Present

As requested, John and Hadley were waiting for them at the Tomahawk Bay in Oregon. Merrick arrived an hour later with Mitch and Amelia. The second Enforcer had been required before Julian was comfortable asking Mitch to walk Amelia right into the line of fire again.

“You sure you want to do this?” Mitch stood on the deck next to him. The son of the Yukon Pack’s Second had been on Julian’s radar from his first day as a Lone Wolf. Recruiting him as an Enforcer had been a natural choice. Earning his spot as Julian’s second had fallen to him when Julian’s first choice roamed beyond their borders. John and Merrick went for supplies while Hadley stuck around to play buffer between Julian and Dallas. Though he didn’t doubt for an instant it was also to satisfy her own curiosity, as she’d been dividing her attention between him and Dallas from the moment she arrived. Of all his Enforcers, there was only one other he trusted more.

“Yes, I’m too close to all of this. Which means it will be on the four of you to handle the investigation.”

“Five of us,” Amelia called from the kitchen, not remotely pretending to offer privacy.

The corners of Mitch’s lips twitched, his affection for his mate clear even as he said, “Not now, babe. Julian is in a mood.”

“He’s always in a mood.” The absolute disdain she held for the order of things earned a laugh from Dallas. It had been a long time since he’d heard her truly laugh. As fascinating as the musical sound was, it also rasped along his nerves. She seemed to be enjoying their company.

Mitch offered him a grimace of apology, but Julian shook his head and raised a hand before he said a word. “No, she’s right. I’ve been in a bad mood for years.” The admission cost him nothing, not when he’d already lost everything. “And it will be four doing the questioning, Amelia.”

He delivered the reprimand in a calm voice. It was vital for the younger wolf’s survival, in light of her strength. Though she had been kidnapped and bitten against her will, she’d turned and discovered a competitive dominance on par with the alphas. Like so many of his Enforcers, she was alpha potential.

“I like it when he gives me permission to be bitchy.” The grin in Amelia’s voice was evident, even though he didn’t look directly at her.

“Be careful,” Dallas warned her. “That is how Julian baits the trap he wants you to walk into. He makes it your decision.” The barbed words scraped over him. Not even being wrong in the choices she’d made diminished the bite in Dallas’s attitude.

“I wouldn’t rely on a Rogue for advice, especially one prone to selfish decisions and to hell with the consequences.” The snap escaped him as he turned. Dallas met his gaze with unapologetic stare. The lack of a smile did nothing to remove the force of the taunt.

“And on that note,” Hadley said, cutting between their stare-off to deliver a pair of beers to him and Mitch. “Why don’t we talk about this investigation and what it is you want us to figure out?”

“I think we’re waiting for Merrick and John to get back,” Mitch said. Julian took his beer and resumed his study of the docks. After the last ambush, he wouldn’t take chances with any of the lives in his care.

Not even Dallas.

Returning to find her being assaulted hadn’t done much for his already black mood. Spending the time in isolation with her and barely speaking as they sailed for Oregon had only diminished his mood. She’d tried to talk to him, he’d give her that. Yet neither he nor his wolf could reconcile the woman they’d loved with the woman who’d let a lie skewer their lives and the life of their child.

His child.

He had a child.

Movement on the docks pulled him from the dark path his mind circled. “We’re about to have company.” The scent riding the breeze was the first truly welcome one he’d tasted since finding Dallas in Santa Monica.

Pivoting, Mitch let out a low whoop even as Hadley squealed. She all but shoved her beer into Julian’s free hand, then leaped over the end of the deck, and right onto the dock boards.

Dallas and Amelia trailed them outside as Mitch took point. Julian remained where he was, watching their backs. Shouts came from the other end of the dock as Merrick and John approached. Their supplies included giving a ride to the latest guests.

Glancing to the side, he studied Dallas’s curious expression, but she didn’t ask him. A few moments later, the scents of roses, cedarwood, and chocolate all tangled with the unmistakable scent of vineyards preceded a tall, rangy woman with red curly hair.

“Hello, bitches,” Margo gave him as sly look. Like many of the wolves, she came from mixed descent. Spanish, Native American, Anglo, and African-American. Beautiful. Controlled. Deadly. Her mate, the powerful Italian Alpha who led all the packs of Italy, followed in her wake. Not slowing, Margo paused long enough to give Mitch a kiss on the cheek—one he returned with affection—then went straight to Julian.

Opening his arms, he welcomed her embrace. The fierceness of it had him tightening his grip.

“Aww, I told you he would miss me, Salvatore.” The irreverent laughter in her tone buoyed Julian, so he released her and turned to her mate. Gripping the other man’s hand, he nodded.

“Thank you both for coming.”

“You knew.” Hadley scolded John as she followed him on the boat, her light whack on his arm earning her only an indulgent smile from the mate who adored her.

Four of his best Enforcers, all mated and settled into their relationships. Three of them Rogues by their laws, and he’d dismissed any attempt to hold them accountable. Covering for them as he’d done for his own relationship.

May theirs last longer and better than his. Merrick was the last one aboard. He didn’t join them, remaining near the ropes securing them to the deck. Salvatore set a bag down and took a position that kept him at Margo’s back, even as he studied all the wolves on board. His gaze lingered on Dallas a heartbeat longer than Julian cared for, but when he nodded to her, and she returned the greeting, Julian damn near snarled.

Of course she knew the Italian Alpha. Throttling his temper, he met Salvatore’s questioning look.

“Do you have anything else in the vehicles that can be tracked to you or that you require?” It might seem like an obvious question, but he would leave nothing to assumption.

Not again.

“Locked and loaded.” Margo folded her arms and leaned back against her mate. Salvatore locked his legs, balancing her easily while still keeping his hands free. The comfort surrounding their match poured acid into the hole where Julian’s heart had been ripped out.

John was in the kitchen offloading supplies with Hadley’s admonishing assistance. She was still giving him hell about knowing Margo was coming and no one told her. Though he did offer the ‘it was a surprise’ defense to his mate.

Shaking his head, Mitch jerked a thumb toward the bridge above. “Shall we move this meeting out to sea?”

“Let’s. Margo, Salvatore, if you’ll join me on the bridge.”

Without a second look at Dallas, he headed up the stairs.

“Freeing the moorings,” Merrick called. Once they were on the bridge, Julian got the engines warmed then set out into the darkness. He’d already informed the harbormaster he hadn’t planned to stay for more than a few hours.

Margo closed the doors leading out of the bridge as Salvatore kept watch on the harbor. They were all on point, human and wolf alike.

Waiting until he cleared the last buoy, Margo said, “You and Dallas Dalton are a thing, you old dog.”

“Correction, we were a thing.” Her brazenness was exactly why he’d called her. That she’d dropped everything and come added to the reasons he missed her.

“Sure, and you two never had sex on this bridge.” Folding her arms, she raised her eyebrows. “Notice I’m not sitting anywhere, I do not want to find a wet spot—because gross.”

Salvatore chuckled, and slid an arm around her middle, pulling her against him. “Be kind to him, bella. He is already struggling.”

Meeting Margo’s gaze, he recalled pinning her to the wall, his hand on her throat because she’d violated the laws. The perfect Enforcer, every bit the mother hen like Hadley and tough as Julian on threats. That she’d crossed the line had stunned him, more because he’d seen in her the success he’d lacked.

“She’s not wrong,” he told Salvatore, then transferred his gaze back out to the night seas. They had no moon, so he had to rely on his instincts and the buoys to get them through the channel and out to open waters.

“Thank you,” she said, the teasing ribbon vanquished from her tone. “What do you need from me?”

When he’d called, all he said was he needed her help. No other specifics.

“Did John brief you on the Volchitsa tracking our electronic devices?” Maintaining his calm allowed him to resume a measure of control frayed by Dallas’ presence.

“I’m fairly certain he briefed me on all the pertinent details, including the deaths of Domino, Calitri, and Kip.” Grief speared the moment, but Margo didn’t stop there. “It’s a shitstorm. You and your girlfriend are apparently at the center of it. Attacks have rippled through all the packs.”

“Save one,” Salvatore added, though he didn’t mention his sister by name. He’d withdrawn his protection after confronting her directly about forming a sixth, and illegal pack within the United States in direct contravention to their laws. The fact that the pack bonded tied Julian’s hands, and Margo made the call that it had to be turned over to the packs themselves. Enforcers protected the packs, they couldn’t intervene in pack wars, other than to protect the innocent.

“That we know of,” Julian amended, setting a cruising speed as they left the shoreline behind them. “Contact with Three Rivers is limited, though the pack has been contained.” Containing them in the first place had reduced their manpower and stretched them too thin.

The Italian alpha’s jaw clenched. “Understood.”

“They’re on my list,” he said by way of meager comfort. The sixth pack was on his list, just not very high on it.

“We get it,” Margo replied, elbowing her mate lightly. “Now, tell me what it is you need from me?”

“To be judge,” Julian stated, having made up his mind over the past two days. “You are impartial, as much as you can be, but you also have distance and the advice of an alpha who rules alphas.” By involving Margo, he involved Salvatore. A risk he’d accepted.

“Whose judge?” Suspicion narrowed her eyes.

“Mine…and Dallas.” He had Margo’s full attention.

“You forbade us from apprehending her unless we could do so without harm. You required that we contact you if we even suspected her of being present somewhere.” A report Margo had only given him once, and he’d missed Dallas by three days.

“I did, but that restriction no longer applies. Dallas has an offer of protection from not one, but two alphas. I suspect if you can get Diesel on the phone, he’d offer the same.” Her ability to cultivate allies would be commendable, if it didn’t frustrate him. “However, you are not judging her past crimes except in the light under which they are related to the Volchitsa invasion.”

“Great, so I’m to decide which of you was in the wrong? Thank you so much for handing me that big, flaming pile of shit to juggle.”

Amused despite his dark mood, he continued, “Merrick will lead the questioning of both myself and Dallas. John and Hadley will interrogate the Volchitsa in the hold. Amelia and Mitch will serve as our representatives.”

“The position of judge should go to Mitch. He’s your second.” A reasonable assumption on Margo’s part. “I’m also Seven Hills now, which makes my judgment suspect to the other Enforcers, much less the packs.”

“A fair argument, but this is ultimately my decision…”

“And why you are sailing beyond the U.S. borders.” Salvatore glanced toward the direction they were heading.

“International waters. Where the pack laws are not enforced. Therefore, we’ll do this my way.”

“Tell me why.” Margo studied him. She wasn’t declining the task, but she wanted more information.

“Because either she, I, or both of us are the targets of this witch hunt. Wolves are dead because of the choices we made.” He accepted he had to be complicit, no matter who the target was. Dallas left to get away from him. She’d been involved in smuggling and other criminal activities in order to avoid him. The relationship they’d shared, one he’d actively pursued, defied the laws and created fractures in his loyalty.

“Julian I think this is the most insane thing you've ever asked me to do.” Margo lifted a hand as though requiring his silence as she continued. “I don't know what happened between the two of you. I'm not sure I need to know, but if you go through with this, you're going to quite literally put everything out on the table regarding your relationship. It was a relationship, wasn't it?”

Meeting Margo's gaze, Julian blew out a breath. “Very much a relationship, and absolutely illegal. You might say it is long since passed due the time I receive the punishment for the choices I made.”

Disbelief etched Margo's expression. For a moment, Julian worried she wouldn't be able to do what he was asking her to, but it was Salvatore who spoke next. “By going beyond the U.S. borders, you can share all of this information, subject yourself to this investigation, including exploring your illegal relationship with Dallas Dalton…” He made no bones about his disdain for their laws, before continuing, “What do you expect to happen at that point? For Margo to find one or both of you guilty?”

“Then we take out the Volchitsa. We’ve already rounded up over a hundred, thanks to the information provided the accountant regarding their drop spots. I’ve had Enforcers and pack Hunters gathering them, questioning them.”

“Someone always breaks,” Margo said following his thought process as adroitly as she always had.

“We’ll round up more. The Volchitsa were a symptom, hired thugs. I need to know who sent them.”

“And why.” Margo tacked on for him. Yes, knowing why might help, but Julian cared less about the why and more about getting rid of the root problem.

“I need your help, Margo. Will you do it?”

Though she didn’t look happy about the challenge, she also didn’t shy away from his gaze. “You promise to live with whatever my decision is?”

Julian didn't have within his nature what was required to submit to someone else’s rule. He’d been in charge for decades, first as William’s Second, then as Chief Enforcer. The two had bled together as William abandoned them all more and more. Maybe that was the problem. Submission had never been an option for him.

“Yes.”

Because, before all else, he was an Enforcer. His job was to protect the packs against all threats—including himself.

Decades earlier…

“I won’t be able to make our appointment,” he said, speaking to an answering machine. “Ran into a delay. Might be a couple of days. Will update when I have more information.” The sound of shuffling steps alerted him to William’s arrival on the deck of his cabin. The remote residence could only be accessed by helicopter or hiking overland. No roads reached the Chief Enforcer.

He lowered the brick phone and pressed disconnect. The weight of the vaunted new revolution in phones surprised him.

“You brought a toy.” William’s chastisement shouldn’t surprise him. The elderly wolf predated the first telephone. His birth took place so long ago, he didn’t recall the date any longer. They didn’t make such a fuss over birthdays back then, or so he always claimed.

“It’s an experiment.” The last time he’d invested money in a device, it had required a suitcase battery to power it and the connection had been crap. They had some engineers among the Lone Wolves, and Julian had cultivated their placement in specific industries.

“An experiment you’re not leaving here,” the elder informed him as he shuffled out onto the deck. The range beyond the isolated home included a spectacular view of the mountains.

Julian swore he could hear the old man’s bones creak as he set down a tray with a pitcher of cold tea and two glasses before he took a seat in the carved wooden rocker. “I wasn’t planning on it.” He still didn’t quite trust the so-called latest advancement in technology. It needed charging constantly which was more of an inconvenience than finding a payphone and calling his service.

The answering machine at the house wasn’t much better, except the only one who could get messages from the machine were him and Dallas. The privacy was welcome, but the devices all failed as often as they succeeded.

“Good.” Usually when Julian visited, William listened as he made a full report, then offered his advice or, as had become more common over the last twenty years, simply accepted the information on face value.

Today, William asked him nothing. Dropping into the second carved rocker, he stretched his legs and stared at the distance.

“Spit it out, boy,” William said after a prolonged silence. “You never know if I’ll be here tomorrow.”

A tired phrase for a tired old man, yet despite his concerns about whether he would survive, William was still there. “You don’t really care about the report, do you?”

“Not particularly.” Extending a wizened hand, William grasped the pitcher and filled one glass. “It helps you sort your thoughts and make decisions, so spit it out.”

The mantle of Chief Enforcer wasn’t truly his, not until William abdicated in word as much as he had in fact—a truth Julian had understood for more than two decades. Every year, William retreated further.

“When was the first ruling against mating for Enforcers decided?” The thought had begun to take root, and he dismissed it every single time.

Eyes narrowed, William squinted at him. “Are Enforcers Lone Wolves?” The rusty voice carried reprimand in every syllable.

Amused despite the gravity of the information, he nodded. “Yes.”

“Then you have your answer.” Direct, simple, and to the point. William lifted his glass and took a long drink. “Ask the rest of your questions.” Feeble and withering perhaps, but William’s command resonated through Julian. The old wolf had been the one to take in a shattered twenty-one-year-old wolf and given him direction. He would always be his student.

“You’re dying, aren’t you?” It left him inexplicably sad.

“I’ve been dying since the day I was born.” William grinned suddenly before a cough assaulted him. The once dry hack had turned moist. The wolf’s aged eyes, rheumy with a white film, disguised what had once been green. “Don’t get maudlin on me, boy. You’re ready. I knew it from the day I met you, I only had to live long enough for you to be certain.”

“What’s sixty or seventy years?” Scratching at his jaw, he kept silent on the one question he truly wanted to ask. If the words slipped his lips, no matter what William advised, Julian knew he’d have to walk away.

“You’ll understand. You’re a gifted leader, and the Enforcers trust you and fear you in equal measures. They only ever feared me.”

Surprised, Julian frowned.

The old wolf laughed. “I wasn’t always this charming. Back in my day, we couldn’t afford to be.” He sighed. “More and more it slips away.” The confession rocked Julian. “I don’t remember my pack anymore, not that it matters. Most who were alive when I was there are dead…or old fossils, as I am now.” Another laugh turned hacking cough followed.

“How did you know?” Julian couldn’t quite grasp ever passing on the responsibility. How could he walk away from the Enforcers, who relied upon him, and the Lone Wolves who needed them? Where would he walk to, anyway? Return to his former pack? A place which, even when he visited, seemed more alien each time? Would he be William someday? Isolated, and forgotten by all, save a chosen one? His memory so full of holes he would no longer recall when he’d been born?

“You just do.” After setting down his drink, William clasped his hands together. “The same way you knew you couldn’t stay where you were, not when the Japs hit the Harbor, and not when you came home. You’ll know because your wolf will tell you. They know this better than we do. Your wolf inhabits you, as mine once did.”

The revelation confirmed Julian’s suspicions.

“He’s Faded now. I can’t shift anymore, boy. Haven’t been able to in a long time. Doesn’t matter anymore. The old boy and I had a long run together…we were there when Sutter Butte was a bunch of arrogant upstarts. We were there when Hudson River and Delta Crescent turned on each other…when Willow Bend tried to broker a peace that failed.” He coughed, then smiled. “We were there when peace was made again. As long as there have been packs, there have been Lone Wolves and Enforcers. We are as necessary and vital to the system as the alphas.”

“We bring order,” Julian said quietly, then set his hand on William’s arm.

“That we do…and we bring justice. These two are not always the same. Who else can upbraid an alpha for their stupidity without having to challenge them for their pack? Who else stands between the packs and the invasion of progress? Your toy there, it’s a threat, but then you know that, don’t you?”

He did. All modern conveniences were a threat, and he identified more and more each day. The packs maintained a long reach, but they kept their focus on pack security. Julian had to see farther. “Isolation in a connected world is an impossibility.”

“Exactly, the ease of convenience comes at the cost of privacy.”

“Well, maybe you should blame the Pony Express for that one.” The remark earned another hacking chuckle, then William leaned back in his chair. His eyes were half-closed.

“You’re ready,” he told Julian. “You have been for years.”

A heavy weight settled in his chest as the old man’s raspy breathing deepened and his chin nodded. An hour later, William drifted quietly from the world he’d defended so fiercely attended by the only Enforcer who even remembered he still existed.

The mantle was truly Julian’s now. Chief Enforcer.