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Dad cleared the throat. “He’s been looking into Alpha Dane as a person of interest. He stumbled upon Alpha Dane’s involvement on his own. It seems he’s not as clever and careful where humans are involved either. I advised the sheriff against continuing the investigation, but you know how the sheriff is.”
Dad rubbed at his temples and puffed out his cheeks before waving his hand. “Anyway, he found something that he brought to my attention. It appears that someone set up a wiretap on your mom’s and my phones.”
I bit the inside of my cheek to try to keep tears from welling in my eyes. “That’s how they knew where to find Lincoln and me.”
My dad gave a curt nod. “It appears that way. The sheriff said that normally he couldn’t tell me about these things, but given the circumstances and what happened to your brother, he thought it was important that we know.”
He sighed heavily. “He also confirmed that the wiretap wasn’t done by the government, and he found no evidence of a warrant. It was done by the local police by where Alpha Dane lives, and he thinks it was obtained illegally.”
My mom made a sound in the back of her throat and rubbed her hands up and down her pants. “We can’t let the sheriff be involved in our pack business. It’s too dangerous, David. It’s put the entire department in the middle of our war. Not to mention if anyone were to find out about us.”
My dad took a seat next to my mom, grabbed her hand, and squeezed it. “I know. I’ve already asked him to stand down, but you know how thorough he is. I’m afraid that he won’t.”
A lump formed in my throat, but I pushed past it. “Dad, it goes against our shifter rules to tell people about us. If other packs find out we’re involving outsiders, it could stop people from coming. It could open the door to a whole new world of dangers. There’s a reason we keep our kind a secret.”
If the wrong people found out about us, we could be hunted.
My dad gave me a grim look like he’d already considered it. “I know. I’m handling the situation as fast as I can. But at least now we know how Mikey was able to find you and Lincoln so quickly.”
Mark cleared his throat and leaned forward on his elbows. “Does that mean we don’t think there is a mole?”
My dad frowned, his brows knitting together as he rubbed his jaw. “There is no way to be certain. We should still tread carefully.”
I flopped back against the couch and let my head fall against the cushions. “Is there any way to get the tap off the phones?”
The couch squeaked as my dad stood again. “Actually, I asked the sheriff not to remove them. If Alpha Dane thinks that his wiretap is still safely in place, then perhaps we can use that to our advantage.”
Mark rested his chin on his elbows. “You want to feed him false information.”
Dad nodded. “Exactly. Alpha Dane isn’t afraid to fight dirty. We need to use every opportunity that we can get.”
Mark rubbed his jaw. “I’m sure we could think of a few ways that we could exploit that.”
I sat up straight, stiffening my spine as I looked at my dad. “What if we asked the sheriff to put a wiretap on Alpha Dane’s phone?”
Mark narrowed his eyes at me. “Why would we need that when you have Sawyer still there?”
I met my brother’s gaze. “Because I hope that Sawyer doesn’t always have to be there. And if we can secure something now and keep it there, he won’t even think to look for it later when he finds out about Sawyer’s betrayal.”
Dad looked between Mark and me and then to Brandon. “Do you have anything else to add, son?”
Brandon jumped like a kid who’d got caught in class for not paying attention. “No. But what she said sounds good.”
Dad nodded and started to pace in front of the two couches. “We’re in unchartered territory now. I trust everyone in this room with all of our lives. So if you see something or think of an idea, please tell me. I never in a million years thought that I would be in the middle of a pack war.”
My mom exhaled and dabbed at her eyes.
My heart pinched. I hated seeing her cry.
She drew in a shaky breath and then let it out. “I think Sloane is right. We should go to the sheriff. See if he’ll do the wiretap for us. That boy can’t stay behind enemy lines forever. Each day he stays there, the bigger the risk he gets caught. Besides, if he defects at the right time, it might help bring more people to our cause.”
I grimaced and turned to my mom. “Would we really take people in that have been working for Alpha Dane?”
Her lips turned down, and she considered her next words for a moment. “If Sawyer is working there against his will, I have to believe that others are, too. You weren’t with your brothers or your father when they made it to the prison those women were kept in.”
She put her hand on her necklace and fiddled with it. “You didn’t see the women there and what they were being forced to endure. After what I’ve heard, I have to believe that some of the men are there to protect their family and loved ones.”
My shoulders dropped, and I tucked my chin to my chest. I’d been so wrapped up in Lincoln and his injuries that I hadn’t even thought to ask about all the other women. Guilt washed over me, making my stomach knot.
