by Kym Grosso
“What?” Hunter asked, his blood pressure beginning to rise.
“Yeah, you know Ma and Pa. They loved a good cause. And Julian was nothin’ but. My parents moved around a lot. We weren’t always with Acadian Wolves. And Julian. I don’t know. He was always special. Strong as shit. The thing with the skin? Ma swore us to secrecy about that trick. She’d whip my hide now just for talking to you about it. There’re some family secrets you just don’t tell. I know the Alphas knew. Marcel was in on it but that don’t mean he went around tellin’ everyone. If this Willa’s glowin’, maybe they’re related.”
Hunter’s stomach clenched. Willa. “She’s still in danger.”
“I don’t know what to tell ya. Ma was kind of hush hush about things.”
Hunter closed his eyes, a rush of air escaping from his lungs. Their elders kept secrets. As an Alpha, he’d thought he’d earned the right to know all. After all these years, apparently, he didn’t. Shit.
“You don’t think your mom would care to elaborate at this point?”
“Hunter, my man.” Jake laughed. “You know there’s no way Ma is goin’ to tell you. She’ll tell you a million stories about Jules, but that’s about it. Even after his ass went rogue, she wouldn’t hear a negative word. Special. Unique. Blessed. That is what she’d call him.”
“And what would you say?”
“I’d say I was pissed. He’s my brother. I loved him. And then one day he just ups and leaves us. Doesn’t want to run with pack. Doesn’t even tell me where he went. I don’t know. I guess I see it a little differently now that I’m older. What if he thought he’d challenge the Alpha? Maybe he thought he’d kill Marcel? I still think that’s why he left. I know how that feels and lemme tell ya something, Hunter. It sucks. You and Tris off and went to other packs. When you don’t have any prospects, and something is tellin’ ya that you’re supposed to be Alpha when all you really want to do is stay with your family…it’s not easy.”
“Yeah, I hear ya. I guess for me though, I never got going rogue. I had a buddy go off a year before I left. He never said he got the call to challenge but one day he was gone too. But not everyone leaves because of that. Some choose to run rather than consistently submit. These aren’t good people.”
“For sure, but Jules is different. He’s got good intentions but the boy’s hellfire. He’s got this special thing going on. Trust me, if he’s staying in your house right now it’s because he wants to stay, not because you can keep him there. He’s not going to kill anyone if that’s what you’re worried ‘bout. Without reason anyway. I would like to hear more about this Willa chick. She’s essentially my sister.”
“Exactly. So, the next time you refer to her as hot, you might want to rethink that.” No one was going to think of her as attainable, because she was his.
“Hey, you don’t need to worry about me, bro. I’m mated. But you? You sound wrapped up in this she-wolf for only knowing her a few days. A little somethin’ going on?” Jake laughed.
“Yeah, no.” Definitely, yes. “Hey. I appreciate your help.”
“You bet. Tell Jules I said to get his ass to San Diego. He’s not that far.”
“Yeah, yeah. Will do.”
“Listen Alpha. If you need any help there, I’m not too far away, ya hear?”
“Thanks. You enjoy those waves.”
“You bet. Later.”
As Hunter clicked off his call, he heard shouting. “What the fuck now?”
He took off toward his study, the arguing between Viktor and his beta growing louder.
“Ah, there’s the boy wonder,” the vampire remarked as the Alpha entered his office.
“What the fuck is going on?” Hunter asked.
“Someone’s missing,” Remus yelled, fire in his eyes.
Hunter stopped cold, anger coursing through his veins. “Who?”
“Maggie Owen’s son, Adam,” Remus told him.
Viktor turned his attention toward the Alpha. “I’ve been explaining to the Neanderthal that while the rogues may have taken the child, you can’t trust everyone. The mother appears to have gone missing as well. He could be with her.”
“Is this true?” Hunter asked Remus.
“Yeah. I drove by and she’s not at her house. I stopped in town at her shop and it’s closed.”
“Witches aren’t the only ones influenced by evil,” Viktor noted.
“Did you stop by her house? Is it locked? Her car?” Hunter asked.
“She’s gone,” Remus responded. “I tried texting her but she’s not responding.”
“I asked you to have two guys run the land. Have there been any more reports of rogues in the area?” Hunter rounded his desk and fell back into his leather chair. As Alpha, he could sense all his wolves. No one in his pack appeared to be in peril. “If there’s nothing amiss at her house and her car is gone, she’s probably left to see her family. You know she goes to see her family in North Dakota every now and then. I’m not going to keep every pack member on a short leash. I’ve known Mags for a while now and she’s pretty independent. I also know you and she have been sniffin’ ‘round each other for a while. Did y’all get in a fight?”
“She’s not my mate,” he growled.
“I’ll reach out to her. I can tell you that as her Alpha I’m not feelin’ she’s in immediate danger. My wolves are good. But the ones I’m looking for…”
“We followed the scent of the rogues down to Munger Mountain. They either air lifted out or maybe took the Snake River.” Remus changed the subject.
Hunter glanced at a text that flashed onto his cell phone. “Sherriff says the human deaths are being investigated by the FBA. They’re classing it as a terroristic act.”
“Vampires are laying low?” Remus remained standing and rested his elbow onto the heavy stone fireplace mantle.
“Hope you don’t mind, but I checked on a few of the ones I met at the club. The ones that are alive.” Viktor sat in the chair across from Hunter’s desk.
“Obviously. Do we really need this joker?” The beta asked, a stone-cold expression fixed on his face.
Viktor flashed, materializing behind the beta. With his arm wrapped around his neck, the vampire’s fangs descended, grazing the wolf’s skin. “Don’t even think of shifting. I’ll drain you before you have a chance to shift. I’m going to say this once. Behave like a good doggie or I won’t think twice about killing you.”
“Jesus, Alpha. Get the bloodsucker off of me,” Remus coughed. He struggled to break free but couldn’t shake Viktor.
Hunter shot to his feet but didn’t make a move to intervene. “I don’t have time for this bullshit. Remus. Knock off the digs. Vik here is an ancient. And if you don’t know what the fuck that means I’ll spell it out for you. He can kill you within seconds and honestly as much as we’ve been through the past couple of years, you’re acting like an asshole. I just risked my damn life to get him outta Hell and I don’t need your shit. And you.” Hunter glared at Viktor. “Get the fuck off him. I need you to focus for five fucking minutes.”
“I don’t like him.” Viktor held tight to Remus, stroking his palm over the top of his head. “Saved by your Alpha. You’d better heel, or I’m afraid next time I won’t be so restrained.”
“Stop fucking around and let him go,” Hunter ordered.
“I’m going to give your boy there the benefit of the doubt but if he throws me any more shade, he’s going to be on his knees.” Viktor released the beta and instantly flashed back to the seat. He dug his fingers into the arms of the chair, glaring at Remus. “You need to send your dogs to behavior school.”
“Vik.” Hunter slammed his palm onto his desk. “Focus. Now.”
“Yes, yes.” Viktor casually brushed a wolf hair off the arm of the chair. “Continue.”
“Willa needs to go to Guatemala. I need you to flash us there then to New Orleans.” Hunter turned to address his beta. “I need you to keep things running while I’m away. I’ll be gone a day. Two tops
. The rogues are going to keep after Willa, so they probably won’t be back.”
“Guatemala? Where in Guatemala?”
“Doesn’t matter. You’re staying here.”
“I’m no detective but I’m pretty sure returning to the scene of the crime isn’t going to be a good idea,” the beta challenged.
“I hear you. But she’s got some business she has to attend to before we do anything else. She was doing research. Sounds like someone might be after it.”
Viktor’s eyes grew darker as he thought on the Alpha’s statement. “Something they wanted? I imagine it must have to do with Hell. Why else would the wolves want it?”
“The details aren’t important right now,” Hunter hedged. “What’s important is that she destroy it.”
“No worries. I’ll keep the pack safe,” Remus told Hunter.
“I need you to keep watch over Julian. He checked out with Jake, but I don’t trust him. That said, I don’t want him harmed. Got me?”
“Yeah, all right.” Remus stared blankly at his Alpha.
“Just keep him here in the house. If he leaves, don’t follow him. I don’t want any trouble.” Hunter scrubbed his beard.
“I sense an issue, oh great one. Do tell, do tell.” Viktor’s face flashed with a devious smile.
“Look, you’re both gonna find out sooner or later.” Hunter sighed, his eyes on the vampire. “Julian is her brother.”
“What the hell? No, that dude needs to go,” Remus insisted.
“I don’t trust him, but I’ve got no choice. The bottom line is that he’s not just her brother. He’s Jake’s brother too. Julian told me he helped catch the rogue. Is that true?”
“He was with him. Fighting. But still. Just because he had him pinned to the ground, that doesn’t mean he’s innocent. He’s playing us.”
“We’ll soon see,” Hunter began. “Keep an eye on him. If he’s Willa’s brother…”
“Willa is some bitch you rescued in Hell. Now that she’s fucked you, she’s got your mind all screwed up,” Remus challenged.
The Alpha sprang to his feet and rushed toward his beta. He grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, slamming him against a wall.
“Don’t you ever talk about her like that again. Am I making myself clear?” the Alpha growled.
“Yeah, sure.” Remus broke free of Hunter’s grip and rubbed at his chest.
Hunter turned around and averted his feral gaze, aware of his exaggerated response. Fucking hell, what am I doing? What’s wrong with me?
“This really is going to be interesting to watch.” Viktor gave a small chuckle.
“Shut it, vamp. I’ve got enough issues going on without listening to your shit.”
“Hmm…let me think on it.” Viktor cocked his head as if he were deep in thought and gave a broad smile. “No.”
“You’re an asshole, you know that, right? I should have left your ass in Hell.”
“Ah, my dear Alpha. You don’t know me very well, but I am loyal to a fault. While I do appreciate your heroic actions, I’m not going anywhere.” The smile disappeared from his face, his expression serious. “I owe Willa. I could have hurt her.”
“But you didn’t.”
“I’ll never be my sire. Willa has my loyalty. Perhaps even more than you do.”
“So, let me get this straight. You’re going to take fang boy with you to Guatemala?” Remus shot Viktor an icy glare.
“Yes, he’s going. But Willa seems to be getting pretty sick when she dematerializes. Even for me, it’s not the best way to go. Think it’s best to take the PJ. I’ve got Ty and Vince on call.”
“You both need to toughen up. Wolves.” Viktor rolled his eyes.
“Remus. I need you to go over to Maggie’s house and check it out one more time. I want to be one hundred percent sure that something hasn’t been overlooked.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know. A note? Anything. No offense but if you’re not mates, maybe she was seeing someone else. Give her mom a call. Let’s find out if anyone’s heard from her. I have a feeling there could be something else about her unrelated to the rogues.”
“I’ll go but I already…”
“This isn’t a request.” A loud ding from Hunter’s cell phone interrupted his train of thought and he lifted it to read a text from one of his wolves, Rafe.
Got a situation out here. Caught me a fae.
“It just keeps getting better and better.” Hunter laughed. What the fuck? He tapped out a message to Rafe. Where u at?
Out riding Two Ocean Pass. I’ll head in. Got him tied up.
“No, no, no.” Hunter tapped as he spoke out loud. Too dangerous. Keep him grounded & we’ll head out. He’s goin’ back in the pit.
“We’ve got us a problem. A fae.” Hunter looked over at Viktor. As long as he had the vampire around, he might as well use him. “I’m gonna need a ride.”
“Look how adventurous the Alpha is. He spins but he’s ready to fly again.” Viktor clapped his hands together with laugher. “All right then. I’m game. Fae. Nasty little beasts.”
“Remus. I need you to stay here and guard Willa and Julian. I’ll be back in an hour and then I want you to swing by Maggie’s house one more time. I also want to speak with the entire pack before I go. It’s a Saturday so it should be easy enough to get everyone together for an emergency meeting. Start sending notifications. I’ll be back.”
“You got it, boss.” Remus nodded.
“Stay away from Willa,” Hunter warned.
“Absolutely.”
“Julian too.” He nodded at his beta, his gaze firm.
“That wolf is trouble.”
“He may be. But he’s Willa’s brother. And Jake’s. So, leave him the fuck alone. As soon as I get things sorted with Willa, he’ll be on his way.”
“If you say so, Alpha.”
“If Willa asks…”
“Back in an hour. Got it. You be careful. Fae ain’t no joke.” Remus gave Viktor a dismissive stare before he exited the office.
Hunter rubbed his eyes and shoved his cell into his back pocket. “Rafe is out on a trail with his horse.”
“What do you have in mind? I can flash to him. Think about where we’re going, and this should work well enough.” Viktor stood and stretched his arms into the air. “Ah, I love a good adventure.”
“Let’s do it.”
Hunter approached Viktor, readying to dematerialize to Rafe. He hated the feeling of being torn apart and flashing like a ghost, but time was of the essence. “Rafe said he was about thirty minutes down the trail. You think you can handle that, fly boy?”
“Your flight is now boarding.” Viktor smiled, his eyebrows raising in delight.
“Did I ever mention how much I hate fae?”
“They’re sneaky little devils. No worries. Uncle Vik is here with you.”
“You’re an asshole.”
“That’s why I’m the best.”
“Let’s go find out what this dickhead is doing on my land.”
Hunter’s face tightened as he placed his hand on the vampire’s shoulder. Nausea rolled through his stomach, and the familiar darkness blinded him.
“Goddammit.” Hunter spat onto the ground, his hands on his knees. “Woah! That shit is not right.”
“Take a few breaths. You seem to do much better than your…”
“Don’t fucking say it.” Mate. Jesus, even the vampire knew.
“Hottie houseguest?” Viktor laughed.
“Shut it.” He brought his hand to his forehead, willing the spinning to stop.
“Sexy she-wolf. Yeah, I heard you go at it.”
“Shut. The fuck. Up.”
“Oh, Alpha…” Viktor’s high-pitched voice bored into Hunter’s head.
“I swear to the Goddess. This place has nothing but wood. I’m gonna find a nice sharp piece and stake your ass.”
“Oh yeah. Harder,” Viktor grunted.
“I told you to shut up!” Hu
nter sucked a deep breath and came round, swinging a hard left into the vampire’s gut.
Viktor laughed, falling backwards onto the ground laughing. “Pussy.”
Hunter closed his eyes and licked his lips, drawing in another gulp of air. As he blew it out, the nausea passed and his focus landed on Viktor, who shoved back up onto his feet. “You’re an asshole.”
“A little anger always manages to dislodge whatever discomfort one is feeling. Better, pup?”
“Call me a pup again and I’ll punch all of those veneers off your fangs.”
“You do need to be a little more appreciative of all my efforts.” Viktor brushed the dried leaves off his jeans and scanned his surroundings. “Where are we anyway?”
“Near Moran. Up toward Two Oceans Pass.” Hunter reached for Rafe in his mind. “He’s close. I’d say about a half mile. This way.”
“I’m not exactly wearing hiking shoes. I just bought these fly Futurecraft.” Viktor glanced to his feet. “They’re expensive.”
“Too bad, Hollywood.”
“We don’t have to hike, you know that, right? I could just…pow…wham…flash us right there. My kicks are brand new, yo.”
“You need to stop. Right now. For real I’m going to punch you in the face.”
“Don’t hate on me. You know I’m right.”
“You’re a pain in the ass. Almost always. Definitely now.” Hunter sniffed. The scent of sulfur laced the air. “Up here.”
“I only put up with this because I find you amusing.” Viktor carefully trekked through the forest, avoiding the mud. “I don’t know why I do this to myself.”
“You do it because I saved your ass,” Hunter replied.
“True. True.”
“I smell fae,” the Alpha growled. His long strides increased as he pressed through a thick brush. He stopped short as the devious fae came into sight. “Kellen.”
“You lived?” he spat.
“Hey, Rafe.” The Alpha nodded, stepping around the fae. The last time he’d seen Kellen, Hunter had been in a bar on Frenchman Street, dying from demon poison. He looked over at the usually cool as a cucumber fae who lay hog tied in the middle of the woods. “Karma’s a bitch.”