Hay Creek

Chapter 12.

Avery

After meeting Roman and Andrew at the grill, Quinn and I decided it was time to head home. I returned to what I now considered my second home: the alpha house. Upon my arrival, I found Archer, Axel, and Marley gathered in the living room. Marley explained that they had encountered members of the Red River pack. They had crossed into HennepLand searching for Kai, who was apparently in conversation with their Alpha, Dashawn River. According to Marley, he was a young alpha, and she mentioned he had a one-year-old pup.

As the alpha female, I felt compelled to reach out to the alpha female of the Red River pack. I asked Marley who she was, and she pointed to a girl with black curly hair, dark green eyes, and beautiful brown skin. I approached her, and she looked up at me with a curious expression.

"Hello, I'm Avery, Kai's mate," I introduced myself, offering a warm smile. "I'm the alpha female of the Lupus Moon pack. It's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too. I'm Helena River, alpha female of the Red River pack," she replied, her voice friendly.

"I've heard you're looking for Alpha Kai?" I inquired, taking a seat beside her.

Helena nodded, settling back. "Yes, we came here for help."

"Why do you need help?" I asked softly.

"Because we're being hunted by dangerous hunters who have taken over our entire territory." My eyes widened at her revelation. Hunters? There were new threats in town. "Why are they targeting your pack?"

"We don't know," she replied, her expression grave. "All I know is that they're coming for all of us."

Kai

I shifted uneasily in my seat as I listened to Dashawn. He shared a chilling revelation: he was being hunted—not by the familiar hunters already in town, but by a different breed altogether, one that called themselves hunters but truly weren't. The hunters he spoke of came from far away, specializing in tracking down werewolf packs. My father had warned me about them, but I never imagined they would come here. "They're coming for all of us," he said, his voice heavy with dread.

"So they took your entire territory," I replied, feeling the weight of his predicament. "There's no going back for you."

"Correct." He rose from his seat, striding toward me with purpose before slamming both hands on my table. "What I'm asking is for us to form an alliance. An alpha without a territory is not a strong alpha. I can't let my pack down."

"So you're saying you're willing to step down from your status?" I challenged.

"No," he countered firmly.

"But you have no territory. I understand your situation, but I can't forge a strong alliance with an alpha who lacks a domain. I have to protect my own pack too. I have my own enemies—ones who are eager to bring me down." He stepped back, his gaze dropping to the floor.

If I agreed to this, I'd be responsible for his pack as well. This wouldn't be a simple alliance between two strong packs; it was a far more complicated situation. As an alpha, I respected him, but the weight of this decision was heavy on my shoulders. Looking at him, I could see his strength, but I also sensed his vulnerability. It could have easily been my pack in his shoes.

"I have a pack, a pup, and a mate to protect. I'll fight—"

I interrupted him, "I'll form an alliance with you, but since you're on my territory, you'll follow my rules. I'll treat you as the alpha you are, and so will my pack, but I call the shots."

"That's fine with me," he agreed.

Avery

I was just about to knock on Kai's office door when it swung open. A young man stood before me, his skin a shade lighter than Helena's, with dark brown eyes and short, frizzy hair. I stepped back, offering an awkward smile. "Oh, you met my female," Kai said, stepping beside him—Dashawn, I presumed. "Nice to meet you. I'm Dashawn River, alpha of the Red River pack."

"Nice to meet you too," I replied, returning his smile.

He nodded, then turned back to Kai. "I'm going to check on my pack. I'll talk to you later."

"Of course. You don't have a place to stay, so you can use my guest room, and your pack can stay in the beta house. I'm sure we have some rooms available." Dashawn nodded, thanking Kai before leaving.

Once he was gone, Kai and I entered his office. "How was your day?" he asked. I decided to take a seat in his chair, curious about the feeling. He chuckled and settled into one of the armchairs. "You look good behind that desk."

"Well, thank you," I smiled shyly. "So, what did you do today?" He leaned back, arms crossed.

"Not much, just ran into Roman at the grill. By the way, he's extremely rude."

"Roman," he said, his voice turning cold. "Yes, he told me to remind you that you should watch out and be ready for his game. He said it's game on."

"Game on..." I sighed. "Roman is such a pain in the ass."

"I can't shake the feeling he's plotting something bad," I said, concern creeping into my voice.

"I'm sure he is. Roman is always scheming." He shrugged and rose from his seat. "Come on, let me take you home." I nodded and stood as well. "Oh, I came by car—I borrowed my mom's."

"You don't have your own car?" I shook my head. "You have a driver's license but no car? We can fix that," he winked.

A short while later, we arrived at my house. Kai insisted on driving, and he parked neatly in front of the garage. As I walked to the doorstep, I noticed he wasn't following. "Aren't you coming?"

"To meet your mom? I think I'll pass for now," he said slowly, his nervousness evident. I couldn't believe it—Kai was nervous! I had never seen him this way before. "Oh, come on! You were excited to meet her."

"Yes, but you could have told me when," he replied, throwing his hands up in exasperation.

I laughed. "Okay. Today." Kai looked as if he wanted to bolt. He wasn't going anywhere. I grabbed his hand and practically dragged him inside.

"Mom!" I called out.

"Yes, honey? You're home?" my mom responded from the living room.

"Yes, and I brought someone with me." I hesitated, waiting for her to come into the hallway.

"Oh! Who do we have here?" she asked, a curious smile on her face.

"Mom, this is Kai—" I turned to Kai, who looked like he might be sick. It was hilarious, considering werewolves never got sick. He coughed and straightened up. "Nice to meet you, Miss Ross."

"Nice to meet you too, Kai." My mother winked at me, and I couldn't help but laugh. Way to go, Mom. "You should stay for dinner." I braced myself; I knew she would ask that. Shame crept up my spine.

"I would love to," Kai said, flashing my mom a charming smile. Look at him, working his charm. I had to admit, he was good at it.