Page 20

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

ARES

D r. Emerson told Ares that he drops the drugs off at a storage unit about two hours from Indianapolis.

After finally getting more than a couple of hours of sleep in more than a week and a half, Ares had awoken in the hotel, eaten a full three meals, showered, and had changed into clothes he could move in more easily.

Wearing the sweats and hoodie, he wondered why he had never let himself dress down before.

He feared that if he got too comfortable in workout clothes, he might never wear a suit again.

He now understood why Apollo never dressed in a suit when at home.

What was the point? Who the hell was he trying to impress?

At the very least, he might put on sweats, but still wear a button-up shirt and jacket for virtual meetings.

Ares crouched in the shadows of the storage unit, his muscles coiled with tension as he surveyed the rows of shelves stacked with illicit goods.

The acrid smell of gunpowder and chemicals hung in the air, mingling with the musty odor of cardboard boxes and rusted metal.

He turned to Theo, his voice barely above a whisper.

"We need to move. Grab anything that looks important."

Theo nodded, his eyes darting towards the entrance.

Ares rifled through a nearby crate. Dust hung thick in the stale air, swirling faintly in the weak beam of light cutting through the open door. The crate's contents seemed louder than they should under his touch, brittle paper rustling against paper. The smell of mildew mingling with oil and rust.

Nearby, Santiago moved with equal parts precision and tension.

His boots scuffed against the concrete floor, echoing faintly in the cavernous space.

Neither spoke; words would only waste time they didn't have.

Instead, they communicated in glances, quick, sharp looks exchanged between them like silent signals on a battlefield.

The silence stretched thin until it was interrupted by the faint clink of something metallic, a sound that cut through the stillness like the blade of a knife. Ares froze mid-motion, his breathing stalling. He looked at Santiago, who picked up the metal coin from where he'd dropped it.

"Sorry," he mouthed.

Ares' hand hovered for a moment over the jumbled mess inside the crate before plunging back in. His fingers ran under something weighty. He pulled free a thick accordion folder, its edges worn as though it had passed through countless hands before landing in the box.

He turned the folder over in his hands, brushing off a fine layer of dust that left smudges across his fingertips.

"What is it?" Theo asked.

"Not sure yet." Ares pried open the metal clasp on the envelope

Ares slid out the contents, a stack of legal documents and deeds.

Ares' shoulders tightened again as he flipped through the papers, scanning each page with efficiency. "It's all here. Buildings. Companies. Addresses. Holdings."

"Is there an address in Montreal?"

Ares scanned the dozen or so documents. "No. However, this address is included, as is one in New York. A warehouse."

"You think that's where they operate out of in the US?"

Ares nodded. "Maybe."

A low growl echoed from outside, and hushed whispers of voices arguing. Ares' head snapped up, his nostrils flaring at the scent of unfamiliar wolves.

"Rogues," he snarled, already beginning to shift.

The door burst open with a crash, and five werewolves poured into the unit. Ares met them head-on, his own wolf erupting from his skin in a blur of fur and fangs. He slammed into the lead rogue, feeling ribs crack under his powerful blow.

Theo shifted a heartbeat later, smaller than Ares but quick and vicious. He darted between the legs of a hulking gray wolf, tearing at its underbelly.

The storage unit erupted into chaos. Shelves toppled over, their contents spilling across the floor.

The air filled with snarls, yelps, and the metallic tang of blood.

Santiago and Theo tore through the rogues with brutal efficiency.

The rogues were strong, but they were shifters and no match for three Lycans.

One managed to sink its teeth into Ares' flank, eliciting a roar of fury. Ares whirled, his meaty paw connecting with the rogue's skull with a sickening crunch, and then he sank his teeth into the rogue's exposed neck.

The remaining two snarling wolves had pinned Theo. With a surge of primal instinct, he leaped across the unit, crashing into the rogues and sending them flying. Theo scrambled to his feet, panting heavily, blood matting his fur.

The end came almost as quickly as it had begun. Four rogues lay dead, and one breathed shallowly on the blood-soaked floor, Santiago's jaws at his jugular.

Ares stood over the remaining rogue, body vibrating. "Where's Titan's house? Tell me."

The rogue's eyes darted between Ares, Theo, and Santiago. "I have no idea. I was only recruited a few weeks ago. I've never seen him."

"Then who is running things here in the US?"

Again, the rogue shook his head. "I know nothing. I swear. I was told by a friend there was a new pack of rogues forming and that the new King was the Alpha of it."

"New King? I am the King. Do I look like I'm forming a new pack?"

The shifter shook his head. "Please. I swear-"

"That you know nothing. You said that. Where were you headed from here?"

"Somewhere in New York. I've been a few times, but I don't have the address or anything."

Ares shook his head. It didn't matter. If they were tasked with bringing the shipment to New York, there was only one address it could be going to.

With a swift, merciless movement, Ares snapped the rogue's neck, letting the body fall to the ground.

"We need to move," Theo said.

Ares nodded in agreement. "We also need clothes."

"I have some in the trunk," said Santiago.

Ares snatched up the now-splattered folder and headed for the exit.

"Are we going to leave all this here?" asked Theo.

"Burn it."

Theo cocked an eyebrow at him. "Gee, wherever did I put my lighter?"

Ares growled. "Then I guess we're leaving it, aren't we?"

The trio stalked out of the building naked for anyone to see and headed for their car.

The acrid smell of blood still clung to them.

Theo opened the trunk and tossed Ares a pair of underwear and a new pair of pants.

Ares tossed the folder in the backseat and pulled on the clothing as his phone rang.

The words ‘Pompous Asshole’ appeared on the screen. Ares picked up the phone and answered as he tugged a T-shirt over his head.

"We've got a lead," Ares said. "New York. Some kind of warehouse."

"New York?" Apollo's voice crackled through the speaker. "That's unexpected. What's your plan?"

Ares ran a hand through his hair, his eyes scanning the darkened parking lot.

"We're heading there now, but I've got a bad feeling about this.

Someone is running things down here, and it isn't Titan himself.

That means it has to be someone with some pull.

He wouldn't leave an entire portion of his operation to just a peon. "

"Be careful," Apollo warned. "How did you find the warehouse?"

"I found a file with a bunch of deeds and receipts in it."

"Send me photos of what you've got and I'll see what I can find out."

"Check back in a couple hours."

"Please do. If we don't make some headway soon, I'm afraid Cherry is going to start going door to door."

As Ares hung up, Theo's head snapped up, his nostrils flaring. "We've got more company."

Damn. Ares had just gotten dressed. He stripped his shirt off when a voice sounded from around the corner.

"No," said a voice. "Wait."

Ares stopped moving, but Santiago pulled a gun from his shoulder holster and aimed it in the direction of the voice.

Ares sniffed the air. "What do you want?" he shouted.

"To help."

"Who are you?" asked Theo.

A man older than Ares, possibly mid-thirties, walked around the corner of the building with his hands out. "My name is Duncan."

"You're a rogue."

"Yes. But a rogue of my own making. I disagreed with things my pack was doing. So I left."

"Why are you here?" Santiago asked.

"I was sent with the others, but I've never been one to attack first and ask questions later."

"What do you want?"

Duncan stared at them. "You're one of the Princes, aren't you?"

"Prince Ares Wolvenguard," said Theo. "And if you don't show some respect, I'll make you."

"I'm just here to help."

"Help kill us," said Santiago.

Duncan shook his head. "No. Not that I could. I'm not as stupid as the others."

"What do you want then?" Ares asked.

"To help you."

"Why?"

"Because I understand both sides of this battle."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning I understand you are the better choice for a king than Titan. But I also understand why he is doing what he's doing."

"For revenge."

"Titan says he's doing it to make things better. At least that's what he's telling the rogues. It's how he has gotten so many on his side."

"You don't believe him?"

"Why not?"

"Because I know what's really in those pills in your car."