Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 107670 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107670 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Leaning against the doorjamb of the living area, Jesse watched as Ally tried to placate her sociopathic foster brother. And no, “sociopathic” wasn’t an exaggeration. Cain Holt might have gotten out of shifter juvie alive, but he hadn’t come out of it whole. He’d lost his moral compass, but Jesse didn’t think of the wolf as cruel. In fact, Cain was one of the shifters who posed as a leader within The Movement so that the true leaders wouldn’t be watched by law enforcement. It also protected their families from the extremists.
The wolf had arrived an hour ago, having read Gabrielle’s article about Hector. The reporter hadn’t mentioned the Mercury Pack, but Cain knew Hector had purchased the land neighboring their territory and came to check that Hector hadn’t been giving them any problems. Sitting on the sofa with Shaya, Nick had explained everything to Cain. That was when the wolf rounded on his foster sister. There were few people in the world who truly mattered to Cain, and Ally was one of them. The Alphas, Derren, Eli, Caleb, and Kent then joined Jesse in watching silently as the two wolves worked it out.
“How could you not come to me with this?” Cain demanded, neck corded.
Ally blew out a noisy breath. “Because that would be dragging you into my problems.”
“I could have helped you!”
“Yes, but I didn’t want to bring The Movement into this. The group formed to fight extremists, not half shifters. The minute The Movement turns on our kind, you all become assassins instead of defenders. That was partly why you didn’t send your people after my old pack when they betrayed me—that’s not what The Movement is about.”
Cain opened his mouth to respond, but then he sighed. Ally was right, and everyone in the room knew it. Being part of The Movement meant that Cain had a lot of manpower and resources, but no one wanted him to misuse them.
“You still should have told me, Ally.” Cain pointed a finger at her mate. “And you should have made her tell me. She’s my family.”
“Yes, she is,” agreed Derren. “Which was why you would have done something that could have made things worse and turned The Movement into something it wasn’t. None of us wanted that.”
“So, instead, you arranged to have each of his homes demolished?”
Eli grinned. “You saw it on the news, huh?”
The Head Enforcer’s voice rang with the same satisfaction that was coursing through Jesse. In the space of fourteen hours, all seven of Hector’s million-dollar homes had been reduced to rubble. It was times like this when Jesse was glad that his Alpha had contacts—however unsavory some of them may be—all over the globe.
Some reporters, due to the article, speculated that it was shifters taking his homes just as he’d taken theirs. After all, it was simple to confirm just how many of his hotels and spas were built on what was previously shifter land. Other reporters, however, believed it was the extremists trying to implicate shifters; after all, the humans would loathe Hector for his half-shifter blood. But Hector would know it was Nick.
“He’ll retaliate,” added Cain. “We need to be ready for that.”
“‘We?’” Ally gave a fast shake of the head. “No, Cain. You stay out of this.”
Jesse turned as the front door swung open. Cassidy skipped inside, followed by Kathy, who had Willow perched on her hip. Behind them was the female he’d been waiting for. His wolf relaxed at the sight of Harley. He hadn’t seen much of her since he’d left their lodge this morning as the pack had been vigilantly guarding the perimeter. Shaya had spent most of the day sitting on her balcony with binoculars and her shotgun, to Nick’s dismay.
Harley had been shocked when the Alphas asked her to aid Kathy in keeping an eye on the pups because they trusted her ability to protect them. Jesse hadn’t been so surprised. He’d always known that the pack would grow to adore and trust her. Plus, shifters liked their children to be guarded by someone fierce and protective. That made Harley a wise choice.
Jesse stepped aside to let Kathy and the pups pass, giving Cassidy a quick wink that made her giggle. He then slipped an arm around his mate and kissed her temple. “You okay, baby?” he asked quietly, nuzzling her and inhaling her scent—a scent he wanted mixed with his.
Melting into him, Harley puffed out a breath. “Spending a full day with two kids was more exhausting than I thought it would be, even with Kathy’s help.” They just seemed to have an endless abundance of energy. Willow always found a way to get dirty, no matter what they were doing or where they were doing it. Cassidy chatted nonstop, talking about even the most inconsequential of things. They’d loved petting and playing with her cat.