Page 18 of Moon Fated

Tori shrugged. “I guess we’ll find out when their alpha gets back. His second wouldn’t commit to anything.”

Not surprising. "We can cover the eastern ridge. Chilliwack can take the river pass. Rylan," I called out to our lead scout, and he was instantly at attention. "Coordinate with Mara. Ensure there's no lapse in surveillance." His affirming nod was all the assurance I needed.

I turned again to the shadowed woods, but as I took a step, Tori caught my arm. “Don’t think I didn’t notice you nearly ripping Justin’s throat out a few moments ago.”

I drew a breath, and my jaw tensed. “We were having a conversation.”

“No, Rowan, we’re having a conversation. You two were having a pissing match. What the hell were you thinking? The last thing we need is another wedge between Kitimat and the rest of us.”

“You think that was my intent?”

She sighed. “No, but you’re not exactly an open book at the moment, so what am I supposed to think?”

Her question hit like a claw swipe. Guilt and frustration knotted within me. "It's nothing," I lied, unable to meet her piercing stare.

"Nothing doesn't cause a brawl at a pack meeting," she pressed, her suspicion as palpable as the tension between us.

"Drop it, Tori," I growled, the alpha rising in warning. But she didn’t back down. She never did. Her wolf peeked through, reminding me that as the regional alpha, she had seniority here, and she would use it. "Conflict is the last thing we need," I murmured. “I’m sorry.”

“Better. Next time, I’d like you standing with me, not snarling at the trees.”

“I wasn’t?—”

“Kidding, Rowan.” She clapped my shoulder and leaned in. “At some point, I hope you tell me who she is.”

My eyes widened, and she laughed out loud before going to rescue Mara from being swept into a game of hide and seek.

“Does everyone know?” I snapped, mostly to myself, but Will nodded next to me.

“It’s pretty obvious. At least for those of us who are mated.”

“Perfect.” I slammed my palm against the tree, my head still throbbing slightly from earlier. The swelling was already going down thanks to our regenerative abilities. The rest of the world talked about good genetics, but we beat humans by a stretch.

The last of my pack's shadows melded with the underbrush, their forms disappearing into the night as parents wrangled their pups and returned to their vehicles. I surveyed the clearing, a lingering sense of urgency tethering me to the spot. The forest hummed with life around us, whispering secrets on the wind that rustled through the redwood leaves.

And then I saw her. Another flash against the verdant backdrop of the forest. My breath hitched, and every fiber of my being honed in on that fleeting glimpse. It was her—it had to be. The sight of her was a punch to the gut, a call to every instinct that roared within me.

"Rowan?" Tori's voice came from the edge of the forest.

"Go," I managed, tearing my gaze away from where I'd seen her. "I'll catch up."

With a last critical glance, Tori turned, melting into the night as I fought the battle raging within me. My pack needed me. But my wolf wouldn’t ignore this. If Will was right, if Evelyn was my fated mate, then I had to see this through.

"Damn it," I muttered, already feeling the bonds of duty stretch taut as I prepared to follow her trail. There was no choice—not really. Not when every part of me was already straining toward the woods, toward her.

Chapter

Eleven

Evelyn

"Looks like some packs are actually considering the alliance," Blake murmured, his eyes scanning the residual groups that lingered in the dark. "A unified front. It's what we need."

I nodded, unable to shake off the cloak of nervousness that clung to me. The Elders of the Kitimat Pack would be no easy quarry. Skepticism ran deep in their veins, almost as deep as their loyalty. And here I was, a defector, a lone wolf about to ask them for a favor.

I drew a deep breath. I wasn’t doing this for me. I was doing this for one of their own—to help their pack. The fact that I stood here filled with self-doubt made me want to punch something.

That was what Nathan had done to me. Made me doubt myself. Made me question my own version of reality. No. I was making my own sacrifices to be here, and they could shove their criticism where the sun didn’t shine.

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