Page 28 of Midnight Moon
“Patrick agreed to keep the sighting to himself, but it is only a matter of time before others find out what is going on,” Beta Nathan muttered grimly. “I can handle Blair and Hunter if you need to return to Colorado to deal with the problem.”
I placed my plate on the table and sat next to my dad. Hunter sat beside his father.
“What problem?”
My father jolted. Beta Nathan’s spoon clanked against his coffee mug.
I noted their odd behavior.
Our enhanced senses made it nearly impossible to sneak up on a shifter. I guessed they’d been too preoccupied with their conversation to notice our approach.
“Blair... good morning,” my dad greeted, recovering from his initial surprise. “Did you sleep well?”
Not at all. A certain Wilds shifter ensured that.
“I slept fine,” I lied. “What’s wrong with the pack?”
“Nothing at all,” he answered, wiping his mouth with a napkin. “Patrick Yates is having difficulties with wildlife on his lands, but it is nothing we can’t handle when we return.”
I had no idea what wildlife issue would be so important for Beta Nathan to suggest my father return to Colorado, but I didn’t press the issue. I had enough going on in my head, and I didn’t need anything else to distract me from the first game.
“Well, whatever it is, I hope he ends up okay.”
My father forced a smile and gestured towards my plate.
Heeding his silent directive, I picked up my fork and dug into the food. I needed to keep up my strength for whatever the day would bring.
“So,” Hunter paused to sip a glass of orange juice his father offered him. “Any idea what today’s game is?”
“Looks like it’s going to be a hunt,” Beta Nathan replied. “I saw several Badlands shifters returning from the woods late last night.”
The news didn’t surprise me.
Traditionally, all Alpha Games included a hunt. Objects would be strategically hidden throughout Badlands’ territory, and competitors would literally try to sniff them out. Those with the best senses often won the game, but hosting packs had gotten creative over the years. They began to incorporate different tricks or traps to make the hunt more competitive, making it any shifter’s game.
“Which direction did they come from?” I asked.
“East.”
“But that could be a distraction,” my father stated. “The Badlands Pack might have assumed they would be seen upon their return.”
I nodded. I’d thought the same thing. My father always thought one step ahead, and he’d trained me to do the same.
“Don’t worry. Blair and I have practiced mock hunts a hundred times. We won’t let some lame distraction get the better of us.”
“I know you won’t,” my father told my partner.
Hunter’s head lifted high, basking in his alpha’s approval.
Alpha Kurt walked into the room. His entrance ended every single conversation in the room.
“Good morning, everyone,” the host greeted, grinning as he looked around the room. Two of his pack members flanked him on each side.
I tried to resist, but I couldn’t help but scan the room for Asher and Chase. I hadn’t seen them when I walked in, and I didn’t see them now.
Were they going to miss the details of the first game?
I huffed.
