“Be right there.”
“And who did you bring with you? I don’t recognize their scent.”
“I brought Talia with me, you have met her once. She is the witch I have on retainer who has applied to the pack for protection.” Wolf smiled when her scent finally clicked. We had only met her once, but we liked her, and planned to grant her application. She was part of the coven we worked with, but each witch wanting protection had to apply. I remember hers well, she would be a great asset to the pack. Having her with us today was a good thing, Wolf agreed. Leo emerged at the back entrance bringing with him the tang of copper--blood had been spilled already. Wolf growled.
Leo raised his hands, my clothes held in one. “He happened to fall a couple times in transport, we haven’t touched him yet as much as we want to.” He handed over the clothing once I had shifted.
“I draw first blood.”
“Of course. We waited for your arrival, no one has questioned him yet.”
“Does he know what you are yet?” Having a lion on my side was a hidden secret.
“No. He obviously hasn’t encountered a lion before. We are a rare breed though, so it’s no surprise.” I could see his lion glowing in his eyes, and his canines had elongated slightly making his smile more sinister.
“Good. We’ll need him soon.”
I followed Leo in, leaving him in the shadows as I stepped into the lone circle of light that contained the traitor. I released a wave of power and watched him fall to his knees. He wasn’t a strong shifter, probably mid to low ranking in whatever pack or pride he belonged to. A soldier, not a general. “Whose orders do you follow?” I asked, throwing another wave of power with it. He whined but kept his mouth shut. “You know I can break their command, but I’ll break you in the process. Tell me who you follow, whose power is holding your mouth closed?”
Talia took a step forward, bowing her head to me. “Alpha, may I try?”
I kept my eyes on the prisoner as I addressed my words to her. “Can you get past his walls, the pack walls?”
“Yes, but I need skin contact.”
I nodded at the men behind the traitor and they came forward to secure his arms. I recognized Wyatt as one of them as I poured more power out to keep him on his knees. “Do it.” Wyatt was the only shifter in Leo’s employ, and his personal bodyguard. He had served in the Army Rangers, and was one of the highest ranking snipers they had during his time in service. He reached up, and tightened the chains the traitor was in stretching his arms further above his head. I heard a pop as one of his shoulders stretched out of his socket. His scream of pain echoed off the warehouse walls. The shackles on his ankles were secured to bolts in the floor effectively immobilizing him. These were not normal restraints, I could smell the silver laced through them. Silver didn’t kill us, but it did weaken us and slow our healing, it burned our skin on contact, and if injected would put us out for days as our system worked it out. The higher the dose the longer it took. Silver was perfect to use in torture situations such as this. Wolf enjoyed watching the pain evident on this shifter’s face. “Talia, work your magic before he passes out.”
Wolf and I followed her as she came forward and grasped his head between her hands whispering a chant as she did so. His body went rigid with the invasion, the veins in his neck straining. The fear pouring off him began to trigger Leo and Wyatt to begin their change. It took all my control to keep Wolf inside. The smell of this prey had us all ready for a chase.
“He is from a pack in Washington,” Talia began. “Seattle, a small pack made up of shifters and Others that are a part of The Resistance. They hunt for single Others or rogue shifters giving them two options, join them or die. The leader is trying to build his numbers.” She gasped and released the prisoner. “His alpha is sick, mentally and physically.” She turned to me, keeping her eyes to the floor. “He is trying to build an army to attack you, Alpha. He doesn’t agree with your new age pack ideas, he rants about shifters being at the top of the food chain. That we should have free reign to hunt and kill as we see fit.”
“Is that all?” I growled out.
“No, there are walls I can’t get through, they have been enforced with blood magic that I can’t break through. This one is lost to the cause, a puppet running on the commands of the alpha and his black witch. I have gotten what I can from him.” Talia bowed, the magic in the room not allowing her to stand tall any longer.
“Does he still have the pack bond connection with his alpha?”
“Yes, that thread is still connected, though it’s weak.”
“You may leave,” I instructed. She didn’t need to be here for what happened next.
“Very well, I will be only a call away if you need.” She moved slowly out the doors, not wanting to garner the attention of any of the shifters in the room. I felt Leo shift as soon as she left, the lion taking over. Wyatt held his human form. I couldn’t hold Wolf in much longer, I stepped forward sniffing the shifter in chains. I whispered, “Tell your leader I am coming for him. Tell him no one threatens me and mine. His crazy notions will be dead in days. Send that message as you die.” With those words I let go and Wolf took over. Leo was already circling, and Wyatt’s dragon came forth, unable to wait any longer.
The traitor’s screams made Wolf smile as we ripped his throat open. My bloodlust hazed my vision as Leo and Wyatt joined in. The taste of silver on his skin made Wolf sit back on his haunches deciding to let Leo and Wyatt finish what we started.
EIGHT
THERE WAS nothing left of the traitor but small still smoldering pieces by the time Leo and Wyatt were finished. We made our way to the one room in the back of the warehouse. Leo shifted first. “There is a shower through that door, and you’ll find extra clothes in the closet.” After we had all washed the blood off we joined Talia outside. She was finishing up a drawing and handed it to me as I approached.
“This is the area I saw in his mind.” She indicated the map, a large red circle around an area outside Seattle. “It’s heavily wooded, with one road in and out. The pack is miles from civilization. He was only connected to the alpha through the bonds. I couldn’t feel any others so either he was a pawn or the shifter claiming alpha status isn’t strong enough to hold multiple bonds between his people or he only requires they commit to him which leaves the pack vulnerable to attack. They can’t communicate between each other. The flash I got of his last meeting only showed about a dozen shifters in attendance.”
“Thank you, Talia, your help is greatly appreciated. We will take over from here, you may return home,” Leo addressed her.
“I am at your service if you need me again.”
She shimmered and was gone. “What are you thinking, Leo?”
“I can send a drone out to survey the area, get a thermal imaging scan to tell us how many we are truly dealing with before we send anyone in.”
“How long will that take?” Wolf itched inside me, not happy with being made to wait.
“Give me a day and I’ll have the information we need.”
“Come by the house tomorrow when you have it. I’ll put together a small group and have them ready.” I glanced at Wyatt, “I would like to ask that Wyatt join them, we could use his expertise and sniper abilities.”
“That is Wyatt’s choice,” Leo replied.
“Anything you need.” Wyatt bowed his head to us.
I sighed. “I’ll need to contact the council as well. We will need permission to take out a whole pack. If it were just the alpha it wouldn’t be an issue, but with the knowledge that the whole pack has, and with his mentality there will be no hope of rehabilitation. They must all be destroyed.” I rubbed a hand down my face scratching at the day’s growth of beard on my chin.
Leo dropped me off at the main house on his way back to his office to get the surveillance underway. I entered the house and was met with the sounds of childish giggling. I stopped and let that sound wash over me. This was a big house and I had lived in it for so
long alone or with my guards. That small sound made it instantly seem like a home. I decided to put off my call to go search for the creator of that sound. A bit of playing would do my wolf and myself some good.
I found the kitchen door open allowing a breeze through the screen door bringing the sound of Mack’s laughter with it. Sterling sat outside with Suzanne and Marla was in her lynx form chasing Mack around the yard. Sterling knew I was there but gave no sign to the rest allowing me a moment to just enjoy the scene before me. Wolf panted inside, he wanted to play, too.
Mack was the first to see me. Fear crept into his eyes. I opened the door and walked out. “Little one, there is no need to fear me. You can play as much as you want, my home is yours.” I knelt down as he approached. “Maybe if it’s okay Wolf and I can play with you after I talk with your mom.”
“Really?” he asked excitedly. “I’d like that, Marla is fun, but she’s too easy to find.” He smiled as he looked over his shoulder at Marla who snorted at him.
“Yes, give me a few minutes to talk to your mom and Sterling and I’ll join you.” I ruffled his hair and stood, striding to the chairs on the patio. “How are you feeling today?” I addressed Suzanne as I sat down, my back to the house, always alert for threats.
“I’m feeling much better, thank you. I should be able to travel by tomorrow so Mack and I will be out of your hair by then.”
Wolf growled at that. “There is no need to rush, you are more than welcome to stay here. Sterling has already approved your acceptance into the pack if you wish.” I leaned closer, allowing her scent to surround me, and calm Wolf. “I wish you would stay. It’s not safe for you to travel with a cub and no protection. Allow us to help you. Marla is already smitten with your son, and if I’m being honest my wolf won’t allow me to let you go. So please stay, stay with me.” I held my breath waiting for her to answer.
Her eyes raised to mine, her cat flashing in them for a moment and my Wolf came to the surface in response. That moment everything clicked, it was decided for Wolf. “Mine,” whispered through my head, but I wouldn’t force her, it was her decision to make. “Stay with you, or just in your pack, on your lands?”
“Stay with us,” Wolf and I growled out.
Suzanne stood and approached me, running her hand along the side of my face. “As a human I know we should leave, but my cat has already decided for us. She says yes, and so do I. I don’t know how it will work, but she has decided you are strong enough to protect us both. She already adores the few pack members we have met and wants to protect them as her own. I follow her lead on all things. We will stay, with you.”
I turned my head to kiss her palm. “Thank you,” I whispered.
“Something else troubles you though.” Her eyebrows pinched together as she searched my face.
I tugged on her hand, inviting her to sit on my lap. Wolf wanted her close, he wanted skin to skin, but I didn’t want to scare her. He would have to be happy with her closeness if she accepted. She hesitated for moment, glancing toward Mack, before she joined me in my chair. Snuggling her against my chest settled Wolf and myself. “Yes, I am troubled.” I explained what we had learned from the traitor. “Now I have to call the council for permission to take out the pack, and any Others with them. They are a disease among shifters and need to be culled.”
“But you don’t like it. You wish there was a way to save them,” she whispered.
“No, I don’t like it, we are too few as it is. Shifters need a way to replenish, not dwindle even more. There is no other choice though.”
“Will you be going as well?” she inquired.
Originally I had planned to join the party heading out, but the last few minutes with her and my pack members here outside changed that decision. “No, I’ll be staying here with you and Mack. I’ll be sending a few of my best men to handle the situation.” I snuggled her, burying my nose in her hair at the base of her neck. Filling my senses with her scent. Mack ran up and tugged on my sleeve.
“I thought you were going to come play.” He pouted.
I laughed, really laughed, for the first time since losing my mate. “You are right, champ. Go hide. Wolf and I will search for you.” He ran off with a squeal. For the next hour Wolf and I ran and played with the cub while Suzanne laughed and watched. Joy was back in my life and in the pack once again.
NINE
IT TOOK Wyatt and the group I sent to Washington two days to locate the group of diseased shifters that had plagued Seattle and the rest of the U.S. Convincing the council was easier than I had suspected. They knew of the small rogue pack already and were happy to have the cleanup taken care of. Draven sent the local seethe leader to assist with any Others as well.
Against Wolf’s better judgement we stayed home to protect Suzanne and Mack. I had a gut feeling that leaving them with anyone else would be disastrous. I had learned years ago to trust my gut, no matter what Wolf wanted, and this time proved no different.
“Boss, we found their camp, but it looks like a few are missing. How shall we proceed?” Sterling spoke through the pack bonds.
“How many are gone?”
“From what we can tell a group of four, if Leo’s surveillance was right. Two shifters, a vampire, and a witch.”
“Continue with the plan, try and gather as much info as you can before you dispose of them. Let me know what you find out about those that are missing ASAP.”
“Affirmative.”
Sterling cut off the link. Wolf and I both hated the waiting. Draven had requested safe haven when I had contacted him and should be arriving shortly. Being closer to his seethe he would be able to glean information from his children as well that could help. His seethe Master had agreed to allow Draven to see through his eyes when the takedown happened. I wasn’t sure how that all worked, but agreed to allow Draven to stay on pack lands.
The doorbell rang just as I sent a message to the perimeter guards to be on high alert for any alarms. Mack went running and I grabbed him as he went by. “You never open that door, little one, we don’t know what's on the other side. Stop and scent them first.” His eyes were round as he looked at me. “Go ahead, use your nose and tell me what you smell.”
He closed his eyes and tilted his little head back. His nostrils flared as he took in air. “I smell you and Ma.”
“Good, now filter those out, search below that.” Wolf swelled with pride watching the cub take direction from us.
“I smell something dead. It’s not very strong, and kind of in the middle of a nothing smell.” He tilted his head in question at me.
“You have a good sniffer. That smell, little one, is the smell of a vampire. They can mask it very well, but the best of us can still scent a tiny bit of death through their mask. On any other occasion I would tell you to avoid them at all cost, but today our guest does not mean us any harm. If you ever smell that scent in the future you let me or a guard know immediately.” I hugged him to me and then put him back on the floor. “You did well, now go find your ma and stay with her ‘til I come find you. I need to speak with our guest.”
Draven waited patiently on the other side of the door, smiling as I opened it. “Thank you for waiting.” I greeted him as he shook my outstretched hand. I gestured for him to enter and closed the door behind him.
“I usually don’t like to be kept waiting, but you needed to teach your cub a good lesson so I’ll forgive you this one time.” The smile on his face let me know he was being truthful. “We all have to teach our young the dangers of the world at an early age.’
“This is true. Come, we can talk in my office.” I led him through the living room to my office beyond. I brought him up to speed with the information Sterling had sent me.
“Marcus, my seethe Master, told me the same. I fear that those missing are on their way, if not here already. I did verify through my sources that this is the only cell of the so-called Resistance so far, so by taking them out we should crush this idea before it gets bigger.”
> Draven explained to me how he would be able to see through Marcus when the time came to hopefully get the information we needed. A small knock on the door interrupted us. I knew who it was immediately. “You may come in, little one.”
The door opened slowly and a little head peeked around the door. “Ma says dinner is ready if you are hungry.”
“Thank you, I’ll join you both in the kitchen in a moment.”
Mack nodded his head and shut the door quietly behind him.
“You have the look of a proud papa, but I smell he is not of your species.” Draven quirked his eyebrow at me.
Wolf growled protectively at his remark. Draven raised his hands in surrender. “I meant no disrespect. It’s an honorable thing to take in those that need help, but with this one the connection is deeper I feel. It seems you enjoy making waves and pushing the boundaries. I respect that. We need more like you to move forward and prosper.”
Wolf nodded in agreement. The connection was deeper with Suzanne and Mack. I pushed those feelings aside to examine later after the thread of The Resistance was extinguished.
“I will make contact with Marcus while you enjoy a meal with your family. They should be close, and I want to be there when they attack.”
I stood and stretched, we had been in discussions longer than I realized. “I will contact Sterling as well to notify me before they storm the compound. I will return shortly.”
The smell wafting from the kitchen hit my nose as I opened the door. The scent of pot roast, potatoes, and cherry pie made my mouth salivate in anticipation. I stopped in the kitchen doorway and just watched Suzanne and Mack as they finished putting things out on the table. Suzanne’s gaze caught mine as she turned from the sink and smiled. The weariness had disappeared from her eyes and she radiated happiness and joy. She was happy to see me. Wolf jumped inside.
“Are you joining us or just going to stand and watch?” she teased.
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