I didn’t respond. My guards were with me to protect me and Kyle from any threats, which meant sometimes fighting happened. Xavier didn’t have to like the idea of fighting other werewolves. He just had to be prepared if there was no other choice.
I could relate. I didn’t like fighting either. I liked killing even less. But sometimes both had to happen.
The brown was the first to complete his shift. He lay still for a minute, breathing heavily, in the shape of a tall, light-skinned man with hair the color of his wolf’s fur, including a blond streak at the front that I assumed was natural or it wouldn’t have been reflected in his wolf’s appearance.
By the time he sat up, his companions had finished shifting as well, a short, thin man with curly dark hair and a slightly taller, slightly stockier man with hair so light it might have been white. The brown pushed himself to his feet; the other two stayed on the ground, though they sat up after several seconds of loud breathing.
“Anax, our apologies.” The man who had been the brown wolf lowered his gaze. “We meant no disrespect by entering your territory without warning.”
“And yet it was disrespectful.” I took a couple of steps toward him. Xavier stayed right beside me. “What are your names and your pack?”
“I am Gregory Malkin,” he said, bowing his head even more. “These men with me are Curtis King and Shannon Whittaker. Weare trackers from Connecticut Pack.”
He didn’t say anything else, which pissed me off even though he’d answered the questions I’d explicitly asked. I needed a little more than that. “Why have you come here without consulting with me first? Or, more appropriately, having your Alpha contact me.” Enzo Pereira wouldn’t have sent trackers to my property without asking. Which meant he didn’t know they were here. I wanted to see if Gregory Malkin would admit it.
To his credit, he did. “Our Alpha is unaware that we’ve come here, Anax. We’re here on orders from our Beta and the head tracker, seeking a pack member who may be trying to defect without permission.”
“Werewolves do not require permission to leave packs. Only to join them.” Though it was considered courtesy to request permission to leave, it wasn’t necessary, and some chose not to ask if they feared the Alpha’s reaction. The way some alphas ran their packs, leaving could be dangerous or even fatal. “A severely injured wolf appeared here not long ago. Beaten, from what I understand, because he is a transgender man. He is not of your pack. I’ve set him packless and under my direct rule.”
They should have known that already. Even if they couldn’t sense the breaking of the bond between Ren and the rest of Connecticut Pack, at the very least, the Beta would have known and should have informed them. But all three of them just stared at me. This was obviously news to them.
I didn’t give them the chance to ask questions or spew any bullshit. “What were you planning to do with this werewolf if you found him?”
“We…” Bowing his head again, Gregory trailed off. “We were told only to bring him to the Beta, Anax. I don’t know his intentions.”
“You will return to your Beta and inform him that the wolf you pursued is under the rule and protection of the Anax of the United States.” I stood straighter. “And you will tell him I expect a formal apology for the invasion of my territory.”
“Y—yes, Anax.”
I turned to Xavier. These assholes had broken protocol and probably at least one of our laws, and they had terrorized Ren. But it didn’t seem they’d done so of their own accord, and I didn’t want to be a complete shit to them.
“See that they have meat and something to drink before they shift back to wolf and depart. Gregory, Curtis, Shannon, you will remain where you are until my guard returns. You are barred from entering my home or any other buildings on my property.” I backed that up with compulsion; as much as I disliked forcing anyone to follow my orders, in this case, it seemed necessary. “After you’ve had something to eat and drink, you will shift back to wolf and go back the way you came. And you will not return to this property. Is that clear?”
“Yes, Anax,” Gregory mumbled. The other two echoed him.
“Good. I’m going to contact your Alpha and inform him that pack members are acting behind his back. I’m sure he’ll have something to say about that.” I regarded them for a long moment, while they bowed their head so much their chins touched their chests. “I am giving you the benefit of the doubt and assuming you did not choose to violate protocol or invade my territory. Prove me right by following my orders.”
“Yes, Anax,” the three repeated.
“Good.” I turned my back to them and went up the steps to the porch.Xavier, they’re under compulsion. They won’t move while you get something for them from the kitchen. But keep an eye out the window just in case.
Yes, Anax.He started up the steps behind me.After they leave?
When Davion arrives, I’ll want one of you to patrol the property and make sure they’re actually gone. I’ll let you decide whether you or he does it.I opened the door. “If any of these men cause problems, Xavier, I grant you the power to decide how to handle them.”
The phrasing was meaningless; I couldn’t “grant power” except when I instated someone as Arkhon or Alpha. But I said it to let the three intruders know that they’d better not screw withXavier or me. From the quiet gasps behind me, they got the gist. I continued inside.
In the front hall, I paused. Should I let Ren know that the wolves who had come after him were no longer a threat first, or should I contact Enzo Pereira before talking to Ren? Enzo, regardless of whether he’d known the trackers were coming after Ren, was responsible for them, as he was for all of the Connecticut Pack wolves. He needed to know that some of his pack members were acting without his awareness.
But Ren was alone, not knowing what was happening. He had already been terrified, and being kept in the dark certainly wouldn’t help him feel any safer. Enzo could wait. I headed upstairs.
In the small room, Ren was huddled on the bed, his knees drawn up to his chest with his arms wrapped around them. He turned his head slightly when I came in. “Are they gone?”
“Not yet, but they’re…we’ll say neutralized.” I closed the door again and sat on the small wooden chair beside the bed. “I compelled them to stay out of the house. They shifted into human, and they’ll have to shift back to wolf to go back to their territory, so I’m letting them have something to eat and drink first. They know you’re here, but they also know you’re under my rule and protection. You’re safe, Ren.”
“Who sent them?” He blinked a few times, and a lone tear ran down his cheek. “Did they say?”
“Their Beta.” I had to wonder why the Beta had sent the trackers after Ren. Therealreason, not the bullshit that Ren was trying to leave the pack without permission. “Did you meet the Beta?”
