Page 39 of Wolf Hunter

I don’t want to think any one of them is responsible for stepping outside the boundaries of the ceremony and taking local women for whatever purpose. Probably more magic. That’s the only reason that makes sense. Most of them have been around me since childhood. Only now they aren’t my friends, they’re my pack, and I took a vow to protect them.

Which one of the people I grew up alongside is lying right to my face? Which one of them has been sneaking off into Buson and taking what doesn’t belong to them?

It’s my duty to find out, but the realization is a stone sinking deeper into my gut.

Bullet nods along with my earlier comment. “We’ve noticed a few weak spots in the spells. It seems that even with an increase in magic, we’ll need considerable energy to patch those up. I’m not sure if the spells have weakened or if our enemies have gotten stronger. We need to consider all angles.”

“Once the storm passes, we’ll increase patrols,” I say, staring down at the soup. “See if we can find those weak spots that we need to secure, and if there are any other alternatives available. Then we can come up with a better plan.”

“There’s too much land for just the ten of us to handle,” Julius argues. “We either need a more sustainable source of magic, or we need more people.Warriors.” He scoffs lightly before adding, “None of us are fighters.”

“The spells keeping us safe aren’t strong enough. We need more magic to keep the barrier strong in all places. No wonder we’re having issues.” Bullet shakes his head, and his perpetual smirk pisses me off; it doesn’t matter that he’s right.

“For now, the spells are working.” Barely, but they are. Personally, I’ve wondered about finding another source of magic for years, but I’ve said nothing about it to them. “We’ll worry about finding more magic and more pack members as soon as we get past the next immediate threat.”

“You mean the weather?” Emily questions.

Yes, sure. In part.

“Exactly,” I say. “If Liam’s recent behavior is anything to go by, we’re going to have quite the storm on our hands.”

“I think it’s wonderful that you’d rather focus on the weather than the threat to our people,” Bullet says with a small, dry laugh. “There are things going on here—”

I glance sharply over at him.

“—with the local coven, and you’d rather keep that woman as your personal plaything than use her for her intended purpose.”

“I wasn’t aware you knew the specifics of the contract that hasn’t been seen since its inception two hundred years ago.”

The biting comment shuts Bullet up, but only just.

I push aside worries over Tasha upstairs or what the others really think of her. No one says much beyond my declaration to leave her alone and untouched, but I notice the undercurrent. I feel the strain in the room and notice the way they eye each other rather than looking at me.

They want her for her magic and more than likely disagree with my plan to keep her around for my personal amusement.

And what will she have to say regarding the pack’s problems? About the dwindling numbers or the diminishing spells keeping our territory safe from outsiders?

She’ll probably tell me to shove my problems up my ass and be done with it. None of the other packs in the state utilize magic. Whatever my ancestors thought by coming up with this ridiculous contract with the local coven, they must have been desperate.

With a little ingenuity, we’ll find a better, more sustainable alternative. We’ll recruit new wolves. We’ll—

I break away from those thoughts, as they only serve to rile me up.

Sometimes, as much as I loathe to admit it, I’d like to be done with it, too.

I think about disappearing and leaving all of this behind, because in my weaker moments, that seems like the easiest option. But in the end, I always stand up and get to work. I always do what’s best to protect the people I care about, even when grief threatens to crush me beneath its weight.

The others continue to speak in hushed tones around me, and although the conversation never steers around to anything deeper than surface level again, the atmosphere is strained nonetheless.

And if I’m being honest, it’s been strained for a long time. Longer than today with Tasha, and longer than my last year as alpha. My father didn’t tolerate any sort of dissension, but I’ve seen, and know from experience, that there are others besides my brothers who aren’t happy.

Having Tasha here isn’t the catalyst. She’s simply the latest straw thrown into the mix, designed to break us.

“Wouldn’t you agree, Reid?”

I glance up at the sound of my name to find the girls staring directly at me.

Clearing my throat, I smile around the table at my found family. They are enough. They have to be enough.

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