TerrIIItory by Susan A. Bliler Page A

to lower his head before I detach it.”
    “Weston!” Evander growled in irritation, stalking forward to grab his Beta’s arm and forcibly pull him back.  “I need you to go after Bethany. She’s gone.”
    “Bethany?” Barron smirked, then turned to eye his brother.
    Evander ignored him.  “She’s my mate, Weston.  Bring her back to me!”
    Weston didn’t move at first.  “You sure?”  His query was clearly concern over the fact that he wasn’t comfortable leaving his Alpha with Barron.
    “No.”  Evander plowed a frustrated hand through his hair.  “I’d rather it were me chasing her down, but I need to stay here and deal with my brother, which means you’re going after my mate.  The longer you stand here, the further she gets, so move your ass!”
    “You can go.” Barron smirked, crossing to prop himself against a tree as he watched the scene with clear amusement.  “I don’t mind entertaining myself.”  His gaze slid to Raina, and when she flinched and backed up Lincoln snarled and crossed to block her from Barron’s view.
    Barron’s penchant for women was the exact reason Evander wouldn’t be going after Bethany.  Evander had a duty to protect his pack, and he obviously couldn’t rely on Weston or Lincoln to keep things calm while he was gone.
    Fuck!  This was what he despised about being Alpha.  He hated having to put his own needs, his own wants, and his own life on the back burner to do what was best for his pack.  He quickly went over the options in his head.  There were none.  He could not run from his territory upon the arrival of a new prime Alpha.  It’d be deemed acquiescence, consent, submission .  Regardless of the reason, their wolves wouldn’t understand.  If he left now, he’d be ceding his territory to Barron.
    For a moment, he considered just going after Bethany and letting Weston defend their territory, but one look at his older brother and the thought was quickly discarded.  Barron Kane wasn’t a man, or wolf, to be trifled with.  He’d spent the past seven years in a pack of Alpha males.  They lived full-time in the wilds of British Columbia.  It was an arrangement they’d tried to get Evander to join them in.  All Alpha’s ruling a huge territory.  They spent their days hunting and fighting and at night, they’d travel to the nearest towns and take up willing females for nights of meaningless sex.  No ties, no bills, no burdens, and most importantly no subordinate wolves to care for.  Wild wolves.
    Evander had refused to join the Alpha pack because he’d been certain it would fail.  The idea of five Alphas tromping about in the wild like lost boys with no purpose but fighting, feeding, and fucking hadn’t appealed to him.  Besides, the odds of that many Alphas peaceably co-existing were destined for failure.
    Evander had been wrong.  For seven years, the Alpha pack comprised of Delano Bowden, Gray Kincaid, Wren Prime, and Evander’s older brother, Barron Kane, had successfully forged their own existence in the forests of British Columbia.  But as is life, all good things must come to an end.  When Barron contacted Evander a few months back to inform him the Alpha Pack was disbanding and that each Alpha would be looking for new territory, Evander knew he had to get to work trying to place the Alphas.  If not, several of the existing Alpha’s in the Northwest would be facing challenges, close friends and allies included.  Hell, Evander wouldn’t put it past Barron or any of the other three Alphas to show up in his territory and issue a challenge to him.  While Evander was as strong an Alpha as they came, the four from the Alpha pack would be unbeatable in their current state.  They’d spent the past seven years honing their fighting and hunting skills, living off the land in wolf form, and no doubt battling each other on a daily basis.
    Looking at Barron now, Evander was surprised at the physical changes in him.  His brother had