Page 52 of Possessive Mate

Hanson’s stomach clenched. He didn’t like where Jack’s words were going. He was about to ask after their alpha when his own continued, “Those we didn’t kill, we rounded up and had taken over to Pine Valley. They’ve got their own jail, so it made more sense than bringing them here.”

The odd sensation in Hanson’s gut only grew.

“What about Christopher?” he asked, remembering the vile way the alpha had talked about Elena, and how he would have liked to pluck his eyes from his head just for having looked at her and his tongue from his mouth just for all the horrid things he had said about her.

He had only one thing to be thankful to the man for, telling him the truth, and yet he still would never admit it to his face. Even if Christopher hadn’t told him of Elena’s condition, he was sure she would have told him in the end. At least, he hoped so.

“The fucker got away with a handful of his men,” Zander snarled, and Hanson’s gut almost dropped out of his ass.

“You’re kidding me?” he snarled, his hands tightening into fists. “Is this guy a wolf or a cat? Does he have nine damn lives?”

“We’re starting to think the same thing,” Jack said, his tone filled with amusement, though it was clear from his expression he wasn’t nearly as amused as he was making out. In fact, he looked quite frustrated. “Don’t worry, Hanson, we’ll get him eventually.”

“How?” Hanson demanded. “Every time we get him, he slips through our fingers and makes ten more werewolves to replace the ones we’ve taken out.”

Again, Jack looked as if he agreed, but if he did, he didn’t say so. Instead, he said, “The major has given us the go-ahead to finish this. He says he’ll have all resources at our disposal until this guy and his pack are ended.”

That was something, at least, but Hanson wasn’t entirely sure it was good enough. At this rate, they would need a whole army to get their hands on Christopher. The guy was pure psychotic trouble if Hanson had ever seen it. Just spending ten minutes in that barn with the man told him that. He was diabolical, and the vendetta he had against Nightstar worried Hanson, especially now that he had so much more to protect.

“We’ll handle the problem of Christopher and his goons in the morning,” Jack assured him. “But for now, I need volunteers to check the borders.”

Usually the first one to volunteer, Hanson felt all eyes turn on him, but there was no way he was volunteering tonight. He needed to get right back to Elena. His insides were already tugging him right back to the healer’s store.

“I’ll go,” Zander offered.

“I’ll join you,” Will said.

“Not with that arm,” Jack protested. “You need to rest.”

“I’ll go,” Kane said before Hanson could even consider leaving Elena just a little bit longer to remain the loyal servant of the pack he had been before she showed up.

“Good,” Jack nodded. “The rest of you, see if your packmates need any help with anything, then get to bed. I want everyone up for a meeting first thing in the morning to discuss where we go from here.”

With that the group broke up. No sooner had Hanson turned away, prepared to head right back down the hill into town, than Eddie appeared before him. “Where the hell is my sister? I’m assuming because you’re here, she’s safe?”

The insinuation was enough to make Hanson growl, “Of course she is.”

“Then where is she?” Eddie demanded, his eyes narrowing. He looked over Hanson’s shoulder as if he was half-expecting to see her standing there.

“She’s at the healer’s store with Layla,” Hanson explained. He grimaced, bracing himself for the ensuing argument that was bound to come from Eddie learning that his sister had been injured.

When the arm came flying at him, Hanson stiffened, ready to take the hit. But instead of a punch, or even a slap, Eddie clapped him on the shoulder as if he were giving him a job well done.

“Thanks, brother. I guess this makes us even,” Eddie said, his tone much less aggressive than before.

Utterly confused, Hanson raised a brow. “Even?”

Eddie laughed almost as if he thought he was joking. “You saved our asses, I saved yours. In my book, that makes us even.”

“Oh, right yeah, sure,” Hanson said, feeling nervous now more than ever. He gulped hard.

Eddie scowled, clearly having heard. His hand dropped from Hanson’s shoulder, and he growled, “What’s the matter?”

For just a second, he considered telling Eddie everything. The escape, the cornering, how Elena had almost been ripped apart, the fact that she was having twins. But when he opened his mouth, no words would come out. How could he tell him any of that when he had finally started acting like an actual packmate again?

Instead, all he could manage to say was, “She’s worried about you.”

Eddie rolled his eyes at that. “Sisters, aye?”

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