All of Brock’s brothers filed into an empty LIVE Nightclub. The one they called Raoulf headed straight for the unmanned bar and made himself a drink. The club had closed over an hour ago and only a few drunken patrons and what looked like the cleaning crew remained.

“Whatever you do, don’t kill my dad,” Chelsey said.

“That was never the plan,” Alpha Dane said. “Besides, we’re used to getting our way without ending lives. We have other methods.” He slid onto a bar stool next to Raoulf. “Isn’t that right, Raoulf?”

“Damn straight,” Raoulf added, taking a shot of whiskey. He still hadn’t removed his hood, which told Chelsey that either he still didn’t trust her or didn’t want to see all of his face.

“Like what?” she asked.

“Do you really want the answer to that?” Brock countered, leaning back on the counter on his elbows.

She tossed her purse on the bar and slid on a stool. “Are all the crimes and threats and stuff necessary?”

“We’ve asked your dad nicely and we’ve even warned those crooked town cops to stay off our lands. They’ve been using physical force of their own trying to keep us from bringing a stop to the eminent domain proceedings. Some of the human hunters in the area have even gone as far as hunting with rifles on the land. None of us have been shot yet, but other small animals and prey haven’t been so lucky. The carcasses are left out in the open for us to see. They weren’t killing for food. These were just senseless killings…almost like planting warnings for us to find. We traced the bullets to one single manufacturer in Texas. This is the last step,” Dane said.

Chelsey frowned. “I’m sorry that all of this is happening, but I promise you that my dad has nothing to do with planting carcasses. But what do you mean? The last step before what?”

“Before we get what we want, of course.” Dane shrugged. “For him to stop the eminent domain proceedings. If we lose this tract of land, we’ll be losing a lot of hunting grounds. Just in case you haven’t noticed, we are shifters. We shift and run as a Pack there. Some of us even live out there. Stripping the land will also push out other animals that have taken up shelter there.”

“Is that another way to say that if the County wins, your food source will disappear?” she inquired.

Dane pressed his lips together in a grim line, and then said, “You learn quickly. It’s been a little over thirty years since shifter existence was revealed. Some of us haven’t blended into human society. Some of us never will. Therefore, that’s what uncharted, and supposedly, uninhabited tracts of land—like the one they’re looking to confiscate—is used for. Wolves live there, they hunt there, they eat there. I’m sure you know that it’s not wise to fuck with wolves and their right to eat and live in their natural habitats.”

She swallowed. Yeah, she fully understood now. “I understand where you’re coming from. What do you have on my dad?”

Dane narrowed his gaze. “Why should I tell you?”

“Because I agreed to help. Whatever it is you have or took from my house, I want you to give it back,” she said. “I’m sure my dad will settle this without this last ditch effort to bribe him by using me.”

“The plan was never to use you,” Dane said, his gaze sliding over to Brock. “But it just so happens that you’re now connected to Brock. And actually, we don’t need to use you at all.”

Chelsey sighed. “My dad has held the seat less than a year. I assure you that he means no harm to the shifter community. I’ll try and help y’all, but I won’t stand against him.”

“Understood,” Dane said. “Your dad isn’t the only official in this town pushing this agenda, but he sure as hell does sign off on them.”

“So tell me…” She crossed her arms over her chest. “What’s your plan now that you have me?”

“That’s the thing…” Dane shrugged. “We’ll have to find another way to get your father’s attention in honor of respecting you now that you’ve bonded with my brother.”

“What other ways?” she asked, suspiciously.

“You’ve got a lot of questions.”

“You’re the one who ordered a raid on my house. Since this involves my family, I think I should know. And…like I said, I want to help your cause. I came with you willingly.”

“You came because there was no way you would’ve been able to run from Brock,” Raoulf countered. “You have his scent all over you, sweetness.”

Chelsey blushed. Brock’s scent was all over her, but so were his hands…among other things. Big things. A hard fleshy thing in particular. She bit her lips as heat rose up her spine and fanned across her neck.

“Now that it’s obvious to all of you that Brock and I had…were together and something happened between us, can I suggest that you not make any more adverse moves against my dad. There’s gotta be another way.”

“You’re right. And yes, we’ll find another way. Working with your dad is what we’ll deal with,” Dane said. “Focus on your mating with my brother and leave this to us. We never planned on harming you or your dad. What we do plan to do is defend and keep our properties.”