“On it,” David replied, already walking toward the garage behind the black Ford L4H3 transit van.
They had taken the van loaded with picnic tables and grills to set up in a remote area of the woods for an event later in the day. There was a large opening in the densely forested area where they held picnics and gatherings from time to time. It was a beautiful space, with its lush meadow and a nearby stream. The trees kept it a bit cooler than the open area behind their clubhouse and it gave everyone a chance to enjoy the day however they saw fit, in human or wolf form, without being noticed.
If the attack had occurred a few hours later, the clearing would have been full of women and children in addition to the men who had gone out to set things up. It had rained yesterday and so they had asked for every Alpha available to come out this morning and help with the setup, so it would go faster. Had the Timber Wolves known that only the men would be there if they attacked early or had it just been luck? The bigger question might be how they knew they would be there at all. He contemplated all of this as he made his way toward Foster’s office and took a seat, delivering the bad news.
“How many?” Foster asked, his head hung in grief for his pack.
“About thirty. I’ve got some of the guys down there getting names so we can tell their families.”
“This should have never happened. I’ve heard rumblings that they were keen to start trouble, but I didn’t think much of it. It was just talk.”
“Why did they do this?”
“They want our territory. The county has decided to do some fracking on the section of public land that adjoins their property. It’s fucked up all sorts of things over there and they want to move farther away from it.”
“They couldn’t just go buy some damned land?”
“Probably, but they want this land, especially the forested area.”
“What for?”
“I don’t know. Perhaps no other reason than to increase their turf and not deal with us anymore. I can’t say that I know their reasons. I can tell you we are damned sure going to find out, though. We’ll find out how they knew where we’d be with a lighter crew and why they thought they could take out an entire pack.”
“I’m going to get back out and help the crew.”
“I’ll be out shortly. I need to make a few calls first.”
Malcolm nodded and left the room, heading straight down to the garage to see what progress was being made there. His heart was heavy with sorrow as he considered how many of his wolf brothers had been lost. He knew who many of them were, had seen their broken bodies lying on the ground, but there were still others to be identified, men who had been so badly damaged that they couldn’t be named with just one glance.CHAPTER TWOAutumn
“I’m not going to marry him—not now, not ever!”
“You will do what you are told!” Autumn’s father roared back at her.
“I won’t. You can’t make me!”
“I am your father, and I most certainly can.”
Her words felt like they were coming from somewhere else, somewhere outside of herself. It wasn’t her nature to argue, especially not with her father. He was a powerful shifter and a lieutenant in the Black Bears MC, which their clan founded and continued to operate. He wasn’t the sort of man you crossed, not even if you were his daughter.
“He’s a disgusting little spoiled brat,” she hissed.
“He’s the son of our Alpha and next in line as the leader of this clan. You could do a hell of a lot worse for a mate.”
“I’d rather take my chances on my own. He has his pick of any Omega in this clan, and some of them would be fine with marrying him. Why me?”
“Because he chose you. You should feel honored.”
“I don’t. I feel like I’m being sentenced to death.”
“I’m done with this argument. He will be here in half an hour to pick you up. You need to be ready and on your best behavior. In two weeks, when he comes of mating age, you’ll be wed. That is the end of this discussion.”
“But, Dad,” she began to say, but he cut her off.
“No. I said we’re done. Go get changed. If you embarrass this family, I don’t know what I will do,” he said solemnly, a certain foreboding in his voice.
Autumn knew it was best not to argue further. She stomped upstairs to her room and changed into a simple shift dress and pulled her dark hair up in a ponytail. Looking into the full-length mirror, she felt pleased with her choice. It hid her ample curves in a loose sheath of material. She dabbed on a light coat of mascara and lip balm before slipping into the highest pair of heels she could find, smirking a bit at her image in the mirror.