“What do you mean?” Grant asked as he turned to look at the shifter.
“He means Ricky may carry the Omega gene in his blood. He just might be more valuable than Sandy,” Blaze said calmly.
“Holy Crap! But he’s human, how could he be a carrier?” David exclaimed as the room became quiet once more.
Radar shook his head. “Like I said, no one is really sure how an Omega is born but if the father had the gene, it is possible he passed it onto his son.”
Grant growled. “Well none of this is going to matter because I intend to get my mate back where he belongs. The time for talking is over and it is time to let Alpha Clifton know what happens when he takes the mate of a true Alpha!”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
IT HAD BEEN DECIDED THAT SHADOW WOULD INFILTRATE THE Willow Creek Pack and try to determine where Ricky and Roger were being held. Meanwhile, Blaze and his crew were discussing the best way to neutralize the guards without harming possibly innocent members of the pack. According to Sandy, not all of the wolves agreed with Alpha Clifton’s rules but they were too afraid of him to do anything about it; except of course Jake, the wolf who had helped Sandy and Ricky escape. Sandy had provided a description to Shadow who would try to make contact with their friend inside. Hopefully the wolf would help them one more time.
Grant turned to the men sitting in his office. Jason was helping his new friend Radar as they tried to find out more about Alpha Clifton and his pack. However, his father, David, Sparky and Dakota had joined him to discuss how to protect the pack from what was sure to come. “My deputies can handle some rotations if needed.” Dakota was talking to David about increasing their patrols around pack land. While he had a number of Sentries in his pack, over the decades of relative peace, the number had been reduced.
Who will look after the town, then?” Grant asked. “We have to make sure they’re protected as well. David, can’t we use some of your new toys to help with the surveillance?”
David smiled. “Already in the works, big brother. I’ve got Mack working on making a few new critters that will be placed around our lands. It will take time to get them in place but combined with the additional security I’ve already placed around here, no one will be able to sneak onto our lands again without us knowing about it.”
“I can help, Mack. They’re just machines and we all know I speak their language,” Sparky piped in. He glanced at Grant and smiled ruefully. “I know I’ve been acting a little strange…” At David’s chuckle Sparky rolled his eyes. “Okay, a lot strange. But, I honestly don’t want anything to happen to the pup or his brother.” Grant stood and clasped his friend’s shoulder. He didn’t need to say anything as the mechanic relaxed under his grasp.
Forest sat quietly in one of the chairs. He looked lost in thought while the others continued to discuss ways to ensure that not only the pack lands would be safer, but the Alpha house had to also be protected.
Grant glanced over at his father and wondered what he was thinking about but before he could ask his father looked up. “I just don’t understand Alpha Clifton’s plan. The wolf isn’t the brightest and I knew he had issues with humans, but he never impressed me as being this ambitious. If we assume his end game is to control Sandy, the question has to be, what does he ultimately want?”
Grant sat back down in his chair and shook his head. “Who knows, Father. From what Ricky told us though, he definitely has talked about using the protector to control his Omega brother. I can only guess he intends to expand his pack somehow.”
“It’s too bad we don’t know more about Omegas,” Dakota spoke up. “All we have are the legends and some of them seem pretty far fetched to me. Some humans still think we only shift during a full moon and that a human who is bitten by one of us, becomes a werewolf.”
Sparky laughed. “As if there is any such thing outside of those old Hollywood movies. Werewolves don’t exist any more than Unicorns. I mean what do they think bear shifters are? Werebears? Not to mention, have you seen how ugly they make werewolves in those films? This…” Sparky ran his hand down his body, “…is not ugly in any form!” The rest of the men in the room chuckled at the mechanic’s antics. Grant was just glad to see some of his friend’s spunk coming back.
“Still, Dakota does have a valid point,” Forest interjected. “I only met an Omega once for a brief time. I remember he and his protector were passing through before the Great War began. At the time, I offered him a place to stay but the wolf declined. He said my pack didn’t need him as it was already at peace.”
“You never told me about him,” Grant replied, as he glanced at his father. “Are you sure there aren’t any other Omega’s out there? I mean what if they simply went into hiding?”
Forest shook his head sadly. “I can’t imagine that would be the case son. I mean look at the Magi. They use their protective spells to hide their tribes from the world and yet now and then we still hear about them.”
“Unfortunately,” Sparky said softly before he turned away. Grant saw David place an arm around the man and talk softly to him. It was clear his friend was still suffering from whatever had happened in his past. He saw the question in his father’s eyes but shook his head to warn him off. When the mechanic wanted to tell them, he would.
“Well then all we have are the legends,” Grant stated. “Which means Alpha Clifton won’t know more about Omegas than we do right?”
The former Alpha shook his head. “Not necessarily. Remember, he lived with Ricky and Sandy for quite awhile. You told me the two could sense each other and that Ricky was able to throw Sparky across the room using some kind of magic right?” Grant nodded as his father continued, “So what other tricks have those two shown in the past while they were in the other pack? They’ve only been here for a few days and already you found out some of their abilities. Maybe you should have your younger brother do some more research.”
“Or you could find the Shaman who put the binding spell on the protector,” Sparky stated as he turned back to look at Grant. “There is serious voodoo going on with your mate. Did you see his arm? That tattoo of his actually glowed while he was using his magic. There are many factions within the Magi, some with special powers including the ability to see into the future or the past. Others like the Shaman are healers as well as protectors of the Tribes.” Sparky shivered slightly as if someone had walked over his grave. “There are many forms of magic in our world and not all of it is good believe me, I learned the hard way.”
“Ricky said Maria took him to a strange man who performed some ceremony while giving him his binding tattoo but he never said where they took him,” Grant replied. “I don’t see how we can find him without my mate’s help. Besides, at this point I really don’t care what Alpha Clifton is trying to achieve. When this is over, I intend to make sure he doesn’t live long enough to get what he wants.”
“And are you willing to take on his pack as well as your own son?” Forest asked quietly. “You know the rules. If you kill Alpha Clifton, his pack becomes your responsibility.”
Grant stood and flexed his shoulders. “I’ll do what I have to in order to ensure that my mate, his brother and the rest of my pack are kept safe from those who would seek to harm them. It is what you taught me, father, and I learned my lessons well.”
Forest stood and smiled. “Yes, son, you have. But you should also understand that even an Alpha has limits.” The old Alpha held up his hand when Grant began to object. “I don’t doubt your abilities, but as your mother has pointed out in the past; you don’t have to carry the whole load on your own. I didn’t…”
“Well I’m glad to hear you finally admit I’m right dear,” Vicky walked into the room with a tray containing sandwiches. She set the tray on the desk and turned towards Grant. “Your father had good Betas who helped him and when you were old enough, he had you. I know you feel like you have to do it all, son, but you also have to live.”
Grant watched as his father rose and walked over to p
ull his mother into his arms. He rested his chin on her head as he spoke. “You too have a mate and if he is anything like mine, you will have to learn balance or you’ll lose him. Use his strength and the strengths of those around you, my son. If what I fear comes to pass, you’re going to need all of us to get through what is to come.”
Shadow pulled his cloak tighter around him as he walked down the path that led to Jake Williams’ home. So far no one seemed to pay much attention to him, which wasn’t that unusual. Most of his life he’d been invisible, even to his parents and siblings. The fact that he now used that to help others helped to fill the void in his life.
From what he’d seen so far, this seemed like a normal pack and yet, he couldn’t help but notice it seemed to be a very poor one. Every structure he passed showed years of neglect. The small pups who played in the field he passed, had clothes that had seen much better days. Of course, that didn’t mean there was anything wrong. Many packs had found themselves in rough circumstances.
He’d followed the directions that Sandy had given him and so far they had been pretty accurate. Unfortunately, he’d seen no sign of the missing youngster or Alpha Grant’s mate. In fact, other than the pups he didn’t see much of the other pack members. It seemed they stayed inside or were working someplace else. As he got closer to the hovel that must be Jake’s home, he noticed the partially burnt barn off to the side of the small farm. A few chickens ran through the yard and there appeared to be a lone cow munching on some grass in the small paddock.
The sound of a door opening caused him to focus on the bedraggled she-wolf who peered outside at him.
“Hello. I’m looking for Jake.” Shadow kept the request simple. He found that he usually didn’t have to give much information as people tended to fill in the gaps themselves. Right now he looked like a traveling merchant. He even had a backpack that contained a few baubles and other home goods he could sell if needed for his cover.
The door closed partially while the small wolf turned to talk to someone further inside the building. A moment later, a larger wolf appeared at the door. The dark skinned man was tall and nicely muscled. He wore his curly rust colored hair loosely around his shoulders. But it was the honey brown eyes that caught Shadow’s attention. For a brief moment the military man wondered what those eyes would look like if the man was smiling. However as he continued to examine the wolf before him, those eyes contained nothing but suspicion and fear.
“Samantha said you were looking for me?” Jake asked as he stepped outside the door and closed it behind him. Shadow smiled at the protective gesture. The wolf may fear him, but he still stood his ground. If it had been another time or place, he could see himself asking the man out.
“You’re not from around here, are you one of the new Sentries the Alpha called in?” The wary wolf asked.
Shadow didn’t respond for a moment, as he continued to assess the wolf before him. He could tell Jake was getting agitated, but was trying to put forth a calm front. The wolf had leaned back against the door and crossed his arms, but his body was anything but relaxed. When Jake remained silent, Shadow smiled. The more time he spent with the man, the more he liked what he saw. But this wasn’t the time or place to pursue what he suspected. “Actually, a mutual friend of ours recommended that I stop in and say hi while I was passing through.”
“And who would that be?” Jake’s tone held a hint of fear.
Shadow lowered his voice and leaned in closer to Jake. “Sandy says to tell you thank you for your help in the past.” Jake immediately stood and looked nervously towards the direction of the Alpha’s compound before he opened the door and motioned for Shadow to follow him inside. Once the door was closed, Jake turned and glared at the military man.
“Do you know how much trouble I’d be in if the Alpha found you here? He already suspected that I had something to do with Ricky’s escape.” Jake ran a shaking hand through his hair as he walked towards the small fireplace in the central room. Shadow glanced around and noticed the place was pretty small for two people. There was a great room that had a small kitchen area off to one side. He saw three doors on the other side of the dwelling that he guessed would be bedrooms and a bathroom. The she-wolf was probably hiding in one of the bedrooms.
“Is Ricky here, Jake?” Shadow asked softly, as he brought his gaze back to the wolf who had taken a seat in one of the worn leather arm chairs. Shadow moved to take the other seat and waited for a response. Jake glanced at the flames and sighed before he answered softly.
“Yeah, he’s here along with some other pup that Alpha Clifton’s goon squad brought back while hunting for Ricky and his brother. The poor kid has been made into Biff’s new slave boy.” Jake shook his head. “I don’t think he’s done more than scare the kid. The Alpha at least told him to keep his hands off the boy unlike he did for Ricky.” Jake growled as he glanced up at Shadow. “No one should be treated the way the human was. The public displays were the worst…” Jake glanced over at one of the doors before he continued. “Not everyone agreed with what was going on, but we were all too afraid to do anything about it.”
Shadow smiled. “All except you, Jake. I’ll understand if you don’t want to help me again, but if you can just tell me where they are holding Roger and Ricky, then I’ll get out of your hair.”
Jake stood and crossed his arms. “There’s no way you will be able to get near them. The Alpha isn’t taking any chances this time. That’s why he hired outside muscle. No one is allowed into the Alpha’s compound—”
“Except me…” A soft voice sounded from the now open bedroom door. The young she-wolf walked into the room with a confident air. She was slightly smaller than her brother but had the same reddish brown hair and honey colored eyes. As she moved to stand beside her sibling, she placed a hand on his shoulder. “I know you’re trying to protect me, big brother, but remember you’re only three minutes older than me. I can take care of myself.”
Jake shook his head. “I never thought you couldn’t, Sammy girl, but you know he was going to use you to torture Ricky the same way he did with all the others.”
Shadow cocked his head. “How would the Alpha do that?”
Samantha sighed and moved to sit in the chair her brother had vacated. When she looked up the anger in her eyes made them the color of molten gold. It was pretty clear to Shadow who the real protector in the family would be. He bet more than one wolf had misjudged the young she-wolf in front of him and regretted it later. “Our Alpha thought it would be fun to use the young human as a sex toy for the pack. As if I wanted any part of what was being done to that poor boy.” She glanced over at her brother as her eyes softened. “But no one in this pack says no to Alpha Clifton.”
“It’s one of the reasons I helped Ricky and his brother escape when I did. Sammy was supposed to go to the Alpha compound for the next exhibition to be held before the pack run.” Jake glanced toward his sister before looking back at Shadow. “And I’d do it again if I thought I could get away with it. But those who cross our Alpha end up disappearing. The rumors are he sells those who don’t agree with him to one of his friends as slave labor or worse.”
Shadow shook his head. “Just exactly what was involved in these exhibitions?” He’d never heard of anything like it before. He wondered if Alpha Grant knew what had happened to his mate. Somehow he didn’t think so or the man would have probably taken action before now to gain retribution for his Semme’.
Samantha huffed as she sat back and crossed her arms across her ample chest. “In order to show everyone that the human was no more than a pet, he would choose a couple of the females in the pack to use him before the pack run. Of course, we had to perform in public for all to see unlike some of the Sentries who would be given special privileges with Ricky. After all, being gay in this pack is almost worse than being human.”
Shadow didn’t miss the slight shifting of Jake’s feet as he glanced down for a moment before resuming his stance. Sammy c
ontinued in a soft voice filled with sadness. “Poor Ricky was not only human, but was also discovered to be gay when his boyfriend showed up.” The young she-wolf shivered as she rubbed her hands on her arms. “The Alpha whipped Ricky’s boyfriend in the public area inside the compound before he forced the man to run for his life. He only made it a few feet before the Sentries fell on him and tore him apart right in front of Ricky.”
“The Alpha claimed Ricky was responsible for his betrothed’s death and as retribution made him into the pack slave and Biff’s pet,” Jake continued the story.
“But humans aren’t subject to pack laws. Why didn’t Ricky and his brother just leave?” Shadow asked.
Sammy shook her head. “The boy came here with a pup only a little over a year old. He himself was barely more than a child at eighteen. The Alpha promised to keep them safe if they joined his pack. Of course Sandy was too young, but Ricky was old enough to make the decision for both of them. He accepted the offer, pledged his loyalty to our Alpha and accepted the Alpha’s mark. The poor boy didn’t realize he was in fact making himself the property of our Alpha.”
Shadow stood and walked towards the shuttered window. He glanced through one of the cracks to make sure they were still alone before he turned to continue the conversation. “The practice of making humans slaves was outlawed after the Great War.”
“True, but Alpha Clifton doesn’t accept the truce. He still believes that shifters were meant to rule, not coexist with a weaker species.” Jake stood and huffed in disgust. “Living in this pack is worse than living in a cult. The pups aren’t allowed to go to school but are home schooled. They are taught to read and write but anything else is deemed to be unnecessary. Alpha Clifton believes in starting our training as warriors to protect the pack as soon as possible which doesn’t leave time for much else.”
The spy shook his head and sighed. “Well, if you and some of the others of this pack want to leave, then maybe you should get the word out. When we come to rescue Alpha Grant’s mate and the pup, I’m sure he’d be willing to take any of you into his pack.”
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