Page 78 of Wulf's Pack
Relief hits me knowing that I have backup in Carl’s absence. Then guilt kicks me in the stomach for already thinking of replacing the bear shifter when his body’s still warm. And finally, grief swamps me. Sadness for my friend, fear for the future, pain knowing that I was his alpha, and I couldn’t keep him safe. Devastation at how I’ve failed my mate. Crippling fear about what she must be going through. What that bastard might be doing to her.
My breaths become shallow, my chest starts to hurt, my head starts to swim, and my body begins to shake. The world is closing in on me. It’s all too much. The weight of it all crushes me. I stumble back and plop hard on my ass. For one long moment, the feelings overwhelm me, but I push it all aside. Ican’t fall apart. I have a pack now. I have a mate. And they need me.
Something hardens in my gut. It takes a moment to recognize it as resolve. It’s a combination of anger, fear, love, and pride. Together, those things meld into a steely ball of determination. I may have spent my life content to do my own thing, but I am the son of an alpha and was raised as such. I have been taught to lead. I’ve been trained to fight in both wolf and human form. I am one of the strongest wolves in Michigan. I am smart. I am loyal. I’m compassionate, honest, and fair.
I. Am. Alpha.
Surging to my feet, I blast out a wave of dominance that has everyone present stopping what they’re doing and paying attention. My pack gathers around me instantly, ready and waiting for my instruction. There is not an ounce of doubt among them. Their loyalty and faith in me might be premature, but I will earn it. I will do right by my pack. Starting now. The carefree bartender who avoids relationships and shirks responsibility is gone. I am Wulf Winters. Alpha of the new Detroit Shifter Pack. And I am going to prove to the world that you do not mess with me. You do not threaten me or try to take what is mine.
I meet the gazes of each of my pack members and watch as my strength becomes theirs. Their courage and grit pulse through our pack bond, matching my own. “This ends now,” I say in a low, lethal voice that bleeds with my thirst for vengeance. “Victor Santos is a dead man walking.”
My vow is met with fierce growls from my packmates that only feed my bloodlust.
“They are strong, but we will be stronger. We have to be. Skylar is counting on us.”
Bree gives me a sharp nod. “We’ll get her back, Alpha.”
I clench my hands into fists. “We’ll do more than that. We’re going to decimate them. We’ll wipe every last one of them from this Earth and send a message to the world that you don’t mess with the Detroit pack. You don’t threaten us, and you don’t take what is ours.” I meet the eyes of each of my shifters. “Are you with me?”
“100 percent, Alpha,” Easton says, and the others nod.
Chapter
Twenty-Six
Gorgeous hands me a pair of sweatpants that one of the FUA agents has scrounged up. As I slip them on, I say, “It was Victor. That’s as much as Skylar was able to tell me before our bond was blocked.”
Nora gasps. “He severed your mate bond?”
I shake my head. “It’s still there. It’s just buried. I can feel her, but we can’t communicate. I assume he’s suppressed her wolf again. So far, I can feel a hint of fear, but I haven’t noticed any pain. It’s the only thing that’s keeping me sane right now. We need to find her before he hurts her. Skylar’s not just my mate; she’s mytruemate. I’m worried that if he starts to torture her, it will be enough to turn me feral.”
Gorgeous clamps a firm hand on my shoulder. “Then we’d better find her before that happens.”
Gorgeous pulls out his phone. “A couple of witnesses said Victor’s men left in a large white van. No windows in the back. Didn’t get a plate, but I’ll have Oliver pull the CCTV footage.”
I scan the street in both directions, as if I’ll somehow find that white van. “Keep me posted. I want to know the second you have a lead.” It’s not a request. I don’t care if I’m not FUA. This is my mate. My pack’s safety. And while the FUA can legally stepin, I can’t let them take over. I still have to prove my strength to the world so that others don’t keep coming for us.
Gorgeous knows this too and nods without hesitation. “You have my word, brother. For now, get your young one home and taken care of. We can get her statement later. You need to fortify your pack’s safety. Victor seems like the vengeful type, and he’s not going to give you a free pass.”
I have no doubt that’s true. We need to take care of him ASAP, because I’m sure he’s well aware that it was Samuel who attacked his pack, and even a moron would know it was Skylar who gave Samuel all the intel he needed to do it. I’ll be at the top of Victor’s hit list, and he won’t leave any of my pack alive.
I glance around the scene again, and my heart throbs at the sight of Carl’s lifeless body. The FUA has taped off the crime scene and are taking pictures. Nora sees the direction of my gaze and gives my hand a squeeze. “Go. I’ll look after Carl myself and make sure he’s taken care of. We’ll hold onto him until you get this resolved and can give him a proper burial.”
I swallow hard and again push away my grief. There will be time for that later. “Thank you.”
She smiles sweetly and kisses my cheek. I squeeze her hand, then turn back to my pack. “Let’s get back home and regroup. We’ll have to put out feelers to the underworld community. Victor and his pack are still twenty strong. Twenty strange alpha wolves coming into town last night or this morning? Someone had to have noticed.”
“We’ll send out an alert to all our local underworld contacts,” Gorgeous says. “Tell them to be on the lookout.”
I give him another nod. “Appreciate it.”
I gather my pack, and we head back to our SUV. As we cross under the caution tape, several people shout at me. Two news crews have already arrived on scene. At first, I walk past the reporters, but then I stop. I can use them to my advantage.
When I approach them, they look surprised, but they eagerly push their microphones at me and start bombarding me with questions. I lift a hand to cut them off. They shut up immediately. “There’s been a lot of speculation about me in the media this past week. The rumors are true. I have taken a mate and formed a new pack.”
Both reporters start in with their questions again, but a glare from me has them quieting. “About half an hour ago, several members of my pack were attacked.” I wave my had toward the bloody scene behind me. “We lost one member and nearly lost another. My mate has been abducted.”
The reporters gasp in surprise, but don’t interrupt me. I glare into their cameras and let out a vicious snarl. “The man who took her is her former alpha. A man who bought her like a slave and then tortured her for eight years before she could escape. His name is Victor Santos. He is the alpha of the Vail, Colorado, wolf pack. He and his pack would have arrived here in Detroit late last night or sometime this morning. There are about twenty of them, and they are all very strong alpha males.”
