Alpha’s Challenge

by Lauren Dane

  But it left Ben without a Pack, without a place and as war had been declared against the Pellini Group and all their affiliated Packs, all strong wolves needed to be in play. Ben needed to take on the Second position in Great Lakes, the largest and most powerful Pack in the United States. He belonged there and Tegan belonged there too.

  It tore Cade apart. He loved his sisters and he’d lost two of them to other Packs in recent years. Tracy to Pacific but that was just in Portland and now Tegan to Chicago. He wanted to make things all right for the people he loved and so he’d go to Chicago and make sure Tegan understood he supported her in this move.

  He nodded and put his arm around Megan’s shoulders. “I’m going to miss her.”

  “Chicago isn’t so very far away when you own a jet. Good thing you have that fancy business degree and used it to make Cascadia so rich. I can fly out and see her and we can go shopping. After the war is over. I don’t imagine Ben is going to be up for her flitting around to shoe shop just now.”

  Cade laughed. “Poor Ben. Tee seems so mellow on the outside. She’s not all hard-edged like Nina or even Tracy. But her will is ten thousand times more stubborn. I don’t imagine Ben can stop her from doing whatever she wanted.”

  “Do you want to—” she paused “—find someone? Have that? What they all have?”

  “I do. So much I can’t see straight. The older I get the worse it is. The lonelier it is.”

  She nodded. “I do too.”

  “I wish I could just wave a wand and fix it for us both. But Grandma got on the phone when I was talking to Mom and Dad earlier and she said a storm was coming. I’m guessing the mate thing will be on hold until after the war ends. So I hope that will be fast.”

  Ben and Tegan were there to meet their plane. Tegan looked better than he’d expected her to, given how badly she’d been injured just two weeks before.

  His sister, long closed off emotionally to everyone but her inner grief, saw him and smiled as she moved to him with her arms open. He hadn’t seen her this open and happy in four years.

  “Hey, Tee.” He hugged her tight, fiercely pleased she’d greeted him so affectionately. When they broke the hug he took in Ben Stoner the werewolf, and saw Lex had been right about how powerful their brother-in-law had become after his change.

  They clasped forearms as Megan and Tegan hugged and chatted. Their guards spread out to keep watch, mirroring Ben’s team. And clearly they were Ben’s. Attuned to him as he moved, adjusting themselves accordingly. Cade approved.

  “Nicely done, Ben.” Cade indicated the guards with a tip of his chin.

  Ben smiled. “Thanks. It feels right. Come on, we’ve got you and your people set up in our house.”

  They loaded into several dark-windowed SUVs and headed away from the airport toward the Great Lakes compound.

  “Are you sure your little cottage is going to fit us all?” Megan asked. She’d been there right after Tegan was found and had recovered.

  “Maxwell gave us one of the houses about two miles from the Pack house. It’s plenty large. Six bedrooms and plenty of bathrooms,” Tegan explained. “We just moved in yesterday so things are a bit chaotic still. But the beds were delivered today and we even managed to get bedding put on them. And of course between me and Ben, the place is a fortress.”

  “They must have really wanted you to stay.” Cade sat in the back with Ben. He could see Ben’s fingers itching to take the wheel but he’d have to get used to it. He was important in an important Pack during wartime. It drove Cade crazy too.

  Ben didn’t speak loudly, he must have known Tegan would hear either way but he replied without taking his eyes from the back of her head. “Yes, I believe they do. I wish there was a way for me to fit at Cascadia. For her sake more than anything else. Hell, I wish I could have stayed on at the police department but I didn’t take advice and told them about my change and suddenly I was on a health leave. I hope this isn’t going to cause a problem between me and the rest of the family. I love Tegan, I want what’s best for her. They’ve made her my Second, opened the Pack to both of us.”

  Cade heaved a breath. “There was no place for you, Ben. We all know that. I’m truly glad you’ve found such a good position. You’ll keep her safe. Or safer anyway. And we’re at war, we need every good soldier we can get. You bring a lot to us. Whether it’s in Chicago or in Seattle, you’re working and that’s what counts.”

  They went through a series of checkpoints to get into the main heart of the compound.

  “We’ve had a few attempts to breach security lately, so I’ve stepped things up. There’re multiple, manned checkpoints as well as remote sensors and constant patrols through the grounds.” Ben got out when the car stopped and scanned the area before stepping aside for Cade.

  “Come on inside. I’ve got dinner made.” Tegan’s eyes darted as she took in her surroundings, her hand at her hip where Cade knew she carried a weapon. Megan did the same, as did a host of other wolves.

  “Damn, this place is huge. I visited the Pack house some years ago, before I became Alpha actually. This place gives it a run for its money.” Cade walked inside and nodded to one of his men who went to take his bags to the room where Cade would be staying.

  “Come on and eat. We have a meeting with Benoit tomorrow and there’s been a new development I want to talk with you about.” Ben guided them through the house and into the dining room.

  “Would you like to clean up first?” Tegan stopped Cade with a hand on his arm. “Your room is at the top of the stairs, first door on the right.”

  “I’m good, Tee. Thanks. I’m starved though.”

  “Good, I made ribs. They’ve been marinating all day. With your sauce. Makes it feel like home.” Her voice wasn’t sad though. Cade relaxed at the sound. She was settled, happy. With all they faced, the last thing he wanted for anyone he loved was pain or sadness.

  Once they’d finished the initial rush on the food, Ben sat back and grinned at Tegan. “That was amazing. Thank you.”

  She winked at him. “You can thank me later.”

  “Ew.” Megan snorted. “Can one of your people show me the run of the place so I can get our team staged?”

  Tegan excused herself to go and give the guards from Cascadia a tour.

  “We got a call today. There’s an insider from Pellini who wants to come in and talk to us. Tomorrow we’ll talk about the task force with Benoit. He’s working out of the Chicago field office for now. And this insider will come in to meet with us on Wednesday. Jack Meyers is coming in before the meeting to represent National.” Ben sipped his wine.

  “Who is it?”

  “We don’t know. Not for sure. The call was made from a disposable cell phone. Female, we know that. She says she’s got info on the lab experiments but she couldn’t get into detail. She was being watched. I’m a pretty good judge of character. She’s scared but I didn’t get the sense she was lying. Still, we’re meeting in a secure location. Our people will pick her up and bring her in.”

  “We’ll probably need to offer her safe passage, don’t you think?” Cade pinched his bottom lip between his fingers a moment as he thought.

  “If she’s been exposed, yes. There’s no way she’ll be safe. We’ve seen what Pellini does to people he’s displeased with. If not, if there’s a way we can keep her inside as a mole...” Ben shrugged. “We’d be crazy not to.”

  Cade exhaled. God, he was tired, so tired of always thinking about everyone else. Of always being in charge of everyone’s safety and feelings. It came to him naturally, he was born to do it and he did it well, but at that moment, as he worried over the fate of some wolf he’d never even met, the burden crushed him.

  Ben hesitated a moment before speaking again. “Cade, are you all right? Can I help in some way? I know I’m not Lex, I expect he’s shouldering a lot t
oo since war has been declared. I...it’s just now that I’m a wolf, I feel so connected to everyone. Here at Great Lakes, I feel every wolf below me as a responsibility. I can’t imagine what it’s like for you. Every day, year after year. I know you do a good job, God knows I hear it all the time about you and Lex being so good at your jobs and all. Sometimes though...sometimes you might want a bit of help so you can breathe. If and when, I’m here. We’re family.”

  “I keep forgetting you’re a cop. You have a cop’s way of seeing. I’m all right. It’s good you’re here. It’s good I know Tegan is mated and happy and has found a place with you. Having to tell you to stay away from Cascadia gatherings until you’d chosen a place in a Pack was difficult. I don’t want my sister or you to ever feel slighted by your own family.”

  Ben shrugged and leaned back in his chair. “I understand why you had to do it. So does Tegan. It was a potential powder keg with me unaffiliated like that. You had to protect the Pack at a time right after war had been declared. And as for being slighted by my own family, I have been. My sister still speaks to me but my parents have refused since I was changed.”

  Cade couldn’t imagine what that must have felt like. The utter desolation and loss. “It’s truly their loss, Ben. It’s not the same, I know, but you’re my brother and you’re part of my family. You’re ours now just as we’re yours. Great Lakes or Cascadia, none of that matters.”

  Ben nodded. “Thanks. You want to motor up to the Pack house and do your Alpha thing with Maxwell?”

  “I suppose that’s what protocol demands.” Cade stood. “Let me go and clean up. Get a new shirt. I’ll be right back down.”

  Later, sometime long after midnight after he’d returned to Tegan and Ben’s, he’d stood and looked at his reflection. After this damned war was finished, he was taking some time for himself. He’d been living half a life through his brother’s mate bond and he was sick of yearning. Sick of wanting what he couldn’t have and never would.

  At forty-two he’d never paused to feel sorry for himself or to allow this sort of maudlin shit in his life. He had a job. A calling. To be an Alpha was a special gift. Only one wolf could hold that spot in a Pack. It was more than strength and intelligence, it was a combination of charisma, savvy and political astuteness that all worked together and created one wolf they all looked to. One wolf who held their hearts, their joy and pain, their will and destiny in his hands. To be an Alpha was only a dream to all but a tiny minority and he was honored he’d been born and chosen to lead. He loved his wolves.

  At the same time a deepening emptiness had stolen into his soul and with each passing day, it grew colder and colder. The last two years, watching Lex with Nina, seeing the completeness it brought to his brother’s life, satisfied him but ate away at him too. Cade didn’t want to be petty or avaricious. How could he begrudge Tegan this happiness she’d found? Or Tracy?

  And yet, he wanted it too and it wasn’t too much to ask. There hadn’t been time for him to fully search for a mate but this war would end one way or another and when it did, he would find her or die trying before the emptiness swallowed him whole.

  Chapter Two

  The next day they headed up to the Pack house for the task force meeting. Benoit agreed to come out there rather than have the wolves meet him at the field office. Security would have been a nightmare and many of the human FBI agents didn’t trust the wolves. Especially after Benoit had been nearly killed when Pellini attacked the Palaver. Complicating matters further, Benoit’s former assistant, a werewolf, had resigned and gone back to his own Pack when war had been declared.

  Guards constantly patrolled the grounds and Tegan wore an earpiece, keeping in contact at all times. National’s guards worked in teams with those Tegan ran in Ben’s name. Cade had asked why she didn’t take the position of Enforcer along with Ben. His sister had replied that she had, but in her own way, which was to provide on-the-ground support to Ben who’d fill the strategic spot. The two of them created one perfect working unit. Cade saw it in action. Watched as each of them did their part and created a peerless team.

  A quiet bit of movement and speaking into wrist mics and the car carrying Benoit and another human agent approached the house. They got out and the hand shaking and basic posturing took up another five minutes until Ben and his friend finally laughed and entered the house together.

  “We’ve set up for several calls and some teleconferencing in the main room,” Tegan told them as she arrived with a smile for Benoit.

  Once all the Alphas and Enforcers in their Alliance had gotten on the line or connected via computer screen, they got started.

  Cade, as the Alpha who’d declared war initially, took the meeting in hand. Ben and Lex had both briefed him thoroughly and he’d studied everything Jack brought. It hadn’t been a pretty picture.

  “I’m just going to cut through all the bullshit here and get to the point. There have been more bodies. This time in Rhode Island. Adding the number to Nashville, here and New Orleans, we’ve got a total of forty-eight. I hope, Agent Benoit, you’ll keep this as confidential as possible, but we have every reason to believe this is related to Warren Pellini.”

  “What makes you think so?” Benoit made direct eye contact with Cade and held it. “They’re partially transformed. Caught between human and wolf. Some burned, some disfigured with chemicals. He did the same thing here for some months. Given the state of the lab we busted a little over two weeks back, Pellini has some nasty tech up his sleeve.”

  The crack in Benoit’s jaw sounded as he tightened. His anger radiated and every wolf in the room scented it. They’d expected it. Benoit had no real idea just how much they hadn’t shared.

  “And you didn’t feel it was necessary to share this information with us until now, why?” Caldwell, the other agent with Benoit asked.

  “Until recently, we’d deemed this a Pack issue, best handled between wolves.” Cade would not apologize for putting his people first.

  “Bullshit. Why now then? Why tell us now?” Benoit’s anger remained like a bitter stink.

  “The bodies are racking up. We can’t ignore it. If we didn’t come to you now, if we didn’t agree to this task force, we’d be placing our people in more danger. Our people aren’t the threat, Pellini’s people are.”

  “And we don’t want humans to be targeted or to target us either,” Ben smoothly interrupted Cade. “Look, I know you’re pissed. And you have a right to be. But all we can do from this point is to move forward. We won’t be sharing everything, we can’t and it’s not necessary. But as it concerns humans and anything that could harm human populations, we want to help.”

  “Start with this Declaration of War,” Benoit said flatly.

  Ben cut his eyes to Maxwell and then to Cade, who sighed and nodded. Best to just cede this to Ben as he had the closest tie with the FBI at that point.

  “When Pellini came into that meeting and attacked people, he broke a very old law. Palaver, or that type of cross-Pack meeting is sacred. Everyone involved has been granted safe passage. By killing wolves there, by attacking, he’s made himself an outlaw. More than that, he attacked and nearly killed Tegan, a highly placed Cascadia wolf and the Enforcer of the strongest Pack in the US. War was declared against Pellini and any Pack who affiliates or aligns with them.” Now it was Ben’s anger that clung to the back of Cade’s throat.

  He carefully filled them in on what had been happening without going too deeply into details. Cade knew it had to be difficult for Ben; the man was a cop, he’d want to deal honestly with the authorities and in this case, this was Pack business and not the concern of humans.

  “Here’s what’s going to happen. There will be a task force. Human authorities, as in us at the FBI and some key local law enforcement and wolves of your choosing. I’d like to request Ben and Lex because I’ve worked with both men and trust them both
with my life. We’ll need to be kept abreast of things. No more bullshit secrets. I’m willing to keep as much of this war crap out of my report as I can, but in return, I expect to be informed.” Benoit sat back in his chair and challenged them to argue.

  Cade didn’t and neither did Maxwell. It was a good deal.

  “Ben, looks like you’ve got another job,” Maxwell said with a shrug.

  “Lex, I trust you’ll get in touch with Agent Benoit?” Cade hadn’t told anyone of Nina’s pregnancy just yet. She didn’t want anyone to worry and she’d tell everyone herself in a week when she got the all clear.

  “Right. And Cade, you and I need to speak when you’re finished there.” Lex’s voice was tight. Cade knew how he must be itching to know everything, to control what was happening from afar. It was almost amusing, thinking of how his brother must be dancing around in his seat.

  Almost.

  They set up a time for the next conference call and Benoit and Caldwell were escorted to the front gates after Ben had a quiet conversation with them at their car.

  He came back in just a few minutes later and sat. Now it was on to wolf business.

  “Ben and Tee, I want to congratulate you both,” Lex said. “I wish...well, I wish we could have made a comfortable place for you here but I know you’ll do a great job with Great Lakes. Don’t let Tegan rip the heads off anyone though, those redheaded sisters of mine have hair-trigger tempers.”

  Tegan snorted quietly and Cade heard Nina snicker in the background.

  “Things are what they are. It’s the way it’s supposed to be.” Tegan spoke from her perch across the table.

  Ben filled everyone in on the new information and the possible informant. He didn’t give any specifics, although they knew they could trust every wolf on the line, they didn’t want to take a chance with such a sensitive subject.