Page 126 of Claimed By Prince Daddy

He shot me a disbelieving look through narrowed eyes but said nothing more about the matter, sensing I wished to talk no further. A seed of gratefulness sprouted in my belly.

“Gather all the sentinels…” I glanced at Garret. “Meet me at the cabin.”

Garret nodded and took off to round up the others. Once he was out of sight, I allowed my shoulders to unfurl. I had allowed the first sign of weakness as Alpha to show. How I missed Damon. And wished I could cling to his strength in times like these. When he and I put our heads together, we were unstoppable. Yet, things were no longer the same. I rubbed at my torso, where the grisly wound had once raked across my smooth, dark skin. The wounds were now a faint scar. My inner wolf—though a small part of my psyche—had aided in healing the wound to some degree.

Lifting my chin back straight, I headed to the cabin for the meeting. I had my pack to attend to, and Damon had his. Things must return to the way they once were.

Before long, I stood in the cabin flanked in a semi-circle by my sentinels.

“What can anyone tell me about the intel we have on the witches?”

“So far, the intel we’ve garnered from the witches was just some call logs from their phones. Contact with those that remain anonymous,” Darl, one of my senior sentinels, said. His gray eyes hardened. “But when we tried to trace the calls to whoever’s hidden, the call goes cold—as if it hits a metal barrier.”

I sighed. “We can only conclude that the trace met a dead end because the connection continues to the other realm.” It was something that our technology had no hope of tracing, for no human or Werekind had ever breached the wall in over five hundred years.

“There’s more troubling reports,” a blonde female sentinel, by the name of Yvonette, said. “They have slain more humans.”

I clenched my jaw. “How many?”

Her lips thinned. “Ten more victims in three weeks.”

“Shit!” I gritted my teeth, clenching my fists.

“The Rangers will be all over this!” Garret raked a hand down his face.

“Not only The Rangers,” I corrected. “The governor will soon get involved. Too many people are dying for this to be chalked up to coincidence.”

“Also…” Barnett, a lean, muscled male, and one of the newest sentinels, said. “Reports among the packs now show wolves have committed some of the recent killings.” He let out a low growl. “Some of the packs have revealed that werewolves committed these massacres. Council has taken it upon themselves to slay any werewolf whom they feel has gone rogue.”

I leaned against the wall, kicking a foot back to rest against it, too. “But that won’t stop the murders. The council doesn’t know they’re being committed by werewolves fallen under the spell of the Dark Fae.”

“Alpha…” I glanced at Yvonette. “The Rangers and police forces are getting closer to our territory and neighboring werewolf colonies. It will be harder for those of us who need to shift into our beast pelts, lest they go dormant. I sense the danger of one of the Werekind getting killed by avenging humans, Rangers seeking to destroy the threat, is imminent.”

I nodded. “From now on, those of us that need to shift, the non-latents, will do so within the camp. No more runs out in the field until The Rangers’ presence has dissipated. Is that understood?”

“Yes, Alpha.” My sentinels chorused.

“Spread the news to the pack,” I said. “I want an increase of patrols across the territory rim. We can’t let the humans invade.”

Another murmur of agreement crested. After reviewing a few more pack matters of importance, I ended the meeting, dismissing the group. All filed out of the cabin except Garret. He remained at my side, his brow furrowed.

“We can’t keep up the shift inside the camp forever.” Garrett shook his head. “Those of us who can shift need to run and stretch their legs. Aside from that, the wolves of other packs need to run free as well.”

My upper lip curled in frustration. I slammed a hand against the wall, chips of wood flying from the impact. “I know this.” I faced my beta. “The sooner we locate the Dark Fae responsible, the sooner this ends.”

I woke up in the middle of the night to blood curdling screams and roars that sent ice shards piercing my heart. I jolted out of bed and grabbed hold of my sniper’s rifle, slinging the strap across my shoulder. Then I snatched up my handgun for backup and raced outside. My body froze as I laid eyes on the chaos unraveling before me.

A pack of bears barreled through the camp. They broke into cabins, attacking our pack. The sharp tang of iron saturated the air. My heart plummeted as I recognized some of the grizzlies and black bears that tore into my pack mates with fangs and claws.

Damon’s bears!

Damon… betrayed us?

Hot tears stung my eyes. I shook my head, dispelling my anguish. My pack needed me.

I saw a submissive, latent female pinned beneath a black bear. The bear sank its fangs into her shoulder. She let out a piercing scream as he shook her back and forth. I leveled my rifle and aimed, cursing as the target crouched over my pack mate, too close for a hit!

After a steadying breath, I paused, waited, and pulled the trigger.

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