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Jason swore at that too. “Hell of a thing to send your own into.”
Benny shrugged. “Compared to what? What pack Second Nickerson gave his granddaughter to?” he asked. “Compared to all the horror stories we heard at Margarite’s?”
“Well when you put it that way,” Jason said dryly. Benny laughed at that, then ended the call before going to check on Ryder one last time. “How is he?” he asked softly.
Titus looked up. He was looking old and tired. Not a good sign. “He’s healing,” he said. “But it’s a bad wound, and it’s a struggle.”
“Don’t feed him so much of your energy that you’re worthless as a guard,” Benny told him. “If he’s starting to heal, he’ll come back. Feed him. Guard him. And eat something yourself!”
“I’ll get something for us,” Kev volunteered.
“See if those guards have brought in another deer,” Benny said.
He looked at Titus. “You’re in charge, pack Second,” he said formally. “I’m going after that sniper.”
“Godspeed,” Titus said softly, tipping his head in a sign of respect, and accepting the responsibility for these men.
Benny considered shifting and hunting as a wolf. But the man was a sniper. Taking on a sniper as a wolf was about as good as the old saying about ‘bringing a knife to a gun fight.’ No, he’d go as human. He pulled his pistol out of the waistband of his pants where he’d stashed it when Ryder fell. It wouldn’t have the range of a rifle, but it would do.
Benny wanted up close and personal anyway. He wanted the sniper to see death coming.
He let his wolf surge forward. Hunt, he said, turning control over to him. Find the shifter who shot our brother, and I will kill him.
The shifter who left the lodge compound was more wolf in human form than anything. Benny’s senses were sharper, and he could feel the lone shifter sitting up there on that slope waiting. He wasn’t sure for what or why he hadn’t fired since. He thought Angus had a plan to see to it that Campbells were in place to grab the pack bonds if they snapped loose —Mark could easily have become Alpha if he’d attacked Ryder instead of warning him, although Benny agreed with Mark’s assessment that he wasn’t dominant enough to take Ryder.
Whoever was leading the wolves back into town could become pack Second if they challenged Jessie. And if Ryder died out here? No telling who would grab those bonds then. Jessie? That was one of the functions of a pack Second, but Benny didn’t see her surviving Ryder by long. Well, none of those plans of Campbell’s were going to come to pass. Benny was determined to make sure of that. He set all of that aside and focused on the task before him —find the sniper and kill him.
But Benny the man wasn’t in charge any longer. Just as they had played on the bike, now they would share control here. Speech, gun — he reminded his wolf of the things he could do as a man that couldn’t be done as a wolf. Like speed limits and cops, Benny insisted. The control was shared.
Hunt, his wolf said in agreement. Kill.
Yes, Benny said. Hunt. Kill.
Chapter 22
Day 160 of the re-emerged Hat Island pack, Thursday, Nov. 14, Penticton, B.C.
