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“Anything to say?” he asked, well aware that anything that came out of her mouth would likely be untrue.
“Think I already said everything I need to,” she said, talking down to him in a way that she never would with Atlas.
“Don’t think so, sweetheart,” he said. “And don’t forget you’re talking to the second in command here.
“Really.” She scoffed. “Always second best, huh.”
He recalled the times she’d tried to hurt him, when she was the one who cheated on him. As if the act itself wasn’t bad enough, she’d looked him in the eye on more than one occasion and called him beta, as if that was an insult. To him it wasn’t. He was proud of who and what he was. But as he well knew, motivation was key, and hers was never good, it seemed.
Once he’d made sure Harlow was going to be okay, Atlas strode toward Lauren, wearing a look that Colt knew well. The alpha could smell fear a mile off, and even more so a lie. “So, you gonna explain to me once and for all what the fuck just went down?”
“I told you,” she sneered, the lies already dripping from her. “She’s crazy jealous that Colt and me used to be a thing.” She looked over at him, and Colt growled, that face making him angrier than he was used to being.
“Is that so?” Atlas narrowed his eyes and stepped closer. “Because the way I see it, she’s not just with Colt. She’s with the both of us.”
“I know, but—”
Atlas circled her, sniffing at the air. “She doesn’t seem the jealous type to me. Not like the Harlow we know. Quite the opposite. Wouldn’t you say, Colt?”
Colt smiled. “I would.” Seeing the wry smile slip from her face was priceless. “And I’d say we already know her quite well.” He would’ve loved to have told her just how much they knew of Harlow, just so she was aware of how little she figured in his mind now. She belonged to the past. One that Colt was quite happy to forget.
“Anyone got anything else to add?” Atlas shouted. “Because I’m not gonna stand here all day trying to get to the bottom of this.” He looked around. “Somebody better come clean about this, or there will be consequences.”
Tension hung in the air, and the skin on Colt’s forearm started to prickle. It was never the best idea to keep Atlas hanging on, especially when the fate of someone he cared about depended on it. For the sake of all of them, it was best if they just fessed up now.
“You,” he said, pointing at the young guy at the front of the small group of people. “Saw you there when this all kicked off—any info for me?”
“No,” he replied, shaking his head. “I mean they were already shifted and at it when I got there. I wanted to try and stop them, but they were just crazy.”
Once again everything fell silent while those gathered wondered who Atlas was going to focus on next. “Come on, guys, someone must know something.” Colt tried as usual to be the more approachable one. “Just let us know and we can get back about our day. I’m sure that’s what everyone really wants.”
Atlas seethed just a few feet away from him, and Colt hoped they could just be done with this before he started to lose his shit. That wasn’t something he needed now, not with Harlow out there and possibly in danger. Their focus needed to be on finding and retrieving her.
“I heard them arguing beforehand,” said one of the women. “Seemed like Lauren was trying to cause a fight. Kept saying Harlow was putting the pack in danger and that’s why the hunters were here. Harlow was trying to cool it, but Lauren just wouldn’t let it go.”
“And there we have it.” Atlas took a deep breath. “Truth always outs in the end. Something I wasn’t quite clear enough about?” he said to Lauren. “I thought I’d always made it known this pack doesn’t tolerate liars. And I particularly don’t like the ones who do it to my face.”
Colt could tell his mood had shifted considerably, that this wasn’t going to end well for Lauren. Whatever her game was, she was playing with the wrong person. And this time it seemed like she’d well and truly lost.”
“You know that, right?” Atlas asked, turning to Colt to hammer down his point.
“Sure do, Atlas.” One thing Colt always said about his friend was that he was fair. He was harsh in his manner and his approach, but you always knew where you stood with him. And he’d always been clear about what he expected from pack members.
Atlas glared at Lauren. “So, it looks like we have a problem here. A liar in the pack and one that picks a fight with the woman who the alpha and beta are seeing—a woman who has been granted safe haven.”
Colt instantly picked up the scent of fear, Lauren almost folding in on herself as she realized what she’d done. No alpha would stand for this. She was stupid for even thinking she could get away with it.
He stopped in his tracks as his phone rang. “Zach,” he said. “What’s the situation?” Colt could hear the conversation from where he was and had no doubt that Lauren could as well.
“I’ve found her car, but there’s no sign of her. Picked up several shifter scents, but none I recognize except for one.” Zach sounded concerned, despite the practical way he was trying to get across the intel.
“And?” Atlas growled.
“The tracker. Definitely him,” Zachary said.
“Noted,” he replied before hanging up. “Chase, take a team into town. Track where they took her and find out if anyone saw anything.”
“On it, Atlas,” said Chase, hurrying away.
