Lupine and the remainder of the shifters looked between one another. The looks on their faces told the story of how stumped they were.
“I thought so,” I said.
* * *
“I don’t like this,”Chance said as soon as the door of the Alliance mansion closed behind us.
I nodded, agreeing with him. “We’ll talk outside of the gate.”
“There’s a steak house a few miles away. We’ll eat there,” I said to all of my betas. The concerned looks on their faces told me they all wanted answers. I watched as they dipped their heads, bowing to their alpha before they got in their vehicles.
It was a short trip to the steak house from the mansion, and the entire drive, I kept wondering who the hell had sent that video to the Alliance. It had to be Dr. Pines, or at least, someone associated with him. That meant Dr. Pines had to know about us shifters. Which would make sense as to why he would have wolf traps around his home.
However, some things weren’t adding up.
Fifteen minutes after leaving the Alliance, the five of us entered the steak house, causing the majority of the patrons to look our way. They all were shifters, so they weren’t alarmed by our imposing figures, but they could tell we weren’t from around there.
“Right this way,” our hostess said as she trailed her hazel eyes down the length of my body.
Raffa, my beta from the Nevada area, chuckled and clapped the back of my shoulder. “Looks like she wants to take care of more than your drink order,” he said in my ear, but loud enough for her to hear.
The hostess glanced over her shoulder and winked my way.
“Here you go, gentlemen.” She pulled out a notepad and pen. “What can I get you to drink?”
“Waters. For all of us,” I said as I slid into the booth. “Five sirloins, medium-rare. And fries for the table,” I added without looking up.
“You barely looked at her,” Raffa said as she walked away.
I snorted. “No need to.” No other woman held my attention. Not that very many had, in the past. I had let a few women stick around for a while to keep me company over the years. None of those women was my mate, though.
Now that I’d found her, it was as if no other woman existed. My entire body hungered for her more than my next meal. Tasting her the night before hadn’t been enough.
“Holy moon,” Mike, my beta from Arizona, chimed in. “You found her.” Shock was in his voice and on his face.
I glanced at Chance.“Tell them.”
I trusted my betas. If I shared something with them, it wouldn’t go any further than the five of us.
“I have found my mate,” I said, low enough for only the table to hear. With a lean in, I added, “She’s human.”
Raffa inhaled deeply, and the excitement that had played out on their faces dropped to looks of disappointment.
“Shit,” Ben cursed.
My stomach tightened into knots.
“Is that what that was all about with the Alliance?” Mike, from the northern part of New Mexico, asked. “Was that her home?” His gaze shifted between Chance and me.
“No.” I ran a hand over my hair, debating how much to tell them. They would take anything I told them to the grave if I asked. We fought in wars together. I had led our pack into relative peace and security for the past half a century. They trusted me, and I them.
There was one thing I hadn’t shared with anyone. I knew something was coming our way. I could feel it. The more I sat in that booth and thought about events over the past few weeks, I could only start to conclude that whatever shitstorm was on the horizon was linked, in some way, to my mate.
My stomach churned with the need to find Reese wherever she was, toss her over my shoulder, and bring her back to the safety of my main commune.
“Do you want to share what that was all about then?” Mike asked but there was no heat in his words.
“She needs help with something.” They didn’t need the details just yet. “The less you all know, for now, the better.” My betas couldn’t be held accountable for what they didn’t know. If and when any blowback came our way, it was my responsibility as alpha to ensure that it fell on my shoulders alone.
