13

AURORA

I watched Jax closely.

There was always something controlled about him. Anger sat deep inside him. Violence too. Both were tightly held back, like a wild animal kept on a short chain.

We had known each other for as long as I could remember. Still, that quiet feeling never left me. The sense that he carried secrets he never spoke about.

Trusting him had never been difficult. My life would be safe in his hands. That much I knew without question.

He loved me with a fierce kind of loyalty.

But whenever someone got too close to the darker part of him, he stepped away. He shut the door before anyone could see too much.

Maybe that was simply the human side of him.

He was not one of us. Yet something primal lived inside him anyway. A different beast, but a beast all the same.

Some of those instincts were clear now while he prepared to face an enemy.

Anyone foolish enough to step onto Ironwood Pack land tonight would regret it the moment Jax reached them.

Thinking about the pack, I crouched down and fastened a knife to my calf. The leather straps pressed firmly against my skin as I tightened them.

Cold weapons always made me uncomfortable.

Still, they also brought a strange sense of safety. Something solid to rely on.

Once it was secure, I pulled my pants down over it to hide the straps.

Until now, I had never been forced to fight another human to the death.

A thought came quietly.

What would it feel like?

Driving a knife into a man’s throat. Or pushing it deep into his stomach if he threatened my life.

The image passed through my mind.

A small smile almost followed.

As if Jax or Theron would ever allow someone to come close enough to try.

Standing up, I nearly bumped straight into Theron.

“Jeez,” I muttered. “You’re trying to scare me.”

He looked at me carefully. “What’s wrong? Are you nervous?”

“Nervous for the pack,” I answered. “I can take care of myself. But not everyone here has the same training.”

My hands moved to the pistol resting at my hip, checking it without really thinking.

Theron stepped closer.

His hand lifted and gently held my chin, raising my face so our eyes met.

“Everyone is accounted for except the three,” he said calmly. “The pack is safe. And we will bring your father back.”

A breath slipped from my chest.

“I know.”

My back straightened while I forced the tears away before they could show.

Theron probably noticed anyway.

“It’s alright to feel afraid,” he said quietly. “No one expected this to happen on your first day as alpha.”

Bitterness crept into my voice before I could stop it.

“And yet here we are.”

The night of the black moon should have been special.

Instead, most of it had slipped away already.

It would be a long time before another one came.

Theron kept speaking.

“We’ll face it together. When this is over, you, Jax, and I are taking a break. Even if it’s only somewhere in our own woods.”

That thought made me smile.

Theron had always been the wild one among us. The most playful. The one who pulled the rest of us into trouble and laughter.

My eyes lingered on him.

Dark chestnut hair curled around his ears and along the back of his neck.

Without thinking, my fingers rubbed together.

Memory came with the motion. The feel of those curls wrapped around them.

Thick. Soft.

Much like the fur of his pelt when he shifted.

Looking up again, I met his gaze.

His hazel eyes watched me closely. When strong emotions hit him, anger or desire—they glowed with a deep amber light.

It never took much to bring the wolf forward in Theron.

But calming him again was just as easy.

He carried both wildness and peace inside him at the same time.

That balance made him the perfect wolf mate.

His loyalty never failed. His mind stayed sharp.

Together we handled every problem the pack faced.

And we usually won.

A small shiver moved across my skin.

Heat followed it quickly.

Theron noticed immediately. His nostrils flared as he caught the shift in my scent.

“We need to control it,” he said in a quiet, steady voice.

He always knew how to calm my wolf.

“There’s work to do.”

Behind us, Jax spoke.

“It’s time.”

His voice carried that sharp, clipped tone he often used.

Turning slightly, I bared my teeth at Theron. A silent challenge.

One sign from him would have been enough.

But he shook his head.

“No. We have to go.”

I tossed my hair back.

Fine.

Another chance would come later.

Maybe we would run into someone in the woods tonight.

A snack sounded good.

Jax moved ahead of us, letting his human senses guide the path.

Once we stepped onto the porch, I breathed in the forest air.

The familiar smells surrounded me.

Leaves. Dirt. Animals moving through the brush.

Under all of that was something different.

Faint. Human.

But old.

“They were human,” I said slowly. “But the scent isn’t fresh. Whoever it was already left.”

“Yeah,” Jax replied. “That’s what I figured.”

He paused briefly.

“If someone had help, the smart move would be waiting until their partners were clear before surrendering. Whoever we’re dealing with isn’t stupid.”

“Agreed.”

We left the porch and entered the forest.

Our pace stayed quick, though we stopped now and then to check the area.

Within half an hour we reached the edge of the woods closest to the sheriff’s office.

The place was crowded.

People moved everywhere.

Jax’s group of protectors had grown into something that looked more like a small military unit.

Weapons ready. Eyes sharp.

Standing at the tree line, I looked out at my small town.

Keeping control became harder.

Part of my mind stayed focused on the situation.