Brannon was the first to shift back when they reached his back porch again. “Thanks, guys. I needed that. I was too wound up to sleep last night and my wolf was pushing for a run.”

They bid their goodbyes and headed home to catch a nap before they had to get up and begin their day. Brannon watched them walk off. He envied that most of them had someone to go home to. Someone to build a life with. Their biggest obstacle in winning their mates was the lady herself. Kasey was something else entirely. She seemed to barely tolerate him on a good day, add in her secrets and he knew he was screwed blue and tattooed.

He heard the ring of his phone from inside and hurried to grab it. If someone was calling this early, it couldn’t be good news. Sleep is not in the stars for me this morning, he thought as he grabbed the phone and answered with a brisk hello.

“Boss, there was an incident earlier this morning at the Midnight Howl. You might want to come down here.”

“Jaxs, it’s five-thirty in the morning. I’ve been up all night on a run, is this something that can wait or that you as the club manager can handle?”

“You know I wouldn’t have called if it wasn’t important. This is something you’ll want to see. The cops need to talk to you and they aren’t very patient about it.”

“Fine, I’ll be there in a few minutes.” He dropped the phone and threw on jeans and a button down. He didn’t have anything important to do that he needed to dress up today. The cops sure didn’t care if he wore a suit or not.

Brannon pulled up to the bar a short time later. This was the first place he’d bought. It held a bit of a special place in his heart because of that. He hadn’t been here often enough in recent years, though; the old place needed some work. Maybe he should move it to the top of his remodeling list.

“Brannon,” Jaxs waved him over. “I’m sorry to say they came in about an hour ago. The silent alarm was tripped, and the video kicked on as soon as it went off, so we have it all on DVD.”

“Damage?”

Jaxs nodded. “A bit, nothing we can’t come back from, but it’s not going to be cheap.” He trailed off and glanced to Brannon. “There’s something you should know before you go in. They’re pack kids, but…I don’t know. Something’s not right with them.”

Brannon grimaced as he opened the door. He knew what his manager was trying to say even if he didn’t know the words. The kids had been in another trance most likely. Jaxs said it was an hour ago, which was the same time frame when he and the other alphas stumbled onto the clearing in the woods. Were these things related?

“Mr. Wolfrik, sorry to have bothered you so early.” A young round-faced police office greeted him. “I’m Officer Richards and this is my partner, Officer McKinney.”

Brannon shook the two men’s hands as he glanced around the bar. All the damage seemed to be cosmetic, nothing that couldn’t be fixed. Hell, he’d just been thinking of remodeling the place; this just gave him even more reason. Nothing lost if he thought about it that way.

“You have the kids in custody?”

“Yes, sir. Officers Daniels and Silverton are with them. They aren’t talking, or moving or… well, doing anything. We can’t even get their names to call their parents yet.”

“Can I see them, please?”

Richards looked to his partner for an answer before nodding. “We’ve got them back here,” he said as he led the way through the bar and down the hallway as if Brannon didn’t know the way through his own place.

The officer opened the door and stepped back, allowing Brannon to step inside and take a deep breath. He smelled the clearing on the kids. There was no doubt they had been there recently. “They’re part of my pack. Can I talk to them alone for a minute, please?”

Officer Silverton nodded, and the three officers left them alone in the small room. Brannon shut the door and leaned against it as he studied the three teens before him. All had the same blank stare on their slack-jawed faces. He pulled out his phone and engaged the video camera. He wanted to watch this later to see if he could pick up on something missed here. He wasn’t sure if he could make them wake up or not, but standing here staring back at them was redundant.

“Jaxs,” he whispered softly, knowing the other man would hear him with his shifter hearing. “Do whatever you need to do so the kids can go back to the mountain with me. We’re not filing charges. It’s a pack issue. Understood?”

“You got it, boss. Won’t be a problem at all.”

He waited until he heard the officers walk away with his manager before he spoke again. “Shift now,” he commanded, knowing that any shifter in his pack would have to obey his command. He didn’t know if it would work through the trance, but he wasn’t sure what else to do. To his surprise the three teens began to whimper and shake, a sheen of sweat broke out on their faces as the animals fought the hold the trance had on them.

“Stop,” he ordered, fear for the kids’ wellbeing making him rescind his last command. Whatever was happening to them was strong, a lot stronger than he’d have thought possible.

A soft pop filled the silence, and at once, the kids fell to the floor, awake and staring around in horrified surprise. “Alpha?” the dark-haired boy asked in a trembling voice.

“You’re okay. You’re all okay now. Just relax. You’re a leopard, right?” Brannon asked the shaking boy.

“Yes, sir.”

“Good, Xavier, right?” When the boy nodded, Brannon turned to the girl beside him, she wouldn’t meet his eyes and clung to the boy next to her. He knew him. “Tristen, your father is my enforcer, Patrick, right?” The boy nodded weakly but didn’t say anything. Brannon turned his attention back to the girl. “You’re a lioness, right? What’s your name?”

“Sarah, Alpha.”

“Thank you. Okay, guys, I’m going to take you home in a minute, but we’ve got to let the police leave first. Can you handle that?”

All three kids nodded quickly and moved a little closer to each other. Brannon continued recording the kids. He didn’t want to miss anything just in case. “I need you to answer a question for me and then I promise not to ask anything else until we get your alphas. My question is simple, I promise. I just want to know if you guys know where you are and what you’re doing here?”

It was just as he’d assumed, just as it had been on the mountain two days prior. They had no idea at all what had happened or where they were. He hit end on the video and let out a weary sigh. “All right, guys and gal. Come on, let’s get back to the mountain.”

As he led them down the hallway, he dialed Luke. “Hey, get Garrett and meet me at my place. There was a slight problem at my bar. I’m bringing a few pack kids in, same deal as in the clearing. I recorded them. Something interesting happened this time. You guys are going to want to see this.”