Page 63 of Cruel Alpha Daddy

Luke and Donny look at each other, their faces grim.

“Tell me!”

Donny sighs. “Old Frank was hung up on a tree about a mile out of town, cut to ribbons. They tortured him for a while, I’d say. It was definitely a message, boss. Anyone who follows you is going to get the exact same treatment.”

The news hits me hard. It wasn’t just the young ones I wanted to save.

The old dogs deserve a comfortable retirement. They shouldn’t be dying alone in the snow.

It fills me with fury that I took over the pack to stop this kind of thing from happening, and in doing so, I damned Frank to a horrible end.

“He was a good man,” I murmur.

“We’ll get Tobias, boss,” Donny says. “I promise, we’re all with you.”

“Rider!” a voice yells from out front. “Are you here?”

I race outside to see Kayla coming from a nearby cabin.

“What is it?” I ask her.

“Jen’s awake!”

I rush inside, finding Jen on the sofa in the living room. She reaches out to me, and I kneel beside her as she takes my hand.

“They got her, didn’t they?”

“Yeah, Jen. They did.”

“Curses on ’em,” she growls, shaking her head. “Tobias must have tracked me. I’m sorry, Rider. I should have been more careful.”

“You should have told me,” I chide her bluntly. “Then none of this had to happen.”

She nods, looking away from me. “I understand. But the note—”

“Contained details of a sensitive nature,” I finish for her. The entire pack doesn’t need to know about Fiona and her lover.

Jen nods, understanding. “The meetup point was the lookout near the junction of Summit Creek,” she says. “I’m assuming that’s where he took her.”

“Thank you, Jen,” I answer, giving her hand a squeeze. She nods, and I turn and run from the room, heading towards the forest.

“Wait, boss!” yells Donny. “You aren’t going by yourself!”

“Then keep up!” I holler back, tearing off my clothes and shifting before I hit the tree line. It doesn’t take long to reach the junction where we keep our trucks, and from there, it’s not far to the lookout.

When we get there, the light is beginning to change across the tops of the mountains. The parking area is empty, and the campground is deserted.

I can smell Fiona, though, that rich vanilla scent mingled with sweet honey. The tang of her blood is only a hint on the wind, but I track it to a point at the edge of the clearing.

“She was here,” I say, looking around wildly.

“So was Tobias,” Ryan adds. He and Donny were the only ones to follow me out of the village.

“I can smell Bailey, too,” I mutter, lifting my head. “Not recent, though. What the hell is he up to?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” a teasing voice lilts out of the nearby trees, and Gage comes out of his hiding place.

“You fucker!” I yell, striding towards him. “Where is she?”

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