But Wolfe blamed himself. I could feel it.
And I didn’t know how to fix it.
It had been a few days since the betrayal, and all I could do was support him. During the day, I worked with the druid to learn about and strengthen the Hollow. At night, I gave Wolfe what he needed, whether it was simply lying next to him as his mind raced or the hours of lovemaking he needed as he lost himself in me.
The druid had sensed the approach of the others, and I had raced from the Heartwood to meet them, to see who had survived the attack and to find out anything I could about how it had happened.
I hadn’t expected to see Adair. The scar that ran down her face into her neck was unlike any shifter mark I had seen before. When she saw me, she ran to me, and I pushed aside all my questions to offer my friend comfort before checking who had come back and counting those we’d lost.
Wolfe and his betas ran to check our defenses, leaving me with the pack to help heal. I herded them to the pack hall, listening to their stories and trying to piece together what happened while comforting them in their loss. The Grumps were weird and creepy, but they were theirs. Only now, as I was beginning to understand my own power, was I starting to understand theirs. And even if they had no power at all, the Grandparents were still the pack’s grandparents.Every shifter on Stonefang claimed the Grandparents as their family.
My pack was vulnerable. Frightened and looking to me and their alpha for answers, but I didn’t have any answers for them.
But I could feel it. We all could.
Wolfe’s pain.
He wasn’t hiding it as some alphas would; he was embracing it, allowing it to make him stronger and fiercer. He would wield it like a weapon, and I doubted the Pack Council realized what they had unleashed in my mate with their thoughtless actions.
The alpha bond grew stronger, and I sensed him draw near. The pack bond became more solid and determined as he approached. Every shifter nearby raised their head a little higher, their backs a little straighter, their shoulders a little squarer.
Thiswas who he was.This was the kind of alpha my pack needed—a male who took our grief, sorrow, fear, and doubt onto his shoulders and carried it for us so our burden wasn’t as heavy.
The pack started to gather before he even spoke. Something within him pulled them like gravity, and when he finally stepped forward, they dropped to their knees—not out of fear, but in unity so fierce it made my chest ache.
Wolfe wasn’t the kind of alpha who postured, roared, or performed. He simply stood there, steady, a little bit broken, and they responded as one. Stonefang was gone. But Wolfe was still our alpha.
When he caught my gaze from across the clearing, everything inside me settled.
We’d lost territory. We’d lost people. We’d lost trust. But we hadn’t lost each other, and the Pack Council had no idea about the fire they’d just ignited.
The moment the pack rose at Wolfe’s command, the clearing shifted from grief to motion. Shifters moved back to their posts. Orders cut through the air. No panic—just purpose. I walked over to him, not rushing, just getting closer, knowing he was fully focused.
Wolfe didn’t waste a second. “Eastern flank doubles patrols,” he told Cody. “Rotate fresh wolves every hour. No one runs alone.” Cody nodded once and was already moving. Wolfe reached out and grabbed his arm. “Hey, you good?”
Cody’s head dipped once. “She’s here.” He looked up at his alpha. “That’s all I need right now, knowing she’s safe.”
Wolfe’s gaze met mine. “I hear you,” he told his friend. “Rest and check on her. I’ll get the patrol checks from?—”
“Fromme,Alpha,” Cody cut him off sharply. “She’s here, doesn’t mean I don’t do my job.” He nodded over at me. “Just like you keep doing yours.” Cody gripped his alpha’s shoulder, and leaning in, he whispered something too low for me to hear, but Wolfe’s head bowed. The two males’ foreheads touched briefly, and then Cody was moving across the clearing, yelling orders.
“Hey,” I said, moving closer.
Wolfe pulled me close and bent his head to give me a kiss. “Hey.” He kissed me again. “I need the druid to strengthen the southern boundary,” he told me. “I want all the wards as full of whatever they push into them as possible.”
My hand cupped his cheek. “Wolfe, you need to take amoment. You need to eat and sleep, my love.” I rose onto my tiptoes, kissing him lightly. “You need to take an hour or two, please.”
Wolfe shook his head. “They’ll make their move soon, and I want to make sure we move first.” He frowned as he saw Diesel heading our way. “I told you to sleep.”
Diesel ignored him just like my husband had ignored me, which made me feel a bit smug when I saw Wolfe grind his teeth at his beta’s total disregard for Wolfe’s order.
Diesel moved up next to us, jaw clenched. “You need to send scouts further up the mountains.”
“I am,” Wolfe growled. “Choose them, but you do not go with them, understood?” Wolfe looked around the clearing. “I need to send someone after Brand,” he spoke softly.
“You’ve heard from him?” I asked excitedly.
“A broken message. He’s either far enough away that I can’t hear him, or he’s close, but they’ve drugged him so much he’s not conscious most of the time. I need to send someone to track him.”
