by Erin R Flynn
“We haven’t had sex with her,” Eugene explained when confusion filled the air. He moved his other hand to my stomach and kissed my shoulder. “We’re still hunting her, and we still chose her.”
“And it certainly wasn’t only sexual,” Axel added. “The reaction some of you have had to her and the changes pushed us out the door. Trying to mate me off for an alliance for you was the last straw.”
“So that blows your bullshit up all over the place,” I taunted. “I didn’t melt them to my will with sex. We’re still hunting, and we might be for a while.”
“Really?” Axel asked, not able to hide the disappointment in his tone as I pulled away.
“We’ll see, my tiger,” I chuckled, a few others as well. “All of you team leaders have been trouble from the beginning, but you two—”
“Three,” a deep voice huffed from my left.
I blinked at Ari, the elephant shifter team lead I’d met in New York that my wolf had such a strong reaction to. She did again, making it clear she wasn’t happy I didn’t call him. I held up my hand. “Don’t. Just don’t. I’ve aired enough personal and embarrassing stuff in front of my boss and the president for one trip to handle this.”
“And I sent you on an assignment because she asked I make sure you weren’t here,” Haton hissed.
He shrugged. “I made sure to finish fast.” He glanced over my shoulder to the humans before meeting my gaze again. “Several have said the reaction was only me, that you didn’t feel it too or—”
“That’s your fault for running your mouth about personal stuff,” I snapped.
Ari licked his lips and shook his head. “No, it was in defense, as Barry started shit, and I had questions to answer as to why I wanted to visit Chicago when they were worried you’d steal more of us for the FBI. I was saying it was personal and needed.”
“Don’t,” I whispered when he moved closer. “Don’t do this, and not in front of them, and I’ll let you visit.”
“Admit you feel it too.”
“I don’t know what I feel,” I snarled, storming over to him and shoving at his chest. “I don’t know what this is, but something is going on with my wolf. I’m still new, so stop pushing my buttons.” He opened his mouth, and I let my power flare until he bared his neck to me. “I am Alpha here. If your fucking pride is so important, then I would never want you in my life anyways.”
“It’s not pride,” he whispered, letting out a slow breath. “It’s rare. As you said, it’s not what you’ve felt before. I’m sorry I was a dick, but I needed to see you. I needed to.”
“What are you feeling?” Eugene asked gently. “We weren’t with you when you met him. You felt a spark like you did when we met, right?”
I shook my head. “I felt intrigue with Axel because of his eyes and knowledge, and then I found out he was a good person and fun to tease. I’m not a swoony woman. You were so damn serious, but we got to know each other when you helped me out. You’re both ridiculously hot, but this isn’t—it’s more like…” I trailed off and glanced at Dain.
“You know he should be in your life as you knew for me,” he offered.
I shook my head. “No, this is just my wolf. She was pissed I would walk away from him after meeting him instead of taking him up on his offer. It’s not full moon hormones or—she’s angry I didn’t call him. She’s about twenty seconds from shifting and throwing a fit unless I say he can really visit.”
“Your animals are courting,” he explained. “Your wolf scented his elephant, and just like you can feel sparks with a man or that desperate pull towards someone, your wolf does. He’s right that it’s rare. I do know that Alena and Zeno felt that when they met.”
“Oh fuck,” I whispered, glancing between him and the elephant. “Fuck. I don’t need more men, Dain. Even I can’t brush off the harem comments. There’s only so much of me to go around, and I have a full fucking plate.”
“I couldn’t always be around,” Ari cut in. “Just let me visit, Alpha.”
I growled when my wolf yipped. “Apparently she’s going to answer for me. Fine, you can visit, and I’ll take some vacation time, but I am not agreeing to that musth thing.” He agreed, which was enough for her, but then I was completely out of patience. I stormed over to the wolf elder and lifted him by his hair. “Pick which bite I give. Your nape, or acknowledge I’m stronger and take my bite.”
“You’re stronger,” he bit out.
I felt my teeth extend, and I sank them in his neck, taking a bite like with a chunk of flesh and everything. I went to the other two and did the same, not offering to claim them, even if the one wanted me. I spit their flesh and blood back at them before turning on the fourth one I wanted the apology from.
He held up his hands in surrender. “I apologize. I should have told Haton, but she doesn’t like me, and that felt like choosing sides between parties sort of, and she’s got a lot of people who are not her fan.”
“Because the council is sexist,” she snapped. “And I don’t dislike you. I like that you’re new and didn’t start shit like the wolf elder or blab we all suck at our jobs like others. You also don’t say your piece. This isn’t a job you can be neutral in. Figure out what you stand for.”
He flinched. “You’re not wrong, but I also wanted to learn more before I start spouting opinions, as I’ve seen too many boast they have all the answers and know best, and then they learn more and have to backtrack or lie. I wanted to make sure I was right when I opened my mouth.” He gestured to me. “This is my first time meeting her. People ask me to take a side, and I’ve never met the damn woman.”
“Fair enough,” Haton and I said at the same time, but I continued as I took off my shirt that now had blood all over it, using it to clean up my face. “Dain, sorry, could you—” A shirt and water bottle appeared in my hand. “Thanks.” I quickly cleaned up and went to put on the shirt, frowning but then feeling amusement from Laila. I glanced over at her. “Really? I haven’t done enough that’s embarrassing today?”
She shrugged, and I sighed, putting on the unprofessional shirt, growling when it stopped just below my bra. She burst out laughing, several others finding her amusing and the break in the tension needed.
I thanked her when she made a real shirt for me appear, switching them and not commenting about the amount of cleavage showing. Carter still had my jacket after all.
“You were sent on an assignment as well,” Haton growled.
I turned in time to see Dain throw a side punch and smash in Barry’s face. He was the bear shifter team lead that had been an absolute douche to me in New York and had some issue with Eugene. Blood was pouring down his face as he fell to the ground.
“That’s for what you said to my wife when I was not at her side,” he told him, using that fairy word for “wife” and giving him a chilling look.
“That was hot,” I blurted, smiling when his lips twitched. I caught Galvin’s shocked look and shrugged. “You say Brian and I work well together because we’re different sides of the coin. So are Dain and I. My temper is a hot Chicagoan one. His is ice cold. The temperature probably dropped in the room by ten degrees, and now he’ll calmly apologize to me for hitting him when Barry deserved one from me.”
“You can still hit him, my love,” Dain murmured before pulling up his suit pants so he could squat down in front of the bear. “Say one more disparaging thing about my wife or spread your bile, and I will directly challenge you to clear her honor. You know what that means to a fairy, yes?”
“That’s only if you’re mated,” someone argued.
I cleared my throat and got squirmy. “He’s my consort. That’s how—he mated me. He’s my husband. Not—we haven’t filed legal paperwork, but—”
“Do they get so involved with every Alpha and practically stalk them, Thomas?” the president asked, and I gave him a grateful look.
“No, and neither does our council, and while both should do better on checking in, she’s making waves, which
always draws attention,” Apollo explained. “And as the egos you are used to in politics, they see her as young, female, and thus weak and easy to control or lead astray. Plus, she keeps amassing wealth and power.”
“I try not to,” I reminded him, rolling my eyes when several people chuckled. I glanced to Barry. “I gave you a pass once. You disrespect me here where that would be looked down on, and I’ll lay you out and then let Eugene grind whatever ax he has with you and watch the show.”
The bear bobbed his head, and Dain stood before glancing at Haton. “A lot of the rumors came from him.”
“And lies that he got them from the dire wolf, as he’s rather jealous that people miss him and most think he’s basically taken over all your power,” Laila added, sounding both bored and elegant, which was something I wished to learn.
Eugene snorted. “I’m not the boss of her unless it’s her rehabilitation, and Jonik has taken over most of that.”
“Oh, have they been interesting workouts?” Laila teased me when I felt my face flush.
“Yes, sometimes, but I was thinking of—he does this thing—” I growled, knowing she would push it. “He would just grab my chest and say the girls were filling back in. Or my butt. He gropes me and mutters it’s fuller or heavier to where it was. I mean, he does it for my arms and—he just grabs me and doesn’t bat an eyelash…” I blinked at Eugene. “You knew.”
He moved his hand over his face to try and hide his reaction. “Yes, Sera, I knew exactly what I was doing. I’d catch you checking and frowning, feeling your sadness or worry if you could get back to you. I’d grab you, and you give the sexiest little yelp and get all flustered, totally forgetting what you were worrying about.”
“That’s sweet, and I hate you,” I grumbled, narrowing my eyes at Haton when she couldn’t stop laughing. “Fine, see if I invite you to visit again.” I turned to Dain. “So we’re punching men who are mean to me now?”
“He was more than mean to you, Sera.”
I gave a slow nod. “Fine. Maybe I should take you to dinner tonight to say thank you?”
His eyes flashed with a mix of emotions, giving me a small smile. “I could see if that new Spanish place, Salero, can fit us in.”
I shook my head. “You just like to hear me speak Spanish and know I will and we can talk privately with all the innuendos you want.”
“Yes, but you also love the food and Spanish places, so my mind went to that first,” he replied. He gave me a few fast blinks, and I knew it was time for another part of the plan.
“Will you check with Maya that she’s got Topher? Who’s on baby duty tonight?”
“Baby duty?” Haton asked, her eyes going wide. “You—there’s no way you had a child.”
“No, I adopted a family member,” I muttered, giving her a look to let it go. “He’s now Topher Thomas and everything done through court.”
“Congratulations?” she worried.
I shrugged. “I can finally change a diaper, but it wasn’t planned. There was a death, and the other option wasn’t really a fucking option.”
“Yes, your mother already abandoned one child, so her having another should never happen,” Dain seethed, playing his part. It wasn’t a lie. We were framing it so they drew the lines as they wanted.
“Wow, your heart races and you’re almost panicked,” Laila said, warning me I was on the border of feeling like a lie. “That good?”
“It hasn’t been two weeks, and no, I wasn’t ready for a newborn when I never wanted children and found out this year I can’t have them. Plus, he’s related to me, so that’s a target on him even if he’s not my son. I mean, now he is. He’s my son.” I let out a short bark of laughter. “The woman completely screwed up by the foster system has a child and no chance to prepare for it.”
“I asked Maya to come help,” Dain told her. “She won’t come out of retirement, but she will help us for now and to find a replacement.”
“I will ask and put out the word,” Laila offered, giving me a quick look she wanted more details later.
“Yeah, it helps having a nanny who’s been a nanny for, you know, centuries and can feel everything the baby does.” I blew out a harsh breath. “I’m very good at holding him in that wrap thing while on a treadmill reading reports and work. I’ve got that down on my own.”
“You do better than that.” Dain sent me a funny look and opened his mouth before I could reach him. “She’s freaked out by his belly button.”
I shuddered. “The alien finally fell off. I cannot be the only person who was freaked out by that.”
“Wait until you get squirted trying to change a diaper,” Galvin teased me, having a son and knowing I wanted off the topic, probably even that Dain and I were doing this on purpose.
“He got Brian,” I admitted, smiling brightly. “I ducked.”
“How many men in this room want her?” one of the councilwomen seethed, giving me a look of death. “Isn’t one of your mating candidates already a human you work for and now—”
“Over the line,” I growled. “Brian isn’t my boss anymore, and we weren’t anything real until we were the same rank. I’m a newer shifter, and even I know you don’t bust people on attraction, and he’s your guest helping all of us. People have mutual attractions all the time in the office and I’m sure here too.”
“Mutual?” several people said, coughed, gasped, and more.
I shrugged, looking anywhere but at Galvin. I knew he’d had thoughts about me, but if she was going to embarrass him, I was going to help however I could. “I’ve always thought him attractive.” I shrugged. “So what? He’s a bit…” I winced, and several people laughed.
“I’m over six hundred, and you were going to note he was a bit too old for you,” Dain teased me.
“Thanks, that helps. I meant—thinking as I used to—I saw him at Quantico and that was my thought then, okay? Leave it. He’s never remotely even flirted with me nor I him.” I narrowed my eyes at him. “Weren’t you trying to talk me into a dinner date? Should you keep pushing this topic?”
“So we’re taking a tour so we can go home?” Dain checked, glancing at Haton with a smile.
Uh-huh. I handed him the leashes to hold, knowing it would annoy the councilmen that much more that I let a fairy be in charge like they weren’t worth more attention or bother to me. Yeah, that was true though, so they could suck it.
10
“There are two prisons,” Councilman Antony, who was a senior councilman and elder of the hawks, explained as we moved into the first facility. “The larger for shifters is split into three sections—males, females, and prey of both sexes. The human one is split into male and female.
“Now unlike other prisons, those sentenced here actually repay their debt to society. There is no corporate interference or mismanagement or crazy of paying people while in prison like it’s company housing. We can’t promise rehabilitation—no prison truly can—but their balance sheet is better than when they arrive here.”
“Humans in the middle,” I ordered the others, guiding Galvin to walk in next to the president and the few security they had on either side of them before we blocked them next.
Eugene let out a heavy sigh and switched me to be inside more as well. “You’re Alpha, Sera.”
“It means I’m the most durable,” I grumbled. “I’m here as head of his security. If I was doing the boss thing like Queen Laila or Councilman Papadopoulos, then I would understand it.” He let out a slow breath and then stuck me on the other side of the president so I was closer… But his security was blocking me too. “You know, I just told a bunch of people you weren’t the boss of me.”
“Please,” he grunted and moved towards the front so he was going first.
I pinched the bridge of my nose, the president and Galvin looking like they were having a hard time not laughing, and I knew Laila and Apollo were.
“How does the system work?” Laila asked him. “You can’t possibly have some spell to mak
e them want to do good?”
“No, though that would be nice,” Antony chuckled. “We’re motivating. We have oversight but not much, and while we very much keep to this country’s laws for their citizens, and international ones for others—as we have shifters from around the world here—we know how to make them want to behave.”
I swallowed a laugh as I caught on. “Food. Every shifter I know is ruled by their stomach. There are no cameras here or someone whining there’s nothing fun for them to do in prison. You make sure it’s not dangerous and is safe, but it’s really not fun to be here.”
He smirked at me. “No, it’s not, Chief Thomas. And yes, we motivate them through food among other perks. If they don’t want to repay their debt, they eat the basic, bland, and required amount needed according to the prison doctors. That’s it. They stare at the wall of their cells otherwise. They get a daily shower and three meals and nothing more.”
“That would motivate me,” someone muttered, and I nodded.
“So what is the repayment?” Galvin asked. “They make items you sell to pay for funding?”
“No, we have other means for funding,” he explained. “Normally it’s assets seized of criminals, and as we don’t have your court system for anything to get tied up in, it’s fairly clean. We are asked to go in and handle certain situations with governments, as yours agreed for those cartel raids. There are some fines in certain areas, and there used to be more of that when we were hidden.
“The repayment they do is community service.” He glanced at me again. “The Beta of the Chicago pack you sent here helps turn books into brail for the blind. It’s a program through Chicago and thus, helping Chicagoans where he did the damage. We do our best to find programs in the areas hurt, but that’s only an option maybe half the time, so they still do something.”
I swallowed loudly, not having thought about him for a while. “You guys agreed to reduce his sentence, right?” I felt the questioning stares and sighed. “The old Alpha of Chicago was ordering new and weak wolves to infect women so they were weak and subservient, easy to control. One of the Betas hated it and tried to help a woman, adding his bite. It killed her instead.