“Anything?” Wade asked after an hour of searching and waiting for some kind of attack.
“Nothing.” Zeppelin stared toward the woods from the back porch. “It might’ve just been taunting Alex.”
Wade ran a hand through his hair, relieved. “Thanks for believing my mate.”
Zeppelin shook his head, one foot resting on the lower railing. “No need to thank me. We take care of our own. Alex’s a part of our family now, Wade.”
Despite knowing that, it was still good to hear. “I’ll go let the mates know things are clear.”
“Find out what’s going on,” Zeppelin said. “If Alex’s got a demon hounding him, we need to know why so we can better defend him.”
Wade started to head inside but jutted his chin toward Vaughn. “How long has he been standing there?”
“About half an hour,” Zeppelin replied. “I got him. Go check on your mate.”
With a nod, Wade strode inside the house, anxious to make sure Alex was okay, even though Wade knew his little bunny was safe.
* * * *
Zeppelin rubbed his hand over his bearded chin. Even though his beta had participated in the hunt, he knew how much of a toll it had taken on Vaughn because of Vex.
The guy stood in the middle of the backyard, hands on hips, shoulders back like he was daring the demon to come at him.
“Have you thrown down a gauntlet yet?” Zeppelin asked as he approached. “Might help lure it out.”
Body stiff, Vaughn didn’t even look his way. “Won’t fail this time. I’m not hiding in the kitchen when the pack needs me.”
God. Zeppelin hated to see Vaughn like this. Before the attack, his beta had been the steadiest hand among all the wolves. Since that demon had kidnapped and tortured him, Vaughn just hadn’t been the same.
Not that Zeppelin blamed the guy. Since finding his mate and slowly healing, Vaughn had shared with Zeppelin some of what Vex had done to him.
It was a miracle the wolf hadn’t broken completely.
Vaughn had even suggested Zeppelin replace him as beta.
Not a chance in hell. It would take time, but Vaughn would heal. Zeppelin should know since he’d gone through a similar situation about a century ago. Only his captors had been half a dozen vampires. The torture he’d survived would’ve made a lesser man go insane.
Clapping Vaughn on the shoulder, Zeppelin headed inside. He would send Newt out to help his mate.
Right now, Zeppelin wanted to feel Preston in his arms. Although his mate would try to seem brave in front of the other mates, Zeppelin knew the human was frightened. After nearly a year living in the preternatural world, Preston still wasn’t used to demons and vampires.
Honestly, Zeppelin never wanted his innocent mate to become numb to the threats. As selfish as it sounded, he always wanted his sunshine to remain the man he’d met.
Sweet and wholesome, without any part of darkness tainting him. Although Preston had had to fight off his ex, he hadn’t lost who he was, and Zeppelin would protect that innocence for as long as he could.
Chapter Four
After Wade had grabbed Alex from Zeppelin’s bedroom, he walked his mate to his own. Not the guest room but Wade’s bedroom.
Alex stepped inside, glancing around, his hands fidgeting.
“Start from the beginning,” Wade said, closing the bedroom door. He wasn’t trying to push Alex, but like their alpha had said, they needed to know what they were up against.
His mate glanced at him then took a seat on the bed, hands clasped in his lap. “His name was Drew.”
Wade took a seat beside his mate, hoping his closeness eased his mate’s anxiety.
“We dated for about two months.” Alex picked at invisible lint on his sweatpants. “He was a piece of shit but his that flaw very well.” He touched his collar then yanked his hand away, settling it back on his lap.
