Page 24 of The Reluctant Alpha

A cold feeling settled in the pit of my stomach. "Or it knows we're tracking it and is covering its trail."

The bushes behind us rustled. We spun, claws extending from human fingers, bears rising to the surface of our skin.

A wolf burst through—one of Phoenix's gammas, his fur bristling with alarm.

"Western perimeter," he panted after shifting back. "We found something."

We followed him at a run, meeting Phoenix and his wolves at the western edge of the territory. They stood in a loose circle, staring down at something on the ground.

"What is it?" I asked, pushing through to join Phoenix.

He didn't speak, just gestured to what lay before us.

A dead wolf. One of Phoenix's pack, his throat torn out, his body arranged in a grotesque parody of sleep. And carved into his chest, fresh and still oozing blood, was a crude image of a bear.

"Fuck," Kaylan breathed.

Phoenix's face was a mask of barely controlled rage. "Doran. He was on patrol just outside the barrier."

"I'm sorry," I said, the inadequate words all I could offer.

"He last checked in before the meeting," Simeon said, his voice tight. "This was fast."

"It's playing with us," I realized, scanning the trees. "Testing our defenses. Showing us it can get in anytime it wants."

"But why trigger the alarm?" Kaylan asked. "Why not stay hidden?"

I looked back at the dead wolf, at the bear carved into his flesh, and understanding dawned. "Because it wants us or me to know it's coming. This isn't just revenge against bears in general. This is personal. This was staged like the last one."

Phoenix's eyes met mine, and I saw the same conclusion in his gaze.

The monster’s smile was gleeful. He’d moved to the packhouse, to see what would happen. Then he’d found something even more special.

He’d smelled the bear immediately, recognized him, and watched the young man kiss him. He needed to watch some more, maybe find out where he lived. What edible family he had, perhaps. Because he was pretty sure he’d just found the perfect target to enact his revenge on the bear.

Take his mate.

Chapter nine

Danny

The underground bunker was nothing like I'd imagined. I'd expected some dark, damp hole in the ground with maybe a few emergency supplies and some uncomfortable cots. Instead, it was like walking into a fully furnished apartment complex hidden beneath the packhouse.

"Pretty impressive, right?" Emery said, noticing my wide-eyed stare as we descended the final staircase. "Phoenix had it expanded after everything that happened with Alessandro."

"Expanded?" I echoed, taking in the central common area with its comfortable seating, fully stocked kitchen, and what appeared to be a small medical bay in the corner. "You mean it was smaller before?"

Emery nodded, guiding me toward a seating area where Esther and Estrelle were already settled, along with another forty or so pack members. "It used to just be emergency shelter. Now it's more like an underground sanctuary. There are sleeping quarters, bathrooms with actual toilets, even a small library."

"And a wine cellar," Esther added with a wry smile, though her eyes remained watchful. "Phoenix believes in being prepared for extended stays."

I sank onto a couch, my head still throbbing from my concussion. The alarm had stopped, but I could feel the tension in the air, thick enough to cut with a knife.

"How long do we stay down here?" I asked, trying to keep the anxiety from my voice.

Estrelle looked up from where she was clutching Esther's hand. "Until they give the all-clear.”

I swallowed. I’d just kissed Bayer and I knew Em had seen me. He probably wasn’t grilling me because we weren’t alone, but I didn’t know what to do.