Wolf's Pack (Wolves Next Door #3) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,95

few leads from hashtags, and then dove in. Eventually, in some tractor owner's forum, she found it. Just northwest of town, ranchers were reporting a surge in wolves being seen during daylight. That was right around where Damon had parked his Hidden Forest pack, and the idiot was letting his members run as wolves in broad daylight?

He was basically asking for it. The only concern was that the numbers didn't match what we knew of his pack. Hidden Forest had always been a small community. They had a trailer park out on land someone was leasing for something. The last we'd heard, he had just about twenty pack members, but this? It sounded like there were easily fifty wolves. A big pack, and they'd been seen taking down one man's cow, if the story was accurate.

"You think they're that dumb?" I asked Ashley.

"In all honesty?" She looked up at me. "Yeah, I do. This is Damon Shaw we're talking about. Lane, he wants wolves to be exposed. He thinks we're the more advanced people. He's not trying to be careful. He's trying to prove he's better than Ian, and he has been since they were kids! The fact that you saved Seth, helped him turn, and made him into a functional wolf?" She shook her head as if that should say enough.

"You know Seth wants revenge, right?" I asked.

Ashley nodded. "Not surprised. Damon and his friends jumped him, Lane. They changed his life. Maybe it was for the better, but who can be sure? Of course he wants revenge. What Damon did to Seth? It may as well have been a form of rape. He took Seth's humanity without consent, and I can't say that I blame the guy for being pissed about it."

"But he's a wolf now," I hissed. "He's stronger, better, and he has us."

She just nodded. "And maybe he didn't think there was a damned thing wrong with himself before." Then she sighed. "Lane, don't get me wrong. I'm glad Seth's in the pack. I like the guy, and he makes Elena happy. He's a wonderful beta for my brother. None of that changes the simple fact that Damon bit him, and the man wanted to kill him. Seth's just proud enough to want to get a piece of his own back."

"I can see that," I admitted, because I probably would feel the same if I was him. "But where did he get the extra wolves?"

"Maybe he's taken over another pack? Could explain his sudden interest in threatening to do the same here." She sighed again and scrubbed at her face. "If he's won one dominance fight, he'll feel like he's top dog. He's also convinced that Ian's weak because he didn't kill Roman or Karen. Damon can't tell the difference between compassion and strength, and Wolf's Run is quite the prize."

"The life Damon's always wanted," I grumbled. "Ian can take him, though."

"Make sure of that," she said. "I want you training with him. Push him, Lane. Make my brother work for it. Two of you, three, or all of you. I don't care, but make sure that if Damon ever does show up here and makes it a challenge that my brother will win easily."

"Promise," I said, aware that her eyes kept jumping to the clock. "Have someplace to be?"

"No, it's just..." She gave up and just laughed. "Dinner date."

"Vic?" I asked.

She bit her lips together and didn't answer for a long moment. "Scott, actually. Um, I kinda spent the weekend with them."

"And they're cool with that?" I asked.

"They sure didn't complain," she shot back. "Jesus, Lane, don't start giving me shit about this, ok? Yes, I know they're bears. I know nothing can come of it. They're also nice, and - "

I grabbed her arms, making her look at me. "And they make you happy, alpha. They're pack. They're strong - maybe even stronger than you. They're loyal. I know all of that, and if you don't think that I checked to make sure they were good enough, then you don't know me very well. I let those men help me teach Elena to walk as a wolf. I approve of them, but none of that matters. Ashley, the only thing you need to be sure of is if they make you happy."

"For now," she told me.

I just moved a hand to the back of her neck, making her look up at me. "Don't push them away because someone else hurt you. They're bears, Ash.