“It won’t work,” Talon stated. “Unless we have an alpha in there, every shifter will die. Prison won’t work for them. That’s why we abide by the ancient rule of putting them down when they are caught. From experience, we know that’s the only way.”
“Experience?” Garrett asked, his brow pushing forward in confusion.
“Thousands of years ago, shifters were everywhere,” Talon explained. “The humans are calling them rogues, but our ancestors called them ‘Gadaí’. They were thieves and murderers. This is how the Guardians began. They were tasked to protect the prides and packs. Unfortunately, the Gadaí were strong due to the power of their alphas using their magic to make them indestructible. Well, the Guardians, with their alphas’ command and magic, were equal opponents. There was a terrible war and a lot of shifters died. This is why we stayed hidden until a few years ago. It was easier to hide among the humans than be known. We didn’t need the humans knowing we were real. They would’ve killed off what was left of us. Coming out in this era was scary. We knew the humans were more open-minded nowadays. I think it’s the only thing that kept us from being rounded up and killed by the government.”
“Talon,” Garrett paused as he gathered his thoughts, “it might be time to come clean with the government about your kind and the powers you have over your people. They should know about the history of the Gadaí, too.”
“I told them in the press conference years ago that a shifter must have a leader, and without one, the shifter will die, but I never elaborated on the subject.”
“You must do that now,” Garrett pressed.
“I don’t like the humans having so much information about us,” Talon snarled, slamming his fist onto the top of his desk in frustration.
“What are you going to do when you have a lion or a coyote in captivity with no alpha and he dies?” Garrett asked. “Do you know how much backlash the government and the shifters will get? You’re looking at a witch hunt for the shifter community if that happens. The public will be out for your heads. They won’t know who is good or who is bad. This could be life or death for your pride.”
“Fuck,” Talon growled. “What the hell am I supposed to do?”
“Tell them,” Garrett urged.
“There has to be rules set in place.” His beast prowled inside his mind. He had to calm himself. The magic he carried was seeping out, and he could already feel the uncertainty rolling through his pride.
“There would need to be an alpha inside who could run a prison,” Garrett offered. “The only way to do that would be to tell them, Talon.”
“I don’t even know of any alphas who would volunteer to run a prison full of rogues.” Talon began to pace, calming his beast. “Since they’re being forced into this, why are we imprisoning them? Giving them the alpha’s blood would reform them.”
“It must be done,” Garrett insisted. “It’s the only way the humans believe they can stop the rogues.”
Talon knew he was right, and it was something that needed to be addressed when he gave his final answer. Meeting with the pride was first on his agenda. Secondly, he had to set up more security on his land, and lastly, he’d go to the government and tell them everything.
But there would be demands and safeguards put in place before he agreed to do anything.
Noah sat at the kitchen table of the alpha’s home, accepting a plate of food from Maria. June hurried a few cubs into the nursery after they’d spent some time playing in the snow. Things had changed for him since he’d left Landon at the home he shared with his brother. His beast had been prowling, begging for him to return to the male.
It didn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that Landon was his mate. The shock of it floored him, and he didn’t know what to think. His beast knew, but it was tricky. The human male was still scarred on the inside and out from his abduction. There was no telling when he’d be ready for a relationship.
Oh, what was Noah thinking? He wasn’t ready for one either. No one, except for his mother, knew who he really was, and that secret had died along with her. She’d accepted him, and while he knew his pride would too, the thought of shocking them all by telling them he was gay sent chills up his spine.
He didn’t want to be the center of attention. Noah liked being a regular Guardian. He didn’t have any alpha genes…and thank the gods for that. It wasn’t in his nature to lead. He wanted to protect and live by the rules set by his leader. His Guardian status was a prideful moment for him and his family. He’d won during the Summer Solstice fights and had gladly accepted the offer when his father gave it to him.
Heavy footsteps sounded from the back porch, announcing the arrival of a pride member. He chuckled when he heard Nova giving Winter a tongue lashing for being overbearing.
“I will not freaking fall, Winter Blue,” she snarled. “I’m barely pregnant. If you’re going to act like this, again, during the entire time I’m carrying this cub, I may just geld you!”
“Woman,” he barked, letting the door close behind him. Nova didn’t reply as she rounded the corner into the kitchen. Her eyes lit up as she made her way over to the table. For a second, Noah wondered why she was so excited to see him, but it only took a second to realize that wasn’t the case.
“Oh, my gosh, there’s pie,” she hummed and reached over his plate to pick up a dish he didn’t even notice was there. “Hi, Noah.”
“Nova,” he nodded. “Winter.”
The door opened again, and he heard Savage’s unmistakable growl as a scent washed over him. It was similar to the scent Nova carried, and Noah smiled brightly as Mary Grace entered the kitchen, eyeing the pie plate in Nova’s hand. “Oh, please tell me you’ll share.”
“Congratulations, man!” Winter boasted as he slapped Savage on the back. The scent of pregnancy in the air was calming, and for once, Noah basked in it. They were facing possible rogues invading the area, and the moment of peace was welcomed.
Soon, the kitchen was filled with females, doting over Nova and Mary Grace. They laughed and teased about being pregnant at the same time again, making the two males puff their chests out in pride.
“Congratulations,” he said to Winter and Savage, shaking their hands. “I’ll see you all at the circle later.”
He gave a short wave to the females and left the house, stepping off the back porch into the cold, wet snow. Thankfully, it’d stopped snowing and the sun was trying to peek out from behind the clouds. Noah should let his beast free so he could run. It was easier that way.
He needed some time to think about what his panther was telling him. He didn’t know how the others dealt with finding their mates, but Noah knew whatever was going on between his beast’s need for Landon and the male was going to have to be done delicately.
Talon stood in the center of the training mats in their facility, eyeing all of his Guardians and Protectors. They’d accepted his decision to work with the FBI to round up the Gadaí, and the government had set up a facility to house the rogues while they were broken from the alphas that controlled them.
An alpha, Gabriel Jackson, and his sole Guardian were assigned to them, and the only meeting face-to-face Talon had with him up until now was via a video call the night before. Both men were known to Talon, although they’d never met in person. Talon’s father had known Gabriel’s father many years before, but that was the extent of their connection.
They’d come from a small town in Montana. The alpha had lost his small pride to the same sickness that took Talon’s mother. The only ones left were the alpha and one of his Guardians, Odin Moss. They’d accepted the job offer and immediately began work to set up in an old, nearly abandoned town in Colorado.
Talon glanced at the sheriff, who was lined up against the far wall with all of the agents and the two shifter males. Garrett gave him a short nod, letting him know all was good. Talon had met with the sheriff earlier in the day, making sure he hadn’t had any visions of ominous things to come with the human authorities. Garrett
had assured him all was well even if he couldn’t see anything that happened with the paranormal. Talon knew they were going into this fight against the Gadaí blind, but he couldn’t let innocents be hurt.
“I’d like to introduce you to Gabriel Jackson. He will be the alpha who will be taking on the task of getting these rogues out from under the Gadaí alphas’ control. His Guardian, Odin Moss, will be his second-in-command. The agents are here with packets detailing the laws we must follow when it comes to apprehending these rogues. I suggest you study these packets and ask questions should you have any.”
Talon waited for the agents to hand out the information to his Guardians and Protectors. He noticed Odin and Gabriel exchange looks when the envelopes were handed off to his females. While he knew his pride was forward in their thinking, he also knew others might have an issue with a female Protector helping out when needed. He still upheld his decision to have the females protect his home, and none of them would be out on patrol for a while. He wasn’t going to test his mated males too soon into their agreement with the human authorities. If he let one of the Protectors go out in the field, he’d have his own set of rogue males to contend with as soon as the females left their land.
“The government has been briefed on our ancient laws,” Gabriel informed them all, stepping away from the wall. The alpha was a big son of a bitch with short-cropped hair. The two-toned brown and black colors were natural, and it wasn’t hard guessing the alpha’s species was that of a tiger. His voice was deep, and his brows rose to a point when he flashed his canines as he explained the new laws they were required to uphold. “Those laws won’t apply in this day and age.”
“There will be no killing of the rogues,” Agent Klein stated as he joined Gabriel, keeping a safe distance. “They must be rounded up and brought to the facility we have beside the main jail in Memphis. After they are processed, a plane will take them directly to Mr. Jackson.”
“The target is to find out who their alphas are,” Gabriel continued as he paced. He wasn’t much older than Talon, but anyone could tell he’d been in his position for a long time. It was rare to find such a young alpha. “We can redeem the rogues with my blood. They are being forced into this work, and our main goal is to get them free and stop the alphas ruling them.”
“We will go after these alphas as we get information on them.” Agent Murdock walked over and accepted one of the packets from Odin. The male still gave off a scent Talon didn’t recognize, and it was driving him mad not knowing what was going on with the FBI agent. He didn’t see the male as a threat. He was sure if the male was there to harm them, Garrett would’ve already sensed it.
“What will happen to the alphas?” Savage asked, tucking his packet under his arm. Talon’s largest Guardian crossed his arms, his muscles bulging with the need to fight.
“They will be tried for their crimes,” Gabriel stated, his authority apparent by the way he held himself. “We have a dedicated jail for them. Once their packs or prides are round up and given my blood and the alpha no longer has control over them, we will move the Gadaí to the facility in western Colorado.”
Questions were raised about the town and the jail for the alphas, and Talon stepped back to talk to Garrett while his Guardians and Protectors quizzed the agents and alpha on the new rules.
“How safe is this?” Talon mumbled, wanting to hear from the lawman. The prison for the alphas would have to be extra careful due to the shifters’ strength.
“Very,” Garrett chuckled.
“The alphas can’t stay in collars for the rest of their lives. Do they have a plan to allow them to shift every few weeks?” Talon asked.
“Gabriel has informed them,” Garrett nodded.
“Those alphas will be sent to the prison until they can have a trial,” Garrett advised. “But I assure you, they won’t be leaving. There is enough evidence to hold them there for the rest of their lives. Some of the crimes are so bad, they could be sentenced to death.”
“So, do the humans in the town accept the shifters?” Talon asked just as the meeting was breaking up.
“It’s practically a ghost town,” Garrett shrugged. “There are only a handful of humans who still live there, mostly off grid. They stay to themselves and don’t cause trouble.”
“Good,” he replied. “I hope this works.”
“Me too,” Garrett sighed as the other alpha approached, shaking their hands on his way out the door.
Talon walked Gabriel, Odin, and the agents back to his home and office to gather their belongings. “I guess my men will see you all starting tomorrow morning.”
“We have the shift list you provided,” Agent Tabor announced as he reached out to shake Talon’s hand. “Let’s try and clean up this city.”
Chapter Four
Landon flipped on the lights of his practice as he opened up three days later. The pride had been preparing for their new duties with the FBI. He was on edge, afraid the rogue shifters would make their way to Olive Branch once word got out about the Shaw pride, but Noah had assured him they would be safe.
Sophia was being escorted to the office by one of the younger Guardians, Malaki. He had been tasked with watching over them until the rogues in Memphis were detained. When they arrived, she fired up the computers at the waiting room desk, and the Guardian quietly began checking out the office, looking for exits and safe places to hide in case of an emergency.
Two nights ago, Talon had held a meeting, giving them details about the new assignment. The local sheriff, Garrett Lynch, was in attendance, and he backed up the alpha’s promise that the pride would be watched over by not only him, but his deputies as well.
Between the Protectors and the Guardians, there would always be someone on duty at the pride. Talon had assigned ten of the Guardians to work with the government. Their rotations had started the day before. As it was, they were left with six Guardians and three Protectors to watch over the pride alongside Talon. He’d chosen not to go into battle with the rogues because of his importance to the pride.
“I’d like to have Savage come over and install a different door to your office,” Malaki suggested as he tapped on the hollow door to his office. “That would be a perfect spot for a safe room.”
“There are no windows in there,” Landon reminded him. He’d specifically asked the builder to keep the room windowless because of his concern about break-ins.
“That’s why I like that room so much,” Malaki pointed out, running his hands through his short, blond hair. “I’ll contact Savage and have him come by after his shift.”
Savage was one of the Guardians tasked with hunting rogues. Landon felt bad about having the shifter come to work on his building after his shift, but he also wanted a safe place in case the rogues came.
“Thank you, Malaki,” Landon said, reaching out to shake his hand. Malaki hesitated, but accepted the handshake. Landon wondered why the male didn’t want to touch him, but he had to remember the shifters weren’t quite like the humans. Touch was an integral part of their lives. It was probably the same reason why Noah refused to touch him, too.
Shaking off images of Noah, Landon made his way out to the reception desk and took a seat next to Sofia. Malaki was around, but he kept his distance from the patients. They were uneasy around the shifter since he was a predator.
The other two women who worked for him, Sage and Lillian, were already there, preparing rooms for the upcoming visits and checking on the animals they had kept overnight for observation. The overnight nurse, Amaya, waved while she covered a yawn. “Everyone did fine. I’ve completed all of their charts, too. I’m going to go home.”
“Get some rest and thank you,” Landon called after her. She was a damn fine addition to his practice, and she preferred to work nights so she didn’t have to deal with people very much. He didn’t know what her story was, but he was sure it was as bad as his. The scars on her arms told him more than anything else.
The first animal came in, and thei
r day began. By the time they locked the doors that evening, Landon was exhausted. He’d had trouble sleeping the night before, and it was wearing him down.
Luckily, Olivia was off work today and would be taking over cooking dinner. He could rest until Dane came off his shift working the gates at the pride. Cole was working the closing shift at the bar, and Landon decided to stop by there on his way home since Malaki was in charge of getting Sophia home safely.
When he arrived, Jade, Booth’s mate, was sitting at the end of the bar with her back to the wall. She was one of the female Protectors, but instead of watching over the pride, Talon had put her in charge of security at The Deuce while her mate was working the day shift with the agents and police up in Memphis.
“Hey Landon,” she beamed as he entered the bar, grabbing a stool a few seats away. The last thing he wanted to do was be close enough to touch her. With their strange reaction to being touched by a male not mated to them or blood family, Landon wasn’t going to take any chances. He’d been told it was very painful for the females; how the contact would feel like they’d touched fire.
“Hey.” He nodded, giving his brother a short wave when he looked up from grabbing a beer out of the cooler for a customer. Cole nodded in his direction and took the money from the patron.
“What brings you by?” Cole asked once he was able to get free. His brother already had Landon’s favorite beer in hand and cracked the lid, sliding it over. Landon handed his money over and dropped a twenty-dollar bill into the tip jar despite his brother’s frown.
“I thought I’d get out for a minute,” he said with a shrug, not really lying. He was trying his hardest to get back into being comfortable with mingling in public. It wasn’t as hard as it used to be, but he took his time and calculated the places he felt safe, and The Deuce was one of them. “Wanted to hang with you for a minute, too. I haven’t seen you much.”
Noah (Rise of the Pride, Book 10) Page 4