“So, you need help from us to capture your Beta?” Garrett asked as he glanced out at Benjamin Sr., Alejandro, and a third Cross City wolf they’d brought with them.

The old former Alpha, who was nearly eighty years old, nodded slowly. “He’s hard to catch, and he’s turned some of the non-ranking Pack members against their leaders. We’re leaning toward Pack disbandment.”

“He has people working for him,” Garrett said. “I saw a handful of his bodyguards last night.”

“They’ve kept his whereabouts a secret and whenever he’s spotted, the attempts to apprehend him always leads to altercations that increase our death count. We don’t want any more bodies. Finding dead bodies of wolf shifters all over the County doesn’t look good to the human authorities and to the shifter population as a whole.”

Garrett gnawed at the inside of his bottom lip, still a little perplexed at how dysfunctional a Pack could become in a short period and with the absence of an Alpha. He sat on top of haystacks inside of a large barn alongside Joshua, Edward, and Rick—the three wolves who’d traveled with him. Evidently, the old man owned so much land that he barely had use for this one other than to hold secret meetings with his most trusted. It looked like the road leading to the barn hadn’t been used in months. There weren’t any animals or anything else kept inside the place. Just barrels of hay, some old beaten down farm equipment, and a few old picnic tables and benches.

“Is there a plan b for taking him down,” Garrett asked.

“We understand that you have a history of completing missions involving the live capture of dangerous persons,” Benjamin replied.

“Dangerous persons? I guess you thought this through and looked at all of the evidence,” Garrett articulated, but he’d seen the hard truth. There was something morally wrong about the man.

“We have good reasons for wanting to get rid of him. With my limited resources, I haven’t been able to capture him. We’ll take over from the point of capture.”

“What did he do?”

“He murdered my son, the Alpha. Calling the human authorities would only complicate things more. They won’t prosecute anyone for murdering a wolf.”

“Wait…” Garrett said. “You think your son was murdered, instead of succumbing to his injuries in the accident.”

“I’m certain of it. I’m even more certain that Simon is the prime suspect.”

There were no reasons for Garrett not to believe the man. The old guy had nothing left to lose, except his life. From the looks of it, he was barely hanging on. Alejandro and the third shifter had to roll him in here in a wheelchair.

“The cause of death was registered as blunt force trauma from being hit by a car—a rather large one—maybe even a truck. My son never even had a chance to fight for his life. He was struck while he was traveling across town in wolf form. He must’ve died instantly because he never shifted back. If one of our Pack members hadn’t driven by the accident site when he did, the County Road Commission would have had him scraped off the highway and disposed of like road kill.”

“And what about what’s left of your council and the rest of your leaders? Have they tried to take Simon down with whatever resources you have remaining?” Garrett asked.

“The ones who care have tried. Alejandro and Theo are the only ones I trust completely now,” Benjamin Sr. exclaimed, gesturing to the two men to the left and right of him. “Not that I don’t hold respect for the others, but it’s best to keep my plans unknown until I know for sure who has sided with Simon.”

“Your plans?”

“Our Pack has been declining in numbers for the past few years. If something isn’t done, not only will we have to disband, but we’ll also lose what little resources we have, and that includes real estate. I don’t have any sons left and I’m the only male left of my bloodline. At this age, I’m not interested in another mating and I can’t produce more pups.”

“Who’s the next in line for the Alpha position outside of your bloodline…and not including Simon?”

A hush fell over the group, and Garrett’s inquiry lingered in the air.

“No one?” Garrett asked.

“There are a couple others who haven’t expressed any remote interest,” Benjamin Sr. replied. “Alejandro has been our Enforcer for ten years now and doesn’t fancy breaking family tradition. His younger son is next in line. We weren’t planning on there being two suspicious deaths of the only two males groomed to take the Alpha position over the next two decades. My nephew Roger died in a construction accident last year. And now my only son is dead. Our Pack is small. We’re just shy of two hundred wolves.”

“Then you’d rather risk your Pack disbanding than placing an interim Alpha in the position?”

“That’s why we’re asking your Pack for help. We want to enact a union. Just like my son and I planned before he died. That hasn’t changed, but we can’t do this if we can’t keep Simon from bidding for the position.”

Garrett and his men looked back and forth between each other.

“As you know, this isn’t the first time a union between our Packs have been entertained,” Benjamin Sr. said. “Your late father offered us the chance to join forces about five years ago when things started going south for us. I didn’t take him up on the offer because I thought my son could turn the Pack around. I never said anything, but I forced the position on him because I believed in him. When my son failed, we started losing members. Now my son is dead and Simon—who has become a spearhead in leading the Pack down this backward path while under my son’s leadership—has made it clear that he wants us under his complete control. This isn’t about keeping the Alpha title close to home; this is about protecting our kind. The union would have ensured that. I see that now. And I didn’t take his offer when I had the chance.”

“I remember when my dad told us about his plans,” Garrett said. “He was really counting on a union like that to build wealth for both Packs and to form a stronger alliance for putting up with any foe, human or otherwise. We’re neighboring Packs, so it would’ve worked in our best interests. That’s the extent of my knowledge. But then, I wasn’t being paid to play nice with other Packs or anyone else. I’m an outlaw and my loyalty has always been with Aspen Valley. As Alpha, playing nice and offering unions was my dad’s prerogative and now it’s my brother Dane’s responsibility. I’m not sure Dane will be so forgiving of you turning down the offer the first time or picking up where you last Alpha failed.”

Garrett hated being so blunt to the old man, but it was the truth.

Benjamin Sr. shook his head in disappointment. “That would be unfortunate for us. If Simon steps up, he’ll never agree to a union like that. More than likely, he’ll cause issues for your Pack down the road just like he tried to convince my son to raid another neighboring Pack for their land.”

“I seriously doubt he’ll be causing any issues for us. We protect our borders with deadly force,” Garrett warned. “Turning Simon over to you is no problem. I’ve handled situations more difficult than this. What makes it especially easy is that it doesn’t appear that Simon will run away. He wants this Pack, which means he won’t go very far,” Garrett said. “Your issue is convincing Dane to accept that offer you’re talking about once again.”

“I’m prepared to offer more than I did last time,” Benjamin Sr. replied. “I understand that real estate is something you have less of down in Tellevue County. I know how important land is when it comes to us wolves who like to roam free and in our natural habitats.”

“I can’t speak for my brother,” he said.

Yet, Garrett knew the old man spoke the absolute truth. Aspen Valley Pack had the numbers, but they were weak in the area of working capital and land. It wasn’t in Garrett’s place to reveal that information either.

“Then you can get word to him about our intentions once we get rid of Simon?” the old man asked eagerly.

“I will, but how long will it take you to have a Pack that is free and clear of a leader who’d be opposed to this type of union?” Garrett asked.

“That’s where I knew you might come in handy.”

“Right. The research.” Garrett cast a knowing look at Alejandro and then folded his arms across his chest. “Seems like you’ve been planning a lot lately.”

“I’ve also been saving a lot.” Benjamin Sr. pulled out a suitcase and revealed wads of cash inside. “I need Simon captured, immobilized, and brought to me. Preferably alive, not dead.”

“I’m not a wolf slayer if I don’t have to be,” Garrett said. “I don’t end lives unless my life or the lives of any of my Pack members are in jeopardy. Just so you understand that up front. Sometimes potential clients misunderstand my intentions.”

“I’m not in search of a slayer. I want Simon to suffer before he perishes, and that’ll be up to me. I have a connection out west that tells me what your normal rates are, and I’ve doubled it. It’s all in the suitcase. All up front. What say you? Or do I need to find another outlaw willing to do the job? I heard your brothers are in the same profession.”

“You can consider it a done deal.”

In under a minute, the old man sent Alejandro across the room with the suitcase.

“I never fail an assignment, so it looks like you’ll be killing two birds with one stone,” Garrett said. “I’ll get rid of Simon and you’ll have a Pack free and clear of any Alpha to bargain with my brother.”

“Let’s hope that your brother accepts.”

“I’ll tell you one thing, you’ll have to bring more than money to the table.”

Benjamin Sr. nodded. “I’ve heard the rumors that your family is well off, but hides it well.”

“Then you know we mean business. Give me at least a week at the most,” Garrett said, turning with the suitcase in his hand. “I’ll give Dane a heads up in the meantime.”