24. Steff

TWENTY-FOUR

STEFF

April seemed to have come down with something a few days ago. Chelsea had volunteered to hang out with her while I coached Aiden's baseball practice. I wasn't worried about April, but it was nice knowing someone was with her when I couldn't be. And not being able to be around her for any amount of time made me angry.

She'd gotten fed up with the bodyguards Larry had tailing her, and had told him to send them back to LA. That suited me fine since I wanted our guys to take on that duty. Since the main issue was the hunters, Tate, Miles, and Blayne took shifts watching the house whenever I wasn't there. Blayne was on duty today, so I was sure things would be fine until I was done.

I'd started picking up and dropping Aiden off before and after each practice, like I had with baseball camp. We both enjoyed the extra time to talk about baseball. Besides, I liked the kid. It also made me feel good that Kellan trusted me enough to play taxi for his son.

I'd just dropped Aiden off at Kellan's house when an unfamiliar number called me. I frowned at the screen for several seconds. Wrong number? Or the hunters? Had Ryland found my number? Was he going to harass me now?

I took a deep breath and answered. "Hello?"

"Steffen?"

My heart lurched, and I was surprised it didn't stop completely. Had I not had the phone on speaker, had both hands on the wheel, I might have wrecked the car. That voice… After so many years, I still recognized my brother's voice.

"Steff, can you hear me?"

"Uh… Sean?"

"Yeah, it's me. How's it going?"

I clenched my jaw. How's it going?

I don't know, still living in exile for a crime I didn't commit. How are you doing, big brother? I shook my head, trying to push the anger away.

"Fine. Why are you calling me?"

There was a long stretch of silence on the other end of the line. Clearly, the anger in my voice was obvious. The memory of what he'd done to me was probably percolating inside his head at that very moment. A thought occurred to me then, and a spike of fear jolted through me. "Mom and Dad? Did something happen?"

"What? No, no, they're fine. It's not about them. I called for, I guess you'd call it professional advice."

"You were always a shitty baseball player, Sean. I can't help you with that over the phone."

"Not that profession. Your security firm. We've got a problem, and I think we need your help."

Our firm was well known around the country and the world. It was even more well known in shifter circles. Most shifters kept low-profile jobs. None of us really ever ventured into industries that warranted a lot of background checks and questions. Not politics, not police or military, no doctors. But the four of us were an exception to that rule. We were known and respected for taking the chance with the business. Sean and his pack had obviously heard of us, even though they were all the way out in Oregon.

"What's the problem? I've got a lot to do today, and I don't have time for bullshit."

Sean sighed. "There've been some disappearances. Three or four members have gone missing over the last two months. We searched and asked around, but they're nowhere to be found, and it's been weeks since they were last seen.

"We thought it was only us, but my Alpha got a call three days ago from a wolf pack that they were having the same issues."

My Alpha? Sean wasn't the Alpha of our pack? Dad was past the age of retirement. I hadn't kept tabs on my old family and had assumed Sean would have taken over. It looked like even after screwing me over like he did, he still hadn't gotten what he wanted. A shameful part of me wanted to smile and rub it in. The adult part of me, thankfully, was in control. Instead of worrying about that, I focused on what he was saying, and every muscle in my body tensed. The hunters had visited my old pack.

"The Alpha didn't want anyone getting worried, and he knew you were my brother and what you guys do. He asked me to call and see if you could help."

"I guess your Alpha doesn't know our history. At least he must not, if he thought I'd help you."

"Steff… It's been a long time."

"You're right, it has. It's been a long time not to have a family. A long time to think about my own parents kicking me out in the cold. It's been a really long time since my brother tried to bash my brains in with a baseball bat and failed."

"Fuck, man, I was a kid. I was stupid. I'm sorry, but I don't want to do this on the phone. Can we, maybe, make this a business call? Let the personal stuff wait?"

"Fine. I'll even give you the help free of charge. There's a group of hunters in this area of Colorado. They've been preying on different shifter packs all over the place. They're more aggressive than any hunters have been in centuries. If you guys are having this problem, then it looks like they have teams coming out of hiding all over the country. The guy leading the group down here is named Ryland Fields."

"Fuck. I was afraid of that. We've never had to deal with hunters before."

"You should be scared. The group here originally had a witch working with them. She's out of the picture now, but the fact that she was with them tells me the hunters are changing their tactics. They're more brazen, more open, more unpredictable. You and your Alpha need to watch your backs." I emphasized the fact that Sean wasn't the Alpha, but he didn't seem to notice.

"Okay, I'll let my Alpha know. I'm sure he'll come up with a plan that'll keep us safe. At least I hope so."

"Yeah. You know, I don't wish your pack any ill will, and I don't want this to sound cold, but I don't really have any sympathy for you guys. I got kicked out and exiled because you were jealous and because you lied. That pack hasn't been mine for a long time. No one spoke up in my defense. No one. It's kind of hard for me to wish you luck, you know?"

There was long, dragging silence on the other end of the line, and I was about to hang up when Sean said. "Steff…" I waited to see what he was going to say. "...never mind." Then he hung up.

I stewed over the call all the way home, thinking about all the years since I'd spoken to my brother. Multiple emotions roiled within me, ranging from anger, to sadness, to rejection, then to full-on rage. It wasn't a fun sensation. I was almost home when I realized I needed to let the guys know what was happening. I dialed Miles.

"You never have good news when you call me."

I grimaced. "Well, I'm going to stick with that trend. Got off the phone with my brother a minute ago."

"Your brother?" Miles sounded incredulous.

"The one and only. He called me from Oregon. There have been some disappearances in his pack. Sounds like the same thing that's been happening here."

"Shit. That's nearly halfway across the country. You don't think this is the same group, do you? Could they be that big? I've never heard of anything like that before."

"Neither have I, but if we've learned anything the last year, it's that this group isn't playing by the typical rules."

"Okay, I've got connections in the northwest. I have a few favors I can pull in Washington State. I'll see what I can dig up and figure out. How are you doing? Are you okay? After talking to your brother, I mean."

The question immediately made me feel better. It reminded me that even though my own family had shunned me, I still had one. I had a pack that cared about me and loved me. "I'm good, bro. Thanks for checking. And thanks for having my back."

"That's what a pack does. I'll let you know what I find out. Later."

"Bye."

I pulled into the driveway, hoping April was feeling better. But as I stepped into the house, it was clear that was not the case. April looked pretty miserable where she lay on the couch. Chelsea sat on the love seat beside her, reading a book.

April looked up and croaked, "Oh, my prince charming has returned."

I looked at Chelsea. "How's she been?"

She shrugged. "Had a temperature off and on all day. Not much of an appetite, either."

"Thanks for staying with her," I said, kicking off my shoes and sitting next to April.

Chelsea grabbed her things and started toward the door. "No problem. We had fun. Well, when she wasn't napping or blowing her nose."

"I only went through one box of tissues," April said.

Chelsea grinned. "Yeah, keep telling yourself that. See you guys later."

I turned back to April after Chelsea left. "Can I get you anything?"

"I'm thirsty. Can I get a drink?"

"Sure." I went to the kitchen and brewed her some tea. While it steeped, I found a can of cream of potato soup in the pantry and heated it, then dumped a few saltines on a plate. I carried it to her on a tray.

"Oh, my. What a chef," April croaked.

"Smartass. I'd like to see what you can do with what's in that kitchen."

April sipped at the tea and took two small spoonsful of soap before she pushed it away and opted to nibble on the crackers instead. At least she was drinking something. I didn't like seeing her look so miserable.

She put the teacup down and looked at me with exhausted eyes. "I really hate being sick. I feel like shit."

"Well, I guess now is a good time to mention the good news."

April raised an eyebrow. "You caught whoever gave me this and beat the shit out of them?"

I laughed. "Nothing that funny. I was going to tell you that once you become a shifter you won't get sick anymore. Not even a cold."

April's eyes widened. "You never get sick? Like ever?"

I shook my head. "Not once I hit puberty. Flu, athlete's foot, gonorrhea. It's one of the perks."

"But your uncle. Was he not a shifter? You said he got sick and died."

My smile vanished. "Yeah, well. Even shifters aren't immune to cancer. It's rarer in us than in humans, but it's still shitty. Our bodies can fight it off better than humans can even without treatment. If we're lucky, our bodies do clear it out. My uncle wasn't one of the lucky ones."

April put a hand on my arm. "I'm sorry I wasn't at his funeral. I didn't even know he'd died until you told me."

"It's fine. How could you have known? We weren't in contact, and I'm sure your parents had more important things to do than let their daughter know that the uncle of the guy she dated in high school had died."

"Still, I feel terrible for not even sending flowers or something."

"April, it's fine. Seriously. Don't worry about it."

"Speaking of worry."

"What? What's bothering you?" She didn't look nervous or upset, so I wasn't too worried about what she was going to say.

"I've been thinking about becoming a bear a lot lately, and I'm not as worried about it as I was. It seems less scary every day."

My heartrate skyrocketed. I kept my expression neutral, but on the inside I was thrilled by what she was implying.

April scooted up on the couch until she was sitting eye level with me, then took my hand in hers. "I've known since the moment I met you that I loved you. That I wanted to be with you forever." She leaned forward and looked at me with so much conviction and intensity that I held my breath, afraid I would ruin the moment. "I have never loved someone the way I love you. Even when my heart was broken, I knew it belonged to you, that it always would. Being tied to you for life isn't even a question anymore."

Hearing that, after having spoken to my brother earlier, almost overwhelmed me. It was almost too much to handle for one day. I sat there, simply looking at her through a haze of emotions.

She pressed a finger to my stomach. "But I will gut you with a bear claw if you leave me again, mister."

I chuckled and pulled her to me. She tried to pull away from my kiss. "I'm sick, remember."

"I can't get sick, remember ." I kissed her anyway. "I won't even dream of leaving you again. Never. If you're better this weekend, we should go on a date."

April sagged back to the couch. "That sounds amazing."

I stayed by her side for the rest of the day, binge-watching TV shows. After the excitement of the previous couple of weeks, it was nice to have a calm and peaceful reprieve. There were good things to be said for the simple life.