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“I won’t deny there are packs and clans that are so heavily male-dominated that the female shifters can barely breathe. But can’t you say the same about some human groups?”
“Absolutely. Unfortunately for us humans, it sounds like the Shadow Sisters are a far more organized and well-funded group than we human females have. But to answer your question, I’m not in need of any help. Cullen is a sexy beast, and I am enjoying spending time with him. Besides, I’m up against forces I don’t really understand, and I’m learning the people who are supposed to be on my team may be playing for the other side.”
“Friend-to-friend, the alpha is a wolf to be admired. There is a certain male-dominated hierarchal structure that doesn’t always favor she-wolves, but he has never condoned a forced bonding. He’s fair and cares deeply for every member of this pack. Miska says he’s never asked anyone to do something he wouldn’t do himself. But if you think this is some fling for him, think again. If Cullen Manchester didn’t have designs on something much longer term, he wouldn’t have installed you in his bed and changed the desk in his study.”
“I think you’re reading too much into it. We could never work long-term. He’s the alpha of a pack of arctic wolves, and I’m human.”
“That can change, Salem. You could be made wolf if you wanted. There’s a strong belief that is prevalent through most of the shifter groups, and especially wolves, that no one gets turned unless it’s a matter of life and death and you’re close to the person.”
Salem sat down, dumbfounded, and wondered if anyone at SPU knew not only that shifters could turn humans into shifters, but that they needed to have permission to do so. If that was the case, what was it the SPU feared? Were they so afraid they’d made a deal with the Shadow League?
“How does it happen?”
“Depends on the type of shifters. In wolves, the transition is initiated by a genetic link in our DNA that is secreted in our saliva or blood. In the case of a male wolf, he inflicts a claiming bite between the hollow of your throat and the clavicle. In most cases, it only leaves a very pale scar, but with an alpha’s claim, the bite is somewhat savage and leaves a more prominent scar.”
“Fascinating. Does it hurt?”
“I hear it can be incredibly painful, but in the case of a bonded couple, every she-wolf I know says all they remember about it is how great the sex was.”
Salem laughed. “I don’t know about any of the rest of it, but I can attest to that. I want to ask you a question, but if you don’t want to answer, I’ll understand.”
Jinx grinned at her. “None of the she-wolves here at Ghost Moon Manor has had a bite of your tasty treat.”
“God; am I that obvious?” Salem groaned.
“No,” said Jinx, plopping down in the other chair. “I’m just that smart. Now let me show you those files. I took the liberty of bringing in this third monitor so you and the alpha can share information and show each other stuff. So, here’s what I found.”
Salem sat in awe of the way Jinx had not only managed to decrypt some of the files but hacked into secure areas of the SPU’s servers. She hadn’t been kidding about her intelligence. She was able to not only link together information but also explain it in a way that Salem could understand.
“Now,” said Jinx excitedly, moving something onto the larger, shared monitor, “here’s the kicker. This file alludes to some kind of ritual that could tilt the balance of power irrevocably towards the Shadow League—well, not the League exactly, but Abraham Strode.”
“Keep in mind, I’m still playing catch-up. Who is Abraham Strode?”
“He’s an ancient dragon who’s pulling the strings on the Shadow League. But that’s not all; look at this one. It’s like a countering ritual, something that can level the playing field even if the first ritual has been performed. The only thing is that it must be performed on a blood moon. If it does, there will be a bond formed between shifter and human.”
“Great! Where do we find the people who can stop what sounds like an apocalypse? We should try to find them—you know, kind of like how I just drafted you.”
“That’s not the problem,” Jinx said evasively.
“What do you mean?”
“The prophecy is pretty specific—it involves a human female; one who can recognize a vampire when others can’t. The prophecy talks about it being a trait passed down through the female line, a line that traces from the original thirteen colonies to the fur trade here in Alaska.”
“Are we talking about the Hudson’s Bay Company? Weren’t they the predominant force here?”
“Eventually, but in the beginning, it was the Russians and the indigenous people. The Alaska Peninsula was heavily involved. There’s a legend about a group of women who traveled from the east coast of the Americas, leaving in the winter of 1692 and arriving in late spring of 1693.”
“Wow. That was quite a journey for women of that time period.”
Jinx nodded. “Yes. It was a small group of five sisters—two of whom never made it. At first, they were chased by the men of their town, but the men eventually gave up and let them go. The men never made it back.”
“But the women made it?”
“Yes. One of the sisters settled on Kodiak Island, one up in Kenai…”
“And the other?”
“They say she lost herself in the Aleutian Range and was saved by a wolf-shifter on the ghost moon. He built a fortress and a fortune to protect her.”
