They were right about Viktor. He had stepped into the alpha role after the previous alpha died suddenly in a car accident. He’d been next in line, determined by a vote from the pack. We’d never had issues with land grabs before, but Viktor came from an extremely well-connected and absolutely rotted political family, who taught him that the more he could bully into his hands, the better, no matter the consequence, no matter the pain inflicted.
But… still. Something wasn’t really adding up for me.
“It is interesting, though,” I said, following Raquel’s thread. “That’s not a typical way these pack wars are handled. That kind of move feels too dirty. Where’s the new moon treaty, the attempt at diplomacy first before a final faceoff is called?”
That would have been the correct way to handle territorial disputes in the shifter community. At least in the wolf subset. We had certain claims on land that meant no shifter could live or stay for too long without requesting approval first. If another pack found that an issue or if they simply wanted to make a power play and grab at more territory, then a formal faceoff was called. That was when the two alphas and a select group of betas met and fought in their were forms under a full moon. The fight was brutal and primal and went on until the death of an alpha. The winning pack claimed the territory and could either decide to kill the remaining members of the losing pack or let them live and relocate.
Brutal fucking shit and normally avoided at all costs.
“Gabe is right,” Emmy said. A bloom of warmth kissed at my ribs from being praised by our alpha.
I had a thing for being a good boy.
“This is suspicious. Looks more like something a hunter would possess, not another shifter.”
Yuni shook her head. She still wore her navy blue scrubs from her shift at the hospital, so she must have driven here instead of shifted. “My insider in the guild would have told me if there was a hunter in our territory.”
“Maybe the hunter is not working with the guild,” Soren suggested.
“Rogue hunters don’t exist,” Chris said.
Raquel scoffed. “Yeah, because they wouldn’t survive.”
“If it is a lone hunter, then we have nothing to worry about,” Dylan said, standing up. “Perfect because I have a date to?—”
“Sit,” Emmy commanded.
Dylan slammed his ass back down on the chair, gaze turned to the floor.
“We are not going to be caught with our pants at our ankles on this. Whether it’s the Savannah pack or a hunter who’s gotten too cocky and thinks they can take us down on their own, I want us all on high alert. I also want us all keeping as low a profile as possible. No one draw any unneeded attention in their direction. Not until we’ve figured out what exactly is happening.” Emmy’s tone was final. There was a scattering of head nods and agreeable noises from the pack.
It wasn’t a difficult request. Just had to keep my head down and my eyes and ears open for any clues as to what was really happening. Keeping a low profile was my usual MO anyway, so I was confident I could handle this. Not like there was a particular someone who had me infatuated with them and could potentially kick up a flurry of public attention if this lust I felt actually led anywhere.
On that note, I wondered what Eli was up to…
Chapter Ten
Spot Me?
ELI
Why couldn’tI get Gabe out of my fucking head?
I raised the speed on the treadmill and tried to focus on keeping one foot ahead of the other. Last thing I needed was to trip and bust my face open. I happened to be a hockey player who’d managed to keep all his teeth and wanted it to stay that way for as long as possible.
I just couldn’t stop thinking about him. It was odd, this constant tug in my thoughts that pulled me toward Gabe. I wondered what he had to do that had been so pressing last night. Maybe he had double-booked himself and had another hookup planned? Clearly, I didn’t make the cut. Wasn’t exactly unexpected, but still didn’t mean that it didn’t sting.
Then again, even with that sting, Istillcouldn’t get him out of my head. To the point where I had my first sex dream since, oh, I don’t know, since I had seen Henry Cavill inSuperman. Back when I was nineteen and my full-time job was fighting off acne flare-ups and playing hockey.
Now, at twenty-seven, my full-time job was hockey, and my skin had never been clearer. And clearly, my hormoneshad never been wilder because I had woken up to a sticky mess all over my bedsheets from a dream that had me wanting to go right back to sleep so I could keep experiencing it. Gabe and I had been on a beach somewhere in Hawaii, with lush green mountainscapes behind us and the gentle lapping of the waves making a soundtrack with the loud clapping of my cheeks.
Fucking hell, dream-Gabe had fucked me senseless. He worked me like putty, flipping me around and bending me and treating my body like it was his own personal wonderland.
Thinking about it sent a pulsing warmth down to my dick. The running on the treadmill and the fact that I’d forgone any underwear, thinking the lining of the shorts would be enough support, meant that my dick was bouncing and growing harder. I glanced at the door to the training room. I was alone in here, but that didn’t mean someone couldn’t just walk in. We’d all been around earlier for the video review of our (absolute shit-fest) first game, and a lot of the guys hit the weight and training rooms right after, but I went for a skate. Thought it would clear my mind.
Clearly, it didn’t, since I couldn’t stop thinking about a hookup that never even happened.
But fuuuuuck, it was so good.
