Page 52 of Wolf Found

“Even as far gone as you are, Zeke, you don’t believe that.” He was probably saying the man’s name more often than he needed to, but it pointed out to everyone involved, every time, that Ash considered himself Zeke’s equal at least.

In truth, Ash was his better in every way.

From a few feet away, Amos crouched, ready to spring on Ash like a mindless beast.

Ash ignored him, watching Zeke. “But it doesn’t matter, and you know that too.”

The whispers among the pack ratcheted up, and Zeke had to roar to quiet them. “Am I supposed to be frightened of your worthless fellow ferals?”

Ash took another step, bringing him just a few feet from Zeke. With his superior reach, he could give the man a shove if he wanted to. Instead, he slid his hands into his pockets. “If you mean my pack, then yes. You should be afraid of them. You might not fear the human military, but they taught us how to fight. Are you going to tell me that three alpha werewolves trained in combat don’t make you nervous?”

He paused to let that sink in, and was shocked when Zeke didn’t bluster or dismiss him.

“When you put it like that, Ash, we makemenervous.” Gavin’s smooth, calm voice broke the silence, and Ash could have burst into tears for the relief coursing through him.

He’d thought they were there. Hoped for it. But knowing it, that was a whole different thing.

The gang of enforcers whipped around to growl at Gavin, and just for a second, Ash was worried for his alpha. But Gavin just strode across the clearing between the trees and the groups of people, ignoring them.

“Are you ready to go, Ash? Sawyer’s whining about getting home. He thinks the kids are going to burn down the shop without us.” He looked over at Graham and smiled sympathetically. “They miss you too, but if you need some time off after your ordeal, no one’s going to question it. Your health comes before pack business.”

Like nothing that had come before it, that started the pack chattering amongst themselves. An alpha, the most clearly controlled alpha any person in the Martingale pack had ever met, was putting the needs of a pack member above the pack itself.

Zeke roared at Gavin, stalking toward him. “Interloper. You will leave my territory immediately, or we will rip you, and your failed alpha dog, and that soiled, disgusting excuse for an omega limb from limb.”

Ash saw the moment Gavin went from concerned alpha to trained soldier. His soft smile died, his spine went rigid like he was standing at attention, and he stared Zeke in the eye.

“Stop.”

Gavin had taken commanding tones before. He often had a voice that screamed, “I’m the boss of you.” But Ash had never heard Gavin use his actual alpha voice before. He hadn’t realized that before, but without a doubt, he knew it now.

Zeke stopped midstride. He didn’t even put his foot down immediately, only using it to brace himself when his balance failed.

“You’re not going to hurt me. You’re not going to hurt Graham or Ash, not again. Never. Again.” Gavin marched over to where Zeke stood, and when one of the enforcers growled and took a step forward, he barked out, “On your knees.”

Every enforcer complied.

So did Zeke.

Gavin looked back down at him, his very best disgusted expression painted across his usually placid features. “Ash never talked about you, you know. That’s how I knew you were a terrible alpha. No stories about you being good or bad. No nostalgic remembrance of happy childhood memories. Just nothing.”

“You don’t know—” Zeke tried to insist.

“Shut up.”

Zeke’s mouth snapped shut so fast and so hard that Ash thought he might have heard a tooth crack.

“I didn’t come here to discuss whether you were a decent alpha. Anyone here can see what a pathetic excuse for a leader you are.” Gavin looked around the clearing and sighed. “And you’ve been pretending to be capable of leading a lot of people.”

“Just over two hundred, last count,” Graham offered.

Gavin shuddered.

Joey, somehow still standing, spoke up. “You can’t do this. We have a stable pack, and you’re tearing that apart.”

“This pack isn’t stable, Joseph,” Gavin answered, voice once again soft. “This alpha is no kind of alpha. He treats you all like servants, like lessers. Alphas exist to protect the pack, not rule it like some kind of human monarch. It’s not about us. It’s about you.” He looked past Joey and met Ash’s eye. “I don’t know how you learned it, Ash, but you taught me that.”

“Taught?” Amos demanded from his place, still kneeling, though he was trying to struggle against it. “You’re not even a real wolf. Bitten,” he spat, as though it were a curse. To him, it was.

---