“I don’t know why the hell we have to dress in these monkey suits,” Andrew grumbled as they barreled down the street, barely adhering to the speed limit.
“Because we have to blend in,” Joshua answered his younger, hot-headed brother. If given the chance, Andrew would head to their mission in nothing but his birthday suit and fur. Joshua wouldn’t allow this to happen though. As the leader of his pack, he would always strive for the best for them and what was best was to maintain the harmony that existed between all people.
“We shouldn’t have to blend in with them,” Andrew snarled, and his brother could see the savage in him dying to get out. “We are the superior species. They should bow to us, treat us like gods.”
“Andrew, enough!” Joshua snapped.
This was the kind of talk that made him worry about his kin. They were born of different mothers, but the same father and Joshua knew that Andrew’s personality was largely shaped by his mother’s pack. Still, Andrew’s ideology worried him. Worse still was the persuasive way he could get the younger members of their pack to listen to what he had to say. Joshua feared if he didn’t curb his brother’s ways, he would have to kick him out of the pack for the greater good of everyone involved.
“I am trusting you with this mission, brother,” Joshua told him, gripping his brother’s arm hard so he could see just how serious he was. He tightened his grip until his brother was staring him in the eyes. Words failed Joshua for a bit as he became lost into eyes so like his own, a clear, blue sky with flecks of amber. “The entire pack is depending on you to get this done. Don’t let us down.”
“I’ll do what’s best for our people,” Andrew answered, and his vague reply worried Joshua. In his brother’s mind, what was best for their people, might not necessarily be best for them.
As they drew closer to the estate, Joshua’s mind moved from his brother to the man who was responsible for all this mess. There was no way he could allow Gareth to marry that girl and get his hands on that preserved forest.
A security detail was located at the entrance of the property just as he had expected, hence their disguise. The security guard didn’t even glance in the truck. He took in the vehicle which was marked as a delivery truck. No doubt, the man thought the truck was there for the wedding.
“Just to go over the plan once more,” Joshua told the two men in the back of the truck.
Besides his brother, there was Joshua’s best friend, Cameron. There was no one else Joshua trusted to keep his brother in line and to ensure that their plot was carried out without any problems.
“I think we have it by now,” Andrew said, still managing to sound disgruntled. “You will cause a distraction, and we get to nab the girl and get out of here.”
“And where do you take the girl?” Joshua asked, not leaving anything to chance.
“The Ritz Carlton,” the younger man replied, and Cameron snickered.
Joshua glared at the two men. “Just ensure you are well on your way to that cabin before Gareth figures out she’s gone. So, you’ll have to nab her before she gets to the gardens where the ceremony will be held. I’ll double back and take care of the guards.”
“Why do you get to shift but we don’t?” Andrew asked, just when Joshua started to think the squabble was over.
“You know the rules.” Joshua would not bend them unless in a dire situation.
No wolf was to shift in human territory unless it was unnecessarily provoked, or they were being attacked. He didn’t make the rules just for the sake of making a rule. For the time being, people who knew about their existence left them alone, but they couldn’t afford to have the public in a frenzy just because werewolves existed. He was trying to save them from being hunted like they were in the past.
“Let’s get this party started, so I can go on home to my sweet Amberly,” Cameron stated just in time to diffuse the stress between the brothers.
TO BE CONTINUED
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