Page 27 of Nanny for the Wolf Daddy

Nox crept steadily and cautiously, always checking for observers beyond his own pack. The construction site and other cabins were once again empty, props in a strange theater play Nox needed to know the story of.

He picked the lock and went inside. The scent of his beloved smacked him in the face like a harsh ocean wave. He growled instinctively, then scurried around the cabin.

Nox made sure not to knock anything out of place despite the urge to ruin everything and leave a catastrophe for Archie to cope with. Moving through the house, he smelled the bastard mixed in with the delightful orange blossom of his love.

He combed the entire place, leading him to what looked like a garage entrance. He tried to open the door, but there was no way to do it without snapping the heavy lock in half.

“For fuck’s sake,” he muttered.

Her scent had evaporated mostly anyway, which made Nox angry beyond comprehension. As he fiddled with the lock, he heard the high-pitched howl of Roland, signaling Archie was on his way there.

He grunted and made his way back outside, sprinting toward their hidden camp in the woods. He ducked into the trees, leaning into Roland in his wolf form.

“He looks to have a bag of something and two coffees,” Roland said to him telepathically.

Nox hadn’t realized that he’d been holding his breath, and let it out, a brief sigh of relief. At least the food indicated that she was alive, and he was trying to keep her that way. They all watched as Archie drove up to the cabin they had been observing.

Archie went inside with the coffee and sandwich bag, then returned to the truck a few seconds later. He then got back in and drove out to the other cabins that were farther in the distance and repeated the same in-and-out actions.

“What the hell is he doing?” Nox growled.

“Leaving his scent, I suppose,” Roland muttered.

They watched as he popped in and out of a few more of them, disappearing into the hills beyond. Nox gritted his teeth and smacked a tree filled with little animals.

“This is getting us nowhere!” he yelled.

Just as Roland opened his mouth, the rest of the pack, who had been exploring, arrived.

“We have received information about Damon,” a pack member named Melvin said.

“Give it to me straight,” Nox blurted out.

“They are guarding the town and some of the cabins upwind,” Melvin said. “You were right in your assumption when they were reluctant to share information.”

Nox glared at the distant cabins they hadn’t been able to reach yet. He squeezed his fists, nails digging deep into his palms.

“Did you find out why?” Roland asked.

Melvin nodded. “We ran into another pack beyond the woods, calling themselves the Mafia pack.” He rolled his eyes. “They said that Archie has some dealings with the police in the town where they turn a blind eye to the ongoings of the shifters. Though they aren’t involved in it, the police don’t want to go near whatever the town has been whispering about.”

Nox cocked an eyebrow. “Whispering?”

Melvin said there were rumors that Archie was running some kind of show, one that was illegal. The cops didn’t look into it because of the pull Archie had with them, which likely came down to money and privileges.

“That’s insane,” Nox said, seething. “We don’t need to deal with that kind of bullshit on top of everything else.”

Melvin let out a sigh. Nox held out his hands impatiently.

“They think a war is brewing,” Melvin said. “The mafia pack,” he clarified. “And they are willing to help us out.”

Nox rubbed his face hard enough to leave red marks. He reluctantly agreed to meet with the leader of the Mafia pack, an alpha named Gerald, and together they devised a plan of attack.

The plot was for Gerald’s team to take out the wolves who had been guarding the town while Nox would take the ones near the cabins. It would take place at nightfall and should run as smoothly as any war could.

He didn’t like that they had to commit acts of violence before any indication of his brother’s, sister-in-law’s, and beloved’s presences were evident, but it was a mess he was willing to deal with. He was the alpha, after all.

Gerald and the Mafia pack collided with the wolves in town, spilling ruby-red blood under the crisp moonlight. The battle was brief, as was the one near the cabins, which Roland and Nox managed with their own pack.

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