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The stone gates surrounding the Bluffs finally came into view, the tops of the mansions raised enough you could see what kind of community it was. When I first ended up here, I thought it was a pretentious place, a pack far too out of reach with their wolves to be useful. But Callum surprised me. He was the kind of leader you wanted to work under, one who cared about his community and his people, and he was picky about who he let in. Most wolf packs had funds—a mix of old money and genius investing. Though far too many alphas squandered their pack’s funds, keeping them financially dependent.
The security gate opened as we approached and we slipped inside, turning and standing vigil until they were closed behind us again. The security office was right inside, a large building with a full barracks, surveillance room, break room, conference room, and an armory that was locked tight.
“Thank fuck you guys are back,” a breathless Rivera exclaimed as he rushed over to meet us. “I’ve been getting chatter. There was a murder in town, right outside the inn. Coroner just ruled it an animal attack so they’re talking about sending out a hunting party in case the animal is rabid.”
“Thank fuck our woods are isolated,” I sighed, running a hand over my face. I’d been up far too long and I was exhausted, this shitshow was not helping me get to bed any faster. We couldn’t stand complacent if a lone wolf was here causing trouble.
“Is the lot cleaned up?” I asked quickly. Moving to the lockers, I pulled out fresh clothes and dragged them on as I waited for him to check our feeds. Thanks to Rivera’s brother, we’ve got eyes on pretty much every inch of Dixon now.
“Coroner left, crime scene crew got there from Hanley and are nearly done. By the time you run to Callum, it’ll be finished,” he answered. “Heads up, I saw Brandy heading over to his place around two.”
Instead of saying something stupid I simply nodded, keeping my groan of distaste internal. As his second I wasn’t about to make it known that I thought he was worth more than alpha groupies. They weren’t really part of our pack, eligible women who drifted from pack to pack in hopes of finding a suitable mate. There was always one or two who did it just to land in the alpha’s beds. Brandy was honestly one of the worst I’d seen in a long time and had overstayed her welcome. She was manipulative and liked to get herself into other pack members’ business and I had issues with that.
The streets were silent as I walked through the community. We’d made a place for ourselves here, an extension of Dixon that we could be ourselves at. The high stone walls kept suspicions at bay and most just assumed we were a cult of sorts. We also got our supplies from Hanley so we rarely had reason to get close to the town itself.
The alpha’s house rested at the far end of the community, just on the edge of the woods. The three-story manor was a sight, the white brick and dark charcoal accents making it stand out. Even the landscaping here was tailored to perfection. We treated our alpha as well as he treated us, as it should be.
Not bothering with pleasantries, I simply let myself inside as I usually did. If he was busy, I’d wait in his office like usual. This was too big to not report. What I didn’t expect was to see Brandy bent over the arm of the couch, ass up and face in the cushions as Callum plowed into her from behind.
“Oh hey. Something to report?” Callum asked casually like he wasn’t fucking an alpha groupie in front of me. Shaking my head, I had to bite back a laugh at the absurdity of the situation, but I did it to myself.
“Something big enough to not discuss with an audience. Shall I come back?” My words were detached, showing nothing. I noticed Brandy looking my way, not ashamed, curious if I’d react. I’d give her nothing.
“Meet me in my office,” he grunted, shifting as he picked up his pace. I walked down the hall to his office, closing the door just as I heard him growl. The girl likely wouldn’t get hers tonight and damn if that didn’t fill me with satisfaction.
He walked in less than two minutes later, sweaty and a cocky smirk on his face. “She was sad you didn’t join in apparently.”
“Fat chance of that,” I snorted. “She’s not my type.”
“What is your type?” he joked as he took his chair, leaning back and trying to control his erratic breathing. His broad shoulders heaved as he took his deep breaths, he was strong and confident, two things the groupies always loved about him. Blond hair flopped in front of his eyes, disheveled after his fun.
“I’ll let you know when I figure it out.” I shrugged. “There isn’t time for mates in my life.”
His full lips tipped down in a frown at that statement. “You have to live for more than just duty, my friend.”
“I do,” I argued, though it held no real conviction. He wasn’t wrong, but I also had no intentions of changing it.
“I kicked them out, she’s moving on to a new pack now. I’ve made it abundantly clear I’m not settling anymore, and she tried to pout which is why it took so long. Hopefully they’ll all stay away for a while.”
“Thank fuck. Is it me or did this group have some of the worst?” I asked, shaking my head. They’d been over the top, fake, and flirty. I wasn’t a fan.
“They were, but they’re fun to play with,” he joked. Though I knew him well enough to realize they just filled a void. The man needed his mate but they weren’t always easy to come by.
“What’s the report?” he asked, to change the subject. Now he was all business, smile gone and his alpha face on, eyes calculating, and hands folded together on the desk in front of him.
“Murder and a lone wolf,” I recapped, giving him the full details of what I’d learned. “We need to go check it out before I head home.”
“Shit,” he cursed. Standing up, he went to grab a hoodie from the hook but paused. “Foot or paw?”
“I say you go on foot, I’ll go wolf,” I answered. “That way I can get a scent trail going on this lone wolf. He can’t get away with this. Cleanup is finishing now; we may run into the sheriff if we hurry.”
“Let’s do it then,” he agreed as he pulled on the hoodie and headed out the door. “Let’s take the Jeep.” We climbed in his all-black Jeep and he sped through town, the gates barely opening before we were barreling through, little more than a nod at Rivera who was running the controls. I had to give the kid credit, even at twenty he had great reflexes and was able to keep track of the feeds, which was a feat in itself.
The streets were just starting to wake as we approached. Cars were driving off toward Hanley, most having to go to the closest city to find decent work. The diner crowd was already filing in and filling the booths. The inn parking lot was empty now, not a car in sight. Callum pulled in and parked in the back so it wasn’t quite as suspicious when I disappeared.
“I’m heading to the station, then the diner for coffee to see what everyone’s on about. Meet you back here in about twenty,” he explained as I started slipping my clothes off, not wanting to rip them during the shift. Our wolves were twice the size of average wolves, nothing would survive.
“Meet you here,” I acknowledged. The moment I pushed the door open I was hit with the scent of the wolf. It wasn’t pleasant, a mix of primal wolf and grime, like he’d lived in the swamps before this.
