“For once, you need to stop worrying about wars between packs. The reason we have packs is to protect our members. I think you should accept the help that’s being offered to you. Especially if the Denver pack is big enough.”
“I’m not comfortable with that. I’ll keep you posted.” I hang up before she can argue more.
My stomach roils as a dark wave of grief crashes over me.
Leaving Mark is going to tear my she-wolf in two. But I won’t have him risk his life to protect us. Not when Dirk’s bringing his whole pack. Even with silver bullets, it’s not a war he can win alone.
I go to Mark’s bedroom. I memorized the code for the safe this morning when he opened it, so I use it now to get in, carefully taking out the pistol and silver bullets. My best bet is to take care of this situation on my own. And I now have the means to do it.
I load the gun and tuck it in my waistband, then head downstairs to write a note for Mark and talk to the kids.
“Angie, Jayden, come here, please.” After I write the note, I summon the pups from where they were watching television and sit down on a kitchen chair.
They must hear something different in my voice because all the joy of the bike ride instantly disappears. Jayden turns off the TV, and they both come to stand in front of me. I gather them close to me.
“Are we leaving?” Jayden asks quietly.
“I need to take care of something. Something really important. It’s not safe for you two to come along.”
Angie’s eyes fill with tears.
Jayden’s expression makes him look ancient. “Is Dad here?”
I swallow then nod. “I’m going to deal with him.”
“With Mark’s gun?” Jayden asks, surprising me. He must’ve heard Mark and I talking about it in the hallway Saturday night.
I nod again.
“What if it doesn’t work?”
“It has to work,” I say fiercely. Because there’s no other option. I don’t want to keep running and hiding for the rest of our lives. I met my true mate, my fated mate, my wolf-daddy, and I need to be with him.
“I’m leaving this note for Mark. When he gets home, give it to him, okay?”
Jayden nods gravely.
Angie’s crying for real now.
I refuse to let my own tears fall. There’s no way I’m taking them with me because if I fail, they’d be in Dirk’s hands. This way, if something goes wrong, Mark will protect them and call my sister, who will take them. But no, nothing can go wrong. I’ll be back for them. They need me. I hug them both tightly and kiss the tops of their heads, and then I schedule a ride on my ride sharing app for the mountains. I need to get away from humans to make this work.
5
Mark
I get a bad feeling in the afternoon, one that compounds when Colleen doesn’t answer her phone. I end up leaving work early, claiming I have a doctor’s appointment, and drive straight home.
My mate wouldn’t leave. She couldn’t. Our wolves need each other, and she wouldn’t be safe on her own.
That’s what I tell myself the whole ride home, but cold dread fills my limbs. I park in the garage and throw the door open, relief coursing through me when I hear the television and see the kids.
But then I instantly recognize something’s wrong. Both pups look frightened. I sniff the air, but there’s no scent of another wolf. Colleen’s scent is faint.
“Where’s your mom?” I try to keep my voice even despite my returning panic.
Jayden stands and walks to the kitchen table, rather than answer me. He picks up a sealed envelope with my name on it.
Fuck.
I snatch it from his fingers, jogging upstairs to my bedroom, already knowing what I’ll find. The safe is open; the gun, gone.
I tear the envelope open and read Colleen’s neat writing.
Mark,
Dirk’s pack is on the way from Kentucky. Please do not engage with them. I don’t want a pack war. I will take care of him myself.
If for some reason I don’t make it back, my sister Meagan’s number is below. She will arrange for the pups. I’m sorry to leave them with you, but I can’t let Dirk take them.
Thank you for everything,
Colleen
Thank you for everything? What the fuck? I hate the formal sound of the letter, like I am some stranger, not her goddamn mate. But that isn’t the part that has me frantic.
It’s knowing what my brave, beautiful mate is trying to do. Fuck!
I need to get to her. Stop her.
I put a tracker in her phone the morning after she arrived, fearing something like this would happen. I rush to open the app and draw a sharp breath when I see where she’s gone. She headed toward the mountains, about twenty miles west of Denver.