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“Is everything all right?” he asked with genuine worry.
“Everything’s fine,” I assured him, attempting a smile. “Go ahead and keep working. I’ll be back soon.”
With that, I hurried away from the construction site, my wolf growling impatiently. It was foolish to leave my duties behind, especially with so much riding on the success of this project, but I couldn’t shake the need to be with Tori. It was compulsory to ensure she was safe and protected from the ever-increasing dangers lurking around every corner in Blackwood Creek.
As I made my way through town, my senses on high alert, I came across a group of shifters engaged in a heated argument. Fury gained momentum inside me as I noticed several witnesses, most of them human and unaware shifters existed. The way tension rose with shifters, there was no stopping one from shifting if they didn’t have themselves under proper control. With unfamiliar people all around, the risk was too great.
I recognized some of them as members of the Montana Pack, while others belonged to the Ontario Pack. Those two groupshad been at odds from the moment they arrived in Blackwood Creek.
Brett Longtail wasn’t my only concern; his pack of eleven shifters was on my radar as well. They all had their alpha’s high-and-mighty mindset, and it pissed my wolf off. He wanted them gone from our territory, but there was no turning our backs on shifters in need. They’d lost so many. A once large and proud pack had dwindled to so few. It demonstrated the seriousness of the hunters’ threats because they weren’t actually threats, but assurances.
“Hey!” I barked, my alpha tone silencing their squabbling. “What’s going on here?”
The shifters froze while the humans looked on curiously. I lowered my voice so they heard nothing. “There are humans around, and you’re causing a scene,” I growled.
“Nothing, Alpha Ridge,” one of the Montana shifters said with a lowered voice, his gaze lowered respectfully. “It was a misunderstanding. Apologies.” The rest of the Montana shifters lowered their gazes as well, humbling themselves.
“Is that all?” I asked, my eyes narrowing as I studied the faces of the Ontario shifters. They looked anythingbutapologetic, their expressions sullen and defiant.
“Look, we don’t have to listen to you,” one of the Ontario shifters snapped disdainfully. “You’re not our alpha.”
“You’re right. I’m not your alpha,” I said coolly, stepping forward and towering over the wolf, my power radiating outwards as I stared him down. “But you’re inmyterritory. You are only allowed to be here bymypermission, which means you’ll show me the respect I’m due. Understood?”
The shifter’s eyes widened, and he quickly lowered his gaze, submitting to my dominance. “Yes, Alpha Blackwood,” he grumbled.
“Good.” Order had been restored—for now, at least. “Now, get back to your packs and tell them I expect better behavior from all of you. We have enough to worry about with the hunters. The last thing we should have to be dealing with is disputes among ourselves.”
As they slunk away, the humans realized they wouldn’t get a bigger show and left. I groaned internally, resisting the urge to punch the closest wall. Tensions between the packs were at an all-time high, and it was only a matter of time before violence erupted. I made a mental note to speak with Brett Longtail about reining in his members, a conversation I wasn’t exactly looking forward to. There were two potential outcomes, and considering my history with Longtail, I wasn’t sure what to expect.
Irritated, I called Clawson. He’d have observed how the packs were mixing. I wasn’t sure if the tensions were this high among all the packs or if it was only a standing few. The phone kept ringing and then went to voicemail. I left one, which was strange; it was unusual for me not to be able to reach Clawson. He’d always picked up by the third ring at the latest.
The idea of either searching for Clawson or Tori battled it out in my mind. I was desperate to see Tori, but Clawson had me genuinely worried.
Suddenly, my phone buzzed in my pocket, and I answered it without thinking, certain it was Clawson calling me back. Before I could get more than a “hello” out, Elliot Elkins’s frantic voice shouted in my ear.
“Ridge, you need to get down to the hospital right now! Zander’s gone completely berserk, and I don’t know what to do.”
“Is anyone hurt?” I asked, my imagination immediately going to the worst possible scenarios.
“Nothing too serious,” Elliot said. “But you’d better hurry. I don’t know how much longer we can keep him contained.”
“Stay there,” I said. “I’m on my way.”
I ran to the hospital, my wolf urging me to move faster, to protect my pack. This fresh development with Zander was troubling. There was no telling what the dark witch had done to him and how her insidious spell would affect him in the long run. I was completely in the dark, with no way to intercept and deflect the side effects he was dealing with. I’d never had to consider magic like this before, and as every new situation arose, I had to consider the potential threats to the pack as a whole. Zander was still a pack member, but I had others to worry about as well.
When I arrived, I found Elliot in one of the examination rooms, a bruise forming on his cheek, scratch marks along his arms, and dried blood in his hair from a gash on his forehead.
“Shit, Elliot. What happened?” I peered into his eyes, trying to assess how bad off he was.
“Zander was fine one minute,” Elliot said, his voice trembling. “And then he just snapped, screaming nonsense and attacking everything in sight. I tried to calm him down, Ridge, but he didn’t acknowledge me, just shoved me across the room into the table. When I got myself standing, Zander blacked out. He didn’t hit his head or anything. I checked.”
“Where is he now?” I asked, anger and concern rising with each word.
“Back in his room,” Elliot said. “He’s awake, but he doesn’t remember any of it. They sedated him.”
“Stay here.” I placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “I’ll go talk to him.”
As I entered Zander’s room, I held back a groan at the sight of the young man who had once been an imposing shifter in our community. Fever ravaged his body, and his eyes were glassy and unfocused. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days.
