Chapter 13

ZACH

The humans were persistent.

Zach watched the screens on the desk grimly. The grainy image was currently showing five humans setting up yet another campsite along the outer perimeter of the pack territory.

No matter how many times they were pushed back by the wolves, they came back.

They would just move farther down, never straying far from the perimeter line but never crossing onto official Silver River land.

They knew what they were doing.

“Their proximity is starting to make the pack nervous,” Alex grumbled. “I don’t like that we still don’t know what they’re doing here.”

He fidgeted in the seat he had dragged around the desk to sit next to Zach.

“All we know so far is that they are definitely not hikers.” Zach sighed heavily, leaning his head against the back of the seat and closing his eyes.

He could feel a headache beginning to pound behind his eyelids, and for a moment, he considered seeking out Anna to distract himself from the problems that kept arising.

Neither male said anything for a long moment before Zach finally asked, “What do you suggest?”

Alex stared intently at the screens, his eyes following the movements of the humans as his fingers tapped a rhythm on the desk.

“We can’t allow them to think we’re approachable. We don’t know them or their intentions. Even if they’re harmless, if we allow them to stay, other factions will begin to think that our territory is fair game.”

Zach nodded without opening his eyes, lifting one hand and gesturing to Alex to continue his train of thought.

“Honestly, I think we need a show of strength, a demonstration that Silver River is not a pack to mess with.”

“They aren’t leaving us much choice,” Zach muttered, opening one eye to peer at Alex. “We’re still rebuilding the pack’s reputation, and this situation has the potential to destroy that effort.”

He turned his attention back to the screens, watching as a man began walking around outside the hastily erected camp.

He peered into the trees before stooping to the ground, moving a hand through the foliage as if searching for something.

A short growl of frustration escaped Zach.

“They know we have surveillance on them, which has to mean that they know exactly who they’re dealing with, and they don’t care. They don’t seem threatened by us at all, but maybe it’s time that they learned not to mess with wolves.”

Zach leaned forward in his seat and pressed a button that turned all the screens to black.

He knew people were assigned to watch the “hikers” 24/7 in rotation.

Just at that moment, there was a knock at the door, and Jon walked into the office.

“Just in time. We were just discussing what to do with our human interlopers,” Zach said in greeting.

The sinister smile that Jon gave in return was all Zach needed to know the lieutenant’s thoughts on how to handle the situation.

Zach quickly interjected, “With as little bloodshed as possible.”

He laughed as Jon’s smile dropped like a stone.

“We need to make an example of them, to warn everyone about our territory, but we also need to keep our reputation of being fairly diplomatic so that this won’t impact our future financial dealings,” Alex told Jon grimly, obviously more than a little put out himself about the lack of violent options.

“Diplomacy takes all the fun out of things,” Jon muttered sulkily as he lowered himself into the remaining chair on the other side of the desk.

“I’ll have a think on it, consider all the angles. I came here to tell you that I need to head back into the city. Apparently, someone has topped our bids on three separate deals, and I’m smelling something rotten about it all.”

“So five humans have remained camped outside our perimeter for over a week, a new pack member—from Gray Wing, no less—was kidnapped, ~and~ someone is messing with our business deals?”

Zach raised an eyebrow, his gaze moving consideringly between Alex and Jon.

“I don’t know about you, but I don’t believe in these kinds of coincidences.”

“It’s definitely got the feel of an orchestrated attack,” Jon said thoughtfully. “So, if it is, what would be the next point of attack?”

The room fell into a tense silence as each male considered the question. Finally, Zach spoke a truth that no one wanted to even humor.

“An attack from the inside.”

“You really think the pack members could be turned again, after everything we’ve all been through?” Alex questioned, the disbelief strong in his voice.

Zach trusted his second utterly, knowing that his second was completely loyal to both Silver River and him as its alpha.

That loyalty, however, might be the thing that blinds him to the possibilities of treachery.

Zach had learned that hard lesson on greed a long time ago, and it was not one that he would forget.

Everyone had a price, whether it was money or power, that would make them give up the people they claimed to love.

Phillip had chosen to believe the best in people, and that naivete had landed him dead with a figurative knife in his back and a catastrophic mess for Zach to clean up.

“Never underestimate how little it would take to turn someone against family,” Zach muttered darkly, his mind firmly entrenched in the past.

“We won’t let it get to that point,” Alex declared, staring hard at Zach.

“The assumption is, at least, until we know more, that someone is attempting to destroy our pack. This means we’re already a step ahead because they’ve lost the element of surprise. We’ll fortify ourselves, on all fronts, and counter each attack until we have more information. Once we know our enemy, we’ll mount an offensive of our own.”

Zach’s gaze locked with Alex’s, who clapped a hand over Zach’s shoulder. “History will not repeat itself, not while the pack has you as its alpha.”

The confidence in Alex’s voice made Zach smile. He slapped his hands against the surface of the desk and stood up.

“All right, enough doom and gloom. We’ll make a game plan later. In the meantime, I need to eat.”

Alex and Jon laughed before all three men exited the office, walking to the dining hall together.

As they walked, they bounced strategies for dealing with the humans off one another, although Zach was finding it particularly difficult to steer Jon away from the idea of just casually ripping them to pieces.

Especially since Zach wouldn’t have minded sinking his teeth into them himself.

As they entered the hall, Zach noticed that several female heads turned to peer at the trio.

Zach didn’t usually notice such details but knew that it was probably a standard reaction to three unmated dominant wolves.

There hadn’t been a lot of true matings since the pack’s numbers had been brutally decimated, which had led to a significant increase in claimed matings.

While there was nothing wrong with claimed matings, it was having a huge impact on the number of successful pregnancies that were occurring within the pack.

Just another indication that showed that the pack still hadn’t fully recovered from what had happened.

Whatever was coming, Silver River wasn’t at full strength yet.

Zach’s gaze swept across the dining hall, subconsciously searching as he followed Alex and Jon to the buffet table, where they all took turns piling a plate high with food.

They found an unoccupied table, and as Zach sat down, he gave up on looking around the room and ignored the feeling of disappointment that sat in the pit of his stomach.

Jon broke into Zach’s thoughts as he leaned forward and murmured quietly, “So, we taking bets on who comes over here first?”

Alex chuckled, and Zach covered his smirk by shoving a forkful of food in his mouth just as a female approached the table.

Alex’s smile dropped as he stared at her, deadpan.

“Hey, guys,” Clara greeted, giving each of them a quick, nervous smile.

“I’m sorry to bother your meal, Zach. I just wanted to know whether the new computers would be arriving soon.”

Her voice was hopeful as she peered at Zach, her hands clasped behind her back.

Zach knew that she was probably twisting her fingers nervously and felt a surge of pride that she had been brave enough to approach their table.

She was an extremely submissive shifter, and things had only become worse when her entire family had been killed in the uprising against Phillip.

She had been struggling to fit in with the pack until about a year ago when Zach had discovered her aptitude for technology.

She was currently designing a new surveillance system for the land surrounding the pack, and Zach hoped it would be virtually undetectable.

“They’ll be arriving tomorrow, Clara,” Alex interjected while Zach continued to try and swallow his mouthful of food.

Clara’s eyes darted to Alex as he spoke, her face flaming red. She looked back at Zach and muttered a “thanks” before darting away.

Zach’s eyes followed her curiously before looking over at Alex. He forcibly swallowed his food so he could demand, “What was that about?”

Alex didn’t look at Zach, his eyes still on Clara’s retreating back. “What was what about?”

Once Clara was out of sight, Alex’s eyes slid back to meet Zach’s gaze, who could tell no more information would be revealed.

Zach looked at Jon, who only shook his head, having no idea about what was going on either. The table was silent as Alex continued eating.

Zach shrugged, taking a mouthful of his own meal. He decided he would press Alex later to find out what was going on.

The rest of their meal went undisturbed, and the males decided to leave the matter of the humans alone for a more casual dinner conversation.

Zach was grateful for the respite, the headache that still throbbed behind his eyes sending out tendrils of pain to his temple and the base of his skull.

Once his plate was clear, he rose from the table and left it on a tray of dirty dishes that were waiting to be taken to the kitchen.

He almost made it out of the room before his luck ran out as Theresa moved to intercept him.

He tamped down his sigh, wondering why he was feeling so unusually impatient.

He wasn’t in a rush and had nowhere in particular to be, so why did he feel the need to run from this woman who was staring sternly at him?

“Zach, can we talk?” Theresa’s voice was quiet, almost tentative, and Zach’s concern won over the impatience.

Her face was pale, and the lines around her mouth and eyes were prominent as if she wasn’t sleeping well.

“Sure, what’s wrong?” he queried, but Theresa looked around the room before nodding her head toward the exit.

“Let’s talk and walk.”

Zach quickly fell into step beside her as she turned to leave the hall without waiting for a response. He caught her muttering, “There’s too many big ears in here.”

They turned left outside the entrance to the dining hall, walking until the sounds of people chatting and eating had quieted to a whisper.

Zach had to consciously adjust his stride to match Theresa’s much shorter one while he waited for her to speak.

Once she was sure there was no one around to eavesdrop, she broke the silence. “You have to do something about Anna.”

Zach froze mid-step, blinking owlishly. That was the last thing that he had expected her to say.

Theresa took a few steps forward before she realized that Zach was no longer beside her, and she swung on her heel to look at him.

As their eyes met, Zach felt indignation spear through him.

“Excuse me?” he demanded sotto voce, eyes observing Theresa as she stiffened under his glare. When she didn’t reply immediately, he continued.

“I really don’t think that’s ~any~ of your business, Theresa. You have no right to meddle in my personal affairs. You may have carte blanche with most pack members, but—”

“It’s affecting the pack!” Theresa snapped, cutting off Zach’s tirade and firmly catching his attention with her uncharacteristic anger.

“The whole mating, your emotions, whatever…it’s affecting the pack mood. There have been more fights, especially with the young, and everyone is unsure. They can sense your instability, but they have no idea what’s going on.

“I ~know~ that you’re bonding with her. I smelled you that day in the dining hall. I don’t know how you’re managing to tamp the scent down, but that won’t make this go away.”

She took a deep breath when she finished while Zach gritted his teeth.

Anger and guilt were battling for dominance in his veins, and it took a long while for him to respond.

When he finally did, he only commented lowly, “I didn’t think this would affect the pack.”

“You are the heart of this pack, Zach. Without you, we would all be lost.” Theresa paused again, turning forward and beginning to walk again.

Zach followed her lead, once again falling into step beside her.

“Why are you avoiding bonding with her? Finding your true mate is supposed to be a celebration, not a dirty secret.”

“The pack needs me to be focused, Theresa. Something big is coming, and we still aren’t as strong as we need to be.”

Theresa gave Zach a considering look out of the corner of her eye.

“And just how focused are you?” she asked snarkily before murmuring, “You underestimate your own strength and our pack’s.”

They turned a corner, and Theresa smiled in greeting as someone passed them.

“The pack is in a good place, Zach. Everyone is happy and safe. I’m not saying there isn’t room for improvement, but laughter once again fills the halls. I don’t know much about the military side of things, but I assume it’s good.”

Zach figured by the smug smirk curling her lip that Theresa knew for a fact that Silver River’s soldiers were in top fighting shape.

“Why do I need to be mated then if the pack is in such good shape?”

“The number of true matings is low, but it’s increasing… Imagine the hope that would fill the hearts of the pack members if their very own alpha found his true mate. Ignoring the fact that the pack takes their lead from you, a mate is designed to complement you. They don’t weaken you, no matter what you may think.”

Theresa huffed at the very idea.

“You think you’ll be more focused without her when, in reality, you’ll be more divided than ever. Your emotions will be tied to her, constantly worried about her whereabouts, her safety, and her happiness. Your head won’t be in the game… In fact, I bet you that you’re already struggling. Am I right?”

Zach refused to look at her, stubbornly remaining silent. Theresa took that as an agreement, carrying on with the conversation.

Zach wondered snippily if he even needed to be there for this. She seemed to be able to carry out a conversation with herself just fine.

“Our alpha finding his true mate is a celebration, a reason for the whole pack to rejoice. Not only are you depriving them of that, but what about Anna? She’s been through a lot in her life… Doesn’t she deserve better now?

“She’s your mate, which means she’s meant to be here. She’s meant to help you lead our pack. Do you think that fate would give you a mate that would weaken us? I’m sure you can already see that almost everyone who has met her loves her.”

They came to a halt in the middle of the hallway. Zach turned toward Theresa as he rubbed the back of his neck.

“I hear what you’re saying, and I know you’re right. Well, more like I ~feel~ you’re right. My head is still telling me that she might not be ready for me and everything that being my mate entails.

“Theresa, her whole life, she was kept in the dark…about everything that comes with being a shifter. To come here and, within weeks, find out I’m meant to be her true mate? I’ll be lucky if she doesn’t take off running.”

Theresa watched Zach thoughtfully for a moment before she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug.

As she held onto him, she wondered aloud, “What if she already knows and she’s still here?”

She stepped back, giving Zach a small smile before turning back the way they had come from and walking away.

Zach watched her go, her words running through his head as he wondered whether she could be right.

Zach closed his eyes, sighing softly.

He felt like he was waging a war right inside his chest, uncertainty filling him as he considered his next move.

He’d had no idea that this whole thing would affect the entire pack, but now that Theresa had told him, it made sense.

The pack bond was a powerful thing, and there was still a lot that they didn’t know about it.

The fact that the alpha of a pack was at the center of it was one of the only known facts.

A muffled sound drew Zach out of his thoughts, and he looked down the hallway, noticing that he was near the training rooms.

It sounded as if one of them was in use.

His wristwatch told him it was nearly 8 p.m. Zach moved toward the room where the sounds were coming from, wondering who would be training so late.

As he approached the door, the sounds grew louder and a feminine cry pierced the air.

Zach immediately surged into action, shoving the door open so hard that it smashed into the wall.

As he caught sight of the occupants in the room, he felt his vision go hazy, and the taste of metal filled his mouth as his teeth elongated, piercing through the skin of his bottom lip.

All logical thought left him as he roared, the sound echoing throughout the room.