Chapter 6
Finn looked up as Taylor strode into the pack’s kitchen, a small package in her hand.
The redhead smiled when she saw him. “Just the wolf I was looking for. A package came for you. Priority, overnight mail.” She set it on the counter next to where he’d just finished making a sandwich.
He didn’t recognize the company, and frowned at the name on the label. Not something he’d ordered. The package was soft and squishy. Maybe clothing? It was small though. Smelled generic enough.
“Come on, open it!”
Grinning, he simply tucked it under his arm. “Are you that desperate for gossip you need to see what’s in here?” He’d be opening this in his office. Because no matter what, his pack was nosy and if Taylor saw whatever was inside, the entire pack would know within ten minutes. That was simply pack life.
“Uh yeah, always!” When he didn’t make a move to open it, she continued. “You’re mean. What, are you and Lyra expecting, dirty toys?” She practically cackled as she asked the question.
“Seriously, I get no respect.” He shook his head, his lips kicking up slightly. There were some packmates he had more of a playful relationship with than others—and Taylor was one of them. Not a warrior, she was a little softer and sweeter than some of his hardened wolves.
Lyra walked in at that moment, and when he saw her everything else faded away for just a moment. Practically glowing, she strode into the kitchen, looking more peaceful than he’d ever seen her. Her long blonde hair was pulled back into a braid. He knew she was sad that Vega wasn’t here, but something had shifted because she looked happy now. Maybe the pregnancy had shifted something inside her.
It certainly had for him. It was hard enough for shifters to have children, but a shifter and a vampire? It was impossibly rare. And now they were going to have their second child. He felt so lucky that his heart ached.
“I’ll see you guys later. These pheromones are killing me,” Taylor said laughingly as she practically sprinted from the room.
A second later he realized why she’d run out. She’d stolen his sandwich. “No respect,” he muttered, no rancor in his voice. He loved his pack with every fiber of his being.
Lyra laughed under her breath as she eyed his empty plate. Crossing the distance to him, she said, “You’ve got to be faster than that sneaky she-wolf.”
Pulling her into his arms, he brushed his lips over hers. The last few years around here had been calm, mostly peaceful. Sometimes they occasionally had outbursts from rogue vampires, but nothing they couldn’t handle.
So he wasn’t sure why a little tingling at the back of his skull had been persisting the past week. He was impossibly happy and all of his security said nothing looked strange in the city—or the surrounding areas. But he felt that something might be changing. Change wasn’t always a bad thing either. Even so, he hated having that feeling and not knowing what might happen on the horizon. “How are you feeling?” he asked, pulling Lyra close and inhaling her sweet caramel and raspberries scent.
“Fantastic. After talking to Vega I feel a thousand times better. I wish she was here, but…she’s growing up. We’ve got to let her do whatever it is she needs to do right now.”
He nodded and pulled out the package from under his arm. “This just came,” he said tearing into it with a claw. Just as quickly he retracted it and peered inside. When he pulled out a little baby onesie, he grinned, even as he experienced a punch to his solar plexus. Not a literal one. He turned it toward his mate, who smiled. On the front were the words Alpha Baby. Then underneath it was a picture of a wolf howling at the moon. Inside there was a note.
Mom and Dad,
I’m so happy for you guys. And this little man is going to be sooooo spoiled. I simply couldn’t help myself. I had the order expedited so I hope it gets there before Christmas. Expect more in the days to come.
Xoxo, Vega
Finn swallowed hard and handed the note to his mate. He couldn’t believe he’d actually worried about Vega’s reaction to having a sibling. Wait a minute… “Did she say ‘little man’ in that letter?”
Lyra simply nodded, her expression turning thoughtful. “Maybe she knows something we don’t.”
His daughter did have a knack for knowing things she shouldn’t. Not in the way seers did, but he’d thought for a long time that “the knowing” she seemed to have was part of her powers. Powers she was still growing into. Like her mother, she could create an illusion to make it appear as if she wasn’t there. A camouflage. Almost as if she was a blurry mirage in the distance that you couldn’t quite put your finger on. And if you turned quickly it was gone.
“This was incredibly sweet of her. She really is all grown up,” Lyra murmured. “Did you notice how different she’s been the last few times we visited her at school?”
Finn nodded. “Yes. She walks with even more confidence—something she never struggled with in the first place.”
“She also looked a little leaner. She’s always been lean, but…”
Finn nodded, because he’d noticed the same thing. As shifters they burned so much energy and worked out through their pack runs or solo runs—or during training sessions in the pack’s gym—so they got far more exercise than most. And he knew that his daughter practiced various forms of self-defense in her human form. All the same, she had been different the past couple times he’d seen her. Almost as if she was more aware of her surroundings. And as a hybrid, that was already ingrained in her. He wasn’t sure what it could mean, however. He expected Gabriel to check in soon enough and tell him what was going on. For now he shelved the thought.
Wrapping his arms around his mate, he pulled her close. They’d had years of peace and he hoped that it remained the same a while longer.
Because he was old enough to know that peace never lasted. Change was inevitable. It was simply the way life was. And he had to be ready for anything.
* * *
Vega was quiet as she scanned over the file for one of the fake IDs August had made for her. Well, he hadn’t made the ID himself, but someone on the team had.
Eli and Neema were also scanning over their files. Vega wanted to suggest that she just go as herself, but she was the new person on the team. There were pros and cons to being herself or using an alias.
“What’s on your mind?” August asked without looking up from his laptop.
They were in a warehouse right on the outskirts of Judoc McGrath’s territory. If they didn’t get an invitation, they’d straight up invade it. Quietly, of course. But it would be a hell of a lot easier to get an invite than risk pissing off a powerful Alpha.
Vega lifted a shoulder. “Nothing.”
Now August did look at her, his gaze sharpening. “Don’t ever lie to me. You’re on my team. If something is bothering you, you tell me. Period. If you have an idea for something, you tell me. I don’t like it, we don’t use it. But don’t ever be afraid to speak up. It’s not how we work.”
She nodded once. “I’m simply going over the pros and cons of using my real name. With Neema and Eli I understand why they use aliases.” The other two didn’t have packs or alliances. They’d been loners when they’d been recruited. She was an anomaly in that she came from a loving pack and had a family. Not completely, of course, because she knew another male who had once worked under August and he hadn’t been a loner. “It’s not like I have any social media accounts or anything, but…this job won’t be me simply getting into a place or posing as someone for an afternoon. I’m supposed to make contact with this Alpha. If he finds out I lied, he’ll never trust me again.”
“Why does that matter to you? Do you care if it affects your pack’s standing with them?”
“I care because what if he becomes an asset? What if he becomes someone we can use in the future? If that’s a possibility, then we need to send Neema in. Not me. I have too many ties to the supernatural community. Going in as myself makes more sense. Unless I’m missing something.” She’d been going over it in her head since she’d been given this assignment. She was new to all of this, despite her training. So maybe she wasn’t seeing the whole picture.
August nodded once and the barest hint of a smile curved his lips. A rare thing indeed. “I agree.”
“Was this some kind of test?”
He lifted a shoulder. “The only con is that you’ll need to tell your parents. Not everything you’re doing. But you need to let them know you’re entering Judoc’s territory. And you also need to tell them not to come after you. A text seems the smartest thing.”
Vega noticed that he didn’t actually answer her question about this being a test. “I can text them moments before we enter the territory, if, of course, Eli and I even receive an invite. Did his wolves follow our trail?”
August had left a trail from Hernandez’s now burned-down house to a room at a supernatural-only boutique hotel. It was right on the border of Judoc’s territory, so they weren’t breaking any rules by being there. The hotel was considered more or less neutral.
August nodded once. “Your father will be angry. But he also won’t put you in danger.”
Vega rubbed the back of her neck as she contemplated the consequences of her actions. “I’ll have to tell my parents what I’m doing…eventually. I won’t be able to keep this a secret after this mission.”
“I know. I never actually planned for you to keep it a secret from them. With your pack ties, it would be impossible—”
He broke off even as Vega scented him.
Gabriel.
Panic swelled inside her like a tsunami. “Don’t attack him,” she snapped out even as she looked upward.
Part of the shadows himself, Gabriel appeared as if from nowhere, dropping down from the rafters, his boots barely making a sound against the concrete floor.
He spared her an angry glance before his rage-filled gaze turned on August. Striding toward the other male with determined steps, she was surprised when neither Eli nor Neema moved. That was when she saw August had raised his hand slightly, telling them to stay back.
“You must have a fucking death wish. You recruited Finn Stavros and Lyra Marius’s daughter? How stupid are you?” Gabriel growled.
Now pure anger poured through her veins as she crossed the distance to the two men. “Don’t talk about me like I’m not here. He might have recruited me, but I made the choice. My parents don’t get a say in that. And neither do you. My life. My choices. So back the fuck off.”
Gabriel turned to face her, apparently not caring that August hadn’t answered him. His clenched jaw ticked as he stared down at her.
She lifted an eyebrow and stared right back. He couldn’t intimidate her. Maybe he realized that, or maybe he simply couldn’t look at her anymore, because he swiveled to face August again. “You know who I am?”
August nodded once. “And you clearly know who I am. Something I find interesting.”
“I know that Bran used to work for you. I also know that you did an incredible job with the Potter case.”
Vega had no idea what Gabriel meant, but it was clear enough that August did. It was subtle, but the male straightened slightly as tension rolled off him. Something Vega had never seen before from August.
“I looked into you. You don’t have a record with the government,” August said.
Gabriel gave him a dark smile. “Maybe your clearance isn’t high enough.”
August snorted at that. Then something that looked a lot like understanding dawned in his eyes. “Huh…why are you here?”
“Why the hell do you think? I’m Guardian of her pack.”
“Does Finn know she’s here?”
“Not yet.”
“You’re certainly not going to tell him,” Vega snapped before August could respond. “This is my life. You have no say in it.”
“Read me in to whatever operation this is, and I’ll decide how to move from there,” Gabriel said to August, ignoring her.
The way he said “read me in” and his reference before to whatever that had been made it clear he must have worked for a government agency at one time or another. It made Vega realize how much about Gabriel she didn’t know. For some reason that made her sad.
August was silent for a long moment as he looked at Gabriel speculatively. Then he looked at Vega. Then the others. Finally he nodded once, as if to himself. “A male who used to work for me has stolen something. He’s hiding in Judoc McGrath’s territory. Vega and Eli took out a bothersome human in his territory in order to get noticed by Judoc. And hopefully get an invite to his estate. From there…” August shrugged but it was clear what was unsaid: from there, Vega and Eli would get the information they needed by any means necessary. Or she assumed it was clear.
“Why not call Judoc?” Gabriel asked.
“The Alpha is protecting the male with the stolen information. I don’t think he knows what the traitorous wolf has, and from what I understand of Judoc, the Alpha is loyal. I decided that the best option was infiltrating his territory. The male he’s hiding doesn’t know who either Vega or Eli are—or that they work for me, specifically. So he won’t be suspicious of their presence.”
“What kind of information are we talking about?” Gabriel asked.
“Names and locations of supernatural agents all over the world. He wants to sell them to the highest bidder.”
Gabriel’s lips curled up in disgust. “What’s the name of this male willing to sell out his own kind?”
“Carson Murphy.”
Gabriel went still, clearly recognizing the name. Then he cursed. “Judoc has a soft spot for Carson.”
Wait…what? How the hell did Gabriel know all of this?
“I know,” August said, frowning slightly. “I didn’t know you were still in contact with Judoc.”
Gabriel didn’t respond for a long moment. And Vega was confused. She hadn’t even realized Gabriel knew Judoc.
Vega glanced over at Neema. Her expression remained impassive, but when she locked gazes with Vega, the other female shrugged.
Silence reigned in the warehouse for a few long moments. Finally Gabriel spoke. “You didn’t need to go to all the trouble of killing that drug dealer. I called my cousin and I’m entering his territory. I’ll get you what you need.”
“Cousin?” Vega asked before she could stop herself. Wait…Gabriel and Judoc were cousins? What the ever loving hell?
He didn’t look at her, instead continued staring at August. “I’ll get what you need if you leave her out of this.”
Raw fire crackled inside her and for a moment she swore actual flames danced along her fingertips. When she blinked they were gone. No one else seemed to notice anything, so she shook it off. Before she could respond, August shook his head.
“You don’t tell me what to do. Vega is in this. She’s earned the right. Besides, you show up after however many years to see your cousin right around the same time Carson needs protection? Carson will be suspicious.”
“Not if I have a reason to be in the territory.” Gabriel jerked a thumb behind him toward Neema’s direction. “I can just say I’m chasing a female into his territory. It’s believable by any shifter standard.”
Vega had to keep her claws in check. Even the thought of Gabriel chasing after another female, whether as a cover or not, made her wolf cranky. For that matter, it made her vampire side cranky too. Her fangs ached with the need to hurt…something.
Neema simply snorted. “August makes the decisions around here, but no way in hell will your cousin believe you’re chasing after me. Not when you’ve clearly got a thing for Vega.”
Uh…what? Vega frowned and Gabriel didn’t respond. Didn’t even look at her.
“I like your plan. Just replace Neema with Vega and it’s a go,” August said.
It was clear Gabriel wanted to argue, but he finally nodded. Then he looked at her, his green eyes sparking with far too many emotions for her to sift through. “I’m in charge of this.”
Yeah they’d just see about that. He didn’t give her orders. She turned to August. “So I’m using my real name, not an alias?”
He nodded even as he said, “One of you will need to talk to Finn.”
“I’ll handle it.” Gabriel pulled his cell phone out and was stalking away from them before Vega could respond.
A small part of her wanted to insist that she be the one to call, but hell, if he wanted to take the heat, she was going to let him. She did not feel like dealing with her parents’ wrath right now. Because no matter what they said, she was doing this.
“You’re ready for this,” August said quietly, so low she figured only she could hear.
“I know.” She didn’t care that the details of the op had changed, she truly was ready. She needed to do this. For herself and for all the people who were now in danger of having their lives destroyed. Or worse, getting killed.
A gentle hand came down on her shoulder and she turned to find Neema looking at her. “We’ve got your back.”
Eli nodded as well.
“Thanks.” She needed the boost of confidence right now. Neema had warned her so many times that the op could change on the turn of a dime. Her friend was right. Vega had never expected Gabriel to be part of this, however.
“Vega, head to the hotel room,” August said. “Order room service, strawberries, champagne, stuff like that. Make it clear you’re waiting on a lover. From this point on, you act as if you’re always being watched.”
Oh…fuck. Right. Because her cover was now that of Gabriel’s lover, not someone who’d killed that drug lord. It wouldn’t be hard to play the part of being attracted to Gabriel. Nope. Not at all. “Should I bring a burner phone?”
“Yeah. Bring it but don’t depend on it. You’re not on your own though. If you need an extract…” He nodded at the necklace she wore. It had a panic button, one she hoped to never use. Because it would mean she hadn’t been able to handle things herself.
“Okay. Anything else I need to know?”
“Nope. Nothing else has changed except the mode of entry into Judoc’s territory. Try to get what we need. If you can’t, don’t die for it. Sometimes making the choice to run and fight another day is the smartest one. Remember that.” Something he’d told her more than once during her training.
Yeah, well, her parents were also going to know that she’d be in another Alpha’s territory soon and they were going to have a lot of questions. Ugh. She shoved that thought aside. At least Gabriel got to handle telling them. And he could get away with being evasive in a way she couldn’t. Hopefully Gabriel would be able to handle her dad and the op would still be on. Because if Gabriel betrayed her—if he screwed this up so she couldn’t take part—she’d never forgive him.