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  “I’m not letting you do this, Kyran.”

  “Do what?” I turn to her.

  “Get your way. Not this time. I’m doing this whether you want me to or not.” She has made up her mind. I can see this clearly, and no matter what I say it’s not going to change.

  “You’re going to make a big deal out of this, aren’t you?”

  “You bet I am. I already called Bray and he should be here in the morning.”

  I resign myself to her will. As I study the hand firmly gripping my forearm, I come to understand how important this is for her. But when it comes to what I believe, I honestly don’t think the cure will be simple. Nothing in this world is.

  “There are no guarantees I’ll be cured.”

  “I know.”

  “Then why risk it?”

  “Because I want to. Consider it a gift.”

  “It won’t work.” Gift or not, I’m worried about her state of mind should the cure not be successful. What if it’s all a myth? And her blood has no special properties whatsoever? What then?

  “How do you know it won’t?”

  “It’s just a feeling.” I’d rather not get my hopes up. If it doesn’t work, I won’t be as disappointed.

  “We’ll just have to take the risk anyway.” She slides closer to me and before I can realize her intent her hands are on my face, her lips pressing gently against mine.

  I’m momentarily divided by the desire to kiss her back and putting some distance between us. Having had yet another relapse just minutes ago, I’m afraid of what something as simple as a kiss will conjure, but her quiet insistence rips away at my reserve and I reach for her, pulling her onto my lap, my arms circling her petite waist.

  Marjorie responds with ardent fervor, kissing as intensely as I do. My hands trail up her back as my lips devour hers. She presses against me, and by doing so barely leaves little more than breathing space between us. My blood boils in response. I am a victim of her beauty, female charm, and appealing personality. She calls to me like no one ever has, but as always I know my limits and they are about ready to run out, so I break the kiss first, resting my forehead against hers.

  Picturing Marjorie out of my life is painful, more than enduring another relapse, but I understand her point of view when it comes to this separation. It should help us better understand the circumstances of our bond. Nonetheless, I can’t help but want to be selfish and tell her to stay by my side.

  Instead I say, “Take all the time you need to find yourself, Marjorie. Just promise me you’ll be safe.”

  “You’re not mad at me?”

  “Like I said before, I don’t like that you’re leaving, or that everything that’s happened to have caused you to doubt our bond, but I understand why you’ve made this decision.”

  She says nothing for a moment, her hands touching my arms. “Be here when I get back,” she says at last. Her words tug at my heart more than she will ever know. I have no idea what’s going to happen to me, whether or not I’ll even be alive when she returns.

  I think about something to say, opening my mouth, but nothing comes out. Under these circumstances, what can I say?

  Noise in the foyer draws us apart. I pull back, my sensitive hearing picking up on both Dario’s and Esteban’s voices. I’m guessing the news they have to report can’t wait any longer. “I’ll go see what’s going on.”

  Helping Marjorie to her feet, I stand to face the door. I’m anxious to go out and hear what Dario has to say. “Knowing Dario, he’s probably just anxious to share another one of his stupid stories,” I say, hoping the exuberance heard through the closed door doesn’t transmit as a cause for alarm.

  “He’s not that bad.”

  “That’s because you haven’t spent more than a few minutes with him.” I turn to her but just then her cell phone begins to vibrate. She takes it out of her pocket and looks at the screen. “I have to take this.” She gazes up at me.

  “All right. Let me see what’s going on out there.”

  Chapter Four

  I march out of the room so Marjorie can answer her call, and stroll into the foyer, shutting the door behind me. I find Dario and Esteban standing by the main staircase with Marquis, Alexis, and Gage. “What’s going on? Couldn’t this wait?” I glance over my shoulder at the office, worried Marjorie might overhear our conversation.

  The name Angie catches my attention and I’m torn between listening in on Marjorie or what Esteban and Dario have to tell us.

  “I don’t think we should,” Marquis comes forward. “Now or later, Marjorie is bound to discover what is really going on.”

  Dario acknowledges me next. “As I was informing your older brother, we checked every hideout the captured beta told us about, but the most we found was the body of another beta, mid transformation.”

  Meaning the beta didn’t survive the physical changes from human to something in between. Many humans die while in the middle of the process. The pain is too much and they succumb to the trauma it has on their bodies.

  “They left him behind, but it seems they were planning on coming back.”

  Esteban steps forward. “While Dario and I were meticulously exploring these places, the majority of which are small caverns buried deep in the woods with no hiking trails or signs of human traffic, we realized they all connect with one another.”

  I glance over at Alexis, and signal for him to get closer to me. He saunters over immediately, standing to my right he asks, “What is it?”

  I nod to the door to Marquis’ office behind me. “Marjorie is in there talking to Angela. Do me a favor and listen in on the conversation,” I whisper to him.

  Alexis dips his head and gravitates to the door behind me.

  “I don’t understand.” Marquis directs his next question to Dario. “What exactly do you mean?”

  “They have this elaborate underground system of tunnels, which connect with the nearest cavern and so on. This is how they travel, like prairie dogs. They journey underground so it is easier for them to hide. Their scent can’t be carried as easily and it is more difficult for us to detect their heartbeats when they are several feet under.”

  “It makes perfect sense,” I say, taking a step forward. “Think about it, the betas are not exactly trained assassins. They kill based on the instinct of the predator inside. The Gandillon alpha must be aware so he had to device a system to keep us guessing where they are, where they are coming from, and how they avoid us. It’s obvious he has little respect for the poor devils being forcefully recruited into his pack. Since he doesn’t want to spare his best fighters, he uses the lesser of the two evils to attack us.”

  Gage turns his attention to Marquis. “If the Gandillon alpha is sparing his best fighters, it means he’s planning on warring against us. He will let his betas do most of the dirty work, and quite possibly get killed in the small battles, and then bring in the cavalry when the time for the challenge for Marjorie’s hand comes.”

  “He’s not going to touch a hair on her head much less her hand,” I snap.

  “I bet the mine operates much the same way the caverns do,” Marquis adds, ignoring my outburst. “Furthermore, we will find out tonight. In the meantime, you should all know our plans have changed. We will proceed with the comradery ceremony on this night before departing for our midnight rendezvous. I suggest everyone fill their stomachs and get some rest before then. We might have an unexpected encounter with a group or groups of wolves and a battle is a possibility.”

  Simone ushers into the room from the direction of the kitchen. “Everything has been reheated and served.”

  Marquis is the first to join his wife, tossing over his shoulder, “Let’s enjoy a nice meal as a pack,” as he walks away with his right arm circled around his mate’s waist. The rest of those present follow the couple to the kitchen with the exception of Alexis and me.

  “Let’s talk,” Alexis whispers next to me.

  “Hold that thought.” I locate Josephine in the
kitchen and send her a telepathic message, asking her to please help Marjorie into the kitchen so she, too, can grab a bite to eat. Once she has replied, assuring me she’s on the way, I turn to Alexis. “Let’s head to the cellar. There are a few things I want to ask our house guest.”

  With Alexis’ nod of approval, I lead the way to the cellar, but halfway down the set of stairs, I detect a pair of feet behind us and turn to see Gage following us.

  “What are you two up to?” he asks.

  “You might as well tag along and find out,” I reply before continuing down the stairs.

  We stroll into the room to find the beta sitting on the edge of the bed, a deck of cards in his hands. He aims at a baseball cap, one I recognize as Gage’s, and tosses card after card in an attempt to land each one inside.

  “Hey, you.” Alexis marches right up to the metal pillar and points to the beta with one finger. “You have some explaining to do.”

  The beta’s face grows red with worry. “I already told you everything I know.”

  Gage shuts the huge cellar door on his way in, then walks to the other side of the room where he makes himself comfortable on a large chair next to a table. “This shouldn’t be a problem for you since you love to chit chat so much.”

  “He’s a talker, is he?” Alexis asks.

  “Why do you think I was upstairs? I was supposed to stay down here and watch him but he’s a little bit of a chatter box. It’s incredibly annoying.”

  The beta hurries to his feet. “Can you blame me? Back with those animals, I wasn’t allowed to talk unless spoken to. I may be a prisoner here, but at least I’m treated with more dignity than I ever was there.” Sincerity rings in his statement. He might be afraid of us, but he’s safe here and the sense of security gives him enough courage to speak about things he wouldn’t under different circumstances.

  “Good, then you won’t mind answering a few questions for us.” I stand next to Alexis. “Do you know a Kenny Marshall?”

  The name rings a bell. His reaction tells me this much. “I’ve heard it being thrown about back at the dens.”

  “In reference to what?”

  “There’s this rumor going on about two alphas struggling for power. One is obsessed with overthrowing the other. I heard one of the Trackers mention the younger of the two, this Kenny Marshall fellow, wants to take over and hopes to fight the older leader for the position.”

  My heart races. “Did they mention a girl? Marjorie by any chance?”

  “No. I haven’t heard any mention of a girl.”

  “Could it be?” Alexis shakes his head. “Could Kenny be the alpha who’s after Marjorie?”

  “But Kenny doesn’t fit the bill.” Gage doesn’t move from his position, but his focus is on us. “He’s our age. The way the alpha has been described to us, I would like to think he’s quite older and far more experienced. If anything, Kenny comes across as an unruly pup at best.”

  “We can’t dismiss him though,” Alexis adds.

  “No. We can’t. I haven’t trusted him from the beginning and I see no reason to change my opinion of him.” To the beta I say, “What is his rank?”

  “As far as I know, he’s the son of an alpha, but the alpha himself is not willing to give up his position for his son to claim. There’s tension between them.”

  This gives us very little to go on. Two alphas on a pull for power? There could be a dozen cases like this and for different reasons. However, father and son as rivals? Now, this is something we don’t see very often in our world. The only case I know of is that of Gavin ValKhazar who challenged his father Lykos and succeeded in beating and taking over his alpha’s kingdom. But this lesson in werewolf history goes back several hundred years.

  “According to the Trackers, whichever alpha brings in the prize will then be the undeniable successor.”

  This information I can use.

  “Sounds to me like Kenny is really striving for the alpha position. But why? If he’s the son of the most powerful alpha in town, why would he compete with his father for a position, which will be passed down to him eventually anyway?” Alexis looks at me, his face solemn.

  “There could be a thousand reasons why,” Gage says.

  My gaze never leaves the beta as I ask, “What about Santos? What role did he have in all this? I know you ran with him for a while. So did Jack.”

  The beta sets what remains of the deck of cards in his hands on the nightstand to his right and stands, strolling over to the pillars separating us. “Santos didn’t have a pack. He was a loner so he needed recruits. This is when we all came along. The betas in the Gandillon pack are the leftovers of Santo’s weak attempt at overthrowing the dominant alpha in town. As I heard it...Santos wanted to collect the prize everyone talks about and keep it for himself so he could create an army.” The beta pauses for a moment, his eyes distant as he adds, “I’m not from Wolf Creek Hollow. I met Santos in Maine where I’m originally from. My life became a living nightmare the moment we crossed paths.”

  Santos was just another werewolf looking for his moment of greatness. We’ve encountered several of those in our lifetime, but Santos really took things farther than the rest. The moment he decided to go after Marjorie, his fate was sealed.

  “We’re closer to finding out the truth today than we were weeks ago.” Gage pushes himself to his feet and makes it across the room to us.

  “If Kenny is in any way connected, it won’t be long before his involvement is discovered.” I’m confident his facade will fall sooner or later. “Let’s just join the others for now and enjoy a nice, quiet meal together for once.”

  Alexis nods in agreement. We leave the beta alone and exit the room together. On the way up the stairs, I stop halfway and turn to Alexis. “What did Angela want?”

  “For what I got out of the conversation I think she wants to get together with Marjorie someplace,” Alexis answers with a slight dip of the brow.

  “I may be overdoing it, but this doesn’t add up to me.”

  Alexis rests his back on the wall behind him. “Right. At the hospital, Angela didn’t care enough to take a moment to visit her so-called best friend of years, going as far as accusing Marjorie of being the culprit behind her supposed accident, and now she wants them to meet up? Why not offer to stop by the house?”

  I dip my head. “Thinking back on how it was Kenny who picked her up from the hospital I’d say there’s enough reason to suspect them both.”

  “Really? Are Angela and Kenny tight?” Gage asks.

  “I don’t know much about either; except for they’ve been friends for a while. On how close the relationship is, I haven’t a clue,” Alexis explains with a slight dip of his brow.

  “Look, I know Marjorie and she’s going to want to see her friend. I might be overthinking things but we should run this by Marquis and Bray. Something tells me this wasn’t a casual call to make amends.”

  “I don’t either.” Alexis settles his hands on his hips. “This might be our only chance to figure out once and for all, whether or not, Kenny is behind these attacks—and yes, I know how bad it all sounds, but it’s something to think about.”

  Use Marjorie as bait? It’s far from what I’d call ideal, but what else can we do? Desperate times calls for desperate measures. The Gandillon pack never gets close enough to get caught and Kenny seems to be following the same pattern. I have a haunch he’s in on this. Whether directly or indirectly remains to be seen.

  “Alexis, if we all agree Marjorie should go to this meeting you’re accompanying her.” It’s an unnecessary request for I already know Alexis will agree.

  “I’m all on it.”

  Gage turns to head back up the stairs. “Let’s get some food in our stomachs first. Discussions can follow later.”

  Chapter Five

  I step into the hall, refreshed after a long, hot shower.

  “Bray will be here soon,” Alexis announces. “Do you plan to tell Marjorie what we’ll be doing tonight?” />
  “I don’t think we should worry her any more than she already is. We should consider letting her get some rest. She won’t be able to sleep if her mind is wandering to where we are, what we’re doing, and if we are at risk.”

  Alexis takes a step back as I stroll by him and continue on toward the handrails near the main staircase. “I guess you’re right.” He joins me, setting his forearms on the rail as we both gaze over to the foyer below.

  “What’s with you?” For the past few hours, he’s been quieter than usual. Normally, I would consider this a blessing, but for some reason I can’t explain, I’d rather listen to him bark over and over again about anything. Or nothing in particular, but to be able to hear the sound of his voice more often would be comforting.

  “Nothing,” he murmurs to my right.

  “This isn’t like you.” My eyes seek his but he refuses to look at me. “So easygoing and trying not to make things harder for me...that isn’t you.”

  His eyebrows go up. “Now you’re complaining because I'm being nice? You really need to figure out what you want.” He playfully bumps his shoulder to mine. “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”

  I continue to gaze at him, trying to figure out what’s bothering him. He’s blocking me out of his head so there’s nothing I can do to meddle up there.

  “You’re a good liar, Alexis. I almost believed you.”

  He wrinkles his nose. “You won’t leave things alone, will you?”

  I push away from the handrail and face him. “Talk to me, Alexis.”

  “Okay, fine, but it will sound stupid.”

  “Give me a little credit. I don’t consider you intellectually challenged. A bit immature, maybe, but definitely not dumb. What’s going on?”

  Resignation registers on his face. “Have you read the brief passage on Aimar in the book?”

  “Yes.” I recall stumbling upon it and how it went on to say he challenged his brother but then no details were added as to what occurred between the two or why. “You’ve been reading on our ancestors too?” I’m curious because I’ve never actually seen him pick up the book for any reason. In fact, since our move to Wolf Creek Hollow not once has the book left my bedroom.