
“And if anyone catches a Sacco, hold them for me.”
