****
Shane stood with Charlotte near the Alpha’s home, breathing in and out. She wanted him to learn how to bring his wolf close to the surface without shifting, and stay in control, and it wasn’t easy. Bram was with the Redwoods, working his shift. They weren’t sure how long he’d be an enforcer there, but he would still be doing his duty for as long as possible. Gideon was in and out of the house, working on a million things, but Charlotte had wanted the two of them close to the Alpha, just in case.
While she was Shane’s mate, she wasn’t his Packmate yet, and according to her, things could get tricky.
And he’d rather kill himself than hurt her because of his lack of control. Yet other than that one time with Bram and his claws, he was doing pretty well according to the others. He supposed he had to take that and run with it since he didn’t quite feel like he was landing on his feet yet.
“You doing okay?” Charlotte asked. She slid her hand into his, and Shane smiled.
“Yeah, but with you so close and all bitable, I kind of want to forget the breathing I’m doing here and do some heavy breathing instead.”
Charlotte winced. “That was…well, I don’t know what that was, but that wasn’t a line.”
Shane wiped his mouth with his hand and tried to look chagrined. “Yeah, not one of my best.”
“Just do better next time, and I’ll give you a blowjob.”
She said it so deadpan that it took a moment for the words to register. Shane threw his head back and laughed. He was falling for this woman, just as much as he was falling for Bram. It wasn’t the bond that made him fall either. It was who they were, and how they fit with him. He’d known from the moment they’d walked into the infirmary room that they were different.
And now he knew why.
“What’s so funny?” Gideon asked as he strolled toward them.
Shane was about to answer when he heard something. He wasn’t sure what it was, but a sense of knowing slid over him. He jumped pulling both Charlotte and Gideon to the ground.
The explosion shocked the sky, the wards above them radiating a kaleidoscope of colors as they burned away the remnants of the bomb that had been thrown at them. But as Shane looked up, he knew that wouldn’t be the end of it. Small cracks were forming in the wards. Not large enough to do anything at the moment, but those cracks would grow, and the wards would fall.
And then there would be nowhere safe for the wolves.
Gideon pushed him off, as did Charlotte, and the two of them stood. “You two okay?” Gideon growled.
“Yes,” they both answered.
“Good. Now don’t fucking risk your life for me again,” Gideon growled.
“You’re the Alpha,” Shane growled right back. “If you die, our Pack might not make it. And they know that. I’m not going to let you die on my watch.”
Something came and went in Gideon’s eyes, and the other man nodded. Before he could say anything else, other wolves ran toward him—the Alpha’s lieutenants. Each of them gave Shane a look he couldn’t interpret, but he didn’t think it was a bad thing, so he didn’t respond other than to take Charlotte’s hand in his.
“What happened?” Gideon asked. “And find our witches. See if they can help heal the cracks. Call the Redwoods and make sure they’re okay.”
Charlotte let out a little gasp. “I need to call my parents.”
Gideon looked over at them. “Go, and report back to me.”
Charlotte stiffened but didn’t meet the Alpha’s gaze. Gideon was full-on Alpha right now, but at the moment, he wasn’t her Alpha. Shane wasn’t sure exactly what that all meant, but he figured it had to be complicated.
“A helicopter flew over low and dropped a bomb on us,” Kameron said as he stomped toward them. “They had to know they weren’t going to take us out, but the point is, they knew where we were. And the fact that none of the guys in Washington warned us speaks volumes.”
Gideon cursed.
“That means it was Montag,” Shane added in, ignoring the way the others looked at him. He couldn’t tell if they thought he was one of theirs or still the enemy, but he was past waiting on the sidelines. He would help any way he could. “If those wolves you have on the inside didn’t now, then it wasn’t a government operation. Montag is working outside the system, and he’s fucking crazy. This is all him.”
“Then it’s retaliation.” Gideon rubbed at his jaw and narrowed his eyes. “But it’s not the end of it. This was just a test.”
“So it seems.” Kameron rolled his shoulders. “Ryder and Mitchell are out making sure everyone is okay, and Walker is ready to deal with any injuries. For now, it looks like it was just a loud explosion, but something else could be coming at any moment.”
“Be on alert,” Gideon ordered everyone within hearing distance. “This could be just the beginning.”