Chapter Sixteen #2
The strange shifters had crashed through the nursery window in a large group, knocking me out cold before I could do more than shout for help. I'd been useless, unable to shift or breathe fire, and the guilt still lingered.
"They did," Rex answered in his southern drawl when it became clear that Beckett was waiting for a verbal response. "I got a faint whiff of weasel and then a whole lot of nothin'."
"Which is a big part of how they got the drop on us back then," Beckett told him, kind enough to say 'us' instead of laying the blame at my feet where it belonged.
Nobody had known that my dragon was out of commission.
I had not been at all helpful in protecting the pack's most vulnerable members during the pack run that night.
The Alpha sighed and sat back in his seat —a cushy, rolling office chair, matching the rest around the table— making the high back rock slightly.
"And it's how they concealed themselves from me during their first attack on our pack, too. "
I hadn't been here for that one. It had occurred before I'd ever arrived. From what I’d heard, Beckett had been successfully abducted and Brandt had been the one to rescue him, but I didn't know the whole story. It made sense that scent blockers would have been involved then, too.
It made my gut churn with anxiety.
"So, I guess what I'm saying is, I'm worried about something like that happening again," Beck continued.
"And I am open to suggestions on how to prevent it.
" He turned his attention to me and Sage again, gaze bouncing between us.
"Also, do either of you know what happened to Sergio?
He was staying here, but he didn't come back after the party. "
Sage stiffened at my side. We had agreed to keep what had happened between the three of us to ourselves, but I wanted nothing more than to shout from the rooftops that we had found our alpha in Serge.
Still, I understood why Sage wanted to wait.
It was painful enough missing our mate without having to answer a million questions on the topic.
"He had to return to Europe to resolve some urgent business," I answered smoothly, reaching out for Sage's thigh beneath the table and squeezing it. "I believe he intends to return within a few weeks. The life of a nomad, you know?"
Beckett nodded but frowned. "That's a pity. I was hoping he might have some kind of magical way to combat the scent blockers. I don't know," he chuckled ruefully, rubbing the back of his neck, "maybe I read too many fantasy novels."
“I’m sure there’s an equally chemical way to neutralize the effect of scent blockers,” Eric mused from where he sat next to Rex, “but it will take time to research and test.”
“Time which we probably don’t have,” Rex finished for him.
The room fell silent again.
“I was thinking…” Sage piped up, stalling as everyone’s attention zoned in on him, “Uh, I mean…” He cleared his throat.
“What if we involve the local Sheriffs’ offices?
From neighboring counties and towns, I mean.
” He gestured towards Beckett, adding, “You’ve made connections these past few years, right?
After the clusterfuck that happened the last time we were attacked? ”
Beckett had had to. People on both sides of the melee had died. It hadn’t been the kind of thing that could be swept under the rug.
The pack Alpha scrunched his nose in contemplation. “Yeah…” he drew out the word while he thought it over. “But they’re mostly humans.”
“Mostly,” Sage repeated, “but not all. This could impact them, too.”
I tried to quell my rising amusement, knowing that he was defending Sergio’s idea more than he would his own.
Eric huffed. “Something funny, Dex?”
Damn it.
“No,” I answered, without a trace of my usual snark or adversarial tone. I even attempted to sound apologetic. “Sorry, my mind was elsewhere.”
On my mates, I wanted to explain. My incredibly sexy mates.
“Hmm,” Sage’s younger brother didn’t look convinced.
Elbows braced on top of the table, he steepled his fingers and narrowed his gaze at me.
“Well, you two could make yourselves useful and ask around town, see if you can’t find out more about where the blockers are coming from and how people are accessing them. ”
That sounded risky. “Do I look like a damn detective?”
Eric rolled his eyes. “I’m not asking you to poke around drug dens or anything.”
“Our town doesn’t have—” Beck started, but Eric waved him off, still looking my way.
“Just…see if anyone in Frat House will talk, is all I’m asking.”
“We can do that,” Sage answered before I could give in to the urge to snark back at his brother. “Maybe even see if any of the betas who go to the parties are willing to share what they know.”
I knew that he thrived on feeling helpful, so my bluster deflated and I sighed. “Fine. But you really should contact the police in the area. Who knows what else these backyard chemists are concocting.”
For some reason, my dragon would not let go of the sense of unease that accompanied that thought.
I hoped that I was being paranoid, but he’d been right before.
“Okay,” Beckett agreed, sounding concerned, “I think that’s fair.
” I wondered if his alpha —his wolf— was feeling the same way as my dragon, because his expression softened and he looked beseechingly at both me and Sage.
“And be careful while you’re digging into it.
We don’t want anyone in our pack to get hurt because of this. ”