by Lisa Kessler
By the time Sasha knocked on my door, I had my feet up, watching TV, trying to keep my mind off worrying about Raven. I got up and clasped Sasha’s forearm in the traditional Pack greeting before I stepped back to let her in. She used to be one of Nero’s deadliest assets with a handgun, kill shot at thirty feet, but now she was Aren’s mate and part of my Pack. No doubt her defection to the Pack was a thorn in Antonio Severino’s side. Most jaguar shifters didn’t leave Nero voluntarily.
Sasha glanced around the room and back to me. “Nice place, Luke.” She sat in a chair. “How’s your new job?”
I took a seat and rested my elbows on my knees. “The job is great. Can’t say the same for the werewolf Pack in Sedona.”
“So I hear.” She crossed her ankles and leaned back. “Did Adam tell you what I’m here for?”
I raised a brow. “He told me you were going to back me up if things went to shit.”
She chuckled. “That works, too.” Sobering, she went on. “Once you have the intel we need, I’m supposed to drag your ass back to Reno before you get yourself killed.”
I shook my head slowly. “He doesn’t think I can handle this.”
“I don’t think it’s that at all.” She straightened up. “I think he sees a lot of himself in you. Hotheaded and stubborn…”
I chuckled, shaking my head. “So he knows I won’t come home until I see this through.”
She nodded, the corners of her mouth curving slightly. “Exactly.”
I stared at my hands. “He’s right.” Lifting my attention to her face, I went on. “Adam told me that while you worked for the Nero Organization, you found out they were kidnapping human women, biting them, and then using them to breed new jaguar shifters, right?”
“Yeah. Antonio Severino called it his breeding program.” She frowned. “Why?”
“Because Caldwell is doing the same thing here. Maybe Severino turned him on to it. I don’t know. But I’ve met one of the women, and I’m not turning my back on her. She and her sister are trapped here, and police aren’t an option without exposing all of us.”
Sasha stood, a muscle in her cheek tensing. “You’re kidding me. Those bastards!” She shook her head. “At Nero they locked them up in the compound. What are they doing down here? Are bitten women wandering around Sedona?”
“Not exactly.” My gaze followed her as she paced my small living room. “He must keep them someplace remote until he can be sure they’ll obey him.” I waited for her to look at me. “And it’s not just women. Men are being bitten, too.” I paused, waiting for her to meet my eyes. “I’m not leaving Sedona without them.”
“This is bigger than you, Luke. We need Adam and the others.”
“Not yet.” I shook my head. “Just give me a few days. Right now, Raven is arranging a meeting for me with Caldwell.” I lowered my voice. “All I know so far is they’re building this Pack to take a trip to Reno.”
Her back stiffened. “If we get down here first, we can ambush them on their turf and the kids will be safe back home in Reno.”
“Or we take out Caldwell and end it without risking anyone in our Pack.”
“Okay…that could work.” She pondered my idea and slowly started to nod. “How can I help?”
Sasha was an amazing marksman with a handgun. She was the one who taught my brother and me, but I was deadlier with a long-distance rifle. Not even Sasha or Logan could match my aim.
“Just buy me some time with Adam.”
She rested her hand on her hip. “And what are you going to be doing?”
“First I’m going to try to get accepted into this Pack, and once I have a better grip on how they function, I’m going to figure out when Caldwell is vulnerable. Whatever happens, the rapid growth for this Pack is going to stop.”
Chapter Five
Raven
I leaned against the wall of Caldwell’s living room, trying not to draw too much attention. My night with Luke hadn’t changed anything. My sister was still with the Sedona Pack, and I was back under the same roof as Caldwell and Bo and Blake King.
But Luke had reminded me what my life used to be.
It made me want that back.
I would kick myself later for allowing hope to creep into my heart, but I couldn’t help it.
Before the meeting got underway, Bo caught my arm in a vise grip and dragged me into one of the spare rooms.
He closed the door and came closer. “Where the fuck have you been?”
I jerked my arm free, eyes narrowing. “None of your business. I would’ve been back sooner if you hadn’t stolen my van.”
Without warning, he backhanded me. My teeth cut into my lower lip, the copper tang of blood assaulting my senses. And at that moment, something snapped inside me. Maybe it was being with a guy who helped me remember who I really was, or maybe I just couldn’t take any more of this asshole’s abuse, but I lunged at him, my fist embedding itself into his eye. Hard.
He stumbled backward. “You bitch.” Before he could come at me again, the door opened. His twin brother, Blake, filled the doorway. “Sebastian’s here. We need you both in the living room.”
Bo got up, glaring at me as he walked out. I started to follow, wiping blood from my mouth, but Blake didn’t move.
“Another stunt like that, and I’ll help my brother beat the fight out of you.”
There was no threat of Blake morphing into a knight in shining armor. I straightened my clothes and brushed past him into the gathering of the Pack.
Allen Caldwell’s desert-inspired custom home was a one of a kind, with a deck off the second story and a picture window downstairs that opened to a private view of the giant red mountains. A peace embraced my soul when I caught the sun rising or setting over the rocks and coloring the sky.
And just when it didn’t seem like the landscape could get any more beautiful, snow would be dusting the mountaintops soon.
If Caldwell wasn’t such a conniving asshole, I would love coming here for a visit. As it was, I tried to focus on the outdoor view instead of the room full of werewolves.
The Pack had been growing so rapidly, I didn’t know the names of all the people in the room, and one was conspicuously missing. I scanned the room again, my chest constricting. Asher was part of the Hopi tribe and owned a small tour company in Sedona. He specialized in customized hiking excursions for out-of-towners and rock climbers. He knew the terrain and the mountains of Sedona better than anyone in the Pack.
That was why Caldwell had ordered him to be bitten.
But unlike the King brothers, Asher had a problem with following an Alpha with questionable intentions. I liked that about him.
He used to come into the Wolf Pack Bar for beers sometimes when he was still human. Maybe that was how Caldwell got him in his sights. Even after all day out hiking with the tourists, he always had a friendly smile for me when I worked behind the bar.
A couple of the born males—I didn’t know what else to call them—tried to help Asher come to grips with his new situation, but maybe they were too late.
My gut twisted. Had Caldwell killed him already?
Speak of the devil. Caldwell strode into the room, his arm around Sebastian’s shoulder and a politician’s grin on his face. Isabelle was behind him, her gaze locking on mine as she entered the room.
Caldwell scanned the crowd. “Thank you all for being here.”
As if we had a choice.
Sebastian rolled his shoulder, knocking Caldwell’s hand off as he stepped into the center of the picture window. His dark gaze swept the room. He probably didn’t recognize everyone, either. We had thirty in the room, and I would bet money Caldwell had a few newly bitten wolves under lock and key off the property.
Sebastian was a jaguar shifter, a little different from us. He’d shift into a huge jungle cat during the new moon, and while we had heightened hearing and sense of smell, he had better eyesight, and when he moved, you never heard a sound.
Not to mention he was
one of the deadliest assassins in Nero’s arsenal.
He was tall, with a commanding presence, but I’d also witnessed him fade away into a crowd. Anything to get his target. He made me nervous. His deep, articulate voice and perfect olive complexion drew you in, but unlike most people, his intentions were never clear. He had no tells. At least not that I’d ever seen.
His scan stopped at me, his gaze wandering over my face. My lower lip throbbed. It had to be swollen. I reached up to touch the corner of my mouth, checking my fingers. At least I wasn’t still bleeding.
A fine crease marred Sebastian’s brow. His lips flattened as he glanced toward Caldwell. “I was under the impression the women in your Pack were for breeding purposes only.”
Caldwell forced another used-car-salesman grin. “Raven needed to be disciplined. I’m sure you understand.”
A muscle contracted in Sebastian’s cheek. “I will never understand a Pack of wolves.” His eyes met mine again. “My father is not funding this project for dogs who attack someone smaller.” His gaze cut to Caldwell. “The werewolves in Reno will be much more formidable opponents than one of your females.”
Caldwell frowned, his eyes narrowing as he bared his teeth. “This is my Pack. If Antonio isn’t happy with the way I run it, then you can tell him to shove it up his pompous ass.”
The corner of Sebastian’s mouth twitched, but he was otherwise unfazed by Caldwell’s expression of dominance. “My father is eager to move the project forward and avenge Damian’s death. Do you have a projected date to travel to Reno?”
Until now, hearing Bo and Blake mention moving on Reno hadn’t really meant anything. I didn’t understand the stakes, but now…they were plotting to kill Luke’s family, his Pack. I pressed my lips together and stayed silent, paying attention to every word.
“I can’t plan that until I know more about the Pack we’re facing. I assumed that was why you called this meeting. Do you have anything for me beyond, ‘they live in Reno’?”
Sebastian nodded slowly. “There are seven males and six females. There are elders in their Pack as well, but they’re insignificant to the cause. If they stay out of the way, they can live. The children will be collected by my father for transfer to Nero.”
“We outnumber them at least two to one.” Caldwell chuckled. “We’ll kill the men, and the women will become part of my Pack. Spoils of war.”
Sebastian’s chin rose slightly, that crease growing between his eyebrows again. “Your only mission is to wipe out the males of the Pack.”
“I’m not one of your father’s assets. I’m his equal. I agreed to help him accomplish his objective for a price, and I’ll hold up my end of that bargain. Adam Sloan will die. What I choose to do beyond that is none of your concern.”
I tried not to vomit.
Sebastian crossed his arms. “I think you are sorely underestimating the battle you will face. Adam Sloan’s Pack will lay down their lives to protect him and their women. And the women in the Pack are formidable, strong psychics, and two are jaguar shifters, one trained by Nero. This won’t be an easy fight.”
“Did you come here to insult me?”
“That was not my sole purpose in coming here.” Sebastian almost smiled. “But if this mission is going to succeed, you can’t go in overconfident.”
“We’re ready. If they’ve only got seven men including their Alpha, we’ve got them outnumbered. They won’t stand a chance.”
“Very good.” Sebastian sobered. “One more thing. The Alpha’s mate is not to be harmed. I will come for her and her children.”
Caldwell raised a brow. “It’s not like Antonio to choose a favorite like that. Does he want her for himself?”
Sebastian’s lip curled, repulsed. “No.”
“And you’re not going to tell me why this woman is so important to him?”
Sebastian headed for the door. “Just follow your orders.” He stopped and turned back. “And if you want the payments to continue, keep your wolves in check. They should practice fighting each other, not the women in their care.”
The door clicked shut behind him, and for a moment, you could hear a pin drop.
Caldwell broke the silence with a hiss. “Arrogant bastard.” He shook his head and scanned the Pack. “The sooner we get this done, the sooner I can tell Antonio’s son to kiss my ass.”
He went to the wet bar while we all remained cautiously silent. “Blake, Bo, I want you to train the new wolves. They need to work on their tracking. And get Asher to show them how to move silently.”
So Asher was still alive. For now.
“Jett, you take over rifleman training.”
He didn’t reply, only nodded. I didn’t know Jett well, but I’d heard rumors his twin brother died in some project at Nero. I wasn’t sure how Jett survived. Maybe no one knew. He had blue eyes and a chiseled jaw, but he was distant. In the three months since Bo bit me, I’d never witnessed Jett smile.
But I had seen him shoot. He was scary deadly.
Luke popped into my head. Maybe I could still convince him to get out of Sedona. Maybe he could warn his Pack to leave town. With any luck, they could circle back for us while Caldwell was in Reno.
“Deacon and Dex, you two are in charge of getting all our males into fighting shape. If we end up in a hand-to-hand fight, I expect our Pack to win.”
They were both black belts in more than one martial art, not to mention Deacon was moving into mixed martial arts. My stomach twisted in knots for Luke’s Pack. If they only had seven males, they’d be outnumbered, probably outgunned, and if Deacon and Dex could train the others to fight like them…the Pack from Reno didn’t stand a chance.
Caldwell wheeled around toward my sister. “Isabelle, stay here. I have a special project for you.”
Her eyes locked on mine. I slid my hand into my pocket, fingertips brushing the top of my phone. She gave an almost imperceptible nod, but I knew she’d gotten the message. I’d relay all this info to Luke. Unless we wanted to be trapped in this Pack like broodmares, we were taking a side, and it wasn’t going to be with Allen Caldwell.
The meeting was over before lunch, and the Pack dispersed to take on their new assignments. Mine was nothing new. Bartending at the Wolf Pack Bar was my life now, but hopefully not for much longer. I texted Luke to meet me at Costco. I needed to go there for supplies for the bar, so no one would suspect anything. I could tell him about the meeting with Sebastian and convince him that my plan for him to go back and warn his Pack to get out of Reno would be safer. He would be safer.
He could circle back for the rest of us. None of this was his problem, anyway.
I didn’t usually primp for my daily Costco trip for the bar, but I passed it off as trying to cover the new bruise on my jaw. Bo and Blake seemed fine with it. They were spending the rest of the day training the male bitten wolves to use their new senses to track others, so I’d be able to go to the store alone.
Besides, they weren’t worried I might run again. If I didn’t check in at the bar, Caldwell would “reach out,” as he called it. And he added a caveat this time.
If I ran again, he’d hurt my sister.
But I was planning to be right where I was supposed to be.
Without a spy camera, Caldwell would never know I was also talking to Luke.
And given the bad news I was about to dump on him, I doubted Luke would even notice the mascara and lip gloss I was wearing. I should not be excited about this meeting.
Didn’t change that I was.
“I’m making the Costco run and then heading straight to the bar.”
Bo shouted back, “Allen will be waiting for you there.”
I rolled my eyes at his extremely old news and grabbed my purse. Caldwell was always at the Wolf Pack Bar, which was why I had been assigned a job there. He liked having me close. Or he liked that I loathed it. Either way, I was stuck.
For now. But finally there was a tiny light at the end of the tunnel, a spark of hope for a new
future.
I parked at Costco and checked myself in the rearview mirror. Since becoming a werewolf, I healed faster. It wasn’t like X-Men fast, but in two days, my swollen lip would probably be gone, and tomorrow the discoloration would be history. No one would guess a big, angry werewolf asshole smacked me.
Outside my car, the smell of the hot dog cart overwhelmed me. My stomach growled as I struggled to sift through the assault on my heightened senses.
Once the scent of meat was cataloged, I caught bubble gum, hair spray, hand lotion, and… A smile tugged at my lips. Werewolf.
Luke was already here someplace. I grabbed a cart and dropped my purse in the front seat while I scanned the area. Nothing. I flashed my card as I entered, and his scent teased my nostrils. Fresher. Stronger. The closer I got to the paper products, the more I tied the unique smell to the werewolf from Reno. There was a musk about him, mixed with alfalfa and…molasses?
The horse stable.
The second I rounded the corner, Luke turned, and my breath caught. His blue eyes were piercing, his smile so handsome it was dangerous. I broke eye contact only to notice the way his jeans fit just right and his T-shirt strained to cover the defined muscles along his shoulders and torso.
I rolled up next to him, a million things to tell him, but all I could muster was, “Hi.”
“Hi.” His gaze wandered over my face, his smile fading. “Are you all right?”
Apparently my makeup couldn’t cover up the swelling in my lower lip. I nodded. “Yeah.”
He shook his head, his body tense. “Who did this?”
His voice rumbled, more of a growl.
I raised a brow. “Before you go all raging werewolf, you should see the other guy.” A smile teased my lips. “He didn’t expect me to fight back.”
He pulled in a slow breath. “I never should have sent you in there alone.”
“Enough.” I rested my hand on my hip. “I need your help, not your protection.”
He ran his hand back through his hair with a grudging nod. “Packs aren’t supposed to attack each other.”
“I think it’s pretty clear, this isn’t a normal Pack.” I broke eye contact, resorting to reaching for an industrial-size bag of bar napkins. “I have a lot to tell you.”