I met Rissa's gaze, those dark eyes full of determination and stubbornness. A look I was beginning to know all too well.
"Fine," I ground out.
Her lips curved into a small, knowing smile. "As long as we're not sitting around waiting for the next attack."
I gave a short, sharp nod. "But if anything feels off, we shut it down. Immediately."
"Wouldn't expect anything less, Alpha."
The title felt heavy on my shoulders, the weight of responsibility pressing down on me. The need to protect and keep my pack safe, warring with the knowledge that sometimes, the best way to do that was to take risks.
Calculated risks, but risks all the same.
Gavin swore under his breath, rubbing his temples. "I don't like it." His fingers dug into the edge of the table, knuckles turning white. "I don't like any of this."
I exhaled sharply. "Neither do I."
But what choice did we have? Wait around for the rogue to strike again, to hurt someone else we cared about? Or take the fight to them, on our terms?
It wasn't a decision I made lightly. But it was one we had to make.
For the sake of our pack. For the people we loved.
Even if it meant putting them in harm's way to keep them safe.
Chapter 26
Nathan
I saton a high tree limb, as high as I dared climb with my weight. Every instinct in me was on high alert. This plan needed to work.
My gaze flicked to Rissa, sitting by a makeshift fire pit in the middle of our pack land. To anyone else, she looked relaxed, but I could see the tension in the way she held her shoulders. She was pretending for the others, but she knew the risk.
Beside her, Krystal shifted in her seat. "Did you see that new shop that opened on Main Street?" Krystal asked with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
"Oh yeah, the gift boutique?" Rissa replied. "I've been meaning to check itout."
Their laughter rang out, forced but convincing. To an outsider, it would seem like any other casual gathering. But we all knew better.
I clenched my jaw, my wolf pacing restlessly beneath my skin. The rogue had to show himself tonight.
I inhaled deeply, trying to catch a scent on the breeze. Nothing yet. Just the earthy aroma of the forest and the smoke from the firepit.
Rissa glanced up then mostly in my direction. I was pretty well-camouflaged, thanks to Aurelia. She’d really come in handy in a pinch.
Worry flickered in her eyes before she turned back to the conversation. She was putting on a brave face but, she was just as on edge as me.
My fingers dug into my biceps as I willed the rogue to make his move. To slip up and give us the opening we needed. The seconds ticked by, each one more tense than the last.
"Another round?" Krystal held out a bottle of what looked like whiskey but was really just apple juice. Rissa let Krystal fill her glass and began to act a little bit more drunk with every passing minute.
I shifted my weight, waiting, watching. The forest held its breath with me, the anticipation thick in the air. Come on, I silently urged the rogue. Take the bait. Let's end this once and for all.
The stillness stretched on, broken only by the crackle of the fire and the forced laughter from the group. I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. The woods were too quiet, the night too still.
"It's too quiet," Krystal muttered, echoing my thoughts. Her fingers tapped restlessly against her thigh.
My wolf stirred at her words, sensing the wrongness in the air. She was right. This part of the forest should've been alive with the sounds of nature, the rustle of leaves, the hum of insects, the distant howls of our kind. But instead, an eerie silence blanketed everything. Maybe the small animals knew the enforcers, Gavin and I, were placed strategically in the trees. We’d done our best to mask our scents with an herb mixture Aurelia had given us. This was as far as we were willing to get away from the women.
