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Chapter One
The last place Beast wanted to be was in a nest of vampires. He stood behind his alpha with his hands clasped in front of him, surveying the room of the abandoned building they stood in. Next to him were the twins, Cable and Logan, looking just as menacing. Rayne turned slightly, a scowl on his face.
Not only was Eleazar in attendance, but so was his second-in-command, Shayde. Beast trusted Shayde even less than he trusted Eleazar. Which was zero.
“What is this meeting about?” Rayne demanded.
“The new leader of the Fayez coven,” Eleazar said. “Trust me, mutt, I would rather be someplace else. Your stench is offensive.”
Beast remained quiet, but the twins snarled at the insult.
In his youth, Beast had learned the hard way to keep his mouth shut. It was a lesson that had been brutally beaten into him many times by not only his father but other members of his birth pack.
This meeting was bullshit, whatever it was about. Beast had no doubt whatsoever that Eleazar, the coven leader of Ridgeway, still held a grudge against Rayne. Eleazar had been forced to kill his brother, because Zakrem had been killing innocent humans. Rayne had been there when Eleazar had ripped out Zakrem’s throat. So had Felix, Rayne’s mate and Eleazar’s ex-servant.
Eleazar had cared for Felix like a son, and to mate a wolf—something that no wolf could control—was a deep betrayal in his eyes.
“Who is this new coven leader?” Rayne asked, a slight snarl to his voice.
Beast watched as two rats scurried across the floor. They darted behind a stack of crates then disappeared. Fuck, he hated rats. This meeting couldn’t end fast enough.
“Nelo,” Eleazar said. “He was Fayez’s second-in-command.”
Nelo, the douchebag with a chip on his shoulder. A vampire who was high on his own hubris. Just what they needed. Another jackoff to run the show. Admittedly, Beast didn’t know Nelo that well, only by reputation, but he’d rather put one of the scurrying rats in charge than another douchebag.
“Nelo?” Rayne growled.
Beast felt the tension rising in the room as soon as Rayne spoke. This was not going to end well. He could practically smell the aggression emanating off both Rayne and Eleazar. The twins’ eyes flashed in anger, and Beast knew they were itching for a fight. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, ready for anything. This was a dangerous situation, and he didn’t trust Eleazar or his men in the slightest.
Eleazar curled his lip. “Yes, Nelo. He’s young and a little too ambitious. He’s already making changes within the coven, but I don’t trust him. I need your pack to keep an eye on him and report back to me.”
Rayne snorted. “Why should we do this for you? Your coven is not our problem, and we’re not your fucking men to order around.”
“Because I’m offering information,” Eleazar replied, his voice low. “Information that may be useful to you.”
Beast saw the wheels turning in Rayne’s head. He knew they needed to keep an eye on Nelo. He was a loose cannon and could cause problems for them all. But at the same time, Beast didn’t want the wolves to be indebted to Eleazar. The very idea left a bad taste in his mouth.
“What kind of information?” Rayne asked, his eyes narrowing.
Eleazar smirked. “Let’s just say there are some unsavory characters in town that you might want to watch out for.”
Beast could see the hesitation in Rayne’s eyes. He didn’t blame him. Eleazar was a vampire, and wolves and vampires didn’t have a history of working together. Even the thought of it made Beast want to snarl. But they needed to know what was going on in their city. They couldn’t afford to let their guard down.
Honestly, Beast had a feeling Eleazar was just saying that to get them to do his dirty work. There probably wasn’t any threat.
“I’ll think about it,” Rayne finally said.
“Good. Now, if you don’t mind, the stench is overwhelming my senses.”
Beast watched as Eleazar turned and walked out of the building, followed by his men.
“Are we really going to spy for Eleazar?” Cable asked after the vampires were gone.
“Beast, I want you to keep an eye on Nelo,” Rayne said. “I don’t know if Eleazar is playing games, but if there really is a threat in our city, I want to stay on top of it.”
Beast wanted to argue, to say he wasn’t Eleazar’s lap dog, but he never disobeyed his alpha, even if the assignment sucked hairy balls. “You got it.”
“Come on, let’s get out of here,” Rayne said, his voice low and tense.
