Page 16 of True North

I’ve never been in the midst of a battle, never had to hear the anguish and suffering. Emotion wells up in my eyes, but it can’t fall while I’m in wolf form. Unshed tears are stuck at the corners of my narrowed eyes.

I can’t just leave them, Tess.Callum’s voice cracks, making my chest squeeze. I can’t imagine the pain of an Alpha knowing his pack is in danger, but I can hear the hurt so clearly in his voice.

There are others to protect, Alpha,I remind him.

He bows his head lower to the ground and moves faster. It’s only the slightest sense of relief I feel as I keep pace easily beside him, letting him lead us both back to the office and temporary safety. As the rogues beat back our pack, I know it won’t stay safe for long. It’s time Callum calls for the help of allies, though I’m not sure who they are or how quickly they’ll arrive.

Hold on, Jimmy. You have to hold on.I plead the words, only hoping he can hear them. His voice is noticeably absent from the mind link, but I have to hope his pack-mates have seen his struggle and jumped in to help him against the two wolves he was holding off.

We shift into human form just outside the office doors. Callum doesn’t spare me a glance, but I don’t take it personally. I can hear him barking orders over the mind link, talking to the members of the pack that aren’t fighting. Sending reinforcements in. Urging others to head for our sister pack for safety.

“Where is he?” my sister asks, throwing the doors open just before Callum grabs the door handle. Her face is stained with tears; I go instantly to her side, reaching out to try to draw her in for comfort, but she shakes me off. “Where is my mate, Alpha?”

Callum’s face is grim as he shakes his head.

I turn my head away as my sister lets out a noise that doesn’t sound human or wolf. It’s like nothing I’ve ever heard, the pain in her voice. Callum knows what I was hoping wouldn’t be true; my sister’s mate sacrificed himself for the pack. He isn’t coming home.

* * *

“Why hasn’t anyone come?” Laila asks, her voice wavering. She’s young, just barely shifted for the first time, but her care instincts are incredible. If I didn’t know any better, I would think she was an omega. She’s been plastered to Tasha’s side ever since she got here.

Both of her parents are out there fighting. The second line of protection, and already several of them have fallen.

“I don’t know,” Callum says, his face crestfallen. He’s called every ally the pack has, and every single one of them swore they were on their way. But it’s been hours of fighting, and not one of those packs has shown.

He drops into a chair and buries his face in his hands. Those of us who have sought shelter in the basement of the office building share an uneasy look.

It isn’t easy watching the heart of our pack fall apart.

“Alpha.” He raises his head slowly at the sound of my voice. “Can I speak with you privately?”

His shoulders droop with the weight of the day, but he nods and laboriously rises to his feet again. I nod to the small corner bathroom since that’s the only real option for privacy down here.

He shuts the door behind us, crowding me in the small space. I reach out and run a finger over his brow-line, smoothing the strain on his face, if only for a moment. The pain is so tangible, filling the tiny space to the point that I feel like we’re both at danger of suffocating in it.

Pain. That’s all tonight has brought. Now, we’re headed for dawn with no sign of the rogues letting up.

“We didn’t know there were more.” Callum slumps against the wall. “We saw a little group breach pack lines and thought it would be a quick fix. But then they just kept coming. I don’t think they all came together, either. They didn’t fight like a unit. They fought like strangers.”

“You didn’t know,” I say quietly, desperately trying to swallow down my judgement. It’s killing me not to know about Jimmy, but I don’t dare ask. We’re all hurting enough.

“It was my job to know, Tess. If I hadn’t been so distracted…” he trails off, glancing at me for a split second before away again. He doesn’t have to say any more. I’m the distraction. If we hadn’t had that conversation right before he left, maybe he would have been better prepared to read the warning signs of an ambush.

There’s no room for self pity right now, so I push forward in spite of the insinuation.

“I think you should call your Northern neighbors.” I can’t bring myself to say the name, not of the pack or their Alpha. It hurts to even make the suggestion, though I imagine not as much as it would if I had been as weak as three years ago.

It also doesn’t hurt as much as the loss my sister is potentially facing, and that is enough for me to swallow my pride.

“Tess, even if I call him, I don’t know that he’ll want to get involved. He’s not exactly known for being neighborly.” But I can see his fingers already inching toward the pocket in the spare outfit he’s wearing.

I turn to face the sink while he dials. I’m relieved he doesn’t protest more because I don’t have it in me to offer any more encouragement. Not about this. Not after how draining this night has already turned out to be.

“This is Alpha Callum Cross of the East Terrace Green Pack. I’m looking for your Alpha. No, this can’t wait. It’s an emergency.”

He keeps talking, but I tune him out. I don’t want to picture him speaking to the man who once rejected me. The best man I’ve ever known and the worst, as far as I’m concerned. But loyalty runs deep for me. This pack took me in when I felt broken and helped me become whole again. I’ll do anything to protect them—even face my own personal nightmare.

Callum speaks into the phone for what feels like forever as I stare into the empty sink basin. When he hangs up, he steps close behind me and curls his fingers around my biceps.

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