by K. N. Banet
“I will,” I promised, swallowing. “Thanks for trusting me.”
“You’re family,” Zuri said, still smiling. “Stay safe. Family meeting adjourned.”
The video feeds all cut out at once.
Leaning back in my desk chair, I considered my next move. I was being entrusted with helping Jabari once the full moon passed, and I would be able to help fix the problem that could very well be my fault. I was going to help get justice for two dead werecats.
It felt like a win-win in my book.
Now, I just have to convince Heath he owes me enough to help me out.
9
Chapter Nine
The full moon was coming. I could feel it in my bones, ready to answer the call but not yet, not just yet. I had a few more hours before it became pressing. That meant I had time to call Heath, who would have already locked Carey away for her own safety, the same way I had done. If it were any other night, he would let her pet him. I knew, like me, they shifted more than just on the full moon; there was just more control on every other night. Tonight, there would be little control. It was the most dangerous time of the month for any of the humans in my territory.
I dialed him up, hoping he was calm, not already edgy from the coming night.
“Jacky. What can I do for you?” His scotch voice was easy on my nerves, soothing. I could recognize the Alpha talking and figured it had to be the upcoming full moon that made him channel such a calm.
“I wanted to ask you a favor to think on tonight,” I answered. “I told you about those dead werecats, right? Well, the werecat who went out to investigate has now been declared missing as well. Due to…things, I’m heading up there to check it out without getting into trouble. The problem is, we already know the last werecat had a hard time talking to the local werewolf pack…”
“What do you need from me? It sounds like an introduction.” He didn’t sound annoyed or surprised. If anything, his calm seemed to grow deeper, more patient on the other end of the line.
“That’s exactly what I need. I’ve been told to stay out of any immediate trouble and danger, so it should be an easy trip. With our…obvious public connection, it might be easier for you to get me in to get some answers if the wolves know anything.”
“Or they could be the problem, and I would literally be throwing you to the wolves,” he replied. “Have you or whoever you’re talking to considered that?”
“Sure.” Kind of...not really. “Look, once you introduce me and I get a chance to talk to them, you can head right back home. Wouldn’t be longer than a weekend trip for you. I’m supposed to stay in the area in case anyone needs me or until we have the answers we need.”
“I’ll think about it,” he finally said after a long silence. “Will you owe me a favor in return?”
“No. Let’s say this makes us even for last year.”
“What about information?” His voice stayed calm, but there was no missing the edge of excitement.
I should have known. He was an Alpha wolf and never did anything for nothing unless it was for a treasured member of his pack—politicians, the lot of them.
“Depends.”
“I want to know more about you. I won’t ask for anything that could put anyone at risk. I just want to know more about the woman my daughter is so taken with.”
“Done.” I was willing to give up some of my own secrets if it meant helping Jabari and getting justice for two dead werecats. I could handle that. As it was, I didn’t have that many secrets left. Every werecat in the world knew who I was now, and my peaceful, ignored existence was no longer a viable one. Now, I was going to give up those secrets to a werewolf. “I have to fly out of Dallas by noon tomorrow. We’ll be landing in Seattle—”
“There’s only one werewolf pack in that state, and Seattle belongs to them. I can give them a call ahead of time before we get on the plane tomorrow. They don’t like surprises. The Seattle Freeze is not a joke.”
“The Seattle Freeze?” I frowned. “What?”
“The idea that Seattle doesn’t welcome outsiders. They won’t throw you out, but they can be a bit cold and selective. It’s not so bad. I spent a year up there once. The werewolf pack up there takes it to the extreme and doesn’t talk to outsiders at all without an introduction from someone else, not on their home turf.” He chuckled. “Don’t worry, I know their current Alpha. I’ll tell you more on the plane tomorrow.”
“So, that’s it? You’re going to help me out?” I was a little shell-shocked. I had figured I only had a fifty-fifty chance of him saying yes. It seemed too easy.
“Yeah. I can take a trip for the weekend and help you out. I’ll leave Landon and Carey here, and they’ll be grateful for a weekend away from me. This doesn’t sound like it’ll be more than a social trip for me.”
“You’re a lifesaver, Heath.” I let out a breath of relief, glad I would have something my siblings wouldn’t—a wolf who was willing to help. “See you tomorrow once we’re showered and clean.”
“Come run with us if you want,” he said lightly. “I’m sure you get lonely running on full moons.”
“I like being alone on full moons, sorry. And it’s safer if you stay on your property while I run my territory.”
“Can you run your territory?” he asked, his voice making me wonder if he was frowning. “It’s…forty-five miles in diameter now? If you run the edge…”
“It’s one hundred and forty-one miles, give or take a couple. I can do it in a night, don’t worry. I should if I’m planning on leaving. A werecat never makes a territory bigger than it can run in a night. Remember that.”
“I will. Well, see you on the other side.”
“You too.” I hung up on him, antsy. If nothing went terribly wrong during the full moon, he and I were going to help my family out. I already knew what some of his questions would be. Who Changed me was probably going to be the first. I sent the family group chat a text, telling them Heath was in, so getting into Seattle and talking to the wolf pack wouldn’t be a problem. None of them responded, but thanks to time zones, many of them were probably already under the spell of the moon.
Soon it would be me too, then Jabari right after me, wherever he was—hopefully, alive.
I stripped and stepped out onto the front porch of my gorgeous, hidden home. The night air in March was still cool. It couldn’t be more than fifty degrees outside, and it licked at my skin as a breeze kicked up. I looked up to see the sky turning darker.
And waited.
My body wanted the call. I hadn’t shifted in weeks, for whatever reason. Maybe it was because I was distracted. Maybe it was because my dirt bike was working, and I was lazy. I hadn’t let the instinctual werecat come out to play in too long.
I growled as it began, taking over my body swiftly. Bones cracking and breaking. Hands and fingers growing and changing in shape to paws with deadly claws. My canines grew and grew, hanging over my bottom jaw. Fur exploded out of my flesh, and I dropped down to all fours as the change continued. Finally, I shook, adjusting to the feeling of being a large cat.
The first thing my brain had to deal with was the presence of werewolves in my territory. The werecat and I fought to hold the leash back on the need to drive them out. Every full moon was like this, a silent war not to attack predators who weren’t supposed to be there. Other nights, it wasn’t so bad, but tonight was the night I was in the backseat.
Finally, the cat scented deer on the wind, diverting our focus. It was a safer, more acceptable quarry.
By dawn, I was bloody, full, and tired.
It was a sluggish climb up my front steps, but I knew I couldn’t sleep. The first thing I did was check my phone to see Hasan had been glad to hear I would be going north with some sort of back up. Hisao wanted me to promise to tell him if he needed to fly out in his jet. I didn’t reply to either of them, heading for my shower. I also needed to pack quickly and hit the road if I wanted to make a flight out of Dallas.
I met Hea
th at his farmhouse, where I could see him talking to Landon and Carey on the front porch. Parking behind his massive pickup truck in his giant driveway, I stepped out, walking closer slowly, making sure they knew I was there. With the intense, concentrated look Landon and Carey were watching their father with, it was possible they missed me driving up.
“Carey, please behave for Landon.”
“I will! Keep Jacky from getting hurt, please.”
“I will.”
I smirked, stepping up behind him.
“You hear that?” he asked, looking over his shoulder at me. “I’m to keep you from getting hurt.”
“I did.” I reached around him to high-five Carey. “Kick Landon’s ass at bowling while I’m gone. Or kick him when he tries to cheat at video games.”
“Will do!”
“Head inside while I talk to your brother,” Heath said kindly, though the order couldn’t be missed. Carey jumped forward to hug him, then grabbed hold of me before darting inside. “Landon, you’ll keep a close eye on her.”
“Yes, sir.” Landon’s eyes shifted onto me. “Are we sure we can trust this?”
“He’s only going to help me with Seattle’s pack. Everything after that is his own choice. He should be coming home soon and well away from any possible danger…unless it’s the Seattle pack that’s the problem. Then who knows?”
“It’s fine, Landon. We owe her one. This is simple compared to last year.” Heath didn’t seem worried in the slightest. “Plus, I can see if Emmy is doing all right.”
“Ah…” Landon snorted. “Emmy is a dangerous bitch, Dad. Be careful.”
“No more dangerous than the one behind me,” Heath retorted. I jerked back, confused, making both men laugh. “She’s an old acquaintance. Left my pack for Seattle when she and I had a bit of a falling out.”
“Old lover,” Landon clarified. “But then she fell hard for the Seattle second, and the rest is history…or so they say.”
“What was the falling out about?” I asked curiously, eyeing Heath.
“I wouldn’t marry her,” he answered mildly. “I didn’t feel for her like that. This was all about forty years ago.”
“And you didn’t get her pregnant? Color me shocked.”
“Very funny.” He shook his head in disdain for me. “Are we heading out?”
“Ready when you are. We can talk about what I know about this on the drive. Then we’re in for a pretty long flight.”
“I know. I resisted calling the Dallas pack for the use of their jet because it would be improper without clearing it with you, but…I can call them.”
“No, we’re fine. I checked flights already. We might not sit next to each other, but we can get there on the same plane.” And I was going to fly first class. I had booked my ticket right before walking out the door.
“Be safe,” Landon said with urgency. “After last year, I don’t know what I would do if you didn’t come back, Dad.”
“I know. This will be a quick trip, Landon. I promise.” Heath hugged his son tightly. When he released, Landon ducked back into their house. I eyed Heath, wondering where his bag was when Landon came back out with it. “Thank you.”
“Have a good flight, Alpha.”
“Hold down the fort.” Heath gestured to my car when he dismissed Landon. “And this is our chariot? Your tiny Nissan Versa?”
“It’s a hatchback. Plenty of space in the trunk.” I shrugged and started walking toward it. I popped the trunk and helped him put his suitcase inside next to my two bags. I also had a carry-on laptop, but he carried nothing else. “Do you have a problem with my car?”
“Not at all. Functional, not very flashy. Very…normal. That’s the impression I get every time I see it. It’s very normal.”
“That’s exactly the impression I want to give, so it’s working.” I smiled at him, slammed the trunk closed, and went to the driver’s side. Buckling in, I started the car and proceeded to wait on him.
He entered slowly, and suddenly, he felt too big. I had grown accustomed to Heath’s height, a touch over six feet tall and built to match, but seeing him bend into my car was strange. He didn’t fit well, and his classically handsome and chiseled face seemed too regal to be sitting in my car—an image that felt out of place.
It was kind of attractive how he didn’t complain as I pulled out of the driveway. He did move the seat back as far as it would go but never opened his mouth about it.
“I’m going to call the Seattle pack in about an hour,” he announced as I got onto the highway that would take us straight to Dallas. “I didn’t want to drop it on them right before the full moon.”
“You said as much yesterday,” I reminded him, keeping my eyes on the road. “Do you want to know what I know? Or do you want to grill me before we get on the plane?”
“Let’s discuss your predicament first, then I’ll grill you.” He smiled and shifted in the seat, angling his body toward me. I glanced over at him, seeing his dark hair fall over his mischievous eyes.
“Two werecats were reported dead in the Pacific Northwest. Their territories are in Washington, specifically, partially in at least one of the national forests of the area. Um…” I tried to remember my notes. The names were strange to me. “The Lake Chelan National Recreation Area, the North Cascades National Park…I think one of them covers over a place called Glacier Peak, and the other covers Mt. Baker? That’s what I know about where. Apparently, it’s a popular hiking and camping place with many remote areas. It’s a massive area if you check the map I have in my laptop bag.”
“Hm. Not based in a town like you and a lot of other werecats are.”
“No, not even a farm, another popular werecat home base.” I wondered how much he really needed to know. Hasan had sent me a small run down of what he knew about these two, and none of it seemed very helpful, so I omitted it for now. “They were found dead by humans,” I said, shaking my head at the thought. “They had some humans in on their secret. A few park rangers, actually. The rangers were performing a simple check on them and found their bodies. When they found the first, they rushed to check on the second.”
“And the second…”
“Had been dead a day longer, by preliminary estimations. In his home, same as the woman.” I frowned. “They were a mated pair…” Heath’s blank face told me he didn’t know what that meant or why it was important. “Their territories naturally overlapped, and they had a cabin in the zone they overlapped, a place where they could be a couple. Neither was dead there. Both were killed in their private homes where they would go to be alone and get away from each other.”
“Interesting. Someone would have had to know where to find them and how to kill them.”
“Yeah. Apparently, that was why someone was sent out to check into this already. Now I’m going out to learn whatever I can and provide backup if necessary.”
“How did this fall to you?”
“Is that pertinent to the situation, or is this where you get to grill me?”
“This is where I grill you. For six years, you did nothing and went nowhere. Now, after everything last year, you’re being sent to back up someone investigating two dead werecats. It feels like you got some promotion or punishment I missed.”
“Some werecats take on a responsibility to the werecat community to lead from the shadows,” I explained. “Hasan and his children. All seven of them.”
“That’s a lot of kids.”
“I know. I’m the youngest of them.” I threw it out there like it was unimportant, but I knew it wasn’t. I could smell his shock, the deep surprise as if I had just rocked his world view, then wariness. He was suddenly wary in the same way Landon always was.
“He said…at the Tribunal, he said…”
“That he considers all werecats as his sons and daughters. I remember. He was respecting my privacy because knowing who he is…and my place in the world of werecats…” I shrugged. “I was never comfortable with it. I’m not comfortable with i
t now.”
“So…who is missing? Who went to investigate the deaths?”
“My…well, in werecat terms, my older brother, Jabari, son of Hasan. The General.” I used Jabari’s war title for a reason. He was feared by wolves old enough to remember who he was and what he represented during the war between our kinds.
“Who is the Assassin?” Heath asked softly.
Shit, he does know his history well. I didn’t know if he was testing my knowledge or if the names and titles were lost to time. There was a time when someone would say Hisao and every supernatural knew exactly what he was and what he did for Hasan. Or they would say the Assassin, and everyone knew it was the Japanese werecat that was Changed by the oldest werecat alive.
“Hisao, Hasan’s second oldest son,” I answered just as softly. Because the identities of Hasan and his children were public, I ran down the list. “Davor the Genius, and Niko the Traitor are his most recent sons.” I took a deep breath. “Daughters, Zuri the Negotiator, Mischa the Rogue, and finally, me. I wasn’t around during the war, obviously, so I never got a fancy title. Did you know, the family didn’t give themselves those titles? Other supernaturals coined the terms. The family doesn’t use them privately and never claimed the titles publicly.” I didn’t tell him about Liza. She was long dead, but not long enough for Heath not to know about it. I wasn’t sure about the situation concerning her demise, only that werewolves were the ones who killed her. It was easy to see why the family didn’t like wolves too much.
“And you’ve spoken to all of them?” His eyes were narrow, still watching me with care.
“I did just a couple of nights ago when we were discussing what to do about Jabari not reporting in for nearly a week. Actually, a week as of the full moon. That’s why I’m heading out there so fast.”
“Why you? Any of them would be better choices, no offense.”
“I’m close, and…I have you,” I answered honestly, trying not to be stung by his honest assessment of my siblings and me. They would all be better choices in their own ways. “I’m sorry. I’m using you. Between two dead werecats, the current unrest with werecats, and the activity of the werewolves, I’m in trouble. I’ve…stained the family’s reputation, to be honest. So, this came up, and I offered myself…and you. I’m using you, Heath. If you want me to turn the car around now and take you home, I can do that.”
