I roll my eyes. “You know just how to cheer a guy up.”
"I’ll send you an email about everything you did wrong in the morning," she responds seriously. "Does that cheer you up?"
"Uh, no?"
She blinks at me, genuinely baffled, as if dissecting my combat failures and cataloging every weakness should lift my spirits. With her massive build, no-nonsense short hair, andalways unsmiling face, she's been known to make lesser wolves quiver.
To me, Adelaide Blackwood is just the cousin I've never really understood.
She's the Alpha leading our pack now. One little fight was supposed to impress my crush and show my cousin that I’m as capable as anyone else in the Iron Pack.
Mission not accomplished on both counts.
"If you learn from your performance, you won’t make the same mistakes next time," she insists.
"Not sure there will be a next time," I mutter.
"Well, what about this?" Given her thick eyebrows and dour face, it’s hard for her to appear giddy, but she gives it her best shot. "We made so much money tonight."
"Woohoo," I say without feeling. "Go money."
The Alpha leaves me to lick my wounds in peace. I take my time limping out of the arena.
I once spent most of my time trying toescapethe Iron Pack. The strict rules and constant contests of strength were tiring. I moved out of pack territory and into the city of Concordia as soon as I turned eighteen.
But the pack has transformed since then. The change hits me the moment I step into the cool night air. The sentry posts and barricades that once walled off our central common area have vanished, replaced by neat sidewalks lined with hedges and lampposts. New shops and restaurants crowd the main square, including bars and pubs near the arena already packed with noise and bodies. I veer away from the chaos.
Watching the pack evolve drew me back into the fold… but that doesn’t necessarily mean I belong.
I walk listlessly through the streets, not even sure where I’m going or what I need beyond an ice pack. That would sure come in handy right now.
And a win. I’d love a win. Just one damn victory to prove I'm not completely useless.
A trio of shifters roll by as they patrol the territory, and I give them a nod as they head to crowd control duty. Guarding must satisfy some primal protective instinct because it's always been popular despite being totally unnecessary. Nobody’s stupid enough to wander uninvited into the land of snarling wolves with anger management issues. The fight nights finally give the guards something to do, even if it's mostly breaking up drunken bar fights.
Wait. Are my eyes playing tricks on me? Lamplight illuminates a man in dark clothes trailing behind a large group walking toward the main gate, there one moment and then gone. He slips off the path and into the darkness. Heading toward the forest? Visitors aren't allowed beyond the main square on fight nights. Why is he venturing deeper into our territory?
Is he… Is someone actually trespassing?
2.Intruder Alert
Wynn
A trespasser. An actual trespasser in our territory. This isn’t a drill. Crap!
My heart races as I glance around wildly, scanning the shadows for any sign of my fellow pack members. Where did that patrol go?
No time to wait. Can’t let him escape. I veer off the sidewalk and into the trees, instinct kicking in as I track the rustling leaves and any scents that stand out among the forest I know so well. The thrill of the chase sends adrenaline coursing through my veins, urging me to move faster.
There! There he is.
“Might as well give up now,” I call out to a particular shadow in the darkness.
The stranger freezes, but it does no good.
“I can see in the dark,” I continue. “And with the way you’re stomping around, I won’t be the only wolf who notices you.”
The figure stays still another moment. Is he giving up? Maybe he isn’t as stupid as I thought.
