Chapter 7: Silver in the Forest

Roman POV

After a lengthy, mostly heated conversation with the high council, a few terms of his sentence were slightly varied. Roman was especially grateful for the opportunity to shift more frequently, even though it was under certain permittable circumstances, like under a full moon and to protect or defend the pack.

But he hardly celebrated, not when the human was still in his life, milling around as an emblem of his disgrace.

“How’d it go with Vance?” Dax asked him.

Roman frowned, recalling the impromptu visit from his father’s former beta, Vance. A visit from the silver-haired wolf was never as simple as a social call. Dax knew that. It explained the worry lines on his face.

Roman sighed heavily. “He was exceptionally disappointed in me. He’s worried his absence from the pack, especially during my reign, has ruined the legacy he swore to my father to protect.”

“What’s his grand plan now?” Dax allowed a small smile. “Is he going to babysit you like he did the late alpha?”

Roman wished it were that simple. “No, he um, he wanted to know exactly what happened the night Finn died.”

The atmosphere suddenly thickened.

“Why?”

Roman shrugged on a coat. “Why else? No one truly believes my story about that night. They keep asking me to recount, keep poking holes in my story.” Something flashed in his eyes so quick even Dax missed it. “He gave me an ultimatum; to try and fix this mess in three months or he’ll intervene.”

He forced a smile at his beta, even though he knew that wasn’t the entire truth. Vance had threatened to move for the Valcourt family to be replaced, and another bloodline entrenched to rule the pack. It would be the biggest slap to the face of Roman’s ancestors, for their rule to end with him and because of him.

Before Vance’s visit, he had thought his marriage to Thora was the worst things could get. Vance showed him there were worse things than marrying a human.

“He’s got a permanent seat with the Supreme council. I think you should be worried, Roman.”

“I was prepared for this when I sent in an appeal to the Supreme council.” Now, that was a lie but he delivered it smoothly with a face that betrayed nothing. “I’ll figure something out before he gets impatient.”

Regan strolled into Roman’s office. The subtitles on his face were all the cue Dax needed to give the brothers space.

“Bait? Really? She’s still banged up and her leg has barely healed. Why would you put her in the frontlines of disaster just out of spite?”

Roman whirled, eyes blazing. “Don’t tell me you came all the way to my office to advocate for that human.” He shook his head disappointedly. “This is the first we’ve spoken since…and all you care to talk about is her? What exactly am I to make of that?”

“Whose fault is it that we haven’t spoken properly since that night? You shut me out, Roman, like you always do. You preferred to confide in your beta over me, your twin brother. What was I supposed to make of that?”

Roman clenched his fist. “She’s none of your business, Regan. If you’ve learnt nothing from my predicament, it should interest you to know that Vance is threatening to dethrone me and install a new family as alpha of this pack in the event of my failure to rectify this mess.”

Bile tickled his throat when Regan’s face didn’t shift. “That might mean nothing to you, but it’s a big fucking deal to me. Don’t overstep by interfering with my punishment. Go stick your nose in pack medicals or pass time hunting new herbs in the forest. Do anything but show interest in the human. She’s not a shiny new toy for your fascination.”

Absentmindedly, he adjusted the wedding band on his finger. “Guess what, Dax knows nothing about Vance’s threat. You’re welcome.”

Regan caught his arm when he tried to leave. “I don’t give a rat’s ass about the alpha position, nor am I trying to compromise your situation. I don’t care for the human either. I only brought it up because you’re no longer allowed to lead the pack hunts. Leaving her to the mercy of ravenous wolves may not augur well, especially Dax. You know he’s got a personal vendetta for humans ever since he lost his sister.”

“Dax wouldn’t let her get killed. He knows how that will complicate my sentence.”

“Maybe you trust him but what about the other wolves? Your night wolves? You’re certain they won’t ‘accidentally’ give her a fatal claw? You know how fragile humans are. Thora barely survived Penny’s bite. The next bite might be fatal. Is that a risk you’re willing to take?”

Roman shrugged his hand off. “Why don’t you redirect this concern towards me and how to get me out of this sticky situation. Her life isn’t the only one at stake here.” He stormed out angrily.

***

The forest hummed with growls as Dax led the night hunt. While the wolves skipped ahead, Roman followed behind, slower than he usually was.

“Axel?”

“I can’t go any faster. My paws feel like lead when I lift them.”

Roman’s heart was racing too fast for the distance at which he was running.

“It’s her. She’s scared.” Axel reiterated what he already knew.

“I’m sure it has something to do with the marriage, and the charms Matilda casted on our wedding bands. It connects us somehow. That’s the only logical explanation for the…confusion.” Roman lunged forward over a log of wood and sighed with relief after successfully crossing it.

“If you truly believed that, why haven’t you told Matilda about your connection with the human?”

Roman swallowed hard.

A loud bang went off in front, piercing the calm of the forest. Roman recognized the gunshot. Chaos ensued as wolves scampered for safety, some shifting back to their human form. He called Dax’s attention over the pack link.

“Dax, what’s going on? Dax? Regan, can anyone hear me?”

More gunshots echoed, and more muffled growls. He shifted back when Dax didn’t reply, and looped through the frazzled wolves pouring back from every corner. He grabbed one who had shifted back and shook him until he stopped talking gibberish.

“What happened?”

“H-Human…”

“What happened to the human?”

“N-No, h-humans…they came out of n-nowhere, armed to the teeth. They fired at us.”

Blood drained from Roman’s eyes till they were sheet white. “How many casualties?”

“Three that I witnessed. All dead.”

In a quick move, Roman sped ahead as the last of the gunshots echoed. He called out to Dax and Regan. By right, they’d be in front, leading the hunt as the closest positions to the alpha. His blood pumped furiously. He didn’t bother to decipher whether they were all his fear, or mixed with Thora’s.

“Regan? Dax?”

“Alpha, slow down. We can’t go into this blind. The bullets might be laced with silver if they’re powerful enough to kill our men. We’re too weak right now. It’ll be suicide to run in there.”

But Roman didn’t stop. Ahead, he heard the sound of a car engine. Humans called out to one another, cackling at their kill. Roman ducked behind a tree when a flashlight beamed in his direction.

“How? This land is private territory. Humans never dare to come this far.”

He continued to wonder in his head. He squinted at the car’s number plate, studied everything from the tattoos on the men’s bodies to their accent.

“Alpha?”

Roman gasped at the sound of Dax over the pack link. “Dax, are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“A minor injury. They got five of our betas.”

“And my brother?”

“He’s fine. He led the pups to safety.”

“Found someone!” One of the men called out. “She’s badly hurt.”

Roman whipped his head and saw Thora being carried in the man’s arms. They loaded her in the car and wrapped a shawl around her while she pled for rescue.

Roman zoned in to hear her mutterings. She was begging them to save her, kept insisting she had been abducted by humans who could turn to wolves while the car drove off.

“She’ll give us up. We can’t let her live. We have cut them off and make sure they end in the ravine.”

Roman emerged from behind the tree and rushed to examine the dead wolves. Like he suspected, the bullets were silver. He didn’t know if it was a coincidence or the men indeed knew what they were going up against when they drove into secluded forest.

“Take their bodies back. Make sure they’re prepped for an honorable burial.”

Dax arched a brow. “Alpha, where are you going?”

Roman straightened. “I’m going to bring Mrs. Valcourt back home. No one is allowed to take my human, not before I’m done with her.”