Logan inhaled deeper and swallowed.
And mistaken it for nothing. There was a mutt, standing on the edge of their property.
A mutt, staring right at him.
Logan knew he should run. That’s what they’d been taught. But he couldn’t, and it wasn’t fear—it was something deep in his gut that saw a rogue werewolf on their territory and refused to flee. He planted his feet, lifted his chin, and squared his shoulders. And he waited.
The mutt took three steps toward him. Slow and careful steps. As the mutt drew near, Logan realized he was young. Maybe twenty. Still, twice Logan’s size. Both twins were small for their age, one of the more unfortunate traits they’d inherited from their father, who’d been the smallest in his class until he hit his growth spurt in high school.
The mutt stared at him and then inhaled deeply, his eyes widening.
“You smell like a werewolf,” the young man said.
“Uh, yeah …”
“No, I mean, you’re a kid. You shouldn’t already smell like a werewolf.”
“I’m special. Now, since you obviously know who I am—”
“You’re the boy,” the mutt said.
“Pretty sure I don’t look like a girl.”
“No, the boy. Their boy.”
“Three for three. Not exactly genius, considering where you are. You do know where you are, right? Trespassing? On the Alpha’s territory?”
“Your dad, you mean.”
Logan rolled his eyes. “There’s your first strike. My mother is the Alpha, moron.”
The mutt’s lips twitched. “Sorry, kid, no one buys that story. The Pack would never make a woman Alpha. It’s really your dad—they just don’t want to scare people by saying that.”
“Fine. You’re about to meet both of them. You can pick your challenge. Either way, you’ll get your ass kicked. That’s why you’re here, right? To challenge the Alpha.”
“No, I’m not stupid.”
“Um, yeah. The fact you’re here says you are. Now, should I call them over? Or do you want to rethink this particular course of action?”
The mutt’s gaze darted to the forest. “They’re out here?”
“You think they’d let their nine-year-old wander around at two in the morning? Now, I’m giving you a chance to leave. It’s Christmastime. Don’t you have someplace to be?”
“Um …”
“Never mind. Just go. Head off that way.” He pointed. “Don’t step on the property or my parents will track you down and make an example of you. If you leave now, I won’t tell them you were here. They thought they smelled a mutt earlier, but they weren’t sure. Don’t make them sure.”
The mutt peered at him. “How old are you again?”
“Nine.”
“You don’t talk like it.”
“I take after my parents—both of them. They can think as well as they can fight. It’s a lethal combination, and I wouldn’t suggest you stick around long enough to find out for yourself.”
“Is it true what they say? About your dad? What he did to the last wolf who trespassed here?”
“Whatever they say, it’s true. Now just—”
“Do you know what they say? What he did? You must not. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be nearly so proud of him. He’s a psycho. You know that, right?”
“He is whatever he needs to be to keep us safe. Now get—”
“No, really. He’s crazy. You obviously don’t know what he did. Him and his buddy, Nick, they found two wolves here, come to issue a challenge. Your daddy was younger than me, and he took those wolves—”
A crash sounded in the undergrowth, and a figure barreled out so fast both Logan and the mutt fell back. Before the mutt could recover, Dad had him by the shirtfront. He threw him onto the road and planted a foot on his stomach.
“Logan?” he said. “Get back to the house.”
“I—”
Dad’s look stopped the words in his throat. It was the look mutts must get when they crossed him. A look his son never expected to see, and Logan took a slow step back.
“To. The. House.” Dad caught Logan’s gaze. “Now.”
Logan tried. He really tried. This was an order from his father and the beta, but it wasn’t the same as an order from the Alpha, and all Logan could think was that there might be other mutts, and he really should stay by his father. Watch out for him.
“Logan …”
The mutt slammed his fist into the back of Dad’s knee, and it caught his father off guard. Dad’s leg buckled. Logan shot forward, ready to throw himself at the mutt if his dad went down. He didn’t. He just stumbled, and swung around and grabbed for the mutt, but Logan was already diving at him, and when Dad swung around, his fist caught Logan in the shoulder and sent him crashing into the snowbank.
That distracted Dad for real, and he twisted toward Logan as the mutt leapt up. Logan opened his mouth to shout a warning, but Dad backhanded the mutt down again, and Logan scrambled up as fast as he could, saying, “I’m okay. I’m okay,” even as pain stabbed through his shoulder. Dad spun back on the mutt, who was staying on the ground now, his hands raised.
“I’m sorry,” the mutt said. “I’m really, really sorry.”
“Not yet you aren’t,” Dad said, taking a step toward him, his fists clenched.
The mutt stayed down. Stayed submissive. His gaze was fixed on Dad’s chest, not rising even to his face.
“It was stupid, really stupid,” the kid said. “They dared me—my cousins—and I don’t have a rep, because I lost my first two challenges, and I thought this would help. All I had to do was get a photo of the house to prove I was here. I wasn’t even going to go on the property. Well, not far, because you can’t see the house from the road. I tried. But I was going to walk as far on this road as I could, and only go—”
“How old are you?”
“N-nineteen.”
“Fuck. Name?”
“Davis. I mean, Cain. Davis Cain.”
“Of course. A Cain. Do you guys share a single brain among you?” Dad lifted his hands. “Don’t even answer that. Did you set foot on the property?”
“N-no. No, sir, I mean.”
Dad winced a little at that, as if the “sir” took it too far, was too submissive, didn’t portend well for the kid’s future as a werewolf.
“I’m going to check that,” Dad said. “In the meantime, you will get into your car, wherever it is, and you will start heading home. You will not stop, even to take a piss, until you are past the state border.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And you will tell your cousins that you got as far as Bear Valley and turned around, because you realized just how stupid an idea this was, that you weren’t just risking your own life but, because you’re a kid, I’d hold your family responsible for not teaching you better.”
“R-right.”
“You decided to go home and start training instead of taking on challenges already. Train until you’re ready to beat someone. And maybe, if you can manage it, hit the books and get a little smarter, too, because that will help you fight. And help you not make fucking stupid choices.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Now, start heading to your car. I’m going to retrace your steps, and if I find you even set foot on our property, I’m coming after you.”
“I-I didn’t. Honest.”
“Good, then you won’t be in a rush to get to your car. Walk.”
The kid did, heading in the direction he’d come from, which meant Dad followed at a short distance, checking his trail. Dad got about twenty feet before he turned and saw Logan still standing there. He barely had time to open his mouth before Logan broke into a run to catch up, his teeth gritted as the fast movement jostled his shoulder.