CALLUM #2
“Maybe Grey can help us with that?” He’s helped us before when it came to the fight rings.
“We know he feels the same as we do about them, and he’s nearby.
” Jet’s stare bores into the side of my head, but I ignore him, because this is a good idea, regardless of how he feels about Grey.
“Might as well make use of him if we can.”
Lynx taps his fingers on the table. “Agreed.”
It looks like the meeting’s coming to an end, but then Morgan says, “What about the stuff that Birch said when . . . ?” He glances my way and visibly flinches.
“Morgan.” I flash him a soft smile that I hope conveys there’s fuck all ill feeling between us.
I’ve already told him I don’t blame him for what he did.
I wanted him to do it, because anything else would’ve risked Ash’s life and I would’ve never forgiven him for that.
I guess it’s going to take a while for him to accept it.
Then his words hit home and my gaze snaps to Lynx. “What did Birch say?”
I feel a surge of guilt coming from Ash, but before I can react, Lynx speaks.
“I asked them not to tell you before you were fully recovered.”
“Tell me what?”
“According to Birch, the hunter council already knew about the fight rings.”
I stare back at him, unable to process what that means.
“And they’ve done nothing to stop them?” Jet snarls, so I’m guessing this is news to them to. He surges from the table, chair toppling over, air rippling with magic as he struggles not to shift.
The whole room feels like a bomb about to go off, tension building with each second that information sinks in.
We should’ve done this outside.
“Jet.” Lynx’s voice crackles the air, alpha power washing over all of us like a calming blanket.
Jet stills, breaths coming fast and shallow before he slumps against the wall and tips his head back, eyes closed. “I’m good,” he murmurs softly.
The tension eases, but not by much.
“Do we believe him?” Flint has his hands balled into fists, and when I look down, there’s blood smeared on the table.
Lynx sighs but looks to Morgan.
“Yes.” Morgan doesn’t hesitate. “I know I’m not as adept at this whole thing as the rest of you, but when I . . .” Colour drains from his face as he looks at me and Ash.
I guess we’re going to need another chat about this later.
“It felt like he was telling the truth.” He rubs his chest as he says it, and that’s good enough for me.
“We need to talk to Grey.”
“We do.” Lynx glances at his phone. “And he’s just coming through the gates now.”
Jet’s head snaps up, but he keeps whatever thoughts he has about that to himself.
Lynx stands, so the rest of us do the same.
We follow him out of the room in stunned silence.
If the council have known about the fight rings this whole time, does that mean they sanctioned them? Was Fox working for them instead of without their knowledge like we just fucking assumed?
One glance Lynx’s way and I know he’s thinking exactly the same thing.
If it’s true, then . . . fuck. I can’t even attempt to imagine what that means for us, for all shifters.
We get outside as a black SUV rolls to a stop alongside the rows of bikes.
Tanner Grey gets out, and the sharp inhale beside me means I’m not the only one who’s noticed the fresh bruises he’s tried to hide with long sleeves and a shirt collar.
“Grey.” Lynx greets him and gestures for him to walk with us.
We head towards the old tree this time instead of inside. A wise decision considering everyone’s already on edge from the last revelation.
Grey smiles when we reach the clearing, a touch of awe in his eyes as he takes in the tree. That smile falls immediately when Lynx drops the bombshell.
“Before Birch died, he told Morgan that the hunter council knows all about the fight rings. That they knew before we rescued Morgan from the one Fox was at.”
Grey stares at him.
His mouth opens, then closes.
Shock clear as day in every reaction.
I breathe a huge fucking sigh of relief, because if he knew about this then . . . we’d be more fucked than we already are.
“No.” Grey shakes his head, hands fisting his hair as he struggles to make sense of Lynx’s words. “He lied.” He starts to pace. “There’s no way . . .”
“He was telling the truth.” Lynx crosses his arms, waiting for Grey to stop.
Finally, he turns and faces Lynx. “You’re absolutely sure about this?”
Lynx glances at Morgan. “Yes.”
“Fuck.” Grey drops to a crouch, as if all the fight has suddenly been sucked out of him.
I don’t blame him for needing a minute. We’ve just told him everything he believed in is a lie.
He looks at the ground, breathes deeply like he’s trying to find some semblance of calm, then slowly gets to his feet.
When he looks up, the fire’s back in his eyes.
“They can’t all know.” He holds up his hands before anyone can speak.
“I know some of the men on that council and there’s no way they’d ever be a party to something like the fight rings.
” He shakes his head. “I’d stake my life on it. ”
I hope he’s right, because the way this is heading, he might have to.
Lynx eyes him. “What about the others?”
He deflates a little and meets Lynx’s gaze.
The look on his face crushes any sliver of hope I had that Birch was bullshitting.
“There are some on the council who think more like Fox did, but I never thought they’d openly go against council rules.
” He shakes his head again. “And the fucking fight rings go against everything we stand for.”
The longer I watch Grey get upset on our behalf, the more I believe he’s someone we can trust.
Not just surface-level trust, but with every dark secret we possess.
I look around at the others, seeing a similar reaction in some. When I reach Jet, I expect to see the same level of hate he directs at all hunters, but there’s a softening around his eyes that floors me.
It’s gone the second he catches me watching him, and it feels like I saw something I wasn’t supposed to.
“What do we do about it?” Flint’s gaze drifts to the house before he snaps it back. He’s thinking of Nico and Luke and what this means for them.
Grey blows out a breath and plants his hands on his hips.
“You can’t do anything. Not just yet,” he adds quickly.
“We’ve been told to watch you and the Feral Beasts.
To record who comes and goes from the compound.
Who you interact with.” His gaze flicks to Ash.
“They’ll want to talk to you especially. ”
This isn’t news, so Lynx waves him to continue.