AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Here, here indeed.
As the sun continued its ascent into the sky, filling the morning with light and warmth, I basked in a glimmer of hope. With each new ally, our chances of defeating the hunters increased.
I spent some time with the Southwest Pack. Each shifter shared their tales of struggle and survival. I was getting ready to leave when Elias approached me. “Ridge, when you have a moment, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you.”
I turned to the alpha. “Of course, Elias. What’s on your mind?”
“Once things have settled down, we should talk about strengthening the bonds between our packs. Perhaps through marriages or other alliances,” he suggested.
“Interesting idea,” I said. “Let’s revisit it after we’ve dealt with the immediate threat of the hunters.” His ideas were valid, if a little outdated. I wouldn’t force any shifter into a marriage to strengthen the bonds between our packs.
Elias seemed happy with my response as he nodded. “Agreed. For now, our focus must be on protecting our people and eliminating the enemy.”
“Exactly.” I shook his hand and left the clearing.
I decided to check on Tori’s tattoo parlor. As I walked through town, I heard shouting from an alley nearby.
“Stay out of our territory!” one of the Ontario Pack wolves yelled.
“Your territory? Last time I checked, this is Blackwood Creek.” That came from one of the Montana Pack wolves.
I stepped between them. “What the hell is going on here?”
“Ask these idiots,” the Montana Pack shifter blurted. “They shifted too close to town, Ridge. Humans could have seen them.”
“Is that true?” I asked, my gaze landing on the Ontario wolves.
He didn’t look sorry, which was confirmed to me when he replied, “Maybe, but what does it matter? The humans won’t matter soon, anyway. This town will be ours soon enough.”
“Watch your mouth,” another Montana wolf growled low in his throat.
“We’re all on the same side here,” I said, trying to quell the tension. “We need to focus on the hunters, not each other. Now, tell me exactly what happened.”
“Fine,” the first Montana wolf said. “We saw them shift near the edge of town. It was reckless.” This shifter was right to be concerned, but he’d gone the wrong way about it.
“Reckless or not, we need to work together against the hunters,” I said. “To start with, you can’t just claim territory here. Blackwood Creek is mine. I get that it’s an alpha’s natural instinct to claim territory, but that won’t work here. You have a problem with another pack, so it needs to be discussed.” I worked my jaw muscles, straining to keep calm.
“Discuss it with who?” the Montana wolf spat. “You? We don’t answer to you, Ridge.”
The lack of respect was pressing my wolf, who wanted to push this shifter until he submitted to me. It was difficult not to growl at the stubborn man. “Look, we’re all part of a larger pack now,” I said evenly. “That means we need to respect each other’s boundaries and work together.”
I clenched my fists to keep my rage at bay. How could these shifters be so blinded by their own prejudices? They were playing right into Christie Greenthorne’s manipulative hands, and I couldn’t help but wonder how many more packs had been poisoned by her lies.
“You’ve all been listening to the bullshit Christie Greenthorne has been spewing,” I said. “That woman doesn’t give a damn about any of you. She’s using you all as pawns inher sick little game. If you keep fighting each other, we’ll be easy prey for the hunters.”
“Ha, you really think we’re that stupid?” the impertinent Montana shifter said. “Maybe you should worry about your own pack, alpha. It’s not our fault you can’t keep your mate in line.”
This shifter had a death wish. He was throwing out anything he could to get under my skin.
“Enough!” I roared, the force of my roar shaking the ground beneath us. “This ends now. You will all work together, or I will personally see to it that you face the consequences. Do you understand?”
“United? With these fools? Not likely,” Christie’s stooge said.
“Then you’re no better than the hunters,” I said. “Now, I suggest you back off and find a way to coexist. Or I’ll make damn sure you won’t have a choice.”
“Fine,” one of the Ontario shifters said. “But don’t expect us to play nice with the Montana Pack. They’ve got no respect for us.”
“Respect has to be earned,” I said, my eyes narrowing. “Now get lost. I don’t want to see any more confrontations like this.”
