Page 32 of True Wolf

He smiled arrogantly and approached me, clasping one hand on my shoulder. “I guess you are grown. I’ll stay out of your way. When do you leave?”

“She’s packing now. I only stopped by to let you know.”

He nodded. “Be careful Zi. Rolf has too much ego and not enough discipline.”

“I’m not worried about him.”

“You don’t need to worry, but you do need to be aware. Never underestimate anyone. He didn’t want her but that doesn’t mean his feelings won’t change knowing that you do.”

My wolf howled and sat at attention.

“What he wants doesn’t fucking matter.”

Lazar smiled. “This is why I’m telling you to be careful. What you feel for your mate is a dangerous combination. Your need to love and protect makes you act without thinking. You’ll be reckless and dangerous. That doesn’t always work in our favor.”

He reacted when Abe, Jo’s ex, came to reclaim her. Things were touch and go but they worked out. My brother didn’t think about anything but protecting Jo.

“I can’t promise I won’t be reckless if it comes to that but I can promise I will protect Nessah and we will both be home in a few days.”

“Keep your link open.”

“I will.”

Laz hugged me and I left his place ready to get this settled so I could start my life with Nessah, whatever our future looked like.

&

We had an hour’s drive to reach Calhoun Territory. Hollow Grove was roughly a little over nine hundred square miles. Each pack claimed acres placed throughout the area and had free reign of those acres as long as they didn’t cross over into the neighboring town of Diamond Falls. For the most part, everyone followed the rules and minded their own pack business. But of all the packs, Calhoun was the most problematic. They respected their past Alpha, Rendell Calhoun, more than his son Rolf so pack members would often challenge bylawslike crossing boundaries. The worst was antagonizing humans, which complicated things for all the packs.

Hollow Grove had always been occupied by four packs. Bennett, Knight, Logan, and Hubbard. Five years ago, Rendell Calhoun stood before our committee requesting permission to claim a territory. Laz and Phalen Knight being at the top of Hollow Groves hierarchy and leaders of the wolf council spent a month debating the decision but ended up granting their request. I believed they both regretted that decision based on the number of issues they’d had to deal with over the years.

Now, glancing at Nessah, I was both grateful they were in our territory because it brought her to me and fucking annoyed that she was hurt by a pack that should have loved and cherished her, which officially put Calhoun on my shit list.

“Stop staring at me,” she mumbled without lifting her eyes from the book she was reading on her phone. Her way of staying distracted enough not to engage me.

“You like when I stare at you.”

“I do not,” she groaned.

“You do, because me staring at you is a reminder that you’re finally where you need to be.”

Her head jerked in my direction, her eyes rolled and dropped back to her phone, but a smile teased her lips. “I thought we agreed that I don’t like cocky, arrogant types.”

“We also agreed that you’re a terrible liar.”

Her eyes rolled again but her smile also expanded.

It was just after five when we reached Calhoun territory. They were further away from the city of Hollow Grove and most of their residences were small communities of neighborhoods cleared out in the woods. Since they were only about twenty minutes from Diamond Falls, the majority of their pack worked in the city if they didn’t own businesses in the community.

Another thing I hated about Calhoun was that Rolf presented himself as royalty within their pack, even down to the communities. The Calhoun property sat grand and luxurious in the center of all the other neighborhoods. The surrounding pack properties served as a barrier to protect their Alpha.

When we reached the gates that blocked entry from outsiders, I grunted my disapproval and Nessah swung her eyes in my direction.

“What’s wrong?”

“That shit is disrespectful.”

Her frown deepened. “What do you mean?”

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