Shards of Hope

Chapter 18

HIGH IN THE Sierra Nevada, where the snowpack hadn’t yet melted, SnowDancer alpha, Hawke, was stretching out into a run in his wolf form when Riaz ran up alongside him. The lieutenant was also in his animal form, his fur a rich black in contrast to Hawke’s silver-gold. Glancing over to meet the dark gold of Riaz’s eyes, Hawke asked a silent question, received a silent answer.

Riaz needed to talk to him, but it wasn’t so urgent that Hawke couldn’t run.

Satisfied his pack was well, Hawke flowed into the run across the still night-draped snow, dawn yet to come to these mountains. His wolf needed to stretch its muscles, needed to be free. He hadn’t sought out company, but now that Riaz was here, it was good. Pack was always welcome. The lieutenant was also fast enough that Hawke didn’t have to temper his pace, and they ran hard and smooth for miles before circling back toward the den.

The wind rippled cold fingers through his fur, small creatures darted into hiding, the air scented with pine and the landscape endless. The morning sun was making the snow glitter by the time he and Riaz returned to the stone tunnels of their home, separating out to shift, shower, and dress before they met again just outside the den.

Wolf happily tired, Hawke leaned up against the den wall and watched the cubs play in the area in front of the den. SnowDancer’s home base was at an elevation that meant there was still a good coating of snow on the ground, though given current conditions, it would be gone soon.

It was because of the latter that the cubs had been allowed out of school as a special treat. All had clearly been too excited at the chance for one more snow play day to sleep in. Watched over by a number of adults, they were having great fun building snowmen. The ones in human form were bundled up and tasked with doing the delicate work paws couldn’t accomplish, while those in pup form gathered up snow and patted it into place.

Hawke gave the postcard-peaceful, heartwarming scene approximately ten more minutes at best. His wolf’s jaw opened in a lupine laugh inside him—it knew as well as the human part of him that someone would give in to the temptation to throw a snowball at any minute and then the melee would begin.

Scenting Riaz, he waited for the lieutenant to join him. “What did you want to discuss?”

He frowned before Riaz could reply. “Is that a lipstick mark on your neck? How the fuck did you have time to find Adria, get a kiss, then get back here?” Hawke hadn’t seen Sienna since she’d gone out on patrol, and his wolf wasn’t happy.

Giving him a smug smile, Riaz leaned on the den wall beside him. “I have priorities.” He ran a hand through his shower-dampened hair. “So, business—this morning, I received a message from a group of minor wolf packs we’re friendly with. They say the Human Alliance has been buying up land marked for expansion of their territories.”

“Adjoining lands?” Packs did occasionally buy land parcels not immediately connected to their main territory. If that was the case, the Alliance might simply be making valid business decisions that happened to run up against the needs of the packs involved.

Riaz’s nod took that possibility off the table. “The packs involved all had informal agreements in place with the landowners, but the Alliance came in with much higher bids.”

“How long’s this been going on?”

“Past month. The first pack thought it was an isolated—if asshole—move, but then they heard about it happening to another pack. Long story short, the alphas started talking and, so far, five have reported the same land grab.”

Hawke scowled at what appeared to be a deliberate and calculated attempt to fence changeling packs in, stifling their natural growth. “Alliance trying to pick a fight?” Business was business, no matter how ruthless, but this felt more like passive aggression.

“Sure looks like it.” Riaz chuckled as the first snowball was thrown and the peaceful scene erupted into laughing chaos. “The weird thing is that none of the land is of any use to the Alliance. Most of it is nowhere near a city or any of their business interests. Even if they intend to subdivide and sell it off, they won’t make back the ridiculous amounts they’ve paid.”

Hawke’s instincts were starting to bristle. “You talk to Bo?” Riaz had a good line of communication with the Human Alliance security chief, who they all knew was the effective leader of the Alliance.

“Not yet. Wanted to run this by you first.”

“Tell me your take on it.” Hawke’s lieutenants held that position for a reason; each was capable of independently making major decisions.

“I think Bo’s smart enough to pick on smaller, weaker packs if he did want to initiate a fight, but I also think he’s too smart to waste his resources on a stupid game. Especially when the Alliance is finally starting to find its footing again after the mess created by their previous leadership.”

Hawke agreed—but he also remembered Bo making a certain other stupid decision in changeling territory. His wolf didn’t yet trust the younger male not to make the same error a second time.

“Make contact,” he told Riaz. “If the Alliance is trying to play ‘my dick is bigger,’ remind them those small packs have big friends.” SnowDancer might not be allied with these particular packs, but as the biggest pack in the country, it accepted a certain responsibility when it came to matters like this. “I’ll speak to Lucas, find out if this is isolated to wolf territories.”

He had an answer within two hours—the DarkRiver alpha had just received a disturbingly similar report from a bewildered deer herd that had all but signed on the dotted line for some grazing land when the Alliance swooped in. A little further investigation and Luc discovered the Alliance was playing its money-wasting game across the country.

“I’ve got confirmed reports from at least three nonpredatory packs,” the leopard alpha said over the comm, his face as grim as Hawke’s own mood and his green eyes more feline than human. “A small wildcat pack is currently attempting to get in touch with a landowner who was supposed to accept an offer today.” The other male’s voice held a low-level growl as he added, “He hasn’t called them back so I’m guessing that takes the tally up to four on my end.”

Hawke’s claws pricked at his fingertips. “If Bo doesn’t have a fucking good explanation for this, I will personally rip his head from his body.”

“Get in line, wolf.”

FAR from SnowDancer territory, an Arrow stood in the shadows of a building that fronted a shimmering white sand beach. Blake made sure to be out of sight of the cameras pointed at the crowd as investigators worked the scene of a gruesome stabbing that had taken place in the dark hours of early morning. His Arrow training stood him in good stead here—only the stupid got caught. He was a phantom.

A phantom who’d bathed in blood.

Part of him was concerned by his descent into bloodlust. His plan had been to follow the slender and aesthetically pleasing human male, incapacitate him silently and quickly, then transport his target to an abandoned factory where he could play with him as long as the male lasted.

It was the target’s fault he’d lost control. The human had seen him and started to run—it was in the struggle to bring the male down that Blake had nicked him with the blade.

The smell of blood had overwhelmed; he’d had to have more.

Afterward, his shoulder and arm had hurt—still twinged now. He was also covered in blood, but the black of his uniform hid that, as his gloves had protected him from the man’s clawing hands as he fought for his survival. The target had never managed to reach Blake’s uncovered face.

That face was now clean, wiped off. As for his bloodied uniform, he’d stashed a spare change of clothes at the factory. No one would ever know of the breakdown in his discipline. It had been an aberration in any case. He’d simply gone too long without exercising his natural urges.

He wouldn’t make that mistake again.