something wrong with his logic and failed. God, it sucked being a baby wolf in an adult body. My wolf needed to grow up like yesterday. She gave me a curt nod or total agreement. Neither one of us liked being curtailed.
He picked up the keys to his truck and tucked his wallet into the back pocket of his jeans. “Come on. I’ll buy you coffee down at the gas station. I have a feeling we’re going to need all the caffeine we can get.”
***
Tonya lived out in the woods in one of the few houses that didn’t cluster around the town center. Wolves don’t want to be separated from their packs and liked close neighbors, but the occasional lone wolf wanted more distance. I wasn’t sure how Tonya felt as she’d inherited the house from her great-aunt. She always seemed social enough to me. Everyone knew her and appeared to like her well enough, which made her disappearance all the more chilling.
As we pulled into her driveway, we saw the damage. Tonya’s door had been kicked in, left to hang askew on splintered wood. Jackson parked his truck and we both hopped out. We didn’t speak, but the glance we exchanged spoke volumes. Something really violent had happened here and it made us uneasy.
My hackles on high alert, I gingerly made my way to her porch, stepping over pieces of broken wood along the way. The porch was new and made of white pine. Tonya had added some nice wicker rocking chairs and a few plants. The chairs now rested on their sides and the pots were a smashed mess of terracotta and dirt. Running my hand over the warped door frame, I inhaled the frigid morning air, wincing as a pungent, unpleasant scent filled my sinuses.
Covering my nose with a hand, I turned back to look at Jackson. “What is that smell?” I could identify most animals by scent alone, but I’d never smelled anything like this. It stung my lungs with acrid air, bringing tears to my eyes. The foul odor was strong enough that even a human would notice it.
Jackson sniffed and then covered his nose too. “Testosterone. Lots of testosterone.”
I raised my eyebrows at him, confused. “What does that mean?”
Cal walked out of the house, worry etched on his broad face as he caught the tail end of our conversation. “Rogue alpha.”
That meant something to Jackson because he went still as a corpse next to me. I had no idea what a rogue alpha was though and just looked at him with wide eyes, alarmed at his reaction. Behind my eyelids, my wolf stood ready to bolt. She knew something I didn’t.
“You sure about that?” Ja ckson said, his voice gruff with concern.
Cal nodded. “ Yep. I got a call from the pack leader down by Nashville warning me about it. They lost some of their women last week. They tracked him until they lost his scent and he was heading our way.”
“You knew?” I gasped , offended at the idea of Cal not sharing this threat with the pack.
He held up a hand. “Hold your horses, wolf. They called me after I left your place this morning.” He kicked at the dirt and frowned. “Too bad they didn’t think to call sooner.”
We all looked at the house in silence.
“So, is Tonya... dead?” I choked on the last word. The thought horrified me.
Jackson pulled me into a one armed hug. “Only if she fought him too hard.”
“Nashville thinks he’s got a camp somewhere up here where he’s taking all the women.”
“What makes them think that?” I asked. Cal and Jackson seemed to have a better understanding of the situation than I did. I felt lost, like I’d forgotten to study for a final exam. Rogue alpha was an entirely new concept to me.
Cal heaved a tired sigh and rubbed his neck. “Some strange wolf bought a lot of camping supplies. He smelled the same as the trail they tracked.”
I furrowed my brow. “How would they know about the camping stuff?”
Cal pulled out his iphone and tapped the touch screen. “The pack down there runs every hunting and camping franchise in Tennessee. They got wolves
He picked up the keys to his truck and tucked his wallet into the back pocket of his jeans. “Come on. I’ll buy you coffee down at the gas station. I have a feeling we’re going to need all the caffeine we can get.”
***
Tonya lived out in the woods in one of the few houses that didn’t cluster around the town center. Wolves don’t want to be separated from their packs and liked close neighbors, but the occasional lone wolf wanted more distance. I wasn’t sure how Tonya felt as she’d inherited the house from her great-aunt. She always seemed social enough to me. Everyone knew her and appeared to like her well enough, which made her disappearance all the more chilling.
As we pulled into her driveway, we saw the damage. Tonya’s door had been kicked in, left to hang askew on splintered wood. Jackson parked his truck and we both hopped out. We didn’t speak, but the glance we exchanged spoke volumes. Something really violent had happened here and it made us uneasy.
My hackles on high alert, I gingerly made my way to her porch, stepping over pieces of broken wood along the way. The porch was new and made of white pine. Tonya had added some nice wicker rocking chairs and a few plants. The chairs now rested on their sides and the pots were a smashed mess of terracotta and dirt. Running my hand over the warped door frame, I inhaled the frigid morning air, wincing as a pungent, unpleasant scent filled my sinuses.
Covering my nose with a hand, I turned back to look at Jackson. “What is that smell?” I could identify most animals by scent alone, but I’d never smelled anything like this. It stung my lungs with acrid air, bringing tears to my eyes. The foul odor was strong enough that even a human would notice it.
Jackson sniffed and then covered his nose too. “Testosterone. Lots of testosterone.”
I raised my eyebrows at him, confused. “What does that mean?”
Cal walked out of the house, worry etched on his broad face as he caught the tail end of our conversation. “Rogue alpha.”
That meant something to Jackson because he went still as a corpse next to me. I had no idea what a rogue alpha was though and just looked at him with wide eyes, alarmed at his reaction. Behind my eyelids, my wolf stood ready to bolt. She knew something I didn’t.
“You sure about that?” Ja ckson said, his voice gruff with concern.
Cal nodded. “ Yep. I got a call from the pack leader down by Nashville warning me about it. They lost some of their women last week. They tracked him until they lost his scent and he was heading our way.”
“You knew?” I gasped , offended at the idea of Cal not sharing this threat with the pack.
He held up a hand. “Hold your horses, wolf. They called me after I left your place this morning.” He kicked at the dirt and frowned. “Too bad they didn’t think to call sooner.”
We all looked at the house in silence.
“So, is Tonya... dead?” I choked on the last word. The thought horrified me.
Jackson pulled me into a one armed hug. “Only if she fought him too hard.”
“Nashville thinks he’s got a camp somewhere up here where he’s taking all the women.”
“What makes them think that?” I asked. Cal and Jackson seemed to have a better understanding of the situation than I did. I felt lost, like I’d forgotten to study for a final exam. Rogue alpha was an entirely new concept to me.
Cal heaved a tired sigh and rubbed his neck. “Some strange wolf bought a lot of camping supplies. He smelled the same as the trail they tracked.”
I furrowed my brow. “How would they know about the camping stuff?”
Cal pulled out his iphone and tapped the touch screen. “The pack down there runs every hunting and camping franchise in Tennessee. They got wolves
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