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“And?”
“It appears she just moved here with her Dad.” I jerked my head in the direction of the old motel sitting on the edge of our Pack lands. “Looks like we have new neighbors.”
“She doesn’t know?” Disbelief coated Dad’s words and I rolled my shoulders uncomfortably. I understood his doubt, hell, I felt it myself, but there was no denying she seemed completely clueless about our world.
“I don’t think so,” I answered honestly and he glanced away.
“The Alpha wants a word,” he said brusquely. “I’ll stall him while you get dressed.”
I swallowed a sigh, knowing if Dad thought I should get dressed, then whatever was coming wasn’t going to be good. Nudity was second nature since we started shifting around puberty, and clothes didn’t survive the shift. Clothing was armor, and it looked like I was going into battle.
***
“Dom!”
“Dominic!”
Young voices shouted as I passed by the group of kids playing in the dirt, only one among them with the ability to shift. I forced a smile, waving as I continued to my cabin. Dad might buy me time but it wouldn’t be much. As I left the small cluster of houses, I broke into a jog.
My house was the last in the line, the furthest from the Pack House, and our Pack’s first line of defense. Hanley lands bordered our own and my cabin was the closest to the hotly contested border. It wasn’t unusual to find tracks or fresh marking along the trail behind my place, but so far they’d kept their trespassing to a minimum.
The small cabin looked barely big enough to fit me, my oversize sectional taking up most of the floor space. I ducked into the bedroom where the king size bed filled the room, and wondered what Jess would think of the space. I shook the thought right out of my head as I yanked on a pair of loose workout shorts and a Banks High School tee. There was stupid and then there was stupid, and thinking Jess gave a shit about my personal space fell directly in the second category.
I leapt over the railing and loped back to the Pack House. Outside the door, I steeled myself for the reprimand coming my way. I didn’t detect anyone other than my Dad and the Alpha inside so at least it wasn’t going to be a public tongue lashing.
The door opened before I could move and Dad gave me an impatient glare. “I’m coming,” I muttered under my breath, knowing he could hear me clearly.
“Not a good time to keep him waiting,” Dad warned and I rolled my eyes. It was never a good time.
Piercing blue eyes met mine the second I entered the room, but they were nothing like Caleb’s friendly gaze. The Alpha maintained his position of command by sheer force of will, I always imagined. He was several inches shorter than me and Dad, nowhere near as physically powerful, but it would be deadly mistake to underestimate him. My eyes dropped before he perceived my gaze as a challenge, and then I waited.
It didn’t take long.
“Where is she?” He demanded to know, standing in front of me in an instant, his voice vibrating with an intensity that had my wolf cowering.
I blinked, caught off guard by the question.
“At home,” I answered, cutting my eyes toward Dad, who only shook his head.
“You didn’t bring her here?” The Alpha’s lips curled into a snarl. “You would find an unclaimed breeder and just let her go home?”
“We don’t kidnap females,” I snapped, my voice bordering on insubordination as my fists clenched. “That’s what Hanleys do.”
“And what do you think will happen to her when the Hanleys discover her?”
“They won’t,” I swore, my chest heaving at the thought. “She’s safe. She deserves to make the decision of her own free will.”
“Does she even understand the choice she needs to make?” The Alpha questioned, his body bristling at my defiance.
“The girl seems to be unaware of what she is or what we are,” Dad interjected, easing between the two of us. His elbow found my solar plexus, and I exhaled hard. “I don’t think bringing her here would help our cause.”
“I’m thinking of her safety,” the Alpha retorted with a twitch of his nose. “Your son has an obligation to his Pack.”
“One he has always fulfilled,” Dad replied easily. “Our family has always been dedicated to protecting the Pack,” he reminded him. Dad’s position as Beta meant he was second only to the Alpha, and he’d spent his life guarding the Alpha’s back. I’d done the same with Caleb, and would one day act as Beta to his Alpha. “Kidnapping the girl would bring unwanted attention.”
The Alpha jerked his head, pacing away from us. “She’s a good choice for Caleb,” he muttered and immediately a growl vibrated in my chest. Dad’s gaze bounced to me, shock glinting in his eyes as I fought the urge to attack my Alpha.
