“Did you want to see me naked?” Cody asked as he appeared, smirking.
Growling, Dylon grabbed his mate’s face and kissed him long and hard, just so freaking happy to see Cody safe. Pulling away, he bit his mate’s lower lip gently before letting go. “Naked, yes, but not here.”
“How did he know who your father was?” Cody asked.
“Probably tapping Slate’s phone calls with Steel or Maximus. I’m sure it came up. What the fuck did you hit him with?”
Cody held up a club. “He must have brought this with him but after he got everyone tied up, he put it down on the floor.”
“Good job. Time to get out of here.” Dylon grasped Cody’s hand and ushered him out of the room just as Kieran was coming back with food and a jug of water. “Thanks, I’ll take that. While I lock up Arald, show the rest of these men where Slate and the others are. We’ll be along shortly.”
“Okay, don’t be too long. I’m not sure what’ll happen since Arald’s army has lost their leader,” said Kieran.
“Understood. We’ll be right behind you,” Dylon said. Then speaking to the two men holding up Arald, “Follow me.”
Cody and Dylon led the way to the dungeon where Arald was shackled in a cell. Leaving the food within reach, they shut the door and bolted it, taking the keys with them. Once upstairs, they ran to meet up with Slate, Kieran, the pups, and the freed prisoners in the tunnel leading outside. By the time they got there, Slate had had already organized the men, pairing each weak shifter with two enforcers to help them get through the tunnel.
“They’ll go first,” Slate said, “followed by the pups—with you, me, Cody and the remaining enforcers bringing up the rear. My men told me what happened to Arald and I assume he’s securely locked up. Kieran gave us the clothes we left behind when my men and I shifted; I guess Arald didn’t want anyone finding them.”
“Let’s get everyone moving,” Dylon said. “This is going to take a while.”
Slate gave the signal and the march to freedom began. Walking beside Cody and Dylon, he said in a low voice, “That’s an amazing gift you got from the Fates, Cody. Steel told me you would be helpful, but wouldn’t tell me how. By the way, I don’t want you to worry about my enforcers disclosing your gift to anyone. Steel is arranging to have Mystia perform a mind wipe on them concerning what they saw you do here.”
“I appreciate that. It certainly came in useful here,” Cody said, “I knew about the prisoners and the pups, but I was expecting you to greet us when we landed and not the asshole. How did they capture you…in your wolf form, no less?”
Slate snorted. “I wasn’t getting anywhere with negotiating an agreement between the packs, so I gave them the next day off. To clear my head, I decided to go for a run with my enforcers. We came upon a trap, so I ordered the men to back up and once we were in the clear, we ran…right into the real trap. By the time we realized what it was, Arald’s men were shooting us with tranquilizer darts and the next thing we knew, we were waking up where you found us.”
“Yeah, Zane was the one who discovered Arald and his men were behind all the attacks plaguing the other two packs so we knew you were in danger. Arald had an auction scheduled in a couple of days and he certainly didn’t want you around to see that,” said Cody.
“It seems I owe my life to Zane,” Slate said, “I really have to meet him. Steel has been singing his praises for some time.”
“He’s fuckin’ amazing,” said Dylon, “I don’t think even the High Council had all the information on Arald he dug up.”
“What are you going to do about Arald?” Cody asked.
“I’ve been thinking about that,” said Slate. “Once I get everyone to safety, I’m heading back with a fucking army to take over Arald’s pack. I bet Ulfric and Ordovic will want to talk then about what was really going on. If it’s what I suspect, I’ll gather the evidence and deliver Arald and the proof of his crimes to the High Council so he can stand trial for them. Maybe some of his victims will get a little justice.”
Dylon asked, “What about his army?”
“They’ll be held until I hear from the other Alphas and their pack members. If there’s evidence, the accused shifter will stand trial. Those that are innocent will bereleased with a standing injunction about returning to this area.”
“Won’t this take a lot of time?” asked Cody.
“Yes, but I won’t be here for most of it. Once I have proof of Arald’s crimes, he’ll be tried by the High Council, and Dire Enterprises’ legal division will handle the rest of the cases.”
“Good, because I think your nephew wants to see you along with Jackson, your parents and my brother Carson,” Cody said.
“And what about Colton and Ian? Have they forgotten me so soon?” Slate asked teasingly.
Shoving Slate, Cody said, “Of course not. Hey, did you know Ian is pregnant?”
“What the fuck? Ian pregnant? No, my brother forgot to mention that to me,” said Slate.
“Yeah, but don’t blame him. There was a lot going on and they had just announced it,” Cody said.
“Nope, I get to give my brother hell over it. That’s my right.”
Laughter echoed around them and Slate joined in.
