“Do you think that he’s considering moving the Titans out west?” Doc asked, his chin resting on steepled fingers as he tried to puzzle through the information.
Rex shook his head. “Nah, Orpheus sees Cape Cod as his birthright. The fuck is too narcissistic to tuck tail and run at the first sign of trouble.”
If that wasn’t what was going on, there was only one other option.
I cleared my voice, speaking for the first time since we’d all sat down. “He’s trying to curry favor with an MC out west to back him up.”
The truth made everyone in the room go quiet.
“He’s banking on the other, more powerful MCs to curb Silas’s power-grab so he doesn’t have control of half of the east coast,” I finished, rubbing at my temples.
“That means we’re about to be in the middle of a war,” Taz finished, her voice devoid of any emotion.
The last territory war that the Titans MC was involved in had been before our time when Apollo first took the Prez spot. An MC that was just south decided to test the much-younger Apollo and had learned their lesson the hard way. Taz and Legs remembered it and I could see the haunted look in their eyes as they leaned on one another for support.
“It’s going to be an utter shitstorm.” Doc scrubbed a tired hand across his face. “I’m going to cash in on all of the vacation time I’ve been saving at the clinic. No one goes out by themselves, everyone gets a buddy. Podcast, Juneau, what I’m about to say next is going to make me sound like a royal asshole, but neither of you are going to leave our sights until this shit is handled.”
Doc’s words seemed fine with Podcast, who readily nodded in agreement, but Juneau frowned, her spine stiffening as she sat up straight. “I am fully capable of protecting myself,” she protested, her blue eyes flashing with annoyance.
Rex’s snort filled the kitchen as he sat back in his seat and crossed his arms over his chest. “Okay, if that’s the case go ahead and make a flame, even a small one,” he gestured with his hand as if he was telling her to go on, knowing full well that her magic was still completely depleted.
Juneau glowered at him and held out a hand in front of her. Nothing happened, not even a spark. Juneau made a noise of frustration before collapsing back into her seat. “Fine, I’ll stay close,” she snapped petulantly, only softening when Podcast slipped his fingers through hers again. “I can do some recon,” I offered, changing the subject.
“And let them finish turning you into a slice of swiss cheese? No fucking way, you are going to stay here until those stitches come out,” Doc told me dismissively and I felt my hackles raise.
“So who is going to do it then? You three are about as stealthy as the god damned Teletubbies,” I scoffed, ignoring the middle finger that Storm shot my way.
“What are the Teletubbies?” I heard Juneau whisper to Podcast. I kept my eyes on Doc and Rex.
“We’re going to do it,” Legs’ voice cut through the tension like a knife. I whirled to look at her and the other BBs.
“You can’t do it, they’ll sniff you out from a mile away,” I insisted, my mind rebelling at the notion of them going back to that hell hole. Orpheus wouldn’t think twice about stringing the three betas up by their toes and letting Tug have his way with them.
The BBs exchanged a look before Taz spoke. “Kiddo, I hate to break it to you but we’ve already done it. Not every alpha and beta in the MCs agrees with how Orpheus has been running things.”
That was news to me. If I had the chance to get rid of the whole fucking MC, I would take it. But I guess that’s also why no one puts me in charge of anything.
“We leave tomorrow to go and see what information we can get,” Wren explained, her expression as soft as always despite the situation at hand.
“I still don’t like it,” Rex growled. “It feels like we’re sending you into the lion’s den for little possible reward.”
“Silas has assured our safety as much as he can. We won’t be out at the Cape alone.” Legs shrugged, ignoring the look that Doc gave her at the mention of the leader of the Sons of Silence. I wasn’t sure what had happened between the beta and a man she should have never met before, but there was definitely something there.
“Fine, but I’m giving you two weeks to figure shit out and then I’m yanking you. Silas or not,” Rex finally surrendered with a sigh.
“You got it boss,” Taz mockingly saluted Rex as she jumped down from the counter.
“We’ll be in and out, easy peasy,” Wren assured us as she leaned over and enveloped both Podcast and Juneau in a motherly hug.
I hoped for their sakes it would be easy peasy, but I didn’t need to have Rex’s fancy future-telling powers to know that nothing was ever that simple. Especially in our kind of life.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Myskinfelttight.Like a newly stretched canvas, stapled and taut across a rigid surface. My heat was here and my body burned like an inferno that had nothing to do with my magic.
Even though I’d promised to stick closely to the pack, I found myself hiding away from them and trying in vain to quell the oncoming tide of lust. I knew they could smell it whenever I was in the room with them, but it was as if we were playing a game of who could ignore it the longest. A game I was clearly losing.
This morning when I’d awoken by myself in the nest for the first time in a long time my entire body had lamented the absence of them, and had made me irrationally angry.
