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“Don’t worry, there are no signs of hunters so far. They don’t know where we live or where we walk. They caught us while we were doing the special training that the reps get.
“Thankfully, no one was killed in the attack. We got the better of the hunters. Two people were really badly hurt though. “Hey, let’s give a round of applause to Luca Hunter for being such a hero. He literally put his own life on the line to save his friend, Lila Redford,” Kieran said, thanking him. I clapped along with the crowd, proud of Luca for doing that to protect Lila. “And to Serena Sinclair, who sadly couldn’t make it today because of her health issues. She took the bullet for her son, Elias Ainsley. We are so lucky to have had such a brave woman in our lives.”
I could feel the tears starting to build up in my eyes, but I didn’t dare let them fall. I smiled with the relief that my mother had made it and clapped with the crowd.
“Are you OK?” Logan said through the mind link. With healers, it was impossible to block each other out. Healers were supposed to work together and it was forbidden to deny each other.
“Yeah, cousin. I’m just happy that my mum is okay.”
“She’s a Sinclair!” Logan said, and it made me smile even more. “That’s my Aunt Serena!”
“But we are still in danger,” Kieran went on, straight up. As an Alpha, it was never their job to be dishonest with their pack. “We’ve got a lead on Rogues helping these hunters take down both our packs. It’s true. Rogues and hunters have teamed up.”
My mouth fell open and there were loud gasps. The whole room started talking hysterically. Before things could get any crazier, Luca and Kieran said, “Quiet down!”
The whole room went quiet in a flash. Logan and I were pretty shocked when we first heard this. The other reps kept a straight face, but I could tell they were as scared as everyone in this room was.
“Why?” I said something without thinking, and then I wished I hadn’t. Everyone looked at us. I was honestly just curious. I looked Kieran straight in the eye, my head held high. “What are their intentions?”
Kieran took a few seconds to reply. He looked me straight in the eye and then back at everyone in front of him. “We’ve got something the Hunters are after, but I’m never ever going to give it to them.”
It was all chaos in the room, all of a sudden.
“What?” A guy with grey hair yelled.
“This is just ridiculous,” a woman shouted, holding her three-year-old son.
“You’d put your packs at risk just because you’re not willing to give anything up?” Another woman yelled.
“Enough!” Luca shouted over the crowd. It shook the windows, and everyone fell silent. Everyone looked down, ashamed and scared. I also felt a bit intimidated by the authority in his voice. “It’s too valuable to be given up.”
“What could it be?” Logan said next to me, looking pretty shocked.
“I’m afraid that’s private,” Kieran replied. “This meeting is adjourned. Please just leave and don’t go pointing out our pack house.”
In about an hour and a half, the conference room was empty. Roman, Damien and Avery had already left. We all plonked ourselves down on the sofas in the living area and went a bit blank.
“What do the hunters want?” I thought I’d ask my friends.
“I’m not sure,” Cruz replied. “Only the Alphas know.”
Luca and Kieran came out of the conference room at that moment. They looked knackered and stressed. Lila jumped up from her seat and gave Luca a hug to calm him down. Kieran strolled towards the hallway that led to the front door. He was probably just out for a run to clear his head.
“Logan, are you all set?” I asked, standing up from my seat. I really wanted to see my family.
Logan nodded and followed me to the front door. “That was a proper workout,” Logan said.
“Tell me about it.”
“Are you ready to see your mum?”
“I’m really looking forward to seeing her. I missed her so much.”
“I’m really looking forward to hearing her compliments. I know what she’s going to say. She’s going to thank me for being the doting cousin and say I’m immensely handsome,” Logan joked. I gave him a little nudge in the ribs and laughed.
“Be careful. Once she knows what you said, she won’t be complimenting you anymore,” I said.
“I’m only joking,” Logan said, putting his arm around my shoulder. I miss Aunt Serena and I’m really looking forward to seeing her after the…
“The attack,” I said, being honest. “Just say it, Logan. Avoiding it wouldn’t change the truth.”
“I’m sorry.”
He didn’t say a word when we saw the scene in front of us. I froze, feeling that familiar ache in my chest. This time, though, it was ten times worse.
I’ve always had a feeling when he’s been kissing or shagging another girl. It was different when you saw it. It confirmed that whatever you were feeling was true.
Kieran was facing us and Pamela was on the other side of the door. She smiled, then went up on her tiptoes and kissed Kieran on the lips. It was only for a second, but it felt like my heart was breaking and I couldn’t breathe. I bit my lip, stopping myself from making a noise. My wolf was angry.
Logan looked pretty annoyed as he pulled me closer to his chest and pushed towards the door. “Excuse me,” he said, shoving past Kieran without any respect.
He gave me the keys to my Mercedes-Benz and got behind the wheel. He drove out of there as fast as he could. But I didn’t miss the hurt look on Kieran’s face when he looked at me.
After Logan gave me a couple of concerned glances, I told him, “I’m fine, Logan.”
“I don’t believe you! You’re so honest with everything else except yourself!”
I jumped a little when I looked at him. I could tell he was angry by the way he gripped the steering wheel tightly, causing his knuckles to turn white. “He’s a bit of an arsehole,” he continued.
“Nah, Logan,” I said, trying to change the subject.
“No, Talia! Why are you trying to run away from your problems with Kieran?” He cried, but not without a bit of stubbornness.
“I’m not running away, Logan,” I snapped. “If I was running away, I wouldn’t have come here in the first place, which makes me think again about why we came here in the first place!” I came here for my mum, not Kieran!”
We got to my place in no time, and the mini mansion was there, looming over us. Logan and I sat there for a couple of seconds. He looked at me and said, “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
“Logan, you’re just being a good cousin,” I said, smiling. “So, thanks for looking after me.”
“Always, Talia,” Logan said. “Now then, let’s go in so Aunt Serena can give me a compliment.”
I rolled my eyes as I got out of the car. Before I could open the door, it slammed open. I looked up at the guy with the brown eyes, and there was his brown hair, swaying in the wind. He smiled at me, looking really handsome, before he wrapped his muscular arms around me.
“Elias,” I yelled, hugging him even closer. I felt a few tears of happiness escape. “I’ve missed you so much.”
“Little sister,” he said, pulling back from me to look at me. “You’ve got a pretty toned arm. Did this guy,” Elias stopped to slap Logan’s head. Are you working too hard?
“She was a weakling,” Logan said, putting Elias in a headlock once Elias let go of me. “She couldn’t even lift a hollow block, could she?”
“Hey,” I said. “Stop exaggerating!”
“Boys,” a woman’s voice laughed. “They think all girls are weaklings.”
“Tasha,” I shouted, almost tackling the petite blonde-haired woman to the ground.
Tasha and I had definitely got closer when Elias and she came to visit me six months ago. We went shopping and shared similar thoughts and our sarcasm towards Elias. She was like my older sister – and she was. To be exact, she was my sister-in-law. She was human and she was mates with my older brother.
“Talia, you’re going to kill me,” she said, choking.
I let go of her a bit before saying, “Right. You’re human.”
“Did Logan teach you to be so cocky?” Tasha gasped, giving Logan a playful look.