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present. “Possibly,” Cassius said, choosing the words carefully. Some fool brought him to a kill box, set the child up to witness a slaughter. Though they’d intended to be the ones meting out the destruction, the boy still saw all of it or at least heard it. As it was, he had to be smelling it.
    Cassius needed information and he needed it immediately. Jose and Cyril had parked their vehicles and made their way across the grass toward them. The mess had to be dealt with and erased. No one needed to know what happened at the rest area.
    “I need your name and where you’re from.”
    He shrugged—difficult for the boy to execute with the weight of the Alpha’s hand on him, but he did it anyway. “I don’t know.”
    Not a lie, but not the full truth, either. They didn’t have time for this.
    “Tell me your name.” The order wrapped around the child, and he fought it even with his shaking chin and fresh tears spilling from his eyes. Tough little shit. Under all the grime was a set of delicate features.
    “Josh,” said the boy. No, not a boy. Cassius scowled, as the lie in the child’s voice scraped across his senses like a slap. “Maddy,” the kid confessed and her shoulders began to quake as she shook. “Maddy Shannon.” No longer fighting her sobs, the little girl’s grief tinged fear overwhelmed her. Cassius caught her before she crumpled then lifted her into his arms and stood. Pressing her face to his shoulder, he released the last of the rage simmering in his gut.
    “Go to sleep, Maddy.” The command combined with her emotional exhaustion silenced her crying, but not the tears. They continued to run damp against his skin, mingling with the blood of his pack.
    Carrying her past the destruction, he eyed the Delta Crescent pair. The woman—Sovvan—he knew by reputation only. She fought like a hell beast, or had until something distracted her. His wolves knew better than to turn their back on a battle. If he’d been a split second later, she would be dead and he’d have a ration of shit to deal with on the Serafina front, not to mention it would’ve torpedoed his plans for Sutter Butte.
    Wild golden eyes met his. Her wolf didn’t shy away, not even a little bit. Blood slicked her cheek, and an open cut above her swollen right eye dripped blood. Scrapes and cuts littered one arm, while both of her hands showed signs of injuries, with scabs trying to coat her knuckles. He inventoried the damage, all the way down to her bare feet. From the colorful, silk blouse shredded by claws and giving him a glimpse of her black bra to her loose, yoga pants, which had been sliced from hip to knee, baring her thigh.
    Most of the harm seemed to be relatively on the surface. She still breathed, and her heart still beat. Meeting her gaze once more, he inclined his head. “Sovvan Stark of Delta Crescent, I bid you welcome to Sutter Butte. From this point forward, you are under my protection and your safe haven I will guarantee with my life’s blood.”
    “If this is how you welcome people you invite, I’d hate to see how you treat invaders.” A provocative mix of black leather, patchouli, smoky incense and sweet vanilla—all cloaked in musk and eerily mysterious—teased his nostrils, chasing away the stench of death, blood and injury. “Or maybe you changed your mind and forgot to mention it?” The verbal slap aggravated his already pissed off wolf.
    “Lady, when I make a decision, you’ll know.” Cradling the back of Maddy’s head, he shifted the little girl so he wouldn’t disturb her with his snarl. “Like the fact I decided not to let your stupidity get you killed.”
    “Watch your mouth, Cassius.” Faust inserted himself between them. “Alpha or not, Sovvan is not your punching bag. You guaranteed her safety when you invited her, and you made an oath to my Alpha regarding her safety—an oath you failed to honor with this greeting party.”
    The Hound irked him nearly as much as the woman.