From Rejected Slave to Second Chance Luna

Backyard Barbecue

Alpha Damon’s POV

After hours in my room, waiting for Jacob to return with the information I had asked for, I finally managed to force my breathing into something close to calm. Stowne was still pacing beneath my skin, restless and furious, but I had enough control now to think. That was what I needed most. Not rage. Not instinct. A plan. Moon Howlers was the most disrespectful, rotten pack I had ever encountered, and every second I remained under their roof made my wolf want to tear the place apart. But if I acted too soon, my mate would pay for it. I could not let that happen. When a knock sounded at my door, I knew before I opened it that Jacob had arrived. I unlocked the door and stepped aside, watching his face carefully as he entered. Whatever he had found, it had hardened his expression.

“Damon,” Jacob said, already moving toward the sitting area, “I did the search you asked for.” Most wolves would never address me by my first name, but Jacob had earned that right long before either of us held rank. We had been best friends since we were pups. He knew me better than anyone, and right now, I needed someone who could read the fury behind my calm without making me say it aloud. He opened his laptop and pulled up several files. “I got into their system. Here is the beta family record.” He turned the screen toward me. “Only one daughter is registered.” He clicked into another file. “And here are their deceased member records. There is no record of Beta Blake and Ursula ever losing a daughter.”

Something is wrong here, Stowne growled, though both of us already knew it. I know, I answered silently. And we are going to uncover every piece of it.

Jacob’s jaw tightened as he opened another file. “You also asked about rogue attacks in this territory. There have been no recent reports. No attacks. No captures. Nothing that matches the story they told you.” He looked up from the screen. “Damon, what caused you to search all of this?” I knew I had to tell him. Jacob would be the one standing beside me when I take this pack down, but first I had to get my mate out of here alive. “I found my mate.” Shock flashed across his face. “That is good. Who is she? Have you accepted her yet?” I shook my head once, the movement sharp. “No. It is not that simple. I will accept her, but first I have to rescue her.” His disbelief was immediate, and before he could ask another question, I told him everything. I told him about staying behind while the others were busy, about the scent of wildflowers and rain that pulled me through the halls, about the frail young woman in rags scrubbing the floors on her hands and knees. I told him about the scars, the fresh injuries, the way she moved as if every breath had to be earned. I told him how she disappeared through a door in the kitchen and how the pieces began to fit together—the missing twin daughter, the lies, the fake grief, the rogue story, Alpha Amos dismissing me before I could press harder. As I spoke, Jacob’s wolf pushed closer to the surface. I saw it in his eyes. We did not tolerate abuse of the innocent. Not in my pack. Not in any pack under my influence. “Do you know where that kitchen door leads?” Jacob asked at last. I shook my head. “No, but I intend to find out.” “What do you want to do?” he asked. I looked back at the files on the screen. “First, we gather proof. Then we find her. And once she is safe, Moon Howlers answers for every wound on her body.”

Jacob and I spent the next hour working through every detail of the plan. We had to move carefully, quietly, and without drawing Alpha Amos’s attention. By the time we finished, dinner was being served in the dining hall. I hated walking into that room and pretending these wolves were respectable. I hated accepting their food, their false smiles, their polished hospitality. But for my mate, I could wear any mask required. Jacob and I entered together, every sense alert. We chose seats across from Alpha Kane of Iron Spur Pack and his beta. Kane had caught my attention earlier. He was not loud. He did not perform power. He simply carried it. He watched the dining hall the way a seasoned fighter watched a battlefield, calm on the outside, sharp underneath. “Montana is quite a distance,” I said, studying him across the table. “I was surprised to hear Iron Spur made the trip.” Kane gave a low chuckle. “My council insisted. Said if I kept ignoring mating gatherings, I would end up old, unmated, and impossible to live with.” Jacob smirked beside me. “Sounds like good council.”

“Annoying council,” Alpha Kane corrected, “but not wrong.” His gaze moved across the dining hall, taking in the Moon Howlers with quiet assessment. “Besides, gatherings like this tell you a lot about the surrounding packs.” I leaned back in my chair. “That they do.” Kane’s eyes returned to mine. “Some packs show strength. Some only put on a show of it.” The words were casual enough for anyone nearby to dismiss, but I heard the edge beneath them. So did Jacob. So did Stowne.

Further down the table, Alpha Amos laughed too loudly, drawing attention to himself while Luna Sheila smiled at his side like everything about this pack house was exactly as it should be. I kept my expression neutral, but inside, Stowne went very still.

“And what do you think Moon Howlers is showing?” I asked. Kane took a slow drink before answering. “Hospitality. Wealth. Pride.” He paused just long enough for the words to sharpen. “And too much effort.” Jacob’s fork stilled for half a second. A faint smile touched my mouth. “Careful, Kane. That almost sounded like criticism.”

“Only observation,” Alpha Kane said smoothly. “Iron Spur survives by noticing what others miss.”

“That must be useful in Montana,” I said. “Open land gives danger plenty of room to hide.” Kane nodded. “It does. That is why we do not tolerate weak patrols, false reports, or Alphas who mistake fear for loyalty.” Stowne pressed closer, interested now. “Strong words,” I said, hoping my instincts about Iron Spur were right. “True ones.” Kane’s expression did not change. “A pack can survive hardship. Hunger. Winter. Rogue threats. Even war. But rot inside the leadership?” He shook his head once. “That kills a pack from the bones out.” I held his gaze. “And what would Iron Spur do if you discovered that kind of rot in an allied pack?” Kane did not answer right away. His fingers rested lightly against his glass, but his eyes were sharp. “If it was politics,” he said, “I would stay out of it. I do not enjoy sticking my nose into another Alpha’s house.” His voice lowered just enough for only Jacob and me to hear. “But if innocent wolves were being hurt, hidden, or silenced, that would no longer be politics.” I felt Stowne go still. “No?” I asked.

“No.” Alpha Kane’s eyes hardened. “That would be a crime.”

There it was. Not a promise, not yet, but enough. Kane understood the line between pack politics and cruelty. He knew some sins could not be hidden behind rank. Jacob, what do you think? I asked through the link. Should we keep testing him? Jacob gave the smallest nod, his expression never changing. Before I could speak again, Alpha Amos called from across the room. “Alpha Kane! I hope our hospitality has been to your liking.”

Kane turned his head, his face shifting easily into polite neutrality. “Very much, Alpha Amos. Your pack house is impressive.” Alpha Amos grinned. “We take pride in caring for our people.” Kane’s jaw tightened, so slightly most wolves would have missed it. Then he lifted his glass. “A pack is judged by how it treats those with no power to repay it.” For a moment, the room went quiet. Then Alpha Amos laughed, but the sound came a heartbeat too late. “Well said.”

Kane smiled, but it did not reach his eyes. “I have always thought so.”

I looked down at my plate to hide the satisfaction that crossed my face. Kane had noticed something. Maybe not everything, but enough. When conversation shifted and Amos’s attention moved elsewhere, I spoke again, softer this time.

“I may want your opinion on a matter before this gathering ends.” Kane did not look directly at me. Smart. No suspicion. No visible alliance. “Then find me when there are fewer ears,” he murmured.