9

JAX

Jesus.

There had always been a chance something like this could happen. That thought had crossed my mind before. Still, nothing prepared me for actually living it.

Running through the forest with Aurora over my shoulder, her bare skin against me, her body still burning from the ritual, was not something anyone had planned for.

Duty was easy to accept.

Standing there earlier and watching my woman taken in front of everyone during that old moon ceremony had been something else entirely. The ritual was ancient. It bound her to another wolf so she could lead the pack.

Knowing that didn’t make it easier.

The memory sat heavy in my chest.

A scream cut through the night somewhere behind us.

That sound pushed me to move faster.

Aurora had just stepped into the role of alpha of the Ironwood Pack. Nothing mattered more than keeping her alive. Not tonight. Not during this weakness.

A quick count in my head told me we had about twenty-one hours before her full strength returned. Maybe a little less. Until then she was exposed.

Something had already slipped through the town barrier.

The patrols better have a damn good explanation.

The ground dipped sharply beneath my boots.

“Fuck.”

My balance almost went with it. Hands tightened around Aurora’s thighs to keep both of us steady.

“Put me down,” she said, breath tight with strain. Her nails dug through the back of my shirt again, tearing more fabric. “I can run now.”

My back was already scratched raw, but stopping still felt like a risk.

Every second mattered.

“Soon,” I answered, breathing harder now. “Don’t know where the others are yet. I’m not gambling with this.”

My lungs burned as I ran. Human senses couldn’t compare to a wolf’s, but instinct still spoke loud enough.

Something was wrong.

“Hurry,” Aurora said softly.

Anger edged her voice. Frustration too.

“I can’t see anyone behind us.”

That chilled my blood.

Theron had been beside her before we split. Zane should have grabbed him and stayed close behind us.

Damn it.

Time dragged while my feet carried us toward the safe house. We weren’t far now. The quiet ahead told me something else.

No one else had made it here yet.

I slowed and stopped beside a rock. Carefully, I lowered Aurora down.

Neither of us spoke.

We didn’t need to.

Aurora pointed toward the trees that led to the cabin.

A question.

My finger tapped my ear.

She shook her head.

Nothing.

No footsteps. No breathing. No movement.

Relief slipped through me slowly.

Her body might be drained from the ritual, but Aurora’s senses were still sharp. She once told me she could hear a heartbeat from half a football field away.

Right now the cabin was only about forty feet away.

If she heard nothing, then we were clear.

Aurora pointed again.

Ready.

I nodded.

My pant leg lifted and the knife strapped to my ankle came free. I placed the handle in her hand.

For a moment it looked like she might object.

Instead she gripped it firmly.

Still, I moved ahead of her.

Gun raised.

We walked quietly toward the back door.

Then a sharp howl tore through the darkness.

My head turned toward the sound.

Aurora’s lips curved into a small smile.

Good.

Theron was alive.

Aurora would not take losing one of her mates well.

Answering his call wasn’t an option. It would reveal where we were. So we kept moving.

The sky above us was empty.

No moon.

The darkness made seeing harder, but it also hid us.

Once inside, Aurora could grab something to wear. Then I’d contact the rest of the pack and figure out what the hell had happened.

The thought of casualties sat in the back of my mind.

Sadly, attacks on the Ironwood Pack weren’t new.

But one happening during a black moon was different.

Our usual enemies were rival packs. Their raids were predictable. They came searching for females to strengthen their bloodlines.

Fertility problems had spread through most packs lately.

Fresh blood meant survival.

But tonight didn’t feel like that kind of attack.

Wolves weakened during the new moon. The curse in their blood stripped away their strength for almost a full day. Most of them hid during that time.

They hated being weak.

A black moon made it worse.

The body filled with restless need.

Which meant one thing.

Whoever attacked tonight probably came in human form.

And whoever planned it understood shifter breeding well enough to know when we were vulnerable.

Perfect timing.

Aurora had barely begun her first hour as alpha, and already chaos had arrived.

My eyes strained against the darkness.

Night-vision goggles would have been useful.

Instead, Aurora’s sharp vision filled the gap. She could see clearly even without light.

No movement.

No scent of strangers.

Step by step we climbed onto the wooden deck.

Aurora moved aside while I unlocked the door.

The key around my neck had been there since my twentieth birthday. Until now it had only been used during drills.

Tonight was different.

After this, the security here would need upgrades.

The last training exercise had left the cabin stocked well though. Extra weapons. Extra ammunition. Every gun checked and cleaned by my own hands.

Details mattered.

My father drilled that lesson into me early in life. Never trust luck.

The protector program ran tight because of that.

The cold metal key slid into the lock.

A quiet turn.

The door opened.

Aurora slipped inside. I followed right behind her.

Thirty seconds later the door was locked again. The few rooms inside were checked quickly.

Empty.

This safe house belonged to the alpha family.

Which raised a problem.

Where the hell was Aurora’s father?

The radio came out and I sent the call across the channel. Every protector should have heard the earlier alert.

Aurora’s voice carried from the bedroom.

“What the hell happened out there, Jax?”

She was digging through drawers, searching for clothes.

For the first time since we reached the cabin, there was a moment to really look at her.

Scratches marked her arms. Dirt covered her legs. Leaves were tangled in her hair.

Even like that, her pale skin seemed to glow in the dim light.

And despite everything that had happened tonight, my body reacted.

Earlier the entire pack had watched Theron claim her during the ritual. It was required for the transfer of power.

Everyone understood that.

Still didn’t stop the tight feeling in my chest while it happened.

My teeth had ground together until my jaw hurt.

Part of me wanted to step forward and claim my place beside her too.

Theron and I had already talked about our place in Aurora’s life. There were agreements between us.

But tonight something felt uncertain.

Wolves felt everything through their bodies.

Anger.

Jealousy.

Desire.

Everything showed through heat and need.

Aurora felt those things strongly.

Sometimes arguments turned into something physical.

Sometimes jealousy burned into hunger.

That was wolf nature.

A strange way to show emotion.

But it was honest.