I don’t know.
“Play it by ear.” It was the only thing he could think to say. Maybe they could still talk their way out of this. Couldn’t very well do that as wolves. “On three?”
He counted down, and on his command, they burst through the training centre doors and came to a grinding halt.
“What the fuck?” Michael roared, alpha power rippling through the air as he shifted on the fly and raced across the room to where Baker lay motionless on one of the training mats, five HRU guarding him, while the remainder of the unit faced them.
What looked to have been a heated argument came to an abrupt end as Michael skidded to a stop in front of Baker’s prone form and snarled at everyone. Instinct took over, pure and uncomplicated, his one goal to protect Baker at all costs.
I put him in this position. Made him vulnerable and left him to deal with the mess I created.
“Someone explain why the alpha of this pack is lying unconscious on the fucking floor.” Jacob’s voice filled the room, drawing everyone’s attention. With neither Paul nor Simon present, he was the highest-ranked shifter in the room, and pack etiquette overrode their shock at seeing Michael and the others.
Fletcher stood to Michael’s left, holding his ground when the other four HRU guarding Baker had backed away at Michael’s approach. “Simon ordered us to take him into custody, said it was Shifter Council orders.”
“He doesn’t have the authority to give that order.” Jacob’s barely concealed rage made Michael snarl in support.
I’m going to kill him.
“That’s what Baker said, but Simon insisted he was a traitor, said he had evidence that Baker had helped Michael and the others escape, that anyone who didn’t follow his command would be joining Baker in shifter prison. By order of the council.”
Michael growled, lips curling back so his fangs were on show. The HRU standing opposite him looked decidedly uncomfortable. The only reason he hadn’t attacked was because Baker was still alive.
“So what happened?” Jacob asked, gesturing to Baker. “He’s not in custody. He’s beaten unconscious.”
“He resisted arrest,” Fletcher said, voice soft. “Said Simon was full of shit. That his way of running things was illegal and against everything we stood for as a pack. That things were going to change and soon.”
Oh, Baker.
“They—” Fletcher snarled as he pointed across at the other group. “—attacked him.”
Michael took two paces forward. A couple of the HRU stepped back, but the majority remained where they were.
The one at the front, Thomas, Michael remembered, sneered, even though his hand shook and fear rolled off him mixed in with anger. “Rumour has it Michael McKillan was a CEGsympathiser.” He glanced at Michael, then back at Baker. “If he helped him escape, then he’s just as fucking bad. We arrest people like that for treason.” He shrugged. “So that’s what we did. Using the necessary force to bring him into custody.”
While he’d been talking, Callum, Alice, Logan, and Cole had quietly walked around the outside of the room to stand with the four HRU members behind Michael. When Thomas noticed them, his fists clenched and he changed his stance, uneasy.
Thomas glanced at Jacob, then back at Michael, obviously not wanting to turn his back on either of them. “Why are you here?” he asked Jacob, moving slowly back until he had both Jacob and Michael in his sights. The others with him followed suit. “Are you with him?” He gestured to Michael. “Are you a fucking traitor too?”
Jacob smiled. “If you mean, do I want to remove the Shifter Alliance from power and install a joint shifter-human government to rule fairly for everyone, then yes.”
Thomas stared at Jacob, clearly not expecting that answer, despite seeing Jacob arrive with Michael.
“You have two choices.” Jacob looked around the room. “Fight us and lose. Or put your weapons down, take yourselves off to the confinement cells where we’ll decide what to do with you later after we’ve removed Simon from his position as beta. Your punishment for attacking your alpha will be looked at fairly since you were under beta orders.”
“Punishment?”
“You and your team just committed treason against your pack,” Jacob said, voice like steel.
Michael watched the realisation dawn on Thomas’s face and those of the people around him.
And they made their choice.
Thomas drew his gun, aiming at Michael as Michael roared and lunged for him.
He fired three times in quick succession.
Michael dodged the first two but the third caught him in the shoulder, knocking him off balance and giving Thomas time to toss his gun and shift into his wolf.
