“Did Dad release it?” Steve asked, wondering if that was why their father hadn’t come on the run with them.
Was he stepping down as pack alpha?
Steve couldn’t imagine his father ever doing something like that.
“I have to claim it,” Marcus said, his voice strained. “Fuck. Hold on.”
Marcus grabbed Steve’s hand, squeezing down hard enough to crack the bones in his fingers before throwing his head back and letting out a howl loud enough to be heard for miles.
The hairs on the back of Steve’s neck rose up like stiff bristles, his ears ringing, and the whole world seemed to freeze as he felt his wolf rise up to meet the sound of his brother’s howl.
Without conscious thought or action, Steve lifted his head to the sky and howled back, acknowledging the call of his alpha.
He wasn’t the only one. The woods around them erupted in a cacophony of noise, heads lifted to the sky as instinct took over, the whole pack acknowledging Marcus’s claim on their obedience and loyalty.
When it was over, the silence permeating the woods was absolute. No one so much as breathed, everyone standing frozen as they processed the fact that Marcus was now the leader of their pack.
“Back to the house,” Marcus yelled, jumping off the bluff and hitting the ground running.
Steve bit back a curse and followed his brother, holding back a scream as he fell through the air and tried to land in a way that didn’t end with both his legs broken.
He hit the ground feet first, the deep snow providing a cushioning surface that let him tuck himself into a ball and roll forward without hurting himself too badly, and started running.
Glancing to his left, Steve saw his cousin Brock gathering up the younger alphas and instructing them to stay in a group and follow him. Behind him, the stronger alphas were taking up positions in front of and behind the group, keeping the betas in the middle as they all ran back to the house.
It didn’t take more than a few minutes before the pack was gathered and speeding through the woods, the confused, wary energy of the crowd a stark contrast to the mood of just a few hours ago when they had been setting out to run the inner perimeter of their territory and play tag.
Steve was running at the front of the group when all of a sudden Ryker and August were running next to him. They didn’t say anything, falling into position on either side of him, and Steve almost cried he was so relieved to have them there.
It took almost an hour to run all the way back to the main house.
When they crashed into the driveway, Marcus was standing at the top of the steps leading up to the front door with a grim look on his face. Steve came to a halt, stopping at the bottom of the stairs with the rest of the pack gathering behind him.
Marcus was avoiding eye contact, and Steve couldn’t parse what the expression on his face actually meant.
Everyone was silent, staring up at Marcus and waiting for him to explain what was going on.
“About an hour ago, my father, John Miller, was in an accident and passed away.” Marcus looked out at the crowd with a hard gaze. “I am your alpha now.”
Steve stared at his brother, shock and grief making him feel lightheaded. He’d just reconciled with his dad. It didn’t make sense that he would be gone.
What kind of accident could kill the alpha of the Northwestern pack?
“Everyone, go home. You’ll get more information tomorrow.”
The crowd shifted, people staring at each other, but then Marcus let out a roar that had everyone scrambling to obey.
The last time Steve had heard a roar like that, it had been when he was little and his father had to break up a fight between two district alphas.
In less than a minute, the driveway was empty. Those people with apartments in the main house had slinked around to go in through the back entrance, not wanting to get close to Marcus by going through the front door, leaving just the three of them.
“What happened?” Steve asked, walking up the stairs. On closer inspection, Marcus had an almost fragile look about him, like he would crack any second. Steve pulled him in for a hug, holding him tight.
“Dad tried to do something terrible,” Marcus said, pulling away and visibly locking down his emotions.
“What do you mean?” Steve asked, bracing himself. It had to be something serious to have Marcus looking like this.
“Dad got it into his head that he wanted to punish us for manipulating him by making Dylan his omega,” Marcus said, looking miserable. “Dylan stabbed him in the heart before he could succeed. Mom found him and cleaned him up and offered to take the blame.”
