by Meg Ripley
She pulled me away to a far corner of the building where we had privacy.
“Oh, Glory,” Terri said. “It’s so bad. So bad.”
“What? What is?”
“Our Alpha, Martin, is just cruel and corrupt. He tries to get our clan involved in shady deals and criminal activity. It’s like he thinks we’re some kind of gang or biker club, and he can use his power to make us do whatever he wants. And that jerk, Brady, helps him. Like he’s his little minion or something.” She shook her head. “I don’t want to go to jail because of him, but I don’t know what to do. None of us do. We can’t just leave the clan without an Alpha, but we can’t appoint a new one while the old one lives. No one wants to kill Martin, even as awful as he is. But something has to be done.”
I wrinkled my forehead in concern. I hated to hear what she was saying. The shifters in that clan had been like family for the sixteen years I lived in Big Bend, and I still cared for them.
“I’m sorry, Terri. I don’t know what else you can do.”
“Come back,” she begged. “Please, Glory. If you come back, you can take Martin’s place since you’re in the bloodline. You would make a darn good Alpha, Glory.”
What was all this talk of becoming the Alpha? It wasn’t something I’d ever considered. I had no reason to back in Seattle, where the Alpha line was strong and established. Even before we’d left Big Bend, I had never thought of the clan becoming mine one day. My uncle Keith—Terri’s father—should have been the one to take over when my dad left. When Brady first said he wasn’t, I’d been too distracted by his mention of us being a couple, that it hadn’t registered.
“I thought your dad took over as Alpha after we left.”
Terri pressed her lips together. “He did for a while, but Martin pressured him to give it up by threatening us. Daddy gave up the title, but since he’s still in the clan, Martin isn’t as powerful. My dad is in danger. Martin wants full power, and there’s one way to get it: to be the rightful Alpha.”
“This is crazy. You think Martin is going to kill your dad?”
“Well, that depends.”
“On?”
Terri drew in a slow breath. “Now that you’re back, Martin would have to take you out, too. He might not be willing to kill two clan mates. But on the other hand, you’re higher in the bloodline than my dad even, so you could take the title back and take all power from Martin once and for all, then kick him out of the clan.”
I shook my head. “I’m not back.”
“You’re standing right here.”
“I mean, I’m not staying. I fly back tomorrow.”
“There’s more, though,” Terri went on.
“What more could there be?”
“Well, Brady. I said he’s helping Martin, but I reckon he’s got an ulterior motive. Truth be told, I think he wants to overthrow Martin and take the title of Alpha for himself.”
I thought of everything Brady had said to me and my hands clenched into fists. “He actually thought we could become a couple and be Alphas together.”
Her eyes widened. “He said that?”
“Yup.”
“If Brady is running things, it’ll be even worse. He’s the one who got Martin into all the illegal stuff in the first place. Please, Glory; say you’ll stay and be Alpha. Our whole clan depends on it. We’re in danger, and we need you.”
I swallowed hard. “Terri, I have a whole life in Seattle. I can’t just up and leave.”
“But we’re your family. And your clan. You’d really leave us in the hands of two mad men?”
My stomach twisted into a tight knot. “I don’t want to do that, either. But I’m just learning about all this now. Why didn’t your dad tell my dad what was happening?”
Terri hung her head. “He’s been really depressed. I think having to give up Alpha to Martin like that really messed with him.”
“Then why didn’t you or your mom call us? I mean, Terri, we’re still family, like you said.”
“I know. I wanted to; I said we should!” A tear ran down her cheek. “The men in this family…stubborn as mules.”
“He didn’t want us to know, and your mom went along with it,” I guessed.
Terri nodded. “He thought your dad might try to come back to protect us. And with his heart and everything… We knew it’d be bad for him.”
“Yeah…” I wondered if my dad would want to come back. Or try to. It would likely kill him. But was the feud enough to keep him away? If I took over the clan, he’d have no reason to consider coming back. “You said there’s criminal activity going on?”
She nodded.
“Then there might be something else I can do.”
Wyatt was a law enforcement Ranger. If I could get a hold of him and tell him what was going on, maybe he could investigate Martin. Then my uncle could take back his place as Alpha. Problem solved. Except I didn’t have Wyatt’s number.
But I did have his parents’ address.
9
Wyatt
Late Saturday night, my phone rang and I saw Sawyer’s name flash on the screen.
“We have a situation,” he started. “There’s been report of a ‘suspicious’ animal attack.”
“Oh, great. A shifter murder?”
“Don’t know for sure yet, but sounds like it.”
“I’m on my way.”
I ended the call and hurried to pull on my uniform and gear, then raced to the station and found Sawyer waiting by the Jeep for me. Jumping in beside him, we took off toward the scene.
“Search and Rescue are already on it,” Sawyer informed.
The radio crackled and Sawyer answered the call.
“Victim is a gray fox shifter,” the Ranger said. “I’ve contacted the fox Rangers and have them coming to the scene as well.”
My ears rang as I thought about his words.
“Perfect. We’re two minutes out,” Sawyer said.
“A fox shifter?” I repeated, panicky.
My heart raced. What if it’s Glory? If not, it was likely one of her former clan mates, unless the victim was from out of the area. Who could be behind it?
When we arrived, seeing the body was my priority—though, once I did, I didn’t feel any better. The remains were too mangled to be recognized. I didn’t usually have a weak stomach, but the worry ate at me. I had to distract myself with work until I knew for sure, collecting evidence, snapping photos and taking notes.
The fox shifters arrived and went to work sniffing out the scene as I watched intently, waiting for one of them to identify the victim. Eric, a Ranger we worked with often, sauntered over to talk to me.
“I recognize two scents,” he said. “And both are from my clan.” He shook his head sadly.
I couldn’t get my mouth to open to ask the question. Was it her?
“The victim is Keith Thomas.”
I sucked in sharp breath. It wasn’t Glory, and I felt immense relief at that. But Keith was her uncle, so my relief was short-lived.
“The other scent is from our Alpha, Martin,” Eric continued. “And knowing him, I’d reckon he’s the murderer.”
I nodded, jotting down a few notes in my pad. Shifter murders were difficult to prove. We had little more to go on than scent recognition and circumstantial evidence. Just being at the scene of a murder didn’t make someone guilty, but it sure made everyone suspicious of that person. If the suspicion was high enough and the clan felt the evidence was strong, they might choose to have him executed, but that process was long and slow.
I glanced down at my watch. It was technically Sunday, though not by many hours. Had Glory already left? Was there any chance she was away from this danger?
As much as I desperately hoped she was safe, I hated the idea of her being gone already. How would I go on with my week, knowing she was thousands of miles away and never coming back?
What I needed was information. If I understood why the murder happened, I might have a better idea of any future danger.
I found Eric again to question him.
“I have a few questions about your clan,” I told him.
“Sure.” He nodded.
“Being that the victim and suspect are both in your clan, do you have any possible motives in mind?”
“I know that a lot of us are unhappy with Martin. Maybe Keith wanted to take over as Alpha again.”
I made notes and went on. “Are there any bigger conflicts the foxes are involved in? Strife with other clans or species?”
“No, nothing like that. Our issues are all internal.”
I nodded. That only increased my worry about Glory being in danger. She was the rightful Alpha after her dad, who hadn’t come back with her. Was the timing a coincidence that Glory was back in town when the murder happened?
I forced myself to stay on the scene long enough to do my job and get the proper information. I wanted the murderer caught badly, but even more so, I wanted to get the hell out of there and find Glory. My bear wouldn’t stop until he knew she was safe. The moment I checked off the last box, I jumped in my truck.
My mom had asked who she was staying with, so I figured that was a good place to start. Since someone had to tell the Thomases about Keith anyway, I volunteered, hoping Glory was staying there or that they’d know where she was.
I took several deep breaths before walking up to Keith’s house, the gravity of what I was about to do weighing heavily on me. I’d been the one to break bad news to families before, but it never got easier. I knocked and waited.
Glory’s aunt, Emily, answered the door.
“Ma’am,” I said to her and dipped my head. “Might I have a word with you?”
She narrowed her eyes. “Wyatt Montgomery. What is this about?” Her tone sounded mildly sharp.
“Your husband, ma’am.”
Her face paled and she stepped back to let me inside, where I removed my hat and stood in the entryway.
“Could we take a seat?” I gestured toward the living room.
“Just tell me,” she said, voice shaking. “Is he…?”
I swallowed hard, and when I looked at her, she burst into tears. She stumbled into the living room and collapsed on the sofa. I kept a respectful distance.
“Can I answer any questions for you? How can I help you?” I asked.
She shook her head. “Are you investigating this? Was this…a murder?”
“It appears to be, ma’am.”
She wiped her eyes and cried out, “Terri!”
When Terri entered the room and saw me and her mother crying, her eyes grew wide. “What’s going on?”
Emily sat her daughter down and told her the news and I waited again. Timing was sensitive. I didn’t want to overstay and be in their way, but I didn’t want to drop bad news and run, either.
“Mrs. Thomas?” I ventured. “We will need someone to identify the body. We had a positive ID at the scene, but it was scent-based only. Not today, but once the coroner has had time to move him to the morgue.”
She nodded and let out a sob.
“Can I do anything for you at this time?” I asked.
She shook her head again. Terri leaned forward and hugged her mother.
“Might I ask,” I said, “do you know where Glory Thomas is staying? I need to get a hold of her.”
“I’ll tell my niece the news,” Emily said.
“I appreciate that, ma’am, but if you would, I’d like to get in touch with her personally. Could you tell me where she’s staying?”
She shot me an angry look. “No, I will not tell a Montgomery a thing about a Thomas. You ought to know better that that, young man.”
I wasn’t too surprised at her reaction, but it did sadden me. The feud must still alive and flourishing for the Thomases.
“You can be on your way now,” Emily said sternly.
“Yes, ma’am. If there’s anything you need at all, please contact the Ranger station.”
I turned and left the house, driving away with a heavy heart. I still had no idea where Glory might be. I was tempted to drive through every street in Big Bend, knocking on every door until I found her. I grew serious at the idea for a few minutes. I could use the investigation as a pretense for going door to door.
I managed to come back to reality, though. Knocking on every door was impractical and would waste time. She was likely already on a plane out of Texas. I looked up, as if seeing a plane in the sky would confirm my thought.
I wracked my brain, but couldn’t think of any place Glory might be. I didn’t know where her friends from the bachelorette party lived or who else she might have been staying with. She might have even been in Marathon at a hotel or B&B. I was going out of my mind with worry and longing.
Only one thing would keep me distracted enough to stop thinking about it. I drove back to the Ranger station and dove straight into the investigation. Though Keith’s death would be declared an animal attack, behind the scenes, shifters would be working to find out what really happened. If it was Martin, then I’d do all I could to take him down.
10
Glory
I hung up the phone in my hotel room, stunned. Aunt Emily had just called to tell me that Uncle Keith was dead. An animal attack.
Classic cover for a shifter murder.
We had to deal with that sort of thing once in a while back in Seattle, too. Of course, I immediately assumed it was Brady or Martin, or the two of them working together.
I was in danger. I had to be—along with my clan. But it wasn’t the time to leave; I was the only one who could save them now. Maybe it was the Alpha blood in my veins. Whatever it was, I felt a strong sense of duty to protect my clan. Weird how the feeling suddenly arose right when Uncle Keith was killed. Like the blood itself knew a change was due.
When I left my hotel, I drove toward Aunt Emily’s. I planned to remain in Big Bend for the funeral and maybe a few days after to help Aunt Emily and grieve with my family. They wanted me to stay with them, and it made sense for me to be closer to the rest of my clan. But right now, the best thing I could do to protect my clan was to protect myself. And the hotel would be a lot more difficult for Brady or Martin to find me in.
When I arrived, we spent time crying together and making phone calls. My parents, of course, were heartbroken to hear the news. My father was taking it especially hard. Not only had his brother just died, but he wasn’t well enough to travel, even for the funeral. He would miss his chance to say goodbye.
I held things together the best I could; all the while, through the tears and calls, two thoughts kept coming back to me. One, Martin or Brady or both were probably looking to kill me. Two, I could do a lot more good if I were Alpha, both for me and for my clan.
After several hours, when the house settled some and my aunt was resting, I left. I had a stop to make, and I felt nervous about it. I’d planned to go earlier in the day, back when I still had a late flight to catch. After the news, it had to be put off, but the time had come. One thing I could do for my clan right then was to get someone looking into the criminal activity that Martin and Brady were bringing the clan into.
And that meant finding Wyatt.
I drove to the Montgomery ranch, my heart racing faster the closer I got. I wasn’t sure if Wyatt still lived at home. I doubted it, but it was the only way I had to contact him. The other problem was, I didn’t know where they stood on the feud. I knew my aunt and uncle still didn’t talk to the Montgomerys because of it. When Aunt Emily told me Wyatt had been the one to tell them the news, and that he’d asked about me, I tried to explain to her that we were over the fight now. But it wasn’t the time to get into all that.
Still, if the Montgomerys refused to let it go, they might not be happy to see me. I prepared for the worst and hoped for the best.
My hand shook as I knocked on the door that I’d passed through a thousand times. The door opened and Mrs. Montgomery stared back at me.
“Glory!”
She wrapped me in a tight hug, and a
ll the anxiety melted away. Despite my best efforts not to, I broke into sobs.
“Oh, honey.” She smoothed my hair back and looked at me with concern. “What is it?”
“My…my uncle Keith is dead,” I said between sniffles.
She invited me in and sat me down, then got me a drink of water.
“I’m sorry,” I said, wiping my eyes and taking a sip of cool water. “I don’t know what came over me.”
Her hug had just felt so…motherly to me that it undid all my efforts to be strong and tough. She had been like a mother to me, after all.
“You never have to apologize to me, darlin’. I am so sorry to hear about your uncle. Please give Emily my condolences.” Mrs. Montgomery patted my knee. “It’s so good to see you after all these years. You’ve become a lovely woman.”
“Thank you. Um…is Wyatt…?”
“Here’s not here, I’m afraid. Hasn’t lived at home in years.” She took a notepad from the drawer of the end table, jotted something down and handed the paper to me. “He was so mad at himself for not getting your number or finding out where you were staying. I know he desperately wants to talk to you. You call him as soon as you can, ya hear?”
I looked at the number in my hands and grinned. “I will. Thank you.”
“And where is it you’re staying, dear?”
“At the Marathon Hotel.”
She nodded. “It’s good to see you back in Big Bend. This is where you belong.”
I hugged her again and gave her a smile as I stood to leave. “I’m starting to think that maybe you’re right.”
We said our goodbyes, and I returned to my rental car. I set the number down beside me and my heart raced at the thought of hearing his voice. But looking at my phone, I noticed I had almost no signal. That was the reason most people in Big Bend didn’t have cell phones. Service was terrible. But I still might have been able to get a call through, so I dialed the number with shaking fingers and waited. Then waited some more. I tried three more times before giving up and driving back to the hotel. As soon as I entered my room and connected to Wi-Fi, I called again. It rang three times, then he answered.
