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The territory held by the Broken Crag was one of the largest of all the lesser packs. Though, it was primarily mountainous and considered uninhabitable.

To reach the settlement, one would need to climb through treacherous caverns and up the mountainside. At which point, they would need to repel into the canyon below and cross a river to the large rocky island that supported the almost two hundred wolves that lived there.

That is unless you were a guest of Broken Crag, in which case, you would be escorted under the mountain. Through a well-maintained and complicated tunnel system.

Though, that had its own drawback.

There were three things that Broken Crag was known for. The first was their strong warriors. They had never lost their territory or even come close to losing it. Every member of the pack went through vigorous physical training from a young age and was more than capable of defending themselves and their home.

The second was their territory. While it was correct that they were strong enough to hold it, the environment itself was primarily avoided for one reason in particular.

The mountain that Broken Crag had chosen to settle into and where they built their homes was filled with heavy deposits of silver and iron. Their tunnel system was purposefully designed to run through several deposits at different points.

Created over many generations, the system was intended for the pack to gain easy access to multiple places within their territory. But it was built in a complicated and confusing manner, so intruders would get lost and run straight into the trapdoors and pits built into the tunnels.

When a wolf came of age, they were left to navigate the tunnels independently. Some spent days finding their way through, while others were simply found where they had fallen.

Caleb had been here only once before, with Cain. A visit that had not gone well and left a bitter impression on him._.

He remembered the tunnels. They were suffocating. He hated it then, and he hated it now. Still, he could admit it was an excellent way to keep the members of Broken Crag protected and very likely the reason that they were safe now.

Axel had visited several times but had only been invited inside twice. This would be his third time. He actually enjoyed the tunnels. The challenge of losing his natural abilities and relying on the strength he had built for himself was a thrill.

When he was younger, he had asked if he could try to navigate his way through. His request was denied, seeing as only Broken Crag wolves could know the actual pathways. Still, he did receive an invitation to join. Wyatt was particularly annoyed by that.

The third and most well-known fact about Broken Crag was their Alpha, Jonas. The nicest and most succinct way of describing him was to say he was an asshole.

Broken Crag had always maintained that the blessing received by the major packs was more of a curse than a gift. Not having received the benefit, they relied on themselves and the strength they earned through their work in their homes and bodies.

But Jonas, in particular, seemed to hate the major packs. Even Cain, who was considered the most reasonable of the Alphas and respected by most lesser packs, could not see eye to eye with Jonas.

The wolves escorting Axel and Caleb through the tunnels were quiet. They were prominent men, bulky and muscular. As were most of the wolves in the pack. The walk through the tunnels lasted a long time, at least an hour, possibly longer.

When they finally emerged from the darkness, they had to cover their eyes. Though the sky was lit up in orange and red hues as the sun set, the sudden change from blackness to light was momentarily blinding.

“It’s about damn time,” Jonas’ gruff voice called out.

Caleb was the first to recover. He rubbed his eyes and then looked forward. They stood down inside the canyon. The sound of the rushing river wasn’t far. Beyond that was an island these wolves called home.

An older man in his early sixties approached them. He was tall and built like a tank, his dark brown hair hung down over his shoulders, and his beard was thick but trimmed neatly to an inch below his chin.

“Thank you for the invitation, Alpha Jonas,” Caleb said.

Jonas laughed. He approached Axel first, who had just gotten his vision back.

“Welcome back, pup.”

“I’m not a pup,” Axel grumbled.

Jonas laughed and clapped his hand on Axel’s shoulder.

“You’ll always be a pup to me, boy,” Jonas said, then turning back to face Caleb. “Welcome, Summer.”

“You know our names, Jonas. Maybe try using them?” Caleb sighed.

“Let’s head on up. Liara made you a proper supper,” Jonas replied, ignoring Caleb.

Jonas turned to lead the way, Axel followed behind, but Caleb reached out to him.

“Are you friends with him?” he asked quietly.

“We get along for the most part,” Axel replied. “He’s a good guy, just a bit rough around the edges.”

“He’s an asshole,” Caleb replied.

“Isn’t that what I said?” Axel asked with a smile before turning to follow after Jonas.

***

The three alphas ate in silence. Caleb had tried to start a conversation but was quickly told that it was considered rude to talk while eating.

When the meal was over, and the table cleared, it was Jonas that spoke first.

“So, what the hell you blessed bitches doin’ sniffin’ around my territory?”

“Jonas, we weren’t doing anything,” Axel said.

“Yea?” Jonas said, leaning forward in his chair. “Then why I got scouts telling me you two are hiding out far from home?”

“Hiding out?” Caleb scoffed. “We were staying in a common-use building on neutral grounds. That’s hardly hiding out.”

Jonas smiled and sat back in his chair.

“Fine, let’s say you boys are just here by chance. What about the others?”

“Who?” Axel asked.

“The ones that lost themselves inside the tunnels.”

“We don’t know what you’re talking about, Jonas. Maybe if you actually shared some information, we might be able to help you,” Caleb said.

“Shared some information?” Jonas asked while bobbing his head rhythmically. “You mean how you Summer dogs shared that information about which tunnel to take?”

Caleb sat forward angrily.

“What the hell are you saying?”

“Yea, we caught one of them rogues still alive, barely, and in a lotta pain, but alive enough to have a little chat,” Jonas smiled, his words layered with anger and resentment. “He told us how you gave them instructions on which entrance to take.”

Caleb growled.

“You sell out my people, Summer?!” Jonas snarled.

Caleb jumped up from the table in anger, and Jonas met him. They snarled angrily at each other.

“Hey!” Axel shouted, pushing them apart. “Knock it off!”

“I wouldn’t do that, even if I could,” Caleb growled before sitting back down.

“Jonas,” Axel called to him. “Look, I know you don’t like the blessed packs, but I promise you, Caleb didn’t do that. He wouldn’t.”

“Then who did, pup? Because they knew, they went straight for the tunnel with the quickest access here,” Jonas said, still eyeing Caleb.

“I don’t know your stupid tunnel systems!” Caleb growled. “I couldn’t have told them!”

“Bullshit!” Jonas shouted angrily. “Your daddy designed that tunnel!”