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‘I see it. Stay inside, Corazón. Everyone stay alert. Be prepared to take cover,’ Uncle Seb ordered.
Our encounters with Tezcatlipoca’s lackeys were becoming more and more frequent. While we were primarily wolves and magical beings, most of his people were not, and it wasn’t uncommon for them to bring firepower to a fight.
I looked around quickly to find a safe spot to dive for cover, but I was highly exposed where I was, and if I moved, I would alert the men in the cars that we were aware of them before our people could get somewhere safe.
Tenoch, what are our options? I asked my wolf, letting him sit up front with me so we could see all around us.
Not many great options. It’s rained recently. Can we use the water somehow? he suggested. I looked at the street and saw puddles of water all around. Maybe...
The moment I saw the windows roll down and the first gun barrel show, I dove to the ground and placed my hand on the water under our SUV. I felt it freeze under my hands and let my power flow out so it would spread.
There were only a few shots fired before I heard the tires skidding and the surprised cries of men when their vehicles danced around the black ice and hit each other as they tried to come to a stop.
‘NOW!’ I commanded via the mind-link. I heard the growls and roars as my uncle’s pack of bears, wolves, and cheetahs shifted. He’d helped so many people start fresh by giving them a home where they were accepted no matter what kind of shifter they were.
I got up just in time to feel the sting of a bullet hit my shoulder. I cursed, but it was the only one that was fired before the arm holding the weapon was ripped apart from the body holding it by an angry bear skidding on the ice. It was almost comical to see them spit out the arm while trying to stop their momentum, hitting one of our SUVs with a small whine. I looked around sheepishly, seeing a few others also having trouble getting through the ice.
It was a good idea at the time, Tenoch mentioned, laughing in the back of my head as we took in the disaster.
Thankfully, the fight was short-lived. No one on our side was hurt outside of a few twisted ankles as they skidded through the ice to get to Texcatlipoca’s men. I quickly unfroze everything once the fight was under control, but I was teased non-stop during the whole flight home. The bullet in my shoulder was a regular bullet, and although it stung, it healed within minutes, thanks to Tenoch.
Ahuic arrived safely at Guardian Pack, and I went home after a debrief. Something about the whole ordeal nagged at me, but I couldn’t quite place what it was.
‘James, are you coming or not?’ I mind-linked my soon-to-be gamma and best friend. ‘I’m not afraid to leave you here. I’m not starting my first meeting in charge late because you got stuck under your bedsheets.’
‘I’m going. I’m going. Don’t get your panties in a bunch, Alpha,’ he teased. ‘I’m almost there.’
Two minutes later, he came running out the front door of the pack house, still trying to make a tie knot.
“Why did I ever think you would make a good gamma when you still don’t know how to tie a knot?” I mocked when he was getting frustrated with his tie on the drive over to the pack’s security business offices.
“Because I’m awesome, and you love me. Besides, I’m supposed to be in charge of the warriors. Warriors don’t need ties,” he huffed. A few minutes before arriving at the headquarters in town, I pulled over and took the tie from him, formed it into a Windsor knot, and gave it back to him. “Thank you,” he said quietly and I nodded in response.
“When is Jo back again?” he asked as we exited the vehicles.
Josue was our best friend and my future beta. He usually took care of accompanying me to all the big meetings. I knew James hated the paperwork and formal meetings we were doing lately, but we were getting ready to take over the leadership of Crescent Moon, so he was going to have to get used to them. Jo was currently in Mexico. He had been visiting family a couple of months ago and met his mate. He’d been there since, trying to convince her to accept him and move here to Arizona.
I looked up as we approached the offices. Salonen Security Industries was a human and supernatural private security business. It was one of the top most requested services across the country for security software and event muscle. The company was founded over forty years ago by my grandfather and, at the time Alpha of Crescent Moon, Alexander Salonen, as a security rental service for packs holding special events.
Later, my father, Alpha Markus Salonen, expanded and grew the company to what it is today by bringing a technology genius on board and creating some of the leading security software in the country.
Now, as I prepared to take over for him when he passed the title and the company in a few short weeks, it was my turn to make my mark and grow the business, and I knew just how to do it.
Jo, James and I were taking over leadership of the pack and the company in three weeks, and we were working nonstop on the changes we wanted to make. It wasn’t that Dad was doing anything wrong. I just had some thoughts that I thought would be better for where I saw the company going.
“He’s back in three days, and even if he was here, you need to be at some of these meetings too,” I reminded him.
“Yeah, but why can’t I be at the ones in the new complex? That way, I can just wear jeans,” he grumbled, pulling at his suit jacket.
I rolled my eyes at him. You’d think the suit had thorns on the inside the way he was squirming.
“You’re about to become an important man. Get used to it,” I warned.
“Fine,” he grumbled when we arrived at the three-story building, but despite his whining he stopped squirming and squared his shoulders as we walked in, reminding me of how good my friend was at this, even if he despised it.
The Salonen Security Industries building was pretty boring looking on the outside. Inside, however, the highest level of security and technology dealt with every facet of its functionality. We walked into the conference room and joined Dad. He arrived early today, wanting to gather everyone to let them know when the change in ownership would occur, and of his involvement as an advisor for the first couple of years.
It’s not like every shifter living nearby didn’t already know that I would be in charge once the title of Alpha changed to me, but about thirty percent of the company were humans and we even hired a few vampires for night shifts over the last decade. For them and the general public, we had to do this right.
