Nose to the ground, head back in the game, Aleksei searched for the source of the mysterious lone wolf's scent. It wasn't very strong, so it couldn’t have been through this part of the Reserve recently.
Why had it been here at all? Was this a one-blood come to sow discontent in the heart of Tzar Nikolaus Troika's reign? It could be a scout, not a lone wolf at all, sent to reconnoiter and find the Troikas’ weaknesses. That couldn't happen, wouldn't happen, if Aleksei had anything to say about it.
Except he was one of the Troikas’ weaknesses.
The weakest link in the pack's chain. He wasn't even a Troika Enforcer anymore. The enforcer team probably already knew about this threat and his report wouldn't be help or harm. He couldn't take that chance. Regardless if this was a lone wolf or someone allied with the pain in the ass one-bloods, it was a threat.
A threat that could harm his mate.
His wolf was ready to revolt and never let him shift back into human form if he didn't take immediate action to protect his mate. On this one thing the wolf would always win. No matter how much of a shit Aleksei felt like, he would do whatever he could to protect Helena.
Even if he couldn't protect her from himself.
Aleksei followed the scent of the lone wolf on a convoluted path through the Reserve. Either this wolf was drunk, or he had no idea where he was going. He'd been up and down and round and round, but he wasn't going anywhere in particular.
The only place the scent became stronger to indicate that the lone wolf had spent more time there was in the sacred clearing where the Troika pack had their mating rituals. Still there was no sign of this stranger other than the tell-tale way he'd scouted every inch of the Reserve. It was as if he'd circled the area multiple times to learn every tree, rock, and hiding spot.
If he was still in these woods, Aleksei would sniff him out and bring him to Max. Unless of course he put up a fight. Then Aleksei would be more than happy to take the frustrations of the day out on him.
The trail picked up again near the little path that humans used to hike through the woods. It led from one populated part of town to another. This lone wolf was headed right for the old town district. Aleksei picked up his pace and pounded the dirt until he hit the edge of the parking lot.
The lone wolf hadn't stopped there. Any human up late at night might have seen him and made a lot of trouble for the Troikas. Sure, there were some humans who knew about the supernatural now, but only those who were mated to one. Even his ex was now mated and happy.
Max, Kosta, and Niko had started a revolution allowing wolf shifters to find their true mates, one that the Troika pack had happily embraced. But it didn't mean shifters could just wander around town in their beast form. The humans weren't quite ready yet to make friends with fairy tales.
If Max found out, he was going to eat this interloper’s face off. If Niko found out, the wolf would wish he'd never been born. Aleksei would like to be the one who brought this dumbass to justice.
He checked carefully to make sure no humans were about, because he wasn't going to shift into human form to keep following the trail. He couldn’t. He'd left his clothes back at his cabin. He hadn't expected to go on a wild goose chase, or rather wild wolf chase.
As soon as he was sure he wouldn't be spotted, Aleksei darted across the road and into the alley behind the strip of businesses. Oh, yeah. The wolf's scent was strong here, fresh. He'd been here recently.
The lone wolf wasn't just passing through, either. As Aleksei followed his nose it was clear that the wolf was very interested in Troika-run businesses. Just like in the woods, the scent was all over the building where the pie shop and the Sleepy Folk speakeasy did business. It was a good thing everything in town closed down at two in the morning because it sure as shit looked like the lone wolf had tried to find a way into the bar.
If he'd been here, where else had the intruder been?
Aleksei's heart skipped a half dozen beats. This alley started behind Sleepy Folk, but it ended at the back door of The Naughty Wolf. Where Helena worked.
He sprinted up the alley at top speed. What if she was there? She could have gone back to clean up and close up after the Friendsgiving party. His wolf went mad with rage and worry that his mate could be in harm's way. The lone wolf was dead if he even thought about harming Aleksei's woman.
As much as he didn't want to admit she was his mate and he was hers, they were fated mates and she was his woman. He wouldn't slink away into that dark night and leave her unprotected. He may be a failure as a wolf pack enforcer and a douchecanoe of a lover, but he would not allow Helena to be harmed. Ever.
Aleksei followed his nose all the way around the outside of the building. The outsider had definitely been here, and same as in the rest of the town, not just passing by. He was scoping the place out. He'd spent a lot of time sniffing around each of the doors as if looking for a way in. There didn't appear to be any scent on the door handles. If he was a shifter, why hadn't he changed forms and tried to get in the old-fashioned way, by using the doorknob?
This lone wolf had clearly been here recently. He should be able to track it down and take it out. But that wasn't his job anymore. He wasn't an enforcer. His job now was only to keep Helena safe from the threat. His wolf pulled at him to return to her side. It wanted a whole lot more than to simply protect her.
Aleksei followed the scent trail to the end of the alleyway and almost got himself run over. The Bay County trash truck was loud and stinky and couldn't be missed. His head was not in the game. He shouldn't even be in town in his wolf form, and now it was already dawn. Damn.
It seemed like the trail of the lone wolf headed out of town, not anywhere near Helena's place, but with the garbage truck leaking sludge all over the street and alley, the scent was lost and he couldn’t be positive. He needed to skedaddle and report this problem to his pack alpha.
If the sanitation services were already out and about, he'd better get a move on before he was caught in town in his shifter form. He took off down the deserted space between the buildings and toward the Troika pack house. Hopefully Max and Kosta would both be there so he could eat two birds in one bite.
Kosta would definitely want to know that a lone wolf was sniffing around his business and his employees. Hopefully they'd send a whole pack of Troika Enforcers on the case. At least two for each of the women who worked there. They needed to be protected.
Aleksei's wolf snarled in his head. No one would be protecting Helena but him.
Schmoes and Uh-Ohs
Helena promised Kosta that Black Friday would make back all the money he had lost by closing for Thanksgiving. They had dollar drafts, cheap well drink specials, and some of the girls even offered to do two for one on lap dances. Get the gentlemen who frequented the club to bring their friends, and tonight everyone would make a killing.
But with cheap liquor you got cheap schmoes who got handsy. So Kosta had agreed to up the security and have a couple of his more growly guys bouncing tonight to keep the girls safe and happy. Helena had worked at plenty of clubs in her time that didn't care a hoot for what went on, so long as they made money. Now that she was in charge, Helena didn't plan to run the club that way. She wanted to keep both the employees and the owners happy.