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Jessie thought again about the clerk’s nervousness. She sighed and kicked off her shoes. She was still dressed in just her sweats from her shift. No bra, no panties. Shifting in a bra sucked. And truth was, she didn’t really need one. Barefoot made just one less step from human to wolf. She picked up the shoes and headed out the front door.
Titus was out of the pickup and there were four men surrounding him. She squinted. Strangers. She inhaled slightly. Shifters. Shit. Were they Penticton pack? She supposed she should be able to tell, but she couldn’t — not without lowering the plexiglass wall. And she wasn’t doing that unless Benny was around.
“Don’t stop,” a voice said behind her. Jessie glanced back — another strange shifter. “We’re going to go across the street to the Last Chance. That’s where the bikers will go, isn’t it?”
“Wasn’t where we were planning on going,” Jessie said sourly. “We were planning on going to the Alpha’s Social Club. Like civilized people. So you’re dragging humans into this?”
The man paused, then shrugged. “Too late to change the Alpha’s plans now,” he muttered. “No, we emptied the bar, and one of our own is bartending. He knew the bartender. So we’re good.” He frowned. “Why am I answering you?”
Jessie shrugged. If he didn’t know, she wasn’t going to tell him. She walked up to Titus. “You ready for this?”
He grinned at her. “Wouldn’t miss it.”
Jessie heard her phone ring in the pickup. And then Ryder pinged her through the mate bond.Can you tell where the Alpha is?
She snorted.Trap! Last Chance.
Jessie tossed her shoes into the back of the pickup, earning a nod of approval from Titus, and allowed the men to escort her across the street.
Her men, she thought suddenly. She wished she knew more about how all of this worked. But she was their pack Second. Were they 100 percent loyal to the Alpha? Or could they be persuaded to support her as pack Second? Or at least to stand down?
Something to consider.
She scampered across the street and onto the porch. She wasn’t going to look reluctant! And besides, she was barefoot and it was November. No snow, but it wouldn’t be long. She paused at the door and waited, making one of the men open it for her and then she sailed on inside. She could feel Titus’s amusement, although he was doing a pretty good job of keeping a straight face. She ignored him.
She stopped in the center of the room. Far enough in for the men behind her to come inside, but they were trapped behind her — as if they were her supporters. She glanced around the room, noting the differences from Sunday night. A different man stood behind the bar — a shifter, she saw. He was pouring beer into pitchers. Sure. Just what this mess needed, booze. Tables had been pushed back to the edges leaving the center of the room clear. There were probably 20 men in the room, seated around tables, with beers in front of them. If a human did come by, they’d just see a bunch of men drinking. But she’d bet the human would leave soon. Might not know why, but they’d go. The tension was palpable.
In the center of the half-circle was one table with a man Jessie assumed was the Alpha.
He was a big man. As much as a shifter could be overweight, he was. Beefy, she decided was the right word. She didn’t think she’d ever seen a shifter like that— they tended toward lean and mean, or muscular and built. Benny and Ryder, she thought with amusement. She didn’t think a wolf would let a shifter get that out of shape. She wasn’t sure that was the right word for it. He was probably still tough. Sad, her wolf mourned. Something’s not right with the Alpha.
Jessie grimaced. Her wolf would be a better judge than she was.
“You’re back,” the man said sourly. “Are you the one who killed my Second?”
Jessie started. Was he talking to her? But Titus answered. “Not me,” he said, projecting amusement. But he was braced for a fight, if necessary. Heartened, Jessie took stock of her own preparedness. There were worse people to stand with than Titus Black. “But it was the prettiest little takedown you’d ever see. Glad I got to watch. Damned little bastard. And damn you too, John. What the hell? Imprisoning a neighboring pack Second who stopped by for a drink? Used to be, you’d have bought me one.”
McKenzie shrugged. “Times change,” he said indifferently. “So you didn’t kill him? Where are those Garrison boys? Who holds my pack Second bond?” He was yelling by the time he got to that last question.
“I’m sure they’ll be along soon,” Jessie said. “We were planning on a courtesy call to your club. So it was a surprise to find you here instead.”
“Shut up,” the Alpha growled. “Women don’t speak when men meet.”
She grinned slowly, taunting him with it.Almost there,Ryder sent.Buy time.She snorted mentally. Sure. “You wanted to know who killed your pack Second, didn’t you?”
“Silence!” the Alpha shouted. The room got very still. Jessie knew what that meant. The Alpha had been getting more and more out of control, and the pack was wary of the outbursts. She’d seen another Alpha spiral out of control, and she recognized the signs. She would see those outbursts from Chen in her nightmares for the rest of her life.
So that was why the pack had been distressed, she thought, remembering the image in her mind of people pressed against the glass screaming for help.
“John, what the hell are you trying to do here?” Titus asked. “Do you really want the problems of the Okanogan pack? A bunch of mangy wolves with PTSD? And I count myself among them! Why?”
“I need a place for all the young wolves coming my way,” McKenzie said matter-of-factly, his rage subsiding as fast as it came. “My partner has plans. And so we’re building an army of shifter youth. But then Chen got himself into a pissing match with that bitch on Hat Island and lost. Jesus Christ. Lose to a woman. I thought he was better than that. But there are only so many young men I can integrate into a small-town family pack like this one. Can’t send them on to Vancouver. So, we’ll take over the Okanogan.”
“Except you kidnapped me before Chen fell,” Titus observed. “Something is wrong with your timeline.”
McKenzie grinned. “Well, I noticed your Alpha was missing again. And I’ve got some revenge stored up from the last time he came interfering with my plans.”
“That was 15 years ago!” Titus said. “You’re still bearing a grudge? You should be grateful. There were those who wanted him to take your pack from you then.”
