Free Fox Dish (Madison Wolves #6) by Robin Roseau

allow that. These people need to know if you mess with us, you die."
    "That is Lara's decision," Elisabeth said. "Not yours."
    "They are my babies too, Elisabeth, aren't they?"
    "You are not alpha!"
    I didn't respond right away.
    "I didn't mean it that way," Elisabeth said eventually, somewhat calmer. "You know what I mean."
    "Yes, Elisabeth, I do. I am not alpha. I know that. But I am Mommy Fox, and Mommy Fox is going to make her babies safe. And I am a hunter, and I am going to do what must be done to the wolves who think they can get away with hurting me, with hurting us."
    "Please, Alpha," she said. "Come home. The pack needs you."
    I sighed. "Elisabeth, I am a half mile from their house. I have line of sight to the deck."
    "What good is that going to do? The first thing I did was check with Karen. She still has her sniper rifle. Whatever gun you have won't reach that far."
    "It was hard, Elisabeth, but I found my own. I couldn't get a night scope though."
    "Everything has been going so good, Michaela. You've been happy."
    "I had a plan, Elisabeth. A plan to keep my babies safe. To keep me safe. To keep the pack strong. No one messes with the pack and wins. And they think they won. I am going to fix that impression."
    "Michaela," Elisabeth said. "You haven't given Lara a choice. If you aren't back by noon tomorrow, she will be forced to declare you rogue and banish you from the pack."
    I pulled the phone away and stared at it for a while.
    "Michaela?" Elisabeth said. "Did you hear what I said?"
    "Yes, Elisabeth," I replied, putting the phone back to my ear. "Tell me I am wrong. Tell me my babies aren't at danger because these people got away with kidnapping me. Convince me I'm wrong and I'll come home."
    "They aren't any danger," she said. "They're going to implode. Half of them will be dead by the end of this year."
    "What about the other half, Elisabeth? What about the surviving, desperate wolves. What about the stories they spread? I would have preferred swift, sure retribution. Instead, revenge will be served cold. But there will be revenge, and it will be sure and complete. Elisabeth, convince me the pack is safer if I let them live, and I will come home."
    She took a breath but didn't respond to that. "She's going to banish you, Michaela!" Elisabeth said. "She won't have a choice. You've gone rogue. Her orders could not have been more clear."
    A lump formed in my throat.
    "Elisabeth," I said, "When they're older, please tell my babies how much I loved them."

One, Two, Three
    I didn't wait for a response. I killed the call and turned off the phone. There was nothing more to be said, after all.
    I climbed back to the top of the hill. I watched.
    It was another two hours before I saw the first out on the deck. I stared through the binoculars. The figure on the deck was definitely a wolf. He was so bundled up, I wasn't sure if it was one of the ones who had kidnapped me. But it was a male wolf, and as far as I was concerned, any males living in that house were fair game.
    Most importantly, I had the right house, or at least I thought I did.
    I waited. I watched. No one noticed me. No one disturbed me. What business existed in the office building behind me faced the other way, and no one came around the back.
    I watched. I waited.
    I saw more wolves periodically. I recognized one of my kidnappers. I saw a female I thought might be Emily; I wasn't sure. I would avoid killing any females, but if they died inadvertently, that was unfortunate. They may have tried to be kind to me, but they were all culpable in what had happened. We would have heard if Johnny Mack was dead, and if no one had killed him yet, then everyone here was to blame for it.
    I watched a while longer, and then I slipped down the hill slightly, looking around. I needed a second location. I pulled a bandana from my pocket and tied it to a bush next to my hiding location, far enough below the top of the berm it wasn't visible from Brody's house.
    I