The crowd parted like a wave as Gregory and Hannah pushed their way through, their sudden appearance eliciting gasps and growls from the pack.
Malcolm tensed his muscles, preparing for action, as he took in their appearance.They looked haggard, their clothes dirty and torn.But their faces were set in fierce expressions.
Nick’s voice rang out, barely containing his anger.“Why are you here?”
Hannah’s laugh was sharp and bitter, cutting through the tense silence.“How dare you ask us that, Nick Reagan?You, who stole this pack from its rightful leader?”
Her words were like a match to kindling.The pack erupted into chaos, voices rising in anger and confusion.Malcolm could smell the fear and aggression rolling off his packmates in waves.
“Traitors!”
“Throw them out!”
“Let them speak!”
The cacophony of voices made Malcolm’s head spin.
Larissa began to move toward Gregory and Hannah, her stance defensive but her expression conflicted.
Without thinking, Malcolm reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her back.“What are you doing?”he hissed.
Larissa wrenched her arm free.“I’m going to find out what they want,” she snapped.“Or would you rather we just attack without knowing what we’re dealing with?”
Her words stung, but Malcolm pushed the feeling aside.“And walk right into whatever trap they’ve set?Use your head, Larissa.We need to approach this carefully.”
A scuffle broke out between two younger pack members, their growls turning into snarls and yips as they grappled with each other.
This was supposed to be his moment, his chance to prove himself as alpha.Instead, it was devolving into chaos, the situation spiraling out of control.His dreams were slipping away, replaced by the very real threat of pack infighting.
Malcolm moved to intervene in the fight, but before he could take two steps, Nick’s voice boomed across the mesa.
“Enough!”
The single word carried such power that everyone froze.
Nick’s eyes blazed as he looked around at the pack.“We are not animals,” he said into the stillness.“We do not turn on each other at the first sign of trouble.Now, everyone will calm down and we will deal with this situation like the civilized people we are.”
As the pack settled, mumbling apologies and averting their eyes from Nick’s stern gaze, Malcolm’s mind raced.How had Gregory and Hannah managed to return undetected?The pack had been on high alert since Vincent’s defeat, with increased patrols and…
Oh shit.
The patrol.
The kiss.
The memory hit Malcolm like a physical blow.He and Larissa, lost in each other’s arms, completely oblivious to their surroundings.
A wave of self-loathing washed over him as he realized his lapse in judgment may have jeopardized the pack’s security.
He turned to Larissa, his anger at himself finding a new target.“This is your fault,” he muttered, low enough that only she heard.“If you hadn’t distracted me on that patrol—”
Larissa’s eyes widened in shock, then narrowed.“My fault?”
“Yes.You were the one who kissed me.Or have you conveniently forgotten that part?”
Her voice rose.“You didn’t exactly stop me.Or haveyouforgottenthatpart?”
Larissa’s words were like claws raking across his soul, but Malcolm was too caught up in his own guilt and frustration to back down.“I didn’t see you pushing me away,” he snarled.“Face it.We both screwed up, and now the whole pack is paying for it.”
