“I just hope that we can put this whole dumb situation behind us,” Grant smiled at him. He hated apologizing, but Finn was actually a pretty straightforward and chill guy. Maybe he and Grant would even end up being friends down the road.
Finn agreed that they should just forget the whole thing even happened, and the two new friends walked back to the table where Annie and Lukas, ever the lovebirds, sat in wait for their cold beers.
“Man, if you didn’t slip up, I would’ve said something,” Annie said as they sat down again, a smile on her face. “Cause you have Britta’s scent all over you.”
“I left to get away from this conversation,” Grant groaned, though he was smiling. “I’ll leave again if I have to.”
“Okay, okay,” Annie laughed with Lukas and Finn. “We won’t say anything else. Promise.”
“Why did Hann call a last minute meeting?” Grant asked Annie. If anyone knew, it would be her. She was his only child, after all, and the two were very close. “Did something happen that we don’t know about?”
“Well . . .” Annie trailed off and took a swig of her beer, obviously trying to calm herself slightly and think about what she was going to say. “Michael showed up unannounced. I’ve learned that his showing up out of the blue is never really good for us.”
Grant nodded, a sense of fear striking his body all over. He thought of Britta, and he hoped everything was okay where she was. Because Annie was right: Michael, the Elder that kept an eye out for anything dangerous or potentially harmful to the Moonlight Pack, never just showed up. He ran a tight schedule, as did Hann, so the little impromptu meetings always sent fear waves through the pack, regardless of how big or small the issue was.
It was sad when Grant realized that Michael was in Maine more often than he wasn’t. Times weren’t great. Everyone knew that. But the pack had seemed to grow immune to what used to be a panic. The Moonlight Pack shifters seemed to just be used to rogue uprisings and potential murderers trying to enact some sort of revenge.
Grant hated that they had all become accustomed to this new world.
And he desperately wanted to call Britta and just make sure that she was okay. Now that they were truly something, though he still didn’t know what, he felt a constant stream of concern regarding everything she did.
It seemed to just then, right in that moment as the group talked about why Michael could be in Maine, hit Grant that Britta had a very dangerous job. She was to be the right-hand man to the next alpha in line–an alpha that, in this day and age, faced constant threats from outside rogues because of his relationship with a human woman.
Grant zoned off, though he nodded and at least attempted to listen to the conversation and contribute. He couldn’t stop thinking of Britta, though.
Chapter 17
“I smell Grant all over you,” Kato fake whispered to Britta as she walked into Hann’s house. She swiveled around and elbowed him in the gut where he stood behind her. She smiled when she heard him grunt softly from the blow.
Her face was red. Her mind was swirling with what she was going to say. But there was a huge smile on her face that hadn’t left since she got to Grant’s place. She didn’t think it was ever going to truly leave. She was happy. And when Kato saw her face, he sent her his own smile and pulled her into a half hug. Kato had been rooting for Britta and Grant to get together from the very beginning, and Britta felt like she should thank her friend for the advice and friendship he had given her, helping her get to the point where she and Grant could be together, happy, and in love.
Britta and Kato walked together deeper into Hann’s house, which was very quiet for that time of night. Ross was sitting on one of the couches and nodded when he saw the two walk in. Ethan walked in right behind the two, sitting on the couch with them. Britta, for a slight second, was surprised to see Ethan was there. But then she realized that he was an alpha, and he should be at these meetings so that he wasn’t in the dark.
Hann walked in with Michael and smiled when he saw the group before him. Britta felt like maybe the news wasn’t going to be as bad as she originally thought because of the easy-going smile Hann had on his face–though Hann always seemed to have that smile on his face.
“Hello, Britta,” Hann said, smiling at her as he walked into the living room. “I see Grant and you are doing well.”
Britta groaned and covered her face in embarrassment, and Kato and the whole room burst out laughing. She couldn’t believe her alpha just said that. And she couldn’t believe she didn’t think to shower or do something to try to get Grant’s scent off of her. The whole night had just been a whirlwind, and she felt like she was still living in a dream. An embarrassing one, at the moment.
Britta could’ve sworn that she felt Michael start laughing in that weird, whispery way the Elders communicate. Michael’s friendly laugh was so much better than the last Elder she heard laugh: Gabriel. His evil laugh in the forest as he tried to take Thea away still haunted Britta’s nightmares.
“We have called you all here last minute because there has been some recent development in a big uprising that is being organized as we speak,” Hann told them when everyone settled down. He sat down on the couch across from the four other shifters, his forearms resting on his knees as he leaned forward. Michael stood standing at the corner of the couch, his black robe and hood making every single part of his skin hidden.
“I believe I know where Gabriel is,” Michael told them when Hann motioned that he could talk and tell them what was said between them earlier in private. “I also believe I know what Gabriel is attempting to do.”
The four shifters seemed to sit forward in anticipation. This wasn’t bad news–this was good news. This meant that they were one step ahead of their enemies, and they could watch them and learn exactly what their plans were. Everyone seemed to be holding in their excitement as they realized that they could be putting a stop to the hell they’d been living in for the past few weeks.
Maybe everything would turn out okay in the end. Maybe everything horrible that had happened in the last few weeks would’ve been for a reason, and now, they would be the winning side. They would finally defeat the close-minded shifters and Elders that just wanted to bring destruction to the shifter society. They would finally win.
“Tell us,” Kato said, excitement clearly in his voice. Britta looked over to see his eyes shining. This was huge news for Kato. Gabriel had been the sole Elder to try to take Thea away and either kill her or wipe her memory because she was a human in the shifter world who knew more than she should. Kato had been longing for revenge and justice since that happened, and the idea that justice was within reach was enough to make him start thinking of all the possibilities Gabriel’s downfall would bring.
Maybe the society would eventually go back to how it was: a peaceful society.
“We–the Elders left that didn’t leave with Gabriel–have been tracking the movements of certain rogue shifters,” Michael began, folding his hands together in front of him so that Britta saw a quick flash of pale white skin. “There are some rogues out there that have a specific shared ideology. They are not insane killers like some are. They are calculated, and they have a hatred towards what we have been progressing towards. They’ve always been on our radar, since this has been an issue for a while. We just didn’t think it would get to the boiling point that it has gotten to currently.
“We saw an interesting travel movement by one of these shifters that we’ve always kept an eye on. He went to Scotland for no apparent reason for a few days, and then came back to the States. He has no connections in Scotland, and it seems he left no evidence that he was even there. He knew where he was going, and he made sure no one, like the other packs there, saw him. And then, when he came back to the States, something very interesting happened. He didn’t go back to where he was staying before. He went to Michigan.
“Now, this shifter has never been to Michigan. We started to do our research, and we discovered that this shi
fter, and a few others, are organizing a huge rogue uprising that has very expensive backing. They talk as if they are one step ahead of all of us, and they talk of a leader that is one of the strongest beings around.”
“Gabriel,” Kato nodded. Britta got the chills, as did everyone else in the room. The only one who might not have been affected was Ross, as he sat in the chair and just stared attentively at Michael and the group. The guy was so cool, calm, and collected. Britta hoped she would be able to master that self-control one day when she served as Kato’s right-hand man.
“Exactly,” Michael nodded. “There’s been a huge number of rogues moving to Michigan in the last few days and weeks. We knew this, of course, but there was the hope it would turn out like the other uprisings have–in their own self destruction. There’s the worry that this won’t happen this time around. With Gabriel’s help and backing, there is a much greater chance that this small uprising will rise and cause massive destruction. Destruction like we’ve never seen before.”
“Well, what are we going to do, then?” Ethan asked Michael and Hann. “We know what they’re doing and what they’re planning. How do we act now?”
“We have to be careful,” Hann told him, nodding. The smile was still on his face, though it wasn’t as big as it was before. “This could be our chance to get Gabriel once and for all. But if we act too fast, or too loudly, we’ll scare him off. We need to make sure that we have him there before we do anything too drastic.”
“That makes sense,” Kato nodded, scratching his face in nervousness, it seemed. “We need to make sure that he doesn’t know we’re on to him. So, we’re just gonna watch as all these rogues band together and attempt to bring destruction to all shifters in the world?”
“We’re not gonna just sit on our hands, Kato,” Hann told him, that easygoing smile back and comforting everyone around him. “Trust me. That’s the last thing any of us want. We just want this over, however, even if Gabriel is gone, that won’t just wipe out all the hate. Hate breeds in different places, and when anyone has the chance to attack some that are different to make themselves feel better, they will.”
“So, what are we going to do, then?” Ethan jumped in, his eyes concentrating on possible things that they could do to help.
“We’re going to send in some spies,” Hann said, leaning back in his chair and crossing his legs, as if he was just talking about what he was going to have for dinner. Hann looked straight at Britta when he said this, and she kept his eye contact, though she knew her face was full of confusion.
“If you would be so willing,” Michael stated, making Britta’s head snap up to meet his masked appearance. “We have chosen you, Britta, and Lukas as our two reconnaissance members.”
Britta didn’t know what to say. Her mouth was hanging open in disbelief, though she shut it quickly, so she didn’t seem too ridiculous. Her first thought went to Grant, which was ridiculous. This was a chance to help, and the fact that both an Elder and her alpha thought that she was good enough, and smart enough, to do this mission was crazy. She didn’t think she was anything special.
Did she really have what it took to accomplish this mission and bring an end to Gabriel’s mad reign?
She sure hoped she did. She could feel the adrenaline coursing through her veins at the very idea. And it wasn’t like she would be alone. Lukas would be there, and she felt comfortable around him. She knew that he was good, and he used to be a rogue. They could do this. She could do this.
A smile lit up Britta’s face, and she nodded. She didn’t think she could speak from the adrenaline in her blood.
“Good,” Hann replied, smiling as well. “I will inform Lukas later tonight. I would like you two to leave in two days time, if that’s okay?”
“Of course,” Britta nodded at him, breathing deeply.
They talked about some other things, and other small uprisings that had resolved themselves through self-destruction. Britta paid attention as best as she could, though her mind was elsewhere.
She kept on thinking how her life had changed so drastically. She was in the top-secret meetings with alphas and Elders. She was known by name by one of the oldest and most powerful Elders around. And she was being chosen to go on a mission by her alpha, a testament of his respect to her.
She felt like she was in a dream.
But then, her adrenaline seemed to dive down in a black pit, never to be seen again, when she thought of Grant. Just when things were getting good, and were right, between them, she was going to have to leave on a dangerous mission. She didn’t know how he was going to react, though she hoped that he would be as excited and happy as she was. Something told her that he wouldn’t, though. He would freak out and tell her that it was too dangerous.
And she understood why he would do this. She knew him better than he probably knew himself. He would think of his mother, and she hated that he would make those connections. A knife seemed to stab her heart over and over again as she thought of the pain he felt, and still feels, would always feel. And her going off on this mission probably wasn’t going to help.
But she needed to help out her pack. She needed to do everything that she could. She needed to make sure no one else died like Grant’s mother did. She would make sure that these innocent deaths would never happen again. Even if she lost her life in the process.
She would make sure of it.
Chapter 18
Grant found himself anxiously waiting for Britta in the middle of the forest. She’d called him a few minutes earlier after she was done with the meeting Hann had called, telling him that they should meet in the forest for a run. They hadn’t run together in a few days, and Grant missed it. And he wanted to see her more than he would ever admit.
He was more than a little curious about everything that happened at the meeting. He felt cold all over from the fear that something bad was coming this way, though if anyone looked at him, they wouldn’t see that fear at all. He kept it well masked. He just didn’t want anything to happen to Britta, and he wanted to see her and hear her say that everything was going to be okay.
Grant heard a branch crack underneath the weight of someone’s foot. He swiveled around and smiled when he saw Britta walk through the dense forest and into the little clearing of green that he currently stood in. Her blue eyes were shining bright, and her long black hair was tied into her usual high ponytail. She was wearing all black, and Grant couldn’t help but think that she looked like an angel come to get revenge on someone or something.
Even in all black, she was an angel to him.
“Hey, you,” he said as she came closer to him. She smiled as he pulled her into his arms, kissing her with all of the passion that he had kept locked away during the few hours that they were apart. Man, if he was having a hard time being away from her for only a few hours, he was going to have to get himself under control.
“Is it cliché to say that I missed you?” Britta asked when they pulled away, still in his arms.
“It’s never cliché to miss me,” Grant responded, squeezing her to him. “I’ve been told I’m a missable creature.”
“I bet,” Britta rolled her eyes. She laughed though, which caused Grant’s heart to quicken in pace for a few seconds. He loved her laugh more than anything in the world.
“How was the meeting?” Grant asked, hoping his voice came out even and not at all flustered like he truly was. He had been imagining the worst possible situations for the last few hours, and he wanted Britta to tell him that everything was, indeed, okay.
“Okay, don’t freak out,” Britta started. Grant’s heart dropped immediately, though he didn’t say anything and let her tell him while he stared at her in silence. “There’s this uprising in Michigan that is gaining more and more attention, and rogues from all over are setting up camp there. Michael thinks that Gabriel is the one that is funding and controlling everything there, and he thinks that, because we know this and we know that he is in Scotland right now, we have the opportu
nity to end this whole thing. Or, this whole thing with Gabriel at least.”
“Well, that’s great,” Grant said after a pause, a bit confused as to why he would freak out about that. He knew that there must be more she wasn’t telling him. “There’s more, I’m guessing . . . .”
“Yeah,” she sighed. “Hann and Michael want me and Lukas to go to Michigan.”
“For what purpose, exactly?”
Grant felt his heart drop. Going to the place where there’s a massive number of rogues who want to bring destruction and murder to every shifter in the world? Yeah, that didn’t sound like something he wanted his girlfriend to go to.
His girlfriend . . . was she even his girlfriend? He couldn’t imagine her being anything else, at this point.
“They want me and Lukas to go as spies. Gain some reconnaissance on what’s going on. See if we can find anything about Gabriel while we’re there.”
“Why can’t Lukas just go alone?”
Britta sighed and looked down. He knew Britta–she was probably ecstatic that she’d been given this opportunity from her alpha. She thought that she was gonna help every shifter and everything was going to be fine.
But Grant had been on the end result of what happened when things didn’t go as planned. And even though he knew that he should be happy if Britta was happy, he kept on thinking of the worst thing that could happen. It was a dangerous mission. And it could very well end in Britta’s death.
For a split second, Grant had an image in his mind of him holding Britta, who was bloodied all over. Dead. Grant shook his head to get the image far from his mind, resulting in his looking back into Britta’s bright-blue eyes.
He loved her. Realizing that she was leaving on a dangerous mission made him realize just how deep his feelings for her ran. He loved her more than he’d loved anything in this world.
Grant (Moonlight Wolves Book 3) Page 8