Page 4 of Forged Alliances
Dax crossed his arms, the cool white wall pressed against his skin, still sticky from the run. He’d been right to come here—Sierra Kanoska lived up to her reputation for being whip smart and tough. Hell, he’d rehearsed this pitch a thousand times in his head on his way to Beaver Tavern, but after meeting her, he knew no used-car-salesman tactics would work. He also couldn’t charm her into acquiescence, evident due to her iron control while he participated in this meeting without a stitch on.
He fixed his gaze on her as the gravity of the situation gripped him by the throat. No more escaping, not now. The old anger snapped through him like a struck match as he let out a harsh breath.
“My pack and I are searching for new territory because of an internal conflict,” he said. Even admitting their position out loud sliced into his heart like a shard. “My father passed a couple of months back, which left the alpha spot vacant.”
Sierra’s brows scrunched together as she hunched forward, giving her full attention. “Sorry about your pops.”
Dax shrugged. The bitter thump in his chest served as a clear reminder of his convoluted relationship with his father. They’d never had the camaraderie his older brother and his father shared. If anything, his father had considered him a fuck-up his entire life. Too bad for them he refused to sit around and watch their pack continue his father’s bullying tactics, the ones that had cost Silver Springs their reputation years ago.
“Nothing to be sorry about,” he responded, wishing the scab didn’t reopen every time someone mentioned the man. Granted, his father had placed the pack in this predicament in the first place. “Turns out my father didn’t want me as alpha, and he’d even stated as such in his last will and testament. I’m assuming that’s why the alpha challenge went the way it did. My brother and I faced off, and I’d had a clear advantage. But before I could put an end to the fight, the older folks in the pack interfered, driving me from the land.”
“That’s underhanded,” Sierra spat. Her gaze flashed amber, her wolf surfacing. His teeth sharpened in response, the rage as fresh as it had burned mere months before. Her sympathy came as a surprise—based on the anger she’d greeted him with from the get-go, he hadn’t expected any compassion. Yet maybe more than anyone she’d understand the burden of an alpha, the pride that came along with the title, and the fierce protectiveness he felt for his packmates.
He forced a bitter smile. “I thought so. My brother took ruthless advantage, claiming leadership over a pack he never rightfully won, which split us in two. The older folks aligned with him, but the rest of the pack broke off and followed me. We’ve just been fighting over land and leadership ever since. Those who defected with me are barred from our pack cabin, from the campgrounds belonging to Silver Springs, but they don’t have enough force to oust us from our homes yet. I honestly couldn’t tell you if my father’s wishes stand up for a second in our kind’s law—it’s not like Drew won the alpha fight the way shifters are supposed to.”
Sierra tilted her head to the side. “My earlier question remains. What brings you to our neck of the woods?”
Dax rolled his shoulders back. His skin prickled at all this admission, the whole affair making him feel more vulnerable than a cub. He hated it. “We need help. You want to talk reputations? You’ve earned one in this region for being smarter than most, and right now brawn isn’t what’s going to win our land back. Smarts might.”
“You’ve got a strange way of asking for help.” Her voice came out dry.
“I don’t want this territory, but I won’t leave my pack without a home.” Fierceness pulsed under the surface, the protectiveness he felt for each individual in his pack—for the misguided, wonderful lot who placed their faith in a fuck-up like him. “This land is the closest to the region my brother now holds hostage. If I can’t find a way to undo the damage my father caused and unite our packs, we’ll have no choice but to carve out our section of this region.”
A growl came from Sierra’s throat, as feral as her wolf.