“Right,” he said abruptly. “I’m going to have one of my men take you to a cabin to get settled in. From now on, you’re all living on Fenris Pack property.” He turned and stormed off, and she could feel the fury crackling around him like hot little sparks in the air.
* * * * *
That afternoon, while Miles and his crew were tracking the kidnappers, Dakota got one of his packmates to give her a ride into town so she could use one of the phone booths in the general store.
When she got there, the store was crowded with shifters of all species, but fortunately the area around the phone booth was clear.
Dakota looked around to make sure nobody was listening before she placed a call to Tina’s cell phone.
The cubs were back on the Fenris Pack property, safe and being watched by Naomi. They’d unpacked and settled in for now, the cubs all staying in one of the bedrooms, Naomi and Dakota staying on bunk beds in the other. But how long would they be safe? This wild frontier was no place for them.
Maybe she could take the children back to her home pack. Surely her father would have to take pity on a group of orphaned cubs. Even if he was so mad that he wouldn’t let Dakota come back, at least the children would be safe.
However, the news she got from Tina made her heart sink.
“Your father has completely flipped out,” Tina said. She spoke in a low voice, as if fearful of being overheard. “He feels like you challenged his authority, and he’s in a total rage, twenty-four hours a day. If somebody so much as sneezes around here, he goes mad and beats them half to death. He is literally saying that he will end your life if you come back here.”
“What about Percy? Is he using his Omega to help him stay calm?”
“No, he is not. He won’t let Percy anywhere near him. He wants to be pissed off.”
Dakota felt her throat closing in panic. “But…I’m taking care of some orphaned cubs, and they need a home. I was hoping I could at least send them to stay with our pack. Not me. Just them.”
“Are you listening to me?” Tina’s voice rose in panic. “Do not do that. He would kill them.”
“Kill cubs? No way. He would never do such a thing,” Dakota said, horrified.
“You haven’t seen him. Nobody has ever seen him like this. You need to be invisible,” Tina said in a low, urgent voice.
“This is hard to believe,” Dakota said, dazed. “I mean, I know he’s gotten worse over the years, but the idea that he’d actually harm me, or helpless cubs… This is terrible, Tina.”
“I know,” Tina said grimly. “But it’s been a long time coming, and your leaving pushed him into madness. Don’t blame yourself – it would have happened sooner or later no matter what you did. He was extremely abusive to people when you weren’t around, Dakota, and I don’t mean as punishment. He’d just lash out violently for no reason. We just didn’t want to tell you because he’s your father.”
“I’m sorry. I had no idea,” Dakota said miserably. She’d thought of her father as harsh but fair, for the most part. Had she failed her pack? She should have known. She would have spoken up if she’d known.
“Not your fault. I’m happy that you’re safe. Just stay there and lie low, and for God’s sake don’t let him know where you are.”
“If he doesn’t stop this, he’ll push people too far. He’ll end up getting death-challenged by somebody he can’t defeat,” Dakota said. Despite everything, the thought of her father losing a death match sent a sharp pain slicing through her very core.
“Who would challenge him? He’s the strongest in all of our region. Nobody out here’s got a death wish.”
That was true for the time being, Dakota reflected, but for how long? A bad Alpha Prime, over time, would lose the loyalty of the packs that were affiliated with him. Then, when somebody issued a challenge for a pack war, he’d risk being overrun by sheer numbers. An Alpha Prime could take on as many as half a dozen regular Alphas in a fight, and ten to fifteen non-Alphas, but eventually even an Alpha Prime could be overwhelmed.
A loud burst of shouting and the sound of breaking glass made her start, and she looked out of the booth to see two shifters rolling around on the floor, fighting.
She tore her gaze away from them. Not her problem.
“All right. New topic,” she said to Tina. “Have you spoken to Jamie Roberts in the last couple of days?”
“No, of course not. Her whole plan was for her and her boyfriend to disappear. Why do you ask?’
“Because when I got here, it turned out that her pack sent her up here to death-challenge the local Alpha Prime. He killed someone from their pack for stealing, and they felt like they had to send someone to avenge the pack’s honor. I’m lucky he was willing to discuss the issue with me, or I wouldn’t have survived my first day here.”
“Are you serious?” Tina gasped. “That bitch. I can’t believe she set you up like that. Did he hurt you?”
“No, we were able to come to a peaceful resolution. I don’t know where I’m going to end up staying, but for now I’m fine.”
“If it’s dangerous up there, then leave,” Tina said. “You don’t owe anything to those kids. Save yourself. You’ve got your fake ID. You can go anywhere in the country and find a new pack to join.”
