Page 23 of Dawn of the Pack

“Yeah, we just didn’t want you to know until we got back.”

Landon swings a backwards fist at Jared’s arm and lands a solid blow, making Jared wince and rub the afflicted spot. “It’s not that we didn’t want you to know; it’s that we didn’t want you to worry.”

“That’s fine, but somebody needs to tell me what you did and why I would be worried if I knew.”

“We went to Montrose territory,” Landon forces out at double his normal pace.

“You what?” My incredulous question is echoed across the table in my uncle’s disapproving voice.

Jared takes over. “We thought—since we’re not officially mated yet—it would be easy for us to slip into town and just see if we could figure out where they’re holding Derrek. We knew you were worried about him, and we also knew it would be a long, drawn-out process to come up with a plan. So we just went for it. And we found him!” He adds in a rush, noting the furious expression on my face.

His last-minute comment completely derails me. “You did?!”

“Yeah,” Landon nods, grinning. “Turns out Montrose has a ‘mayor’s house’ that’s kinda set back in the woods, and there are some hiking trails nearby. So we found our way to the house and just kind of snooped around outside, hoping to hear or see something. And these two guys showed up whining about having to do guard duty.”

My fingers clutch Milo’s under the table. “That’s… that’s great! So he’s at this ‘mayor’s house,’ you’re sure? Did you hear anything else?”

A wide grin spreads across Jared’s cheeks. “Sure did. They said Derrek is in a magical prison cell that Azalea made, and that their alpha doesn’t want the entire pack to know what’s going on, so he’s keeping his circle tiny.”

Landon pipes up. “And that Azalea killed her own mom to take her powers.”

“She what?” This time, the interruption comes from Roxanne. “That’s impossible.”

Landon shrugs, refocusing on his food. “I dunno. That’s what they said. They also said she’s crazy.”

Well, that tracks.

My eyes seek Dom’s across the table. “I guess we know where he is now.”

My uncle nods slowly. “Sounds like it. It’s definitely a good starting off point.” He turns his focus to the guys. “What else can you tell me about this house?”

“We didn’t get inside, and we don’t know exactly where Derrek is. But the house itself is on top of like a little hill, there’s one driveway up to it, and about fifty yards out from the house a giant hedge lines the drive and surrounds the entire thing. Short of bringing a chainsaw, you won’t get through it. The only options are going over somehow—it’s over eight feet and impossible to climb—or going up the main drive where you’ll be completely exposed to everyone in that house. Easy pickings for anyone with a rifle.”

Dom’s eyes cloud as he considers their assessment. I poke at my food, appetite suddenly gone.

It’s not like I’m some kind of battle strategist, but that doesn’t sound good. Milo squeezes my hand in encouragement and lobs a question of his own.

“You guys never told us why you look like you fell out the back of a truck.”

Jared’s chin ducks, his expression distinctly embarrassed. “We got kind of freaked out when we heard those guys pull up and we dropped to the ground. I guess it was kind of muddy there. We didn’t really think about it until we were almost here and didn’t want to turn around and go home first. We have some stuff here, after all. And then they said dinner was ready right when we walked in the door, so we figured, might as well shower after.”

“I’d say that’s a solid plan. Why don’t you two get cleaned up and then we’ll all convene in the library to go over this new information.” Dom winces as if in pain, then adds, “If that is alright with you, Lilliana?”

Once again my eyes dart to Roxanne, who’s stroking her bundle of neat black braids with downcast eyes and an unmistakable smirk.

“I think that’s a great idea, thank you,” I answer with a benevolent smile. “But dessert first.”

LANDON

Even though I know we’re going to be her mates soon and involved in these decisions, it still feels weird to be sitting at a table with the alpha, the beta, and a former alpha, discussing plans of this magnitude. Milo’s been glued to Lily’s side since we arrived, and Jared and I sit on either side of them. Even though it’s meant to be a team working together, the thick tension in the air makes me wonder if Jared and I didn’t miss something major during our outing today. Lily and her uncle are clearly doing their best to behave civilly, and only achieving it half the time.

“We know where he is now, for certain. We should at least try to get onto Montrose lands and see if it works. You don’t know that he’s banned me from the territory. It’s just speculation.” Lily’s voice is razor sharp.

“Just as it’s speculation that we’ll be able to march up to that house and find him,” Dom retorts. “We don’t know what’s laying in wait inside; there could be any number of guards, hazards, or traps.”

“But Landon and Jared said-”

“I know what they said, but we have to try to verify more before we plan an attack.”

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