Where Brand was a beta to Lars, Diesel was just…Diesel. When I picked my betas, Brand wasn’t happy that I chose someone as wild and volatile as Diesel; he preferred shifters who were more stoic and steady. Diesel was neither.
Which wasexactlywhy I asked him. Killian was solid and dependable and my last line of defense for my pack. Brand was clever and quick. He knew how pack politics worked, and his advice was well thought out in advance. Diesel was precise, not loud, not flashy; he justwas.
Axel and Cody were the yin to each other’s yang. Two sides of the same coin, and it was one of the reasons I had separated them. Cody and Killian would prepare the pack at Stonefang to be ready to go the moment I needed them. Axel and Brand would teach the shifters here and train them as much as they could in a short time.
And Diesel…Diesel was going hunting for traitors.
I led him into the house and told him to take a seat. He sniffed the air and raised an eyebrow.
“No mated shifters in here,” he said, dropping onto the couch, and I heard it creak in protest.
“Wearemates, we just both need time to come to terms with the realization.”
“Bullshit.” He pulled out another cigarette, and I leaned over and removed it from his hand.
“Not in the house.”
He snatched it back off me and put it back in the pack and then looked around. “It’s small. I thought there were rooms and more…”
“That was the pack hall. Too close to the pack if you know what I mean.”
Diesel grinned. “Not want to hear their princess getting railed by her mate?”
I heaved a sigh. “And other reasons, Diesel.”
“I’ll ward it when your druid has been and left again.” He folded his legs in front of him and got comfy. “It could be a while before they get here.” He saw my look and studied me. “You letting that shit fly?”
“It’s complicated.”
Diesel grunted. “Only if you allow it.”
Diesel wasn’t wrong about the length of time it took the druid to arrive, and my patience was wearing very thin when they finally swept through the door like they owned my house.
“You make me wait this long again, Druid, and it won’t be Diesel you need to ward yourself against.” I didn’t break their stare until they dropped their head in a small nod.
“You show your alpha respect,” Diesel growled as he unfolded from the seat. “Sage, ash, iron, and”—he sniffed once—“blood of a foal? Really?” He shook his head in disgust. “Parlor trick crap. It won’t ward you against me.”
“You can detect the spell?” the druid asked, moving forward, their eyes alight with curiosity. “What are you?”
Diesel gave them a flat look and then pointedly ignored them.
Luna, grant me patience, I asked as I positioned myself between them. “Shall we start?” When neither said anything, I decided that was good enough for me. “Diesel is my enforcer,” I told the druid easily, ignoring their assessing look as I continued. “He’s here for one reason only?—”
“To hunt,” the druid said, shifting their gaze to my beta. “You’re a tracker?”
Diesel snorted. “All shifters are trackers,” he said with a rumble. “Your wards are lacking any potency,” he continued. “Barely felt a twinge as I stepped into the renowned Hollow.” His lip curled up in a sneer. “Your Heartwood lacks attention.”
The druid’s eyes blazed with fury. “You dared enter the sacred grove uninvited?” they seethed.
“Who’s it sacred to? You?” Diesel looked at them with insolence. “I thought it was for the packs of the Hollow?”
“Youdo not belong to a pack of the Hollow.”
Diesel leaned forward, his eyes alight with glee. “I am my alpha’s beta. If this is his pack, then this ismypack.”
The druid was as enraged as he was fascinated with him, and I could see the wheels in their head spinning. Calculating. I stepped in before this got out of hand.
“Can you two come back to this later?” I asked, my voice as dry as possible, bringing both of their attention to me. “While I might enjoy you two duking it out, I have two packs to look after.”
