“Really? The dragons too?” Tony asked in shock. It was well known that the dragons kept to themselves. But they were very powerful. He felt a bit relieved hearing they would be joining them in the war.
Hunter nodded. “It’ll still be a tough battle. But we have to take this chance and strike together. The demons won’t stop until they’ve taken over everything. Our best bet is to join forces.”
Ander nodded in agreement. “Our packs will fight with you.” He looked over at Tony, who nodded as well. He then directed his attention to Chasen, who had been staring a hole through him and Tony. He wasn’t a werewolf. He could tell by his scent, which he didn’t recognize. There was no doubt, though … he emitted a strong power. By his side was a girl with green hair that he kept safely tucked in his arm.
“So what exactly are you?” Ander chuckled a bit, flashing a crooked smile.
Chasen sighed loudly and Hunter laughed. “He’s a werebear, but he’s special among them.” His brother was very wary of strangers, and he wasn’t willing to play nice with their new guests. “He’s my brother,” Hunter said proudly, slapping his brother on the back. “This is Chasen, and beside him is his mate, Jin.”
“I’ve never met a werebear before. No wonder I didn’t recognize your scent.” Ander smiled. “I can see you aren’t a fan of ours. Don’t worry, we don’t mean any harm.”
“We’ll see about that,” Chasen said tersely. Trust was earned. Too much had happened lately, and these men weren’t getting a pass from him. He even gave his own mate a hard time at first. It was just who he was.
“I’m sure you’re a nice guy to have around in a pinch. I would be interested in seeing your feral form sometime … if that’s appropriate? I’m sorry if it’s not. I’m just really curious.”
Chasen looked at Hunter, who was encouraging him to interact with the strangers. He was laced with irritation. His brother was too kind and accepting, which was why he always ended up in trouble. Oh well. It was his job to protect him. No matter who was around, he would do just that. He looked back at the man.
“My form isn’t a secret or anything. Besides, I think it may be a good idea for you to see. It will let you know exactly what you’ll be dealing with if you harm my pack here,” Chasen said with a chill in his voice.
Tony chuckled at the exchange, looking back at Hunter. “You’re very lucky. I wish I’d had a brother growing up. Maybe things would have been different.” He stopped his conversation there, not wanting to get into any more of his past. He looked off in the distance where their two traveling packs were waiting. “I should probably let them get settled so they can rest from our travels.”
“Sure thing. You guys go and get situated, and then the two of you can join us at the pack house for dinner.” Hunter really wanted to get back to having private time with Freja, but he had a duty to the other packs. They’d traveled to get to know their new king and queen, so it was business first and pleasure later.
“Thank you. It would be an honor,” Tony said. He walked away with Ander, glancing back for just a moment. He would have to find a new girl to dream about. He’d always imagined finding the beauty who saved him and that the two of them would hit it off. Ah, well. It was just a fantasy of his, one he would now have to let go.
“I like him,” Tony said quietly, looking over at Ander.
“I didn’t want to like him, to be honest … but I do, too.” Ander gave Tony a side smile. “Let’s hope he is who he seems to be. We’ve both been burned in the past.”
Tony frowned and nodded. That was true. He was sold to the onis by his father’s beta, Alvin. He had betrayed their pack with help from some witches, then sold him to a life of torture. Ander’s family was also betrayed by Alvin. He tried to portray himself as the chosen Alpha of the Rosen Pack and take one of Ander’s sisters as his mate. Luckily, Tony was freed by Freja around the same time. He came back to devastation. His father had been killed and his beta had taken over as the alpha. When he got wind of what was going on, he immediately went to the Zigma Pack and ended up meeting Ander. They restored order by fighting together. After Alvin was killed, Tony took his rightful place as Alpha. The two of them had remained close ever since. Ander was the closest person Tony had to a brother.
Hunter watched the men walk away. He was curious about how Tony had ended up in the hands of demons. Where was his pack? What pack wouldn’t come to their alpha’s aid?
“Look at you, being a hero and rescuing people.” Jin bounced near Freja’s side as she began to tease her again.
“Hardly. It was an afterthought, really. I couldn’t just leave him chained up ... Although lately it feels like I am just some hero on a quest. Rescuing men in distress, like my dear mate.” Freja smirked as she felt hot breath near her neck. Her body shivered as she sensed his body heat on her back.
“Sounds to me like someone has always had a good heart,” Hunter cooed in her ear. “However …” His hot breath fanned against her neck. “From now on, I’ll be doing the rescuing.” Freja had saved him. He couldn’t refute that. But he was determined to protect her in the future. He lowered his lips upon his mark on her neck, letting his mouth brush against it, and he placed soft sweet kisses over the sensitive skin. He smirked as he felt her body reacting to his touch, her body shivering from his attention.
“Well, I don’t like them.” Chasen folded his arms over his chest and snorted loudly.
Jin giggled, wrapping her arms around him. “You didn’t like me either when we first met and now look at us.”
“Let’s hope that is not a sign of things to come.” Freja laughed and Hunter chuckled along with her.
“Honestly, though, Chasen … I don’t feel any ill will from them.” Hunter said, trying to calm his brother.
“Nope. Nuh uh. What you say doesn’t count. Your feelings aren’t accurate. After all, you were the one who got lured out and injected with a blood potion, remember?” Chasen said smugly as he looked at his brother in triumph. Hunter let out a low growl in irritation.
“He does have a point there. You’re just a bit naïve is all,” Freja said, matter-of-factly. She felt warm hands wrap around her waist, turning her around into his chest. He pulled her body flush against his and moved his lips an inch away from hers.
“Hmmm … naïve, am I?” he growled seductively.
Freja chuckled softly. She leaned forward, acting like she was going to connect with his lips. The moment she felt his grip loosen, she quickly hopped away from him. “Like I said … naïve.”
Chasen snickered as he watched Hunter chase after Freja, toward the pack house. His brother was finally back to normal and was the happiest he’d ever seen him. If only they could just freeze this moment. It was times like these he wished they could just disappear from the world and escape the demon war. He knew it wasn’t possible, though. He was just worried. A dangerous war like that would have casualties. And he was just hoping it wouldn’t be any of the people he cared about the most.
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
