“So,” Luke says. “You look like hell.”
“Damn, you always know how to cheer a guy up,” I retort, shaking my head.
“Well, he’s not wrong,” Dan says. “You’ve only been here a week. What’s been going on?”
“Big hunt yesterday,” I say, turning to walk back to the main square near the hall. “It was pretty grueling, and I honestly believe Jackson is plotting against me.”
“Really?” Rex says. “That’s exactly what we came back to check on. Do you know anything about the attack on Eccles?”
“No,” I answer, shaking my head. “Jackson gave me a lot of garbage about Talon wanting to keep the town isolated, even to the point of killing people to keep the pack within limits.”
“Whoa,” Brad says. “Did he?”
“No,” I say, shaking my head. “I really don’t think so. Jackson claims it was his father and a few others who got killed, but they never found any evidence, and Talon definitely doesn’t seem like that kind of guy.”
“So, what happened to them?” Rex asks.
I stop under a tree, taking advantage of the shade, but making sure we’re a good distance from anyone who might overhear.
“I think they’re still alive and well,” I say quietly. “They’re in a nearby town, like Caliente, and they’re running a supply chain of goods for Jackson and his chosen few.”
Rex lets out a low whistle. “Are you sure about this?”
“Not even close,” I answer. “But it makes sense. He has things that are brand new and obviously modern. A few others in town have similar items, while the majority live in absolute poverty.”
“We can’t let this go on!” Brad growls. “It’s appalling!”
“I agree,” I say, nodding. “But we can’t just execute Jackson and his three goons. He has support in the pack, and even a lot of the poor folk look up to him. It looks like he kept the pack suspicious of Talon. Even though he couldn’t fully turn everyone against him, they sure as hell didn’t trust their alpha.”
“But what’s the end game?” Rex asks. “This is the most complicated leadership coup I’ve ever heard.”
“That’s because it all went wrong,” I say. “This is Jackson’s attempt at damage control. I can’t be sure of any of this, but here goes.”
I take a breath and another quick look around to make sure no one can hear us. So far, the other members of the pack have stayed away from us as they gather in the park, and even though I’m happy to be left alone, I know it’s a bad thing that they aren’t welcoming my friends as allies to the Clover pack.
“I think either Jackson or his father was planning to take the alpha position,” I explain. “When they tried, the pack split, and Leah, the eldest, appointed Talon. The pack almost foughtover it, but she won. After that, Jackson got close to Talon and stuck on him like a rash, pretending to be loyal, but sowing distrust in the rest of the pack.”
“If this is true, this guy is the lowest possible form of pond scum,” Luke mutters.
“I think Jackson’s dad and a few friends just fucked off to start the supply chain and used the disappearance to turn more people against Talon,” I continue. “Jackson has to have a link to the human world for everything he’s doing, and it makes sense they’d use it against Talon.”
“We need to investigate that,” Rex says.
I nod in agreement. “This is why we can’t just confront or challenge Jackson. We need him to lead us to that evidence. It will utterly condemn him and prove to the pack he only cares about himself and his favored few.”
“Okay,” Rex says. “I’m with you so far. Keep talking.”
“There’s this really weird superstition in town about leaving the boundary, particularly about going east,” I say. “Especially near Eccles.”
“Then why the fuck would they attack it?” Brad asks.
I shake my head. “I think I know why—at least superficially—but I don’t know how. It’s obvious that Jackson was trying to get rid of Talon, and I think he convinced him to go full force against Eccles, knowing they’d get slaughtered. I have no idea how he convinced him, but I’m pretty sure that’s why it was done.”
“Jesus, fuck,” Rex mutters, running a hand through his hair. “We killed an innocent man. Jackson used us like a weapon.”
“I think so, yeah,” I say grimly.
“Fuck him with a rusty cactus,” Brad hisses. “Where is this fucker? I want to look right into his lying face and pile on the pressure.”
