by J. E. Cluney
“All you need now is a tutu,” I smirked.
This earned me a devilish flutter of dark lashes as Scott stroked his beard. He was careful not to bump the three pink clips in the bushy hair.
He dug in, sipping a glass of cola we’d grabbed for him and leaving a bright red lipstick stain on it. He just grinned at this as he tossed back a few fries.
Ray filled him in on the cabins as we ate, and Scott’s mood dropped to a more subdued, uneasy state.
I kinda wished he was still in his childish zone.
We ate in uneasy silence after that, and despite Ray’s attempts to lighten the mood, Scott and I were too worried about our friends.
Ray ended up moving off to join a game of monopoly at Ruben’s request after dinner. Once they finished their game, a movie would be put on for the children. Tonight they’d chosen ‘Tangled’.
Scott and I moved to one of the free couches, slumping into the cushions as soft murmurs and childish laughter filled the room.
“So Lawrence didn’t want us helping in the search?” Scott growled, frustrated at being left out.
“No, he told me to stay out of it. He didn’t mention you, sorry.”
“I hope they call if they find anything, this is horrible, just waiting and hoping, praying they’re okay,” he sighed as he played with a pink clip in his beard. His lipstick had mostly worn off through dinner, but the rest of his makeup was still in place.
“I’m sure they are,” I murmured, but I knew it was useless. I couldn’t even convince myself of that.
“Do you think you’ll have children if you’re Alpha? I know last time we spoke about it, you wanted to be a Huntress. But so much has changed in such a short amount of time,” Scott murmured as he changed the subject abruptly while he watched Ray play monopoly. Ruben was pouting as he had to pay rent to Ethan for landing on his property.
“I don’t know. I’m still getting my head around all these sudden changes. It’s crazy,” I admitted. No point pretending this wasn’t a whirlwind of a ride.
“Yeah, you went from being a bar working, Huntress in training to fighting an Alpha and claiming his Pack pretty quick.”
“To be honest, I never wanted to be an Alpha, and now I suddenly am. It’s both terrifying and empowering. There’s so much I can do to help this Pack, but at the same time the thought of leading them is quite overwhelming,” I said as I downed the last of my cola. It was watered down to nothing now.
Scott just nodded along as he watched the children in his bright purple eyeshadow and blush.
“As for children. Maybe. The more I’ve been around them, the more I think about it. I still want to be a Huntress, but if I’ve got you guys, it’s not all on me to raise them. Maybe I could find a way to make it work,” I said as I carefully thought over it. I wouldn’t lie, it was a thought that had bugged me whenever the children were around. My boys would make great fathers.
Scott just turned to look at me with adoring chocolate eyes.
“Jeez, look at me, so determined to not be a breeder and bailing to only now maybe wanting just that,” I snorted at myself.
“You’ve been through a lot, it gives you a new perspective,” Scott said as he rested a hand on my thigh.
“Yeah, I guess so,” I said as my eyes wandered to Ray as he popped some little green houses onto the board. Guess he was gathering up the real estate.
“He’s a nice guy, Ray. Good to you. I think he’ll be a good addition to our group. Jaye and Nathan will like him, they’ll accept him,” Scott said with a small smile.
“Yeah, he’s done wonders for me. He figured out the stuff with Richard’s hunting cabins, so we owe him for that too.”
I snuggled into Scott’s shoulder, closing my eyes as I listened to the children around me.
I rested with Scott for a time, only rousing when the projector was turned on by May and ‘Tangled’ began playing on the screen on the far wall.
The children were all grouped on the floor with blankets and pillows, some of the mother’s lying down with them. The teens were further to the back, taking up the other couch with their sleeping bags sprawled out on the floor. Gretle was perched on the couch beside Ethan, while Vance sat on the other side of him. Gregory, Brayden, and Luke sat on the floor with Isabella, while Jasmine was with the younger group closer to the screen.
I watched the movie as it started with the evil witch woman stealing the baby away and locking her in a tower. I’d seen the movie before, but it was a nice refresher. I did enjoy my Pixar and Disney movies still.
I realized that Ray was on my other side, his warmth seeping into me as he rested a hand on my thigh.
I nestled contentedly between the pair, their bodies driving away the darkness inside my mind. Flashes of Richard, the feeling of him forcing himself inside me, tearing my walls. A gentle squeeze of Ray’s hand drove it all away, and I covered his hand in mine.
Ray’s phone sounded off, causing him to pull his hand free to retrieve the phone.
The way his face dropped to seriousness made me sit up in a flash.
“You’re sure?” he asked quietly, not wanting to alert anyone else in the room. Scott and I were both staring at him, waiting for an explanation.
“Shit, okay, I’ll let the Alpha know,” he growled as the phone clicked off.
“What is it?” I demanded, and he gave me a distressed look as his jaw hardened.
“The men were seen on the camera’s down at the southern corner, the patrol has been dispatched to the area.”
I shot to my feet, adrenaline coursing through me as my mind focused on Beth, Bianca, and Mary.
I steeled myself as I reminded myself of my position and duty to this Pack.
“What are you going to do?” Ray hissed as he stood up with me. May was now looking our way with concern.
“What can I do?” I murmured, my heart speeding up. I wanted to race out there and find them, rip into those men and demand to know where Beth, Bianca, and Mary were.
But I also couldn’t leave these children and women here with no Alpha to protect them.
Fuck.
“Nothing, you need to have faith in your patrol. Your duty is here, protecting the children while their fathers are out there,” Ray said as Scott stood to my side.
“I’ll go,” Scott offered, but I shook my head.
“We’re not manned enough here as it is, if they happen to sneak through, we will all be needed right here,” I said firmly. Even with the remaining members of the Pryce Pack outside, we needed all available fighters here.
“So we just sit on our asses and wait?” Scott said harshly.
I gritted my teeth, hating it as much as he did. “Yes.”
I growled softly as I began pacing the length of the large window, peering out into the darkness as unease and frustration gnawed at me.
I should be out there, doing my job as a Huntress, dealing with these deserters and traitors. But as an Alpha, I was right where I needed to be.
“Does this place have a bunker?” I asked when Ray joined me at the window. I crossed my arms as I stared out at the clearing, the moon lighting the area for an easy line of sight.
“No, Richard never cared enough to do that,” Ray growled softly.
“That’ll be another thing to add,” I murmured as my eyes flicked around the clearing.
The Pryce camp was alive, members scouting around, their golden eyes informing me they already knew of the trouble. At least we had them nearby.
We stayed at the window, staring out as we waited in tense silence. The movie was playing behind us still, but it was drowned out as I focused on the clearing, reaching out with all my senses for the slightest thing out of place.
I jumped as Ray’s phone sounded off again, and he snapped it to his ear instantly.
“Update?” he demanded.
I listened to the muffled voice, unable to make out full words. Whoever it was sounded breathless.
“Right, I’ll let May know
, we’ll get Melissa here.”
Melissa, May’s mother. The on-site doctor.
Shit.
“Jack, Damien’s beta, got wounded. He was manning the southern outpost, the one closest to the corner, and got attacked. The patrol got there in time to drive them off. Some of them have given chase, the others are bringing Jack back for medical treatment.”
“Right, get May to contact her mother,” I nodded firmly.
“The deserters have left the borders, perhaps they were just testing our security, they’re being chased now though,” Ray said.
I just pursed my lips as he headed over to inform May of the update.
She was up and on her satellite phone in an instant.
I chewed my lip as I pulled out my own phone, speed dialing my father.
I needed to let him know of this new change.
It rang a few times before he answered in a rush.
“What’s wrong?” he asked instantly.
“They came in down at the southern border, one of the paid protectors got injured. Some of my men have given chase. Just thought you should know,” I said as I relayed the information.
“No, of course, thank you,” my father breathed, and I could sense his frustration.
“How’s the cabin search going?” I asked quietly.
“Shit. A bust so far, but we’ve got two more to check. I’ll call you once we’ve checked them and let you know if we found anything,” he growled.
“Okay, thank you,” I murmured, my heart squeezing at the information. So they’d had no luck yet. I hoped they’d find our girls. We were all out of other options otherwise in the search.
“I’ll send Nathan and Jaye over as well. It’s quite obvious that they’re after you now, so you can use more protection,” he sighed, and I could just picture him massaging his temple.
“I thought you needed them to protect the Pack?”
“Unlike your new Pack, ours has all been trained to fight. We can stand losing two more able bodies. Our numbers are larger too,” he reminded me.
“Right, okay, thanks,” I said.
“Be careful Tay, those men are dangerous,” he said. And with those last words, the phone clicked off.
Shouts rose up outside, and I followed Ray out into the clearing where some of the patrol had turned up.
They were carrying a bloody Jack, who was groaning as his head lolled back.
“Shit,” I breathed as I drew closer and saw the knife wounds.
Melissa was already there, investigating his wounds carefully as his two Pack mates sat him down in an ugly green camp chair.
“I need him back to the infirmary, we need more tools to patch him up. These wounds are deep,” Melissa said, her blonde hair done up in a tight bun. She was the spitting image of her daughter, her green eyes acute and focused.
His Pack mates obeyed as they hefted him back up, and Melissa led the way to her beat up black sedan she’d driven over in.
Jude was huffing and distressed as she went with them, and I could only imagine the fear and concern she had for her mate. Her two other mates stayed with the camp, and I was eternally grateful for their aid.
“Some of my people and yours gave chase, but they lost them out at road. They must’ve had a vehicle to escape in. Thankfully we arrived in time to stop them from killing Jack. Two of them were there, attacking him,” Damien said as he slipped away from the crowd watching as Jack was loaded into the backseat carefully. His yelps and cries made my skin prickle, and I wanted to go to him and thank him, and apologize.
“Okay, wait, only two?” I frowned as I turned to look at him properly.
“Yes, just the two,” Damien nodded, but lines of concern marred his face.
“Then we need the patrol back out. There’s five men, and the others could be looking to find another way in while we’re distracted,” I said firmly, my gut twisting at the thought. I wouldn’t put it past them to create a diversion.
“Understood, I’ll send the patrol back out,” Damien nodded. “We’ve got a fair few still out there, but with this attack, we need as many men as we can spare.”
“Ray!” I barked, calling him over from where he stood speaking to some of the Pryce Pack and our own patrolling members.
“Yeah?” he hurried over, his eyes flicking between us.
“Call Harrison, see if he can round up all the available men. The women should come here to the lodge too, to make them as safe as possible. We could still have three men out there.” I filled him in.
He nodded and was on his phone instantly as I eyed the members of the Pryce Pack. They were fuming, eyes flashing yellow as they paced and growled.
Damien called for them, regrouping them before they headed back out to continue patrolling. I could only hope that none of the deserters had slipped through in this chaos.
Ray was handling the situation with the Pack members, and now I stood numbly to the side, wondering what else I could do.
Where else could they try to cross?
Firestone Ridge was a possibility.
“Need me to do anything?” Scott asked as he appeared by my side.
“There’s some Pryce members still at the camp, can you take two of them up to Firestone Ridge and see if there’s any change up there, if they’ve tried to cross?” I asked.
“Of course,” he nodded briskly. “Will you be okay here on your own?”
“Ray’s gathering the rest of the Pack, all the men not on patrol and the women. We’ll bring them all to the lodge where we can keep them better guarded.”
“Good idea,” Scott nodded.
Before he could head off, Ray was bolting over with fear and uncertainty radiating off of him.
I knew instantly that something was wrong.
“Fiona and David aren’t answering. Their place is not too far from Firestone Ridge. All the others are on their way, Harrison is making sure everyone is grouped together as quickly as possible as they head over, but he’s asking if he should go check on Fiona and David?”
“Shit, okay,” I growled as I considered my options. “Scott, take two of the Pryce Pack and go to Fiona and David’s place. Ray, tell Harrison to keep bringing everyone here,” I said as I turned back to Ray. He just nodded in firm agreement.
I was worried about the couple, but I also couldn’t divert my manpower there if it was just a case of them being asleep and unable to answer their phones.
But I couldn’t take any chances either.
“Where’s their place?” Scott asked.
Fuck. Okay.
“Ray, can you go with him? Show him where it is?” I asked.
“Of course, but what about you? You’ll be left almost unguarded here?” Ray frowned, his jaw ticking at the urgent situation.
“I’ve still got some of the Pryce Pack, and the men and women will be joining me soon. I’ll be okay,” I assured him.
He didn’t look convinced, so I growled at him. “Fiona and David could be in trouble, they could need help.”
“Right,” Ray nodded. Then he was off on his phone as Scott headed over to collect two members of the Pryce Pack.
I glanced back at the lodge, with all the children tucked inside. I didn’t doubt some of the older teens were aware of the commotion outside.
I strode back into the lodge, and May was over instantly with worry ruling her face.
“What’s going on?” she hissed.
“Three of the deserters are unaccounted for, and Fiona and David can’t be reached. We’re sending up a few men to check on them, everyone else is being summoned here.”
May nodded, her frown deepening.
“Fiona is a sweet lady, I hope she’s okay,” she murmured.
“I hope so too. Can you maybe get some of the older kids to watch the screens in the security room? The ones set up around the lodge? We will need their help as we’re stretched thin right now.”
“Of course, what should I tell them?” she said as she hesitated.
; “The truth. We have deserters who could be coming and we need to know if they’re nearby. We need their help right now, even if they’re young. Make sure the whole place is locked too, I’ll man the porch and keep an eye out.”
“Got it,” May nodded briskly as she hurried over to the far couch to talk to the teens.
I surveyed the living area where many of the children were now asleep as the last few scenes of ‘Tangled’ played out on the screen.
I wouldn’t let anything happen to the children here. I’d die before I let them get hurt.
I marched back outside, spying Regina and Francine heading over with Brian and a few other women. They’d rushed over quickly, probably fearing for the children.
“Harrison is rounding everyone up along with some of the other men, they’ll be here soon too,” Regina informed me as she hurried up the porch steps. “Is it true one of the Pryce Pack got hurt?”
“Yes, he’s at the infirmary now, knife wounds,” I growled.
Regina’s face whitened at that news and she rushed inside to find Ruben.
“Francine, can you head to the security room and help the teens there keep an eye out? Brian, I’ll need as many men guarding the lodge as possible,” I said as the couple joined me on the porch.
Francine nodded and headed inside as Brian crossed his arms and turned to look back out into the clearing.
“This is crazy,” Brian muttered. His blue eyes were alert and anxious as he scanned the area, his bulky figure standing solid beside me, his rusty brown hair ruffling in the night breeze.
“I know,” I agreed.
“What do we do if they show up?” he asked.
“Take them into custody if possible,” I murmured.
“And if it’s not possible?”
Deal with them,” I stated, not elaborating on how. I didn’t need to. Brian’s arms flexed as he sighed.
We may have to kill to protect the children.
“Has anyone told Quinn and John about their parents?” he asked after a moment. “We couldn’t get ahold of them.”
“No, they’re out on patrol, and we need them focused. I’ve sent men to check on them,” I sighed. I hated not telling the two brothers about their parents, but we needed all the fighters out patrolling, keeping the territory safe.
