Page 87 of Knotting Autumn

“Do all wolf packs have some sort of business like that?”

“I’m not sure. But it’s how we make our money.” He shrugged, his focus staying on the road as it curved.

We’d been driving for half an hour already. It would take another hour to reach our apartment, and then another two hours past that to reach the pack’s central location. Their territory was large enough it took hours to cross it.

“You said that you and Cole had your own house?”

“Yeah, I expect we’ll stay there as long as Hunter hasn’t given it to someone else. I’m not sure how much he’s changed in the month we’ve been gone.”

I wanted to reassure him that not that much could have changed, but the reality was that Hunter was the same man that attacked our apartment and then tracked us to the woods and kidnapped Cole. He was unstable, but no one could say he wasn’t a man of action.

Fighting back a shudder, I sank deeper into my seat.

We rode in silence, except for my few attempts at small talk, like when I pointed out a deer along the side of the road. Thorne and Sawyer were clearly not interested in talking, so I held Sawyer’s hand and stared at the front window, trying to keep my thoughts blank.

My stomach tied itself in knots as we pulled off the highway onto what looked like a service or access road. It wasn’t dirt, but the pavement was rough and uneven, and Thorne slowed down.

“There are cameras. They’ll know we’re here.”

My teeth sunk into my lip hard enough to sting, and I flinched, not realizing I had been biting it. Opening my mouth, I swiped my tongue over my bottom lip.

“So how many of these people are loyal to Hunter?”

A dimple formed on Thorne’s cheek as he grimaced. “Theoretically, everyone. He’s the alpha. But we still have some friends.”

Pulling around a curve in the road, the trees opened up to reveal a huge cabin. Cabin wasn’t the right word—it was a log mansion. Two stories of windows were framed with a massive wraparound porch.

“Thorne, is this your family’s home?” I breathed.

He rubbed the back of his neck, steering with one hand as he pulled to the side and parked. Half a dozen tall, muscled men stood in a line in front of the house, all watching us with blank expressions.

On the porch, framed by massive double doors, stood Hunter. My stomach clenched, unnerved by his resemblance to Thorne and the memories of violence. A bruise bloomed over his jaw, so he hadn’t walked away from our conflict unscathed.

Stepping out of the truck, Thorne faced his brother. While Hunter wore a white button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up, Thorne was in a gray sweater and jeans, his hair messy and swept back. I had no idea how I’d ever mistaken Hunter for Thorne. They were diametrically opposed.

“Brother, I’m so glad you’ve come to your senses and returned to us,” Hunter said, holding out his arm, the picture of a ruler greeting his subjects.

My teeth ground together. Beside me, Sawyer dug his fingers into the leather bench of the truck.

“Hey, keep it together. We have a plan,” I murmured.

Thorne glanced back and tipped his chin up, signalling it was okay for us to get out. With jerky movements, Sawyeropened the door and slid to the ground, his back stiff and hands flexing.

My heart rose into my throat, anxiety constricting each breath as I followed him. A dozen eyes watched us as we approached Hunter.

“These aren’t the circumstances I expected to be returning under,” Thorne said dryly. “Now if you could show us to Cole, that would be appreciated.”

Hunter gave a little shrug. “I’ll see if he wants to see you, but I’m not sure he will.”

Sawyer twitched, all the muscles along his shoulders and back flexing. “He is my mate, and you will not keep me from him.”

Looking down his nose, Hunter sneered at him. “I see no claim marks. Forgive me if I don’t take your word for it. I haven’t found strays to be very trustworthy.”

Before he could take another step, I grabbed Sawyer’s forearm, digging my nails into his skin to give him something else to focus on. His chest rose and fell rapidly as he fought to keep himself calm.

“Very well,” Thorne growled. “We will be in my cabin for now. But I expect to see Cole soon.”

Determination mingled with hopelessness through our mate bond, and I fought the urge to comfort him. Instead, we retrieved our bags from the back of the SUV and walked around the huge building.