“Good thinking,” Luna said. “And this way, if the bear left cubs behind, we’ll be able to care for them.”
I didn’t particularly care about the bear cubs, but if Luna wanted them as her pets, she’d have them. Maybe we could even use them as a way to defend ourselves, if Rufus ever decided to attack us. They wouldn’t make too much of a difference when fighting a pack of werewolves, but they could at least provide some kind of delay.
But it was much too soon to think about that. For the moment, we had to actually find the lair and make sure it was suitable for werewolf habitation. After all, we might be shifters, but we weren’t animals.
Just like we’d planned, we went back the way we’d come, picking up our abandoned bags. We found the dead bear in the same place it had been, untouched by scavengers. The meat hadn’t started to smell yet, so maybe it would also be a good idea to butcher it later.
Using our acute sense of smell, we followed the bear’s trail. It was easy enough to find. Its lair wasn’t very far from the spot where it had attacked us. We didn’t actually see it, since it was hidden behind a rocky outcropping. But we heard the whining of the newly orphaned bear cubs and found them just outside, presumably trying to go to their mother.
As soon as she saw them, Luna kneeled in front of the cubs and buried her hand in their fur. Her fingers were still covered in the bear’s blood, but that didn’t scare the cubs. If anything, they seemed to take comfort in the familiarity. Maybe the creature’s scent had attached itself to Luna, or maybe she just had a very soothing presence, because they immediately started rubbing against her and licking her hands.
It was very endearing, and a mental image of Luna with our pups flashed through my head. It would be different, of course, because the bear cubs weren’t shifters. But even so, I was sure she’d be a wonderful mother.
This wasn’t the best time for her to be with pup, but the more I thought about it, the happier the idea made me. I’d wanted a family of my own for so long. Luna and I had only met a few days ago, but she’d already given me so much.
Still petting the bear cubs, Luna smiled back at me.“That’s my line,”she said through our connection.
“I think it’s safe to say we’ve all given one another plenty,”Nate added.
Sam was already entering the cave and analyzing the space. “It’s just as well that there’s four of us,” he said, this time out loud. “This will take some work.”
“Oh, I think we can manage it,” Luna replied, finally getting up. “We have to make sure it’s safe enough to stay here, anyway.”
I nodded, my joy at my impending parenthood fading away at the reminder of our problematic situation. “We’ll keep track of everything that’s going on, Luna. Once things settle down, I’ll go talk to Rufus myself. He’s a reasonable man, and he’s my brother. He won’t pursue this once I explain.”
“Do you really think so?” Luna asked, her voice tinged with doubt. “Based on what your mother said, your pack and your Alpha won’t exactly welcome your return.”
“They don’t have to,” I answered, “just as long as they respect my choice. And they will respect it. I won’t allow anything different.”
Determination wasn’t enough to change an Alpha’s mind. I knew that very well. But when it came to my bloodline, that determination was a weapon. I’d yet to truly use it, but I would, if I had to.
After all, Firewolves would listen to anyone who was strong enough to defeat the Alpha. If I had to kill my brother to make sure Luna was safe, I’d do that too. Nothing would stand in the way of our happiness. I wouldn’t allow it.
* * *
Rufus
Meanwhile
“Nicely done, Alpha Savage. I admit I didn’t expect you to ambush us like that.”
I licked my fangs of blood and snarled at Edgar Clayton. I didn’t appreciate him using his Alpha voice in front of me, as if he was trying to intimidate me. “I’d like to congratulate you too, but I think we both know I wouldn’t mean it.”
The battle had gone in our favor at first, just like I’d known it would. But Alpha Clayton had been more resourceful than I’d expected, and he’d quickly regrouped. He had known he was older and weaker than I was, so he had avoided facing me outright.
Instead, he was keeping me at a distance, and my fellow Firewolves and I had been forced to take refuge once again. The shore of the Bloodmoon Lake didn’t have a lot of rocky formations, but we’d adapted, just like we always did. Many of us had used the dead bodies of other shifters as protection. The Wolfsbanes were in a similar situation. They’d taken heavy losses, and I suspected they were running low on ammo too.
That left us at a bit of a stalemate. I didn’t want to lose any of my other brethren. I couldn’t afford it, and neither could Alpha Clayton.
He must have realized this, because when he spoke again, he wasn’t using his Alpha voice. “Tell me something, Alpha Savage,” Clayton said. “Do you still want my daughter to be your mate?”
The question gave me pause. I should have told him it was too late to make an alliance, even through an arranged bonding like that. I didn’t.
“You can’t possibly think you can throw her at me and call this whole thing off.”
We’d already gone too far for that. So many people had died. A pack war couldn’t just be abandoned.
“No, of course not. I understand it’s not so simple. But the chaos has just come, for the first time in nine years. I think that’s a sign, don’t you?”
