Turning away to give Trystan and Sable a moment to themselves, I offer Archer my hand. “Need anything before we go?”
He shakes his head, but I can tell he’s afraid. I can also tell he’s ashamed of himself for being afraid—I can smell his shame, see it in the slump of his shoulders.
“Hey,” I say gruffly. “Fear isn’t the weakness here. Even alphas feel fear. The weakness is hiding, running, not doing your part. And you, of all people, aren’t capable of those things. Courage is action in the face of your fear.”
Archer squares his shoulders and nods. “You’re right. Thanks.”
I release his hand to nod at Dare where he’s sprawled on the couch cushions. “You’re staying, right?”
“Stupid fucking question,” he grunts.
I hold up my hands, grinning wryly. “Your reputation precedes you.”
For a moment, I think maybe I’ve gone too far, too soon. When Dare ran away from us after Sable began her transformation, it hurt her to her core. I know it’s been a point of contention between them a few times since he returned, and it probably wasn’t cool of me to make a joke about him leaving. Unfortunately, you can’t take words back once they’re said.
I’m not sure I’d want to even if I could. Things are a lot better between us now than they were in the aftermath of Sable’s witch transformation, but I don’t think I’ll ever forget my anger at him for abandoning our mate. I hope he doesn’t forget it either. We all need to remember it, as a reminder to always do right by her.
“I’m not going anywhere ever again,” Dare shoots back. He sits up, his tone grave as he holds my gaze. “We’ve got it here. Get to your pack, then get the fuck back here.”
A grin tugs at my lips as I reach down to take his hand like I did Archer’s. I think the asshole might actually miss me while I’m gone.
Strangely enough, I’ll miss him too. Things never feel quite right unless the five of us are together.
After Trystan finishes his goodbyes, the two of us leave the cabin side by side. I don’t look back, because I know if I do, I’ll see tears on Sable’s cheeks, and I can’t handle that right now. Not on top of the worry I’m drowning in for my pack. She’ll be safe with Dare and Archer, and can help get the East Pack ready for what’s coming.
Out in the sunshine of Archer’s yard, I clasp Trystan’s hand in a goodbye. “Be careful out there. We don’t know where they are right now.”
He nods grimly. “Yeah, you too, man. Let’s both make it back in one piece.”
“And as fast as possible,” I agree.
Then we shift again and split away from each other, heading for our respective packs.
The sun is setting by the time I lope into my village. My sense of urgency has grown with every step I’ve taken away from Sable. I’m alive with nervous energy, and for the first time since I became alpha, I’d rather give the job to someone else so I can return to the East Pack and be with my mate. But my loyalty and duty run deeper than any river in the mountains.
I howl at the twilight sky to announce my presence and head straight for Amora’s cabin. The elder council will need to be told what’s going on, as well as the pack itself, but right now I need the steady, stable presence of my right hand.
Her door whips open before I even reach her yard, and she bounds down the porch stairs, looking around for me. By the time she reaches my side, I’ve shifted to human form.
“Lawson’s gone,” she greets me, worry etched in the lines between her dark brows.
“I know.” My jaw tightens as I nod. “But it’s even worse than that.”
She eyes me warily, concern burning in her eyes. “Ridge, where’s Sable?”
“She’s safe,” I assure her. “But Lawson isn’t.”
As quickly as possible, I tell her what happened in the mountains with Gwen the witch, about Sable being bound to the leader of the local coven, and how she walked through their psychic connection and saw Lawson being tortured for information. Amora’s hard expression falls away piece by piece until she’s staring at me slack-jawed, stricken mute by what I’ve told her.
“I thought… fucking hell, I thought he just ran off to some human city to start a new life,” she murmurs, brushing her dark hair back with both hands. “I never imagined… is he dead?”
“I don’t know,” I reply, grief and anger burning side by side in my chest. “But based on what Sable saw, I think it’s safe to assume he’s gone.”
Amora’s eyes go wide, and she covers her mouth with one hand, giving a sad shake of her head.
I clasp her shoulders in my hands and press my forehead to hers. She slides her own hands up to my shoulders, and we stand with our heads together, our arms locked, eyes closed, sharing our grief. It’s a mimic of a hug, but more meant to give each other strength.
We were childhood friends. Amora. Me. Lawson.
We spent all our days together, getting into trouble in the woods, building treehouses, racing through the ravine as wolves, howling at the moon and promising we’d be friends for life. Then we were teenagers, and something changed in Lawson. He started bullying younger wolves, becoming more interested in selfish gain and less in the good of the pack. Our friendship ended, and even the love we once shared as brothers frayed, but memories never fade.
Amora swipes tears away from her eyes as she releases me, but then her face smooths into her usual battle armor. “All right. What’s the plan?”
I motion for her to follow me back to my cabin so I can put on some clothes and make
