Page 61 of Reclaiming Quinn

Gareth fluttered his hand. “Explain.”

Quinn drew in a sharp breath. “Zach seems like a great guy. Deke finds him funny, affable, and a strong ally. The thing is, even Deke isn’t certain that a human can beat a wolf.” He peered up at Sean. “What can?”

Sean’s eyes widened. “Nothing that I know of. I mean, Mother meant for the wolf to be the top of the food chain. When she changed Gareth, she made him the ultimate Alpha. Of course, he’s not indestructible, none of us are. But we possess enhanced strength, endurance, agility. Think of a shifter as being akin to an olympic-level athlete. Most humans wouldn’t stand a chance against the pinnacle of creation.”

“But that’s just it. I don’t think Zach is fully human. I don’t know what he is, but there’s something there. I can feel it.”

Gareth stepped forward. “Do you think Deke is in danger because of him?”

Quinn shook his head. “I really think he cares for Deke. Nothing he’s done has made Deke wary of Zach.”

“Okay.”

Gareth took the phone from his pocket and pressed a finger to the screen.

“You’re getting better at that,” Sean teased. “You’ve only broken three this month.”

“Yeah, you try having fingers the size of….” He held up a hand. “This is Blackthorn. I want you to talk to Wolfgang and ask him to check with his suppliers in Chicago. They usually know a lot of what’s going on. See if he can find out anything about a police officer named Zach who says he was based there.” He lifted his gaze. “Do you have a last name?”

“No, I’m sorry. I can describe him if that helps.”

“At this point anything will. One sec.” … “I’ve got you on speaker with Quinn.”

“Quinn?”

Oh, Dani’s voice. It soothed Quinn in ways even Sean hadn’t been able to do.

“Dani,” he whimpered.

“How are you holding up, sweetheart?”

The tears stung Quinn’s eyes once more. “I’m trying.”

Quinn quickly described Zach as best as he remembered. When he finished, he sighed. “That’s all I can think of.”

“Deke is lucky to have you, you know.” She chuckled. “Just like my stubborn kid is lucky to have Lyram.”

The room grew quiet; then Lyram cleared his throat. “You knew?”

“I’m old, Alpha, but that doesn’t mean I don’t pay attention. He’s your mate, right?”

“Yes,” Lyram whispered.

“He’ll come around. Just don’t give up on him, okay?”

“I would never!” Lyram said indignantly.

“That’s my boy. I mean my Alpha. Well, you know.”

They all chuckled, but Lyram seemed so sad. Quinn wanted to reach out to him, but then he realized that Lyram was doing his best to be the Alpha they needed, despite how his heart was breaking. He needed to change the tone of the conversation.

“Dani, when I come home, will you teach me to cook? I want to take care of Deke like you do.”

“You’ll take care of him in ways no one else could.” When everyone choked on a laugh, Dani snorted. “Not what I meant. Goddess, I thought Caleb was bad. I’m going to go talk with Wolfgang. Quinn, call me anytime you need to talk, okay?”

Another pillar of support. It was amazing how many Quinn was discovering he had.

“I will. Tell Caleb I said hi, and that I miss him.”