Page 3 of Love Bites

The Talon Pack den was located in central Oregon with their territory reaching into northern California. Most of the Packs across the United States were far older than the country itself, so their boundaries had to do with landmarks rather than arbitrary lines. They shared a neutral territory with the Redwoods, who lived in western Oregon. Thanks to the humans’ national initiatives, the wolves’ forests had been untouched and safe from human eyes for centuries. The den might have been surrounded by wards infused with wolf and witch magic so humans were repelled from the area, but without the trees and the ability to hide from prying eyes, they wouldn’t be as safe as they were.

Or at least as safe as they used to be.

That was one reason they were meeting with Kade and the other Redwoods in their den today. It used to be that only the right people knew about the fact that shifters existed. Now, though, far too many people knew and some were…searching. Human patrols were getting too close to their den as well as the Redwoods’ den, and no amount of magic would save them if technology found them. The majority of the population might not know about shifters, but those who did and weren’t on the wolves’ side, were on a hunt. Those military and even civilian patrols hid themselves as well, so normal humans remained unaware of a potential war on and within their borders.

As it was, too many of the wrong people knew about the existence of wolves. The military had long since known about them and had even used them as soldiers when they could. Some higher-ups in the government knew about them, but not everyone. If certain factions ever found out...well, Gideon didn’t want to think about that. He knew he would be forced to face it eventually—sooner rather than later if the feeling in his gut was any indication—but he wasn’t sure how his people were going to remain safe once the secret was out.

In the thirty years since the Central war had ended and the Redwoods and Talons had formed a treaty, they had been forced to learn to rely on each other through thick or thin. The fact that they were running out of land and methods to conceal their existence meant they would have to rely on each other once again.

Gideon wasn’t sure if they would ever be ready to come out to the humans, but at some point, they might not have a choice in the matter.

Cameras and satellites were far too precise and could track them with the click of a button. Magic went only so far, and he was afraid they’d strained their powers enough as it was.

If they were going to come out to human society, they were going to have to do it their way.

That is, if they could decide on what that way was.

After all, there were more than just the two Packs in the United States and far more than that all over the world. In the past fifteen years since they’d formed the Northwest Council, they’d done their best to open the lines of communication in ways that no one had ever thought possible, and with their Voice of the Wolves, Parker Jamenson, they were at least trying to maintain peace within their own dens.

For some reason, Gideon didn’t think the next battle he fought would be claw against claw. No, the next would be far worse.

He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. He didn’t have time to think about the end of the world,hisworld, right then. He pressed his hand against the keypad to unlock his home then walked through the door. He needed to wash off the blood of decisions that were beyond his control. He was in the middle of a world that didn’t make sense—one where rites and rituals of the past warred with the technology and unknowns of his present.

He was almost afraid to see what his future would be.

“Took you long enough to get here,” Walker remarked from his spot in Gideon’s kitchen.

Gideon snorted then peeled off his shirt, ignoring the aches and pains. The fabric stuck to his cuts and dried blood, but he was healing well.

Walker clucked his tongue like a mother hen then rubbed his hands together. “IwillHeal these wounds so you’re in top form when there are other wolves about. I don’t want to hear any lip from you.”

Gideon raised a brow. “You’re the one being lippy. Remember, I’m the Alpha. And, hello, I’m the eldest brother. You’re the baby.”

Walker snorted then pressed his hands to Gideon’s wounds. At the sharp warmth, he sucked in a breath then released it slowly.

“We’re over a hundred years old, Gideon. At some point, being younger or older shouldn’t matter. And, I’ll have you know, Brandon is younger than me. So there.”

Gideon smiled at the familiar remark. “You’re like five minutes older than Brandon, and Kameron is another five minutes older than you.”

Walker rolled his eyes then narrowed them as he examined Gideon’s skin. “You’re Healed but don’t go getting sliced up for a couple of days. There’s only so much skin I can knit together at a time.”

Gideon nodded his thanks then headed back to his shower. He was starting to itch from the blood and mud coating his body, and that wasn’t a pleasant feeling. He probably should have been used to it considering how many times he’d been covered in it over his life, but he also hoped he never did.

“Any idea what we’re going to talk about?” Walker asked as he leaned against the bathroom door.

Gideon shrugged out of his clothes then stepped into his shower letting the hot water pound down his back. His muscles ached from the fight and the tension of the unknown.

He closed his eyes and spoke loudly over the hum of the water. Walker probably would have been able to hear him with his sensitive hearing, but he didn’t want his brother to have to strain. “We’re going to talk about plans to come out to the public. Or, at least, plans to make plans. Then we’re going to make sure our underground tunnels are in shape since the connection between the two packs is relatively new.”

No one knew what would happen once the humans found out about the existence of shifters and demons. They’d been planning for years, though, on the eventual outcome of protecting themselves from people who didn’t understand and feared what they didn’t know. It wasn’t like underground tunnels were the perfect way to save his people, but it was only one of their many steps. They needed to be able to hide their most precious and those unable to protect themselves quickly in case the wards went down. They also had other procedures in place, but he needed to talk to Kade to ensure that as much as they could do was being done.

He let out a breath and quickly soaped up, knowing he was running late. Between the lone wolves trying to find a way to stay alive, his Pack watching him more than usual for some reason, and this meeting, he needed a damned weekend off.

He was the Alpha, however, so he knew that would never happen. Alphas didn’t get weekends. Or vacations. Or sleep apparently.

He shut off the water and got out so he could get ready for the meeting. Walker had left him alone, thankfully, and he quickly pulled on a long-sleeved cotton shirt and jeans. With any other Alpha, he’d put on something a little more formal, but this was Kade and his family—Gideon could go with a little comfort and be okay.

When he walked out to his living room to pull on his boots, he sighed. He knew they were there, of course, but his wolf wasn’t in the mood to deal with his entire family in one room.

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