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Huh.
If this is the Wolf District, the three shifters we’ve met so far must be part of the Western Pack. I never would’ve thought that the Wicked Wolf would let another alpha run in his territory.
But there he is.
Weird.
He nods at the beta wolf, casts an interested look over Jace in his shifted form, then Duke looming over me, before his light gold eyes land on me. “Hello. Sorry about the welcome. As you see, we don’t like trespassers in the district.”
I hold up the invitation that I managed to hang onto. “We’re not trespassing. We were invited.”
“Ah.” His eyes light up, a bit of a tease as he says, “The prodigal daughter returns.”
The way he says that has my wolf’s fur ruffling. “It’s Gemma, thanks.”
“Welcome, Gemma. I’m Theodore Michaels. But, please, call me Theo.”
On the plus side, at least he’s not going to insist on calling me Ruby.
“Theo,” barks the dark-haired beta. “The Alpha waits.”
His slight smile dips. Interesting. He might be an alpha wolf, but it’s easy to see that he’s submissive to the lower-ranked wolf. The only way that could be is if the beta wolf had a higher place in the pack’s hierarchy.
So I was right. He’s not just a beta wolf. He’s Walker’s Beta.
Looks like he was quicker to replace Shane than we were. Lucky bastard.
“Yes, Christian. Of course.” Theo nods, the playfulness already gone. “Come on. Our Alpha is simply dying to meet you.”
I’m absolutely sure he is.
Remind me again why I was so determined to do this?
* * *
I know this river.
As Theo and Christian lead us out of the depths of the trees, toward a raging river with a hand-made bridge built over it, I can’t help but recognize it. Not because it’s something I remember myself, but because I’ve heard about this river my whole life.
If there was a bridge here when I was a pup, I never knew about it. I don’t think my mom did, either. On the night she fled the Wolf District with me, we swam across the river until we ended up on the Lakeview side. Considering we almost drowned—and my mom went on to convince the Wicked Wolf that I had—a bridge would’ve come in handy.
I wonder if that’s why my bio-dad had it built. Based on the stories I’ve been told, that wouldn’t surprise me one bit. Just like how he conquered the old Lakeview territory once he didn’t have to face my dad again, I could totally see him building a bridge so that he would never have to swim the river himself.
And if that doesn’t tell me everything I need to know about Wicked Wolf Walker, then I don’t know what will.
Theo and Christian walk ahead of us. This time, when Jace and Duke take up position on either side of me, I let it go. They might pretend we’re guests now, but I haven’t forgotten how the wolf went after Jace when they thought we were intruders—and, honestly, I’m pretty sure the Beta knew who we were all along.
About fifty feet away from the edge of the river, I notice a fourth male waiting for us. The alpha aura slaps out at me first, a sharp contrast to the much weaker one that belongs to Theo.
Even if I didn’t recognize him by sight, the way his wolf has mine up and prowling around inside of me is a pretty big clue to his identity.
Three weeks ago, I caught a glimpse of my bio-dad in downtown Muncie, beneath the nearly full moon. At least four blocks had separated us, but I hadn’t been able to ignore how much I look like him, even from the distance. I didn’t get close enough to check out his features, but the blonde hair, bright golden eyes, and alpha aura were just like mine.
The last time, he was also nothing but a distraction in a tailored suit. He came all the way from the Wolf District to Muncie, paying off a vampire to attack me with a silver knife. He didn’t want me dead, but controlled, and he used a mutual partnership with an anti-Cadre vamp to get at me.
Of course, he underestimated me and my mate. He thought I was alone, that I would cower in the face of the psychotic vamp.
Nope on both counts.
