“She was amazing,” Dillon agreed through their bond. “But then, so are you. I’m sorry it ended this way, love. I would change it for you in a heartbeat.”
Tanya had no doubt he would. His heart was laid bare before her, the bond always open between them. It was obvious that Dillon was determined to be the best mate he could be. And she could see that the pack respected him. He’d proven himself to them in how he’d handled her father’s challenge. He’d not gloated or even reveled in her father’s demise, despite how he’d treated Dillon. There were some who would struggle to accept a new alpha, and she knew Dillon would have to do what any good alpha would do and create order and structure so the wolves knew their place. This would mean security for their pack. There would no longer be wolves on constant edge with the need to fight because they were unsure who was dominant to whom. And knowing their alpha was strong enough to take any of them on meant he could also take on any enemy who would try to harm them. Even on this bleak, sorrowful day, hope rose on the horizon. And for the first time since she could remember, Tanya looked forward to what the future held for them and their pack.
Chapter
Seventeen
“Creator, true mate, pack, then allies. That was the order of things. That was how our loyalty worked. Were there still bumps in the road to be expected in our new situation? Absolutely. But now another pack needed our help. And as a step in the right direction for changes in the Colorado pack, we would come to their aid. Because that’s what pack does.” ~Dillon
“Dillon,” Mathew, alpha of the Montana pack, held out his hand. “It’s good to see you.”
“You, too.” Dillon shook his hand, holding Tanya’s with the other. “I’m sorry I left as I did.” His words needed to be said in person, and so he’d waited until they’d arrived to tell his former alpha.
“We never know how we’re going to react to painful things in our life until we’re in the midst of them. No one has the right to judge you. Especially if they haven't been in your shoes. I hold you no ill-will.”
Dillon nodded and swallowed down the emotion. His former alpha had always been a fair man. He’d led his pack with integrity. Dillon hoped to do the same with his own. “So, what do you know about the human hunters that have been taking out pack members?”
Mathew folded his arms in front of him and rocked back on his heels. “There’s four of them, and they’ve got it in their head that they’ve found the legendary dire wolves. Because we tend to be larger than our natural brethren.” The alpha growled. “So they are hunting for sport, trying to kill the largest wolf they can find. They’ve killed many natural wolves along with the four total from our pack.”
“Are they staying in the forest?” Dillon looked thoughtful. “Camping? Or do they have a hunting cabin?”
“They camp and move frequently. We’ve been trying to lead them away from our territory but—”
“Bullets are faster than even us,” Dillon offered, detecting the hesitancy in Mathew’s voice.
“I haven’t wanted to put more pack members in danger.” The stress of keeping the Montana pack safe was obvious in the lines on Mathew’s face and his clenched jaw. This was a man at the end of his rope.
“Let me help you,” Dillon offered. “Let’s hunt them down and give them the justice they deserve. They answer to our law, not humans.”
There were growls of approval from the pack members Dillon had brought with him, along with the Montana pack members present.
Mathew nodded. “Let me get out the map and show you where we saw them last.”
They decided on a hunting party of ten wolves—five in their human form and five in their wolf fur. It would give them the advantage of numbers but still allow them to move quietly as they hunted their prey.
Tanya moved silently beside Dillon in her wolf form while he stayed in his human skin. Daniel, Trevor, and Austin all ran in their wolf forms as they moved in on the male voices they could hear less than a mile ahead. They’d waited until nightfall and traveled under the cover of darkness. As they began to close in, Dillon suddenly froze as a male stepped out of the shadows. The rest of their hunting party, including Mathew and his wolves, felt the shift in the air and froze where they stood. The man didn’t seem to see any of them, as the moon was not bright tonight and clouds obscured any light further. The wolves and their dark fur blended in well, and the humans had managed to place themselves on the sides of trees that the man couldn’t see around.
What Dillon wanted to know was why they’d not scented the male before being right up on him. Even with the wind not blowing in their direction, they should have, at the very least, heard his breathing or movement.
“Earl,” the man suddenly called out. “I think there’s something out here. You three get your asses and guns over here, and let’s see if one of those dire wolves is lurking. I can practically feel it breathing down my neck.”
Dillon bit back a grin. The fool wouldn’t be so smug if he knew ten wolves, not one, were breathing down his neck. “Back away slowly,” Dillon told his pack members using a subvocal range that only their wolf hearing would catch. “And then circle around from behind the other males as they move this way.”
Within less than a minute, Dillon heard the lumbering humans moving through the brush. Sticks snapped and leaves crunched. How they managed to hunt anything was beyond him.
He glanced down to check on Tanya and bit back a growl when he realized she no longer stood next to him. He sought her out through their bond and saw that she’d circled back around him and was sneaking up on the male who’d surprised them. She took a step and froze just as a twig broke beneath her weight. Everything seemed to move in slow motion.
Dillon saw the glint of something metal as the man lifted his arm—the gun that had been hidden by his side. The man couldn’t see Tanya’s exact location, or he’d have already shot, but his arm was pointed in her general direction.
The new alpha started moving forward as he saw the man’s finger on the trigger begin to squeeze. Dillon wasn’t going to make it. He was fast, but not faster than a bullet. The gun fired. Tanya dropped to the ground as a body slammed into hers. Snarls and growls erupted as screams filled the night. It was the last shot any of those hunters would ever fire. The wolves of the Montana and Colorado pack dispensed justice on the four humans who’d decided hunting wolves for sport was a good idea.
Dillon’s eyes were only for Tanya as he bounded to her side. She pushed up and shook off her fur. There was a red splatter of blood, but it wasn’t hers. Dillon turned to the right, and his hands shook as he saw Mathew’s body lying still. He was the one who’d knocked Tanya out of the way. He’d taken the bullet meant for Dillon’s mate, directly in his temple. The alpha was dead. No wonder the humans hadn’t stood a chance. As soon as Mathew’s pack felt his death, they brought down the immediate pain of their loss.
Dillon laid his hands over his former alpha’s eyes and closed them. “Go rest, old friend,” he said softly. “Your work here is done. You died well.” There was no greater gift than to lay down your life for another, and Mathew had saved Tanya’s life. Dillon would never forget the sacrifice the Montana pack alpha made.
Two days later, they sent Mathew off in the manner befitting an alpha. As they watched the pyre go up in flames, Dillon felt the warmth, that only came from their Creator, wrap around the small clearing where they stood. He immediately dropped to his knees, and the rest of the pack members did the same.
“I have come to welcome my servant, Mathew, home,” the goddess gestured to the pyre. “He served a noble life and represented my love to others. He was an upright and fair alpha, and he shall be remembered as such.”
