Alpha's Protection by Hawke Oakley

Author:Hawke Oakley [Oakley, Hawke]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-12-09T16:00:00+00:00

I was in high spirits. The hunt went excellently. By the time the sun began to descend behind the trees, we’d bagged four big bucks and a couple wild turkeys. It was a huge success. The meat would feed any needy families in the families and we’d have enough leftover for our own cut of the meat.

Exhausted from a long day’s hunt, we trudged back up the mountainside. We all carried the prey carcasses on our backs, which made the journey even longer, but we were all in such a good mood that nobody complained.

“That was such an awesome hunt,” Jericho said. “And by the way, you’re all welcome for all the scent trails I tracked.”

We all groaned.

“Hey!” Jericho complained.

“We appreciate your hard work, just not your gloating,” I told him with a smirk.

“Fair enough.”

Suddenly Jericho stopped. He glanced over his shoulder and narrowed his eyes. I watched him in confusion. Why had he stopped? He wasn’t carrying prey on his back, so he couldn’t be taking a break from that.

“What’s wrong?” I asked him.

When he didn’t reply right away, I passed the buck on my back over to Ken for a moment and caught up with Jericho. The fur on the nape of his neck slowly stood up.

I followed his gaze, but saw nothing this time. Instead of using my eyes, I used my nose. I scented the air deeply, and that was when it hit me. I knew why Jericho had stopped.

Somewhere in the forest was the scent of a Scarlet Ridge wolf.

“You smell it, too, huh?” Jericho asked.

“Yeah,” I growled. “I don’t like it. I’m going to find out what it is.”

“I’m coming with you.”

I didn’t bother telling Jericho not to come; he was stubborn as an ass and I knew he would do it regardless of what I said. Besides, as our best tracker, he would be useful in finding whatever Scarlet Ridge scum was trespassing on our lands.

“That’s weird,” Jericho mumbled. “The trail zigzags through the woods, like whoever it was didn’t want to be easily found.”

My hackles raised. I didn’t like hearing that.

Jericho followed the scent with fierce determination. I appreciated his keen senses right about now; I smelled the trail as well, but not with the same clarity he did. He led us through the trees, up the slope and finally stopped at the base of an old felled log.

“The scent pools here, like whoever it was stayed here for a while,” Jericho said. “Do you recognize it?”

I leaned in to take a whiff and instantly recoiled. Anger flooded my veins. I knew exactly who it was.

“Hector,” I snarled.

“That Scarlet Ridge guy you were telling me about?” Jericho asked.

“Yes,” I growled. “I specifically told him not to come back here.”

Jericho paced around the log. “What would he be doing here, at this spot? What’s so special about it that he sat here for a while?”

My pelt itched with fury. I was so angry that I couldn’t think. Hector’s smug snake-like expression burned in my mind.

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