As Clyde sat on the bed in the Smiths’ guest room, waiting for Nicholas Meyer to pick up the phone, he was already planning how he was going to use the rest of the night to further his investigation. He just needed to make sure he wasn’t crossing any professional lines in doing so.

“Hello?” Nicholas sounded tired and Clyde had to recall his time zones to make sure he hadn’t called at an unreasonable hour for the Mountain Council Alpha.

“Nicholas, it’s Clyde Harp. I’m sorry, did I catch you at a bad time?”

“I don’t know so many Clydes that you need to introduce yourself with your full name every time we talk,” Nicholas said with a chuckle. “And it’s fine, I’m just still a little jet-lagged from my flight to London.”

“Ah, yes. Your brother is the new spokesman for Futurus now, isn’t he?”

Avery’s mate had been the spokesman for the mate matching program for years, and he had met his match in the stubborn Alpha lawyer Clyde had gotten to know through a particularly difficult custody case.

“He is, but something tells me you didn’t call to check up on Myron.”

“I didn’t,” Clyde admitted, worrying at his bottom lip. “I called to ask your advice on a legal matter, but I’m afraid in asking, I might be violating protocol.”

“Might be?”

“Definitely,” Clyde muttered. “It involves a highly confidential case I’m handling at the moment.”

“I’m happy to help if I can, but if you’re worried about confidentiality, why don’t you just ask one of the Tribunal lawyers?” asked Nicholas.

Clyde fell silent, unsure of how to explain that the others would take any request for assistance as sure proof that he wasn’t able to handle his job without sounding like the weak omega they all thought he was.

“Right,” Nicholas sighed. “Say no more. Avery’s run into enough of that over the years.”

“Congratulations, by the way. Avery is by far one of the most efficient people I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with.”

Nicholas laughed. “Yeah, that’s why I fell for him. The efficiency,” he said dryly. “Listen, I know you’re all about going by the book, so if you’re desperate enough to ask me for help on a confidential case, I’ll do whatever I can and of course, no one’s going to hear about it from me.”

“Thank you,” Clyde said with a sigh of relief. “I’m sure by now you’ve heard of Betty Harold, from the North Canyon Pack?”

“Yeah. That’s the omega who killed the Alpha’s brother, right?”

“Allegedly. I’m not sure, but I believe she’s hiding in the Silver Rapids Pack.”

“How sure are you?”

“Sure enough that that’s where I’m calling you from.”

Nicholas paused. When he finally spoke again, there was a grave tone in his voice. “Listen, Clyde, you’d better get out of there as soon as you can. Case or no case, that place is a house of wolves.”

“We’re shifters. Doesn’t that technically describe every place we live?”

“You know what I mean,” Nicholas snorted. “Kade and Jason run a tight ship. If they find out why you’re there —“

“I already told them. Figured it was safer to be upfront, since I have no jurisdiction here anyway.”

“I guess that’s one thing you’ve got going, but still. You start sniffing around too much and they could make you disappear without a trace.”

Clyde knew the Alpha’s warning was not without merit. Only a few members of the Tribunal even knew he was there, and when he’d first been given the assignment, it had occurred to him that it might be his boss’s way of being rid of him for good. It had taken years for him to work his way up from busywork assignments that the Tribunal liked handing out to omegas they had to hire for PC purposes but didn’t really view as assets on par with their other agents.

“I know. That’s part of the reason I called you,” he admitted. Nicholas and his mate were prominent figures within the Federation, to say the least. If they knew where he was and anything shady happened, the word would get out. “I also need to know what it’s within my rights to do if I find Betty.”

“You’ve talked to the Silver Rapids Alphas and they said she’s not there?”

“I talked to one of them, but I know he was lying.”

“How?”

Clyde sighed. “I am an omega, Nicholas.”

“Right. Well, what did your bosses say?”

“Very little,” he muttered. “They sent me to look for her, but I get the feeling they were hoping someone would end up looking for me rather than that I’d actually find her.”

“That was admittedly my first thought when you told me where you were. If this is a trap, Clyde, that’s all the more reason to get out of there. They don’t actually expect you to find her.”

“That’s all the more reason for me to stay.”

Nicholas groaned. “You know, you and Avery really should do lunch sometime. You’d get along perfectly.”

“I’ll have my assistant set something up with his the next time I’m in the region,” he said in a cheerful tone. “So, how much trouble am I going to be in if I arrest this omega and bring her back?”

“That depends on whether you mean how much trouble you’ll be in with the Federation theoretically, assuming you manage to get her off neutral territory without getting yourself killed by whoever is sheltering her, or how likely you are to end up at the bottom of a lake when Kade inevitably catches you.”

Clyde sighed. “The former.”

“I mean, technically the Tribunal is already in dangerous territory just by sending you there. Legally speaking, you being there in any official capacity without invitation is in violation of the treaty, and all it would take is their word against yours to say you snuck in.”

“That’s what I was afraid of,” Clyde murmured.

“Even if you could get photographic evidence that Betty is there, she’s still just a suspect in an investigation that’s run by the Federation. The Tribunal has no real authority to take her off their land. If you could somehow get her off neutral territory…”

“How far?” Clyde asked eagerly.

“It figures that would be the one thing you pick up on in that.”

“How far, Nicholas?”

The Alpha sighed. “Safely out of range. Thirty miles, more if you can. More importantly, how sure are you this girl is actually guilty?”

“I’m not, but it’s not my job to decide that. It’s my job to get her to people who can. People who can protect her and her baby if she’s innocent.”

“Baby? She’s pregnant?”

“I believe so. Kade’s reaction seemed to confirm my theory. It would explain why she ran, and if someone else killed Ocean and it is his baby, it’s potentially a motive.”

“Teenage omega pregnancy,” Nicholas groaned. “That doesn’t reflect well on one of the most elite packs in the Federation, does it?”

“No, it doesn’t.”

“Listen, Clyde, I know you put the job before everything else, but try to proceed with caution. As an agent of the Tribunal, you’re technically unaffiliated with any pack, and as an unmated omega…”

“I know,” Clyde murmured.

“I don’t think you do. If you weren’t with the Tribunal, technically just being on their land would be grounds to claim you. Or kill you, for that matter.”

“I’ll be careful,” Clyde promised. “Thank you. And give your mate my regards.”

“Anytime, and I will. Take care of yourself.”

Clyde hung up, still pondering the Alpha’s words. I know you put the job before everything else…

It was the truth, and Clyde had never been in the habit of being offended by facts. At five-six and one-hundred and thirty pounds soaking wet, he was physically weak. He knew he was also plain for an omega, especially in comparison to his beautiful siblings, and the bifocals he’d had to wear since junior high didn’t help matters. He had long since accepted the fact that he was never going to be anyone’s idea of the ideal omega, and the fact that he’d always preferred to spend most of his time roaming the forests in his wolf form—early shifting being another ability that had isolated him from his peers—had served to ensure that he would never be popular.

Ever since graduating college, Clyde had thrown himself into his work, the one thing he had ever truly excelled at. He wasn’t even the brightest the Tribunal had to offer, according to his entrance exams, but the one thing that had always been on his side was his refusal to give up. His mother had always said he was like a snapping turtle who’d hang on no matter what. It didn’t matter if his colleagues resented him or his boss saw him as filling a space that should have been occupied by an Alpha or a beta. All that had mattered for the last ten years was that he woke up every day and did his damn job to the best of anyone’s ability. He was the job, and he had put it above everything else, so why did it sting to know that was how everyone else saw him?

Dismissing his troubled thoughts, Clyde stood and crept out of his room, hoping to at least get an idea of the place’s layout before dinner. The rest of the house seemed as normal as the exterior. There were a few bedrooms, and the door to the master was open, but Clyde didn’t dare to venture inside. Not when his scent lingering on any surface he touched would give his snooping away.

He slipped into the bathroom down the hall, figuring he had a reasonable excuse for being in there and started looking for any signs that the place was occupied by more than just two manly Alphas. None of the toiletries on the bathtub ledge stood out to him as belonging to a teenage girl, so he turned and decided to check the hall closet. He caught a glimpse of something light blue in the back behind the heavy dusters and leather jackets that smelled distinctly of Kade’s pleasant, musky scent and another’s mingled with it. He was about to reach for it when he heard a creak from the hallway and turned around to find Kade watching him.

“Looking for something?” the Alpha asked calmly.

“Y-yes, a hand towel,” Clyde lied, hoping the Alpha couldn’t hear his heart beating as fast as it was.

“Oh. Those are right here,” Kade said, opening another door to a smaller closet. He offered Clyde a fresh blue towel but the look in his eyes was a challenge.

“Thank you,” Clyde said stiffly. He’d known the mission was dangerous from the moment he’d taken it, and Nicholas was right. The Silver Rapids Alphas were under no obligation to follow any of the standards that governed their class in the Federation packs. Just because Kade was being civil now didn’t mean it would last. It was one thing to know the mission was dangerous and quite another to be standing in the presence of a man even the most seasoned soldiers in the Federation had reason to fear.

“Dinner is ready, if you’re hungry. I made lasagna.”

“That sounds lovely. But I hope you didn’t go to any trouble on my account.”

Kade’s mouth quirked. “Not at all. My mate’s coming home soon, so I was going to make something anyway.”

Clyde followed him into the dining room, surprised at how nicely the table was set. He’d misjudged the pack for its reputation. It was every bit as comfortable as any in the region he’d come from.

Kade stopped at a chair and pulled it out, waiting for Clyde to sit. It was a surprising gesture, since rumor had it that chivalry toward omegas was not something that was practiced in the Silver Rapids Pack.

“Thank you,” Clyde said, taking a seat. Kade sat down across from him, uncorking a bottle of wine before filling both glasses on the table. If Clyde hadn’t seen the Alpha open the wine, he would have found an excuse not to drink it.

“You have a lovely home.”

“Thanks. It’s not as big as some of the Federation packs, but I like to think we cherish what we have.”

“You certainly cherish your freedom.”

Kade grinned. “That we do. Something tells me we have that in common, given your chosen profession.”

“I suppose we do.” He was surprised that was the only remark the Alpha had made about his job. Usually, the reactions ranged from shock to disgust. At least the Silver Ridge Alpha was ideologically consistent, it seemed.

“To freedom,” Kade said, raising his glass. “And to your investigation. Hopefully it’s more productive than it’s been if you ended up here.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Clyde murmured, taking a sip of his wine.

“If you don’t mind my asking, were you given the assignment or did you ask for it?”

Clyde tilted his head. “It was given. Why do you ask?”

“Just wondering if you had a death wish, or if your boss has it out for you,” Kade said without missing a beat. He took a bite of his food like nothing was amiss.

Clyde stared at him, wondering if that was a threat. It certainly seemed like one, but the Alpha’s earnest tone said otherwise. “What makes you say that?”

“Come on, Clyde. You seem like a smart man. No one comes here unless they’re running from something.”

“Your reputation does proceed you,” Clyde admitted. “If you want the truth, I guess my employers thought an omega would be more charitably received than an Alpha.”

Kade snorted. “They might be right about that. You mind if I ask a nosy question?”

Clyde smiled faintly in spite of himself. “I am on your territory on suspicion that you’re harboring an alleged murderer, so I think you’re safe to ask what you like.”

The Alpha snorted in amusement. “Most of your Tribunal buddies are the exact opposite of straight shooters. I imagine they don’t like you very much.”

“You imagine right.” Clyde gazed into his glass, and in the ripples on the surface, he could almost see the look on Steve’s face when he returned triumphantly. And he would win. In his ten years with the Tribunal, he had yet to let a case slip through his hands. Even if this one was far more the type of thing the Special Task Force would usually handle, it would be no exception. Failure was not an option.

“What possessed you to take a job like that?” He added quickly, “Don’t mistake me. I’m not one of those ‘omegas belong at home’ types, but I’ve heard stories of how those Tribunal Alphas are. Even the Federation Army’s not that much of an old boys’ club.”

“I suppose you could look at it two ways. I’m either a glutton for punishment, or someone who enjoys a challenge.”

“Well, which is it?” Kade asked.

Clyde thought about it. “A little of both, perhaps.”

The Alpha gave a close-mouthed smile as he chewed. He reached for his wine, shaking his head. “When I heard about the missing omega, I figured it was only a matter of time before they sent someone out our way. Can’t say I thought it’d be anyone like you.”

“Would a seven-foot Alpha with a god complex really have gone over better?” Clyde asked dryly.

Kade laughed. “He’d have been easier to deal with, that’s for sure.”

“You and your mate run a tight ship. There’s little that gets out about this place, and it’s clear that what little does is far from accurate,” he said, looking around the elegant dining room.

“That’s on purpose. I’m sure you see things from a different perspective, being a law man, but Jason and I have a responsibility to the members of our pack. They all came here for a reason, most as a last resort. The more people have to fear, the more they’ll hesitate to cause us any trouble.”

“A law man,” Clyde mused. “And here I thought your type preferred the term ‘dog of the Federation.’”

Kade smirked. “Didn’t see any reason to be hostile.”

Clyde couldn’t help but be charmed by the Alpha’s affable disposition. His faint drawl and boyish nature made him seem only half as intimidating as he was in reality, but the flutter Clyde felt in his chest whenever Kade spoke was nothing more than a reminder not to give in to the temptation to let his guard down. “I see. Well, if it helps any, I can say I was tortured if anyone asks.”

Kade laughed and it was the warmest, safest sound Clyde had ever heard. In that moment, he realized that even if he wasn’t in the mortal danger Nicholas and everyone else had reason to believe, the Alpha was far more of a threat in an entirely different way. “You know, I might take you up on that.” He grew serious as he watched Clyde from across the table, and the omega got the distinct impression that he was being studied. For what, he didn’t know. “Where are you from, Clyde?”

“A small pack up in northern Minnesota,” Clyde answered. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been asked, even if he thought of home frequently. He doubted his large family thought of him half as often. “Little Lakes. I doubt you’ve ever heard of it.”

“A name like that, I’d definitely remember.”

“I’m afraid my ancestors didn’t quite appreciate the more majestic naming conventions.”

“You’re a pack Alpha’s kid?”

“Yes, but only one of nine,” said Clyde.

“Nine brothers and sisters?” Kade laughed. “That’s pretty incredible.”

“It’s pretty something. At least they weren’t too broken up about it when I decided to go to work for the Tribunal,” he teased. “With five other omegas in the family, my parents were guaranteed grandchildren from someone.”

“And what about you? No time for mates, I guess.”

“Not really,” Clyde conceded. “I was never opposed to it, it just never happened. Work demands and all that.”

“You talk like the time’s long passed. You can’t be more than what, thirty?”

“Thirty-four.”

“So you’re still pretty young. Unless standards in the Federation have gotten infinitely more absurd than I remember.”

“They have,” Clyde laughed. “But it’s more about practicality. I’d like to be on the Tribunal one day, and that doesn’t happen if you’re distracted. Especially not for an omega.”

“Huh. And what makes the job so special?”

Clyde took a second to answer the question, if only because he’d never asked it of himself. It had always just been the thing he wanted to do for as long as he could remember. “I suppose it’s the order of it.”

“The order?” Kade asked, frowning like he didn’t understand.

“You know… the rule of law. Knowing that everyone, regardless of how powerful they are, has to answer to someone,” he explained. “Throughout the worst parts of our history, the Tribunal has been the one impartial body that judges everyone equally.”

“And judging is something you’re passionate about?” Kade asked, arching an eyebrow.

“Well…yes.” Clyde chuckled. “I’m sure that sounds strange, but growing up with eight siblings, you learn that fairness isn’t part of life. When I got older, during the war, I realized just how unfair things had become outside the shelter of my pack.”

“You served?” Kade asked, clearly surprised.

“For a couple of years, right out of college. I wasn’t in combat or anything,” he said, finishing his glass. Kade poured him another. “I was just support, but it exposed me to a lot of things I was too naive to believe existed within the scope of Federation territory,” he muttered. “Things that needed to change.”

“And you get to change those things, as a Mediator?”

“Not as much as I’d like, but it’s a start.”

“Is it worth it? I mean, I’m sure you get shit for being an omega meddling in Alphas’ affairs.”

“Nearly every day,” Clyde answered. “But the more resistance I face, I see it as all the more reason that it’s important to have people like me in roles like that.”

“Guess that’s a good way of looking at it. Can’t say Jason would understand.”

“No, I imagine not. You’ve both made a career out of flaunting the rule of law,” Clyde scoffed.

Kade’s grin widened. “And I like to think we do a damn good job of it, too.”

“Oh, you do. Now, is it my turn to ask a personal question?”

“Shoot.”

“How did you end up together?”

“Our how we met story’s a little different from most,” Kade said, leaning back from the table. “I was a no-name orphan, and my mother left her pack years ago to be with my father and live among humans.”

“Your father was human?” Clyde asked, unable to hide his shock. He’d only ever heard of human-shifter hybrids in theory and Kade was the furthest thing from what he’d expected. The man was all wolf, and all Alpha.

Kade laughed. “If you don’t mind, you can keep that to yourself, too. Anyway, they had me and they didn’t feel like there was anywhere else they could go. They both passed away before my first shift, and in the middle of the city, I was completely on my own. I ran after I shifted for the first time and nearly lost it on my foster parents, and I bounced around packs until I was older. Never really fit in anywhere. When I turned eighteen, I’d burned all my bridges with my last pack and there was only one place that would take me in.”

“Jason’s pack?”

Kade nodded. “They had a program… juvie for troubled Alphas, you might call it. I worked there for a while, and that’s how I met Jason. Needless to say, his father was none too pleased when he found out Jason had imprinted on another Alpha, let alone one with a past.”

“I can imagine,” Clyde murmured. “Was his father the leader of the pack?”

Kade watched him closely and seemed unsure of how he wanted to answer. Finally, he said, “He’s the Vice President of the Federation.”

Clyde choked on his wine, barely recovering enough to ask, “Jason is one of those Smiths?”

The look on Kade’s face was one of unabashed amusement, as if he was drinking in the omega’s shock. “One and the same.”

“How have I never heard of this?”

“If you were the VP of the entire Federation of Wolves and your kid shirked his ‘biological duties’ to start his own pack outside your control with another Alpha, would you go around bragging about it?”

“I guess not. Still, I can’t believe he’s Leroy Smith’s son.”

“You might have an easier time believing it when you meet him. Jason takes after his dad more than he’d like to admit.”

“He must really love you,” Clyde said, looking at Kade with fresh eyes.

There was a hint of sadness in the Alpha’s pleasant expression. “He does. Sometimes I think a little too much.”

“What do you mean?” Clyde winced. “I’m sorry if that’s rude to ask. I’m told my social skills aren’t top notch.”

“It’s fine. I just mean that Jason literally gave up everything to be with me,” he said in a strangely somber tone. “Starting this pack, going up against the Federation… none of that was in the cards for him until he met me and decided being together was more important than fulfilling the role his family had planned for him.”

Clyde listened, surprised at the Alpha’s vulnerability as he spoke of his mate. “That was his choice,” he said, hoping he didn’t put his foot in his mouth as usual. The need to comfort this man in front of him, the one who was almost certainly harboring a fugitive and hampering his investigation, was as absurd as it was powerful. “I’m sure it’s not one he made lightly or without knowing the consequences.”

“No,” Kade agreed, clearing his throat. “It’s just hard sometimes when I think of what his life would look like without me. He’d still have his pack, his family…children of his own.”

“I’m sure you could have a family of your own if you wanted to. You built this pack from nothing.”

Kade smiled a little. “Yeah. We did.”

Clyde looked up as the front door shut. “Is that him?”

“It must be,” Kade said, standing. “He got here sooner than I expected. Wait here a moment while I explain why you’re here?”

“Of course,” Clyde said, none too eager to surprise the Silver Rapids Alpha with his presence. He waited and he could hear the murmur of two low male voices from the other room, his nerves fraying like the edges of the napkin in his hands as he wondered how Jason would receive him.

When the Alpha finally entered the room, his head nearly brushing the top of the archway, Clyde realized Kade was not actually the more intimidating out of the two of them. Not by a long shot. He swallowed hard and stood, forcing himself to hold contact with the Alpha’s dark, appraising gaze. Everything about Jason was exactly what Clyde had expected in Kade: cold, methodical, powerful. Even his clothes seemed to have been chosen with practicality in mind, and Clyde was certain that duster concealed at least one firearm.

“Hello,” he said, offering his hand. “You must be Alpha Smith.”

The way Jason was looking at Clyde triggered every instinct the omega had to flee. Fighting wasn’t an option even to his hardwired animal brain. The man before him could have snapped him like a twig without a second thought, and the look in those eyes as he watched Clyde suggested that he just might.

“Jason,” Kade said, his voice pleading. For what, Clyde wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

Jason made some kind of grunt of acknowledgement and took Clyde’s hand, swallowing it up. His hand was warm and callused, and his grip was firm even though it only lasted for a second, but not in the way of the Alphas who made it a point of squeezing his hand when he insisted on shaking theirs rather than offering his to kiss. It was as if the man had no idea of the power he possessed. “And you must be Clyde.”

The way he said his name made it sound almost like an insult. As if the taste of it was unpleasant to the Alpha. He let Clyde’s hand fall and looked to his mate, his gaze softening. “I got here as soon as I could.”

Kade looked between them and seemed at a loss for what to do. Clyde felt like he’d walked in on the middle of something even though he’d been there for hours.

“Your mate was gracious enough to offer to let me stay for the night, but if you’d rather I found a hotel, I can —“

“No,” Jason gritted out. “You can stay, but not as a Tribunal agent. As an omega who needs shelter from the storm, and that’s it. Do I make myself clear?”

Kade’s worried look told Clyde this was not the Alpha’s usual demeanor, even if it was the reception Clyde had expected all along.

Clyde hesitated. “I’m not sure I’m capable of making the separation.”

“Try.” Clyde had never before seen someone talk with his teeth shut, and he had gotten on the bad side of a lot of Alphas.

“He’s just looking for that girl,” Kade said, stepping between them. He tried to pass it off as a mere change in position, but Clyde knew it was intentional. “I told him she’s not here.”

“She’s not, and I don’t appreciate the Tribunal meddling in our affairs,” Jason growled, keeping his eyes fixed on Clyde. “Who I let inside that gate is my business, and I won’t have the federation’s toy dogs sniffing around my pack, omega or no.”

Ah, there it was. At least Clyde was far more accustomed to dealing with this kind of Alpha than ones who showed a rare willingness to display both kindness and respect, as Kade had. “I understand your concern. I’ll leave first thing in the morning.”

That seemed to satisfy Jason, and he turned to stalk up the stairs. Kade looked after him forlornly before turning back to Clyde. “I’m sorry about that. He’s had a long day. Please, make yourself comfortable.”

Before Clyde could respond, Kade was up the stairs and after his mate. Clyde heard their bedroom door close but he couldn’t make out the murmurs of the argument taking place behind it and for once, he didn’t dare to risk eavesdropping.