That was down to him. He was Alpha and the buck stopped at his door.
He’d made his way back to his Wolves who waited nervously, Isla standing off to the side. Kade went over, opening the link so the others could hear.
“I apologize, Isla. This wasn’t your fault, at least, it’s not all on your shoulders. We’re all to blame, each and every one of us, myself included. We’ve become complacent, believing ourselves to be too strong and above others from thinking they could attack us. We were wrong. We’ve become weak in the face of our own egos, pride taking over humility and it’s cost us with this incursion into our land. What we need to do now is work together to rid ourselves of these bampots and make sure none of our people suffer because of our ignorance.”
Isla straightened up, her beast holding itself proud, its head nodding once. “I agree, we’ve become prideful and conceited, my apologies, Alpha. It won’t happen again. I have another concern I’d like to raise, if I may?”
“Go ahead.”
“I don’t like the fact that Andrew Gates was among those rogues that were hunting your mate,” Isla paused, her eyes spinning to Kade’s. “Sorry, I mean, Kirsty.”
Kade merely chuckled. “I think everyone is aware of who Kirsty is, carry on.”
“All right, well, as I said, that wee toad being with them makes me very uneasy. He was always on the tailcoat of Archie McDonald and I have a bad feeling in my guts about Gates still being around.”
Lennox’s beast padded over, a low growl rumbling up from his chest. “I agree, Gates was always doing what Archie told him, he couldnae wipe his own arse without Archie’s say so. I wouldn’t be surprised if he were still in the area too.”
Kade cursed to himself, knowing he should’ve handed Archie over to the Council for his misdemeanors instead of just throwing him out of the Pack. Even though he’d warned the man to leave, not just his land, but also the damn country, it looked like the blaggard had other ideas. “Do you think he’s been putting together a Pack of rogues all this time? It’s been what? Almost two years since he was banished, that means he’s had a lot of time on his hands to find himself a merry little band of misfits.”
Dara stepped forward, saying what was on everyone’s mind. “I don’t think it’s a little band of misfits, Kade. If they feel brave enough to come onto our land, then they’ve got the numbers to back it up. We need to tread carefully or we could be getting led straight into a trap.”
Kade growled, hating to agree but knowing he must. His fur rippling with anger and frustration a moment before a tremor of fear ran through him. “Back to camp. Everyone. Back to camp. We’ve been away too long and most of our best fighters are right here. The pack is vulnerable and the most vulnerable of all is my fucking mate!”
Kade’s massive paws scrambled on the ground, desperate to gain purchase, finally his claws digging into the soil, and he was off and speeding back toward the camp and Kirsty. Terror taking hold deep inside him as he tore through the forest, his Wolves spreading out either side. Isla overtaking him, her sleek beast made for speed, he watched as she disappeared, his own Wolf battling to catch up.
No, no no! This could not be happening. He’d only just found Kirsty. The thought of rogues getting their filthy hands on her almost crippling him with emotions he’d never encountered before. So deep did they run that he feared for his sanity, his beast letting loose a roar of pure anger.
Lennox appeared at his side, keeping pace as they tore towards home. “We’ll get there, Kade, don’t worry. She’ll be okay.”
“She better be,” Kade answered, not recognizing his own voice, so full of agony and torment it sounded like a stranger’s. “I can’t lose her, Len, I just can’t. It will kill me. But I swear on all that’s holy, I’ll fucking end every damn rogue before I die.”
Lennox didn’t answer; after all, there was nothing left to say.
On and on they ran, Kade picking up speed he didn’t know he had as fear for his soul-mate grew inside him. If rogues had infiltrated so far onto their lands, sent them on a wild-goose chase just to get their strongest Wolves away from camp, their only reason was to attack their home when it was at its weakest.
There was just no other scenario that fitted and damn it to hell and back, Kade had fallen for it. Hook-line-and-goddamn-sinker. He was going to tear Archie fucking McDonald apart, slowly, and revel as the traitor’s blood poured down his throat.
Kade plowed onwards, his mind picturing Kirsty’s smiling face, flowing red hair, and those impossibly green eyes. His heart aching at the mere thought of losing her causing him to do something he rarely did. “Dear Goddess, I know I’m not worthy. I fail you every day, but she’s worthy, she’s precious, and you sent her to me. Please, I’ll do anything you ask of me, anything, just keep her safe until I can reach her. That’s all I ask. Just until I can get to her. I’ll take it from there, I promise, but keep her safe until I can get back to her.”
He prayed with every fiber of his being that the Goddess would look favorably on his plea. Surely, she couldn’t deny him. Not when she’d only just allowed him to find his soul-mate. He couldn’t bear thinking of the feisty young woman not being by his side. That just was not an option. It couldn’t be.
Taking stock of his surroundings, he noted they weren’t too far from home.
