Page 68 of The Reluctant Alpha

"It's a diversion," I gasped when he answered. "The revenant had a piece of Danny's clothing. It's heading for the packhouse."

"We're already here," Phoenix's voice was tight with tension. "Rhys felt something wrong and raised the alarm. The barrier's holding for now, but there's something trying to break through on the north side."

"We're coming," I promised, ending the call and pushing myself harder.

My bear roared inside me, desperate to reach Danny, to protect what was mine. The bond between us thrummed with urgency, and I could feel his fear, distant but real. He was alive, at least. That knowledge kept me moving when my muscles burned with exhaustion.

We burst from the tree line fifteen minutes later, the packhouse visible across the clearing. Phoenix and Simeon met us. “They’re okay.” I didn’t even stop, just charged for the house, pushing past everyone until I was inside and had Danny in my arms before I’d registered he was there.

“I’m okay. I’m okay,” Danny kept repeating until his muffled words finally registered, and I loosened my grip. I looked up and met Phoenix's gaze. "It was definitely Rafael."

"It spoke to you?" Phoenix asked sharply.

I nodded, still holding Danny close. "It knew me. Called me 'Olsen's cub.' And it had this." I reached into my pocket and pulled out the scrap of fabric I'd managed to snatch from the revenant before it fled. Danny's scent still clung to it faintly.

Danny took it from my hand, his face paling. "This is from one of my old t-shirts." His eyes met mine. "From my mom's house."

"It's been watching you," Emery said softly, coming to stand beside Phoenix.

The implications sent a chill through me. How long had this thing been stalking Danny?

"I sensed it," Rhys pointed out from where he stood with Ben near the doorway. "I felt it slide through the barrier, but only because I was looking." He flushed. "I'm worried I might not sense it if I’m not already being vigilant."

"Not your responsibility," I ground out. He was fifteen, for fuck's sake.

"The silver-skins mentioned it might have help," Phoenix said grimly. "Someone or something helping it breach our defenses."

Danny pulled back slightly from my embrace, his expression thoughtful despite the fear I could smell on him. "What exactly did it say to you? Word for word."

I closed my eyes, recalling the revenant's rasping voice. "'You smell like him. Weak. Just like your father.'" I opened my eyes to find Danny staring at me intently. "Then it called me 'bear cub' again when it fled."

"It's personal, like you said," Danny said slowly. "This isn't just about bears in general—it's about your family specifically."

"Alessandro despised my father," I acknowledged. "But this goes beyond that. Rafael seems to have a vendetta of his own."

A heavy silence fell over the room as we all considered the question. I pulled Danny closer again, needing the reassurance of his heartbeat against mine.

"We need to regroup," Phoenix decided.

"I'll contact the other teams," Simeon offered, already pulling out his phone.

"And the silver-skins?" I asked Phoenix. "Where were they during all this? Because Axel never turned up."

"That's a good question." Phoenix's expression darkened. "The one assigned to Draven's team vanished just before you called about the diversion. Ivan."

"Convenient," I growled, my suspicions about the silver-skins solidifying.

"Very," Phoenix agreed. "Dimitri claimed he had no knowledge of the attack when I reached him."

"And you believe him?" Danny asked, his skepticism evident.

Phoenix shrugged. "I believe he's playing his own game. Whether that includes helping the revenant or not remains to be seen."

I glanced down at Danny, who was looking pale but determined. His scent had shifted subtly—fear mixed with something fiercer, more protective. His omega nature asserting itself, perhaps.

"What happens now?" he asked, his voice steadier than I expected.

“Now we all get some rest,” Phoenix declared.