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He nods, fur shaking as he tosses his head, directing me to keep moving toward the pack house. I'm reluctant to leave without knowing he's taking me seriously, but Tasha shifts back into wolf form, ready to comply immediately. Apparently, that small bit of opposition she had toward him when I first woke up is fully stamped out.
I'm not willing to leave my sister's side, so I shift too. Dominic stays where he is as we start moving, watching as if he doesn't really trust us to go where we're supposed to.
I lope alongside Tasha, moving in the direction of the pack house once again. When I glance back, Dominic catches my eye. Whatever he sees, it must be enough to convince him it's safe to not follow. He turns, heading back in the direction I came from.
I'm not sure what he's planning to do, but at least now he hopefully has the sense to be on high alert so that everyone stays safe—not just me.
All I can do is put a little trust in him now.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Dominic
There you are. Take Andy's flank position. If there's trouble, make a circle and I'll meet you on the other side, we can come up from the back.
Luca gives a slight nod of consent, falling into place where I direct him. I told the wolves I have with me to slow until Luca could catch up. Now that I know where Tess is, I want to keep Luca with me. I'm still not sure I believe that he had nothing to do with her leaving the clinic.
No one in that place would dare disobey me. None except possibly Luca, who has a potential motive for wanting Tess away from me.
My Beta has always been loyal to a fault, but it's impossible to miss the way he looks at Tess like he would snatch her right out from under me given the chance. So until I figure out what the hell happened, I want to know exactly where he is at all times. And I intend to keep him far away from my mate.
She doesn't want you, my wolf reminds me, trying to drag me down to share his grief.
I can't afford to pout like a child when there's danger on the horizon.We're going to change her mind, I promise my wolf. I'll never accept her rejection. And that means there's still a chance.
Problems ahead, Boss,Nicolai warns from the front. He's built like a tank and hits like one, so he's always the first line of defense when we're feeling out a situation. As he slows, the rest of the pack follows, closing ranks as those of us around the outside check that nothing is coming at us from any other angle.
There's nothing. Based on that alone, I think it's safe to say that Tess was right; it has to be rogues headed this way. Strong packs know to attack from more than one side, having the kind of unity required to make the formation work. Rogues are all about brute strength and trying to hit their marks with surprise. This time, they don't have that advantage.
Look for any signs of a leader,I tell the pack.I want to figure out what's going on.
My wolves prepare themselves for a fight as a small group appears ahead of us. There's less of them than I expected, but I know Tess wouldn't have exaggerated.Stay alert, I remind my pack as much as myself.
A wolf breaks ahead of the rest of the group, a brown wolf with a weird red tint around its ears and running down its chest. With unusual coloring like that, I have no doubt someone knows who this wolf is. The second we're done here, I'll get ahold of the Luna Sovereign and see if the wolf sounds familiar.
She hasn't checked in since I called to let her know Tess had woken up. Everyone trusts me with Tess except Tess herself.
The wolf, a female, studies my pack with interest shining in her bright eyes. It makes me uneasy, but she makes no move to attack. Instead, she separates from her group to move toward us, stopping a safe distance away and shifting into her human form.
She's a tall redhead, her hair matching the shade of red from her fur. Her hips sway as she walks straight into the mix of my pack, her eyes set on me. My wolves shift to protect me, but I'm hardly scared of the woman who looks like she stepped off a runway, not a training program. She looks like she could be snapped in half in a fight. Not exactly what I was expecting in terms of a leader, but the other wolves clearly defer to her.
It's fine. Let her through.I shift too so we can have a much needed conversation. I need to know exactly what's making Tess a target.
Someday, she'll need to be able to be alongside me when we deal with issues, but that can't happen as long as she's in more danger at any given moment than the pack itself. I can't afford to be out protecting the pack and get distracted protecting her.
"I guess now we know why no one can find the little warrior. Imagine everyone's surprise when they realize Anchorage Lake's finest is keeping her all for himself." Her lips turn up in a rueful smile.
"Not sure what you're talking about," I respond, half-serious. Tess has one hell of a mouth on her, and she's feisty no doubt, but I would hardly call her a warrior. Someone somewhere has clearly gotten confused about who it is they’re looking for.
She strolls closer, making the wolves closest to me growl and crouch into attack positions.
Relax, I instruct them. She hasn’t proved to be a threat yet. If anything, it sounds like she knows something that I don't. Like who has their sights set on Tess, and why on earth they would think she's some kind of warrior.
"Confused, Alpha Dominic?" she taunts.
"I'd say you're the one confused, chasing one of mine on neutral ground. The Luna Sovereign wouldn't look kindly on something like that." There have been wars fought over less. Neutral ground is supposed to be just that.
Her smile deepens. "Oh, your little Jarreau must have misunderstood. We were just trying to talk. I think I have some interesting things to share with her, the kind of things that would definitely make a wolf walk away from someone like you."
