17. Chapter Seventeen

Hours passed. No one called or texted Heath's phone, leaving me bored as the ‘team' I was with walked around and played on other computers. They were constantly coming and going from the room, too.

Which was how I didn't notice a new wolf walk in. Everything smelled like wolf, and even after a few hours, I still wasn't able to figure out their individual scents.

So when one of them growled behind me, I froze, both worried and confused. I looked over my shoulder slowly to find a grizzled thing, three scars running across his face. His teeth were bared, already showing signs that he was losing control along with his glowing green eyes.

I stood up slowly and raised a hand. "I'm Jacky." I greeted him carefully. I was pinned in the cubicle, and the last thing I wanted was another fight, especially one that wasn't needed.

"I knew I caught wind of a murderer," he snarled out, stepping closer.

"Now, didn't anyone tell you I was here? I'm helping your pack. The traitors have Carey—"

"Oh, I heard. Why should I believe anything that's come out of your mouth, cat?" He spat the word, taking another step closer. "You walk in here and hide behind us and my own damn Alpha. You have other wolves running around, doing your bidding."

"You must be Fenris," I guessed, moving slowly to try and edge away out of the cubicle.

He sidestepped and stopped me, ending up even closer than he already was. "I'm glad someone told you my name. Remember it as the name of the wolf who killed you when you go to whatever Hell you belong in."

He lunged for me. I was thankfully faster, and my healing was going well. Every hour that passed gave me more of my original strength and speed, with less of the painful repercussions. I ducked under his grab and made it around behind him. I kicked his ass, sending him into the chair and desk I had been using before doing the smart thing.

Running.

I hauled ass, heading for the door of the office. I didn't want this fight. Hell, I didn't even know where it came from. They had said Fenris was crazy, but I hadn't figured he was ‘attack on sight' kind of crazy.

I got the door open before he reached me. I dodged his grab and tried to slam the door in his face. There was a problem, though. He was too old and too far gone into the partial shift and animal craze for me to be very effective against him. He pushed the door into me and sent me into the far wall, which cracked as my back slammed into it.

It knocked the air from my lungs, leaving me gasping for air, but other than a bruise, I didn't think it would cause too much of a problem. Nothing felt broken.

I scrambled to stand up as I realized he was closing the distance again. He reached out for me, and before I could stop him from grabbing me, a blurred grey-blue shape took him out of my line of sight.

"Oh shit, Jacky!" Chrissy. "Fuck. We had no idea Fenris was back from his mission. Sorry."

"Who?" I pointed to the blurry, furred object wrestling Fenris to the ground, biting painfully into his shoulders, arms, and legs.

"Heath. He's got a quicker shift than most of us," she answered.

I looked up to her, frowning. "How much faster?" I asked.

"About five minutes," she informed me, holding a hand out. "You think you can stand?"

"Yeah." I grabbed the offered hand, grateful for it. "How did he know…" I nodded to the wolf still putting the feral old one in his place. Fenris was snarling and trying to protect anything vital, but from the rage in his eyes, Heath still had some work to do if he wanted Fenris to leave me alone.

"We were about to go out on a hunt. Heath shifted first, to guide some of the slower ones through easier. We heard Fenris across the damn warehouse. He wasn't exactly quiet. Heath and I came running. Teagan, Laurent, and Sheila will be here any minute." She gave me an embarrassed look. "One of us was supposed to stay with you at all times while Heath was dealing with the other wolves."

"It's fine," I said, flexing and rotating my shoulder. "Nothing's broken."

"Good. That's good."

A yelp and whimper suddenly replaced the snarls and growls.

"I cede, Alpha!" Fenris called out. "I cede! She's yours!"

I looked back to the fight, not ready for what I saw. Heath's jaws were dripping with blood and Fenris' left leg was so mangled I wasn't sure it could ever heal. I watched the painful beginning of Heath's shift back into his human form as Teagan, Laurent, and Sheila ran up. Teagan continued to move, heading for the two further down the hallway. He bowed low to his Alpha, who looked like a freak mashup of man and wolf, then kneeled to tend to Fenris.

"Will Fenris be okay?" I asked softly.

"Yeah. Old wolves like him and Teagan have seen worse damage. He'll be out of commission for a few months, but it's really his fault. He should have submitted faster instead of trying to tumble with Heath," Laurent answered. "Idiot. We need strong wolves right now, and he's gone and done that to himself."

What the hell have I gotten myself into? They don't even have an ounce of sympathy. Even I do, after he definitely tried to kill me. I wrapped my arms around myself, shaking a little. Not from fear. It had been a sudden rush of adrenaline I hadn't been expecting, and now I needed to come down from it. "Why can't I catch a damn break?"

"You're a werecat. What do you mean?" Chrissy was frowning at me now, obviously confused by my state.

"I own a bar!" I growled. "I don't fight wars or kill werewolves all the time! The only reason I've been doing it recently is because of Carey, and once she's safe, I'm fucking getting out of this business." I turned back to the Alpha. "Heath, you better hope this doesn't happen once everything is said and done. When Carey is safe, I'm fucking done with you wolves."

I stomped back into the office, breathing hard. A few minutes later, the door opened and slammed shut again. I was already back in my chair, slumped and tired. As Heath came into view, I sighed. "Well. That was interesting." I tried for a weak smile, but it refused to come.

"I'm sorry. It was the very thing I was trying to avoid. You're not hurt, right? Chrissy—"

"I'm fine," I interrupted. "I'm just fine."

"Jacky, what you said—"

"I was serious. When this is over, I never want to hear from another wolf, especially not one from this fucking pack. Is that clear? I've been shot at. I've been clawed and bitten. I've been harassed, and oh, the best one, fucking killed. I should apologize for my attitude to you right now, but I won't because all of this is your fault!" I was standing and never even remembered making the move. "I'm in here, just monitoring your damn phone, and some fucking rabid animal comes for me! Now, I'm sure that Fenris has a great reason for hating my kind, much like Teagan probably does, but god damn, I'm trying to help here!"

"I know." He clasped his hands and let them hang in front of him. "Fenris is a one-off case. He's more traumatized by the old war than Teagan. I'm sorry. I really was trying to keep an eye out for him, but then I got busy with everything else and—"

"I'm not one of your wolves, so you forgot about me." I jerkily nodded, understanding. "Yeah. Well, leave. I'm going to get back to work."

"I'll stay here," he said softly, pulling up a chair.

"What?" I couldn't have sounded more not okay with that than I already did. I curled a lip, trying to understand why he was sticking around. I didn't want him breathing down my neck all damn night.

"I promised to keep you out of harm's way, that my pack wouldn't attack you. I failed due to my own distraction. I'll be sitting right here until we find you a place to sleep that I feel is safe and secure." He pulled over a chair from the meeting table and sat down. "So, no one has tried to contact me today?"

"No. No one," I answered, breathing hard. "Have the others talked to you?"

"They brought me what they've put together so far. I don't think we're going to find my daughter the old-fashioned way." He sounded distant for a moment. "We have to hope they call."

"They will," I promised. "Could be tonight. Could be tomorrow, but they will. There's a chance your wolves capture a traitor and we get the information that way. You never know."

"You said earlier that you found a wolf and sent him with a message."

"Yeah, to his superior, Little Tim. Apparently a nickname for a guy called Timothy. Want to tell me about him?"

"He's seventy-three and something of a slime ball. I never thought it was in a bad way. He's good at business and leading people in the direction he wants them. He has a fascination with magic. He helped with the accounting firm. Middle of the pack."

"Never considered he would betray you, being ‘somewhat of a slime ball'?" I raised an eyebrow in question.

"No, but then, no Alpha thinks half his pack is going to betray him." He chuckled darkly. "Arrogant, I know, but it's unheard of. Hostile takeovers are normally one wolf who takes on and takes out the Alpha. The rest of the pack falls into place. We don't do political parties or any of the human nonsense. We just lead and follow. We survive, knowing that the strength of the community is more important than the wealth and power of the individual."

"Ah. Confident in how your people think, are you?"

"I'm nearly three hundred. I've known a lot of wolves," he said, giving me a bitter smile.

"Do you think your sons will contact you?" I asked softly. "Do you think they're safe from the machinations of the traitors?"

"I hope so. They're not young, my boys. Richard is only twenty-two years younger than I am. I had him while I was still human and Changed him myself. Landon was born during the Civil War. They're good men with good heads on their shoulders." He leaned back, shifting around in the seat. "What about you, Jacky? Like I said earlier, I have a lot of research on you. I know about your human life. I know about a lot since you moved to Jacksonville. What happened in between?"

"I was Changed and I lived with my werecat parent," I answered, shutting down any and all emotion on my face. Wolves were the last species I could say Hasan was my father to, not if their kind killed his daughter before me. "I flew the nest younger than most do, but said werecat parent supported me in it."

"Who?" He sounded blandly curious.

I just stared at him, refusing to speak.

"It's really interesting that you refuse to answer that. I thought werecats looked back on their ‘line' as if it was something to be proud of. Like that one werecat I met. She introduced herself that night as Lani, daughter of Arobi, son of Lesna, or something." He tilted his head much like a dog would. "But I never found out who your werecat parent was. It's elusive. A mystery."

"That sucks. For you." I turned my chair, looking back at the laptop. I knew other werecats were all about that, but for a thousand reasons, I couldn't be. I just couldn't.

The minutes ticked by, becoming an hour, then two. The door opened with a squeak and closed just as quietly. Heath growled, standing up slowly.

"Fenris…"

"I came to apologize to the miss," the gruff old male said. I couldn't see him yet, but I could pick out his scent now. He was like a wild forest touched with darkness. It contrasted with Heath's summer sun and fields. "Others have imparted on me the importance of her presence, and I was foolish to think she was doing this and not taking her own risks. I was…lost in a moment of madness."

"Let him," I ordered softly, standing up.

Heath nodded and slid to stand at my side, a protective gesture I knew was rooted in his vow to protect me from his own. It was also the closest I had been to a man in years without it being a fight or a drunk dude who needed to be shoved into his car. He even put his hand on my lower back, a silent offering of support.

Fenris grew closer. Now that he wasn't dipping his toes into madness, his eyes weren't glowing forest green, but an earthy brown. He offered a small bow. "I am Fenris, a wolf granted shelter by Alpha Everson when I found myself without a home thanks to my madness. Because of my regard for him and his trust in you, I offer my apologies for my behavior. I was hasty, only thinking of my own past with your kind and not the current peace we have." He looked up from his bow to his Alpha and continued. "I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say thank you for your assistance with saving little Carey."

"Jacky Leon. Apology accepted." I inclined my head, remembering all the training and lessons Hasan had given me, especially when it came to dealing with the old ones of any species. Hasan, you better be fucking proud of me right now. I'm here and I'm not starting a war with the werewolves. Look at that.

"Move along, Fenris," Heath finally said. "Thank you for coming."

Fenris didn't waste any time getting out of my presence, leaving me alone with Heath's hand on my back. It was a casual touch, and for the werewolves, probably a natural one, but I stepped away, breaking it. It wasn't what I was used to and it reminded me just how damn lonely my life was before Carey stumbled into it.

How lonely it still is. I should be honest with myself.

He looked down at his hand for a moment, then up to my eyes. "Don't like being touched?"

"It's not normal for me, no," I answered, finding my seat again. I looked back at the screen of the laptop, settling in for more long hours of waiting. Eventually, I was going to need someone to take over so I could get some sleep, but I knew I could last until midnight if I needed to.

Thankfully, within thirty minutes of my deciding to go back to silence, someone ran in, spooking both Heath and I.

"We got one!" the wolf announced. "We captured a traitor. He was snooping around one of the other safe houses."

"Perfect. Let's hope he knows something." Heath grinned, standing up. "Jacky, are you going to come?"

I nodded, standing up.

Damn right I was going to help with the interrogation. I would have loved to see any of the wolves try and stop me.