CALLUM #3
“You can’t start poking into council business. If what you say is true and some of them are involved . . .” He doesn’t finish, so I do it for him.
“You think they’ll try and frame us for killing Stokes and Wilson?”
“Yes.” He grimaces. “If they know about the fight rings, then it stands to reason they know about the ex-hunters who’ve been staying here. It’s not a stretch to assume they also know that Fox was working with the Feral Beasts.”
Fuck me.
“You think they know who actually killed those two and this is all for show?”
He meets my eyes, expression grim. “I think if they know, then they’ll want to shift the blame onto you if they possibly can.”
Well, shit.
“What about Beck?” Lynx asks. “He wanted this mission. Is he involved?”
“No.” Grey thumbs the bruises around his wrist as he talks. Pretty sure he doesn’t know he’s doing it.
Jet growls, but it’s so soft that Grey doesn’t notice.
“He’s angry at all the blowback we got because of how things went down with Fox, but he’s not . . . no. He doesn’t know about the fight rings.”
I believe him. For now anyway.
“So what do we do?” I look between Lynx and Grey. “You say we can’t investigate ourselves, but we can’t sit back and do nothing.”
“Leave it with me.” Grey straightens, determination rolling off him. “If there are people on that council who’re complicit with the running of shifter fight rings, then they need to be rooted out and punished. It’s not why it was formed, and it’s not what we stand for.”
Nice words, but I’m not convinced how many hunters or council members feel the same anymore.
“Is there anyone you can trust?” Jet grits out.
Grey startles, eyes widening in surprise. “In my hunter group or on the council?”
“Either. Both.” Jet’s brows draw together. “Are you alone in this?”
If I didn’t know better, I’d think that was concern in his voice.
“I don’t know.”
“You need to be careful.” I want him to find answers for us, but not at the expense of his life. “They won’t hesitate to eliminate you if the wrong person finds out what you’re doing.”
He swallows, then nods. “I know.”
Lynx tilts his head to the side. “What do they think you’re doing here now?”
Grey huffs. “Council rules state that in any investigation like this, the shifter pack must be informed of all aspects of the investigation and what they might expect in the coming weeks.”
“So you volunteered.” Lynx’s eyes narrow. “They won’t think that’s suspicious? Since you already helped us once?”
“I offered to come, because we have history.” Grey looks down at the ground, a flush covering his cheeks.
“And no, they weren’t suspicious. Nor surprised.
” He doesn’t say anything else, leaving us all to draw our own conclusions, and I bet they’re all the fucking same. “I should be getting back though.”
He turns to go, but Lynx stops him. “What should we expect, then?”
“Shit.” Grey huffs again, realising he forgot the one thing he was supposed to be here to tell us.
“We’re investigating the deaths of Officers Stokes and Wilson due to the injuries they sustained that aren’t indicative of a car crash.
They appear to be inflicted by a shifter.
Since the only two packs in the area are yours and the Feral Beasts, we’ll be conducting a thorough search of both properties and the surrounding area.
And like I already said, we’ll be monitoring all movement. ”
Nothing we didn’t already assume, but to hear it laid out like that is . . . well, it’s not fucking good.
“Right.” Grey pulls his car keys from his pocket. “I’ll be in touch.” He shoots a quick glance Jet’s way, but Jet’s attention is firmly on the ground this time. I don’t miss the way Grey’s shoulders drop, or the defeated look in his eye.
And I can’t help but feel sorry for him.
We watch him walk back to his car, get in, and drive out of the compound.
“Take the day,” Lynx orders. “Rest, relax, whatever you need to clear your heads, because from tomorrow onwards, we’re not going to stop until we find that fucking house and end the fight rings for good.”
War.
We’re essentially going to fucking war.
And as tough and resilient as we are, I don’t think going up against the council is something we can do on our own. Lynx has always refused to involve other packs in what we do—too much risk involved—and up until now I agreed with him. We don’t have that luxury any longer.
But like he said, that’s for tomorrow.
Now, I have other plans.
I grab Ash’s hand as the others head back to the house. “Come with me.”
He smiles, letting me lead him further into the forest. “Where are we going?”
I walk backwards, knowing the way without needing to look where I’m going. “Just a little into the trees. There’s something I want to show you.”
His filthy smirk makes me laugh.
“Maybe afterwards.”
“Definitely afterwards.”
I laugh again, and Ash joins me this time.
Excitement I can’t contain escapes over the connection we share, and Ash’s eyebrows rise.
“With the way you’re practically vibrating, you realise I’m expecting something huge now, right?”
I flash him my most feral grin. “And you’ll get it.”