Chapter 2

Perrin

My father, Mark, and Kira listened intently as I played back the recording of my conversation with Marge. When it stopped, they sat in silence, considering what they had heard.

Mark broke the silence. “Three, at least?”

“Let’s start with three,” my father said, pressing his palms together. “We don’t need to go looking for more than that, at least to start.”

“Isn’t three bad enough?” Kira said, gawking. “And potentially a fourth that couldn’t be there?”

“You can’t forget what Gowan had said,” I offered. “It could have been an Ididorahd, all things considered.”

“I don’t think we can start pointing fingers at anyone right now,” my father said evenly. “This is a good start, but it’s hardly evidence enough for an arrest.”

“Hardly enough?” Kira exclaimed, arms flung wide. “We know that Brad was in cahoots with Alpha Nael. That’s enough to lock him up!”

My father growled. “Just because our closest neighbor allied himself with the greatest threat to our pack doesn’t mean he was sneaking into our pack archives, Kira. Think with your brain, girl!”

She shrank into her chair, cowed by his tone. 

“Besides, if my son hadn’t made a stupid bargain with every challenging pack,” my father continued, “it’s going to be incredibly difficult to pin a crime like this on anyone without it sounding like we’re renigging on Perrin’s promise for diplomatic relations.”

The dig wasn’t lost on me. I had been lectured to high heaven and back once my father had learned what I had done. His visceral lashings had left me feeling naive, as if I had been completely unworthy of the Sacred Call and the title of Alpha Select. He had held nothing back, pointing out my lack of experience, lack of vision and perspective, and complete and utter stupidity, above all else. I had left his office on more than one occasion last week licking my wounds. Even Lo couldn’t snap me out of the daze he had left me in.

He had been careful, however, not to attack my motive for doing what I had done; I don’t think he could have justified not taking some type of measure to protect my child. But it was clear that he thought I had gone too far. Pushing a diplomatic agenda with any and all of the seven packs was difficult enough, let alone signing a blank check for crimes against the pack. Pressing charges against another member of pack leadership–let alone making accusations–was enough to invalidate everything I had promised to Thomas, Peter, Seamus, and Ricardo–let alone the others. I wouldn’t go back on my word.

But that didn’t mean my father wasn’t going to take every advantage he could to make sure I understood the consequences of what I had done.

“We don’t have enough proof,” my father said simply. “Though the dialogue is certainly concerning.” He shot a focused look at Mark, whose own face darkened, some unspoken conversation passing between the two of them. I wondered if Kira and I would ever establish a bond like that. And I had been screaming at her only hours before about building boundaries.

“Did I hear her right? That someone said that a human couldn’t lead a pack?” I gulped. When Marge had first recalled that part of the dialogue, I had cringed, almost unable to hide my initial reaction when I first heard her re-telling.

My father’s forehead creased with lines beyond his years and looked once more at his Beta. “I think it means that whoever was behind the attacks from the start, even before the Sacred Call began, hasn’t been able to hit their true target.”

“True target?” Kira asked, puzzled.

My father sat back in his chair, hands folded simply in his lap. “Me, of course.”

Kira gasped, but both Mark and I were unphased, having put it together.

“You think that whoever is behind this is trying to turn you into a human?” Kira asked incredulously. 

“At the very least,” my father replied, nodding. “Either kill me or invalidate my ability to lead this pack.”

“That’s a dark game,” I began. But Mark cut me off. 

“But Perrin’s already in place. You would still have a successor.”

“These attacks began well before the Sacred Call,” I pointed out. “Maybe it was some type of insurance policy.” I tried to keep my voice calm, as if the idea of a long-planned assassination of my father was just regular, everyday pack business.

“You know who’s good at the long con?” Mark asked the room.

“Jesamine,” Kira said, at the same time that I said, “Alpha Nael.”

My father barked out a laugh, slapping his hands on the desk. 

“What’s so funny?” I asked.

“The irony of it all,” my father said, a sickening smile crossing his features. “The thrill of the hunt!”

“You are literally being hunted,” Kira emphasized, articulating her words. The atmosphere in the room had dropped to informal conversation, and Kira was able to address my father informally. “Why is that funny?”

“I hardly feel like this is the time for jokes,” I agreed. I wasn’t eager to have my father leave my side anytime soon, for personal or political reasons.

My father rubbed his hands together uncharacteristically, as if pleased with the game. “The good thing is that we can rule out that Alpha Nael was in the archive. My sources confirmed that he’s been in Texas for several days.”

“So we’re playing detective now?” Kira questioned.

Mark ignored her. “That doesn’t mean he can’t be involved,” Mark said to my father. “Maybe he was the one that couldn’t make the meeting? The fourth member?”

“Member?” Kira asked, trying to cut in. “So now this is a cult?”

“Let’s call it a group acting in the collective interest of a common goal,” my father said wryly, though his face was alight with anticipation.

“So a gang. We’re going after a gang that’s trying to murder our Alpha?” Kira said, completely exasperated.

“A particularly intellectual one,” my father noted with amusement. I still didn’t get what was so funny.

“So we can’t rule out Nael,” I reasoned. “Or Jesamine, really.” The thought made me sick, questioning the generous offer I had made to protect her just days ago. Had that all been a mistake? Was I now harboring someone intent on killing my father? I had believed Jesamine when she told me that he was a monster. That he was the one that had messed with her birth control. That she never wanted children. It had all made sense, in some weird and twisted way. I had believed the genuine fear in her eyes. The fact that she had killed two of her own pack. Had it really been self-defense?

But she had killed. She had taken the Sacred Call from me. She chose that baby and victory over me. Sure, it was what I had done, too. I had orchestrated and controlled as much as I could to make sure that both of them had survived. And how? Because she had relied on my decency. That part still stung; quite deeply and more than I wanted to admit. She knew I would have done that. She relied upon it. As did her father. They both knew because of the secrets she sold to him about me.

My head began to hurt as I re-evaluated everything. Had I been made a fool? Had I made the mistake of harboring her here? It had seemed like the right thing to do, but all of this had me second-guessing everything. I shook my head, eager to clear my thoughts.

“The good thing is that they’re separated,” my father was saying. “Deidre has cut off all access to phones and other communication. She’ll have no way of working with Nael, if she really is working with him, from now on. So if this little rendez-vous was really happening, she could have known about it if it had been previously planned, but was unable to make it. She was in the infirmary all night.”

Mark nodded in agreement. “Marge said all of the voices were male. That much was clear.”

“And without communication, she won’t be able to meet up with anyone for further instruction. Or collaboration.” My father looked pleased about this. 

“So why did they have to meet in the archive?” I asked. 

“That, Perrin, is an excellent question.” My father said, then added, “When Marge is feeling more herself, I suggest you do inventory. Inspect the archive basement and figure out what was moved, what has been taken.”

“So that’s it?” Kira said, exasperated. “We’re just going to sit back and do nothing?” 

“What would you suggest?” Said Mark, irritation clear in his voice, stepping toward her.

“Stake out the archive!” She said, rising to her feet. “Try to catch these guys! Hold them accountable!” 

“And you really think they’d be dumb enough to return to the scene of the crime?” Mark challenged.

“If they’re going to return something, yes.” She said, hands on her hips. 

“Then it’s best that Perrin figure out if there’s something that they actually need to return,” my father said with finality, rising to dismiss us. “And it goes without saying, Kira, that what you have learned here today is not to be shared, nor are details of the ongoing investigation. Now if you excuse me, I have to meet with my wife and one of those press spawn to disclose what I can.”

**

Alpha Jason

As soon as they were out the door, Mark turned on me, his face mottled with red splotches.

“Did you hear what she said?”

“Calm down,” I managed, though I could feel the flush of my own skin rising above my collar. I pulled at my tie, loosening it. I turned and opened the window behind me, eager for fresh air. 

“Not so funny now, is it?” Mark quipped, throwing me a knowing glance.

“Oh, get off it.” I snapped, embracing the cool breeze through the window. 

“You made it sound like this is all some type of joke!” Mark exclaimed. “When that’s the furthest from the truth and you know it!”

“Perrin and Kira don’t need to know about that right now,” I snapped again. “They know enough secrets as it is.”

“In case you haven’t realized it,” Mark said, his voice angry, “Perrin’s all you’ve got. Kira and Perrin. They need to know everything. It’s time they learned the truth!”

I turned quickly, the force of my stare alone making Mark take a step back. “You want to talk about secrets?” Mark blanched and took another step back, the redness of his face turning quite pale. I sighed, deflating. “That’s what I thought.”

His flame of courage stoked again and he once more stepped toward me. “If they get control, and you’re gone? And whoever is behind this wins? How do you expect me to explain this all to Perrin and Kira?”

He had a point, though I didn’t want to acknowledge it at the moment. There was time to consider that later. 

“We are not telling them,” I said firmly, my teeth gritted. 

Mark shrugged, uneager to keep challenging me on the point. “So you admit there’s a chance that this isn’t a coincidence?” Mark hissed, as though fearful of being overheard behind closed doors in my office. 

“Maybe we heard her wrong,” I said quickly. “It could have been a play on words! Or her own narrative. It means nothing.”

“Right, right,” Mark muttered, as if trying to convince himself. “Nobody knows about…” but he cut off, his face furrowed. There were few who knew about it. And that made the situation even more dangerous. “Of course it was nothing. A total coincidence, like you said.” But one look at his face told me he was far from convinced himself.

I eyed my Beta, rising to my full height and asserting my dominance. I looked him straight in the eye. “Have you told anyone?”

“No,” Mark said quickly. “I never have.”

“Have you seen…” I swallowed hard, emphasizing the unsaid, “since the attack on Rashaad and Petrus?”

He shook his head. “Your orders were clear. After no tracks were found, everything went on lockdown.”

“Can you confirm that?”

Mark looked uneasy under my stare, but nodded. He knew I wasn’t doubting him. But this was a situation that required extra care. There was no room for personal feelings. Not in this.

**

“Does it really have to be Lester?” I tried to keep my voice from resembling a whine but it was no use.  Deidre approached me and straightened my tie and flattened the lapels of my suit jacket. 

“It’s only a small press conference. Just the facts. No speculation, no assumptions. Just facts.”

“Why do you keep giving him these tip-offs?” I growled. It wouldn’t be the first time Deidre’s obsession with public image had gotten the pack into hot water. 

She clicked her tongue in annoyance. “I told you what happened that night. Lester knows. I need to keep him happy.”

I growled again, remembering her slip-up. The circle of who knew about our Beta Select’s true parentage had grown uncomfortably in the last month. One was a press reporter. The other was the mother of my grandchild. 

“Wipe that scowl off your face, please,” she said, straightening her own jacket in the mirror.

“Are you ever going to fix this?”

“Fix what?”

“You’re going to let him blackmail you for the rest of your life?”

Her lips drew to a thin line, barely visible despite the lipstick she had just applied. “I’ll handle it,” she said tightly. And then she whisked me off through a set of doors and into the flashing lights of cameras and microphones.