“Alpha Zenith, it’s an honor to receive you and your pack. A few of the pups have planned a little skit for you to show how much your presence here means to us.” When the Humboldt pack’s first beta finished his speech, many of the pack members stood and applauded as the younger members of the pack began to set up.
Justice stood from the long table where he sat with the Humboldt pack Alpha, his betas, and Justice’s brothers. After a long afternoon run, his belly was full of grilled meat and fresh-grown vegetables, his wolf happy and satisfied. They’d only been there one day after the long road trip and Justice and his pack were being treated very well. There were hundreds of packs spread across the country, but this was where Justice always felt the most welcome. The forest was lush and called to his wolf every second he was there. He kept looking to the west, far up into the mountains like there was something there. A force calling to him. The hills and mountains stretched on for miles and it was all regulated by the exceptionally large Humboldt pack.
“Thank you, Markus, for the welcome. My pack and I are here for a very important reason. Though these are serious times for all of us, we are looking forward to being here with you. We lo—” The wind shifted directions and Justice stopped in the middle of his words, his breath catching on his next syllable. A faint smell, the most enticing scent he’d ever encountered, drifted by him, and Justice fought to keep his face neutral and shield his responding arousal. It made no sense. Maybe there was a unique flower or something in these woods that he’d never smelled. Yeah, that must be it. He’d find out more when he ran. He absolutely had to find the source of that smell. Justice blinked when he felt his brother Alek nudge his elbow. The entire pack’s curious eyes were still on him. Justice cleared his throat. “Um, like I said. Thank you so much for having us. Young pups, we can’t wait to see what you’ve put together.”
There was a small lapse into silence and Justice pushed a little positive energy towards the pack to ease their worry over seeing their AZ having trouble. The members began to smile and turn their attention towards the entertainment. When Justice sat back down his brother Alek gave him a cautious look. Alek spoke through his link with Justice.
“Brother? What’s going on? You can shield your emotions from everyone else, but not me. You keep looking away like you’re distracted. I know something just affected you… I could feel it. But I can’t see what it was.”
“It was nothing. I’m fine, Alek.” Justice stared straight ahead. He and his brother were the closest of the five siblings. Not because they were only one year apart but because Alek was his best friend. Instead of turning towards Alek’s questioning look, he tried to concentrate on the young ones and the skit they were hilariously trying to get through, between their fits of laughter. It was a mocking skit of the Alpha and his betas. Before long, they were all enjoying the kids teasing the adults.
The evening wrapped up early, most of the families had returned to their homes spread about the pack’s vast land. After a short power meeting, Justice’s pack finally retired for the night too, leaving him in peace. Allowing him time to contemplate what the hell happened to him tonight. The restless feeling he’d been fighting since he stepped onto the Humboldt pack’s land was only getting more intense.
Justice showered, taking a long time to let the pulsating jets soothe his tense muscles. He ignored his dick that was still half erect and had been since that smell drifted to him. It had to be something in those woods and Justice was going to find it. He’d have to do it alone, though. He couldn’t tell his brother that something out there in the wild was making him inexplicably horny. He thought of requesting company tonight but his wolf quickly dissuaded him. Justice frowned. The dramatic way his body reacted to the amazing scent, coupled with the repugnant thought of touching another were feelings that came when mates found each other. And Justice was sure his true mate was not out there.
“Justice, wake up. There’s been another disturbance.” Justice sat straight up in his bed at the stern sound of Alek’s voice. He sounded pissed, which of course, meant that Justice would soon be pissed too. He picked up his cell off the nightstand, squinting at the illuminated hands. Damnit. It was only two in the morning. It felt like he’d just dozed off into a fitful sleep. Justice stood and stretched. He could hear his pack readying to move.
“Alek, what the hell is going on?” Justice asked while he threw on his jeans and a blue, sleeveless flannel shirt.
Alek growled. “I don’t know for sure. There was another fight tonight in the city between three shifters and seven vampires.”
“Shit. Seven vampires. Are the shifters hurt?”
“Yes. But… eyewitnesses say the wolves were the aggressors and they attacked the vampires when they came out of one of their clubs.”
Justice clenched his fists. Why couldn’t his life just be simple and easy? Gone were the days where all the AZ had to do was make ceremonial visits and ensure he had a productive, working pack to help him with his duties. It seemed Justice stayed on the road, correcting problems that his enforcers or pack leaders couldn’t. They all knew – even the council – that their way of life would change, evolve, once humans discovered their existence, but none of them thought it would get as bad as the government was threatening. They were talking of not only registering all shifters, but also asking for volunteers so they could research shifter anatomy in labs.
So far, all of Justice’s meetings with various pack alphas had come to the same conclusion. Punish the offenders and make an example so the others will fall in line. If order’s restored, then the government might pull back. Justice didn’t like the idea of ruling with an iron fist. However, desperate times called for desperate measures. Why were his wolves out of control? More importantly, why were they so adamant about fighting vampires in public? Justice knew if he didn’t get the violence contained, then the government would be back to pushing for a national shifter registry. One that wouldn’t be monitored by shifters anymore. Justice would stripped of his title and banished if he allowed the federal government to take the packs.
Justice got on the spacious RV and graciously took the large mug of coffee his sister made for him. His pack looked tired and worn. Hell, so did he, but this wasn’t anything he couldn’t push through. It was in his nature, in his bloodline, to never break. He loved his shifters too much not to give them his all. Despite his lack of rest over the last few days and the fatigue doing its damnedest to settle into his spirit, Justice walked tall, with his shoulders back and his eyes focused. His heart ached for his weary team. They’d probably just settled into good sleep themselves before having to get back up. At least his whole pack didn’t have to come, only Justice’s betas and two enforcers. As he walked by, he reached out and touched them before he took his seat.
Justice was an amazing man. Strong and solid. His wolf an unstoppable force, more powerful than anything he’d encountered… or so he believed. He prayed he’d be strong enough to defend against a rebellion. Because that’s where this all might be headed. This new feud he was rushing off to handle had happened right here in Carson City – where anyone in a one hundred mile radius could feel the presence of the Alpha Zenith. Yet, the shifters still created a disruption. Were they trying to get Justice’s attention, or were they actually trying to start a war with the vampires again, after all these years of relative peace? He couldn’t let that happen. Then, out of nowhere, Justice had an idea.
“Hey. What do you guys think of this?” Justice turned from the comfortable position on the couch that he’d taken for the twenty-minute drive downtown to the police headquarters. “None of us really know what’s going on with the shifters and vampires in the city, but there’s a consensus on both sides by superiors to quickly quiet all this noise down. The vampire council can’t be pleased with all this negative publicity, either.”
“So, what are you suggesting, Justice?” Mac asked.
“I’m proposing that the authority figures of both shifters and vampires show a united front and rule by example. We keep saying we should make an example out of them, punish the offenders severely, but have we given our adolescent pups a good example to follow? Have any of us shown them how they’re to interact with vampires? No. Instead we stay away and put up this species barrier, then expect our kids to know how to behave when they encounter others not like them.”
“I understand what you’re saying, brother, but shifters and vampires don’t have much in common. We’re not meant to be friends. Neither are the hyena and the lion. The shifters and vampires are fighting because it’s natural, Justice. However, I believe this feud is territorial.” Taleb nodded like he was one hundred percent sure.
“Oh hell,” Alek mumbled.
The drama made more sense now, and so did his plan. When Justice spoke, he didn’t pose it as a question. He was letting them know what was about to happen, so be prepared.
“I’m going to meet with the Vampire King.”