by Marla Monroe
“Do you rent or own the place?” Eason asked, a thought hitting him.
“We’re making payments on the mortgage for the place,” Wren interjected. “It was a fifteen-year loan and we’ve managed to pay a little extra here and there. I think we have right at five or six years left on it.”
“What has that got to do with anything? There’s nothing special about it. We bought ten acres of land there at the edge of town where it backed up to a small wooded area. Figured we’d build the garage and have the land for shifting and running. We used three acres of it for the garage and left the rest grown up and wooded.”
“So there wasn’t a building on it before you bought it,” Warren said.
“No. It was just like the area behind it, filled with trees and undergrowth. Took us almost a full week to cut the ones that were in the way and dig out the stumps.” Mojave shrugged. “We did most of the prep work ourselves to save money. Once it came time to build, I hired a contractor to come in and do the rest. I didn’t want it falling down on top of us one day.”
“We knew how to prepare the land and do a few minor parts of the work, but Mo’s right. We aren’t professional builders so my brother always hired someone else to oversee the actual building part,” Wren told them.
“So maybe what Alex wants to get ahold of is the actual land. Maybe he knows something about it that you don’t,” Warren suggested.
“I don’t know, maybe. I just can’t think what it would be. We don’t own the mineral rights. Some guy in California owns those. All he would have to do is go to the country courthouse to find that out,” Mo told them.
“What about the land it backs up to?” Wren asked, looking at her brother.
“It’s nothing special either, that I know of. It isn’t protected, but the people who own it don’t allow hunting. Maybe he wants to have more access to safe places to run. He could have asked if his wolves could run, though.” Mojave just shrugged, sipping his whiskey.
Eason had trouble concentrating on what they needed to figure out with Wren’s emotions playing along his skin. It kept him so hyper aware of her that it pushed everything else to the side. This wasn’t helping Wren, though. He had to be in full control of his thoughts so he could add to the conversation and ideas.
Getting up from his place next to her, Eason walked over to the window over the small sink. Maybe that was part of his problem. The entire apartment was tiny and the kitchen even more so. With all of their combined shifter energies, his bears concentrated on their mate instead of trying to wade through the thickness of it all.
“Warren, I’m going to walk around outside to be sure there’s no one snooping around. I’ll be back in a minute.” He looked at Wren then back at his bondmate.
Warren nodded, letting him know he’d watch out for their mate. Eason was sure that Warren recognized how quick he’d latched on to Wren and was leaving the first line of her protection to him. Now that Eason was leaving the room, he’d be more aware of her needs.
Mojave didn’t say anything about his leaving. Eason could hear them pick up the conversation once he’d walked into the living area. Before opening the door, he sniffed and listened, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Even when he cracked the door, nothing changed in his initial assessment. The immediate area held no scent of wolf, just fading wild dog fragrances and the whiff of his and Warren’s bears.
The crisp autumn air held the promise of cooler temperatures ahead. Without the heady fragrance of his mate ruling his thoughts and emotions, the calming effect she had on him also began to wane. His bears rumbled, but didn’t immediately jump into a brawl. He spoke to them, reminding them that he needed to be able to function in order to keep her safe. He fed them what he was searching for in images and scents they would be able to grasp and understand.
While he let them lead in searching for anything that didn’t belong in the area, Eason probed his much clearer mind for what the wolves, or anyone for that matter, might be interested in with the African Wild Dogs. Why would the wolves kidnap the two wild dogs at the garage? Where had they gotten ahold of the tranquilizer they’d used? Had it actually been the hunters who’d kidnapped them and the odd wolf scent been separate from the hunters?
There were way too many questions without answers. They needed just one answer to separate who and what they were looking for. With so many variables, there was virtually no way to even make an educated guess and have any confidence that it might be right. Then there was the issue that none of them had noticed until Wren pointed it out. Alex really wasn’t as strong as he should have been to rule a pack of twenty-five much less seventy-five wolves. By keeping his guard close around him, he’d been able to project more power than had actually been his.
I’m not getting anywhere. All I’ve been able to accomplish is to clear my head of the happy fog Wren stirs up inside of me. When I’m near her, all I can think about is rolling myself in her scent and making her smile. Just what she does to my bears is enough to make me worship the ground she walks on for the rest of my life.
Eason stopped in midstride. When had he given in and decided to stay even once Wren was safe again? He didn’t remember making that choice, but he knew he had. The idea of never seeing her sweet face or hearing her teasing nicknames tore a part of him into tiny pieces. He wasn’t going anywhere. God help anyone who got in his way, or worse yet, harmed his mate.
But if he was going to be able to truly protect her and not merely react to an immediate threat, Eason was going to have to figure out how to tone down some of the effect she had on him.
“Maybe I can convince one of my bears to always be on alert like Warren is while the other one dotes on her like I seem to be doing.” Well, it was worth a shot anyway.
First they had to figure out what the wolves were up to and how the hunters figured into the equation. He wasn’t finding anything outside, so Eason figured he might as well go back to the apartment.
Just as he started to turn around, the scent of a wolf teased his nostrils. Eason froze and inhaled deeply with as little movement of his chest as possible so as not to spook the wolf who was probably watching him.
There was no doubt it was a wolf and the shifter didn’t smell of Alex’s supposed pack. Bears had a much better sense of smell than any other animal, including a bloodhound. In fact, seven times better. As a shifter, they had both bear and human qualities, so their sense of smell was a bit less than a natural bear, but still much better than a bloodhound—or wolf.
Eason let his bears sift through everything until he had a direction then walked at a right angle to it until he was sure he was past wherever the wolf might be hiding. A bear’s eyesight was as good as a human’s but they were very nearsighted, making it difficult to see at distances unless something was moving. More than likely the wolf was standing still to avoid being seen. That meant that Eason was going to have to rely on the scent until he was close enough to see the wolf with his human eyes.
As the scent grew stronger, Eason slowed to a creep. The instant he saw the wolf, his bears roared to life, wanting blood from what they perceived as a threat to their mate. It took all of his strength to keep from shifting as he approached the wolf. Evidently the surge in energy from his bears alerted the wolf to his presence. The shifter whirled to face him and instantly went down into a fighter’s crouch.
“What are you doing spying on the wild dogs?” Eason demanded, trying to limit the growl in his voice.
“Trying to figure out what their connection is to the wolves and you,” the shifter snarled back.
“You’re a wolf. That’s a crazy answer,” Eason snapped as he eased closer.
“Yeah, I’m a wolf, but I’m not with Alex. Alex isn’t even part of that pack. It’s supposed to be mine!”
Chapter Eleven
Wren missed Eason’s warm presence next to her. Warren’s scent and intense stare when he looked at her had her panties just as wet, but he also made her nervous for some reason. She thoug
ht it was because he would be the one she would butt heads with the most. Something told her that despite Eason’s almost dangerous aura, he would be putty in her hands.
Trying to concentrate on the conversation around her was much harder without Eason there to counter his friend’s no-nonsense attitude. Her wild dog strained at the leash she had her on. She wanted to either attack Warren or go search out Eason. She had no doubt that the end results with both of them was to fuck like crazy, but it was the getting there that she wasn’t quite sure on when it came to Warren.
“What do you think, Wren? Could that be what’s going on?” Mo asked her.
Wren’s face grew warm despite her best efforts to stop it. “Um, sorry, I was thinking to myself. What did you say?”
Mo actually laughed at her. Warren’s smug smile made her so angry she actually growled at him. That only made him grin wider.
I swear that once this is all over with I’m going to make Warren pay. He’s entirely too sure of himself. That won’t last long when I finish with him.
Wren lifted her chin and glared at him before turning to her still chuckling brother. “If you want my opinion then you’re going to have to repeat what you said. Otherwise, fuck off, Mo!”
“Sorry, birdie. I was wondering if like you say, Alex really doesn’t have the resources and wolves he says he has that maybe the entire situation is him trying to leverage over me to get the garage. It makes decent money, but nothing great. I’m sure if we put more time into it and expanded what we take in, we could do better, but we’ve been trying to keep a low profile and not call attention to ourselves like we’d have to do if we increased our mechanics and picked up business.” Mo’s expression had softened as he talked.
Wren had no doubt he was still laughing at her on the inside, but he was her brother and that was to be expected. As long as he refrained from enjoying himself at her expense, she could let a little brotherly teasing get by.
God, if only he would find his mate. First, I would be so ecstatically happy that I’d hug them both and dance around like a yappy Chihuahua. Then I’d take every opportunity to tease him relentlessly.
But that didn’t look to be too promising at the moment. So Wren settled down to answer his question. She figured Mo already knew the answer but had just been testing his theory that she hadn’t been listening. She had no doubt that he had a good idea of where her thoughts had been. They knew each other too well.
“I really don’t think so. If that had been his original plan, losing me as a mate so he had our pack to continue working the garage wouldn’t work for him. He doesn’t know the first thing about how to run one, much less how to change the oil in a car. I doubt any of the few wolves we’ve seen could either. They struck me as snobbish pricks that couldn’t pick their noses without help,” she said.
Warren burst out laughing. “Baby girl, you sure have a way with words. I love listening to you explain things.”
“Shut up, honey monster,” she snapped.
He opened his mouth to say something but the sound of the front door opening and banging against the apartment wall had them all jumping to their feet in fighting stances.
Eason stepped into the room so fast Wren decided he must have been running when he entered the apartment. There was excitement in his eyes, but not the fun kind. If she had to describe what she saw, she’d call it the kind that you’d see in a fox’s eyes at the instant he smelled his prey beneath the snow.
“I think we have part of the answers to all the questions,” Eason said. “At least we have one question answered.”
“What question and what’s the answer?” Warren asked, a wary expression on his face.
“Stephen, come in and tell them what you’ve told me,” Eason said as he looked behind him.
The instant the strange wolf stepped into view and his scent caught up with him, Wren knew what Eason was talking about.
“You’re the real alpha!” she shouted.
* * * *
Warren stared at the strange wolf and examined the scent. It was the one they’d noticed at the garage. This was the wolf who’d either tranqued the wild dogs or had been there about that time. He watched Eason’s body language to see if his brother was being forced somehow to bring the wolf into the room or if he was truly relaxed and at ease with the wolf having been behind him.
“You were at the garage. I recognize your scent,” Warren finally said.
“You’re right, Wren. I can smell pack scent and his Alpha energy is consistent. Why didn’t I realize Alex’s wasn’t real before now?” Mojave asked.
“We didn’t smell pack on him at the garage,” Warren reminded them.
“You didn’t smell Alex’s supposed pack on him. Neither did my guard,” Mojave reminded him.
“It doesn’t explain what he was doing there when someone drugged your wild dogs,” Warren insisted.
“If you’d all be quiet for one damn minute, I think he can answer some questions,” Eason finally interjected in a rather loud snarly voice.
Warren winced. He recognized that tone. He was struggling with his bears. He instantly relaxed his stance and nodded. “You’re right. Why don’t you sit back down and we’ll listen to the wolf.”
Eason nodded at Warren then at the wolf he’d called Stephen. Then his bondmate walked over to the table to urge their mate to sit down next to him. Everyone relaxed a little, but Warren reserved the right to attack the strange wolf if he wasn’t happy with what the male had to say. He was pretty sure from the way the wild dog’s alpha vibrated next to him that Mo was of the same mind.
“Please tell us what you’ve told Eason.” Mojave slowly took a seat and nodded at the stranger.
“My name is Stephen Eldridge. I’m the true alpha of the Glacier Pack. Alex is an imposter and is holding my wolves who are still alive, including my sister, against their will,” the wolf shifter said with enough righteous venom in his voice to kill an elephant.
“We’ve never sensed you around here before. Why are you suddenly here now, after at least five years?” Mojave demanded with a frown.
“Alex poisoned me and left me to die up in the mountains. I nearly did, but some old cougar shifter took me in and healed me. Don’t know what he gave me, but as nasty as it was, the poison didn’t have a chance,” he told them.
“But it’s been five years,” Warren repeated, still unsure about the wolf.
“It took me almost two years to fully recover. I was weak and couldn’t shift for the longest. Once I’d recovered enough to seek the bastard out, the shifter who healed me and cared for me got sick and eventually died. I couldn’t leave him alone after all that he’d done for me. I stayed with him until the end then buried him as he wished. Now I’m back and I want vengeance and my pack back.” In that moment, Warren did believe him. The fire in his eyes said it all.
“What happened to my wild dogs at the garage?” Mojave asked.
“I don’t know for sure. I didn’t arrive until after it was over,” he explained.
“How did you even find out in the first place? Why didn’t you warn us?” Wren asked.
Warren ran his hand lightly down her arm to offer her comfort. He wasn’t sure if he succeeded or not since she didn’t seem to be aware of him. That hurt, but he understood that her family was in danger and they hadn’t formed a bond yet.
“I’ve been watching Alex and what little of the pack I can find. I overheard him talking to someone on the phone about picking up a wild dog in exchange for something. It wasn’t until he’d hung up and started talking to one of his guard that I realized someone was going to the garage to kidnap a wild dog. I tried calling the garage to warn whoever was there, but no one answered.”
“Who is Alex working with?” Mojave asked.
“I’m not sure, but they’re human, so I’m guessing hunters,” Stephan said then shrugged. “It really doesn’t matter. They’re bad humans no matter what their flavor.”
“Agreed,” they all murmured tog
ether.
Warren knew they had a piece of the puzzle with at least a couple of answers, but it still left a lot of unknowns and even more questions.
“Why did Alex want you dead and what good does it do him to take over your pack? He isn’t strong enough to control them, yet somehow he’s doing it.” Warren said.
“Sometimes a wolf doesn’t like that they aren’t strong enough to be alpha or actually think they are and want what they don’t have. I don’t know what has motivated him,” Stephen said, wiping his hand over his mouth. “I tend to think he’s just crazy. As for how he’s controlling the pack? I don’t think he really is. I can’t locate the majority of them. He’s either killed them all or has them hidden away—locked up somewhere.”
“But why?” Wren asked in a soft voice.
Warren watched her as she seemed to be thinking hard about something. She might even have been asking the question of herself and not Stephen. It worried him that his little wild dog might be figuring something out. She was just spunky enough to go out on her own if they didn’t keep a leash on her until this was all over.
He exchanged glances with Eason, trying to convey that he should stick to their mate like glue. Evidently his bondmate had already come to the same conclusion. He had eased over to stand right behind her. She wouldn’t be able to get up from the table without bumping into him.
“Why take over a pack you can’t hold only to kill them off or hide them away? What is he getting from his positon as Alpha of a nonexistent pack?” Wren murmured under her breath.
Warren leaned over to whisper in her ear. “What are you thinking, baby girl? Have you got an idea?”
She looked over at him as if she’d forgotten he was there for a second and shook her head. “Let me think some more. I don’t want to bring it out in the open with the wolf since we don’t really know him.”
Warren nodded as if he agreed, but actually all he could think about right then was how much it bothered him that she didn’t seem to be as affected by him and Eason as they were by her.