I said nothing. I could have argued that I’d always be there for them, but I thought Cash would always be there for me, and one twist of fate had robbed me of both brother and alpha. Life struck and you had to cope.
But leaning against others? Non-wolves? It went against everything I knew. “I…I’ll think about it.”
“I know, Alice. I’m not trying to pressure. I’m just trying to explain why I feel the way I do.”
I understood. I just had to figure out if it was best for the pack. If we joined the Alliance, other wolves might see us as weak. Needing support. I didn’t want that for my wolves. I wanted them to be strong and independent.
But when I pulled up into the driveway of the Savage house, all thoughts about independence and Alliances and anything else flew out of my mind. Trina was on the porch, her young face wet with tears.
“The baby’s gone,” she told me, and burst into sobs.
Fear seized me. My mind went blank, and then I started to shake. “What do you mean, the baby’s gone?”
“I mean he’s missing. I took a nap on the couch,” she said tearfully, “with him in his playpen and the next thing I knew, I woke up and he was gone.”
“Where are Spence and Len?” My voice was shaking. Baby Eddie was so little, so vulnerable. “They’re supposed to be here with you. Did they grab him?”
“They went to a concert. I’m not supposed to tell you.” She began to cry all over again.
Fury exploded behind my eyes. So Spence and Len had disobeyed me to go to a concert? And now the baby was gone?
Roscoe had taken him. I just knew it. He was going to use sweet, innocent baby Eddie as a bargaining chip. I was shaking, I was so furious. “Did you smell anyone else in the house?”
“No.” She shook her head. “Just me and the baby.”
“You need to go up to the panic room,” I told her, my voice hard. “Go up there and stay there until I give you the order to come out.”
“But—“
“Go!” I barked at her.
“Go on up, Trina,” Jackson soothed, and pulled the girl into a hug. “It’s okay. Alice and I are going to get the baby back, all right? Don’t you worry.”
For a wild, irrational moment, I was jealous of that hug and the way she collapsed against him. Then she nodded and raced into the house.
Jackson turned to me, and put his hands on my shoulders. “Calm down, Alice. It’s going to be okay.”
“I’m calm,” I said, though I couldn’t seem to stop shaking. Baby Eddie was with Roscoe. Vulnerable, sweet baby Eddie who didn’t have all his teeth and only gurgled and cooed. Who sprouted fur when he wanted to challenge someone and just as easily lifted his arms for a hug. Sweet, sweet baby Eddie was with that monster.
All because I’d wanted someone else to be alpha for my pack. It was my fault. If he was hurt, I’d never forgive myself.
“Alice,” Jackson said.
I barely heard him through the muddle of my own thoughts. What if Eddie had tried, in his baby way, to challenge Roscoe? What if he was crying and Roscoe tried to shut him up? Would he hurt the baby? Was Eddie scared? I—
“Alice,” Jackson said again, and his gaze caught mine. His eyes were greenish gold, his wolf rising to the front, and there was a challenge in his voice that made my wolf sit up and pay attention. I locked onto his gaze, felt his alpha begin to subvert mine. “It’s going to be okay,” he said again in a slow voice. “We’re going to take care of it, all right?”
“What do we do?” I whispered.
“If Roscoe has the baby, he’s going to want to trade him for one of the girls, or for you,” he said, echoing my own thoughts. Hearing it spoken aloud made me tremble with fury all over again. “We’re not going to let that happen,” he said calmly. “I promise. But I want you to go upstairs for now—“
My eyes narrowed. “What?”
“Go upstairs and guard Trina,” he told me. “We don’t know that he’s not coming back after her, and I want her to be safe. You have a gun, right?”
I did. I nodded.
“I’m going to make a few calls. We’ll bring in others and canvas the woods. We’ll find his trail and we’ll make him give the baby back. I promise.”
“But…who can we call?” I thought of the other packs in the area. The others weren’t close, and we didn’t talk with them much. Wolves didn’t like to mix with wolves that weren’t in their packs. It didn’t happen. Too many territory disputes. If you asked for help, you risked ceding territory because you clearly couldn’t protect it. “Who do we trust?”
“Do you trust me?” Jackson asked.
I blinked at him, then nodded. I did. Jackson wanted what was best for us.
He leaned in and gave me a fierce kiss. “Then go get the gun and guard Trina. I’m calling the Alliance.”
~~ * ~~
Within a half hour, the Savage house was crawling with wolves, were-cougars, and every other creature I could think of. The front yard had turned into a parking lot, full of cars parked haphazardly on the lawn, as more and more shifters arrived to hunt for the baby. I was shocked at how many had turned out, and my nostrils filled with the scents of were-bear, were-otter, and some I couldn’t even name.
Holly and Dan had returned home a short time later, exhausted from their run, only to panic when they realized what was going on. Holly now sat at my side as I clutched the gun, her eyes tearful. I knew she blamed herself for the missing baby. Dan had gone out with Jackson, spearheading search parties as they combed the woods, looking for the scent of a young child.
Other wolves had shown up, too. To my surprise, the Anderson pack leader - Connor Anderson - had arrived with the Alliance, along with his sister Gracie. I’d had no idea they were part of the Alliance, but Gracie assured me they liked it. She’d stayed with me while Connor joined the rest of the men. At first she’d been a little offended at the thought of all the women hanging back, but then she’d declared that she’d go all ‘she-wolf’ on Roscoe the moment she saw him, and seemed to like that thought very much.
Even Bathsheba had shown up with her husband, and they were busy making phone calls and organizing people from downstairs while I sat upstairs and hugged my girls close.
I…hadn’t handled this well. I’d wanted to be strong and bold and decisive in a crisis. Instead, I’d totally lost my shit. It was too close to home, too personal. I realized this, too. I wanted to be strong when it came to family matters, but the truth was, I had a hard time coping. Just like when I’d sent my pack away after Cash and Carlos died, when they’d needed me more than ever. I…wasn’t a good leader. I was good in the easy times, but when things got hard? I fell apart.
And I was incredibly grateful to have Jackson at my side. He’d taken over things with brutal efficiency, handing out baby clothes for the others to get the scent, warning the Alliance members about Roscoe and the possibility of a fight, and returning every so often to caress my cheek and reassure me that things would be fine.
He was a wonderful alpha.
And he’d been right about the Alliance, I realized. As more and more people showed up to help out or simply show support, I realized this was what Jackson wanted for us. When something went wrong, we weren’t alone. People pitched in to help. They were there for us, even if it was as simple as guarding the door or handing out drinks to those scouring the woods.
The Alliance wouldn’t be a bad thing after all.