Page 2 of Beckett's Fate

The steady hum of the transport plane filled Beck’s ears, blending with the rhythmic thrum of his pulse. The team was in transit, heading back to base after another mission in a string of brutal assignments. The kind that left you questioning the thin line between duty and survival.

Beck leaned against the cold metal wall of the plane, his sharp blue eyes scanning the faces of his teammates. They were relaxed, their banter easy as they swapped stories to kill the hours. He envied their ability to decompress. For him, there was no such thing.

He reached into the pocket of his tactical vest and pulled out the envelope that had been burning a hole there since it arrived. It had been handed to him back at the forward operating base, the familiar handwriting stopping him cold.

His cousin. Desmond.

Beck stared at the name on the front for a long moment before finally tearing it open. The faint scent of pine and pack hit him immediately, stirring the wolf that always lingered justbeneath his human surface. He unfolded the letter, his black hair falling over his forehead as his eyes traced the hurried words.

Beck,

I don’t know how else to say this, so I’ll just get to the point. Dad’s dying. The doctors say there’s nothing they can do. It’s a matter of weeks now, maybe less.

The pack is in chaos. They’ve been barely holding together, but without a strong alpha, I don’t know how much longer that will last. You know what this means. You were always meant to take Dad’s place. Not me. You.

I’ve tried to step up, but I’m not you, Beck. The pack doesn’t follow me the way they followed Dad. He keeps asking for you, Beck. Whatever happened between you two, he wants to make it right. You need to come back. Silver Falls needs you.

I know you’re out there saving the world or whatever, but this is our family, our people. If there’s anything left of the wolf who used to care about that, come home.

Des

Beck closed his eyes, the words hitting harder than any enemy fire he’d faced in the field. His uncle—the alpha of the Silver Falls pack—was dying. The man who had raised him likea second father, and the one he’d walked away from when the burden of responsibility became too much.

A pang of guilt twisted in his gut. He’d thought leaving the pack, the expectations, the politics, would make his life simpler. But the wolf in him had never stopped feeling the pull of home. Of his pack.

“Bad news, Commander?” came a voice beside him. Lopez, his second-in-command, leaned over with a look of concern.

Beck folded the letter and shoved it back into his pocket, his jaw tightening. “Something like that.”

Lopez didn’t push, sensing the shift in Beck’s mood. He returned to his seat, but Beck could feel the letter burning him like a brand.

His thoughts churned. He couldn’t just walk away from his team, his mission. They were in the middle of operations that required precision, leadership, and focus. Yet the part of him that was more wolf than man growled in protest. Pack came first. Always.

The plane jolted as they hit turbulence, but Beck barely noticed. He was already thousands of miles away, picturing the sprawling forests of Silver Falls, the familiar howl of the pack carried on the wind. He thought of Desmond, struggling to hold everything together. And his uncle, the man who had shaped him into the wolf he was today, lying on his deathbed.

Beck clenched his fists, the decision weighing heavy. Duty had always defined him—whether it was to his team or his pack. But this? This was different. This was blood.

As the plane began its descent, Beck stared out the window at the endless desert below, knowing the call to return home wasn’t just a request. It was an order. One he couldn’t ignore.

“Lopez,” he said, his voice rough.

His second looked up from across the aisle. “What’s up?”

“My enlistment is up in a month. Once we’re back on base, I need to let them know I won’t be re-upping.”

Lopez’s eyebrows shot up. “You’re quitting? I never thought I’d live to see that day. Everything okay?”

Beck nodded tightly, though his gaze remained distant. “It’s family.”

Lopez didn’t ask more. Beck knew he wouldn’t. Trust was built into their bond, just like the bond of the pack he’d left behind.

The wolf inside him stirred again, restless and eager. Silver Falls was calling, and this time, there was no running from it.

Present Day

The morning air in Silver Falls was crisp and clean, carrying the faint tang of pine and damp earth. Beck stood at the edge of the forest, where the pack's land stretched endlessly before him—a sanctuary of untamed wilderness. He had already been up for hours, the duties of being sheriff stirring him awake before dawn. But now, with the first hints of sunlight piercing through the treetops, it was time to let go.

To run. To feel alive.

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