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and later kept their distance. But the original design had included wide, high windows that opened to allow rifles to be aimed at intruders outside.
    Blaine saw that Colby had raised one of these windows and was already calling for his shotgun. He stepped up behind him and grabbed his shoulder. “What the hell are you doing, Colby? Put down the damn gun. I’m going out to talk with them. We have to see what they want.”
    “It doesn’t matter what they want. They have no right to be here on our land. Even showing up here like this is an act of aggression in my opinion.” Several of the gammas standing by him nodded their agreement, making soft snarling noises in the backs of their throats.
    “Everyone calm down!” Blaine yelled. “We have the women and children to consider.”
    “I am considering them.” Colby replied furiously. “I say, shoot first and ask questions later.”
    “I’m the alpha of this pack, Colby, and I’m telling you to stand down. All of you.” Blaine glared around at the group gathered in the foyer of the big lodge. Most of them, except for Colby and his closest friends, lowered their gazes. “I’m going out to talk to them—don’t do anything unless I give a signal. I mean it, Colby.”
    Colby looked as if he wanted to argue, but finally dropped his gaze and turned back to the window. “I’ll cover you. If you get in trouble, give me a sign.”
    Blaine huffed out his disapproval, but nodded shortly and went to the door, pulling it open and stepping out onto the porch. The motorcycles were pulling onto the circular driveway in front of the lodge and most of the riders had stopped their bikes and were idling their engines. There were no females or young ones, which was a bad sign and indicated they’d come prepared to fight if they had to, though no one was looking particularly aggressive at the moment.
    At the front of the pack, sitting on a big black Harley was the man Blaine “met” on the mountain—Kerrick. He was dressed in black leather pants and jacket, and the corners of his mouth lifted a little as Blaine stepped to the end of the porch.
    “Hello, Blaine,” he called out over the roar of the motors.
    “What are you doing here, Kerrick?”
    “I’ve come to renew our acquaintance, pet.”
    Blaine tightened his lips angrily at the name. Unbidden, the image of lying naked and writhing underneath Kerrick filled his mind. He knew without a doubt that Kerrick had put it there, but how?
    “Who are you? What kind of wolf? You’re not like anything we’ve ever seen before.”
    Kerrick looked lazily around at his friends. “No, I’d guess not. We’re Dire Wolves, Blaine, and we’re looking for a new home. We came out of the far North, heading south to start a new pack. We need mates. Too many of us are closely related, and we’re a long way from any other Dire Wolves. We’re tired of being on the road—we’ve decided to find ourselves some Grays and settle down. Maybe start a whole new pack. Maybe even a whole new breed. We decided we want to join you.”
    The door behind him burst open, and Colby strode forward, a shotgun raised to his shoulder, pointed toward Kerrick. Several other members of the pack crowded out behind him, each carrying a weapon.
    Blaine stepped up close to Colby and said spoke to him quietly to avoid his losing face. With his back to the Dires, he pulled sharply down on the barrel of Colby’s gun. “What are you doing? Are you crazy?”
    Colby jerked the barrel away and stepped around Blaine to shout toward the Dires. “I knew that was why you were here. You’re on our land, assholes, our territory and we have no interest in sharing anything with you. Get out of here before I open fire!”
    Kerrick swung his leg off the motorcycle and stood up, crossing his arms over his chest. He glared menacingly at Colby. Two of the wolves closest to him jumped off their bikes and stepped over next to Kerrick, assuming a protective stance.
    “I thought you