“You've been so kind to me,” Mara said, voice cracking.
“You deserve to be treated well,” I replied.
“There's something you should know,” she said. “It was always Troy.”
“What was?”
“The one that led them in. The one who invited Dashiell and the rest.”
“Why would he do that?” I asked, sickened by the thought. Troy was my brother, my twin. He could be selfish and cruel at times, but what Mara suggested was madness.
“Before he threw me away,” she said. “I heard it all, the deal. Troy and Stratton's contact from the Tribunal, Aldrich Bastion. Troy told them when and where to attack in return for a place at Dashiell's side. And for the promise of Stratton's head on a stake.”
“What?” I recoiled.
“I'm sorry,” Mara said.
Dwayne pushed between us and pulled Mara back into the mansion, leaving me alone in the cold. Why would my brother wish Stratton dead? We had all grown up together. How could he do that to Stratton? To me? To Mara and Ellistown?
I had been worried about Troy when I hadn't been able to find him in the aftermath. I had worried for him, but it seemed that he didn't care about me at all.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Lance
Shifting my weight, I pressed on the orange metal of the shovel with my boot. A scraping sound let me know that the extra push slid the metal down to the stone walkway beneath. Pulling the handle downward, I scooped forward and tossed a heavy layer of snow away from the entry to Walker Bar and Grill. Whether we opened it again at some point or just kept it as a place that meant something to Trixie, I wanted the sidewalk safe for her to come and go.
After a few more scoops, all that was left in front of the doorway was a thin layer of moisture that would harden into an invisible layer of ice after the sun set. Stepping across a cleared sidewalk for the first time since I had entered Sawtooth Valley, I pulled a bag of salt from the bed of my pickup.
My phone vibrated in my front pocket, and I pulled it out right away, checking that it wasn't Trixie needing something. It was Cole.
“Hey,” I answered.
“Hi,” Cole replied. “How is Trixie feeling?”
“She's well,” I answered. “Sorry we had to go. Did Hailey get the holiday she wanted?”
“I'm glad to hear Trixie is okay. Yeah, Hailey had a great time. She's been all smiles since dinner. That's not why I called, though. I have news I need to share.”
“Oh?”
“Some thin, red-haired man showed up at the bar a few minutes ago.”
“So?”
“Lance,” Cole said, “he claimed alpha.”
There weren’t many red-haired wolves around. My thoughts went to Trixie’s news about her twin—he had claimed Sawtooth Valley. Was this a power play to take two territories? How could he hope to hold them? Could it be someone else? “And you can't contest it because your mate's human,” I replied.
“Right.”
“Let me talk to Trixie. I'll get back to you as soon as I can.”
“Is she the one?” Cole asked.
I paused a moment, knowing what he was asking. Cole wasn't just asking if Trixie and I were happy together. He needed to know if I was willing to choose a mate and defend the pack by challenging this man for alpha.
“She is,” I said. “Did you catch his name? This new alpha?”
“Troy Lynch.”
Trixie's twin. What was he thinking? “Let me talk to Trixie. I'll call as soon as I can.”
“I'll be here,” Cole replied.
I hung up and dialed my mate. Ring after ring with no answer. Finally, it went to voicemail.
“Trixie,” I said, “call me when you get this. It's urgent.”
I slid the phone back into my pocket and threw the shovel and salt back into the bed of the truck. One alpha for two packs was unheard of, let alone claiming a territory he didn't belong in. I needed to find Trixie, and get her take on the situation. What could Troy want with alpha? With Sawtooth Peaks? Every part of me told me this was bad news and would only lead to trouble. I wasn't sure if I should be alpha. How could I live up to my father before me? First things first, I needed to find Trixie.
I locked the door to Walker Bar and Grill and climbed into the cab of my truck before I smelled them. Bears. Checking every window, I found them in the rearview mirror, walking this way. With a sigh, I climbed out to see what the Patterson brothers wanted this time. The Therion Tribunal was not a group to put off.
“Good morning, gentlemen,” I said as I approached the giant grizzly brothers stomping toward me like a moving wall of anger.
“Lance Tenbrook,” Matteus Patterson said, “you're under arrest for the murder of Stratton Walker.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Trixie
The familiar silver pickup sat parked along the curb in front of the grill. As I stepped closer, I noticed the freshly shoveled sidewalk and smiled at Lance's gesture. Since he wasn't out front, I tried the newly installed door, and found it locked. That was strange. Crossing the snow to the back of the grill, I looked for Lance, but couldn't find him there either. I reached for my phone in my pocket, but it was missing. “Lance,” I shouted.
There was no answer. Where could he have gone? Checking nearby buildings, I yelled for him as I walked up and down the street. “Lance.”
Concern built within me. He wouldn't have left the truck, and he knew I was coming to see him at the grill. I hurried back to the house for my phone. I must have left it there when I went to visit Mara.
The phone was on the dresser, but the house was empty. I shouted for him, just in case he was here somewhere I couldn't see. “Lance.” Each time I said his name it was harder to keep my voice even, not to worry that something had happened to him. Had Troy sent enforcers to take my mate as punishment for talking to his? That was crazy, and Lance could hold his own. I had seen no sign of a struggle.
I went to dial, and found a waiting voicemail.
Trixie, call me when you get this. It's urgent.
That didn't make me feel any better. I tried to do as he said and called his number, but it rang without answer until it went to voicemail.
“It's me,” I said. “Please call.”
I checked the volume, then slid my phone into my pocket and stepped outside. Unsure where else to turn, I headed to the only other man in town that may have been able to help me.
When I reached the Come On Inn, I found Liam Blake behind the desk, just like he always was.
“Trixie Walker,” he said as I approached the desk.
“Hi,” I replied. “I'm hoping you can help me. I don't know who else to ask.”
“You're looking for Lance Tenbrook.”
“Yes,” I said. “How did you know?”
“You haven't heard?”
“Heard what?” I asked, becoming more and more frustrated.
“He's been arrested,” Blake said.
“For what?”
“Your mate's murder.” Lance was my mate. It took a moment to register.
“Stratton?” I asked.
“Yes. Your brother offered testimony implicating Lance as the one who assisted Dashiell in his takeover of Ellistown.”
“Troy said this?” I was beyond concerned and frustrated. Anger filled me. I would not lose my mate to protect the brother who had betrayed me. “Troy was in the mansion when I was held there against my will. He wasn’t a prisoner, he was a willing participant in everything that happened. I saw him there, and he attacked me when I tried to escape.”
The bear just looked at me, emotionless, expressionless as I let it all out.
“He threw his mate in the cell with me, discarded her like she was nothing. She can testify the information she shared with me just earlier this morning. Mara witnessed Troy conspiring with Aldrich Bastion, brother to Dashiell. Troy traded us for the murder of my mate and a place in Dashiell's rule.”
“Why would he do that?
” he asked.
“My guess? To fuck over everyone and kill the alpha. I’m sure Troy would have turned on Dashiell if he hadn’t already. I don't know why. I don't know why he would do any of it. But when he was ready to claim alpha of Sawtooth Valley, he took Mara back. He had left her to rot then he walled her back inside that prison when he had a use for her again. Lance Tenbrook never set foot in this town until after Dashiell had destroyed us. What would he have to gain?” By the time I had finished, heat radiated off of me. My ears and face were hot, and I knew I had lost all control over my volume. Troy would not take my mate.
“Compelling story,” Blake said. “I'll make some calls.”
Chapter Thirty
Lance
Blinking did nothing. If there had been a single shred of light, my eyes would have caught it. Based on the cool dirt beneath my paws, and the moist air that filled my lungs, I assumed my cell was somewhere underground. The worst part wasn't the dark silence—it was not knowing what had happened to my mate. Was Trixie held in the cell next to mine? A deep breath and I still smelled nothing but earth and metal. No sign of her, but there was no sign of anyone else. The only sounds came from me: my breathing, my heartbeat.
I stood in silence for what felt like an eternity before the creak of the door and a blinding light broke in from outside of my cell. A wide, dark silhouette blocked most of the white light that came through the cracked door frame. Unable to look away or blink, I stared at the dark figure, waiting for a sound. What did he want? I took in his scent—grizzly. I knew him, but it was hard to think. The lights in my cell flicked on, blinding me all over again, and the giant stepped in.
“How long do you think you can keep this act up?” he snarled, slamming the cell door behind him.
His voice was familiar. It took a moment for me to recognize Matteus Patterson. My vision started to focus. The grizzly stood over me in human form, face contorted with anger. Blunt force impacted the side of my muzzle, staining my mouth with the taste of copper.
“You will talk,” Patterson growled, dropping his boot to the floor.
It was hard to contain the urge to tear into the bear’s flesh, especially in wolf form. But attacking the Tribunal enforcer would only lead me to more trouble.
The door cracked from the outside. Patterson’s eyes shot to the exit of my cell. Kenton Patterson stood in the doorway. Matteus approached his brother, and they shared a word, too quiet for me to hear. A thunderous sound ended the silence, as Matteus slammed his fist into the wall beside the door. He stepped out without looking back, and Kenton took his place.
“Time to go,” Kenton said. He threw something on the floor, pushed the door the rest of the way open, and walked away. Time to go where? To trial? A silent execution? I hoped Matteus’s reaction was a good sign.
I padded forward and stared down at the floor, still recovering from the sensory deprivation and the boot to the face. The scent was mostly mine and faintly Trixie's. It was my boots and clothes. At the recognition, I shifted to human form. The sound of Patterson's footsteps faded as the popping of my breaking bones filled my ears.
I dressed in the clothes that had been taken from me. The dullness of my human senses was a relief as the light stopped hurting my eyes. I reached into my front pocket and found my phone where I had left it. Zero bars, there was no reception in this underground hellhole. I checked the other pocket, finding my keys where they belonged, and stepped out into the hall in search of a place to call Trixie.
Concrete walls stretched forward from my cell, running parallel in a straight line. Solid metal doors were evenly spaced on both sides, locked with some kind of electronic pad on the side. My boots made little noise on the concrete floor, leaving only the buzz of the long, florescent bulbs running the length of the corridor overhead. The hall ended at an elevator with only one button, an upward pointing triangle. The metal elevator door slid open, and Kenton Patterson stood inside watching me. I stepped in beside him, and turned toward the door. Patterson pressed a button on the panel.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
He turned and looked at me, his face hard. “You're being released.”
“Good news,” I said, then held up my phone. “Where can I get some reception?”
“In the truck,” he answered.
“Not that I'm complaining,” I said, sliding my hands into my jacket pockets. “But, why am I being released? Trixie's not here, is she?”
“No.”
The elevator stopped, and the door opened to a dark parking garage filled with black cargo vans and box trucks. Therion Tribunal van depot. I checked my phone as Patterson led me up a ramp of parked vans and box trucks, all exactly the same. Still no reception. We stopped, and Patterson swung open the back door of one of the trucks. I climbed in, and he shut the door behind me. It didn't feel like much of a release, being stashed in a windowless box, alone, again. This time there was light at least, and I heard the engine start, so it wasn't soundproof. The truck reversed, then started forward. I checked the phone again for reception, and a message popped up. Reception in the truck, just like Patterson had said. One voicemail.
It's me. Please call.
Trixie. Her voice was full of concern. My chest tightened, and I dialed.
“Lance?” Her voice was shaky.
“Trixie, it's me. Are you okay?”
“I'm so glad you called. Yes, I'm okay. Where are they keeping you?” she asked.
“The Tribunal took me to some underground prison. I don't know where, but somewhere about two hours away,” I said. “They say I'm being released.”
“Good.”
“I was arrested for Stratton's murder. Can you believe that?” I asked.
“Yes, I know,” she said.
“How did you find out? They didn't come for you too, did they?”
“Blake filled me in when I couldn't reach you,” she said. “He helped me get you released.”
“How did you do that?” I asked.
“With the truth.”
I said nothing, and waited for her to elaborate.
“Do you know where you’ll be taken?” she asked.
“He didn't say.” Kenton Patterson hadn't said much of anything.
“I'll find out, and we'll talk then. Lance, I love you.”
“I love you too, Trixie.”
The rest of the drive, I wondered what truth had set me free. What could Trixie have to tell me? What had she told Blake?
After a long and quiet, bumpy ride, the truck stopped and Patterson opened the back door. The sun shone down on Trixie and the snow-covered earth around her. Her scarlet hair sparkled in the natural light. She wore my jacket as she always did, and her cheeks lifted when her emerald eyes met mine. I climbed out of the truck and rushed to my mate. She was soft and warm on my chest, her thin arms holding on tight like I might blow away in the wind if she loosened her grip.
“Trixie,” I growled, inhaling her sweet, citrus scent.
“Let's go,” she said, releasing my torso but clinging tightly to my arm.
“Tell me everything,” I said as I followed her a few steps back to my truck. I climbed in the passenger side and waited for the story that had saved my life.
Trixie sat beside me and started the truck, driving down the hill toward Ellistown. It hadn't occurred to me before we had started driving, but I had been released on the edge of Sawtooth Valley. All I had seen was her.
“When I went to visit Mara, she told me what she had seen before all of this started. It was Troy that orchestrated all of this: Stratton's murder, the invasion. My guess is that if Axel hadn't killed Dashiell, Troy would have sooner or later, to take his place as alpha. Troy's the one that blamed it all on you, told the bears that you were at fault for everything.”
“He's claimed Sawtooth Peaks as well,” I said, thinking back to my conversation with Cole before the Patterson brothers had shown up. If there had been any question of Troy's motives before, now it was clear that he n
eeded to be stopped. Sawtooth Valley needed an alpha, Sawtooth Peaks needed an alpha, but all would suffer if that leader was Troy Lynch.
“What?”
“Cole called. I wanted to talk to you about it, but the Tribunal took me.”
“We have to stop him.”
“You know what that means,” I said. We both knew what it would take, what we had to do to stop Troy.
Trixie nodded her approval. “We’ll need help to reach him. I’m sure he’s hidden himself in the mayor’s mansion. He’s barred the windows and put on steel doors. He’s too smart to fight you willingly.”
“If he didn’t want a fight, he shouldn’t have put in the claims. I’ll call Cole for assistance. I have to challenge Troy for alpha.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Lance
Harkins's beat-up, blue pickup pulled up to the curb soon after we returned to Trixie’s house. Cole and Harkins climbed out, and I stepped outside to greet them.
“Cole,” I said, “thank you for coming.”
“Of course,” Cole replied. “I'm glad you're out.”
“Thanks,” I replied.
“We left Witt and Reynolds to watch over the Peaks in case of trouble while we’re here,” Cole said.
“Good,” I replied. “Let’s go in.”
Trixie led the way and we all stepped inside, settling at the kitchen table.
“He didn't stick around long enough for anyone to challenge his claim,” Cole said.
“I'm sure he didn't. Troy planned it this way, knowing I would be arrested at the same time and that you wouldn't be able to stop him,” I said.
“I don't know why he wants two territories or how he plans to run them,” Trixie said.
“No one can challenge him if they can't find him,” I said.
“Coward,” Cole growled.
Werewolves & Whiskers: Sawtooth Peaks Wolf Shifter Romance Box Set Page 42
