No longer.
Not after what he did. The threats he made.
He rose from the chair and crossed to the window. The bay stretched beyond the forest, a dark mirror under the moon. His reflection stared back at him, cold eyes and the weight of five years written into his face.
Somewhere out there, beyond his sight, at the fringes of the pack’s protection, Layla lived alone among her books. He’d told himself that was safer. For her, for everyone. But the thought of her in danger made the wolf in him restless.
He gripped the windowsill until the wood creaked beneath his hands.
She’d always been trouble. Too curious, too reckless. Too…
He didn’t actually have a word for what she was. Not since things had changed between them all those years ago. Not since…
He stopped himself. Pushed the thought away.
There were bigger problems than one female. The hybrids were organizing. The Volnoye Pack was watching. And he needed to stay focused.
Duty first. Always.
Dominic turned back to the desk, forcing his eyes to settle on the map. He traced the paper, his finger following the routes of his patrols, the possible lines of hybrid movement. Therewere too many variables. Too many mining tunnels beneath the mountains. Too much ground to cover.
All too close to his home.
Skymist. The heart of his pack. The place he had sworn to protect.
And still, under the heavy weight of the whole pack, a single thought crystallized.
She’s not safe.
He shut his eyes, jaw tightening, as if that would make it vanish.
He didn’t see the door open behind him.
The door opened with a low groan, and the scent of cold air and pine creeping into the study before the voice that followed it.
“Still awake?”
Dominic didn’t turn. He knew the sound of the heavy footfalls. Arthur Nordan was always welcome at his home and hearth, as was Dominic in Nordan territory. They shared the town, though both packs had their haunts. And since Dominic had taken over, the relationship between the two had only strengthened.
Dominic was glad of that. They would need strength for the fight ahead.
“Barely,” Dominic said. “What is it?”
“I don’t think we finished our conversation the other night.” Arthur stepped inside and shut the door behind him. “Especially when I get reports that you and your shadow have been tracking hybrids beyond the mountain range.
Dominic half-turned towards him. “How did you…Chase. Of course.”
Arthur crossed to the fire, pulling off his gloves as he went. The older alpha’s coat was still damp from the mist outside, his beard catching a dull gleam of light. “You know he half-lives on those trails. He caught your scent, fresh. Didn’t take him long to figure out where you’d been. What was waiting for you in Voskresen?”
Dominic turned then, leaning back against the window frame, shoulders tense, “We received new information. Potential hybrid activity. Turns out, the information was good. They were there, or they had been. We even came across a couple of scouts, but we didn’t engage.”
“You found them?” Arthur’s voice was an angry rumble, filling the room. “And you didn’t think to tell us?”
“It was just an outpost,” Dominic said, unflinching. “You should warn Chase not to travel too far north alone.”
“Chase can handle himself,” Arthur growled, “but I’ll assign more of our patrol on the northern border. I have to say, Dominic, I’m surprised you didn’t come to me sooner with this.”
Dominic’s lip curled. “I wasn’t certain of the…reliability of the source until Julian and I verified it ourselves. I’m still working out what our next move should be.”
