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Providing he could enact it in time.
The obstacles were already mounting. If he knew Lukka, the bastard would have sent scouts on his trail—and he wouldn’t put it past the Alpha to have him killed before the time came. Stripping his clothing, he shifted and took off in a full sprint that few short of the strongest scouts could match.
Fear pulsed through him anyway as Loren’s fate weighed heavily on his mind, but the last thing he expected to feel, seeped into his veins in a slow but steady trickle—excitement? Joy, even? It had been so long since the last time he’d traversed these forests. Predictably, the earth hadn’t changed much since then, but in a natural, gradual way. It was much like visiting an old friend who had matured in his absence. By the time he reached the very edge of the boundary, his heart swelled with painful nostalgia.
So much for honoring his role as a rogue. Fear was the real reason that kept him away. Fear of what might happen when he smelled the mountain air and neared his ancestral home again.
Being here, so close to the land he’d grown up on, he couldn’t remember his reasons for leaving in the first place. For a second, he longed to breach the border, punishment be damned.
He was relieved when a figure finally broke the underbrush nearby, displaying familiar youthful energy. Micha. With one look, Bill drew his focus back to the task at hand, though it was harder than he would have thought to shift direction away from Black Mountain. Albeit, toward a far more dangerous strip of territory.
Even Micha’s presence didn’t lessen the insanity of what he planned.
If the Eislanders weren’t already paying attention to their neighbor’s borders, Bill would give them a good reason to. Together, he and Micha covered miles in minutes. As he neared the ragged plains the Eislanders called home, he boldly skirted their outer limits, putting every sentry on red alert.
Good.
He could only hope the provocation paid off as he finally stopped, just beyond the reach of both territories. Micha lurked nearby, acting as his lookout.
Though, an Eislander response was exactly what they wanted—needed.
Seconds ruthlessly ticked by. Minutes. As time stretched on, he strained his ears for any sign of trouble. True to her word, Loren kept a wall between them—but he could sense her beyond it as if peering through a sheet of frosted glass.
She had to be deep inside the territory by now. Would she be at Sonia’s? Or would that bastard, Lukka, put her somewhere else?
A part of him bristled at waiting. He didn’t trust Lukka further than he could throw him. Besides, he still knew all the old exits...the secret ways in. All he had to do was sneak in, seek out her scent, find her.
Forget his role in her plan. It was taking too damn long.
A rustle of motion was the only warning that someone approached, and he snapped into a fighting stance. They weren’t a sentry. The intruder hadn’t bothered to disguise their scent, and he recognized it easily. Within seconds, he was back in human form, lurching to his feet.
“Took you long enough,” he rasped at the tree line.
“Well, you certainly have more balls than I gave you credit for.” The Eislander, Eric, stepped from the shadows, his eyes glowing in the darkness. He had exchanged the nondescript clothing for a black tracksuit that seemed to suit him far better. At least this way, he resembled what he truly was—a dangerous threat, at home in the shadows.
“That was some stunt you just pulled,” he said softly, jerking his chin in the general direction of Black Mountain.
“So, you’ve heard.” Bill raised an eyebrow, though he didn’t know whether to be impressed or alarmed that the Eislanders were so well versed in their neighbor’s political drama.
“I’ve heard that you signed yourself up for what some might call a suicide mission.” Eric inclined his head, and Bill couldn’t tell what he thought. Not even a hint. “After what I’m sure you learned last night, I can’t say I’m surprised by the route you’ve taken. But why come here now?” His tone dropped an octave. “Is this your way of declaring war on not just your own pack, but the Eislanders as well?”
“No.” Bill forced some semblance of respect into his voice. “That was my way of getting your attention. You sent us to that Scolera for proof? Well, you got it, and if you intend to make amends to Loren for your Alpha leaving her in obscurity for eighteen fucking years, I have a few ideas of where to start.”
“Oh?” The man scoffed. “And where do we come in? You think we would intervene in an official challenge? I hate to hide behind tradition in this instance, but some laws cannot be undone. Not even by you.”
“Lukka isn’t reckless enough to circumvent an honest challenge if it’s made in view of the others,” Bill pointed out. That was their hope, anyway. “He had no choice but to accept. That doesn’t mean he has to oblige by it. In fact, I don’t expect him to.”
“So why come here? Without your mate, I see. I hope she’s somewhere safe if you took on your Alpha directly.”
Now came the tricky part.
“She’s in Black Mountain as my witness,” Bill said.
Eric chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief. “So, she’s as good as dead, then. Have you lost your mind?”
“No,” Bill countered, though a part of him hissed that same insult. “I trust that she can handle herself. But she has faith that your pack might owe her some shred of loyalty. What else can you do? Hide in your territory hoping that Lukka doesn’t turn on you next?”
The man went silent just as the wind picked up, bringing a newer scent along with it. Bill tensed, picking up Micha’s alarm. They had company.
