Page 47 of Wulf’s Pack

Chapter

Twenty-Four

N ora and Nick Gorgeous are waiting near the front entrance with agents Ralston and Johnson. My mood sours at the sight of the FBI agents. They aren’t the worst people in the world, as far as humans go, but I don’t trust them, and I don’t like the constipated looks on either of their faces.

“You’re up early,” I say to Nora, grimly. She and Gorgeous both work the night shift. If they’re here before lunch, something is wrong.

Nora grimaces. “You’re family. When Shayne called and told us someone needed to talk to you, we wanted to come ourselves instead of sending someone else.”

“Talk to us about what, exactly?”

“We have some questions,” Agent Ralston says.

Before I can ask for more details, Nora gives both Skylar and me a hug. “Sorry to just show up like this. I know you’re busy.” She looks toward the construction area with curiosity. “We’ll try to be quick.”

I run a hand through my hair and reach for patience.

I might not like the FBI guys, but I adore Nora and respect the hell out of Gorgeous.

After scanning the warehouse, I lead the group to the small set of bleachers set up on the other side of the gym.

“It’s not much,” I say as we all sit. “But as you can see, my office is a work in progress.”

Nora smiles. “This works. I’m excited to see what you’ve got planned for the place.”

Skylar beams at Nora. “We’d love to have your clan over for dinner soon. You’re Wulf’s family, and we’d like to introduce our pack under better circumstances.”

My chest bursts with pride. I’m not sure if it’s the omega in her or the luna, but she’s a natural. Absolute perfection.

Nora’s face lights up like the sky on the Fourth of July, and Gorgeous flashes Skylar a smile that has my wolf growling in my head.

I roll my eyes at the possessive brute. Gorgeous is an even bigger flirt than me, but he’s loyal to his core.

He’s not after my mate. “We accept,” he says enthusiastically, making Nora snort and elbow him.

“You can’t accept for us. You’re not even technically clan.”

Gorgeous scoffs. “I count.”

Nora rolls her eyes, but cracks a smile and pats his cheek. “Yes, you do, Nicky,” she teases in a babytalk voice. “But you’re still not in charge.”

The dragon huffs and crosses his arms. “Neither are you.”

Nora smirks. “Yeah, but Terrance loves me more.” She grins and sends a wink to my mate. “That sounds great. I’ll check everyone’s schedules and get back to you. Have you got a phone yet? I need your number.”

Skylar reaches for her new phone, but before the girls can exchange numbers, Agent Johnson interrupts. “Socialize on your own time, Director Jacobs. We don’t have all day.”

I bite back a smile at the annoyed glare Nora shoots the uptight woman.

Nora’s got an impressive amount of patience, but it’s pretty spectacular when she loses it.

One of these days, she’s going to snap, and the FBI is going to need a new set of agents to oversee the FUA.

With any luck, I’ll be there to see it when that happens.

“All right. All right.” I sigh. “What can we do for the FBI today?”

Agent Johnson isn’t impressed with my sarcasm. She’s too busy frowning at me to answer the question, so Agent Ralston takes the lead. “We have a few questions to ask you.”

“The FUA,” Gorgeous corrects, throwing a stubborn look at the agent that has her glaring at him. “This is our jurisdiction.”

Agent Johnson grinds her teeth, but doesn’t argue further.

I lift a brow. “Are we in trouble for something?”

“No,” Nora jumps in quickly. “Of course not. We just?—”

Agent Johnson cuts her off. “You’ve been out of town the last few days.”

I don’t like her attitude. Or should I say, accusation . She’s pinning me with a hard stare, and her voice is not quite hostile, but definitely defensive. I narrow my eyes and match her antagonistic tone. “Is there a question in there somewhere?”

Nora sighs. “Agent Johnson, I told you?—”

Again, the grouchy woman doesn’t let Nora finish. “What were you doing?”

“Pack business,” I say stubbornly. Sure, I could tell her more. I have nothing to hide. But she’s being rude, so screw her.

Agent Johnson glares at me. “Just answer the question.”

I fold my arms over my chest and stare her down, throwing enough alpha dominance at her to make her remember she’s dealing with a predator. “Why? How’s that any of your business?”

Agent Johnson starts to speak again, but this time Agent Ralston cuts her off before she can antagonize me further. “Last night, the Vail, Colorado, wolf pack was attacked.”

“Decimated,” Gorgeous adds cheerfully.

Skylar sucks in a soft breath, and my eyes pop wide open. I know that was the whole reason for going to Denver, and I knew Samuel would retaliate against the Vail pack, but somehow this news still comes as a shock. And a relief.

Skylar reaches for my hand and gives it a hard squeeze. Next to me, her body is shaking. “They’re dead?” she asks. Her voice is trembling as much as her body.

“It was a massacre,” Gorgeous says.

Both FBI agents frown. “You really didn’t know?” Agent Ralston asks.

Skylar sags against my side. I wrap my arm around her and pull her close. “This is the first we’re hearing of it,” I say. “They’re really dead?”

Agent Johnson continues to watch us with a narrow-eyed stare.

Gorgeous smirks. “Not just dead. Slaughtered. Their bodies were shredded and strung up to the fence along the pack property like some kind of gruesome warning.”

I try not to make a face. That’s exactly what it was.

Samuel was sending a message to everyone he knows that this is what happens when you betray him.

I’m really glad we went to Denver now and that Skylar was able to secure her freedom from him.

I don’t even want to know what he would have done to me otherwise. Me and everyone I know and care about.

“Every building on pack land was burned to the ground,” Nora says. “Even the ski resort the pack owned was destroyed.”

Some of Nick’s joviality melts off his face. “A bomb. The place was blown to pieces.”

Skylar gasps again, and I go rigid. “Was anyone hurt?” I ask. “Aside from Victor’s pack? Any innocent victims at the resort?”

My stomach churns. I don’t know how I’ll live with myself if a bunch of innocent people died because of my actions. I don’t know Samuel well enough to judge whether he would care about collateral damage, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he didn’t.

Thankfully, Nora shakes her head. “None, miraculously. There was a threat called in first. The device exploded after the building was evacuated, but before the bomb squad could get there. Whoever blew the place was careful.”

Skylar lets out a breath of relief, and her whole body sags. I know the feeling. For a second there, I couldn’t breathe.

Nora gives us a reassuring smile. She doesn’t know exactly what we did, but she knows we were involved somehow.

She knows we’d blame ourselves if innocent people were hurt.

“There wasn’t even any property damage aside from the resort since the building was far enough away from any neighboring businesses. ”

Agents Ralston and Johnson watch us carefully. I guess our reaction was a little too suspicious. “You really didn’t know?” Agent Ralston asks, skepticism in his voice.

Skylar and I both shake our heads.

Agent Johnson scoffs and crosses her arms. “Are you really going to tell us you had nothing to do with it?”

Skylar and I shake our heads again. Technically, it’s true. We didn’t have any part in Samuel’s plans.

Agent Johnson glares at Skylar, making my hackles raise. “That’s your pack,” she accuses.

Skylar sits up stiffly and clenches her jaw. “Former pack. I escaped, and I broke the pack bond.”

Agent Ralston cocks an eyebrow. “Escaped?”

“Interesting word choice,” Johnson adds.

I ball my fists and start to shake with rage.

Skylar looks just as pissed as me. “Yes, escaped,” she snaps. “They held me prisoner, kept me in silver chains, beat me to near-death on a regular basis, and prevented me from shifting so that I couldn’t heal. For eight years .”

Both Johnson and Ralston squirm beneath Skylar’s piercing stare. Her voice is unforgiving, and her eyes blaze with fire. She’s the fiercest, most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. I can’t help but be proud of her. My little meek wallflower gets stronger and more confident by the hour.

“Last week,” she continues harshly, “they beat me so severely they couldn’t lock me in silver without it killing me. It was the first opportunity I’ve ever had to run, so I took it.”

A thick, heavy silence settles between us all. I say nothing, letting the agents stew. No surprise, it’s Agent Johnson who eventually breaks it. “So you’re telling me,” she says slowly, “that you escaped from a pack who spent years abusing you, and suddenly that same pack is viciously murdered?”

I want to jump in and defend Skylar, but she doesn’t need me to. She shrugs and coolly says, “Appears that way.”

“That’s quite the coincidence.”

“Karmic justice.”

Nick snorts, but I’m just mesmerized. Skylar showed so much strength and courage with Samuel, and now it’s like, after having faced that, she’s a whole new woman.

My appreciation quickly turns to desire.

I wrap my arm around her shoulders again and start rubbing soft circles on her arm with my thumb.

She shivers at the contact and shocks me when she moves her hand from her lap to rest on my thigh.

The touch would be innocent, and maybe she means it that way, but when she clasps my leg, she shifts her hand as if she’s fighting the urge to start rubbing me.

Her delicate fingers slip maybe an inch inward, and she squeezes.

Heaven help me, but I go rock-hard in an instant.

I’ve never wanted a woman so badly in all my life.