True Alpha by Ranae Rose

“Whatever or whoever it is, it knows we’re here.”
    “So, do you think it could be someone dangerous?”
    “Could be. We’d better be careful until we find out exactly who or what’s out there.”
    Mandy chewed her inner lip as she remembered the last time someone strange had been lurking on the mountain. Two shifter-hunters had nearly killed her and Jack almost as soon as they’d met. Of course, the fact that this person – if it was even a person at all – was a shifter ruled out the possibility of it being another hunter. Still, it was disconcerting to think that someone might be encroaching upon their territory, observing and avoiding them for unknown reasons. “I hope it’s just an animal. Otherwise, this is a little creepy.”
    Jack crossed the few short feet of space between them and wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her close. “Don’t worry. If there’s anyone out there, they picked a bad time to get up to no good.” He grinned. “The Half Moon Pack just more than tripled in size, and they’re alone on our territory.”
    Mandy smiled back, more at how pleased he sounded over their pack’s sudden expansion than at the idea of a nefarious stranger having to face a seven-wolf-strong pack. “I guess you’re right.”
    When they emerged from the bedroom, the others were gathered in the cabin’s main room, wearing hastily-donned clothes and expressions that ranged from apprehension to confusion.
    “Someone’s encroaching on our territory,” Daniel said, glaring at a window.
    “Maybe,” Jack admitted, strolling into the center of the room.
    “Maybe?” Daniel frowned. “We all picked up that scent. It’s definite.”
    “Isn’t it possible that it was an actual wolf?” Violet asked from where she was perched on the couch.
    “Actual wolves haven’t inhabited these mountains for at least a century,” Noah replied, frowning faintly as he too glanced toward the window.
    “A few have,” April said. “I was reading up on the Smokies before we left and during the nineties, an attempt was made to reintroduce red wolves to the area. It wasn’t successful, and they removed the few surviving wolves after deciding to end the project.”
    “Maybe a wolf was left behind?” Violet asked.
    “No,” Jack said. “I’ve spent my entire life in these mountains. If any of them had been left behind, I’d know it.”
    Violet sank back into the couch cushions, looking discouraged.
    Mandy knew how Violet felt – she would’ve preferred to think that the intruder was simply an innocent animal as well. “There are some red wolves inhabiting the Great Smoky Mountains in North Carolina. Maybe one wandered across the state line for some reason?”
    Jack looked thoughtful. “It’s possible.”
    “What if it’s not an animal?” Clarissa asked. “There’s a good possibility that we picked up the scent trail of another shifter, and if that’s the case, he or she might need our help.”
    “Help?” Daniel repeated, wrinkling his nose.
    “They could be hurt, or lost or – I don’t know – hiding from someone.”
    “Or they could be up to no good,” Daniel said.
    “Maybe,” Clarissa admitted, “but don’t you think we should consider the fact that they might need help?”
    Daniel looked to be on the verge of saying no when Jack intervened. “We’re gonna go looking for whoever or whatever we scented in the woods today, and whatever they’re doing out there, we’re gonna find out. I’ll organize search teams to patrol our territory, looking for…”
    Mandy listened as Jack organized teams that included everyone but her. Since she was pregnant, it wouldn’t be wise to go looking for someone or something who might be dangerous, but that didn’t make the idea of sitting around the cabin while Jack was doing just that any more pleasant. But what other solution was there? This was the first possible threat the brand-new pack of seven had faced together, and it was important for Jack