It took three hours to reach their destination. There were a few stops to allow Damian to hunt and feed his insatiable appetite. The Mountain Lion guards were annoyed, and were told on more than one occasion they could return, but they knew if they didn’t follow through on their mission there’d be hell to pay.

When they arrived at the site Damian’s father had gifted him, they were all surprised. There were three small, old, weather-worn log cabins sitting in close proximity of each other on an overgrown plot of land. Men they knew were the best carpenters and plumbers from their former Pack were hard at work, making repairs to the homes that had sat idle for so many years.

“It seems everything is under control here and there’s no fear of rogues. We’ve gotten you here safely, as we were ordered, so we’re going to go back,” one guard said.

“Thank you, and please express our gratitude to big- ... Xavier, again,” Damian said. The three new Pack-mates shook hands with the guards before Xavier’s men turned and left. The trio continued along the makeshift path leading toward their new homes.

“Welcome home, Alpha Damian,” Chuck, a skilled craftsman, said.

“Thank you. What’s going on?” Damian asked.

“Alpha Thor was here yesterday with us and asked us to make sure everything was in proper working order for you. He has men coming tomorrow to clear the rest of the bushes and brush from the walkways and away from the residences. They would have come today but Bryce’s mate went into labor, and Donovan had a pressing issue to take care of. It would take forever for just one person.”

“This wasn’t necessary; we could have figured something out,” Damian huffed. Inside, he was furious. He felt like his father was setting him up to be indebted to him.

“We were given strict orders what our Alpha wanted done here, and we will do as our Pack Alpha asked. Unless you guys have some hidden skills with plumbing, electrical, and woodworking, you’d have been looking for someone to come in. And we’re here, so we’ll finish this up today and the cabins will be habitable again. They won’t be completely done, but we’ll get them all finished up in another day or so.”

“What else needs to be done?” Damian asked.

“Each needs a new roof, and there’s some work in the kitchens and bathrooms that still needs to be finished. Since it’s not going to rain for another couple of days, we have time to replace the shingles,” Chuck said.

“That’s pretty nice of your dad to go to such lengths to fix all of this stuff. Hell, we’d never be able to figure half of this stuff out, let alone have the tools to do it,” Maverick said.

“Yeah. But what’s he want from me? There has to be a catch.” Damian rubbed his hand over his scruffy beard and inhaled deeply. His nose twitched and his eyes closed. He kept sniffing the air.

“What? Do you think you smell her again?” Jordan asked.

“I definitely can sense her. She’s not far away.”

“She should stop being a chicken-shit and come out to face you,” Maverick said, then laughed.

Damian growled, then gave his friend a powerful shove, knocking him off-balance. His blue eyes were slits as he glared at Maverick like he was ready to pounce on him.

“Watch your fucking mouth!” Damian snarled. “That’s my mate you’re talking about.”

“Dude, chill out. I didn’t mean anything by it. She’ll be our Alpha eventually. I was just saying.”

Damian’s stomach rumblings grew louder and more violent as his mate’s scent grew stronger.

“She’s getting closer,” Damian said. His manhood began to thicken at the thought of her. His encounter with the two werecats was the last time he’d had sex. “I have to go to her. Now.”

Damian quickly shifted and his Wolf darted through the dense brush behind the cabins. His Betas shifted and took off running behind him. They knew with a crazed hunter on the loose, it wasn’t safe for Damian or his mate to be in the woods.

Maverick and Jordan were gasping for breath when they caught up with Damian’s Wolf.

Damian sniffed back and forth between the ground and the air. His nose was working overtime and he was emitting a low, angry growl.

She was here. Right here, he said. Someone else was here, too, just before we got here. I’ve smelled that funky scent before.

Wait. Your mate smells funky? Jordan teased.

No, you ass, whoever else was here. I can’t remember where I’ve smelled that stench before.

Can you tell which direction they went? Maverick asked.

That’s what’s really weird. Both scents end right here. It’s like they just vanished.

Are you sure it’s not your imagination? It’s kind of strange that she’s been ‘stalking’ you, but you haven’t been able to find or see her yet, Jordan asked.

I’m going to say this one last time. My mate is real. And she was standing right here. My gut and nose don’t lie, Damian growled.

Damian was starving, but his confusion and thoughts about his mate’s disappearance had him so distracted he failed to hunt as the trio silently trotted back to their new home. They shifted back to their human form as they approached.

Damian’s stomach grumbled loudly as they were met by Chuck.

“These woods are full of critters and some good eating. You shouldn’t be hungry; you should be stuffed to the gills.” Chuck laughed.

“We think Damian has the Hunger disease,” Maverick said with a slight smile on his face.

“Ah, yes, the Hunger. I remember it well. Bryce had it before he found his mate. It can be debilitating, and a nuisance to some. But watching him find his mate and seeing how much in love they are now, it’s just beautiful.”

Maverick and Jordan looked at each other. The expressions of amusement at the thought of their Alpha being in love were unspoken words between them.

“Corny, right? An old guy like me getting all gushy over young love. Pssh, whatever.” Chuck sniffled. “Anyway, that’s not what we need to talk about right now. I’m afraid I have some bad news. Let’s go down here to one of the homes so I can show you the significant problem we just found.”

Chuck led them to the home where one of his guys was digging a large hole near the foundation.

Chuck inhaled deeply, then released his breath slowly. “This, gentlemen, is the problem. See the cracks in the foundation? Look just above it at the wood. The wood is rotted. This house needs to come down. It’s not safe to live in. If we don’t take it down, it could collapse and severely hurt or kill someone. What that means is, you only have two houses here instead of three. The other two don’t have this problem.”

“What the fuck,” Damian hissed. “If it isn’t one thing, it’s another. There’s no way it can be fixed?”

“It’s not worth fixing, son. It would cost more money, time, and resources to fix this than it’s worth in the long run.”

“What do you suggest we do to replace it? There are three of us. We need at least three homes. I thought we had a perfect starter setup here.” Damian paced in a small area. His frustration was mounting.

“I’m going to talk to Alpha Thor. I need him to tell me how we should proceed. When he asks me for my professional recommendation, I’ll give him my honest opinion. This structure needs to completely come down and be replaced.”