“Why, Carlos?!”

  Arthur paced tight circles in the Sheriff’s office, magic snapping off him like static lightning.

  Carlos flinched with every spark.

  The small Latino wolf was trembling so hard his teeth clicked. He wasn’t even looking at Arthur—his gaze stayed fixed on the floor, shoulders curled inward, hands clutched to his chest.

  His wolf was bleeding through.

  Submissive posture.

  Throat exposed.

  Trying not to cry.

  I stayed well across the room.

  Magic still set off every damn trigger I had—but at least I wasn’t curled into a ball this time.

  Progress.

  “I—I didn’t—” Carlos’s voice cracked. “H-He said Mitchell sent him. He used the command tone. I thought—I thought he was pack. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. I’ll fix it. Please—please don’t—”

  Arthur’s power flared again.

  Carlos dropped to his knees instantly.

  Not out of respect.

  Out of fear.

  The kid wasn’t a traitor.

  He was terrified.

  “Arthur!” I barked.

  The mage snapped his glare toward me, eyes glowing with enough magic to light the whole damn office.

  I flinched.

  Deep breaths.

  Not evil magic dragon.

  Not venom.

  Not danger.

  Puff the Magic Dragon, lived by the—

  I shook my head hard.

  Stupid ADHD.

  “Taro is a master of charisma and manipulation,” I said quickly. “He once got an entire platoon to do his chores for a month. I caught on—and he regretted it. He tried that crap on me again, but I can see it coming.”

  Arthur’s hands crackled with even more magic.

  “But we can’t put the barrier stone back with enemies in the forest!”

  Fantastic.

  And I’d sent Blaine, Carter, and Jack to gather the residents and fortify the town, which meant I was alone with Sparky the Mage.

  My back pressed against the wall on instinct.

  “Yeah, I’m working on it!” I shouted. “But you’re yelling at a young shifter whose pack doesn’t even have an Alpha right now! If Mitchell had made it back and taken charge, Carlos wouldn’t have been this easy to manipulate—all right?!”

  Carlos whimpered.

  Arthur froze.

  The magic around his hands flickered.

  Why did I volunteer to calm a pissed-off mage so he didn’t vaporize an inexperienced shifter?

  Oh.

  Right.

  I didn’t volunteer.

  Everyone else took one look at Arthur’s magic sparking off his skin and immediately signed up to fortify the town.

  Great.

  Just great.

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Leave the guy with magic trauma to babysit the nuclear reactor.

  Arthur dragged in a breath.

  “I’m angry at myself for not stabilizing the pack like I should’ve,” he said. “But there are a million problems every day around here.”

  “Get more deputies,” I said, easing an inch off the wall. “You’re not going to kill him, right? Because we could really use your magic when they attack.”

  Carlos peeked up at Arthur, whose magic was finally sinking back under his skin.

  “I—sorry, Carlos,” Arthur said. “But try to fight it next time.”

  “I’ll try…” Carlos whimpered. “But I was the omega in the pack…”

  “Oh, for the love of—” I threw up my hands.

  “See?!” I snapped. “This is why that pack needs an Alpha!”

  “Then you do it!” Arthur barked.

  “I’m a dragon, Arthur!” I shot back. “And apparently claimed by another pack!”

  Arthur grinned.

  My back hit the wall again.

  “Oh, they can claim you—but you’re an Alpha. You’re still free to have your own pack.” He smiled wide. Too wide.

  I suddenly didn’t like this guy anymore.

  “But since that pack is under my protection…”

  His eyes glowed gently now—controlled.

  “…I can name an Alpha of my choosing.”

  “Now wait a damn minute—” I held up my hands. “I never said anything about—”

  In my head:

  Chaos… little help?

  A chuckle.

  A fucking chuckle was all I got.

  Assholes.

  I was surrounded by fucking assholes.

  “Daniel Vicars,” Arthur said in a solemn tone that did not match the shit-eating grin on his face.

  Carlos was gawking at me like he’d seen a ghost.

  “We could really discuss this,” I said quickly.

  Chaos was laughing his damn cosmic ass off.

  Dragoon went very, very still in the back of my skull.

  That was never good.

  Magic tightened around me like vines.

  My hands pressed harder into the wall.

  Breathe.

  Focus.

  Not dying today.

  Ow.

  Splinter.

  Great.

  “I name you—” Arthur continued.

  More magic surged.

  My heart tried to crack my ribs.

  Do not collapse.

  Do not whimper.

  Solid wall.

  Grounding.

  Anchor.

  “—Alpha of the Willow Haven Pack.”

  The magic slammed into me.

  Fuck.

  Straight to the floor.

  Clutching the wood like it was the last lifeline I had.

  And then—

  a whole chorus of startled voices exploded in my head.

  I closed my eyes.

  Wonderful. Perfect. Outstanding.

  I was going to murder Arthur in his sleep.

  Lots of voices gasped in awe inside my skull.

  They had an Alpha.

  Great for them.

  Less great for the rest of me.

  My head was now a crowded train station.

  Then—

  silence.

  Dragoon shut the mental doors like he was sealing a vault.

  Is that better, my human?

  His voice was deeper now. Steady.

  Older.

  I blinked hard, still clinging to the floor while my body remembered how to breathe.

  What the hell happened to you?

  Alphas without someone to lead regress, he said simply, like it should have been obvious.

  We need purpose, or we revert to infantile stages.

  “Sounds like privates until they taste real responsibility,” I muttered.

  “Crap—magic!” Arthur rushed over. “Daniel, I’m so sorry. My magic took control again.”

  “I’m fine,” I lied, drawing a shaky breath. “Just—just let me breathe through it.”

  Something warm pressed against my side.

  I looked down.

  A small brown wolf—Mexican wolf coloring—had trotted over and leaned all his weight against me.

  Carlos.

  Is this helping? his voice whispered in my skull.

  Would you be offended if I petted you? Because if these shifters didn’t get used to me being their very informal Alpha, we were all doomed.

  Dragoon chuckled.

  Bastard.

  Of course, Alpha, Carlos said, tail wagging somewhere behind me. My role is to comfort and help with pack stress. There’s been a lot lately.

  Just fantastic.

  My fingers buried themselves in his soft fur on instinct.

  “At some damn point,” I muttered, “I’m going to quit buckling every time magic touches me.”

  Arthur chuckled. “Your response is a hundred times better than before.”

  I flipped him off.

  The saloon doors swung open and the others walked in.

  Of course.

  Why couldn’t they have come in earlier?

  Or later?

  Why now—when I was a heap on the floor petting an Omega like a therapy dog?

  I glared at them, then stared very intently at the floor.

  “What the hell happened here?!” Blaine barked.

  Ah. Demon Daddy was upset.

  He turned that glare on me.

  Right.

  Demons could sense thoughts.

  Especially thoughts about them.

  Crap.

  Now all my memories from basic were coming back.

  No wonder he’d been brutal.

  “Dad?” Jack rushed toward me.

  “Just—just need a few more minutes,” I managed, lifting the hand that wasn’t desperately petting Carlos.

  “Arthur,” Carter sighed, “what happened now?”

  “I got ticked off at myself and my magic suggested he’d make a great Alpha for the wolf pack,” Arthur groaned. “Mages should not be sheriffs. All the other towns have demons as sheriffs.”

  “I refuse to be sheriff,” Blaine snarled without hesitation.

  “I know!” Arthur snapped. “Let me spiral in peace and I’ll be fine in a minute!”

  “Defenses?” I asked, needing something—anything—to focus on besides magic buzzing through my veins.

  You have shadow and chaos magic as well, Chaos offered helpfully.

  I rolled my eyes at him and looked up at everyone. “I’m not curled up in the fetal position, so report.”

  Carter snapped to attention like we were back on base.

  The man had more issues than the rest of us combined.

  “The magic users have erected a temporary barrier dome over the city, sir,” he rattled off mechanically. “They’re rotating in shifts to maintain it.”

  Blaine and I both stared at him.

  Jack looked like he was witnessing a religious miracle.

  “Seriously, Carter?” I sighed, giving Carlos one last pet before pushing myself upright. “We’re not in a debriefing.”

  “Sorry, sir.”

  Still stiff as a board.

  I groaned and rubbed my face, then looked at Blaine.

  “Don’t you dare try it,” I warned. “I have enough problems right now.”

  He only grinned wider.