But that’s another story entirely.
“I’m protecting her as I would one of our pack,” I continue. “If you can’t respect that, then we have other issues to discuss.”
“How do we know that you’re not just keeping her for yourself?” Alpha Dirk demands.
“Because I’m standing here talking to you instead of fucking her,” I retort, mimicking his position by folding my arms. “If I want her, I’ll take her. Regardless of your input or involvement in the situation. So it’s a moot point and you’re merely wasting my time with this bullshit.”
He growls.
I snarl back.
And some of the Alphas take a few steps away from us.
Scents can make wolves do stupid shit.
Like attacking the superior Alpha on the island.
Which Alpha Dirk does now by throwing the first punch.
The only reason I don’t outright kill him is because I understand he’s being driven by lust more than intelligent thought.
If he wanted to truly challenge me, he wouldn’t do it here or now.
I duck his punch and counter him by slamming my fist into his groin. He’s too big and slow to see me coming, my reflexes far outpacing his as I whirl around behind him and follow up my hit with a kick to the back of his knees, sending him to the ground.
Then I jump and land my heel on the back of his neck, forcing him to complete the fall and face plant against the rusty old dock. It’s the one we maintain for Elder purposes—to help add to the overall beat up flare of the island.
The nicer dock is hidden on the other side in an alcove protected by tree cover.
That’s where I keep the yacht and other boats for my men.
Alpha Dirk grunts into the decaying wood, moaning as I take a knee on his back.
“I could kill you,” I tell him, my voice bored as I lean down to continue speaking against his ear. “I could take the silver blade from my pocket and slit your pathetic throat. But I’m not going to do that. And do you want to know why?”
His response is unintelligible because his mouth is currently kissing the dock.
“You’re one hell of a warrior when not thinking with your dick,” I go on, answering my question without bothering to wait for his clear interest in the response. “So take a breath. Walk it off. And you’ll realize what I’m doing is the right thing for our pack.”
I shove off of him and meet Alpha Kin’s stare directly.
He holds it for a beat before looking away.
Alpha Pan and Alpha Duncan are next.
They don’t hold my gaze, their eyes averting in respectful submission.
“Good.” I brush my palms off on my jeans, taking a step backward toward Caius. He’s the only one behind me because he’s the only one I trust at my back. “Give me a few days to sort this out with our newcomer. A proper introduction will occur when she’s ready.”
They don’t respond verbally, just nod in agreement.
There are about twenty of them.
If they wanted to really push this and challenge me, they could as a group.
But too many of them already respect my role as Pack Alpha.
It’s these troublemakers that give me grief. Mainly the idiot on the ground and his buddy Kin. They’ll heel eventually. They always do.
6
VOLT
The little wolf follows close behind me as I lead her up the hill to our den. When I reached down to carry her earlier, she stood up and shook out her fur, then gave me a lopsided grin. It seemed to be a dare from her animal, or maybe an invitation.
Shrugging, I kicked off my pants and shifted.
Then she happily trotted along beside me up the path.
Tieran was right—her animal is definitely in control.
I can see the conflict in her eyes every time I glance at her, the general confusion as to why her wolf is so easily trusting mine.
It’s dangerous.
I’m dangerous.
But the little wolf seems quite taken with my purr, so I continue to emanate the sound to soothe her.
It’s a natural reaction after observing her terror in the waves. My animal is hellbent now on protecting hers.
The word Omega whispers through my mind. She doesn’t smell right, but something about her is calling to all my instincts.
Some wolves have fated mates.
Carnage Wolves have a different form of fate—Alphas are inherently drawn to Omegas because they can take our knot. They’re also excellent with children and feisty as fuck.
We can technically choose to mate Betas or other Alphas, but most of us crave Omegas.
It’s only natural. We’re driven by the need to procreate, something Omegas are built to do with an Alpha.
It’s all about the knot.
And the alluring heat cycle Omegas go through every few months.
I’ve never experienced that wondrous bliss myself. But I’ve heard about it from other Alphas, and I’ve witnessed the rut it inspires in unmated Alphas as well.
If this female turns out to be an Omega, we’re going to have an island full of problems.
I reach the top of a hill, one that overlooks several of the others, and lead the little wolf toward our den.
We settled in this location because of its protective properties. No one can sneak up on us up here. And we can see for miles in every direction, giving us the opportunity to scout for potential incoming aircraft or boats.
We also have state of the art tech that provide alerts as well.
I shift back into human form to check the exterior monitor near the cabin door when we arrive, wanting to ensure there are no existing threats nearby. The only residual alarm on the screen is from the guards’ earlier shipment—which is currently sitting beside me and staring at a nearby tree with interest.
Another confirmation that the female inside isn’t in control, otherwise she would be eyeing the surveillance equipment.
Or my equipment, since it’s currently eye level with her wolf.
But her animal is more taken with the trees.
“Are you hungry?” I wonder out loud.