“I need your help.”
The words hit me, and it was all I could do to keep my jaw from dropping. Doing my best to keep the surprise off my face and out of my voice, I asked, “What the hell do you need my help for?”
Javi motioned for his guys to move into the glare of the headlights. “Come on, guys, enough intimidation, get the fuck over here.” Once all his people were in front of me, Javi shook his head. “The royals want my head. And they want my pack dead.”
Frowning, I shook my head. “Why? You’re their attack dogs, aren’t you? Do all their bidding? Try to kill innocent women?”
Javi nodded but looked pained, like the admission hurt him. “My family swore a blood oath to the royals centuries ago. I’m the alpha now, and my father told me years ago that the time would come that we would be called upon. We’ve always been loyal. They finally called on me months ago. They found an heir to Hollander. Some type of online DNA test. Once they found her, they ordered us to kill Maddy.” Javi winced and gritted his teeth. “I really thought I was protecting the world when I sent my guys there. Then, two weeks ago, they told us we had another mission. A shifter orphanage down in El Salvador. Allegedlythere was a group of triplets that had connections to the Edemas line.”
As I listened to him talk, I was having a hard time understanding where the story was going. I glanced back and saw Maddy had the phone to her ear. Probably talking to Felipe or Sebastian. Maybe even one of my brothers if she couldn’t get a hold of my friends.
“We went,” Javi said. “The orders were to take out the kids and any witnesses.” Javi shook his head and wiped a hand across his face. “Nico…I’m not going to kill kids, man. The triplets were only like eighteen months old. Christ, they didn’t even smell like wolves. The blood had to be so diluted, it was pointless. I refused. The moment we got in there and saw what we were dealing with, I said fuck it, and ordered us to pull back. I gave the nuns running the place a heads-up to get those three kids out of there as soon as possible.
“The royals found out, and now there’s a target on my back. My back, and the backs of every member of my pack. We have the same enemies now. I want an alliance with you. We have a common goal. Take down the royals.”
I blinked several times before answering, trying to get my thoughts in order. “Javi, you’re men still tried to beat Maddy to death. How can I trust your men? There’s no way.”
Javi chewed at his lip and nodded to one of his guys, who went to the back of one of the trucks and opened the back hatch. In the light of the headlights, I saw a man’s body. Even at that distance and with all the bruises and blood. I could see it was the guy who Maddy had described as the leader of the gang who attacked her. His eyes were open and lifeless. “What the fuck?”
Javi nodded. “Yeah. Some of us were more committed to the royals than others. The guys I sent after Maddy were…zealots, to say the least. It’s the main reason I sent that specific group of guys. When I ordered us to turn back at the orphanage, theyrevolted and demanded we kill the kids. So, we killed them instead. Simple as that. I brought this one back to prove my pack’s trustworthiness.”
I stared at the dead body for several moments. He’d killed his own pack members. That was unheard of. It should have been unforgivable, but the reason he’d killed them had been honorable.
Plus, we needed all the help we could get. I had to ask for assistance anywhere I could get it. After making my decision, I nodded. “Okay, Javi. I’ll give you a shot. But you still killed an innocent man. I can’t fully trust you, but I need the help. My pack can’t do this alone. You turn on me…” I pointed at him. “And I’ll skin you alive. Got it?”
Javi held his hands up and nodded. “Got it.”
31
MADDY
Seeing the dead body in the back of the SUV had been one of the most shocking things I’d ever seen. His dead eyes had stared out and seemed to be staring right at me. The sight should have been horrifying, but my wolf took pleasure in it.
I recognized him immediately—his face had haunted my dreams for months. Knowing he and all the others who’d attacked me were dead filled me with a strange combination of happiness, relief, and sadness.
I’d heard Nico agree to work with Javi, and I agreed. It made sense to have more help. I didn’t get out of the car, though. Making a deal with the devil didn’t mean I needed to cozy up to him.
Nico called Felipe and Sebastian, who’d been pushing their car to the limit to get here in time. He explained what was happening, and once they arrived, he put them with Javi to start making plans. Nico even called his dad and gave him a heads-up. When we finally pulled away, Felipe had Nico’s father on speaker phone and all four men were deep in discussion on how to protect both packs.
“Do you think we made the right choice?” I asked once we were a few miles away.
Nico shrugged. “I hope so. We need as much help as we can get. Plus, Javi has women and children in his pack just like we do. Even if Javi is a dick, those people deserve help. We’ll have to wait and see. The guys and Dad will make sure things go smoothly.”
I couldn’t imagine how difficult it was to be a pack alpha. There were so many decisions and things to worry about. I was glad Nico was in charge. At least he’d make the best choices to keep everyone safe.
The rest of the drive to the airport was spent in silence. I could tell that Nico was thinking about something. I could almost sense his anger. When we got to the private airstrip and got our bags loaded, I finally asked him what was wrong.
“I can’t stop thinking about that story. About Javi’s pack going down south to that orphanage.”
When I’d heard the royals had ordered the murder of three babies, my own blood had boiled. The shock, disbelief, and anger had been almost more than I could stand. I nodded. “I feel the same way. I mean, I know it’s incredibly distant, but those kids are my relatives. They’ve been targeted simply for existing. They’re just babies. How could anyone think they were a threat?” My tone kicked up a notch with each word I said.
Nico put a hand on my shoulder as we walked up the stairs to the plane. “Stay calm, Maddy. Remember what I said about the plane. Not a good place to have a stressed-out wolf.”
He was right. As the plane took off, it was like my skin was too tight. My wolf and I had come to an agreement, a happy truce. Even then, the flight was rough. My anxiety was high and my senses were at an all-time high. It was an exhausting flight. Thankfully, I finally fell asleep after three hours of dealing with it.
I didn’t wake up until we landed in Sweden. The thump of the landing gear hitting the pavement jolted me awake. I rubbed my eyes and glanced outside, chuckling softly. I was actually in Sweden. It wouldn’t to be a fun trip, but it was still a pretty cool moment.
“What’s so funny?” Nico asked.
