Matthias looked to the opposite side of the fire, watching the tracker offer the boy some cooked rabbit. She’d followed him without resistance, but he didn’t fool himself. The reason she’d been so cooperative was currently sitting right beside her, her arm curled protectively around him.
The firelight glimmered against the copper strands in her hair, bathing her features in a soft glow as she said something that made the boy laugh. She smiled, but her smile didn’t reach her eyes, and she glanced about the campsite, her gaze assessing. For a brief moment their eyes met, and then she looked away. He frowned. He was still stunned, and slightly abashed, that she’d thought he’d force himself on her. That had hurt. That and the fact that she now tried to shield the boy from him and his lycans. The young pup shot him a curious glance, and he winked. He was rewarded with a tentative smile.
He knew what she thought, what she feared, and was willing to use it to his advantage. But there was no way he would ever hurt a pup. Nor would he hurt a woman. Sure, his physical reaction to her was...intense, but he’d never physically force a woman to submit to him. Hell, he hadn’t been remotely interested in a woman since—well, not in a long time. Something about this tracker, though, made him forget his control, forget his own rules, forget that which drove him hardest. He glanced around the campsite, at the lycans who had accepted him into their den, into their pack, and who now looked to him for leadership. When Jared had adopted him into Alpine Pack, nobody could have guessed he would one day become their guardian prime, but in the three years he’d lived with them, he had. He’d earned their trust and loyalty. He wouldn’t let them down. Not again.
Night had fallen, and he and his lycans had gathered at the meeting point. They were still in Woodland territory, but very close to the Nightwing border, and there was little chance of the Woodland shifters tracking them here, tonight. Woodland would have to tend to their injured and ensure their home den was secure before setting out to hunt for the Alpine guardians. He’d planned for a scattered retreat, and he and his guardians had laid plenty of false trails before finally descending upon their rendezvous point. He eyed the woman across the campsite. Holding the Woodland Tracker Prime would restrict their enemy’s ability to locate them—at least for a while.
Smokey rabbit and pine scented the air, along with the stringent scent of medicinal body rubs and antiseptic creams as the Alpine lycans tended to their injured. Fortunately that nose-burning smell masked the hypnotic fragrance of the woman who even now he couldn’t dislodge from his thoughts. She was delectable. He could lose himself in her scent, in her body—and that made him equal parts angry and scared as a day-old pup caught in a summer storm.
A movement caught his eye, and he looked up. Zane was trying to catch his attention. He walked around to his second-in-command, stopping to chat with some of the injured guardians. Fortunately there were no deaths in today’s skirmish—but it wasn’t for lack of trying on Woodland’s part. Today, Alpine had retreated. His lips pressed into a firm line. His expectations for the outcome of talks hadn’t been high, but damn, things had gone haywire. He didn’t think highly of Rafe Woodland, yet had still been surprised when the alpha prime had attacked under parley. He smiled. He didn’t mind. They now had just cause to launch attack after attack on the enemy pack.
Zane beckoned him over to the pickup truck parked a short distance away from the camp. Matthias caught the eye of Kai, one of his guardians, and gestured toward the tracker. He didn’t want her to think this was an opportunity to escape. Kai nodded and casually strolled to take up a position behind Trinity and the boy.
“What’s up?” he asked Zane as he met him and Nate Baxter, another first-tier guardian and valued sergeant, at the pickup.
Zane rolled out a map onto the hood of the car, and clicked on his flashlight. “You were right. Woodland has gone to ground. Nate and a couple of the others tried to track them, but they’ve disappeared.”
Nate sighed. “Like ghosts. Poof.”
Matthias took the flashlight and scanned the map, then frowned. He shook his head. “Are you sure this is the most current map?”
Zane nodded, his lips pursed. “Yeah. I know all the packs like to keep some of their trails hidden, but Woodland takes secrecy to a new level.”
“I even cross-checked with satellite imagery,” Nate said. “The trees effectively mask many of their trails. This is the best we can get.”
Matt’s eyes narrowed as he surveyed the document. “Rafe Woodland doesn’t trust easily.”
“Rafe Woodland doesn’t trust at all,” Zane muttered. “We’d do well to remember that. Someone who doesn’t trust easily isn’t trustworthy, as he proved today. Although that tracker could prove useful...” His voice trailed off in suggestion.
Matthias kept his eyes glued to the map, and merely grunted a response. He’d been thinking of little else since he’d dragged her into camp late that afternoon. That woman, that...she-wolf. Her long legs, narrow waist, and gentle swell of hip and breast—she was beautiful, in a lithe, natural kind of way. There was something about her that called to him, that stirred his beast, that tightened his body with a need he didn’t appreciate and could barely control.
“You two certainly had an—intimate—connection,” Zane drawled, leaning his hip against the truck.
“Oh, really?” Nate inquired. Matthias fought the inclination to growl at his pack mates. He wasn’t in the mood for any of their teasing.
Zane nodded. “Oh, yeah. Thought he was going to imprint on her,” he admitted in a stage whisper to Nate.
“Is that so?”
“Yep.”
“Well, that’s more than he’s done with any of our pack,” Nate murmured.
This time Matthias did growl, the sound low and soft yet nonetheless clear in its warning.
Nate folded his arms and looked expectantly at Matthias. “You say so much when you say nothing, Matt.”
Matthias shook his head, his lips tight. “She’s Woodland.” That pretty much said it all. Her pack had conspired to kill his friend.
Zane shrugged. “She’s hot.”
“That she is,” Nate commented, his tone light with interest, and it was all Matthias could do to stop the snarl forming in his throat.
Zane nodded, then glanced back at Matthias. “Two months ago you were the guardian to stop us all going on a pack hunt, Matt—no matter how much I tried to convince you. I would have thought you, of all people, would be prepared to overlook her...shortcomings.”
This time Matthias did look up at his friend. Zane had this knack for making him feel ancient. His friend liked to act now, and think through things later. Maybe. Matthias had never thought he’d be the cautious one, the voice of reason, but he’d learned his lessons the hard way. Sometimes it paid to do the homework.
“I stopped the pack hunt because we didn’t know what we were up against—we still don’t know,” he said in a low voice. “Woodland haven’t welcomed visitors in years, not since their previous alpha prime died. We have no idea how strong they are, how many there are or how they act. Hell, we can’t even get an accurate map of their territory. We learned today that observing the normal rules of engagement won’t work with Woodland. We’ll fight, but we’ll be smart about it.”
Zane frowned. “They killed Jared. They all deserve to die.”
“And that’s why I’m guardian prime, and you’re not,” Matthias said shortly, then leaned forward, crossing his arms over the hood of the pickup. “Just a minute ago you were commenting on the sexy Woodland tracker, now you want me to kill her? What about the pups? Would you kill them? The juveniles? The elders?”
Zane looked down at the toes of his boots. “Of course not.”
“We want them to pay, though,” Nate said quietly.
Matthias nodded. “Hell, yeah. Jared was a good man, and a great alpha. He didn’t deserve to die, not that way.”
When the conspiracy between Woodland Pack and one of Irondell’s so-called pillars of society, Arthur Armstrong, was revealed, it had been all he could do to keep the Alpine pack from wreaking revenge on Woodland, Nightwing and Irondell—an act that would have cost them dearly.
Armstrong was currently rotting in a prison cell, but Woodland Pack’s involvement meant a crime was committed by lycan against lycan, and justice came under tribal jurisdiction. It was Alpine’s privilege—and duty—to serve justice to those within the pack responsible for the murder of their alpha.
So it didn’t matter how hot, how sexy, how damn desirable their tracker was, she was the enemy. If she was in any way involved, she would pay, along with the rest of her pack.
“I’ll be the first one to admit I want blood for blood for Jared’s death,” he said in a low voice. He shifted his gaze between Zane and Nate. “And I’ll do whatever it takes, but no justice is served if we kill any innocents. It wouldn’t honor Jared.”
Both men dropped their gazes, but he could see he was getting through to them.
“For the record, I said she was hot. You’re the one that came up with sexy,” Zane grumbled.
Matthias decided to ignore that. He turned to Nate. “You saw the numbers Rafe Woodland had at his disposal. We’re going to need reinforcements. Go back home and call up another guardian squad, but make sure there are still some left behind at Alpine. I don’t want Samantha left vulnerable.”
As Jared’s pregnant widowed mate, Samantha Alpine had stepped into the alpha prime role in Alpine Pack when her partner was killed. Not many knew of the discussion she’d had with him prior to doing so. Nobody else knew she’d offered him the prime position. He clenched his teeth. He couldn’t accept, though. He had been Jared’s guardian prime, and Jared had died under his service. He wasn’t fit to be an alpha prime, but he sure as hell wasn’t about to leave Samantha defenseless while he avenged his alpha’s death.
“Do you think a squad is enough?” Zane asked, his brow furrowing.
Matthias grinned. “Sometimes you need a better weapon than sheer brawn,” he said, and glanced over his shoulder at Trinity, now playing a game in the dirt with the pup.
Zane sighed. “Fine. So we have the Woodland tracker—what if we use her as a bargaining chip? Exchange the tracker for the alpha prime?”
Matthias had to clamp down on his instinctive refusal. It was reflexive and purely selfish. He wanted to spend more time with the tracker, although Zane’s proposition had merit. If Woodland’s alpha prime agreed, then it would mean limiting the risk of casualties and deaths on both sides. And it meant that the alpha prime could save face. He’d be saving one of his own, an honorable surrender.
He sighed. “Fine. Send a message through to Woodland proposing the exchange. In the meantime, let’s get those extra guardians down here.” He glanced at Nate, who nodded.
“How are we going to get the squad through Summercliffe? That’s Nightwing territory. I know Marchetta’s granted us access, but don’t you think she’ll balk at the number of wolves going through her zone?”
“I’ve already negotiated with Vivianne,” he stated, and didn’t hide his distaste. The woman was a shrewd bloodsucker, as powerful as she was coldly beautiful, but his skin had crawled at having to do business with the vamp. “She’ll let you through.”
Nate grimaced. “What’s the deal?”
“Nightwing are allowing us safe access, on the condition that none of their vamps are harmed by any werewolf. In return they get one percent of the iron mine’s royalties for the next one hundred years.”
Zane shook his head. “I’d prefer to just bite them.”
Matthias smiled grimly. “Well, I did offer that, too. We don’t have the manpower to wage a war against Woodland and the vamps. Let’s keep it friendly with our neighbors for as long as we can.”
“One percent, huh?” Nate shook his head. “I hate doing business with the bloodsuckers, but even I can see that’s pretty reasonable for them to allow us through—considering all we’d have to do is bite them and it’s lights-out for the vampires. What’s the catch?”
Matthias shook his head. “There’s no catch. That dentist and his lawyer were snatched by Woodland guardians from Nightwing territory. Either Marchetta is slipping and her borders are getting lax, or she gave them access so they could try and cover up Jared’s murder. Either way, she owes us.”
Zane chuckled. “I would have loved to be a fly on the wall when you told her that.”
Matthias shuddered. “Ugh, no. Trust me. Marchetta is definitely a cold-blooded bitch. Fortunately, not all of the Nightwing vamps are so difficult to deal with. Vassi Verity was part of the negotiations.”
“Verity? Isn’t she that vamp lawyer who defended the dentist?” Nate asked, frowning.
Matthias nodded. “Yeah, she and Ryder Galen uncovered Rafe’s part in Jared’s murder. She works for Marchetta now.”
Zane shook his head. “Pity. I thought she was half-decent. Now she’s one of the devil’s minions.”
Matthias shook his head. He’d met Vassi in her efforts to clear her client’s name. She might be a vamp, but she was a decent one. “Vassi is fair. She’ll do her best to keep the devil honest.”
“Didn’t she and the dentist end up together?” Nate asked, rubbing his chin.
Matthias nodded. “Yep. She reminded me that his offer to assist us still stands. I think we can manage, though.”
He jerked his chin back to the map. “We need to find the den. The best way to stop this war before it starts in earnest is to take Rafe Woodland.”
“Then the legendary Woodland tracker will most definitely come in handy,” Zane commented.
Matthias nodded as he rolled up the map. “Tomorrow, we’ll get her to show us the way.”
* * *
When a shadow fell over the track she’d drawn in the dirt, Trinity used her boot to scuff the markings she’d drawn for Jax before looking up.
Oh. It was him.
She should have known. Her heart was pounding, and she tried to convince herself that it was probably fear and wariness. She would not accept that she was feeling any kind of sexual attraction that was making her senses go on full alert.
“Come with me,” he told her brusquely, holding out his hand. He’d cleaned himself up, his chest bearing some slight grazes, and his scar that slashed across his abdomen shone silver against his golden skin. The chain he wore glinted with each movement, drawing her gaze to his chest. Darn it. For once a bare-chested lycan caused her to feel self-conscious—and incredibly conscious of said lycan. She rose to her feet, brushing the dust off her jeans and ignoring the outstretched hand. He’d returned her belt as soon as they’d reached camp, and hadn’t come close to her since, a fact that she’d noted with something that bordered on disappointment. She folded her arms. No. She couldn’t be disappointed, shouldn’t be disappointed. She knew she’d offended him with her remark, but she’d been taken by surprise. Lycans liked to get physical. Touching, stroking, wrestling...but she hadn’t been touched, stroked or wrestled with by another adult lycan in what seemed like an age.
His contact, and her reaction, had stunned her. Her lips pressed together tightly. She hadn’t realized how long it had been since she’d shared contact with her pack, or how desperate and vulnerable their not-so-subtle shunning had made her. But she was stronger than most thought, and she wasn’t about to let the guardian prime of an enemy pack turn her head. Nope.
“Where are we going?” she asked, trying to match his brusque tone. She wasn’t about to leave Jax alone. She had no doubt that he was physically safe, and the kid was treating this somewhat like an unplanned adventure. But she wasn’t about to surrender him to Alpine. She would protect him until she could get him home to his mom.
Matthias indicated one of the makeshift tents that had been set up a distance from the fire. “The boy is tired. It’s time he retired for the night.”
She glanced down at Jax, who shook his head. “I’m not tir—” he was interrupted by a large yawn “—tired.”
Matthias’s lips lifted in a smile, and she was surprised by the gentle humor she saw in his expression.
“You’ve had a big day, pup, and tomorrow will be even bigger when your tracker shows us the way to your home,” he stated, his green eyes flicking up to her with grim intent before his gaze returned to the young boy. “You’re going to need some rest.”
Trinity dropped her gaze. She was expected to save the boy by betraying her pack. Like that was going to happen. The guardian prime didn’t need to know he’d chosen the wrong she-wolf to abandon her family. She knew what her pack mates thought, but despite everything, she would not break trust with Woodland. She had a lot to make up for.
Matthias led them over to the tent and lifted the flap, gesturing inside. She eyed him. “Where are you sleeping?” If he thought he could pull some more of that alpha woo-hoo on her and have her panting for him, he had another think coming. There were always alphas in a pack, mostly serving the alpha prime as a guardian, and she’d dealt with her fair share of them. He may be the most charismatic alpha she’d ever met, but she could control herself. She could—would—resist.
His lips lifted in a wickedly sensual grin. “Oh, you are not leaving my sight, tracker.” She kept telling herself she would resist. He leaned down to wink at Jax. “We’ll keep her safe, won’t we?”
Jax nodded, a smile on his face as he darted behind the tent flap. Trinity’s brows dipped. Since they’d arrived in camp, Jax had actually relaxed. The other guardians had treated him kindly, gently. She was surprised. She didn’t want to think how her own alpha prime would have behaved under similar circumstances.
“After you,” Matthias said, extending his hand toward the tent flap. Her eyes narrowed, and she shot him a steely glare in warning. If he tried anything...
As though reading her mind, he frowned. “I won’t touch you. We all need to sleep, and I don’t want to have to set guardians to watching you when they could be resting.” He folded his arms, and the action added bulk to his shoulders. “For what it’s worth, my pack didn’t kill another’s alpha prime, nor did we break parley. Woodland are the ones who act without honor, not Alpine.”
Trinity’s cheeks warmed at the words, and she ducked her head and entered the tent to hide her embarrassment. All her life, she’d been taught to take pride in her pack, to be loyal, and to walk with honor. Matthias’s words brought shame on her pack, shame on her. She didn’t raise her head once she was inside the tent. She hadn’t thought she could possibly live with more shame but, well, Matthias had proved there was always room for more.
She hustled over to the far side of the tent, around the curled-up figure of Jax. He smiled at her sleepily, then his smile broadened when Matthias swept into the tent. She made herself comfortable, scooting as far away as she could from the large alpha as he took up a position lying across the front of the tent—effectively blocking any attempt to leave it.
He lay on his side, his arm pillowing his head, and for a moment she couldn’t help herself. She stared at him, at the bunched biceps, broad shoulders and muscled chest, his pants loose and comfortable and low on his hips.
When her gaze rose to his face, she realized he was staring at her, and the smoldering heat in his eyes called to an answering warmth deep within her. His regard was unsettling, patient and dark with sensual intent. She swallowed and lay down, rolling to face away from him. Even though she closed her eyes and had her back to him, she could still feel his gaze on her. The knowledge that he was prepared to watch her sleep set her heart pumping, and the muscles in her arm tightened with tension. She didn’t think she’d be getting much sleep at all tonight. She sucked in her breath as she heard him shift position behind her.
She was attracted to the guardian.