Chapter 1 - Zane
It would be a stretch to call the Willow island peaceful, but if anything, it has been quiet ever since Dawson dropped and Hayes took over the pack.
Since then, it’s almost like the whole island has been holding its breath. Alliances have been subtly shifting, wolves are talking, and everyone’s waiting for the new Voss Alpha to make his first real move.
It’s not uncommon for a son to take over after his Alpha father is suddenly killed, but at the same time, he didn’t acquire power just to sit on it. He can’t be trusted, and we all know that.
Standing on the edge of the Ashford wharf, I look back at the island across the water to the shores of Coldreach. The salty air tries to cut through my jacket, but my natural warmth keeps me well protected. Regardless of the usual musty smell of the ocean, I can still pick up the unease even from here.
With the island in front of me and the city behind me, it feels strange coming back. Ashford became my home for quite some time, and it served as my escape from Wraith Peak. Even if I don’t love the city bustle, it’s refreshing in a way.
Before I can dwell on it for too long, my phone buzzes in my pocket, and I don’t need to check to know it’s likely one of the guys. That’s the fourth call in the last hour, and I let it continue until it fades out.
The others are back with their respective groups, save for Hunter and Dominic, who have been here and there wherever they’re needed for the time being. Last I saw, they were back in Coldreach again, trying their hand at damage control in their own ways.
Between gathering intel, talking between packs, and keeping an eye on Wraith Peak activity, we’ve been trying to keep the situation from detonating into a full-blown war.
We’ve seen enough conflict already, and keeping our business away from the humans has been enough of a hassle.
But knowing how the Voss family operates, Hayes won’t be one to avoid bloodshed. He’ll calculate how he can use it to his advantage and see just how far it will get him.
Lately, something has been off, and not just with him.
Facing the nearby apartment buildings and warehouses, I pull in a deep breath, catching the same cluster of scents I’ve been after for several hours now. It’s faint, but there, and it’s enough to tell me roughly what I’m working with.
At first, I thought I was dealing with a new pack that had been moving between Ashford and the island, but now I know that isn’t the case.
It’s a mix of wolves, likely from different packs but working together for some reason. That’s what sets them apart, and I need to know why they’re doing it.
Whether they’re true rogues or operating behind the backs of their Alphas, it doesn’t matter. Their mingling will more than likely be for a dangerous reason, not an innocuous one.
From what I’ve gathered already, they’ve been careful enough not to set off alarms with the others. They’ve been moving at odd hours, masking their trail as well as they can, and never stopping long enough for me to catch them. At least, not until now.
Straightening my back, I catch more scents, but focus on the important ones for now. Still, I hesitate before moving.
Something in me knows I should be back with the others, helping to strategize and talk through our next steps, but instead, I’m here, tracking these wolves that have been grating on my nerves lately.
At the very least, focusing on them and their potential motives hasn’t given me much time to focus on the one thing I’ve been avoiding on purpose.
Dawson.
But even before the name can settle in too deeply, I push it away and keep following the trail ahead of me through the buildings.
If I stop moving and focusing on something tangible, then I’ll have to sit with the memories that came with him as my previous Alpha. Even after years of being on my own, seeing his body lying in the soil while the smell of his blood clung to the air after his fight with Luke made something curdle in me, and the image has stuck with me in ways I never expected it to. It’s like the faintest flicker of allegiance never fully left, even though I did.
I can’t afford to lose my focus. Not while I’m right behind them.
After catching the last ferry for the day, night has settled in fully now, blanketing the city in shadows and signs that seem dull in comparison to my concentration.
Ashford is not only the mainland where the military operates, but also the kind of place where people can hide with very little effort and where secrets fade into obscurity. It’s too big to fully control, and too busy to keep track of what slips through the cracks.
Grateful for my years of service now, as I slip easily within the darkness, I move like I have every reason to be here. When there’s a crowd, I blend in, and when I’m on my own again, I don’t leave room for questions or curiosity.
The scent trail strengthens as I get closer to the industrial district full of old warehouses and abandoned lots just sitting and waiting.
Slowly, I approach a large, unmarked building that seems like nothing from the outside. To a human, they wouldn’t be able to look past the rusted doors and broken windows. They wouldn’t hear the music and the voices coming from inside.
That low hum speaks of too many bodies packed into a space that shouldn’t be occupied at all, and my jaw tightens.
