Ross wasn’t wrong. I had started the shit show, but arguing about it wouldn’t help anyone. Still, that guilt in the pit of my stomach broke free.
Ross dropped his bulky arms when a dark-coated wolf with gold specks trotted into view from around the corner of the building.
Lane trained his gun on the massive wolf. Tripp didn’t seem bothered by the animal. Then again, Tripp had wolf blood running through his family tree.
“Easy,” Ross said. “That’s Vera, one of my pack members.”
“Lane, lower your weapon,” Tripp commanded.
Vera trotted over to Ross, her luminous amber eyes riveted on me. I imagined she still wanted Jordyn, Rianne, and me to suffer for killing her sister. We’d been the ones to shoot drug-filled darts at the vamps in the nightclub in our attempts to capture Sam. We had no idea the concoction we’d used had a cocktail of powerful drugs harmful to shifters.
Blowing out a breath, I tucked my hands into my coat pockets, not taking my eyes off Vera. She was a beautiful specimen but freaking scary as hell—more so than Dane. I wouldn’t want to be caught alone with her in wolf or human form. Those claws of hers and her canines gave me a chill. I would never forget that night at my rental house on the outskirts of the city when Vera had been ready to sink her talons into Jordyn.
Suddenly, bones cracked, snapping me out of my reverie. Within seconds, Vera morphed from animal to human. She stood beside Ross, matching him in height at about six feet—naked and dirty. “Dane needs medical attention.” She stabbed her finger behind her. “He’s around the building.”
Ross glanced at the driver. “Cooper, get Vera her coat.”
Cooper flew out, tossed Vera the ankle-length leather coat, then bolted to Dane’s rescue as the wind grabbed his ball cap off his dark head of hair.
Ross and Vera joined him.
“Lane, call Dr. Vieira,” Tripp ordered.
Lane holstered his weapon, walked toward the opposite end of the building, and pulled out his phone.
Tripp tilted his head at me, his bronze eyes shimmering. “What are you doing out at this time of night?”
Worrying about Sam.“I couldn’t sleep. I thought working out might help.” My gaze darted to the oncoming shifters as Cooper and Ross rushed toward us, carrying a limp wolf.
“He’s barely breathing.” Panic was stamped on Ross’s unshaven face.
Tripp opened the entrance door. “Layla, have Lane escort you and Vera to the infirmary. The elevator is not big enough for all of us.”
I followed the men inside and stopped at the circular reception desk while the three of them hurried over to the elevator. The moment Tripp stabbed the button, the doors opened.
“My brother, Cooper here, has been talking to Sawyer. Cooper might have a way to disengage the chip,” Ross said as he entered the elevator. “We think that fucking thing is why Dane hasn’t been able to shift completely.”
My ears perked up and excitement fluttered to life when I heard that, and then Vera glided up with a duffel bag in her hand.
She flipped her dark hair off her face. “You know this is all your fault.”
It was clear the Gray Pack wanted my head on a silver platter. I choked out a nervous laugh. “So I’ve been told. Are you still after revenge?” I’d apologized to Vera shortly after Roman had been carted off to jail. But no matter how many times I said I was sorry, it wouldn’t bring her sister back.
Her claws emerged from her fingertips. “I’m still angry, but more so at Roman at the moment.”
I lifted my chin despite the hurricane of nerves whipping around in my stomach. “I admit fault here. Again, I am extremely regretful and sorry about your sister. I didn’t know what was in those darts or the ramifications of it with shifters. All I’d been told was that the drug worked on vampires.” It wouldn’t have mattered if I’d known what her sister was. That night at the club had been a madhouse of chaos. Wrangling in vampires was a tall order, and my sisters and I started shooting as quickly as we could. Hell, we hadn’t been confident that we could pull off the job. In the end, we’d failed.
She stepped into my personal space. “The next time you decide to shoot at a room full of people, think twice. The consequences of your actions, especially in a world you have no clue about, will get you killed.” She traced a line from my chin to my carotid artery with her sharp claw. “Because the next time you fuck with anyone in my pack, I will tear you to pieces.” An evil grin split her lips wide.
I stuck out my chest. “Save your threats, Vera. I don’t plan on screwing with you or your pack. On the other hand, I can’t speak for my family, and they are a problem.”
She slid back, giving me room to breathe and to settle my jitters. “Same goes for your kin.”
I wouldn’t argue with her. “Stay away from Jordyn. She’s on our side.” I would’ve liked to add Rianne to that statement, but I couldn’t find it in me to care about her.
Vera released a low growl. Jordyn had been the one to shoot her sister, but I wasn’t sure or couldn’t remember if Vera knew that or not. It didn’t matter. Vera wanted revenge against Rianne, Jordyn, and me.
It was time to cut through the tension because we could argue for hours and still hate each other. At this point, it wasn’t about liking each other. We were on the precipice of war. A war that involved everyone on the planet—humans, vampires, shifters, and all supernaturals.
