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Blake
TheinformationI’drequested had taken longer than I’d expected. A less suspicious person would have been okay with that, but this process was supposed to be dealt with quickly for pack security, and I dwelt on the time that it took to grant my request, sure that there was more to the story.
I may have been the youngest alpha in the Sweetwater pack history, something they constantly reminded me of, but I prided myself on knowing people. In my brief life, I’d seen the best and worst in people. The council delaying the information meant something. I was sure of it.
When it finally landed in my inbox, my heart fell into my stomach at the crimes that had been committed, though often it was ‘alleged’ offenses with testimonies that were later stricken from the court records but somehow left on file. “Fuck!” I exclaimed into my empty office at the details in the file. The bulk of it was omega abuse with Jasper Hayes, Rincoln’s mate, and Ryder Hayes, their son, being the only remaining complainants. While Rincoln wasn’t technically an exile, his pack that he was the alpha of had been temporarily disbanded for a period of ten years. Strangely lenient, I thought, and my wolf agreed. The vulnerable pack mates were under the care of a nearby alpha while the rest managed the compound. Meanwhile, the council were still deciding if further punishment was required.
Now it made sense why Rincoln wanted to find his son. A search showed that his mate was dead, had died in an accident with their baby daughter just weeks after escaping from their pack. My heart broke for the loss of a pup. Ryder was the only holdout. His testimony ensured that the pack couldn’t reform. So if Rincoln could find Ryder, then he could persuade him to recant his statements. Either that or go missing and turn up dead.
My mind made the connections. We had an alpha looking for an omega who was ‘stolen’ from him. An omega who was willing to turn to magic to hide himself as a beta. What were the chances that there was another omega hiding in my territory? They had to be the same. Kade, the beta/omega who still hadn’t been in touch, who occupied my every thought, had to be Ryder Hayes.
Kade had been in Sweetwater for just over two years, though. Then I considered the issue further. It wasn’t a stretch to think that he was keeping tabs on his father and had heard that his dad was in the area. All he would need is someone on the council to keep him informed on requests about his dad or just access to a network of informants. Omegas stuck together and betas usually sided with them, at least the lower hierarchy ones.
The pack needed to keep a close eye on Rincoln Hayes. If what I suspected was true, then Kade was in danger from the man. I called Deke. “Yes alpha?”
“Deke, how’s the surveillance on Rincoln going?”
“Ah...”
Shit. “What’s happened?”
“I was just heading to the pack house to explain. He gave our enforcers the slip.”
This whole situation was fucked. “I see. I need a full report as soon as possible.”
“Understood.” He ended the call.
I found it hard to believe that he’d disappeared without help. Deke was an experienced alpha enforcer with a decade on me. He had trained his enforcers well. Rincoln had maybe found some of my dad’s cronies. The alphas that had escaped punishment but lost prestige in the new pack line up. I knew I shouldn’t mistrust my own people, but it was a long ingrained habit.
Deke arrived in the office ten minutes later, closely followed by Axel. “Close the door.” I said shortly, frustrated at this whole situation. My brother and cousin shared a look, but Deke closed the door before taking a seat in front of me.
“What died up your ass?” Axel demanded. Only my brother would dare to speak to me like that. I shoved away my rising anger. Axel wasn’t any more at fault than I was. This whole situation felt strangely personal to me, and it was provoking my anger in a way that nothing had since my early teens. I used the breathing exercises my mom had shown me and locked it all away. Anger, however righteous, helped no one. Certainly not Kade.
As usual, just thinking of my mom had grief welling up inside me. Everything that I did to better the pack I did in her memory. Shoving that aside, I focused on the matter at hand.
“Rincoln Hayes is a piece of shit and has given my enforcers the slip.” I bit out before taking some more breaths. Showing Deke and Axel the information the council had sent me, I also shared my theory about Kade Turner being Ryder Hayes.
Deke sat back in his chair and stroked a hand through his beard. “Makes perfect sense to me. He’d have been safer in a pack, but after his last pack, it’s unlikely he’d trust that he’d be safe. Our reputation was hardly stellar at the time.”
I considered this. “We need to find Hayes and make sure that he leaves the territory before he can cause any harm. I’d ask the council for help, but don’t think they’d be useful in this instance. It doesn’t look great to have an alpha of his ilk around a pack with our former reputation.” I looked at them seriously. “I think someone on the council is on Hayes’ side.”
My cousin and brother shared a look. “Agreed,” they said in unison.
“Alright, we’re taking you to Heatwave!” Axel informed me as he strode into my office.
I was sitting in my office with stacks of paperwork littered over my expansive desk. There had been a system in place when I’d dumped myself down hours ago, but I’d lost interest after the second hour of combing through the requests from my pack, paperwork related to the farm, and council meeting minutes. The whole thing was never-ending and my mind was elsewhere.
The man with those stunning amber eyes consumed all of my thoughts for the last week or so. They’d only locked on me once, but it had been enough to shift something inside of me. I didn’t quite know what it meant, but I’d never felt this level of attraction to someone. It was almost like an obsession. Kade lingered in the periphery of my thoughts every minute of every day.
“Blake!” came my brother’s bark. I looked up into his frustrated face, our features so alike. Same black hair and pale blue eyes that often looked silver. Our noses were similar, mine ending in more of a point than I liked though. They had teased me about it when I was younger, but it suited my adult face. My lips were fuller than Axel’s since he had a thin upper lip. His jaw was squarer than mine, with a cleft in the chin making him look stern. There were four years between me and the twins, but outsiders often thought that I was Axel’s twin rather than Chase.
“What?” I laced my tone with irritation.
“Tonight we’re taking you into Sweetwater and hitting up Heatwave. You need to get that guy out of your mind and get someone under you.”
“I’m not sure that’s what —“
