Chapter 26: 26: The Return

MAX

Brock and I part ways, him veering left and me right. We’re in our wolf forms, even though we can’t communicate like this.

But it’s not a problem, we have a strategy. We’re hoping to surprise the other wolves, so we’re trying to stay downwind so they won’t smell us until it’s too late.

We’re counting on these being the only ones we have to deal with. It’s four against two.

Brock’s wolf form is large, just like him. His wolf is a golden color, similar to his hair.

He’s sturdy and as big as I am. We can handle these four, especially if we surprise them.

We silently traverse the forest, each of us on opposite sides of them. It’ll be hard for them to escape.

They could mind link for backup, though. The trick is to take them down before they get the chance to do that.

As I’m sneaking along, I glance over to where Brock is. It’s easier for me to blend in with the darkness, my wolf is black.

Most alpha males have black wolves. But Brock, he glows in the moonlight.

He needs to stay hidden in the trees until the last possible moment or he’ll be seen. Suddenly, the four wolves freeze.

They’re looking around, their ears twitching. My breathing is quiet, steady.

They won’t hear me as long as I stay perfectly still until they start moving again. Just as they seem about to continue on their way, one of them suddenly lunges forward.

It startles the others for a moment, then the wolf dives into the underbrush, just a few feet from where Brock is hiding. He emerges a moment later, a rabbit dangling from his mouth.

I let out a sigh of relief. We need the element of surprise on our side.

The four wolves are staring at each other, clearly communicating via mind link. Their eyes have that distant look.

I bet the other three are scolding the rabbit hunter, his head is hanging low now. They turn to continue their patrol, and that’s when we strike.

Brock is right next to them. He takes out the first one without even breaking a sweat, tearing his throat out in one swift move.

I charge the one closest to me, his back turned to me. My large body slams him to the ground as we roll.

In an instant, I’m on top of him, my jaws around his throat. I feel a wolf jump on my back, as I violently shake the wolf in my jaws.

His head nearly comes off as I fling him aside, spinning around. I’m trying to shake off the one on my back so I can finish this.

I glance over and see Brock has already taken out his two opponents. I drop to the ground, trying to roll the wolf clinging to my back off.

He’s got a firm grip on the back of my neck, but he loosens his hold slightly as I squeeze the air out of him. As I stand back up, I see a flash of yellow fly over my head and the wolf is thrown off my back.

Brock has knocked him off me but steps back, giving me the chance to make the kill. I don’t hesitate, I just tear out his throat and head back into the forest.

MAX

We make it back to the van in less than two hours. We ran non-stop in our wolf forms.

The back doors are open, and we see that the others have wrapped Seth’s body in a blanket and laid him on the floor in the back of the van. The rest are standing guard around the van, on high alert.

I bet Brock and I are quite a sight. We’re covered in blood and have been running through the forest at top speed.

He has some scrapes along his side, but they’re already starting to heal. The others bristle as Brock approaches.

They don’t know his wolf. I tell them to stand down via our mind link, and we come to a sudden stop just a few feet in front of the van.

We’re both panting, completely exhausted. I shift back and grab some sweats from the van.

One of the guys tosses me a bottle of water and I down it in two big gulps. “You look like shit, Alpha,” he tells me.

“Of course I do. I’m covered in someone else’s blood and I’ve been running for two hours straight.”

I walk around to the open door, glancing at Seth’s body. Anger fills me again.

The way they left him was just wrong. It was cruel and gruesome.

This is definitely war. “Brock, good job out there,” I tell him as I hand him some water.

He just nods and drinks without saying a word. “If I wasn’t so wiped out, I’d need a real drink right now,” I tell him.

This earns me a smirk and a nod. “Max, how’d you learn to fight so well when you’re what, nineteen? Twenty?” Brock asks me.

At that, I scowl at him. I’m not sure what he’s implying, as if I shouldn’t be able to fight as well as him.

“I’m an alpha. I’m the alpha heir. I’ve been training since I was twelve with my father. And I am twenty, not that it matters.”

“Okay man,” Brock holds his hands up in surrender. “I didn’t mean anything by it. It’s just that a lot of alphas don’t learn things until they go to alpha training. I was just curious.”

“Yeah okay. My father wanted me to be stronger than him. He took me out training in arctic temperatures, desert heat, pouring rain and blizzards.”

“I’ve already done part of the alpha training without even attending. In fact, I don’t even have to go for the full four years,” I turn from him and toss my empty bottle in the van.

“Let’s load up guys. Has anyone had any sleep at all?” I ask as we start packing our gear in the van and the warriors climb in and drop onto the bench seats.

They all shake their heads as they climb in. I guess that leaves all of us awake for more than twenty-four hours.

The sun is now peaking over the trees. By the time we get back to the pack land, barring any issues from here on out, it will be nearing lunch time.

“I guess I’m driving then,” I say as I walk around to the driver’s side. Brock tosses me a towel when I open the door and I give him a questioning look.

“Take some water and the towel and clean the blood off your face at least. We don’t want someone to see us and get stopped by law enforcement,” Brock points out.

Right. I quickly dump some water on the towel, scrubbing my face and neck.

I won’t be able to get the blood out of my hair, so I just rub the towel over my head quickly and jump in the van. I shift the van into drive, setting us on the path back to Ridge Mountain.

Brock retrieves the satellite phone we’d tucked away in the glove compartment. He powers it up and dials our alpha.

“Alpha Sebastian, we’re heading home. We’ve lost one, sir.”

I can’t make out the response on the other end, but I can guess what he’s asking. Brock looks at me, silently seeking my approval to share the details.

I give him a nod. “It was Seth, sir, our tracker. They slaughtered him and strung him up in a tree. Yes, we’ll be there in a few hours.” He ends the call and releases a heavy sigh.

“Is your father always so merciless?” Brock questions me. I flick my gaze to him, then back to the road.

“Depends on what you mean. Can you clarify?”

“He mentioned something about gutting them all in retaliation.”

I can’t help but chuckle. “Yeah, that sounds like him. He’s a dangerous man, but in a cool, calculated way.”

Brock laughs in response. “I can respect that. Reminds me of some of the guys back home. Vikings have a similar mindset.”

Brock’s comment piques my interest even more. It’s not every day you encounter a genuine Viking.

He embodies the persona and has the skills to back it up. When he’s serious, he looks downright terrifying.

He’s got a good handle on his temper too. I hope my alpha training will help me gain some self-control.

My anger tends to get the better of me, but I’m working on it. “So, why don’t you have to complete all four years of your training?” Brock inquires.

“I have the option to test out of it. I’ll be sent into various wilderness areas around the world—the arctic, the desert, and so on.”

“One of the elite trainers will accompany me to evaluate my survival skills. While I’m trying to survive, they’ll launch surprise attacks on our location.”

“I won’t know when it’s coming. They can’t kill me and I can’t kill them, but I have to prove I can defeat them,” I explain.

“Them?” Brock questions. “Exactly. A group of experienced alphas. After they passed their packs onto their successors, they joined the alpha training program.”

“I have to outperform all of them, regardless of how many they send after me. The exact number? I’ll only know when it happens.”

“That sounds intense. Do you feel ready?”

“I’ve been preparing for this for years. If my dad thinks I’m ready, then I am.”

I steal a glance at Brock, curious about his reaction. He simply nods, remaining silent.

Our conversation dwindles, replaced by the snores of the warriors in the back and the hum of the tires against the pavement. Right now, nothing sounds better than a hot shower and my bed.

But I suppose this is all part of the training, isn’t it? Sleep deprivation. Thanks, Dad.