by Julie Wetzel
Phelan drew in a deep breath and let it rush from him. He let his anger at not being told go in light of what they had been doing. If Trevor had called, they wouldn’t have gotten the raging wolves back under control. “So why did Rupert go out to the farm?” The fact that the alpha went out to the land the pack used for running was concerning. The farm wasn’t much more than an old house on that land. They only used it during the full moon.
“I don’t have all the details, but the fight was apparently with someone from Eckert’s pack,” Lucy said.
Phelan let out a line of swear words that could melt paint. “And no one thought to tell me!”
“I just found out,” Lucy said as if Phelan’s words didn’t faze her.
“How bad was it?” Phelan asked. The farm was outside of town in an area Phelan was sure Eckert hadn’t explored. If Rupert had taken one of their pack members out there to hide them, it had to be bad.
“Bad,” Lucy said. This time, her voice held a hint of a grimace. “Rupert called Dr. Urnkalther out.”
Phelan cursed again.
“And I’ve been told that Raymond looks better than the other guy.”
Phelan’s face twisted as if he were in pain. “Please tell me he lived.”
“I don’t know,” Lucy admitted.
“Please let him have lived,” Phelan prayed. “The last thing we need is a death on our hands.”
“Things have gotten that bad?” Elliot asked.
Phelan turned around to face his friend. “You don’t know the half of it.”
“Then enlighten me.”
Letting out a heavy sigh, Phelan agreed. “Come on.” He nodded towards the sitting area where they had left their coats hours ago. “It’s a long story, and I need to sit down.” Leading the way over to the couch, Phelan dropped himself on one end and waited for Elliot to settle into the recliner next to him. “A few months ago, Rupert and I were out getting some wood to fix the back fence when we caught the scent of a strange wolf. So we tracked it down. We were both shocked to find that this unknown wolf was part of a pack that had secretly moved into Brenton. Rupert was pissed, but the area they’d moved into was mostly wolf free. Only one of our people lived out that way, and she tended to spend more time here than at her own home.” Phelan fidgeted in his seat, sliding down to get more comfortable.
“Since the new pack had already started establishing themselves in the area,” he went on, “Rupert and Sue went out to meet them.”
“When was this?” Elliot asked, annoyed he didn’t already know about this situation. His girls usually kept him well informed on things happening throughout the city.
Phelan thought about it for a moment. “Mid-November.”
Elliot grumbled as he placed these events into everything else that had happened over the last few months. It made sense he hadn’t heard about these new wolves. Dealing with Darien’s new kiss had taken much of his free time, and he’d been even less attentive since he’d moved in with Darien in December. He was annoyed with himself for forgetting his people for so long, but he wasn’t overly worried about his girls. They were very independent and tended to take care of themselves. The few men in Elliot’s care could be trusted to help with the day-to-day stuff, and they knew to call if things got out of hand.
He took a moment to think about the group of women he’d collected over the last few years. At first, it had been an innocent attempt to save a few ladies from an abusive pimp, but Elliot quickly learned that once someone had fallen into a lifestyle, it was hard for them to get out. Unwilling to leave the girls to be passed around by those who might abuse them, Elliot had stepped into his newfound role and made sure they had the protection they needed. He had tried his best to get them out and had managed to save a few, but most of his girls enjoyed the money they made working the streets. He had grown accustomed to their peculiar ways and found he actually missed them. When all of this was over, he was going to find a way to make up for his recent absences.
Pushing those thoughts away, he turned back to Phelan. “Go on.”
“I’m not sure there is much more to tell,” Phelan said. “Negotiations were going well until Sue took Ross out for a hunt. And you know what happened after that.”
“Yeah,” Elliot said. He leaned back, thinking about the bad timing of Sue’s pregnancy. “But didn’t Eckert agree to hold off on any action until Sue gave birth?”
“Eckert did,” Phelan said sarcastically. “But that isn’t stopping Ross from stirring up trouble wherever he can. He keeps denying he’s done anything wrong and demanding we hand Sue over to answer for her crimes.” An angry growl was edging into his voice. “He claims Sue’s pregnancy is just a ploy to keep them from getting justice.”
Elliot sneered in disgust. “Justice. That’s a load of codswallop if I’ve ever heard it. And what is he going to do when she shows up with pups?”
Phelan snorted in amusement. “He’s going to be eating his words then. But I’m afraid things won’t wait until she’s had her babies.” His voice took on a distressed tone. “Depending on how the fight broke out, if Raymond really did throw down with Eckert’s pack, we could be facing an all-out war.” He leaned his head back against the comfy couch, tired from the long night.
“Yeah,” Elliot agreed, thinking back over everything. Something was bothering him about the whole situation. If Eckert and Rupert were in peaceful negotiations, why would Ross try to kill Sue? It didn’t make sense. He played things around in his mind, trying to see where the other pack would benefit from Sue’s death. Unable to come up with an answer on his own, he asked Phelan. “Why do you think he attacked her?”
“Mmm?” Phelan moaned in a sleepy tone.
“Why do you think Ross attacked Sue?” Elliot asked again, but Phelan didn’t respond. Elliot looked up to find the man sound asleep on the couch
“To break up the pack,” Lucy answered from where she was sitting at the desk watching the monitors. She turned around and caught Elliot’s gaze. “Rupert is the best alpha this pack has ever had, but the pack is too large for one man to handle. Honestly, they should have divided the pack a while ago, but there hasn’t been enough tension in the group to force a split. Rupert and Phelan have done a great job of working together to keep things under control, but they’re both alpha. Sometimes, they don’t see eye to eye,” she explained. “Sue is the salve that keeps them from wearing on each other. We’ve all seen the strain Sue’s absence has caused. Her death would have made things unbearable.”
Elliot made an agreeing noise in his throat and leaned back in his chair to think. Now that Lucy had laid it out, he understood why Sue had made the perfect target. She would be easier to take down than either of the men, yet her death would have unbalanced the power in the pack. It would have caused a split in the pack and made them easier to conquer. The whole plot made sense, but he doubted that someone outside the pack would have realized her significance, not unless they’d spent a lot of time studying the Brenton pack. His mind traveled back over all the events of the night, and he recalled something Kyle had said in passing. Sue and Phelan were the counterpoints that kept Rupert from going over the edge when things got out of hand. A horrible thought tickled his brain, and he hoped it wasn’t true.
There were lots of people who knew of Sue’s role in things. All of them were in the Brenton pack. Could someone be feeding Eckert’s pack inside information? And if so, could they be the ones responsible for the unrest in the local wolves?
Popping up from his chair, Elliot headed back up to the dormitory on the other side of the house to check on the wolves from the basement. He wasn’t as good with magic as Darien was, but he’d studied with the man for more years than he could remember. If there was some kind of spell still lingering on them, he was sure he could figure out what it was.
Slouching in his chair, Phelan rested his wrists on the edge of the kitchen table and held his cup, enjoying the heat. The caffeine had done wonders to clear his sleep-deprived min
d. The few hours he’d gotten hadn’t been nearly enough to recharge him. He turned over the events of the evening, contemplating where it was going to take them. “There will be consequences for this.”
Rumbling with aggravation, Rupert paced to the far end of the kitchen and turned back. “Don’t you think I know that?” His long strides carried him the length of the room before coming around again. “I just don’t know what else to do.” He hooked one of the chairs from the table and spun it around to sit on it backwards. Folding his arms over the back, he leaned on it and breathed deeply in thought. “I don’t know what started the fight, but I can’t see Raymond just tearing into the guy.”
“You’re sure he’s dead?” Elliot asked from where he leaned against the wall with one foot up and his hands tucked in his pockets.
Rupert shook his head. “No, I’m not sure, but he was in a bad way when we left.” He turned remorseful eyes towards Elliot. “We did what we could for him, but we had to get out of there before Eckert showed up. Mitzy and I weren’t in a position to take them on, and I’m not about to give up Raymond without finding out what went down.”
“Why don’t you tell us what you know?” Elliot suggested.
Rupert nodded. “There’s really not much to tell. We got a call from Raymond saying he was having some trouble with one of Eckert’s wolves. He gave us a location, and we headed over to see what we could do. When we got there, the fight was over. Both of the men were down, with Raymond slightly better than the other guy. Mitzy did some basic first aid while I called Eckert to let him know his man was hurt, but we didn’t hang around. Raymond was still out when we left him with the doctor.”
“You shouldn’t have called Eckert,” Phelan said.
Rupert glared at him. “I had to.” He let some of his tension rush from him in a quick breath. “Until things break down, we are still in peaceful negotiations. If Eckert found out that one of ours hurt one of his and we did nothing, he’d declare war. That’s not something we’re ready for.”
“But if the man dies and we don’t give Raymond up for punishment, Eckert will still declare war,” Phelan pointed out.
“I know,” Rupert said as he raised his hand to his face and rubbed the stress away.
“So both decisions lead to the same place,” Elliot clarified. “War.”
Rupert dropped his hand back to the chair. “Yeah. I was hoping we could find a way to work this out without fighting, but ever since Sue went to Darien, Ross has been demanding justice.”
“He attacked her,” Phelan yelled.
Rupert patted the air in front of him, signaling Phelan to calm down. “I know, but Eckert still wants to hold a trial and see what she has to say.”
“It won’t be long before she’s able to speak for herself again,” Elliot reassured them. “Karl says she’s due any day now.”
“I doubt that it will be in time,” Rupert said with a heavy heart. “Eckert isn’t going to let two incidents slide without taking action. He can’t.”
“I wouldn’t,” Phelan agreed. “This means we’re going to have to get ready for whatever comes. Thankfully, we’ve gotten some of the wolves back under control.”
Rupert’s back straightened. “I can’t believe she actually managed to do it.”
“She was amazing.” A note of pride made Phelan’s chest swell when he spoke of Krissy. “Even Cassie managed to shift back.” He’d been delighted when he woke up to find Cassie had regained her human form. The poor woman was still sleeping off the after effects of whatever Krissy had done.
“Did we find out what caused it?” Rupert asked as he looked between the two men.
Elliot shook his head. “No. Krissy didn’t mention anything, and I went over each of the wolves but couldn’t find any cause. Although, I’m pretty sure it was magical in nature.”
Rupert considered his answer before tossing out another possibility. “Do you think it could have been a hex?”
“No,” Elliot said again. “A hex would leave a trace. Besides, you need a hex bag or potion to implement the spell, and the hex would be broken if the subject moved too far away. I found no signs of potion on or around any of the wolves, and you’ve transported them away from any hex bags that might have been used to drive them crazy.”
Rupert looked thoroughly impressed.
“See,” Phelan said with a laugh. “I told you it was a good idea to ask him.”
Raising his hand, Rupert tipped his head forwards, admitting he was wrong. “But that still doesn’t tell us what did cause it.”
A loud banging from the front door broke into their speculations.
“Eckert,” Phelan speculated. He pushed his cup towards the center of the table and stood up from his chair.
Rupert also stood. “We need to keep this as civil as possible,” he warned, leading the way into the living room. “At least until we know what’s wrong with our wolves.”
Pulling his hands from his pockets, Elliot followed the pair into the living room. He had a feeling things weren’t going to stay civil for very long, and Rupert was going to need all the help he could get.
***
The sound of claws on wood woke Krissy. The back of her right eye pounded with the sound of the scratching and the beating of her heart. She rolled over and buried her face into the pillow, trying to escape from the pain. Unable to hide from the discomfort, Krissy drew in a deep breath, hoping it might help. The air from the pillow held a pleasant scent that was vaguely familiar. She pulled it in again, trying to place it, but nothing came to mind through the noise and pain. Giving up, Krissy pushed up and looked around.
The light from a single window shone through the curtain and thinned out the darkness. Thankfully, it was just enough to see by, but not enough to aggravate the ache in her head. She glanced around the small room. The walls were a light shade she couldn’t make out in the low light. There was only a scattering of darker furniture that gave the room a masculine feel, but there wasn’t enough to identify whom the room belonged to. She looked around as the noise persisted. It didn’t take her long to find the source of the scratching. A dark shape sat at the base of the door, trying to eat its way through the wooden panel.
“Zak?” Krissy called. She rolled so she could push the blanket back and swing her legs out of the bed.
Zak stopped chewing on the door and looked up at her. He gurgled and jumped up on the bed to nuzzle her.
Pulling him into her arms, she ruffled his fur around. “Do you need out?”
Zak yipped, jumped out of her grasp, and went back to attacking the base of the door.
Recognizing the signs of an animal in need, Krissy got up and went to the door. Grasping the door handle, she turned it. The knob spun freely in the door, but it did not unlatch the lock. “What the?” she cursed as she jiggled the door handle. It only took her a moment to realize the lock was broken, and they were trapped in the room. A hint of panic turned her stomach, and she jerked on the broken door.
To her amazement, it popped open. She stood there, holding the handle as Zak scuttled his way out the crack. “Okay…” she said, pulling the door open wider. Unsure if there was anyone about to let Zak out, she started after the little fay. She paused to look around what looked like a small barracks. Several of the beds held sleeping forms. She considered going and checking on them, but thoughts of Zak loose in the house pulled her away. She turned and headed down the stairs.
The sounds of a heated discussion met her ears and she slowed, unsure if she should be intruding on someone else’s argument. As she reached the bottom of the stairs, she stepped into the kitchen and looked towards the open doorway leading into a sitting room. She watched as Zak scurried into the room. Several people were in there. Curious, she headed towards the sound of the argument.
The air in the living room was tense. There were nearly a dozen people milling about, watching the heated conversation in the middle of the room. No one seemed to notice her, so Krissy came in a little further to
find out what was going on. She was stunned to find Phelan and Rupert facing off with two angry men.
“I’m not going to give them to you.” Rupert growled in response to something the older of the other men said. “Your people are just as responsible for these fights as mine are.” He gave the younger man a sharp look. “If not more so.”
The younger man took a threatening step towards Rupert. “That bitch attacked me.”
The older man grabbed his arm and held him back. “Ross,” he warned. He turned his focus back to Rupert. “We are not here to talk about that issue at this moment, but I must insist on justice for our dead. You will give us the wolf from last night.”
“I will not,” Rupert said in a deep, angry voice.
The rising tension was broken when Zak bowled into the back of Phelan’s legs.
Rupert grabbed his second’s arm before the man could go down.
The entire group looked down to see Zak rubbing against Phelan’s legs. Rupert and Phelan exchanged a glance before turning and spotting Krissy in the group.
Gripping Phelan’s arm tighter, Rupert leaned closer to his second. “Get her out of here,” he hissed quietly.
Phelan nodded, scooped Zak from the floor, and headed towards Krissy.
Elliot stepped up on the other side of Rupert as Phelan left.
“Now you’re bringing the vampires in to protect you?” Ross sneered at Rupert.
Aggravated, Rupert took a step towards Ross. “I do not need anyone to protect me!”
Ignoring the fight building behind him, Phelan reached Krissy and handed her Zak. “You shouldn’t be in here,” he whispered as he grabbed her by the shoulder. “It’s dangerous.” He turned her around and started herding her towards the doorway.