"We fight." I stuffed the papers into my back pocket, my voice harder than I intended, sharp with the rage I was barely containing. "We document everything. We talk to our own lawyers. And we don't let him see us sweat."
Nolan nodded, but I could see the worry still lurking in his eyes. Could smell it in his scent — pine and eucalyptus tinged with fear.
"Reid." His hand caught my arm as I moved to step past him, his grip gentle but firm. "When's the last time you slept? Really slept?"
I couldn't remember. The nights had blurred together into an endless cycle of patrol routes and security checks and lying awake in the dark, listening for sounds that didn't belong, watching shadows for movements that weren't there.
"I'm fine." The lie came out automatic, practiced. "I'll sleep when this is over."
"You can't protect anyone if you run yourself into the ground." His voice was soft but insistent, his healer's instincts overriding his deference to my authority. "Let us help carry this. That's what pack is for."
I wanted to argue. Wanted to tell him that this was my burden, my responsibility, my failure if things went wrong. But the exhaustion was a physical thing now, dragging at my limbs, fogging my thoughts.
"Tonight." I finally conceded, pulling my arm free gently. "I'll try to rest tonight. But right now, I need to deal with this."
He let me go, but I could feel his eyes on my back as I walked into the house. Could feel the weight of his concern pressing against me like another burden to carry. Inside, I found Kol and Aster at the kitchen table, their heads bent together over something I couldn't see. They looked up as I entered, and Iwatched the worry bloom across both their faces as they took in whatever expression I was wearing.
"What happened?" Aster was on her feet immediately, crossing the room to stand in front of me, her honey-brown eyes searching my face with an intensity that made my chest ache. "Reid, what is it?"
"More sabotage." I couldn't soften it for her, couldn't pretend things were better than they were. She deserved the truth. "And legal papers. Easton's coming at us from every angle."
Her jaw tightened, something fierce and angry flashing in her eyes. "What can I do?" I reached out without thinking, my hand cupping her cheek, my thumb stroking across her cheekbone. Her skin was soft beneath my fingers, warm, alive. The physical reminder that she was here, safe, with me.
"Just..." My voice cracked slightly, exhaustion and fear breaking through my carefully maintained control. "Just stay close. Stay safe. That's all I need right now."
She turned her head, pressing a kiss to my palm, her eyes never leaving mine.
"I'm not going anywhere." Her voice was soft but certain, a promise that settled something jagged in my chest. "Whatever this is, we face it together."
Together. The word echoed in my head, foreign and familiar all at once. I'd spent so long being the one who carried everything alone. The Head Alpha. The leader. The one who couldn't show weakness, couldn't ask for help, couldn't let anyone see how heavy the burden really was.
As I looking at her — at this fierce, feral, incredible woman who had crashed into my life and refused to leave — I wondered if maybe I'd been doing it wrong all along.
"I need to make some calls." I pulled away reluctantly, already missing the warmth of her touch. "Tom Bradley, someof the other ranchers. If Easton's doing this to us, he's probably doing it to them too. We need to present a united front."
"I'll start lunch." Kol's voice was softer than usual, his golden eyes serious as he watched me from the table. "You need to eat, Reid. All of us do."
I nodded, grateful for his steady presence even as guilt gnawed at me. They shouldn't have to worry about taking care of me. I was supposed to be the one taking care of them.
The phone calls took hours. I sat in my office with the door closed, working through my contact list one name at a time. Tom Bradley confirmed my suspicions first — Easton had been sniffing around his property too, making lowball offers, hinting at consequences if they weren't accepted. Sarah Chen at the Double Diamond had similar stories. Mark Weber at Three Pines. Rodriguez at Sunset Valley.
A pattern emerged, ugly and unmistakable. Easton wasn't just targeting Longhorn. He was trying to consolidate the entire region, buying up ranches one by one, using intimidation and legal harassment against anyone who wouldn't sell.
"We should talk to the sheriff." Tom's voice crackled through the phone, gravelly with age and anger. "This has to be illegal somehow."
"Sheriff Daniels is Easton's cousin." I rubbed my temples, a headache building behind my eyes. "He's not going to help us."
"Then we go to the state. The feds. Someone."
"With what evidence?" I leaned back in my chair, staring at the ceiling, feeling the weight of hopelessness pressing down on me. "We have suspicions and coincidences. Nothing that would hold up in court."
Tom was quiet for a long moment. "So what do we do?"
"We stick together." It was the only answer I had. The only strategy that made any sense. "We share information. We watch each other's backs. And we don't let him pick us off one by one."
We made plans — patrol schedules, communication protocols, a meeting next week to coordinate our response. It wasn't much, but it was something. A thread of hope to cling to in the darkness. By the time I hung up the last call, the sun had set and my office was dark. I sat in the shadows for a long moment, letting the silence wash over me, letting myself feel the exhaustion I'd been holding at bay all day.
I was so tired. Tired of fighting. Tired of worrying. Tired of being the one everyone looked to for answers I didn't have. A soft knock at the door made me straighten, forcing my expression into something neutral.
