He shakes his head.“They could be getting desperate.Could be planning to leave.Or maybe they’re planning something stupid.”
My jaw tightens.“They already did that when they kidnapped innocent women.”
“Yeah,” Russo agrees, lowering his voice.“They did.”
I stare down at the map, at the line that separates our land from theirs—a line they’ve been smart enough not to cross so far.
They’re not going to stay smart forever.
My wolf presses close to the surface, and for a second, my vision sharpens.Every sound in the building gets louder.Voices in the hall.A chair scraping in another room.Someone’s heartbeat.Mine.
“You good, Cooper?”Russo asks.
I clear my throat.“Yeah.Who’s all on patrol?”
“Me.A few of the others are rotating farther east.Reyes is taking the western stretch.”
I nod, relieved that Reyes will be close.“What about the Alphas?”
“They know.They’re watching.”
That should make me feel better, but it doesn’t.All I can think about is Landry.She’s all alone in the house.
“Everything okay?”Russo asks.
“No.”
He arches an eyebrow.
“My mate is at home, and I’m here.”
“Tragic.”
I glare at him.
He smirks.“Come on.We’ve got a route to run.”
The two of us head out, taking off toward the northern border.We find the others and relieve them.They fill us in on what they’ve observed on the cult’s side, and I tense as they talk about the increased movement and the anticipation they can smell on all the cult members.
“Any idea what they’re up to?”Russo asks.
“Not yet.”Jameson sighs.“Keep your eyes open and your heads up.I’m going to update the Alphas.Everyone has their phone on them.Call if you need anything.”
“Will do,” I tell him.
He claps me on the shoulder and heads back toward headquarters.Russo and I split up.I run ahead of him, weaving through the brush.My wolf is on high alert inside me.I can feel his anxiety, which amplifies mine.
The cult is busy, and I pause to watch them.The leader, Michael, is there, limping his way out of one building.He looks bad—pale and thin.What’s going on with him?Does it have something to do with why the cult has been acting up?
Russo catches up to me, and we study the cult’s movements for a bit.By the time we turn to run back down to the border, the sun is sinking behind the trees and the moon is already pale in the sky.Not full yet, but close enough that my skin feels too tight.My wolf is restless, pacing, growling, listening.
I don’t like this,my wolf growls.
Neither do I.
We continue our patrol, circling wide, careful not to cross onto their land.The Alphas have been clear—we don’t start anything unless they do, but fuck, it’s getting harder to wait.
Near the east side of their property, two men stand beside a truck, arguing.Their voices don’t carry far enough for human ears, but our enhanced hearing allows us to listen in clearly.
