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Elliot’s face remained neutral, but Callum couldn’t help his own frown. Being excluded from the meeting bothered him.
“Crystal.”
“Good.” Thatcher closed the binder, loose papers jutting out from it. “That concludes this morning’s meeting.”
Chairs scraped, conversations started, and paper cups were refilled or thrown out. Elliot and Callum dumped their empty cups and headed toward the door. They didn’t speak until they were back in the truck.
Before Callum could open his mouth, Elliot started up the truck and told him, “For the record, I had no intention of letting you come with me to the Curusm committee meeting. I know your stance on it, and your opinions wouldn’t be welcome.”
“I can’t believe you guys still host that ritual.” He also couldn’t believe how efficient Thatcher had been. After all he’d heard about Thatcher, and after their awkward introduction last night, he hadn’t expected the arrogant, demanding charlatan to be a competent leader who actually did good by his people.
That couldn’t be normal, could it?
“Shifters travel here to take part in the Curusm, and it’s not just the males. There’s clearly a need. Everyone wants to be there. Everyone has signed up. And everyone is a shifter. So, there’s no more abducting mortal girls and forcing them to run down a hill, fearful of their life, only to be raped, bitten and turned.”
“Do you even hear yourself?”
“I said that doesn’t happen.”
Callum exhaled and rested his head back against the seat.
“Look, it’s mostly omegas, anyway. Shifters that can’t find their mate, or are too lazy to try. Sometimes it’s pack alphas and betas from half a world away, looking for a little thrill or an exotic mating. It’s harmless fun that results in lifelong matings. You need anything from the cabin before I drop you off?”
Callum looked over, the change in topic throwing him. “No.”
“You good to do manual labor in that?”
Callum glanced down at his worn jeans and shirt. He checked his pockets. Wallet and phone both familiar bulges. “Yeah, I’m good. Do I need a key, or will you pick me up after you’re done with work?”
“I’ll pick you up. Around four-thirty or five. My mom’s making dinner for six, and we’ll need to get cleaned up before then.”
“Okay.” He watched as the building disappeared, replaced by trees once more. After a minute, he spoke. “I didn’t expect Thatcher to actually do anything.”
Beneath the beard was a smile. “You really think he’d be in power if he was useless?” Elliot shrugged. “He does all the things a good leader should do. Takes care of his people, looks out for the vulnerable and sick.”
“But…”
His cousin turned the wheel. “But he’s also greedy, and he’ll do anything to stay in power. Not everyone sees that side, though. And those that see it either can’t help, or don’t care. It suits some people for Thatcher to stay in power.”
“The girl from last night?” Until now, Callum had avoided asking. It made his stomach twist. “The party?”
His cousin’s voice was quiet and filled with disgust. “He likes to get some of the younger pack females hopped up on coke and heroin, whatever, to make them complacent. They’re junkies and they’ll let him and his friends do whatever they want in order to get their next fix.”
“Fuck.”
“Before you even ask, it’s hard to get them out. They’re junkies and they don’t want help, despite how often we try to save them.”
“But you have tried?”
“We’ve gotten a few out. Mostly ones whose family helped too. But it’s expensive.”
“How so?”
“There’s a special rehab center for people like us. We need to send them there, rather than a normal human rehab. Then the center helps them find a new pack to join so that they don’t come back and just start the cycle over again.”
Callum sighed. “How about his mother? What’s she like?”
“Anna? You’ll like her. She makes an awesome chocolate chip cookie.”
