Chapter 16
Wolf shifter Alfie Wright moved from foot to foot outside the conference room under the park, trying to suppress the twitchy energy that thrummed through him.
The moment Caesar had texted him to join the alphas and security team in the room, he’d known it was time to act against the jaguar alpha who would not leave Caesar’s mate alone.
Caesar opened the door and beckoned him in. “Have a seat, Alfie.”
Caesar moved to the head of the long table and Alfie took a seat between Jupiter and Atticus, quietly greeting both males.
Joss swiveled in the black leather chair and looked at Alfie, then looked around the room.
“When it was clear that Otto wasn’t going to back down, I asked Alfie to find him.
Caesar came to me and asked if Alfie could track him, and I was happy to share that he’d already been working on it. You’ve got the floor, Alfie.”
He cleared his throat and said, “I’ve been scouting for the last couple days.
I picked up the scent of jaguars at the paddocks, but it was faint and I believe it was their scent on the dead rabbits.
I tracked around the park’s perimeter in widening circles and eventually picked up a trail that led me through woods and past the old water tower, to an abandoned quarry four miles from the park.
There are signs of a camp, including burned trash and discarded gear. ”
Joss turned on a tablet on the table and used it to send images to a projector screen on the wall. Several images were of the camp and the quarry, and the last image was of a map of the area that Alfie had scouted to ensure it was accurate.
“Do you think Otto and his people are still there?” Atticus asked.
“The scent at the camp is strong, so it’s recent. I believe it’s an active campsite for them, and I believe they’re living out of their vehicles or setting up and breaking down tents every day to not leave a trace.”
“Do you think they’re trying to throw us off with a fake campsite?” Marcus asked.
“Anything is possible when it comes to deranged shifters. But I found more than just a strong scent of the jaguars. There was warm ash in a firepit, and food wrappers scattered around. And I located a broken drone that looks like the ones on the security footage. It was buried under loose rocks near the firepit.”
Jupiter pulled the tablet over to himself and said, “There’s a trail cam in that area and I’ve accessed it before. Let’s see if it shows anything last night.”
He pulled up the trail cam and scrolled through the footage for the last twenty-four hours.
About four a.m., the cam was activated when what appeared to be a group of people walked past the cam and headed to the quarry.
They watched more footage, the people seeming to only move around at night and never during the day, but Alfie was certain it was the jaguars.
“That’s good enough for me,” Caesar said.
“The footage seems to show they move more at night, at least since they’ve been at the quarry, so they should be there during the day.
We’ll disable the trail cam so we’re not caught on public footage and go in and confront him. If he’s not there, we’ll wait.”
“Who do you want with you?” Alistair asked.
“The best fighters. But I don’t want to compromise the safety of the park or our people, so I’ll leave it to Jupiter to decide who comes and who stays among the willing.”
“We’re all willing,” Joss said. “Any shifter’s mate who is in danger is protected by all of us.”
The males all nodded in agreement.
Alfie smiled. The park shifters were fucking amazing.
“I’m in,” Alfie said. “I can track at the quarry if they’re not there and figure out how long it’s been since they were there.”
Caesar nodded.
Jupiter took volunteers, and by the time they were ready to go, a dozen males were with them including Joss and Atticus, leaving alphas Alistair and Marcus behind to keep an eye on the park.
Alfie hadn’t been involved in a situation like this in ages, not since he’d left his former pack and joined up with Joss, disillusioned with his old alpha’s attempts to take over another pack’s territory.
He was a talented tracker, a gift handed down to him by his father and grandfather, and he could track the hell out of anyone or anything.
He’d been utilized over the years by Joss when necessary, but not like he’d been used by his old alpha.
The bastard had him tracking shifters to abduct and try to force the other alpha’s hand in giving up his territory.
Which was why Alfie left. He wasn’t interested in being used by anyone.
He just wanted to work the safari tours, help in security when needed, and find his soulmate and settle down.
And find Otto, of course.
They took three SUVs and parked a half mile from the quarry. After Jupiter confirmed the trail cam was disabled, they hustled over the bridge and followed the trail to the quarry. He could pick up the scent of the jaguars and saw fresh tire tracks leading out of the quarry.
“The tracks are new, and I smell the jaguars. Their scent is pretty fresh,” he told Caesar with a low voice. “There are a few vehicles in the quarry, but I don’t see any movement.”
The quarry sat low in the earth, hidden by jagged rocks and overgrown foliage. The vehicles were partially hidden by the overgrowth, and while it was quiet in the quarry, it didn’t mean they weren’t there. He wouldn’t know until he checked it out.
“Look for traps,” Caesar whispered. “Watch where you’re walking and keep an eye out for anything and everything.”
They spread out and moved slowly down into the quarry. Alfie kept his wolf close, his senses on high alert.
His skin prickled and he realized how freaking quiet it was. No birds, no insects. Just the faint sound of wind blowing.
And then there was a click.
“It’s a trap!” Alfie yelled, grabbing the males closest to him and shoving them away from the quarry as an explosion rocked the earth.
* * *
The force slammed Caesar to the ground. Dust and heat washed over him, along with a sharp ringing in his ears. His vision blurred for a moment, and something warm trickled down his neck.
He blinked and turned his head.
Amadeus was on the ground, groaning, blood pooling on the dirt from a gash in his leg.
“Amadeus!” Caesar called out as he crawled to him.
Lucius and Jupiter joined him, both dusty and bruised from the blast.
“I’ll check for injured,” Jupiter said, hustling away.
Lucius pulled his belt off and tightened it above the injury on Amadeus’s leg. “We need to get you home so you can shift.”
Caesar growled, scanning the area. The jaguars’ vehicles were smoking and on fire; they’d clearly been decoys to draw them in.
Alfie, who’d realized it was a trap first and pushed Caesar out of harm’s way, walked over. “Otto knew we would come. I think the explosions were set off by remote. He couldn’t have known when we’d get here.”
“Agreed. Help me get Amadeus into the vehicle. Is anyone else hurt?” Caesar asked.
“Beat up but alive, thank fucking goodness,” Alfie said.
Caesar and Alfie lifted Amadeus as Lucius hurried ahead to one of the SUVs to open the back gate.
Fury rose hot and fast within Caesar. He wanted to shift and hunt down Otto, but he forced himself past the need, and focused on his son.
They carried Amadeus to the SUV and laid him in the back.
“I’m okay,” Amadeus said, gritting his teeth. “Just my bad luck to get hit by flying debris.”
“We’ll get you home so you can shift,” Alfie said.
Caesar returned to the quarry to check on the others. Everyone was okay, though several were injured like he was with cuts and bruises. Amadeus had gotten the worst of it, unfortunately.
After all were accounted for and in the park’s vehicles, Caesar climbed into the second row of an SUV to keep an eye on Amadeus. Joss drove and Alfie was in the passenger seat.
No one was talking. The only sound was an occasional grunt of pain from Amadeus and the rhythmic sound of the tires on asphalt.
Caesar snarled and slammed his fist into the door.
“It’s not your fault,” Joss said, his hands tight on the wheel, glancing at Caesar in the rearview.
“I walked us into a trap,” Caesar said.
“I’m the one who did that,” Alfie said bitterly. “I thought it was safe.”
“You couldn’t have known he rigged a bomb like that,” Caesar said. “Amadeus will be fine after he shifts, and we didn’t lose anyone. Don’t blame yourself.”
“I could say the same for you,” Joss said.
“I tried to take the battle to him, but he was two steps ahead of me.”
“He wants you off balance and rattled so you make mistakes. You didn’t do anything that any of us wouldn’t have done. If someone was coming after my Jeanie, I would have marched right the hell into that quarry too. So don’t think you did something that we didn’t think was a good move.”
“I’ll track him again,” Alfie said. “And I will find him.” Alfie turned in the front seat to look at Caesar and he nodded, seeing the determination in the young male’s eyes.
They reached the park and quickly carried Amadeus down into the lions’ private living area.
It was too risky to shift in the daytime after the park was open.
Amadeus stripped and groaned as he was finally able to shift and heal the big gash in his leg.
He stretched out on the carpet and closed his eyes with a grumbling sigh.
Caesar patted his head.
“I’m sorry, kid. Thank you for being there with me, though. I’m glad you’re healed.”
“Oh my gosh! Are you okay?” Sera hurried from the house and nearly took Caesar out in a big hug.
He kissed her and nodded. “Just a little banged up. Literally.”
After telling her about the bomb, she put her hand on Amadeus’s paw and gave it a squeeze. “I’m so glad you’re okay. How about a nice, raw steak?”
Amadeus hummed and nodded.
Caesar walked with Sera into the house. In the kitchen, she took a steak from the refrigerator and put it on a tray.
Tray in hand, she stopped and looked at him. “What are we going to do?”
“Baby, I don’t know. I thought I could take the fight to him, catch him off guard, but he’s the one who caught me off guard.”
“I want this to be over, and I want him to be out of our lives.”
“I want that too, trust me. I want you to be free to move around the park as you want and not worry for your safety or Fallon’s.”
He just didn’t know how to make that happen.