by Bethany Shaw
“Yourself excluded,” Gene said.
“Yeah, well, I’m not experimenting.” Devon shook his head.
“I do not know how it happens, but I do know it is possible. I have seen it,” Natalia replied.
“He keeps human women there?” Gene asked, grinding his teeth together. They needed to take Fernando Juarez out, and fast.
Natalia shuddered, visibly flinching as she spoke. “I heard some of the men talking; he takes women who are unlikely to be missed. Usually runaways, or people who have no family. I don’t know exactly how many he has, but there are many prisoners at his home.”
“We need to talk to Derek Stiles and set up a time to strike,” Gene said, balling his fists. “We cannot allow this behavior to continue. Our species may be on the brink of extinction, but that doesn’t give anyone the right to rape women for the benefit of our kind. This needs to stop!”
Natalia scoffed, glaring at him. “You can’t just attack him.”
“Why?” Gene demanded.
“You do not understand. Fernando Juarez’s home is at least ten times the size of yours. He has hundreds of men, if not a thousand, in his pack alone. You would never even make it to the main houses. And that is just at his compound. There are packs all over North America that will fight with him. You are talking about thousands of werewolves that are at his disposal. The only thing you can do is run,” Natalia said. Her bottom lip trembled, and she looked down to the floor.
“We are not running,” Gene growled. “I will not be chased from my home.”
“Then we will all be dead, or forced into lives we do not want,” Natalia whispered.
“No! This is my home! My family! We will not run away. We will make a stand, and we will win,” Gene said, pounding his fist against the metal table.
Devon met Gene’s gaze. “We should send out emissaries like we talked about. Preston and Vincent can go speak with the other packs, and try to get them on our side—to join our cause,” he suggested, going back to work on Natalia’s shoulder.
“Do you know which packs are already in Juarez’s pocket?” Gene asked.
“No. I was a prisoner there. I’m afraid I don’t know much, but I can tell you what I do know,” she said. Her brown eyes glistened as they met Gene’s “I will help you however I can, though I fear I can’t help much.”
Gene opened his mouth to respond, when someone knocked on the infirmary door. Letting out a frustrated breath, he opened the door and met his brother’s gaze.
Preston nodded at him, his eyes flicking to Natalia, then back to Gene. “We have a problem.”
“I’ll be out in a minute.”
Preston ducked out the door, closing it behind him. Gene turned back to Natalia whose chestnut eyes stared vacantly at the floor. Bandages covered her arm and shoulder. She looked exhausted, her feet swung slowly off the bottom of the table.
“I’m going to check on the situation outside. You look tired—get some rest tonight. Tomorrow, I expect you to meet with Devon and I. We will go over everything you know,” Gene said.
He took a step forward, leaning into her. “This time, I expect you to show up.” Turning to Devon, he replied, “Meet me outside.”
***
Gene walked into the dimly lit barn, preparing to question the prisoners. The wood floorboards creaked beneath him as he maneuvered around the saddles and reigns. His stomach twisted, the overwhelming stench of vomit invaded his senses. Breathing through his mouth, he rounded the corner to see Preston, and a few other men, huddled around an unconscious wolf on the ground.
“What’s going on?” he questioned. Gene came to a stop before the unmoving wolf, growling in his throat. Both men who had attacked Natalia lay deathly still in the straw, covered in their own puke. “What happened?”
“I don’t know,” Preston began with a shrug. “They started convulsing, vomited, and then…died.”
Gene crouched down, observing the white foam trailing down from one of their mouths. The man’s black eyes were vacant and cold. Gene inhaled, groaning as he recognized the putrid smell of bottled pills.
“They poisoned themselves,” Gene said, gritting his teeth. His pulse drummed in his ears as fury rolled over him.
“Why?” Preston asked.
“To keep us from getting any information from them,” Gene replied. He stood up, running a hand through his hair. This was not good.
“What do you want us to do with them?” Preston asked, wrinkling his nose in disgust.
Gene turned as the barn door squeaked open, revealing Devon. The other alpha sighed as he approached the dead bodies, coming to stand next to his companions.
“I guess we won’t be questioning them,” Devon grumbled.
“Bury them. Preston, we are having a meeting tomorrow morning. I expect you to be there,” Gene ordered. “Come on Dev, we need to talk strategy.”
Irritated, he clenched his hands together as he stormed out of the barn, Devon right behind him. They needed to find out what was going on – the sooner the better.
***
Lark stood on her tiptoes, reaching for a coffee mug. It was late and she needed something to keep her going. Gene and Devon had been locked in the office for a few hours, and her eyes were growing heavier with each second. The mysterious intruders had everyone on high alert. Something needed to be done to protect the packs.
“Need help?”
Lark turned, hand still stretched up toward the cupboard. “Sure, thanks,” she smiled, taking a step back so Daniel could get through.
Daniel handed her a maroon mug, and took another down for himself. “It’s not good to drink coffee so late,” he said, setting his cup down by the brewing pot.
“So what’s your excuse?” Lark wondered aloud.
“Night watch.”
Lark nodded as she covered her mouth to yawn. “I don’t know how you guys do it. I swear Devon could live on a few hours of sleep a night.”
Daniel shrugged. “So why are you drinking the midnight oil?”
“Waiting on Devon and Gene to finish up their alpha business for the night. They’ve been talking in circles for at least an hour now. There is only so much I can listen to.”
“Ahh,” Daniel said quietly. He shifted on his feet, eyes fixated on the counter. Lark bit her lip. The two brothers were still at odds with each other. To her knowledge, they’d barely spoken in the weeks since Daniel had taken up residence here. “You could be waiting a while.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.”
“I could drive you home, or get someone else to if you want,” Daniel offered.
“Oh, um-”
“No,” Devon shouted as he stormed into the kitchen. “You’ll stay away from her.”
Lark looked between the two brothers, stiffening as tension bubbled up around them. She inhaled sharply, when Devon growled low in his throat.
Daniel took a step back, huffing. “I was just trying to be-”
“Stay. Away. From. Lark,” Devon said through gritted teeth, enunciating each word.
Lark reached out, grabbing Devon’s hand. “Hey,” she said softly. “Let’s go home, okay?”
Devon wrapped his arm around her protectively. The blonde threw Daniel a sympathetic look as she let Devon escort her out of the house, and into the sticky evening air. Hopping into the passenger seat of the SUV, Lark clasped her hands in her lap, waiting as Devon got in and started the car.
“What was that about?” she asked after a long moment.
“Did you miss the conversation Gene and I had about there being a spy here?”
Lark gave him a pointed look, quirking her brow as he met her gaze. “No! I also didn’t miss the conversation where you said you would keep your cool around Daniel. Call me crazy, but that wasn’t exactly suave back there.”
“I don’t trust him. There’s a spy here, Lark. I just can’t help but think it’s Daniel,” Devon sighed. He gripped the steering wheel tighter. “I can’t stand the thought of any
thing happening to you.”
“Are you sure it’s Daniel, or are you letting your past cloud your judgment?” Lark asked, watching Devon closely. She knew he would do anything to keep her safe. He’d gone to great lengths to cement her place within the packs, and made sure the other men respected her.
“I don’t have evidence on him…yet.”
“Devon,” Lark sighed. “He helped me escape from his own father.”
“Out of all the people living here, can you think of a more likely suspect?” Devon growled, gripping the wheel tighter as he pulled onto the main road.
Lark bit her lip as she thought about his question. “I don’t know. There are a lot of new faces. Gene doesn’t seem to think he’s a threat.”
“He’s being too damn cautious, and it could hurt us in the long run,” Devon snapped as he punched the steering wheel.
“I know you and Daniel have your differences, but I don’t think he’s a bad guy.”
“Hmmm,” Devon grunted, narrowing his eyes as he turned to stare at her.
“Seriously. I’m not saying you shouldn’t consider him, but don’t rule everyone else out either. If you’re not careful you could let your prejudice cloud your judgment.”
Devon nodded, reaching out; to entwine his fingers with hers. “You’re always so level headed.”
“I try,” Lark smirked.
Chapter Four
Natalia groaned as she blinked her eyes open. Her body ached, and her head throbbed. No doubt, the effects of her fight last night. Her inability to turn properly made the pain worse. She needed to find a way to shift. Rolling over, she let out a long breath and closed her eyes. It was going to be a long day.
She still did not trust Gene, but he was better than Juarez. A part of her still thought of running and taking her chances on her own, but Juarez had men everywhere. This pack may be small, but they were willing to protect her and Adrian, and he needed to be kept safe. And as much as Natalia would like to ignore it—the wolf inside her yearned for the pack’s companionship. It was unnerving to her human form, but soothing to the wolf.
For too many years, she had denied the animal inside her. The wolf would no longer be contained. Perhaps this was part of the reason why she had the physical desire to transition as of late. She’d been tempted to ask Devon about it, but had refrained. Other than what Lark had told her, she knew nothing about either of the alphas. She didn’t trust them. The less they knew about her—especially concerning her troubles—the better. She had already made the mistake of alluding to her shifting problem with Gene.
Tiny coos distracted her, and Natalia rolled over to watch Adrian slowly wake up. Tossing the covers back, Natalia stretched and climbed out of bed. She might as well get the day started.
Once she and Adrian were dressed for the day, Natalia sucked in a deep breath, and made her way outside of the room. The group of wolves—who had been chatting in the living room of the guest quarters—all stopped, turning their eyes on her. The couch squeaked as some of them shifted to catch a better glimpse of her. She clutched her son to her bosom as she made her way past the group of young men. Their eyes continued watching her as she gripped the handrail, and padded down the stairs. Natalia gritted her teeth. She knew she was not alone in the guest quarters, but she hated seeing how many wolves lived in the same area as her. It unnerved her to know that they could betray her.
The greeting in the front room was no better. Claire stopped her vacuuming, and some of the other men cast glances in her direction. Since Lark had been kind enough to bring her food, the only times Natalia ever left her room was to go for a run. But that didn’t mean they needed to gawk at her.
Resituating Adrian against her, she moved across the carpet towards the hall where Gene’s office was located.
“Natalia,” Gene said with a grin, the kitchen door swinging open. “There is fresh eggs and bacon in here if you would like some.”
Natalia swallowed nervously before heading into the kitchen. Her stomach grumbled as the smell of bacon drew closer.
“Good morning,” Sarah smiled, scooping eggs onto her fork and took a bite.
“Hi,” Emily greeted, her green eyes beaming as she looked at Adrian and then Natalia. “Would you like me to hold him while you fix a plate?”
“No, thank you. I can do it myself,” Natalia replied briskly, grabbing a plate from the counter.
“This is my brother, Preston,” Gene said, placing a hand on a younger brunette boy with similar brown eyes. He then pointed to a dark-haired man with olive skin, who was holding Emily’s hand. “This is Marcus, Emily’s mate.” Finally, he turned to a brown-haired, green-eyed man on their right, saying, “And this is Vincent, Emily’s twin brother. I thought we could have our meeting in here. Dev will be here shortly, once he makes sure the guys are secured at the bakery with Lark.”
“Speaking of, we should be going. Our shift starts at The Cookie Jar in forty-five minutes,” Sarah piped up. She shoveled one last bite into her mouth as she got up from the table. Walking hastily to the sink, she rinsed her plate and shoved it in the dishwasher before turning to Preston. “I’ll see you tonight,” she whispered, bending down to kiss him lightly on the lips.
Emily and Marcus silently excused themselves, never letting go of each other’s hands, the three said goodbye and left the kitchen. Natalia stared after the couple for a long moment before turning to the buffet before her.
Natalia scooped eggs onto her plate, scooting it along the marble counter top as she moved onto the bacon. She winced as she tried to grip the tongs. Trying to play it off that she wasn’t in pain, Natalia chewed on her lip, pretending to be intensely focused on putting bacon on her dish. Unfortunately, she couldn’t hide her weakness from the alpha.
“Allow me,” Gene insisted, easing the tongs from her hands. After he’d served her, he carried the plate to the table. He then pulled out the chair, and gestured for her to sit.
Natalia tucked a long coffee colored lock behind her ear as she eased herself into the chair, Adrian still curled against her chest. “Thank you,” she said quietly.
Picking up her fork, she watched as the alpha sat down at the head of the table. Her arm shook and a burning sensation shot through her shoulder, ignoring her injury, she started to eat her breakfast. She wondered at Gene’s gesture. It had been simple and natural, but to her it was a rarity. Surely his generosity couldn’t be just an act—if it was, he was the most deceptive person she’d ever met.
“Are you alright?” Gene asked, his brown eyes flicking to her injured arm. “I can get a highchair for Adrian if you’d like.”
“No, thank you,” Natalia replied quietly.
Gene frowned and blew out a breath. “You should consider transitioning after our meeting. You’ll heal much faster that way.”
He picked up a stack of papers, and put them in front of her. “This is a list of all the packs within a five hundred mile radius of us. There are twenty-three of them. I was hoping you could cross off the packs you know are working with Juarez.”
“I told you, I don’t know much.”
“I know. I’m sure you’ve heard names, though. If you’ve heard Juarez mention them, and think they are working with him, I want you to cross them off,” Gene explained.
“What does this have to do with us?” Preston asked.
“After last night, Dev and I both agreed that we need to take things to the next level here. We are going to go out in groups, and reach out to our neighboring packs. Vincent and Preston, you two will head up one, Derek Stiles, who lives a few hundred miles from here, is sending four men out, and Natalia and I will be heading up the final group.”
“What?” Natalia choked out, dropping her fork on her plate. Adrian jumped in her arms from the commotion, but remained asleep.
“I can’t leave Sarah,” Preston protested.
Gene glared at his brother. “You will do as you’re told.”
“I will not leave my son,” Natalia said, st
anding up as she placed her hand on Adrian’s back protectively.
Gene stood up too, his chair scraping across the tiles as he did so. “Have a seat, please.” He pointed toward her chair. “We will discuss the plan, and then I will open the floor to discussions,” Gene said. After a few seconds of silence, his eyes flickered to the door as heavy footsteps thudded toward the room. “Right on time, Devon,” he said as the other alpha walked into the room.
“I hear you are sending me away, Brother.” Vincent smirked, jabbing his brother playfully in the arm as Devon took a seat next to him.
“What’s the plan?” Preston grumbled. He tapped his foot against the tile, crossing his arms over his chest defiantly.
“Natalia enlightened us to the numbers that Juarez has. After speaking with Derek Stiles, I have reason to believe that she is telling the truth. Comparing Juarez’s one pack to the three of ours is like comparing the population of Texas to Rhode Island,” Gene said gravely.
“We are grossly out numbered. If Juarez were to attack today, we could fight back, but, eventually, we would lose. We don’t have the resources to take on that many at once,” Devon growled.
“I am not leaving my son,” Natalia declared, glaring between the two alphas.
“I would never ask you to leave him. Please have a seat, Talia, and we will finish talking. This decision affects his safety too. After last night, it is clear we have a spy amongst us. There is no other explanation for how they were able to pinpoint Talia’s location so effortlessly. The three of you are the only ones who know this, outside of Devon, Lark, and I. With the attackers dead, we can’t obtain any information on what their plans were. We need to plan accordingly to ensure everyone’s safety,” Gene said.
Natalia fumed. Gritting her teeth, she slowly sank into her seat.
“Thank you,” Gene said, inclining his head toward her. “Derek is sending out two groups. Between all of us, we will meet with every pack on this list that is not currently under Juarez’s control.”
