Behind him was a beautiful Asian woman, her jet-black hair in two goddess braids. She was lean with an athletic frame displayed in her workout jumpsuit.
The last shapeshifter was tall, though shorter than the other male. He was white with unnaturally pale skin. If I didn’t know any better, I might’ve thought he was a vampire.
Marcus gestured to the werewolves. “Jerome, Grace, Robert,” he introduced. “Three of our strongest warriors and Maya’s most prized possessions.”
Maya rolled her eyes at Marcus’s smirk, but I noticed the way she stood a little taller. She glanced at Jerome before addressing her alpha once more. “We have a report.”
Jerome stepped forward, his colossal frame comforting—but only because we were on the same team now. His dark eyes met mine. “We’ve been interrogating Brian all weekend. He’s finally given us some useful information.”
The way he said it, I knew“interrogating”was code for torturing.
But wait…
I looked at the small, curtained window. The night darkened the thin fabric. “All weekend?”
Marcus’s frown deepened. “You’ve been in and out of consciousness for two days.”
I swallowed, unable to bear the concern in his voice. I looked at Jerome. “But your shirt—Your arm…”
Jerome shrugged. “The arm’s a result of me getting carried away during the questioning. The blood belongs to the traitor.”
Grace cleared her throat, saving me the embarrassment of grinning like an idiot. “It’s as you suspected, Alpha. Thomas has joined the uprising. He’s been in contact with other rogue wolves who want to expose our kind.”
The blood drained from my face.
“Brian wasn’t sure of the numbers,” Robert continued, “but it’s clear that Thomas has been rallying support for some time. He’s been targeting younger wolves that are unhappy with the current arrangement.”
Marcus growled, his grip on the bed’s quilt tightening. “Thomas has always been a fucking instigator, but this…”
Maya crossed her arms, her eyes hard. “We need to find him and put an end to this, Marcus. Before it spirals out of control.”
Marcus crossed his arms. “Then rally up anyone that can still fight, and let’s end it.”
Maya’s eyes widened. “You’ve homed in on his scent?”
The beautiful smile that formed on Marcus’s lips made my heart skip a beat.
“Unfortunately for him, it seems I’m still his alpha.” He turned to face me. “And you haven’t made matters worse with your little spells.”
I shoved him, making him laugh.
Jerome cleared his throat, giving me and his alpha sideway glances. “Our pack will not be enough. The rogues have had weeks, months, to gather. And we don’t even know which of our neighboring packs can be trusted.”
He was right. And the way Marcus’s shoulders dropped, he knew it too. Maya looked at Jerome, her eyes soft, and gave him a nod of approval.
“What about hunters?” They all looked at me like I had sprouted a second head. “Hunters have a duty to protect humanity. That means we can’t allow this uprising to happen just as badly as you can’t—even more.”
Marcus shook his head. “Just because you took a blood oath doesn’t mean the rest of the hunters are bound to it, Joanna.”
“Oh, isn’t that how magic works?” I answered, rolling my eyes. “We need all the help we can get. So, if you have a better idea, we’d all love to hear it.”
The three new werewolves stood wide-eyed, staring at the human who had the audacity to challenge their alpha. Thankfully, Maya spoke up, breaking the silence.
“Joanna’s right,” she declared. “We need help.” She shot me a stern look. “Are you able to send word to your kin?”
I nodded, sure of myself. “They’ll come if I call.”
Marcus stood up with a clap of his hands. “Then that’s settled.” His gaze bounced from Jerome to Grace to Robert. “Make sure every able man and woman knows to get ready. Thanks, you three.” His hurried tone made it clear he was dismissing them, and they each took the hint.
