by Sky Winters
Patel’s eyes swept across the twin brothers, a spark of rage in those dark orbs. “I don’t know where the girl is, and I would not care, except for the fact that Joaquin’s using her running off with what he swears is a bear mutie as an excuse to try to wage war.
“We all know that there’s a lot of muties with something against me and mine. We were the ones who outlawed their being in the packs originally, and we were the ones who ordered all muties be sent away at adulthood—left without a pack. Then we were the ones who decreed that the muties should be sent to fosters when they were children to avoid the heartache caused by sending them off later.
“The muties have a score to settle with the tigers. We know this. We watch them. Joaquin’s pushing at them will end in war, and when it does, the hatred the muties have for mine will result in bloodshed. Maybe enough bloodshed that Joaquin can swoop in and take over; he might have the numbers to quell the muties, and indebt us in doing so.”
Drake’s mind staggered at the possibilities. Patel was right. Joaquin was the only Alpha with a pack large enough to hold off the muties, who outnumbered the shifters to a large degree.
His blood ran cold as he considered all the angles. That’s his reason on the top of it all, but the truth is he wants the tiger’s hood for its assets, and Magda also wants that territory for the same reason so she won’t ally herself with the tigers if the muties break loose. Joaquin has enough numbers to back them off from East LA, but once the blood goes to spilling, the muties won’t stop. They hate us, and always have, and if they can’t get at Joaquin, they really will go after their first enemy, and the bears will be next.
“You don’t let in dope or crime,” Morgan said softly. “There’s not enough money in your territory for it to be attractive. Besides, if the muties come after the shifters—and that’s a fight that’s been brewing for decades—you know we will have no choice but to band together. Joaquin knows it, too.”
Patel’s eyes glittered dangerously. “But would he? Would Magda allow you to band with me and mine? Or would she and Joaquin just watch my territory burn before they stepped in? I think it’s the latter. You can adore your mother all you like, but I see her game plan. She wants legit businesses and we have them. If she controlled that, and the drug trade and whatever else you are into, she would have a good way to launder money and everything else.”
Morgan snarled, “Watch your tongue, old man, or you might just lose it.”
Drake’s hand met Morgan’s arm. “Chill out,” Drake said softly. “He’s speaking the truth and you know it. Magda’s desperate for legit businesses she can stash money into. I don’t know if she wants yours, Patel, but I’m willing to concede that but nothing else, so watch your tongue. I may have little love for Magda, but Morgan’s my brother and Alpha. I’ll back him up even if he chooses to kill you right here on the sidewalk.”
He would, too. He would have to.
The expression on Morgan’s face didn’t change. “Is the girl with a mutie?”
“I don’t know if she is with a bear or not.” Patel’s smile was thinly bladed as a knife edge. “But I’m quite sure there may be some truth to her having run off with… someone. If she did, she deserves to be brought to justice for breaking the laws that govern us all. No shifter may mate outside its species.”
Drake’s blood ran cold as Patel’s eyes met his. The old man seemed to be talking directly to him. Was he? Did Patel know about him and Angelina? The old bastard was a slick fucker, always sticking his nose into business best left be. Curiosity and cats and all that.
Patel went on, “What I do know is she isn’t planning on going back.”
“You think not?” Morgan’s body shifted slightly, his weight going to the balls of his feet. Drake dropped his hand. Morgan was listening now, and not so tense. Thank God. Drake wanted to hear whatever Patel had to say next.
Patel snorted. “I know she isn’t. The non-shifting wolf—it’s gone. The girl was apparently fond of it, as it was a litter mate. Again, I don’t know if there is any truth to the bear thing, mutie or otherwise, but I tend to believe it’s just a cause to come into my grounds.
“If Joaquin isn’t satisfied. If the girl’s not returned, and the muties are prodded into war that effects my territory, I’ll bring full war to you, Morgan, and all of yours—humans and shifters alike. That’s a promise.”
Morgan looked at Drake. “That’s only fair, but you have no proof that the girl’s with a mutie. You also have no proof that Magda and Joaquin are plotting to take your territory. Besides, Magda wouldn’t grant permission for Joaquin to take over your territory even if you did have to wage war with the muties and even if that war left your kind on the run and your hood open for that.”
Patel’s teeth showed sharp and pointed. “She does not have the power to grant permission, you mean. Remember that. Magda has no permission or power to run things in my territory, but she would absolutely turn her head and pretend she did not see Joaquin breaking the territory pacts if it gave her something she wanted. If she could manage to take over my ground after a war, she would set one in motion. Magda’s not the only problem right now though, and I came here to not only tell you what I see Joaquin and Magda attempting, but to tell you we all have a bigger problem at hand.”
Drake broke in, “The muties.”
Patel nodded. “It’s going to be a war. They hate us, and they hate humans. We’re all things they hate and they outnumber us. We need to band together right now, not fight, at least not until we solve this problem.”
Morgan said, “I’ll send you an answer on that. For now, I want you out of my territory. Don’t breach it again, Patel, not unless you’re given permission to do so.”
Goddammit. Morgan’s smarting and letting it show. He’s Alpha in name only and everyone knows that Magda still pulls all the strings. It’s eating at his pride, and Patel just cut his pride, too. This won’t stay chill unless Patel gets out of here.
Patel headed for the small compact car he had parked along the curb. He drove off. The bikes came roaring back down the road.
“You better get that girl out of your house, Drake. Like yesterday,” Morgan said under his breath.
What? Drake’s eyes jerked to Morgan’s.
Morgan gave him a weary smile. “You smell like wolf. Do you think Patel didn’t notice? For all his talk, he will switch sides in a heartbeat and you know it. Trusting him’s like trusting a busted engine to get you down the road.”
He did smell like Angelina. He’d been careless. His heart sank as he realized that. He might have just given her location up, especially if Patel decided to run to Joaquin and tell him in a bid to buy time.
Where did she go? Is she okay? Is she going to call me or just run?
The last thought made his heart crack. He could not stand the idea that she might not, that she might decide to cut her losses and just keep going.
She had to contact him. She had to. He needed her in his life and in the band—and in his bed and heart.
Shaken at the emotions spiraling all through him, Drake swung a leg over his bike then paused. “You think there’s any truth to the muties rising?”
Morgan sighed. “God, that’s one thing I hope to never see, but for real? Yeah, if it was serious enough for him to come here to talk about it, then I think it’s a real issue.”
Morgan’s eyes met Drake’s squarely. Drake could not tell what Morgan was thinking.
“You do know he isn’t wrong about Magda, or Joaquin, or them wanting his territory,” Drake said.
Morgan sighed. “You know what, Drake? You been away too long. We ride, and you ride with us today and tonight. Then you talk to me about that question you just asked.”
CHAPTER 9:
Angelina parked her car away from the usual entrance into the park. The lot was on the cliff’s side where the most serious hikers went so the lot was higher up, and it was far less visible. It was also deserted.
At least I only took a few
things into his house and hiding the car was brilliant, and now—bonus—I have all my stuff with me.
Even the guitar, which was now in the case Pete had given her a few nights ago, when he had realized that she didn’t have one for the instrument.
She had a tent, a bunch of food and water, and other supplies. She needed time, and she needed to think. The car was not likely to get her caught. Even if someone scented her out at Drake’s, they were highly unlikely to be able to follow the scent of her car, unless they just happened to come to the trails in the sprawling and vast park.
The trails were steep, and she was tired. The equipment was heavy, and she had to make two trips to get it all where she wanted it.
She’d tossed her phone out earlier. Joaquin was no dummy, and why he had not already tracked the phone was anyone’s guess, but she knew if he had not thought of it yet, he would soon.
She had a new burner phone and the only number in it was Drake’s. The campsite she had picked out was off the beaten track, it was high on a small mesa, and she could see the city from there. Tears ran down her face as she gazed down at the teeming metropolis below.
How can I miss him so much when I barely know him? How can I want his so much when he is a bear and I am a wolf? How can I be so heartbroken over him when I didn’t even know that I love him?
I love him.
Oh.
My.
God.
She did love him. There was no rhyme or reason to it, but she loved him. She loved the way he rode that bike and the way he played guitar. She loved the way he was capable of putting all his emotions into a song and those same emotions from her when she sang those songs that he wrote.
She loved him.
Hoping to ease her heart, Angelina stood and began to walk, looking for Mario.
**
She didn’t find Mario that night or the next day. She sat at her little camp, drinking a bottle of water and staring at her cell phone. The sun was high, so she was in the tent, hoping to avoid the worst of the heat and the scorpions running around on the washed-out trails.
Where was Drake? Was he okay? Had he been found out? Had he forgotten all about her?
A low whine caught her ear and she listened, a smile lifting her mouth and her mood as she recognized Mario’s tone and smell.
She climbed out of the tent and stood, looking down at Mario. “Hey, you. How’s your mate?”
He lifted his head, and she followed the thrust of his snout. The she-wolf was nearby. She was standing fully on her foot, so she was healing. Mario barked once, and the she-wolf turned, heading down the steep ravine, obviously on the hunt for food.
Angelina said, “I got some food if you want it.”
Mario looked away, a clear no. Even through the heavy hiking shoes the heat of the ground was apparent. Angelina shifted her weight. “I’m scared, Mario.”
His eyes came back to hers and before she could stop herself, she poured out the whole story, of Drake and the band and how much she loved it and him, how she wanted to be his mate even though he was a bear and how lonely she was without him. How impossible it all seemed, and how frightened she was that Joaquin would run unchecked if she did not do something and soon, but how afraid she felt at the thought of standing against him.
Angelina collapsed into the small camp chair, staring at the remnants of the fire. “I don’t know what to do.”
Mario whined. She looked over at him, her mouth opening to speak. Instead, her jaw hung loose and slack and her eyes widened until her eyes were in real danger of bulging right out of her face.
“You…” she said, her voice choked and strangled. “You… you can shift.”
Mario grabbed a bush and held it in front of his crotch. Her eyes fastened on his face. He was handsome, swarthy and sharp-featured. Tall and broad, too. “Why? I mean how? I… what the literal fuck?”
“I chose.” His words were slurry and badly formed. It was obvious talking was not easy for him. “Long time ago. I remember. You don’t. I saw him kill our mother. She was like…” He made a sound, a short little howl followed by a click in his throat. His mate’s name, she realized.
Angelina grabbed the first thought that came into her head. “We knew Mom was wild and he had to escape the zoo. He couldn’t take her with him—and if he had, she wouldn’t have survived out here. She couldn’t shift.”
“Killed her.”
He’s confused. Or he doesn’t know what words he’s using. “No. Mario, that’s not the right word.”
“Yes.” He nodded. “I know. I saw. He wanted pups, not her.”
No. He had to be wrong! “Mario…”
“Saw it. Knew he did it because of us. Shifters.”
No. No Dad would never… Her throat went tight. “Mario, why don’t you shift? I mean, why… why choose…”
“Better for me. Like better. I’m wolf. Not human.”
He was human. Tears sent crystallized rainbows dancing into the field of her vision.
“You want bear, choose. You want no… Joaquin’s…” Mario’s brow wrinkled. “Nobody cares what they say when I’m near. They don’t think I understand. I hear, and understand. Sam’s with the muties. He’s going to try to take the pack from Joaquin with muties. Joaquin’s with bears and…”
“Stop. Wait. What? Muties?”
“I go now. Have to. She’s mine, abut only wolf mine,” Mario said.
Angelina heard a rattle of rock nearby. The she-wolf Mario had mated to was returning.
“Mario, are you sure about Sam?”
“If you had kids, he would kill them for Alpha spot. Says muties make him Alpha.”
Your pack. Not ours. “Sam’s betraying Joaquin?”
“Joaquin wants war. Says it will end tigers and bears but not wolves. Says many muties die. Then easier to take over. But Sam’s playing both sides. He’s weak, weaker even than Joaquin. Wanted to be Alpha. Sam said Dad made sure he’d never be. Pissed off.” He touched her shoulder lightly. “Goodbye. Don’t come here again. Too dangerous. The mate wants… not like us. Not… she sees food and weakness now when you come.”
The she-wolf wants to kill and eat me! And after I saved her paw too, the ungrateful bitch!
She whispered, “Don’t go.”
“I did already. I chose. You choose. Be… you.”
Then he shifted and raced away from the campsite. Angelina heard the yips of greeting between him and his mate. She collapsed, putting her head in her hands. What was happening? Mario could shift?
Could—and chose not to.
Because he didn’t want that life. He wanted a different life. He wanted a wild life, one he got to live the way he chose. He’d always been prone to vanishing and skulking through the neighborhood and she knew now that what he had really been doing, for years, was searching for a place he could be—and for a mate that would accept him.
The she-wolf obviously knew he was different. What was more, she was older, past the age of bearing litters. So, he would not have to worry about that, and she was an exile, too, for her strangely colored coat and her smaller size. They were both outsiders who had made something special.
Like what she could have with Drake, if she just decided to.
Chose to.
Angelina stood and reached for her phone again, her fingers hitting the screen.
CHAPTER 10:
Where is she? Drake stopped on the trail. Sweat ran down his face in rivulets and he checked the time on his phone, groaning when he saw that the signal was gone again.
He’d thought she would come up here but maybe he had been wrong, or he was in the wrong spot.
Or maybe she’s gone, totally. Maybe she ran to New York or somewhere else, somewhere she can sing and just live and be free.
A hawk soared overhead, its distinctive cry drawing his attention. The few days of freedom that they’d had, the too few days and nights of music and love, had reinforced his knowledge that he wanted more than just to be left out of the politics
of the pack; he wanted a life beyond the pack.
But there was the rub. Being with Angelina meant he would have to get involved with those politics. Being with her meant defending her and not just from Joaquin, but from both their kinds. Morgan didn’t seem to care one way or another—but Magda would and unfortunately Morgan had yet to find his real footing.
He’s going to have to kill her one day. Or I am going to have to, just to set him free of her influence. The hell of it is that Morgan’s not a coward—he just can’t seem to shake her off. Magda’s always been good at making people feel like she is frail and afraid and then using their wanting to protect her against them.
He headed back the way he had come, his mind still wrestling with all the information. If he wanted to be with Angelina, and he did, then he was going to have to figure out a way to do it. That might mean leaving LA, striking out for a place where they weren’t known.
But anywhere they went, shifters would know them, and know they were unalike. Anywhere they went, they would have to fight to survive. There were plenty of places in LA not held by the shifters but many of them were held by other kinds: vamps and fey and so on. There was only one territory where no others were—and that was Beverly Hills, which had too many wards and other shit in place for a shifter to go unnoticed.
A scorpion scuttled over one of his boots. Drake shook it off, sending it flying off into the shifting sand. Goddammit! Where was Angelina and how long was he going to keep going around and around on these damn trails in the hopes of finding her?
He’d spent the last few days and nights taking care of business with his club. That meant running drugs and overseeing a few shipments headed out to East LA and to Joaquin, who was as angry as Patel had claimed, and still insisting that it was a mutie he had scented that day.
Magda had championed a war with the muties, much to Morgan’s dismay. Drake wanted to believe that Morgan would stand against slaughter but he also knew that if Morgan did he would be fighting off not just Magda and the humans at her beck and call but his own pack—and Joaquin’s.
