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“Holy shit, is this a pack or the set of a porn movie?”

“We refer to it as live porn shows, so yeah, you’re not wrong.”

“But that’s your brother. With Lidon, I mean.”

“Yes. And Grayson is Bray’s father. And Grayson’s boys are Enar’s brothers, who’s another one of Lidon’s mates. We’re quite the intertwined family here.”

Mostyn needed a moment to process all that. “Okay then.” At least he wouldn’t have to worry about being considered a deviant for having a high sex drive. Good to know. “But you didn’t explain how the fated-mates part works.”

Kean threw up his hands. “No one knows. I knew Bray was my mate as soon as I saw him, but he needed much longer to accept it.”

Well, that wasn’t helpful at all. “When you say you knew, what do you mean?”

“I experienced this…this zing, like an electric shock, when I first saw him. Far more than mere attraction. But for Bray, it was more of a rational process, and a realization that came after—” Kean stopped talking, suddenly turning pale. “After he almost lost us. But I don’t want to say more about that. I can’t. It’s still too…painful.”

Mostyn simply patted the other beta’s hand in lieu of words that wouldn’t have been enough anyway. “Thank you for explaining all of this to me.”

“You’re welcome. Take your time exploring and getting to know everyone, but I promise you’ll love it here.”

Wolf shifters, multiple mates, public sex, and hot men like Isam? What was not to love?

5

Isam had expected it, but it had still been a shock when he’d lost service on his phone. Others had reported they’d lost the TV signal as well. All signs that something was horribly wrong in the capital, and he wasn’t surprised when a pack meeting was called.

“As some of you may have noticed, cell service is down, and the TVs have no signal,” Palani said. “We can’t be sure at this point of what’s happening exactly, but we think this may indicate a coup. Naran, can you share what you’ve discovered so far?”

In the previous pack meeting, Palani had appeared distracted and tired, stumbling over his words and even being confused at times, so Isam was glad to see him doing better. Palani absolutely worked his ass off, so no wonder he’d been overextended.

Naran rolled forward, then turned his wheelchair. Oh, that was the wheelchair Bray had brought back from the hospital, the one Mostyn had found for them in the ICU. It looked so much easier and lighter to use than his previous chair. Isam was happy for Naran, who had paid a high price for investigating Melloni’s disappearance. He’d gotten caught by the proverbial bad guys, who had beaten him and broken his legs in several places. They hadn’t been set while he was held captive, so they’d healed incorrectly. His legs would never be functional again, and that was a hard verdict for an alpha. Isam couldn’t even imagine how he would feel in that situation.

Naran addressed everyone. “Ever since the attacks on the ranch and the prime minister’s compound, the question was how the two were coordinated and how Karl Ryland and Bennett Wyndham had found each other. We now have some answers, and they provide crucial clues into what’s happening in the capital right now. Ryland served in the Army many years ago, and his commanding officer at the time was a man who was already rising through the ranks rapidly, Winston Armitage. And if that name sounds familiar, he’s the man in charge of the troops in the capital.”

Oh, that wasn’t good. Isam’s heart sank.

“Ryland and Wyndham met each other because Wyndham had a habit of buying off cops, and Ryland was all too willing to let himself be bought. For years, he got away with it because the higher-ups at the police corps protected him, but when York became prime minister, that changed. But that was later. When he was still a cop, Ryland discovered he and Wyndham had a common enemy: the Conservative Wolf Party. We don’t know for sure when they first talked about it or who took the initiative, but we do know that Wyndham bankrolled the military branch of the AWP Ryland established. And here’s where it gets interesting. While he never was an official member of the AWP, General Armitage had frequent contact with Ryland. We know this because Wyndham made extensive notes of all his conversations on his computer, which Bray recovered during his mission.”

Isam was glad to hear that the mission Bray and he had carried out had been successful in every way. Bray had told him he’d stumbled across the laptop, shocked that it had been undisturbed when Wyndham’s whole house had been ransacked. But as Bray had pointed out, who needed a laptop when they had no food? It hadn’t exactly been of value to the looters, but it sure had provided Naran and the others with crucial information, apparently.

Lidon nodded. “Many thanks again, Bray. That computer has given us some vital puzzle pieces.”

“My pleasure. The timing turned out to be perfect,” Bray said, and of course, he was referring to Dane. Isam had been so grateful they’d arrived in time for Bray to spend the last moments of Dane’s life with him. And of course, Isam was equally thankful Bray had run into Mostyn and had brought him back. Like he said, a successful mission in every way.

Naran continued, “The information on Wyndham’s laptop also confirms that Ryland wasn’t double-crossing Wyndham. Armitage played both men against each other. He had given them both an assignment: Wyndham was asked to attack the ranch, and Ryland was tasked with taking out the prime minister. Both were asked to keep it secret, so they never mentioned it to the other. Both were also promised help from the Army, which never materialized.”

That sent a gasp through the crowd.

“It explains why Wyndham attacked with so few men. Armitage was supposed to attack with a much larger group from the other side,” Palani said, voicing the same conclusion Isam had come to. It had baffled them from the start that Wyndham hadn’t brought more men. If he had, they would’ve won—though that wasn’t something Isam wanted to think about.

Palani sighed, rubbing his eyes as if something was bothering him. “It also explains why Ryland would lead such a suicide mission because he, too, expected reinforcements from the general.”

“And now both Wyndham and Ryland are dead, making Armitage the last man standing…and he’s effectively in charge of the capital,” Naran said, taking over from Palani again.

“That’s highly concerning,” Grayson said. “And I agree it all points toward a well-planned coup.”

Palani nodded. “Yes, our thoughts exactly. There’s no one else left. And Armitage has wide support in the Army, we assume.”

“He’s conservative, like many Army guys, and has been outspoken in his criticism of any and all efforts to make the Army more inclusive toward omegas and women,” Naran said. “So yes, he is the prime candidate to organize a coup, and in all likelihood, he won’t get much opposition.”