Three days later …

They walked in silence, a group of six males, all spread out. It was only Ash and Winston who walked side by side. The rest were spread out. Two up ahead and two at the rear. They were on their way back to the village after being on a scouting trip. Everything seemed normal. If not seeing any game at all in all of that time could be considered normal. If the hairs prickling on the back of his neck for no apparent reason could be seen as normal. Normal was a relative term.

They’d just shifted back into their human forms. In a mile or two they’d be able to see the smoke. It was early yet, almost everyone would be sleeping. He liked this time of day. If they hurried, he might still get there before Ethan woke up. He looked forward to seeing his son. By the way Winston had to keep slowing himself down, he could tell that the male was desperate to get back to his mate.

“I can’t believe you left your new mate to come on security detail. You must be desperate to get back to Ana.” Ash glanced at Winston. “You’re lucky I’m on this assignment or I would’ve kept her warm for you.” He winked at the male who instantly bristled. Ash had to hold back a laugh. He was just fucking with Winston.

“Don’t even go there,” Winston growled the words, but the edges of his mouth were curled in a smile. “We all have a role to play in keeping our village safe. I’m not going to shirk responsibility. Besides, we’d been holed up for a week. I left my female unconscious. I’m sure she’s slept for two days solid. She needed the break.”

Winston was making this too easy. Ash smirked. “I’m sure I could’ve roused her.”

“Fuck you, dickhead,” Winston chuckled.

Ash choked out a laugh as well. “So …” He turned serious and lowered his voice since he didn’t want the other males hearing. Not that anyone was particularly interested in what they were saying to one another. “Is it everything you thought it would be?” Winston looked really happy. There was a big part of him that envied that. It made him want to think of what could have been, but he didn’t go there. Couldn’t.

“What, being mated?” The male smiled broadly. He was definitely thinking of his mate.

Ash nodded. “You look happy.” He clenched his teeth for a moment. Thinking back on those early days. Remembering how he felt. The love, the joy, the lust, the togetherness. Mostly, the love.

“It’s everything and more.” Winston’s voice was thick with emotion. His eyes lifted in thought. His friend stopped walking. The others kept moving, the sound of the pine needles crunching beneath their feet carried back on the light breeze.

“Yes,” Ash sighed. “It’s a gift and a curse.” With the memories came the pain. Fresh and devastating at times. A dull ache at other moments, but always there. Always with him.

Winston must have seen some of that pain reflected in his eyes because he frowned, a look of concern appearing on his face. He touched Ash’s arm. “I wish you would consider …”

Trying again? Taking someone new into his life? His heart? “Nah, fuck …” He ran a hand through his hair, it didn’t help much. It was a bit of a mess after living in the wild for three days. “I had a mate and I lost her … lost so much …” He shook his head. “I have my son, my pack. I’m happy. Very fucking happy.” Ash meant it. He really fucking meant it.

“I hear you’ve been sniffing around the same female. Are you sure you—”

“The best fuck I ever had,” Ash could hear the growl in his voice. “That’s all it is.” Again, he meant it.

Winston choked out a laugh. “Seriously? Here I was thinking that you might be ready to—”

His gut twisted in knots. “Don’t you dare say it.”

“You and Ana have so much in common. She knows what you are going through. That’s why you guys get along so well.”

“She’s easy on the eyes and knows how to cook a steak. What’s not to like?”

Winston visibly bristled. “Stop with the bullshit comments. Ana has had a difficult time, yet she was able to move on. It doesn’t mean she forgot her mate or the child she lost—”

“Enough,” Ash snarled. Hearing all of this made things too fresh. His chest felt tight. “I will never take another mate. Never! I may have spent the last few Shifter Nights with the same female, but it doesn’t mean a thing. In fact, I’m done with her.” He had already made the decision. Forgetting to wear a condom. Biting her. What the fuck?! It was over. No more Alice.

“Look, it’s your life.” Winston put up both hands. “You need to decide for—”

One of the males up ahead growled. If Ash had still been in his fur it would have bristled. Adrenaline surged.

“Look at this!” the same male yelled.

“What the fuck?” one of the others snarled.

He and Winston raced over to where the males were. They were looking at something on the ground.

“What the hell!” Winston mumbled. “What the fuck is that?” he added.

Ash leaned in close, he sniffed. “Nothing. I get nothing.” Surely it should have some scent clinging to it. “Nobody move.” Watching where he stepped so as not to churn up the earth anymore, he moved around the clearing and then scratched his head. Ash sighed, he was at a loss. “That’s it. One fucking print.”

“It’s huge,” Winston said. “What the hell made it?”

“Fucked if I know.” Ash shook his head.

“It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before.” Kane cocked his head, still staring at the print. “Bigger than a bear’s but more like a … fuck … like a cat. Look at the claws and the pads of the paw. That’s feline for sure.”

“There’s only one,” Cody snarled, looking around them. “How is that possible?”

“We’re only two miles from our village,” Ash spoke low.

Winston shifted. It happened in less than a second flat. His fur bristled. His lips curled back in a silent snarl.

“Try to stay calm.” Ash looked him in the eyes. “Whatever made this is long gone. You can see how the wind has blown the edge. A leaf is lying in the center. I’d say at least,” he pursed his lips in thought, “four, maybe five hours. I don’t scent blood or …” He let the sentence die when Winston growled. “Let’s head back. I need to speak with the Alphas.” It might have been a fake, but Ash doubted that. There was something in these woods. Something had attacked Ward a few months ago. Something that was very real and potentially dangerous.

They would be able to scent if the village had been attacked. He forced himself to calm down.

The same couldn’t be said for Winston though. The male whined and clawed at the ground. “You can go back to your mate.” He was governed by his instincts right now.

Winston howled as his claws dug up the earth. He soon disappeared amongst the brush through the trees.

“I don’t like this.” Cody looked around them, his eyes scanning the dense forest.

“You should be looking up,” Ash said.

“Up?” Cody frowned.

“Yeah, up. I don’t know why we didn’t realize it before. Whatever is doing this can fly.”

“Sounds like a far-fetched tale to me.” Kane shook his head.

“Where are the rest of the prints?” Ash pointed around them. “Show me one.”

“That’s feline. The last time I checked, cats don’t fly,” Kane shot back.

“Yeah, and they normally leave a scent but there isn’t one of those either. Whatever is doing this has no scent, can fly, is as big as fuck and faster than anything I’ve ever seen.”

“Shit, you’re probably right.” Kane’s whole stance turned rigid. “We’d better get back.”

The male was scared. Ash couldn’t blame him. Everyone held their ground though, waiting for his signal. He looked around them one more time, a low growl forming in his throat. “Let’s head home.”