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The hairs on my neck stood on end, my arms instinctively wrapping around Paige at the sound of the Beta’s voice. He wasn’t a fan of most witches.
“Why?” I growled, suspicion filling my voice.
“You know why,” he growled back. “I’ll step back from your door. Your mate is safe; you have my word as pack Beta. We need you immediately.”
Reluctantly, I stepped away from Paige, forcing my instincts back as I understood why Beta Jose had been sent to fetch me. There could be only one thing the pack beta would come to me for.
I paused at the door just before turning the knob, looking back at Paige. “Do not leave this room for any reason. I’ll be back as soon as possible.”
I left before she had time to answer. She would listen; she respected me too much not to. She would do as I demanded for her own protection.
“I’ll have a guard outside the room for your mate,” Beta Jose assured me, turning back to the Alpha’s office. “I’ve chosen one of those who wouldn’t mind a witch as their Luna. We don’t need you to be distracted during this meeting.”
There was truth in his words. As much as I wouldn’t trust him around Paige, especially around the full moon, I trusted his word when it came to the business of the pack. He was loyal to his Alpha, which led him to be respected by me in the same way that Alpha Alexander had my respect.
“Which pack was it this time?” I asked.
“I’ll let Alpha Alexander and the others tell you. It’s not my place to disclose pack business outside my Alpha’s office.”
I nodded, respecting his honesty. When we entered the office, I again found Alpha Markus and his Beta with the others, although my uncle was nowhere in sight.
“It’s about damn time,” Markus growled, raising my hackles. He usually kept his composure with me, recognizing my strength over his, but the full moon has a way of showing a werewolf’s true feelings. I turned away from the alpha, giving Alpha Alexander my attention over him.
“We received word from the Las Angelas pack and the Academy pack’s Alphas. The academy has had several werewolf students go missing. And the L.A. packs are reporting similar numbers of missing packs across the cities. We are also checking with Portland packs now, but all the Pacific coast packs are likely being affected,” Alpha Alexander explained.
A voice over the conference phone on the desk spoke, adding to the information I was just given. “On top of the werewolf students going missing, I’ve had some strange occurrences with the vampire students at the school.” I recognized the voice of the new Headmaster, Professor Rome, the Alpha of the newly formed Academy pack. “They have been reprimanded, and a few even expelled for claiming superiority over the other students, primarily the werewolves. They have even disregarded my authority as headmaster before their expulsion, stating that I was a worthless mutt who needed to learn my place.” A deep growl came over the phone.
“Do you believe there is a connection there?” Alexander asked, looking down at the phone.
“I do my best not to let my past affect my judgment. The first few students, I disregarded the possible connections. However, every missing werewolf student can be connected to one or all of these vampire students, fighting just before going missing in the middle of the night. Grace and I have discussed it, and we can’t shake the feeling it’s them.” He paused, the sound of muffled conversation in the background reaching my ear. I could hear Paige’s name mentioned, my brow creasing with suspicion.
I was aware that she knew Professor Rome and his mate. She had been at school when they met. She was even his mate’s roommate, becoming close friends during their time at the school. However, hearing her name mentioned during this meeting left me unnerved. I wanted Paige as far from pack politics as possible for her safety.
“You have Paige Ramirez in your pack now, do you not?” Rome asked, aiming his question at Alexander.
My alpha looked at me; his brow raised as he answered. “That is the name of the mate former Alpha elect Nyte has taken, yes.”
“You should use her to get the answers on the missing wolves,” Rome continued. “Her powers of premonition are unmatched. She very well could be the answer to all our problems.”
The room fell silent, his eyes filled with a mixture of emotions turning to me: Disgust. Curiosity. Temptation.
“The pack hasn’t accepted her,” I stated, narrowing my eyes at Alpha Alexander. “So why should I ask her to help those who don’t want anything to do with her?”
Rome joined the silence of the others. Madilyn tilted her head at me from behind Beta Jose; her eyebrow raised with a look that said she disagreed.
“We don’t need a witch to help us with pack business,” Markus said, breaking the silence. “If vampires are targeting us, we know how to fight them. It’s only a matter of time before the bloodsuckers slip up in their plans.”
I wanted to remind him of the possibility of them working with a witch, and one powerful enough to hide the scent trail of an entire pack and those who took them. However, I didn’t want them to try and bring up the idea of using Paige again. I wouldn’t put that kind of pressure on her. As great of a seer as she was, she didn’t control the visions she saw. There was no guarantee she could even help; if she failed, it would only drive the pack to hate her more. All for something she had no absolute control over.
“If that’s how you all feel,” Rome said, hanging up and ending the call.
“How he managed to build his own pack, I’ll never understand,” Markus growled, sitting back in his chair. “I heard his witch mate was also a late bloomer with her magic. Not exactly the most impressive couple if you ask me.”
“It’s a good thing no one is, then,” I replied, turning to the office door.
“Don’t turn your back on my Alpha.” The sound of a snarl raised my brow.
I turned around just in time to see Markus snap at his beta; his eyes narrowed at me. He was barely holding on to himself, a flicker of bloodlust in his gaze giving away his true feelings.
