We didn’t go back to sleep.

The haunting voices of the big, bad wolves had dissolved Chance into a puddle of fear. His entire body trembled violently, even when I wrapped my arms tightly around him. His terrified whimpers shattered my heart into pieces and my lips tasted of tears when I kissed him.

“It’s gonna be okay, Chance,” I told him, keeping my tone gentle but firm. “The doors and windows are locked. They’re not getting in here—not tonight, anyway.” I might have to look into a installing a security system if I couldn’t warn those monsters off my territory, but that was a problem for tomorrow.

Tonight, I wasn’t leaving my mate’s side. Tonight, I would comfort him the best I knew how.

He curled up on his side, his arms looped around his belly as if he could protect the child growing within. My wolf bristled inside my chest, spiky gray fur prickling at my arms. My body gave a shudder when I let the beast out. Chance stiffened, but only until I wrapped my large wolven body around his fragile human one. I laid my neck over his stomach and grumbled out a growl. His fingers stroked through my fur.

I will keep you safe, I wanted to say. You are mine.

In the wee hours of the morning, Chance finally fell into a fitful slumber. I carefully removed myself from the bed and after making sure he was still asleep, I turned and padded down the hall. My claws clicked over the wood flooring.

I found Soren at the kitchen table, a mug of coffee cupped between his hands. He glanced up at my arrival, his golden eyes flaring wide in surprise. “Hux?” I shifted back to human and strode across the room. Soren studied me with a grim expression on his face. “You heard the howls last night, didn’t you?”

I scowled and clenched my hands into fists. A growl reverberated up my throat at the memory. How dare they come into my territory and threaten my pack. “It’s Bones and his lackeys,” I muttered. “Chance is scared out of his damn mind. I want to rip those bastards limb from limb for daring to come this close.”

Soren’s brows pinched together. “Do you think we should get Gracie involved? I mean…” He trailed off and rubbed at his forehead. I knew what he was about to say—I was only one Alpha. One Alpha against three cruel brutes.

I shook my head. “Not yet, but I’m definitely gonna give her a head’s up. Whatever you do, make sure Dresden stays inside. The last thing I need is for those mongrels to abduct my son out of his own backyard.” I bristled, the hairs at the back of my neck prickling like hackles. I blew out a snort and continued to pace.

I needed to calm down. Chance needed calm reassurance, not pissed off Alpha rage. Anger wouldn’t get me anywhere, but damn if it wasn’t biting at me like flies. My skin twitched. I grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge and sat down in the chair beside my brother.

“What are you gonna do, Hux?” Soren asked softly, worry turning his lips downcast.

“I’m going to face them, head-on,” I said.

“Alone?” He looked dubious.

“If that’s what I have to do, then yes.”

“I’m not letting you go out there alone, bro.”

“Soren.” I rubbed at my temple. “I need you to stay here. I need you to keep Chance and Dresden out of harm’s way. I can handle this.”

“Like hell you can.” He stood up fast enough that his knees bumped the table, sending coffee sloshing over the edge of his cup. He jabbed a finger in my direction. “I love you to death, but sometimes you can be so stupid. I might be an Omega, but I’m not useless. You’re not doing this alone, okay?”

I glanced up at him, surprised at his ferocity. Determination blazed in his eyes. I didn’t like the idea of Soren risking his life, but two wolves were better than one, plus I knew from experience that we worked well together. Soren would have my back, no matter how grisly the situation became. I blew out a sigh, then dropped my gaze.

“Okay.”

“Okay?” he questioned.

“I could use the backup.”

“When are we doing this?”

I frowned and looked out the kitchen window, to the woods that lay beyond our home. Daylight was beginning to streak through the trees, which had already begun their fall shedding of leaves. I took a deep breath and held it. It whistled out between my pursed lips a few moments later.

“The sooner the better,” I said finally.

Chance came slinking down the hall like a ghost, pale as a sheet and shaken. He took one look at me and Soren sitting there and I saw the muscles in his throat work. He knew and he didn’t like it. His hands flattened over his baby bump and his lips pulled into a tight line. “Huxley—”

“It’s going to be fine, Chance,” I told him. “We’re gonna take care of this. I need you to stay here and hold down the fort. You ready, Sor?” I turned to my brother, who nodded quickly. I met Chance’s frantic gaze. “Keep our babies safe, okay?”

Slowly, he nodded.

I stepped outside, only to get slammed in the face with the reek of wolf piss. What the fuck? I growled and sidestepped to see several spots where wolves had sprayed the porch, saturating the wood. That would be a bitch to clean, too. The ammonia was pungent, stinging my nose and eyes. Talk about a big fuck you. “That asshole…”

“Oh god.” Chance quailed softly, backing away into the house. “I-I need to go. I need to—I—”

My stomach clenched. “Go where, Chance?”

“Away,” he whispered. “I told you! It’s not safe for me to be here. I told you they’d come looking for me! I told you, Hux… They won’t quit until I’m dead. Bones will kill you to get to me.” He hugged himself, his fingers curling so tightly into his hoodie that his knuckles bled white. He shook his head, frantic and terrified. “I need to go.”

“You’re not going anywhere,” I barked, sharper than I intended. The blood drained from Chance’s face and I cursed. “Sweetheart, I won’t let him take you away. He’ll have to get through me first and I’m not going down without a fight. Running isn’t going to do anything but give him prey to chase.”

I stepped closer, skimming my hands down the sides of his arms. “Please. They’re trying to spook you into running. These are scare tactics used by bullies. They fully expect you to flee and that’s when they’ll pounce.”

A whine caught in his throat. “I-I’m scared, Hux. I’m scared and I hate it…”

“I know, honey. God, I know and I will do everything in my power to get rid of these bastards, okay? Okay?” I cupped his cheeks in both hands, pressing our foreheads together. “Promise me you won’t run. Promise me you’ll stay inside with Dresden with the doors locked. If anyone tries to break in, I want you to call 911.”

“Wh-Where are you going, Huxley?” he whispered, suddenly anxious. “Please don’t leave me!”

“Soren and I are going to chase them off,” I told him. “You have to trust me, okay? Stay inside and keep Dresden safe. Can you do that for me?”

“You’ll come back, right?”

“Of course, baby.” I kissed him gently. “I love you.”

“Love you too…”

“Lock the doors,” I told him before the change washed over me with a crackle of magical energy. I dropped to all fours and shook out my thick coat, my tail flagging high behind me. Soren was at my side in an instant. His wolf form was slightly smaller, but our bloodline ran big, even for Omegas. His fur was a rust-tinged black with a splash of white across his chest. Gold eyes locked onto me before he dipped his muzzle in submission.

With a huff, I took off across the yard with my brother at my heels.

The woods stunk of another Alpha’s scent, which riled my wolf. I snapped my jaws and fought the urge to mark over the spot; we didn’t have time for that. I wasn’t getting into a literal pissing match with my mate’s ex-abuser. I strode through the forest with purpose behind my stride and when I caught wind of them—three of them—I let out a warning growl.

To my right, I heard a man’s throaty chuckle. I spun on him, my hackles raised and tail erect. I wasn’t sure what I expected—muscle-bound and tattooed, perhaps?—but the wiry man with shrewd blue eyes and a head of silvering brown hair wasn’t at all how I’d pictured a man such as Bones. He looked more suited to office work, but I knew better than to let appearances fool me.

I bared my teeth. His thin lips quirked into a smirk. “I think you have something that belongs to me, wolf.”

Soren went stiff at my side, but I let my shift recede until we were man to man, eye to eye. I pinned Bones with the coldest glare I could muster. “Chance doesn’t belong to anyone, but he’s sure as hell not yours anymore.”

He sneered. “Oh, I beg to differ. That little whore messed with the wrong pack and he’ll pay in blood and tears.”

“You aren’t going anywhere near him,” I snapped. “He isn’t yours to control anymore.”

“What? Is he yours?” When I didn’t reply, he laughed, sharp and crude. “Oh, that’s priceless. I see how it is. Jumped from one Alpha’s bed to the next. Typical. I’ll bet he hasn’t told you what a filthy slut he is. How he’d beg for my knot night after night, plead for my pack to fuck him senseless.”

I bristled, anger snapping taut. “Shut your mouth.”

Bones snorted. “Fucking cumdump is what he is. Nothing more than a dirty whore, a hot piece of ass. How does it feel to have a real Alpha’s sloppy seconds? Probably why you haven’t marked him yet, huh?” His cold eyes narrowed, pinning me with a frosty look, but the smile on his face was cruelly amused. “I can smell him on your skin, but I don’t see a mating bite. Even you know he’s not good enough.”

My hands clenched, claws tipping my fingertips to bury into the meat of my palms. I took a step towards him. “It’s none of your business. Chance isn’t yours any longer, do you understand me? I don’t want any trouble, but I’m telling you now—if you don’t get the fuck off my territory, you’ll regret it.”

He laughed. “I’m not afraid of you, mutt, but you’re right. Why would I want that gutterslut, anyway? He’s tainted goods now, ripe with your bastard spawn. Oh, don’t look at me like that. I’ve been watching you two for weeks and it’s disgusting how much you dote on him. As much as I’d enjoy splitting him open like a melon, he’s not worth my time. Enjoy my leftovers…and give him a kiss for me, would you?” His lips twitched into a sick smile.

“Get. Out.” I seethed, lunging forwards.

He shifted into a lean white wolf and let a keening cry pierce the air, startling birds from the trees. They burst forth with frantic wingbeats, scattering into the sky. Two equally lanky, patchy-coated Betas slunk forward to flank their Alpha, who regarded me with a cool glare. They snapped their jaws at me, tails lashing from side to side, and for a moment, I feared they might attack.

But Bones growled and pinned his ears and his lackeys fell quiet. With a snort, he turned around and strutted off almost lazily, like he was in no big hurry to leave. It grated against my nerves. I wanted to chase him off, to bowl him over and pin him to the forest floor and give him a taste of what he deserved.

I might’ve, too, had Soren not leaned against my leg with a low whine. I blew out a sigh and dropped my hand, scratching his ear. It sure as hell didn’t feel like a win and I had the bad feeling that despite Bones’s obvious distaste, this wouldn’t be the last we saw of him. I hoped I was wrong, but I seriously doubted it.

Which meant I couldn’t afford to let down my guard. Whether or not he looked the part, Bones was a threat to my mate’s safety—and the safety of my family. I wouldn’t put it past the bastard not to rip the child from Chance’s belly the moment he had the chance. The thought made my own stomach sour.

I needed to keep him safe.

I needed to keep us all safe, because I was the only one who could.