Damn Ryan, Max mutters to himself as he surveys the cluster fuck that is Jim’s apartment. The blood and body parts are everywhere. He’s pissed that he had to leave Heather for this, but Jeremiah needed help, and he’s never one to bail on a friend. “Can you give me a hand with his arms and leg?” Max shouts from across the room as he drags them toward the waiting plastic bag.

Jeremiah turns around and glares at him. “Um, I’m kind of busy with the other leg and the rest of the scattered parts over here.” He motions to the pieces on the floor. He rotates back around and continues to clean his surrounding area. “The bastard really did tear him apart,” he mutters.

“All right. I’ll manage,” Max grumbles, dropping both of the severed arms and focusing on the leg. He throws the leg over his shoulder, making it easier to move. At this point, it doesn’t matter if he gets blood on him. The scene is so gruesome; there is no avoiding it. Several pieces of Jim’s body had knives sticking out of them, and some of his extremities appear to have been cut from his body. Fucking hell. Yeah, Max hated Ryan already, but this made him despise him even more.

They put the remaining pieces of the PI’s body in trash bags and toss them in the trunk of the car. Jeremiah has decided that the best place to dump the body was near the pier. Max thinks this whole situation is fucked. There was no need to kill the guy, but once Ryan got involved, he knew that Jim was as good as dead. No doubt that his sick and demented brother most likely ordered his death.

Max exhales a ragged sigh as he stares out the car window thinking about how much his brother has changed over the past several years. There really were no early signs of his depravity when they were kids. They played and fought like regular brothers would and were pretty protective of their sister McKenzie. The death of their parents, Max thought, was a big turning point in their lives.  Marco reluctantly had to take over the pack. He was pretty mellow and fair in the beginning, but roughly a week or so before he took Kylie, Marco’s personality started to shift, becoming colder, more hardened somehow.

Max remembers the day he first noticed the difference. He and Jeremiah had just finished shooting hoops, and Max was putting the equipment away. Marco mentioned that he had to meet someone in the city about pack business. He didn’t say whom but promised to give him full details later. Max had been in the in the garage when Marco approached him the day he left for business.

“I’m heading out. I’ll be back in two hours.” Marco bent over, picked up the loose ball and tossed it to him. “Take care of our sister because she looks like she’s coming down with something.”

“I want to go Marco,” Max pleaded with him. He felt as if he was mature enough to be his Beta, and figured Marco need back up.

“I can help.”

“Listen, bro,” Marco placed a hand on his shoulder. “You’re only twenty and you should be having fun, not worrying about all this pack politics stuff. You. Are. Not. Ready.”

Max rolled his eyes. “But I am ready. Besides, I’m supposed to Beta anyway, so why not start now?”

“Relax, Max. When you're old enough, I'll consider it.” Max was irritated because Marco was grinning. The bastard was mocking him because he knew that Max was going to be Beta when he came of age anyway. Jerk.  Marco punched Max in the shoulder like only an older brother could. 

“Ouch.” He smiled and pushed him right back. This went on for a while until Marco ordered, “Now go on.”

Max’s shoulders dropped and he grumbled, “Okay, fine, but I'm kicking your ass at some basketball later.”

Marco shook his head and smirked. “Yeah, yeah bro. One day maybe I'll let you win.” His brother chuckled and walked away.

That was the last time that Max shared a laugh with Marco. His brother didn't return for two days, which had the pack in a panic. The elders were in the process of forming a search party when he finally returned and there was just something off about him. His clothes were dirty and torn and the dark circles under his eyes made him appear to be worn and exhausted. His wrists had red restraint marks on them, most likely caused by silver. When that particular metal touches a wolf’s skin, it takes longer to heal than a normal wound, so at the time, the sight of them unnerved Max, especially when Marco tried to hide them due to his staring.

Kenzi was the first to rush to greet Marco upon his return, but his brother wasn’t his normal doting self with her. Max recalls her pulling him into one of her sisterly hugs and him not returning it at all. In fact, he seemed annoyed and impatient.

“Where have you been? We've all been worried sick,” Kenzi demanded.

When Marco broke from her weak hold and glared at her, Max almost approached, but he decided to observe a bit more.

“I told you,” Marco said slowly through gritted teeth. “I had a meeting with someone.” Marco’s eyes flashed red, causing their sister to take a step back. Neither of them noticed the new color until then. Max could faintly see his regular green hue, but this new red color seemed to be taking it over, yet he still didn’t intervene.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Kenzi whispered. 

“Fine.” Marco exhaled, attempting to plaster a genuine smile on his face that Max knew was faked.  “Don't worry so much, McKenzie, the meeting took longer than I anticipated, but I'm home now.”

After witnessing the entire exchange, Max got an uneasy feeling about Marco’s demeanor. His brother was usually easygoing and nothing but kind to their sister whom he never called by her full name. He didn’t understand what was going on.

“Hey, Max.” His locked eyes with his brother’s. “I'm going to this club in a day or so and wanted to know if you'd like to come. I hear there’ll be hot ladies there plus a decent band.” Marco forced another smile, this one not reaching his eyes.

“Go out?” Max questioned, furrowing his brow. “But you just got home. Why don't you just take it easy for a few days? I mean you really don't seem like yourself anyway.”

Marco glared at Max, his eyes flashed red again and his teeth lengthened ever so slightly. “As I said before, brother, I am fine.” 

Brother? He always thought that was too formal.

Max didn’t know what the fuck was wrong with his brother, but he chose to address it later. Instead, he forced a lopsided smile to diffuse the situation. “Nah. I'll stay with Kenzi. She's not feeling well anyway, and I want to be around in case she needs anything.”

Marco narrowed his eyes at him and paused for a moment. His face then quickly morphed into a relaxed grin. “Suit yourself, but you're going to miss a good fucking time.” For some reason, his response gave Max a sick feeling in his gut, but he shook it off.

Max watched Marco exit the room grinning, though his eyes were still guarded and cold. He exhaled a deep breath, trying to calculate his next step in figuring out what just happened when Kenzi came toward him.

“What the hell was that?” Kenzi said in dismay, her eyes wide like saucers. “I mean, did you see his eyes?” She motioned to the spot where Marco just stood. “They've never done that before.”

“Don't worry about it, Kenzi,” Max replied weakly. “It's um ... It’s probably something related to him getting his Alpha powers.” He peered down at his sister. “Don’t stress about it. I will talk to him later after he gets some rest.”

Biting her bottom lip she nodded. “Okay, Max. Just let me know if you need any help.” Max rolled his eyes. “Sure thing, Kenzi.”

A while later, Max went in search of Marco and found him sleeping. He looked like he was in the midst of a nightmare because he was wildly tossing and turning. His hair was damp from sweat and the sheets were torn from his extended claws.

“No. I won't do it. You can't make me,” Marco mumbled, his head thrashing from side to side.

Max was freaked out. He had never seen a dream affect his brother in such a way. Whatever it was about must be very disturbing to have him shifting while he was out. He rushed over to Marco and tried to shake him awake, but he was shoved back.

“Stop, let me go,” Marco growled, eyes still closed and deep in his dream. Max needed to wake him as soon as possible because he was really getting scared. 

 “Bro, wake up. You're having a bad dream,” he pleaded, careful not to touch him for fear of causing another jerk reaction. 

“Nnoo, hurts ...” Marco moaned, his face contorting as if he was in pain.

Max approached him cautiously. Reaching his hand out, he shook his shoulder one last time. Marco’s dilated green eyes popped open. They were unfocused, and stared at Max for a moment, his forehead wrinkled as if confused. He opened his mouth to speak, but shut it. His eyes did a slight roll and the green was soon replaced by the fiery red color that seemed to be his new hue. 

He glared at Max. “Why have you disturbed me, brother?”

“I …” Max stuttered. “You were having a bad dream. I figured you needed me to …”

Marco briskly lifted a hand, stopping Max mid conversation. He sat up and stared at his brother. “I neither want nor need you to do anything for me. As the new Alpha, I am able to take care of myself. Do not come to my room and disturb me from my sleep again, understand?”

Max shoulders dropped in defeat at the order and then he responded, “Yeah, okay.”

“Now leave,” Marco ground out, motioning his chin to the door.

Max didn't understand this personality shift his brother experienced in a matter of days. He kept telling himself that it would pass, but as time went on, Marco got worse, his darker side becoming more prevalent causing the entire pack to fear him. He challenged other Alphas for territory and killed many, making him more powerful than their father ever was. Max wanted no part in it, so he kept under the radar as much as possible, doing whatever his brother deemed important. Though he didn’t want it, he was due to inherit his Beta position soon. Max hoped to figure a way out of it as he did not want any part of what was going on.

“Hey,” Jeremiah whispers, bringing Max back to the present.

“We're here.” Jeremiah eases the car to a secluded part near the bridge and then comes to a full stop. He glances over at Max, smirking. “I'll wait in the car while you toss him in the river.”

Max rolls his eyes. “How about we both go? There are a lot of bags here, dude.” Jeremiah chuckles as he unbuttons his seatbelt. “Relax, man, I was just kidding. I want to get this done as fast as you. Besides the sun is going to be up pretty soon so we need to finish.”

They exit the car and continue the cleanup process, tossing each bag into the water. Ryan was particularly messy with this poor guy, Max thought to himself as he threw the last bag into the river. At that moment, his thoughts go to Heather. He is unsure of how close she is with this individual, but he will have to tell her eventually, after everything else gets sorted out.

Max stares out into the water, watching the sun slowly come up. Crossing his arms, he yells over his shoulder, “Was that the last bag?”  

Jeremiah slams the trunk. “Yup, but the car will have to be cleaned today. I can handle it.”

Max rubs the back of his neck as he turns around to face his friend. “This is really bad, J.  Heather is going to flip when this guy is reported missing.”

A soft grunt escapes Jeremiah’s lips as Max walks toward the passenger side of the car. “Trust me, she's probably already there.” A slight smirk spreads across his face. Jeremiah reaches for the driver side door handle, but pauses when Max lets out a low growl. Jeremiah’s eyes widen at him as he realizes his mistake.

Max rushes the few steps around the car and slams Jeremiah against it. He presses his forearm against Jeremiah’s chest while the other hand grips his shirt. Max is pissed, and it’s taking every ounce of strength for him not to shift and attack his friend.

Sounding barely human he asks, “What did you do?”

“Chill, dude,” Jeremiah says to him in a soothing tone, relaxing his muscles as Max’s grip tightens. “I did nothing that would harm her. I, uh, simply left her a little note on the wall in place of everything I took. All it told her was to stop looking.”

Max’s eyes narrow. Doesn't he realize how seriously attached he is to her? Perhaps Jeremiah doesn’t get it, Max wonders, or else he wouldn't be speaking about things that may affect his mate so nonchalantly. 

Max gets directly in his face, his eyes blazing with anger. The only word he can muster is, “Why?”

He senses Jeremiah’s own temper rising, but Max doesn’t care. He knows they were sent in to do a job, but Heather is more than that now and he doesn’t want her scared or afraid of him. If Jeremiah fucked this up, he may never speak to him again.

Jeremiah’s eyes flash orange, but the hue dissipates quickly. Placing a firm hand on Max’s chest he grumbles. “Get your hands off me, and step back.”

Giving him a little shove, Jeremiah goes on to say, “Trust me, Max, I completely understand how you feel, but the job is what comes first.”

Fuck this job, Max thinks to himself as he glares at his friend. He opens his mouth to speak, but Jeremiah gives him a shut the fuck up look.

“Your emotions have to remain separate for the time being until we give your brother what he asks for. If he figures out how deeply you care for her, then he will find a way to use it against you. I have a friend who can keep her protected until you decide what you want to happen between the two of you. For the time being, she should be kept in the dark, so it’s a good thing that you wiped her memory of you.”

Max inwardly cringes at that statement because he lied to his friend about wiping Heather’s memory. Such an asshole thing to do, but he never wants her to forget what they shared, ever. Focusing back on Jeremiah, he listens to him say, “I’m sorry, okay? I wasn’t thinking when I did that. I only wanted to keep her off the trail. Yes, it was stupid, but it’s done. Now you need to calm down.”

Max levels Jeremiah with a furious glare, but Jeremiah throws one directly back at him. He knows his friend would never hurt Heather, but the protectiveness he feels for her is overriding his reasoning. Max closes his eyes and takes in a deep breath. He opens them as he exhales through his mouth.

Releasing his hold on Jeremiah he mumbles, “Sorry, I lost my head for a second. It won't happen again.” Max quirks a smile. “Until you piss me off the next time.”

Jeremiah lightly chuckles. “Gee, thanks,” he mocks as they both walk to their respective doors and get into the car.

Snapping their seat belts in place, Jeremiah starts the engine and idles the car, then turns to Max and says, “My friend completed the research on Heather that your brother asked for.”

“What did he find?”

“First off, she's adopted.”

“I know, she told me.” Jeremiah raises an eyebrow in surprise at him, but continues on.

“Here's where it gets a little fishy. My guy was unable to find anything. No birth parents, certificate or name of a hospital. It's like she appeared out of thin air and was handed to her parents.” 

Max’s brows draw together. “That's weird. She told me that her parents got her from an agency, but she didn’t remember the name.”

“Really?” Jeremiah rubs the stubble on his face. “Well I asked him to dig a little further, and he said he'd get back to me by tomorrow. I'll let you know what happens. In the meantime, keep your shit together.”

“Thanks man, for all your help, and again I’m sorry about before.” 

“No worries, Max. I got your back, always.”

“Before this gets into some sort of love fest, let's get out of here.” Max starts to chuckle but is interrupted when his phone rings. He checks the caller ID and sees Marco’s name flash. He holds a finger up indicating to Jeremiah that he should wait and answers the call.

“Hello, brother. Did you succeed in retrieving the information?”

“Yes. Jeremiah was able to clean out her place while I kept her occupied.” Max winces at the response he knows is coming.  

“Hmm … occupied. How I wonder. Care to share brother?”

Max pauses.

“I’m waiting,” Marco demands.

“I only talked to her at a bar and by the end of our conversation Jeremiah was finished.” Max has to get out of this conversation before his brother asks him any more questions. He is surprised when Marco doesn’t delve any further into his response.

“Good, so since you're done, I have another task for you. Jeremiah can tie up any loose ends there.”

“What's the job?” Max asks as Jeremiah mouths ‘What the fuck” at him. Max shrugs his shoulders, waiting for his brother’s response.

“Ryan will let you know. In fact, he’s on his way to pick you up so stay where you are.” Shit.

Max racks his brain, attempting to find an excuse not to go. Marco never sends him out alone or for that matter with Ryan. Most of the time he and Jeremiah end up doing whatever he commands.

“Can Ryan handle this alone?” Max says, his tone even, hiding uneasiness he feels about this whole situation. “I’m still helping Jeremiah with some cleanup work and—”

“He can handle it,” Marco clips. Before Max can protest any further, the line goes dead.

Fuck, Max thinks to himself as he stares at the phone.  He wanted to go back to Heather after this, to explain things, to be close to her, to feel her, but he can't very well tell Marco that. He places his phone in his pocket and looks up at Jeremiah.

“I have to leave,” he angrily grits through his teeth.  Jeremiah looks at him in bewilderment. “But I thought your brother wanted us to finish up here.”

Max’s clenches his fist at his sides. “Me too, but apparently he has other ideas.”

“He needs me to do something.” Max uses air quotes. “He won’t tell me what it is. He even has Ryan tagging along.”

Jeremiah furrows his brow. “I don't like this Max.”

“I know,” Max sighs. “I promise I'll be careful, but can you keep an eye on Heather until your man arrives?”

Jeremiah nods. “I won’t let anything happen to her. Where is he meeting you?”

Before Max has a chance to respond, Ryan pulls up in his Black SUV. Jeremiah and Max cast a quick questioning glance at each other, each wondering how Ryan knew where they were and why he arrived so damn fast only moments after the phone call ended.

“Get in,” Ryan commands, pointing directly at Max. His jaw ticks. Max looks at Jeremiah and gives him a chin lift. He then reluctantly walks to the passenger side of Ryan’s car and gets in.

Max glances through the driver’s side window, noticing Jeremiah narrowed his eyes at Ryan. Ryan gives his friend a toothy grin in response, which causes Max’s heart to plummet. Now he knows for sure that something is up. His only hope is that he figures it out and escapes this situation before it’s too late.

* * *

Max rides in silence, trying to keep his nerves at bay. Ryan hasn’t divulged what they’re doing or even where they are headed, and it doesn’t sit well with him. He could force the door open and make a break for it, but what would be the point. His body wouldn’t recover fast enough for him to shift and get away. Maybe if he—

“We have to make a quick stop first to pick someone else up,” Ryan snaps, interrupting him from his thoughts. The jeep comes to a stop at a gate in a secluded industrial area. The guard looks at Ryan for a beat, checks Max out and then opens the gate. Internally feeling a sense of dread start to settle over him, Max somehow manages to keep his outward expression calm and relaxed. 

“Who are we going to get?” Max tries to sound nonchalant but his voice cracks slightly, causing Ryan to smirk. 

“Don't worry about it. Just sit back and enjoy the ride.” The car continues to advance to the main building, but then comes to a stop. Max’s instinct scream at him to get the hell out of there, but his thoughts of escape are halted by a burly figure that comes to the passenger side of the vehicle. This new arrival is fucking huge. Max is over six feet tall, but this guy might be almost seven and has more of a muscular build than him.

Max catches the man’s scent and he smells of wolf, but also of something else that he thinks he may have scented before. The man dips his head into the window and Max sees his features for the first time. He has tousled dark blond, almost brown hair and a beard to match and his eyes are the same red color as Marco’s, which unnerves Max even more.

The man glances over to Ryan. “That him?” Ryan nods as Max’s eyes widen. The man turns back to Max and gives him a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes.

"You know what to do," Ryan states as he releases the car door lock. The man opens the passenger door, but Max somehow is able to get around him and bolts. He just needs to shift and he’ll be home free. 

Max makes it two feet before a pair of giant arms pulls him back. 

“Let go of me,” he grits through clenched teeth. Max tries to break free of his hold but the man is at least twenty times stronger. 

“Sorry there, pup, but you have other obligations right now.”

Before he can protest anymore, Max feels a pinprick in his neck. His eyes begin to get heavy. Though he’s fading fast, he still tries to fight him. The man chuckles at his defiance. As the darkness starts to overtake him, the last thing he hears the large man say is, “Welcome to the club.”