5

He looked behind him to his men, and they all nodded reluctantly. “Alright. We’ll watch the borders.”

I nodded. “Do it in shifts. Everyone at the border needs to be as alert and aware as possible.”

He nodded before he and the wolves with him went to do as I said.

I released a long sigh and turned to Dom.

“I didn’t think you’d be able to calm him down,” he said. “A couple of times while speaking to him, I thought he might shift and make a mad dash into the forest.”

“Luckily, we avoided that.” I ran my hands through my hair. “But I can’t say I don’t get where he’s coming from.”

“Yeah, I know exactly how he feels.” Telepathically, he added, “Are you sure a search party is what we want? I think everyone would feel better if they were ordered to kill Troy on sight.”

I appreciated my beta’s discretion. “Believe me, there’s nothing I’d like more than to send hunters out there, but Bryn doesn’t want to order his death.”

Dom frowned. “She just wants to put him back in a cell?”

“That’s right.”

“She won’t be alpha forever. When her term ends, Troy will either be killed by the next alpha or let out.”

I sighed, the irritation from my argument with Bryn returning. “That’s what I tried to tell her, but she won’t budge. She reminded me that she’ll still be on the council as den mother, but we don’t know how influential that position will be.”

Dom scratched the stubble on his chin. He hadn’t had the chance to shave with all the chaos going on. Come to think of it, neither had I. There was nothing I would have loved more than taking a dip in the hot springs to release some of the tension between my shoulders.

“I guess we’ll just have to find him and see what happens.”

“If we’re lucky, he’ll try to fight one of our men and end up being killed. I think even Bryn would be okay with that.” Out loud, I said, “For now, let’s help get everything organized for repairs. While you’re doing that, I’ll head back to Warg territory to make sure everything is protected in case of a feral attack.”

Dom eyed me, one eyebrow raised. “Night, did you forget that you can’t shift? How are you going to get to our compound?”

“Shit.” Those painkillers had made me forget I was still recovering. I needed to shift, but according to Dr. Stan, I wouldn’t be able to do that for another few days at most. I was itching to see my pack, but that wouldn’t be possible for a little longer. “I guess there’s no other option. I’ll have to send you.”

Dom gave my shoulder a sympathetic pat. “I’ll be back as soon as possible.”

“I know you will.” Despite my bad mood, I felt some comfort knowing my beta was on top of things. “I want a detailed report of everything.”

“Of course.” He grinned. “When have I ever let you down?”

Five days after Troy’s escape, which marked twelve days into Bryn’s rule as alpha, I was washing the dishes from the rabbit stew I’d made for dinner. I heard Bryn walking around deeper in the house. Since our argument, we hadn’t really connected with each other.

While I was recovering, Bryn, Tavi, and I corralled the Kings and put together a solid organizational plan for rebuilding. It would be best to start from the perimeter and work our way in, prioritizing the homes and places necessary for the pack to function, like the wood storage and emergency rations buildings.

While the Kings set to work restoring their pack to tip-top shape, Bryn and I shied away from the Redwolf issue. And as the days passed, and the search party had few updates for us on Troy’s location, it seemed like things would never get better between us. This was the first huge fight we’d had since the claiming ceremony, and we’d both walked away with wounds.

I was still licking mine, and given the sad shift of Bryn’s mouth whenever we made eye contact, she wasn’t doing any better. It was tough feeling so distant from my soulmate, but what made it even tougher was being unable to shift. Running had always been the best way for me to let off some steam, but when I tried to push myself even a little, the pain in my side flared up so badly, it left me gasping and sweating on the floor.

That was earlier on in my recovery. Now the pain in my side had faded from searing to a dull throbbing. Another day or so, and I’d be back to form. I just hoped Dr. Stan agreed.

A knock came from the front door, and I set down the pot I was scrubbing. I wiped my hands on a kitchen towel and answered the door.

Dom was standing there. “Hey, Night,” he said with a smile.

I smiled back, relieved to see him. “Dom. Come on in.”

We returned to the kitchen, and I grabbed us a couple of beers. I sat on the counter and twisted off the tops. If Bryn saw me, she would’ve made me get off, but she was doing something else—I didn’t even know what. That bothered me more than I wanted to let on.

“How are you doing, Night?” Dom asked. “You’re looking a little constipated.”

“If you value your life, you’ll shut the hell up, Dom.”

I knew he was tempted to make some joking retort, but fortunately for both of us, he kept it to himself.

“Status report?” I asked.

“Our pack is healthy and happy. Everyone’s working as hard as they normally do, though morale’s a bit low because it’s been a while since they’ve seen you.”