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As soon as the door was shut, I leaned over the console and attacked Tori’s mouth again, unable to contain my desire for her. Pulling back slightly, I whispered against her lips, “Staking a claim like that in front of another alpha drives my wolf crazy in a good way. You’d better be prepared for what comes next.”
I kissed down Tori’s jaw, to her neck, and behind her ear, eliciting a soft laugh from her. “That was a one-time thing,” she informed me, her breath hitching slightly. “I’m not one for PDA, but I wanted to make my claim on you crystal-clear.”
“Good,” I growled, loving this even more. “Maybe we should head back to my manor so you can claim me all day long.”
“You have alpha business to attend to. Rain check.”
I let out another growl of frustration, but I sat back in my seat and gave Tori a happy smile as I started the car. She was right. There would be time for us later. For now, we had work to do.
As I parked in front of the Bogford B&B, a quaint Victorian building framed by tall pines, my wolf’s senses prickled with anticipation. Isaac Frost, alpha of the Montana Pack, had been staying here, and I needed to speak with him urgently.
“Ready?” I asked Tori, squeezing her hand before we got out of the car.
“Of course,” she said with a determined glint in her eyes.
We walked up the wooden steps together, our fingers intertwined. Diana greeted us with a warm smile. The scent of fresh-baked scones wafted through the air, making my wolf’s mouth water.
“Alpha Blackwood. And soon-to-be Luna Blackwood, what a surprise.” Diana winked at the both of us. I wanted to laugh at the choked sound Tori made, but I merely smiled. “How can I help you?” Diana asked.
“Is Alpha Frost around?” I asked, keeping my tone polite but authoritative.
Diana gestured down the hallway. “He’s in the living room.”
“Thanks.” I patted Tori’s hip. “You stay here and chat with Diana. I won’t be long.”
“All right.” Tori gave me a quick kiss on the cheek before turning her attention to Diana.
“Alpha Blackwood, this is a surprise.” Isaac extended his hand for a firm shake. His gray-blue eyes assessed me, and I couldn’t help but appreciate his adherence to respectful customs between alphas.
“Alpha Frost, I hope it’s okay to pop in unannounced, but I have some urgent business to discuss,” I said.
“Of course, we’re in desperate times, and this is your land. What’s going on?”
I explained the situation to Isaac, emphasizing the increased danger to Blackwood Creek. He listened intently, his eyes narrowing as he processed the information.
“Thank you for coming forward with this,” Isaac said. “I’ll take it into consideration. We’re all in this together, and an alpha needs to know all the facts to make informed decisions.”
Curiosity got the better of me, and I asked, “Were you well-acquainted with the Everwood Pack?”
Isaac’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline, then he sighed. “Yes, I was good friends with Jaxon Hyde, their alpha, a coupleof decades ago. Such a shame, really. Someone sold them out to the hunters, and I’ve never been able to figure out who did it. They were a humanitarian nomad pack. Did more for wolf shifters than anyone else—rehabilitating feral wolves, resolving territorial disputes, you name it.
“Jaxon was unlike other alphas,” Isaac continued, a nostalgic smile crossing his face. “He established connections and relationships with other paranormal beings—shifters, vampires, witches. It’s uncommon, but it made for a great source of much-needed information. My friend was a hopeless romantic, though, and his only weakness was being too nice to everyone.”
My mind raced, considering the implications. If Jaxon Hyde had connections to other paranormal beings, perhaps there was more potential for alliances than I’d realized. And maybe, just maybe, there was more to Tori’s past than even she knew.
“Thank you, Alpha Frost.” My heart was heavy with what he’d shared. “Your insight is appreciated.” I pressed on, wanting to know how Jaxon had met his fate. “Do you know how he was killed?”
“He was…taken by hunters, along with the rest of the Everwood Pack.”
Isaac’s careful wording made me wonder if Jaxon really was dead and what might have actually happened with Tori’s parents. Tori’s mother had been killed by shifters, but could her father have been killed by the hunters? Jaxon sounded like he’d been a good man, not someone who would force himself on a woman, especially a hunter.
I wanted to know the real story and protect Tori from any further harm. But before I could ask more questions, Isaac excused himself to tend to Montana Pack matters.
Returning to the front lobby, I found Tori chatting amiably with Diana. She looked up and gave me a questioning look as we walked outside together. “How’d it go?”
I decided to keep my suspicions about Jaxon Hyde to myself for now. “All packs in Blackwood Creek plan on staying for the time being.”
“Good,” Tori said. “But the Greenthornes are going to keep planting doubts that might make others leave.”
