“Sit,” he said a few moments later as they entered his office.
“Thank you but we won’t be here that long,” the blonde replied.
He frowned slightly. His wolf growled lowly, recognizing the threat they presented.
“You’ve heard?” Pat King asked.
He nodded. He didn’t ask what she meant. The news had been filled with reports of a cop being shot at her home. The moment the officer had been identified, his phone came to life as members of the pack called to warn him. It was bad enough the injured cop was the mate of the pride’s new alpha. Worse, she was an alpha in her own right and had been a thorn in the pack’s side since before her first shift.
Because of their history, Ferguson knew someone from the pride would contact him. He hadn’t expected it to happen so soon or that it would happen here, in his own territory. The only member of the pride he thought brazen enough to do so lay in the hospital. Obviously, he was wrong and that did not sit well.
What else might he be wrong about?
“I heard.” He leaned back, doing his best to appear relaxed even as his wolf demanded he force the two to submit. They were in his territory. They had not shown proper respect. They were the enemy. “I assume from the latest reports that she still lives.”
Anger flashed in the blonde’s eyes and he tensed, silently cursing his foolishness. He knew better than to taunt her. She’d proven how strong she was when she withstood the torture at the hands of their kidnappers. So why did he continue to underestimate her? After that, and after dealing with Santos, he should know better. It seemed the pride’s females were as strong, or stronger, than their males. Something his pack did not enjoy.
“She lives.” King started to say something else but paused when her companion lightly touched her arm. The dark-haired woman didn’t say anything, only shook her head. “We aren’t here to accuse any of your people of attacking the alpha, Ferguson. She told us the man who shot her was not a shifter.”
He nodded, relieved. Even so, he dared not relax. They wouldn’t have come if that was all they wanted to say. They wanted something.
“But?”
“But we can’t rule out the fact he doesn’t know of our kind,” King said simply. “Have you heard anything that might help us find him?”
So simple and yet so very much more.
His lips peeled back and this time he let them see the wolf lurking just below the surface. “What are you implying?” he demanded, his voice rough.
“Not a thing,” King said.
Damn her. She actually smiled. What game was she playing?
“Ferguson, we came here out of respect for you and for the way you and your people have worked with the pride, not only when we were kidnapped but afterwards as Wilkinson and those who conspired with her were brought to justice under our laws.”
He narrowed his eyes and sniffed the air. It irritated him she showed no fear. Worse, the human with her showed only disdain for him. That was the worst insult of all. One day, they would learn how foolish they’d been, but not today. The pack wasn’t ready to take action against the pride, much less the Tribunal that now ruled them all.
“I assure you no one who looks to the pack had anything to do with what happened to your alpha’s mate.” He wouldn’t give Santos the respect of naming her alpha. Not when she had caused his pack so much trouble. She should have died the night Wilcox attacked her. If she had, or if she had turned, so many of their problems would have been avoided. “Nor do I know who is responsible for what happened.”
The blonde inclined her head as if accepting his statement. Except she didn’t. He saw the doubt and distrust in her eyes. Yet she held her tongue, as if waiting for him to say something to implicate himself or his pack.
Bitch.
One day he would have his teeth at her throat. Then she would see who the ultimate predator actually was.
“Tell your alpha my pack is not responsible for what happened to his mate,” he growled. “You can deliver another message as well. Tell him he won’t have to worry about my people much longer. By the next full moon, the pack will have left Texas. We need our own territory, somewhere away from pures and normals, a place we can hunt and run free.”
He had to give it to her. Even though his announcement took her by surprise, only the slight widening of King’s eyes betrayed her. The human, on the other hand, didn’t so much as bat an eye. In that moment, he realized she was the more dangerous of the two. Had he made a mistake by letting them in? She might be human, but he had no doubt she carried weapons that would cause him a great deal of harm, weapons she wouldn’t hesitate to use if she felt King was in danger.
“I will pass on your messages.” King turned her back to him as she prepared to leave, showing confidence and insulting him at the same time. Then she turned back, her expression neutral. “Thank you for your time.” With a nod to her companion, she left and the door closed behind them.
Ferguson once again studied the monitor, watching them leave the office. A few moments later, the video feed switched to the front of the building. They walked almost casually across the parking lot to a waiting SUV. As they drove off, he blew out a relieved sigh. Then he reached for his phone. It was time to move up their plans. He wanted his people well away from Dallas before anything else happened to Santos or anyone associated with the pride.
14
Pat switched off the sedan’s engine and rested her head against the steering wheel. The fifteen-minute drive from Ferguson’s office to the hospital seemed to take forever. Between keeping an almost constant watch on the rearview mirrors to make sure they hadn’t picked up a tail to trying to figure out how to tell Jackson what they’d done, she felt like she’d aged a decade or two. How the hell did Mac do it? She never seemed rattled by dealing with the lycans. That, on top of everything else, left Pat feeling exhausted and wishing there was some way she could just go home and spend time with her son, forgetting there was a world outside their apartment.
“Go home, Pat. Pick up little Mike and put the day away,” Jael said as she climbed out of the car. “I’ll update Flynn and Mateo and then tell Jackson what we’ve learned.”
Tempting as it was, Pat sat up and shook her head. She made the decision to talk with Ferguson, and she’d done so without first discussing it with Jackson. He was her alpha and he’d named her his third in the pride. It was her duty to tell him what they’d done, not Jael’s. Hopefully, he’d understand she acted in the best interest of the pride. If not, she would accept the consequences.
“No, I’ll do it. Be ready to add your impressions. Then, after we check on Mac, we’ll both go pick up our kids and get some rest. I have a feeling the next few days aren’t going to be any easier than today has been.”
Not that the next few minutes would be easy. If she didn’t look forward to telling Jackson what they’d done, she wanted to do everything possible to avoid telling Ellen. Mac’s grandmother was a formidable force and the strongest alpha Pat knew. The woman would not be pleased the two of them took matters into their own hands without at least giving them a head’s up first. If necessary, she’d use the excuse of doing what Mac would if their roles were reversed. It wouldn’t help, but at least Mac set the precedence.
“C’mon. Let’s get this over with.”
The sooner she told them everything, the better. Besides, they needed to know what Ferguson said, not only about the attack on Mac but on removing the pack from their territory. While the latter eased some of their ongoing concerns, it also raised new worries for the members of the Tribunal. At least she didn’t have to worry about that—yet.
“How is she?”
She and Jael stood at the foot of Mac’s bed. Elizabeth sat across the room, working on her laptop. Ellen and Jackson sat on either side of the bed, looking a little better than they had the last time Pat saw them. She wished she could say the same about Mac. Pain etched deep lines in her friend’s face even though it looked like she slept.
“Nothing solid yet, but we have some leads we’re following,” she said. “Jael and I do need to talk with you and Ellen for a moment.”
Jackson’s brow furrowed as Mac’s grandmother looked at them in concern.
“Go on,” Elizabeth said, closing her laptop and climbing to her feet. A moment later, she moved to Pat’s side and gave her hand a quick squeeze. “Tell them what you need to and then both of you go get some rest.”
“I can stay if you want to go home,” Jael said.
Elizabeth smiled and shook her head. “We’ve already discussed it. We’re staying tonight. The twins will spell us in the morning so we can get some rest. But you two.” She looked from Jael to Pat. “You need to rest so you can find the bastards responsible for putting Mackenzie in that bed.”
“We’ll find him, I promise,” Pat said before turning her attention to the others. “This won’t take long.”
Jackson nodded and motioned toward the door. Pat took one last look at Mac and left the room. With Jael at her side, she turned to her left and entered the next room. With Jael by the door, she moved to stand by the narrow window at the far side of the room. Outside, everything looked so peaceful. The city, the world, continued on as if nothing had happened. Yet her world had been rocked and she prayed it returned to normal and soon.
“All right,” Jackson said as Jael closed the door. “What is it?”
“Alpha, I did something you may not approve of,” Pat began, lowering her head before reaching up and moving her hair out of the way. Then she turned her head, tilting it to the side and baring her neck.
“What?” He drawled it out even as he motioned for her to stand straight.
“Actually,” Jael interrupted. “We did something.”
Ellen narrowed her eyes as she looked between the two women. Then she hissed out a breath. “You two went to see Ferguson.”
“You did what?” Jackson demanded as Pat nodded in confirmation. “Ellen?”
“Mac told Jael the man who shot her wasn’t a shifter but that he might be like her.” She frowned and paced the room. When she turned back a few moments later, anger and frustration shone in her eyes. “Well, what did he say?” she demanded.
Pat quickly described their meeting with Ferguson. She and Jael answered their questions. As they did, Pat watched Jackson. Even though his expression never changed, his eyes flashed dangerously. Not that she blamed him for being angry. She’d felt the same way every time Mac went to see Ferguson or his second, Jacob Branson, without backup.
“I don’t know whether to wring your necks or shake your hands.” Now Jackson paced the length of the room.
“How about both?” Ellen suggested. “You risked a great deal going into what is basically his territory without backup.”
“We didn’t go in unprepared or without backup,” Jael said before Pat could respond. “I let John know where we were headed. Then I called Mateo. Trust me, he had eyes on Ferguson’s office before our arrival and a team was ready to move in on my signal.”
Surprised, Pat glanced at her before returning her attention to Jackson and Ellen. Then she chuckled softly. She should have known Jael had an exit plan in place. It would have been nice if she’d been let in on it, but she wasn’t going to complain.
“And Ferguson said the pack was leaving town?” Jackson looked as if he wasn’t sure he’d heard her correctly.
“Not only leaving town but leaving the state. He said they needed their own territory, away from pures and normal, where they could hunt.” She watched as the implications dawned on them. “Ellen?” Something in the woman’s expression worried her.
“I need to make some calls about this. We’ll have to keep an eye on them.”
Jackson nodded and then he reached for Pat’s hands. “Did you believe him?”
She didn’t ask about what. “To a point,” she said. “He was very careful about how he answered my questions. When I first asked if he knew anything about what happened to Mac, he said no one who looks to the pack had anything to do with it. Later, he said ‘we’ had nothing to do with what happened.”
“Your thoughts?”
“My guess is, as Mac told Jael earlier, the man who shot her wasn’t a shapeshifter, pure or were. That would explain why Ferguson said ‘we’ weren’t involved. However, I’m not ready to rule out the shooter being one of the normals who either works with the lycans or who wants one of the pack to turn them. The latter might explain why Ferguson said no one who looks to the pack hurt Mac.”
Jael nodded. “There are normals who have learned or suspect lycans exist and want to be one of them. I blame movies and some of the damned books that have come out over the last few years.” She frowned before continuing. “Those are the ones who don’t look to the pack because they have no official ties to it. But they could be manipulated into doing whatever a pack member wanted simply with the promise of being turned.”
“Find out. Contact Mateo and General Flynn. Tell them what you’ve told us and ask them to use their resources to look into it,” Ellen instructed her. Jael pulled out her phone and stepped into the corridor to do as she said.
“As for you.” Jackson tilted Pat’s face up so she looked him in the eye. “I don’t want you taking any more risks like that. I understand you needed to make sure Ferguson and his people weren’t involved but you were lucky. If Branson had been there . . . Let’s just say I don’t want to think about what might have happened.”
Pat swallowed hard and nodded. The pack’s enforcer might be afraid of Mac, but she knew he wouldn’t think twice about trying to kill her or Jael, especially if he thought they presented a danger to his alpha.
“I know, but it had to be done and, with Mac hurt, it fell to me.” She shook her head before either Jackson or Ellen could say anything. “Jackson, when Mike died and you took over as the pride’s new alpha, you honored me by asking me to be your third. You kept Mac as the pride’s enforcer even though she is also an alpha. I didn’t object because I know she is better suited to the role than me. But with her hurt someone has to step up. I’m not Mac and I’m not the fighter she is, but I can do this. With your permission, Alpha.” She dropped to her hands and knees, head bent.
“I’ve never doubted you, Pat.” He reached down and helped her to her feet. “But I do insist you don’t take unnecessary risks. Not only has the pride suffered more than enough already but Mac will kill me if anything happens to you.” His voice caught slightly. Then he shook himself, as if doing so could shake away his fear for his wife.
“She’s going to be all right, Jackson.” She hoped. “Ellen?”
“We will discuss this further when Mateo arrives tomorrow.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Pat knew better than to argue, not that she wanted to. “There is something else.”
Jackson didn’t roll his eyes, but Pat had a pretty good idea he wanted to. “And that is?”
“You need to call a pride meeting. They know Mac’s been shot. Now you need to reassure them she’s going to be all right.”
“She’s right, Jackson.” Jael spoke gently. “They need to know Mac’s not as badly injured as the media is saying and they need to see you to believe it.”
“All right.” He rubbed a hand over his face, grimacing slightly at he did. “I’ll do it when we finish here. Someone will need to stay with Mac during the meeting.”
“I will and I’m sure Marie will be glad to as well,” Jael said.
“You’re going to need to be there, Pat,” he said before she could volunteer.
“Understood.” She blew out a breath. She hadn’t thought about that. But he was right, especially since she stepped up to fill Mac’s shoes temporarily. “What have the doctors said?”
“Not much more than her condition’s stabilized.” Jackson tilted his
head back, whether in prayer or trying to gather his thoughts, Pat didn’t know. “She regained consciousness twice more after Jael left to meet you at the station. Neither time for long.”
“Her body knows what it needs to do to heal, Jackson.” Pat reached for his hand, waiting until he looked down at her. “When she starts staying awake more than sleeping, she’s going to want to shift. Her jaguar will try to force it on her. We’re going to have to make sure there’s someone here with her to talk her through it until she’s strong enough to withstand the urge, at least until the doctor says she can shift.”
“I know.” He gave her hand a quick squeeze. “If you’ll sit with her for a few minutes, I’ll take Ellen and Liz downstairs to get something to eat. Moira came earlier and took the twins to the pub. She said she’d put them to work.”
Pat grinned at the thought of Mac’s younger brother and sister working at the Irish pub. It would keep them busy enough they wouldn’t have time to worry about their sister. It also insured they were well protected. The Irish Rose was the pride’s favorite place to hang out. She had no doubt a larger number of their people than usual would be there, hoping for news about Mac.
“I’ll pick them up when I pick up Brandon and Chelsea,” Jael said. “They can spend the night with us.”
“Thank you.” Ellen looked relieved to know her grandchildren wouldn’t have to spend the night at the hospital.
“Go get some dinner,” Pat said. “Jael and I will stay as long as you need us to.”
“We won’t be long,” Jackson promised.
She didn’t doubt it. She knew he wouldn’t leave Mac’s side one second longer than necessary until they knew she’d make a full recovery.
“Go on. We’ll send for you if she wakes.”
He nodded and held the door for his wife’s grandmother. A moment later, Pat followed them into the corridor, Jael on her heels. They waited outside Mac’s room as Jackson and Ellen convinced Elizabeth to leave her daughter long enough to get some dinner. Once they had, Pat moved to the far end of the room. A few moments later, Jael joined her. For a while, neither of them said anything. Instead, they watched Mac sleep, their breathing slowing to match hers.
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