But the demon wasn’t killed that day. It fled then, and it’s been missing since.
“It’s time we actively hunted the demon down,” Elias continues as he refills his cup. Though he’s acting nonchalant and composed, I know that deep down, the main alpha of the pack is stressed out of his mind.
Not only is the powerful witch his fated mate, but she’s pregnant with their child—the child who was part of the prophecy that Aurora had, in which she foretold that the child born between them would be the key to defeating the demon for good.
That child only has a few weeks left until it’s born. It’s no wonder Elias wants to hunt down the demon before it attacks us again and threatens his child’s life.
I don’t blame him. He’s protecting what’s his—an innate trait of a male werewolf. As an Alpha, he’s also protecting his people.
That’s why, along with Thane, I agree to the hunt. It takes Brooks some convincing to make him realize that hunting the demon dog will be beneficial to the entire pack. Once we’re all on board, we each have a point of entry outside of Girdwood to keep an eye on. Because I’m in charge of the working schedule of the pack members who travel to the small town of Hope to carry out jobs, I am tasked with the hunting rotations in that area.
***
Two weeks of hunting have proven fruitless, but that doesn’t mean we’ve given up hope, even if the town of Hope hasn’t brought us any leads.
Because it’s a human town, the chances of finding the demon amongst the ordinary, everyday humans are slim. It isn't known to attack in crowded spaces, and it’s only killed lone werewolves who are caught traveling through the woods.
That doesn’t mean we’ll stop searching, hunting, until we find the evil creature; I’ve extended the hunt beyond Hope, taking my group of hunters into the woods to search for the demon. Between Hope and a small village in the outlying areas is a valley that the Sixmile Creek runs through that is gloomy and suspicious enough to appear promising as the demon's hideout.
Perhaps I can find it out there, I think as I lift my head to the skies just as the sun begins to retreat for the evening. With most of the town of Hope preparing to round up and head home, my soldiers and I from Snehvolk will have to begin making our way home, too.
I turn and nod to signal to my beta, Tomas, who stands amongst the group of soldiers who share bread between themselves. He wipes at the crumbs gathered on the corners of his lips as soon as he sees my signal and comes jogging toward me at the edge of the market.
“Alpha Dawson,” Beta Tomas addresses me with distinct honor as he bows his head. Under my guidance and leadership, the beta is most loyal to me out of all the alphas, even the main alpha of the pack. But beyond that, he’s someone I consider a friend outside the circle of my close friendship with the other alphas, and I chuckle lightly as I pat him on the shoulder.
“Don’t worry, Tom. No one can hear you,” I snicker as I fold my arms over my chest and continue to stare out at the setting sun on the horizon.
“We’re here on official business, aren’t we?” he reminds me with a lighthearted chuckle.
“Of course we are,” I concede, nodding to the thicket of trees that make up the forest that separates Hope from the valley beyond it. “That’s why I called you over. I think we need to extend our search for the demon.”
“Sunrise?” Tomas quizzes, one brow-lifting question.
I nod in response. “Sunrise. We know that it’s home to another wolf pack—rogues who’ve gathered and formed their own community. The demon may not be anywhere near Hope ‘cause it’s full of humans…”
“But it might be lingering around Sunrise because of werewolves,” Tomas adds with a thoughtful nod. He glances over his shoulder and sighs. “We’ve been on the hunt for this thing for two weeks now. It would have shown itself if it wanted to.”
“It may not appear in these parts; that’s why we have to look where it’s most likely to hide, to attack, to feed. We have a look at Sunrise. If anything, the rogue pack will thank us if we find the demon dog hovering over their territory. We’d be doing them a favor by taking it out.”
Tomas agrees with a slow nod as his narrowed eyes point to the forest where, beyond the trees, is the valley between the State Park mountains that leads to the isolated village of Sunrise. Known as the territory belonging to the Moonshine Pack, the Snehvolk Pack members steer clear of the area to keep the peace.
After all, rogue werewolves are unpredictable, and Snehvolk is far too strong to be outnumbered by a pack of rogues. We don’t need the unnecessary bloodshed and the added stress of war when we’re already at war with a malevolent being that haunts the werewolf packs in the vicinity.
“Gather our wolves and let them search through the valley,” I instruct Tomas, my voice firmer now that I’m giving orders to him as my beta. “Tell them to pair up. No one hunts the demon alone.”
Tomas takes my orders and heads back to the group, leaving me to tread toward the ingress of the woods as if ignoring my own warning. We all know that the demon attacks lone wolves caught in the forest—we’ve seen it devastate our pack four times over the past couple of months. But even though I know this, I find myself being drawn toward the gloomy forest, treading the snow-covered ground as my inner wolf stirs in the recesses of my being.
Goosebumps erupt across my arms as if I’m being alerted to a danger between the array of tall trees that reach for the clouds. Frowning as my hands curl into fists at my sides, I catch a whiff of a peculiar, unfathomably sweet scent in the air.
As I enter the forest, disappearing behind the first tree trunk, I’m surprised to discover that the scent grows stronger, more potently sweet and inviting with each step I take. The demon dog doesn’t possess a scent that is as remarkable as what enters my airways now, unless it’s using its otherworldly powers to lure me in.
It wouldn’t be the first time that we’ve been fooled by the demonic spirit, but there’s something strangely enticing about the scent that muddles my mind and has me throwing caution to the wind. I should be cautious—I know that much. But mysenses are arrested by the scent, my feet moving of their own accord as I’m pulled into the woods by an invisible force that makes my heart pound in my chest.
Tomas’s question is a faint whisper in my ear when it comes through the mind link, and I am forced to ignore him when he asks what I’m doing and where I’m going. Suddenly, all I can focus on is my inner wolf, and being an alpha means that no one has the right to question me, even if I’m about to walk into a trap.
Being an alpha wolf also means that I can hold my own, anyway. If the demon awaits me on the other side of the ferns that separate the gathering of trees from the small clearing before the river, then I’ll do what needs to be done.
As I drift further along, my heartbeat quickens, and the goosebumps on my arms turn fiery as my hot blood rushes through my veins despite the cold temperatures of the Alaskan air. My curiosity is piqued when I realize I’m not afraid, but when I notice movement on the other side of the freezing river, I know there’s no reason to panic.
