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Brand, Glen, and I had a job to do beyond representing our packs here. We Heirs were also spies for the North American Council, doing reconnaissance before our Alphas arrived.The Council was extremely curious about what Alpha Callaway had been up to. Every year, the rolls in each pack were reported, and more and more of his ranked wolves were being reported as killed in accidents, or from strange illnesses.
Shifters could survive almost anything, so the death toll—including higher ranked wolves—was worrying. There had been rumors of egregious abuse as well, unranked females like Flor being forced into mating or expelled from the pack if they refused a mate.
My own parents weren’t particularly concerned about the plight of the female shifters, but there had also been a marked decrease in the tithe to the Council due to the losses, and the other packs had been asked to make up for the financial loss. And if there was one thing my parents cared about, other than appearances, it was money.
So far, it seemed the rumors were true, and that some of the worst abuses had been utterly hidden. I’d even heard a whisper about Callaway having a true mate years ago, who’d died or vanished.
My father’s Enforcers were already taking pictures and moving silently from shack to shack, asking discreet questions to build a case to overturn the leadership here. Brand might bitch about shifter tradition, but Luke had to step up as Alpha before more shifters died.
A knock at the door interrupted my thoughts. “What?”
“News.”
Wrapping a towel around my waist, I opened the door a crack. “Report.”
Hard topaz eyes met mine. My father’s Head Enforcer, Torran. He’d been Eastern’s wet-work man for two years, after I’d been relieved of that bloody duty. I’d always thought there was something wrong with his wolf, since Torran enjoyed torturing.
He’d enjoyed it so much, my father had recently been forced to give the job to another shifter, or risk our pack’s secrets being exposed to human authorities.
“Sir, we’ve got more than enough on the suspect to follow through with your father’s orders.”
“I expected as much. Write it up, add it to the investigation’s file. Make sure you use the new encryption.”
“Not that these idiots would know the first thing about hacking,” he muttered. “I’m not sure this hellhole even has a landline. Good thing we brought our sat phones.”
“Is that all?”
His eyes narrowed. “You’re expected in the Alpha’s private dining room in a half hour.”
“I’ll be there,” I replied, trying not to grind my teeth at the tone of command he dared to use. As Head Enforcer, he might be on the Council, but we both knew my wolf was stronger than his, and I was the Heir. “You take care of your work. I’ll handle mine.”
I shut the door and slid the deadbolt, my mind moving to the next evening, and the fight. I wouldn’t hurt her. But I would test her. Anything less would be an insult to her skills, her training. I’d give her the chance to shine, like the rough diamond she was in this pack full of stones.
And then I would let the stones be crushed. As soon as Flor was safely away from this shithole, the Council would send in a massive group of Enforcers, and the Southern leadership would all suffer for their crimes.
For daring to hurt my fierce little warrior. My unexpectedly, almost unnaturally appealing mate, whose eyes had held innocence… and secrets.
The thought of her had my cock rising again, my inner wolf whining to run free and find her. Fuck. I didn’t have time for this.
Nevertheless, I slammed the bathroom door and had my cock in my hand as I fantasized about how I would pay back my rough little mate for her dirty fighting today. How I could teach her to enjoy herself, and me. I let myself dream, and feel, and wish, knowing that was all I could do to keep her from danger.
If only my life were safe enough for her, my own pack more honorable. If I were a better shifter, not stained by my crimes and attached to a poisonous family tree… I would have allowed her to taste the danger of my affection, my craving, making certain she enjoyed every second of it.
I would have loved her, with all the sharp edges of my nature, until she softened me.
Until she returned my love.
14
Betrayal in the Ring
FLOR
It felt like I’d spent my whole life waiting, so I should have developed patience by now. But the next two days were going to be the longest of my life.
Between the constant weight of grief, my ever-present watchfulness for any Southern patrols still running in the woods, and the distracting, obsessive thoughts that kept swirling in my mind about not only Luke, but Brand, Glen, and even the red-headed jerk, I was more of a mess than I had ever been.
In the distance, a twig broke. I had my bag in my hand and was up the closest pine tree before whoever it was could get close enough to sniff me. I’d been sleeping in the trees, so I hadn’t left much of my scent on the ground, and I’d buried the sticks I’d used to train with under a thorny bush nearby, but paranoia was what had kept me alive. I climbed higher, into the thick branches, the scent of the pine sap that covered my arms and legs surrounding me.
