My mind goes to Veda and the celebration we should start today. Jesse is contacting the township to let them know we found Mirasol, and we can’t go to the celebration today, but maybe she never needs to go at all. All she has to do is get her blood tested while waiting at the ranch, and hopefully, a pack never matches her in the database.
“The program changed the lives of a lot of people,” he says, unaware of my conflicting thoughts. “It’s extremely successful. So you must imagine that, for the first time in twenty years, the Alliance is not facing the doom of extinction but the hope of survival. As more Alpha packs return home and send their blood, the more expensive the program becomes. The database keeps growing, and then Angelcorp steps in and takes over the financial burden. Of course, the Alliance is enamored and doesn’t realize the risks of giving a corporation like that all the information about our very fragile society.”
“So they kick you out instead,” I finish for him.
He shrugs. “I don’t have anything on Angelcorp. I just raised concerns, but the way I wasdisconnected,” he says the word in a lot of anger, “makes me think I’m on to something.”
“What something?”
He shakes his head slowly, eyes hard, facing forward. “The important thing is that I got the address before they shut me down. My source says that’s where St. James moved the baby.”
The words behind the quick change of subject are clear. There’s a lot more going on that I don’t understand. I’m not particularly fond of Dominic, but even I have to admit he was trying to do something good within a failing organization. My disinterest in the Alliance ended the moment Veda and Mirasol entered my life. Now that I have somethingprecious to take care of, for the first time, I find myself worried about the future of Alphas and Omegas everywhere.
It doesn’t surprise me that they suddenly realize that the extinction they have been dreading is not happening in other parts of the world. It’s baffling that they never went outside their own ass to connect with other countries when something like that was happening.
It makes me angry for young me, and for so many packs who lived their entire lives mourning something that could never be. The anger and the sadness intertwine in one as we push forward. Dominic is lost in thought, and I’m not much different, so we both are quiet for the remainder of the trip.
forty
Major
It takes a little longer than an hour until we turn onto a dirt road, and I sit up straight, my eyes scanning our new surroundings. There’s not much here to see, just tall grass and what seems like many abandoned houses. Dominic doesn’t warn me, but I notice he’s steaming in tension, shoulders squared.
At the end of the road, a house comes into view. The paint is chipping, and the black shutters are hanging off their hinges. It’s big and imposing yet fits perfectly with the abandoned houses around. My skin prickles with awareness, and I know this is where we are heading. They want it to look bad, so no one comes closer.
“Open the glove compartment,” Dominic says as we approach the house.
I do what I’m told, cursing when I find a gun waiting for me.
“Do you know how to shoot?” he asks as the car stops, his eyes on the house.
“Yes,” I grit out.
“Good.”
That’s all he says before he hops out of the car and leaves me to hurry after him. He’s holding his gun when I step outside, makingcareful movements as he makes it past the porch. I follow him, raising the gun too, though I hate the way it feels in my hand. I wasn’t lying. I know how to shoot, but I like that I’ve never had to.
This might change today.
In my bones, I know I’d do anything for Veda and her daughter. There’s no doubt in my mind that I’d spill blood for them.
There’s no one waiting for us outside, but on an empty road like this, they saw our car a mile away. Dominic tests the door, and I’m surprised when it’s open. This feels like a trap. I look at him, my eyebrows raised, and he nods, agreeing with my assessment.
The house is dark. Every curtain is drawn, mold in the air. I bite back a growl. I can’t believe they are letting a newborn stay in this place.
We move to the living room, and while it looks like no one should be living here, everything is exceptionally clean. I notice that not even the ugly paintings on the walls have dust on them. The floors not only creak but also shine under my boots.
Awareness prickles my skin.
Dominic leads the way to the back rooms, and just as we round the first hallway, the scent of an Alpha hits me at once.
I press my back to the wall just as the first bullet flies too fucking close to my head. The mold makes sense now. I can barely scent them with the smell this thick in the air. Voices now erupt from the kitchen, steps thumping over the well-worn wood, and I know we are dealing with more than one man. Perhaps a pack.
“Hold on,” Dominic says as he retreats, disappearing back into the darkness of the living room.
Fuck. If that asshole leaves me here, I’ll hunt him down. I don’t get much time to think about murdering Dominic, the shooting ceases for just a second, and their time to reload is my cue. My eyes narrow towhat I can see of the kitchen. It’s all dark but for the beam of sunlight coming from a window not fully covered.
Movements catch my attention, and I shoot before I talk myself out of it. Glass explodes, telling me I was watching him through the reflection. I recalculate quickly, and I hit right where he should be.
