No one in their family ever did.
* * * *
“DO WE KNOW ANYTHINGabout his position right now?”Nico’s father asked.
Nico already knew the answer to that question would be no.No one knew where Silas was.Everyone was looking for him, but the man was smart and sneaky.He knew that if they caught him, things wouldn’t end well for him, so he was making sure no one even saw him.It was obvious that he had help and that someone was providing him with food and a place to lie low, which unfortunately, didn’t make things easier for anyone trying to put an end to his reign of terror, like Nico’s father.
All the alphas were eager to get rid of Silas.Nico was, too, even though he wasn’t an alpha yet.Knowing that Silas was out there, plotting and planning, gave him the creeps.It also made him want to go out and find the guy, but he wouldn’t.He couldn’t afford to, not now that he was the next in line to take his father’s place as the alpha when he decided to retire.
Nico was glad he’d taken the role from his brother.Chris had never wanted to become alpha, and he’d been making himself sick worrying about what would happen when he had to.Nico wished Chris had talked to him sooner, but that didn’t matter anymore.Chris was happy now, living with his partner.Nico missed him, especially in times like these when he had to spend most of his time working, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.Chris deserved to be happy.They both did, but Nico’s happiness would have to wait, and that was fine with him.
He was actually glad that Chris would have nothing to do with Silas.Nico might be the youngest, but it was only by a handful of minutes, and he’d always been protective of Chris.He was glad that Chris was out of this mess.He was still in danger because of who he was, but not in as much danger as their father and Nico were.As long as he stayed close to home, nothing would happen to him.There was no reason for Silas to target him.
“No one has seen him,” the man on the other side of the phone call answered.
He was on speaker because Nico’s father wanted Nico to hear what was happening.Ever since Nico had agreed to become the next alpha, his father had taken teaching him very seriously.It didn’t help that the situation in the forest had been a mess for the past few months.It seemed like everything was happening now that Nico had stepped up, and it was overwhelming.Nico couldn’t imagine how his father felt, although he had decades of experience being the bobcats’ alpha.It was a good thing that he wasn’t ready to retire yet.Nico wouldn’t have known where to start.
“Of course no one has seen him,” Nico’s father snapped.“What did you expect him to do?He’s hiding.”
“We’re doing everything we can.”
“You need to do more.”
Nico’s father reached for his phone and hung up without saying goodbye.Nico arched a brow because his father wasn’t usually rude, but he understood the urgency.It felt like no one was doing enough, and allowing Silas to walk around the forest without stopping him was dangerous.It was especially dangerous for alphas and their heirs.
Nico’s father leaned back in his chair and sighed.He closed his eyes, and Nico watched him for a moment.He looked tired.He was pretty sure they all looked tired.He wasn’t the alpha yet, yet he wasn’t getting enough sleep.It wasn’t only because he was working with his father but also because he was so worried that he couldn’t stop his thoughts long enough to fall asleep, and he kept waking up during the night, thoughts of Silas still making him anxious.
“That was a bust,” Nico’s father eventually said.
“But you expected it.”
“I did.Silas is smart, unfortunately for us.He’s not going to let himself be captured, not when he has plans.”
Nico swallowed.“So what do we do?”
“There’s not much we can do.Silas is going to be a danger to all of us until we catch him, and that’s not going to be possible if he doesn’t make a mistake.He will eventually, though.He can’t hide forever, not if he wants whatever he’s planning to work.”
That wasn’t great since it seemed like Silas was planning on killing as many alphas as he could.
Nico’s father straightened his back.“Well, there’s nothing we can do about him now, so let’s go over something else.Have you looked at the reports?”
Nico sighed.“I have.”The financial reports were the most boring thing he’d ever had to deal with, but that, too, was part of being an alpha.He had half a mind to hand that part of the job over to his beta once he was alpha himself, but it would hopefully be a long time until that happened, and in the meantime, his father would demand he know everything about all of this.There would be no getting out of it for Nico.
Sometimes, he wondered why he was even trying.He knew that some people believed he shouldn’t become the next alpha because he was a carrier.Most of the clowder supported him, thankfully, but not everyone.He was sure it would create trouble for him once he took his father’s place, and he wasn’t looking forward to that.
It wasn’t a problem he had to deal with right now, though.Hell, maybe he’d be lucky and by the time his father was ready to retire, no one would care that he was a carrier anymore.His father never had.No one in his family had.They worried, but it was because of everyone else’s reaction, not because of what Nico was.
As for Nico, he didn’t care.He’d always been a carrier, and that would never change.It was who he was, and he was fine with that.
He just hated that it would make his life harder and more complicated.
* * * *
“WHY ARE WE DOING THISin badger territory again?”Mackenzie asked.
His brother Peter, who was driving, quickly glanced at him through the rearview mirror.“Because it’s a neutral place.”
“And we needed to do this in a neutral place because?”
