Page 34

“Hurt me, witch, and your sister dies,” Wyatt tells her, clutching Sherry tighter. “And other bad shit happens, too. Really bad shit.”

“No. No way,” Sherry cries, struggling. “No fucking way.”

“You okay, Erica?” Bailey asks because more sparks float around Erica’s head.

Erica addresses my brother instead of answering. “Get my sister here right fucking now. And let go of Sherry.”

He holds his phone up. “My phone’s fucked, so I can’t. You all need to listen to me and listen good, otherwise shit will go south for everyone here in a big way.”

“Wyatt, please don’t do anything crazy,” I plead. “Please. Just… let’s end this. These aren’t bad people. This pack isn’t bad. And like I said in the bathroom, the thing that happened to our father… it’s not what you think. The man who’s really responsible is already dead.”

“Shut up. Traitorous bitch,” Wyatt says, seething at me.

Lightning fast, Grey has let go of me and I hear bones crack as he grabs Wyatt’s wrist to make him let go of Sherry.

Sherry wisely gets out of the way, running to Jase.

Grey pulls his fist back and punches Wyatt so hard in the face, my brother hits the floor, like a falling tree.

I can tell Grey isn’t done with him, that he wants to pulverize my asshole brother, but Wyatt quickly sneers, “If I don’t phone or show up at our rendezvous point in ten more minutes, bad shit is gonna happen.”

Grey’s teeth enlarge and though his eyes are still trickling blood, they’re also glowing mercury as his face half-shifts, then recedes back toward his human shape, but then half-shifts again.

And my brother looks terror-stricken.

Erica shouts a warning, “If anything happens to my sister, you will be very fucking sorry.”

“You’re gonna be sorry anyway,” Grey advises, menacingly. “After the shit you’ve pulled. After the shit you’ve put your sister through?”

“I’ll melt you into a puddle of bad guy goo,” Erica adds. “You’re gonna look like a steaming pile of wolf shit if you or your goons have harmed a hair on my sister’s head!”

“Shh, baby. Easy does it,” Riley tries to settle her down while Wyatt’s eyes bounce between Grey and Erica.

“He wanted me. He took my sister because she has red hair and they thought she was me, Riley. She probably smells like me being my sister, right?”

“I know, darlin’,” he says.

“I’ll give her back,” Wyatt offers. “She’s unharmed, just mostly disabled right now. Let me take my mate. Let me and my guys out of here. You hurt me, you’ll never find them. I’ve got all their scents masked.”

My brother is scared. He’s talking fast and his eyes are darting around the space as he calculates his next moves.

“No, no, no,” Sherry repeats.

“No,” Jase echoes. “You give her back and then maybe we let you live.”

“I’m an alpha and I’ve identified my mate. Alpha code of conduct states no other shifter fucks with that,” Wyatt puts in, matter-of-factly.

As if he’s always believed this! And I know he hasn’t.

“Oh, you adhere to shifter codes of conduct, do ya?” Riley states. “Really fuckin’ funny.”

He’s right. My brother doesn’t care a lick about code of conduct, morals, about anything other than himself. I’m surprised he even knows about conduct required when an alpha identifies his mate.

“Walk me to my rendezvous point, give me my female, and I’ll give you back the redhead,” he offers.

“No, please no,” Sherry cries. “Jason! Dad!”

“Lads?” The man from the SCC meeting this morning moves in and speaks with his thick Scottish brogue. “Technically, you should release him with his identified mate.”

“What the fuck?” Jase clips, outraged.

“Wyatt Meadows of the Silver Hills wolf shifter pack? I’m Dr. Mitchell Blakely of the Supernatural Council Collective.”

“That’s me,” Wyatt says with a wide smile. “Nice to meet you Dr. Blakely. I wanted to rescue my sister here. I filed a complaint about them kidnapping her.”

“Here’s the thing,” Mitchell Blakely says carefully, his gaze bouncing between Wyatt, Grey, and Riley. “Wyatt Meadows filed a grievance against your pack with the SCC, stating you kidnapped his sister. I got the report a few days ago. Didn’t act on it because I found out Greyson identified her as his mate. You need to extend the same courtesy. Let him leave with his mate.”

“No. Fuck that.” Jase denies, folding his arms over his chest.

“It’s the law,” Mitch reminds him.

“He kidnapped my sister!” Erica shouts. “He had me kidnapped and he tried to kill Riley, Mason, and Lincoln!”

Dr. Blakely gives Erica a look of understanding. “He filed a complaint against Riley for murdering his cousin. We let that go because James Meadows abducted you and interfered with an alpha and his fated mate. You .”

“What the fuck?” Riley is clearly furious. “These assholes have been poisoning our pack. They shoot Ty and have the nerve to file complaints about us with the SCC? He just admitted to abducting my sister-in-law.”

“Technically, it was Greyson’s mate Stacy Meadows who poisoned several pack members before shooting Tyson. Correct?” Dr. Blakely asks.

My heart sinks. Yep, technically I’m one of ‘these assholes’.

“Blackwood,” Grey bites off. “Stacy’s name is now Blackwood. And what happened is a pack matter. We haven’t asked for involvement from the SCC.”

I can’t get over the fact that my brother filed complaints with The Collective. He’s always described them like they’re the ultimate enemy. Just like him to use them to his advantage when it suits him. He’s delusional if he thinks The Collective won’t take issue with all his crimes against this pack.

“There are clearly several beefs ongoing between these two packs,” Dr. Blakely replies. “As a member of the SCC, my recommendation is that you allow Wyatt Meadows to take his identified mate. He should return the hostage. Any further beefs between the two packs can go before a tribunal to be worked out according to the law. This pack needs to file their complaints officially like any other pack.”

“This is bullshit,” Riley argues. “He just abducted my mate’s sister thinking she was my mate and you’re suggesting we let him leave? So he can continue to plot against us and look for more ways to fuck with us? He wants to have a witch in his possession to help him take us out and then take our territory over.”

That’s exactly what my brother wants. Aphra ran and little Halla can’t help him; she’s too young. A witch under his command is just what he wants. I want to speak up, tell them all how much my pack needs Wyatt to not lead. How much we need the help of the Arcana Falls pack. But I can’t find my voice and I can’t stop crying.

“Mitch, for fuck’s sake,” Riley’s father grinds out.

“You folks aren’t above the law,” Dr. Blakely reminds them. “And you’ve got a lot of eyes on you lately what with recent happenings. The SCC isn’t thrilled with some of the antics of this pack lately and with these newfound supernatural gifts, they’re not going to be okay with those antics continuing despite the strength of Greyson and Erica. You all need to follow the same rules as everyone else. Nobody gets between an alpha and his mate. The grievances between these two packs can be addressed in arbitration after reports are filed. For tonight, Wyatt Meadows should be allowed to leave with his fated mate after he returns the hostage. We’ll launch an investigation and then we’ll-”

“I’m not his mate. He’s lying,” Sherry tries.

“I haven’t had the opportunity to prove I’m not lying,” Wyatt replies smugly. “But I’m very much looking forward to proving I’m not lying.”

There’s murmurs from several in the back of the room, older men mostly.

Erica loudly calls out, “Let me fry his insides, guys, please? My sister is quite capable of dealing with whatever predicament his men have her in.”

And I’m a little in awe of her bravery. There’s no reasoning or bargaining with my brother. Any bargain he strikes right now will be laced with deception, but he’ll probably agree to things because he’s outnumbered here and because Grey took away his leverage by ripping that knife away.

Grey speaks next. “Me and my mate have grievances to file against her former pack. Let’s do that now, too, then. You ready to file formal complaints, Stace?”

I nod, but can’t find my voice.

“And us!” Erica adds, “Attempted murder times three, a count of kidnapping and a count of attempted kidnapping.”

“We’ll launch an investigation,” Dr. Blakely replies. “but for tonight, let’s stick to some basics.”

Mason barges in with Tyson directly behind him.

“What the fuck is goin’ on here?” Mason demands.

Tyson addresses my brother with fire in his eyes. “I can’t smell this fucker but I’m pretty sure he needs to die.”

Wyatt’s eyes harden with pure hatred at the sight of Tyson Savage. But I see something else, too. Is my brother afraid of Tyson?

“We all want a piece of this guy,” Riley adds.

“Flip you for it?” Tyson offers.

Riley laughs like it’s hilarious.

Wyatt’s eyes now bounce between them with confusion. He doesn’t understand the hierarchy here. He can’t wrap his mind around alphas working together.

“This is Wyatt Meadows,” Grey tells them. “Stacy’s brother. And I think you’re right, Ty, but Mitch disagrees.”

“Update us,” Tyson demands.

Grey tells him, “Tried to take my wife and says he’s identified Sherry Creed as his. Thing is, he took Jessica Young somewhere. She’s making the phones all go nuts, probably to alert us they’ve got her. Mitch here is suggesting we let him take Sherry and give Jessica back. Mitch says we’ve got grievances against Wyatt’s pack; he’s got some against ours. Wants us to settle those in arbitration.”

“Give us Jessica and take her, then. We’ll sort the rest of this later,” Mason says with a shrug.

“Fuck that. He’s not taking my goddamn sister!” Jase shouts. “I know she pissed you off, bro, but come on!”

“He’s lying. I’m not his mate!” Sherry protests. “Nobody’s listening to me. This is my life here!”

“There’s a solution,” Tyson offers. “Put Sherry and this assclown in a cell in the basement tonight. We find out tomorrow if he claimed her in a way that proves she’s his.”

“Wait. What? That’s barbaric!” Erica speaks up. “Women should not be treated this way.”

Riley tries to settle her down.

“Don’t Erica me, there Pooky. This is bull pucky.”

“I agree!” Bailey calls out from where she stands by the door. “If a woman is repulsed by an alpha, if he’s a psychopathic criminal, he should not automatically get to take her just because he identifies her as his. She should have a choice! Don’t mistake me, Sherry. I hate your guts. And that’s on you. Because you’re a shitty person. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have rights. It doesn’t mean that just because you’re a girl you should be stuck with a psychopath.”

“These are the rules. If you have a problem with them, there’s protocol,” Dr. Blakely argues. “But as of right now, my recommendation is that we follow Tyson Savage’s suggestion. Though instead of a cell, perhaps Tyson’s cabin and have guards posted.”

“No. Not my cabin,” Tyson tells him. “That’s for pack use only.”

“I was thinking this way the lass is safe while it’s determined whether this alpha does have a legitimate claim to her,” Dr. Blakely reasons.

“The cells downstairs can be used for that,” Riley tells them. “Grey was willing to stay there with his mate when he identified her.”

“Jase, no,” Sherry cries into her brother’s shirt.

“Sherry,” a voice calls out from the crowd. “You need to go with the man that says he’s your mate. I like Tyson’s idea. Then you’re still here while we find out for certain.”

“Dad –” Jase protests and I see the man he’s speaking to, who is a large man, an older alpha with similar facial features as Jase.

“No, son. You mate next. Would you want someone standing in the way of that? Would any alpha here allow anybody to get in between them and their mate? We don’t know this guy. We don’t know what led him to think we’re their enemies.”

“Tyson Savage killed my old man,” Wyatt puts in. “That’s where all this started. I might be willing to talk it out. Look for resolution.”

He’s full of baloney. I’m trying to find my voice to warn them not to believe anything he says, but it’s not necessary because Tyson proves he’s perceptive.

“I don’t know you, man,” Tyson says. “I don’t know who your father was. Your sister told Grey this, but I was in another life back then. My uncle used drugs to send me into the red haze for fights for money. I don’t know any of these details. Whatever I did to your family, if it wasn’t deserved, I apologize. But I apologize to your sister, not you, because what you’ve pulled is bullshit. Using a woman in your pack to enact your revenge? Treating your pack badly? She told Grey that you’re a dictator, that you’re abusive. You need to be usurped. Maybe one of our alphas should take over for you if you have nobody who –”

Yes. That!

“Whoa whoa. Seems like there’s been hurt on both sides,” Dr. Blakely interjects.

But I’m still thinking yes! Yes, Tyson. Have someone from here take over our pack. Please.

Dr. Blakely suggests it’s all tabled until a tribunal can happen.

Sherry accuses my brother of lying. And I don’t know if he is. But I suspect that identifying Sherry Creed as his fated mate is the one and only thing he’s being honest about tonight.

Arguing continues with Erica declaring, “This is the fucking twenty-first century, people.”

Wyatt’s response is, “If you want your witch sister, these people will let me be alone with my mate. Non-negotiable. I’ll stay with her in that cabin if needed. But she’s mine. I want what’s mine. We’ll sort the rest of this out later. In fact, I’ll show any who wants to watch that she’s mine. Prove I’m telling the truth. But we have seven minutes to meet my rendezvous so… tick tock .”

Tick tock?

“Wyatt has a thing for explosives,” I blurt, miraculously finding my voice. Finally!

The first time he played with explosives he blew our house up and we had to move into the mobile home. I thought Father was going to kill him.

If looks could kill, Wyatt would have me dead right now. But now I know I’m right. And so does everyone else by the way Wyatt glares at me.

Things go haywire from here as Erica urgently demands to know where her sister is because the buzzing and ringing of the phones has stopped. She threatens Wyatt while Riley aggressively demands answers, looking about ready to lose his cool.

Greyson is buzzing with anger, and the bleeding has stopped flowing from his eyes, but his face is blood-streaked as he holds my trembling body close to him protectively.

My brother snidely replies with, “Tick tock. Take me to my rendezvous point, let me take my mate, and I’ll give you the redhead and stop bad shit from happening.”

“A lot of the pack is downstairs? Why?” Tyson asks. “I smell them.”

Grey explains, “I called for code red when Mimi told me why the phones went nuts. We put all non-alphas downstairs to keep them safe. Gus, Andy, and six betas took off to go door-to-door to tell people not here to get secure. The Youngs are here as they might be able to help. Bailey, you shouldn’t be up here.”

Bailey doesn’t move. She looks glued to the spot.

“This place doesn’t feel safe,” Erica tells Riley.

“No. It doesn’t,” Erica’s dark-haired sister agrees.

“Six minutes,” Wyatt announces.

“Save this fight for another day,” Dr. Blakely advises. “You girls want to petition to have new rights, that’s your choice to initiate and you can discuss that with your pack after this is over, or petition the SCC if you want new laws brought in for all shifter females, but...”

“Enough with the longwinded shit, Mitch,” Riley throws a hand up. “Why is the clock ticking, fucker? What did you do?”

Wyatt laughs.

Jase and Sherry’s father approaches slowly, getting closer to Wyatt and Sherry. “Meadows, if you’re telling me you’re my daughter’s mate, you’re going to be connected to me and my pack. That’s reason enough to cooperate and ensure nothing harms us.”

“I didn’t know your daughter was my mate until ten minutes ago. My phone’s fucked so I can’t call anything off. I need to meet my guys at the rendezvous point. Like now. ”

My brother is, unsurprisingly, not showing Sherry’s father any respect whatsoever.

“Everyone who doesn’t need to be here, clear out,” Tyson shouts. “Erica, do you have something of your sister’s so we can track her scent?”

“I already memorized her scent,” Lincoln says. “I can tell from here it dead ends in our parking lot.”

“I masked her scent,” my brother tells them and urges everyone to go, to follow him to the rendezvous point, suggesting he will trade Erica’s sister for time in the cabin with Sherry and then he looks at Sherry and talks to her about her becoming queen of Silver Hills like it’s a wonderful place and there’s a bejeweled crown and throne awaiting her.

And not a moment later, Sherry is agreeing to go with Wyatt, so she can help resolve things for everyone.

“I don’t want anything bad to happen to everyone. I’ll… I’ll go with him,” she offers.

Jase doesn’t like it, but Sherry argues that if he’s meant to be her mate, it’ll be evident by the morning.

I want to scream at her, to warn her about how awful Wyatt really is, but Greyson’s Aunt Mimi’s piercing gray eyes hit mine and I find myself speechless. I don’t know how I know but I know she doesn’t want me to speak up to Sherry right now.

Bailey makes some snide remarks about Sherry wanting to go be a queen somewhere where nobody knows her and hates her. And I don’t know Sherry, didn’t get a good vibe from her in the bathroom before my brother burst in, but I do know she’s in for a world of despair if she leaves here with my brother. No woman wants to be the queen of the Silver Hills scrap heap.

“Downstairs, Bailey. Girls,” Grey calls out, “Hurry.”

The next few minutes are a flurry of arguments over who goes downstairs and whether Sherry is really going with Wyatt or not.

And then it’s obvious by Wyatt’s next warning that the ‘tick tock’ refers to a home where somebody currently sleeps and Tyson explodes with anger, doing the half-shift thing Greyson did while threatening my brother and demanding to know if he fucked with his house. It’s severely amped, you can practically taste the testosterone in the room, and the next thing I know, the men are all following Wyatt in order to do an exchange.

I look at Grey with desperate urgency, wanting to warn him, but the way his eyes move over me and the expression on his face as well as the sensations in my chest let me know he reads me loud and clear before he looks past me and says, “Look after Stace for me? I’ll get Jessica back. Promise.”

He drops a quick peck on my mouth and I’m suddenly in his great Aunt’s embrace as she urges them to go and requests that Erica allow it.

I want to call out to the man I love, to plead with him to be careful of my brother, to let him know how much I love him, but not only am I paralyzed by fear and crying my eyes out, but there’s also the commotion of Tyson running out, Mason behind him, conversations among the other non-council men left here about who is going to do what. They’re quickly dividing tasks, working together, and discussing keeping watch outside and checking the rest of the interior and exterior of this building to make sure there are no explosive devices within it.

Before he’s out of the building, my brother shoots a smirk over his shoulder at me. Grey sees it.

I stare at the doorway with icy cold fear thrumming in my veins. Because it would be just like Wyatt to plant multiple explosives.

Quickly, Erica and her sisters Dani and Ronnie are plotting to help and rushing out, leaving me with Mimi and Vivica.

They leave and as soon as they’re gone, without saying a word, I watch Bailey slip out right behind them.

Vivica gets a panicked look on her face and urges me and Mimi into the library across the hall from the party space, where I sit down and cradle myself, weeping, feeling that just like I suspected, it’s all about to crumble.

Aunt Mimi squats in front of me and tips my chin up, shaking her head while fiercely stating, “No. Don’t send your mate any negativity right now. Not only will it trouble him, it’s not necessary. It’s all going to be okay. Trust me, girl.”

I hope she’s right.

She guides me through some deep-breathing exercises with a soothing voice that actually helps somewhat. Not too long later, I’m so focused on her voice and the breathing that I know my blood pressure has calmed, that my body isn’t strung so tight, but I suddenly smell fire just before the building shakes with fury, leaving it feeling like we’re in the midst of an earthquake happening during a tornado.

We’re in the library but me, Mimi, and Vivica step into the hall and look through the opened door to the space the party had been in, and I’m shocked to see massive holes in both the ceiling and the floor.

“What the heck was that?” I gawk at the hole in the roof.

“Everything’s going to be okay,” Mimi reminds me, putting her hands on me. “Sit down. Greyson is coming back for you. He’ll be here soon.” She leads me to the table beside Erica’s table of birthday gifts, where the rest of her multi-layered pink birthday cake sits among other party supplies and drinks. I’m glad someone had the foresight to cover the gifts table with a tablecloth. I didn’t see anyone do that before we moved across the hall. I don’t linger on that thought for long, though.

“Shouldn’t we get outside?” I ask, unsure if more of this building is about to fly apart.

“No, child. He’ll come here to see to you,” Mimi says calmly and looks at the doorway just before Grey rushes in, eyes pointed at me. He still has blood-streaked cheeks, but he looks as big, strong, and whole as he always has.

I run to him, and he catches me, burying his nose into my hair and taking in a big breath. I feel that he’s shaking, too. Likely with fury.

“Wh-what happened?” I ask. “Is everyone okay?”

He pulls in another big breath and lets it out slowly as he stares at the hole in the floor, eyes traveling to the hole in the roof for a beat before his eyes return to my face. “Gotta go see what’s what. Had to see you first. Make sure you’re all right.”

“What happen–” I start to ask again, but his phone rings and when he pulls it from his pocket, I see it reads that it’s Linc calling.

He’s talking to Linc for a moment before he ends the call and fires questions at me about the holes in the floor and ceiling. Asking if everyone is okay. If I saw what came out of the floor.

Reading my confusion, he gives us a brief update that Wyatt and more of his betas are in the lake. They all rose, machine guns and all, and Grey spoke to Linc who said it’s something Erica did, that they’re all now in the lake except for one beta that didn’t get lifted into the sky.

Machine guns? I’m nauseous at that notion and relieved Wyatt didn’t just barge in here with one and start shooting everyone.

“A kid,” Greyson says. “Don’t wanna leave you alone but gonna go find him and question him. He’s the only one who wasn’t pulled up and we need to know if there’s anything else about to happen.”

“A kid?” I ask.

“Teenager. He probably ran off scared after those guys and their machine guns got sucked up into the sky. Your brother called him…” He pauses to think and says, “Lucas.”

I kick the impossibly high heels off and run barefoot for the door.

“Stacy!” Greyson shouts and catches up to me, catching my hand and halting me with questions in his eyes.

“He’s my little cousin!” I exclaim, pull away and rush out.

“Scents were masked, but I’ll find him,” Grey says, catching up again. “We were over there.” He gestures across the parking lot.

“He’ll be scared. I’m coming, too!”

Grey looks about to protest but I’ve already hauled my dress off and dropped my underthings so I can shift and run.

***