I didn’t actively listen to what was being said, content enough to know I wasn’t alone. Not that I’d ever admit that to anyone. Being Alpha didn’t give me the luxury of admitting that I sometimes felt so lost with my dad living his life in the Fae Realm.
That I missed him every day, the ache caused by his absence faded to a dull throb now, but there, nonetheless. Not that I begrudged him his happiness. I didn’t. I wanted him to be happy, to find love again. I just wished he’d found it here instead of with a fae mage.
But my mind drifted to Gabriel—Mase still sounded foreign on my tongue—as it had so often since our meeting in the forest last night. Probably best dad wasn’t around to see my past catch up to me.
But I had more pressing matters to deal with right now. Shoving thoughts of Gabriel to the back of my mind where they belonged, I stretched, enjoying the satisfying crack of my spine before getting out of bed.
What I could do with was a run.
Maybe that wasn’t a half-bad idea. Not all the non-humans who lived in my territory had turned up for the meeting last night. I could combine a run with checking in on them, make sure they were aware of the hunter presence.
My phone chimed with a text, making my decision for me.
Falon: Come by today if you can. Need to talk to you.
As cryptic as his message was, it didn’t take a genius to work out that Callum was the something he wanted to talk about. If he’d died, Falon would’ve led with that.
There’d been so much blood, though. The stench of it had clung to me all the way home, there every time I’d breathed in. Something off about it. Nothing I could put my finger on, but it was there.
I typed out a reply, pushing my plans of a run back a few hours.
Rys:Be there by 9
* * *
Talis pulledinto the main parking area of Sherwood Pines about ten minutes before nine o’clock.
Falon was already there, leaning against the wooden fence, waiting for us. The fact that he’d come by himself was surprising. Pack etiquette required a beta to meet all alphas entering another alpha’s territory. But then, Falon paid about as much attention to etiquette as I did.
As soon as we were out of the car, I asked, “Everything all right?”
He cracked his neck from side to side, the tense set to his shoulders still there afterwards. “I needed to run, expel some energy before I took someone’s head off.”
“That bad?” An injured pack member always sent a ripple of unrest through the pack. What happened to Callum? That would be ten times worse.
“It’s not good.” Falon rubbed the back of his neck. “They’re scared.” He gestured for us to follow him back into the trees. “And I don’t blame them. Callum’s mother is demanding to know what happened to her son, and I have no answers for her.” He shook his head. “According to her, he was fine yesterday afternoon, his normal, happy self. A bit lazy, like all fucking teenagers, but nothing to indicate he was about to go off the rails.”
I frowned.
We’d all heard reports of other non-humans going out of control in the last couple of months. That had happened further south, though. Was it our turn now? I thought about my pack, about one of them losing control enough to warrant being hunted like an animal, and a shiver ran through me.
Falon glanced my way, a knowing look in his eyes. “We need to do something.”
“We do.”
Falon’s expression changed, a curiousness that made me groan inside. His words, when they came, weren’t much of a surprise. “Do you trust the police to find out what happened?”
I held his gaze. “You know Max will do everything he can to find out the truth about what happened to Callum. He’s on our side.” I deliberately didn’t mention his partner, but Falon wasn’t about to let it go.
“And Mase?” He raised an eyebrow, probably sensing the change to my scent. “Will he do the same?”
As hard as I tried to subdue my emotions, Gabriel had always riled me up. Only now it was anger that raced through my veins.
And hurt and betrayal, but I’d never admit to that. Not even to myself.
As much as I wanted to avoid this conversation, Falon had asked me outright and I wouldn’t lie to him. Not just as a courtesy between alphas. Falon was my friend, his pack had been hurt, and I owed it to him to help in any way I could. Even if that meant baring a little of my soul.
I met Falon’s gaze, wondering how much he knew about Gabriel. “You know he used to be a hunter, right?”
