Dante had expressed concern about taking Kirk along with them since he was one of their suspects, but somehow Trey just couldn’t see the informant being him. They would find out soon enough – if it was Kirk, he would join with Darryl when they reached the gate.

As Dante, Tao, Marcus and Trick were saying their goodbyes to Taryn, Greta came and hugged Trey tight. “Take care, son. Rip the bastard apart.”

“Always so bloodthirsty,” he said with a smile.

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure she’s alright.”

He narrowed his eyes at her, still smiling. “Since when do you care about Taryn’s welfare?”

“Since I heard she was pregnant.” At his skeptical look, she shrugged. “Alright, I like her just a bit. She reminds me of me.” She thumped him in the arm when he laughed. “She does. She’s got spirit.”

“Yep, she has plenty of that.” He gave Taryn one last look – in it was a warning to do as he’d asked, a reminder that she was too important for him to lose, and a goodbye. He then looked up at the others. “Everyone ready?”

Nodding, Dante, Tao, Marcus, Trick, Rhett, Cam, and Kirk followed behind Trey as he left the room. No one said a word as they exited the caves and descended the many steps of the mountain. As they entered the woods, Trey gestured for Dante to come close.

“You don’t need to ask me to make sure she’s okay if anything happens to you,” said Dante quietly. “But we will win this, Trey.”

“But if we don’t, if you feel me die through the pack link, you leave the battle and you go to the caves – you take her where Darryl can’t reach her.”

Dante swallowed hard. “You have my word on that, although I don’t know if she’d survive the bond being broken.”

“She would. Taryn could survive anything. Besides, it’s only partially developed. And another thing – I’d be lying if I said I hope she mates with someone else so she’s not alone, I’m too much of a bastard to be that noble, but if she does you make sure that kid knows who its dad was.” Satisfied by Dante’s nod, Trey said no more as they progressed through the forest. His wolf was pacing inside him, all worked up by the adrenalin circulating through Trey’s system. He hadn’t wanted to leave Taryn’s side, but he did understand that there was a nearby threat and that this threat needed to be eradicated.

It was odd to think that only a few months ago the most important thing to Trey had been his pack, his territory, and protecting both. He never would have thought anything could be more important than that, never would have expected that anyone could be important to him. Now he had other things to fight for – his mate, his unborn child, their future. The woman had turned his life upside f**king down, turned him inside f**king out, and yet he wouldn’t have it any other way.

It amazed him that he’d thought he was content before she came into his life. In reality, he hadn’t known the meaning of the word. With Taryn he was content. She anchored him and made him happy in a way that nothing and no one had ever done before. He didn’t want to lose that, refused to lose that. Dante was right; they would win this, because no other ending was acceptable.

Finally the forest thinned and they stepped out onto the clearing, bringing them within twenty feet of the main gate. Although Ryan had told him just how many wolves Darryl had brought along, Trey was still rocked by the intimidating sight it made. Had he been normal enough to respond appropriately to fear, he might have been tempted to stop the battle before it started. Not to save himself, but the others who might get hurt. He’d soon find out if it was a good thing or a bad thing that he wasn’t normal.

Gathered on the fringe of the woods were Nick and a number of males from his pack, including his Beta, Jon, and bodyguard, Derren – both of whom Trey recognized from their visit to his home. Not far from them was Lance with several from his pack, including his bodyguard, Zack, and two of his enforcers, Perry and Oscar. They all gave him a brief respectful nod before resuming scowling at Darryl and his followers.

The wolf shifters – there were approximately fifty – that had come to stand at Trey’s side and serve as back-up were all grouped together near the security shack. They didn’t look so eager to be there. Trey guessed it was because they hadn’t expected him to be so outnumbered, placing them in a position where they would in fact have to provide back-up.

He stalked toward the closed gate with Dante and Tao flanking him, blanking his expression the way he had done as a child whenever his father and uncle decided to torment him for their own entertainment – being stoic had always agitated the hell out of both of them. Trey stopped as he came to stand directly where Darryl stood on the opposite side of the gate. His wolf growled inside his head, affronted by this male’s scent and reaching for the surface with his eagerness to get to him.

Looking as smug as all shit, Darryl grinned at him. “Time’s up. You really should have just given in to me at the beginning, Trey. I’ll tell you what, since you’re my nephew and all, I’ll give you one last chance to yield to me.”

Trey couldn’t help that his mouth twitched into a smile, especially since Dante and Tao were chuckling. “Yield? My mate’s right; you do live in La La Land.”

“You can’t honestly mean to accept my challenge.”

“And why’s that?”

“Look around you.” He gestured to his numerous supporters. “Forty against one hundred and seventy. I think it’s safe to say that you’re outnumbered.”

“If that bothers you so much, let’s keep this as a one-to-one battle. Let’s take care of this Alpha to Alpha.”

Darryl’s fear didn’t show on his face, but it could be heard in his voice. “I don’t think so, Trey – we both know your enforcers would attack me after I’d killed you. They have no honor.”

Dante and Tao growled at the insult and gave Darryl looks that promised he’d pay for that. But Darryl was Trey’s.

“You can’t win this, nephew. You never had any chance of winning it. Not even mating with the daughter of an influential wolf could help you out with this. I’m looking forward to becoming better acquainted with her, even if she is latent.”

A growl trickled from Trey’s mouth. His wolf wanted to sink his jaws into this male’s throat and feel his blood gush into his mouth. “I’m pissed enough with you as it is, Uncle. If I were you, I’d be very careful about pushing me even further.”