1. Cash

"Come on, Jorge. Fern is being ridiculous. Just point me in the right direction."

Cash raised his eyebrows at the scene in front of him.

He'd stopped by his buddy Jorge's house to get a charge up on one of his spelled tattoos and was met with something unexpected. He closed the door behind him and smiled a little as he watched Jorge—all five foot six of him—try and contend with the newest member of their pack, a human named Myles, who towered over him at six foot.

The Silver Oak Pack didn't have a lot of human members, and their territory was isolated enough that the closest human town was half an hour away. Exactly how they liked it.

But Myles had crashed into their lives and refused to leave.

Cash didn't mind that much. He knew from firsthand experience what being so isolated and exclusionary was doing to them, but he didn't make the rules.

Crossing his arms over his chest, Myles tipped his chin up defiantly. It exposed the mating scar on his neck from Riggs, one of the pack's betas. The two had been friends their whole lives, but it had taken Riggs moving away and then Myles coming for a visit for his tiger to recognize his fated mate.

Since joining the pack, Myles was doing his best to learn all about the parahuman world and what it had to offer, which meant he had a lot of questions and drove some people crazy with them. Just the other day, Cash had been at the Alpha House when an older packmate had come storming in to "have a word" with Liam about Myles's incessant questions.

Cash figured some of the pack had just forgotten what it was like to have someone new learn about their world. Or maybe they'd never lived through it. Either way, Cash understood why Myles was so dogged in his pursuit of answers.

He was just trying to find his place.

But there was one aspect that had gotten Myles into some real trouble, which was why he was at Jorge's, pleading for his help. Jorge was a member of the pack's coven, and Myles wanted to learn about magic and how to use it.

Some people had a problem with that.

Their pack was small, but their coven was even smaller. Six witches and a single seer made up the group, and they were led by a tiny but terrifying woman named Fern, who was adamantly against Myles learning anything from the coven.

It was probably because of how they'd all met Myles, when he'd accidentally cast a spell on Riggs and sent him into a spell-induced heat.

Which was not something they usually had to deal with as shifters and had come as a bit of a surprise to folks. Especially because it could have killed Riggs.

Fern had been less than impressed, to say the least, so Cash could understand why she didn't want Myles anywhere near magic again. The rest of the coven—as far as Cash could tell; he tried to stay out of their internal politics—didn't hold quite as much of a grudge but agreed with her that it was probably for the best. Myles wasn't a natural-born witch, and that would limit the amount of magic he would actually be able to do anyway.

Though, as Myles liked to argue, because he was part of a fated mate bond, he had direct access to magic through the shifter he was mated to. He couldn't understand why they wouldn't teach him how to tap into the bond to fuel spellwork.

Fern remained unconvinced.

Cash thought Myles had a point, but he wasn't about to get in the middle of the fight. There was no way he would ever cross Fern. The woman looked sweet as a button, but if you pissed her off… He shuddered at the thought.

Some of her curses were legendary, and he wasn't about to be on the receiving end of one.

But since Jorge was less scary and less firm in his denial than Fern, Myles had turned his attention on him, trying to convince him that it would be a good idea to just give him some tips and that Myles could teach himself.

Which seemed even scarier than him learning magic to begin with, in Cash's opinion.

Jorge didn't stop what he was doing, basically ignoring Myles and his demands as he used a mortar and pestle to mix the ingredients for the spell for Cash's tattoo. His kitchen was full of plants and sunlight, but the scent of magic was so strong it was tickling at Cash's nose.

"Fern said no. Until you convince her, I'm not going to help you."

Myles slumped dramatically. "Seriously? I learned my lesson when my mate almost died. Why is she still punishing me?"

"Seriously." Jorge looked up finally, giving Myles a hard look. His amber eyes could be intense when they were pinned on you. "And she's not punishing you. She's protecting you, the coven, and our pack. You'd do well to remember that."

Oh damn.

Cash crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the counter behind him. Jorge wouldn't be ready for him for a few more minutes, so he'd just wait for them to acknowledge him. He didn't have anywhere to be until his evening patrol later, and things were getting good.

"You're right. I'm sorry," Myles said quickly, holding his hands up in surrender. "But come on, man. I know now not to just say random spells. I'll be careful. Isn't it better to train me than to be worried about what I'm learning on the internet behind your backs?"

Jorge sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, the black-and-gray rose on the back of his hand catching Cash's eyes. "?Dios mío! You just won't quit, will you?"

Cash did his best to suppress his amusement. He was honestly glad they weren't paying much attention to him because he didn't want to have to give his opinion. Technically, as a pack Enforcer, he had the authority to overrule Fern, but he would never do that. None of them would. The only person in the pack who could really tell Fern what to do was their alpha, Liam.

And even then, their relationship was more of a partnership than him dictating to her. Liam trusted her and sought her advice quite often. She'd been a part of the Silver Oak Pack long before Liam had moved there and taken over and was very protective of all of them.

"Magic, spellwork, and being a witch are more complicated than just getting to say a few fancy spells to make your life easier," Jorge said, staring Myles down, but he wasn't giving up.

"I know that. I promise," Myles said urgently. "I read the books that Fern gave me. I understand. You have to be respectful, and I am. Please, Jorge. At least help me convince her to give me another chance."

Cash looked away.

Now he wished he wasn't there to witness what was happening. He could scent the desperation on Myles. For whatever reason, this was important to him, and Cash's panther wanted to soothe their packmate.

Maybe he could gently suggest to Fern that she should ease up on the poor kid.

He was just thinking he'd slip out, maybe go and get some lunch before coming back to get Jorge to recharge his tattoo, when his phone started vibrating in his back pocket. Pulling it out, he saw Liam's name on the screen and frowned.

He'd just come from a meeting at the Alpha House.

Glancing up, he caught Jorge's eyes and tipped his head toward the back door he'd come in through. Jorge nodded and waved him off, but Myles barely even glanced at him as he slipped back out into the late-spring heat.

"Alpha," Cash answered, instincts prickling and raising the hair on the back of his neck.

"I need you to go check something out," Liam said, his voice carrying a barely perceptive urgency.

Cash jogged toward his truck. He'd parked on the street since Myles's car was taking up the extra space in Jorge's driveway, but it only took him a few seconds to get there and wrench the door open. "What happened?"

"Fern just texted me. There was a breach through one of the wards."

His heart lurched. It could be nothing more than some stray hikers, but his instincts were rarely wrong. "Where?"

"She's going to send you the location," Liam said as his phone vibrated against his face, "but I know it was the western border, somewhere deep in the woods."

Cash nodded as he jumped into his vehicle. "Okay. Does she know what broke through?"

They kept their borders locked down tight. Unexpected visitors were not welcome and were usually sent back the way they'd come. Whoever it was, Cash would deal with them. It was his main job as an Enforcer. He shared the responsibility of patrolling the territory with the betas, but border security fell to him and the coven.

"She's not sure," Liam said, "but she thought that it was probably a shifter. At the speed they passed through, she thinks they were flying. It's possible they might not have realized they'd trespassed into our territory until they hit the warding."

Breaking through it would have hurt like a bitch too. Humans could pass through without issue, and it would just alert Fern of the intrusion, but parahumans had to counteract the repellant aspect of the spells used in the protective warding that encircled their territory.

Though maybe a bird shifter could fly through fast enough to beat it? He'd have to ask Fern about that.

Cash fired up his truck and started down the street. Jorge lived close to the center of town, his house attached to his tattoo shop, so it was a straight shot for him to head west. "All right. I'll check it out and let you know if I need any backup. They probably just need to get turned back around. I doubt it'll take much to scare them off."

Liam chuckled in his ear. "That is the reason I'm sending you."

Cash rolled his eyes and hung up. He didn't think he was that scary-looking, but the other Enforcers and betas disagreed. Whenever somebody needed threatening or scaring out of their territory, Cash was the one they sent. It usually worked too. A hard stare and stern growl and the intruder was on their way again.

Silver Oak, Kansas, was a bit off the beaten path—just the way they liked it—but their tiny town had grown on a small peninsula that jut into Silver Oak Lake. It drew humans who thought it'd be a nice place to camp or hike. Most packs wouldn't bother driving them off—hell, the little bit of tourism would probably be good for them—but their pack laws were clear, so Cash shooed them away.

Whenever he thought about suggesting they update the law, he reminded himself that the cubs in the pack liked to run around in their shifted forms as soon as they learned how. That alone was reason enough for him to get on board with keeping nosy humans away.

He took the main road out of town, heading straight for the western edge of their territory. When he reached it, he pulled his truck over to the side of the road and turned it off.

The text from Fern showed a location a couple of miles north of where he was. There weren't any roads near that area, so he'd have to go the rest of the way on foot. Just to be sure he was still headed in the right direction, he sent Fern a quick reply.

Cash: Has their location changed?

Fern: No. For some reason they haven't moved at all.

Cash frowned and tucked his phone away. That seemed… odd. There was no way whoever it was hadn't felt it when they'd gone through the warding, so why hadn't they left if they weren't going to keep moving toward town?

He didn't have to use the map on his phone to lead him to the spot, knowing their territory like the back of his hand. Several times a week, he ran the whole perimeter, and each night, he went through a section of woods that surrounded them on three sides. Whatever sections he didn't take, the betas split up and covered.

He used to only check the perimeter the couple of times a month to make sure nothing had disturbed the warding, calling Fern or Jorge to come and fix it if need be. But since last year, they'd tightened their security in reaction to the upheaval in the parahuman world.

His whole life, all parahumans in the country were ruled by the shifter Council, a group of retired alphas who made laws and heard disputes between packs. Once, when he was a cub, a Council member had visited his Pops for help with some persistent medical issue, but otherwise, they hadn't seen or heard much from the Council as far as he knew.

But then the largest pack in the country asked for his alpha's help, and a Council woman, strange witch, powerful Enforcer, a distractingly beautiful lioness, a human woman, and a child had landed in their territory. Cash hadn't spent much time with any of them except Ericka, the lioness who stayed longer than the Enforcer and Council woman. She'd laughed in his face when he'd suggested they get dinner while she was there, and he'd liked her even more for it.

The strange visit by the group had only been the beginning of changes though. Not long after everyone had finally left, they'd gotten word that Rick Kincaid and his pack had taken down the Council and those aligned with them. It had shocked the entire parahuman community and caused massive confusion and chaos for months.

Many had said Kincaid had led the coup for selfish reasons, wanting even more power than he already had and to control shifters throughout the country. Cash's own pack hadn't been sure what to believe, but Liam had calmed them, reminding them of the rumors they'd been hearing for over a year about unprovoked attacks against anyone who dared to stand up against the Council, reports of hideous beasts made from magic and evil, and the truths that had been shared with him when Rick's Enforcer had been in Silver Oak.

While tension had eased throughout the pack, Cash and the other Enforcers and betas were staying alert. The elected governmental body Kincaid was building from the ground up was taking far longer than anticipated, leaving the parahuman world without proper leadership.

And where there was a power void, there were unsavory people willing to fill it.

They'd been hearing new rumors the last few months. Shifters going missing. Roving groups of terrorizing small, unprotected packs. Alphas being overthrown and replaced by brutal outsiders.

It had been enough to have them stepping up their own security as a precaution. They were a small pack, but they weren't weak or unprotected. Still, Liam wasn't about to risk anyone's safety, and Cash couldn't agree with him more. Protecting the pack was his number one priority, and he took the job seriously.

He didn't know what this shifter who'd crossed into their territory was doing, but he'd find them and send them on their way. Since they weren't moving, the only thing he could figure was that maybe they were injured or were resting and thought that being on the edge of their territory would be a safe spot to stop.

Either way, the shifter couldn't stay.

Trudging through the thick foliage of the woods kept the sun directly off his shoulders and neck, but the heat and humidity were ratcheting up as summer neared. It was going to be a hot summer, but he didn't mind. He loved to lie in the sun as his panther, his black fur soaking in the warmth.

He also didn't mind going for a swim in the lake with the pack cubs. As far as he was concerned, making sure the water was safe for them was part of his job too.

At least… that's what he said whenever Liam teased him about it.

A light scent of avian shifter drifted toward him, and he paused just as a large twig broke beneath one of his black boots, the sharp snap ringing in the air around him. He ignored it since he hadn't been bothering to hide his approach. This was his territory; he wasn't skulking through the woods to find one little bird.

The scent was faint, but his nose pinpointed the direction, and he followed it, noting absently it was a nice scent. Almost floral in its sweetness, but he couldn't quite pinpoint what kind of flower. He followed it around trees and fallen branches, mulling over the different notes as he went. There was something… strange just beneath the floral fragrance.

He tracked the scent to the very edge of the territory, exactly where Fern had said they'd be. The scent of magic was thick here, burning his nose and almost covering the bird's. Focusing, he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, ignoring the magic and concentrating on the stranger.

They were hiding in the trees, way up above him.

He opened his eyes and peered up. Whoever they were… they smelled fucking delicious, riling his panther into alertness. It didn't matter though. An alluring scent wouldn't save them. It was his job to expel whoever it was, and he would do it.

He took his duty very seriously.

"You might as well come down," he called. "I know you're up there."

He stared up into a big bushy maple, just able to make out the shape of a dark-colored bird perched near the top.

"You can either take off now or come down and tell me what it is you're doing in our territory and then leave. Either way, you can't stay."

The bird cocked his head at him, wings twitching. Cash sighed, about to start removing his clothes to scale the tree, when the bird swooped down to land on the ground in front of him.

He was a golden eagle. Large, with dark brown feathers that lightened toward the ends and a couple of spots of white near the base of his tail feathers. Under Cash's scrutiny, he ruffled his feathers and clicked his beak irritably.

Cash ignored the noise, narrowing his eyes and inhaling deeper. Now that the bird was right in front of him, he could tell what was off in his scent. It was… hot, like a burning fire. He also smelled strongly of fear and pain, even as he stared Cash down in his most primal form.

Cash took a step closer without thinking. "Are you okay?"

He hadn't meant to ask that.

It wasn't his business whether this eagle was okay or not. He wasn't Cash's responsibility. His only job was to send him on his way.

Even if the very idea made Cash's panther growl in protest.

The eagle cocked his head, made a squeaking chirp, and then began to shift. It took longer than it should have. Longer than anyone Cash knew, except maybe a cub trying their first time.

Even though it shouldn't, the slowness worried him. He knew it wasn't a good sign and indicated the eagle had grown weak from injury or exhaustion.

When he finally finished, a tiny man with olive skin and black hair groaned and dropped to one knee. He took a few deep, heaving breaths, his muscles twitching beneath his sweat-slicked skin, a dark flush between his shoulder blades.

Cash wondered how long he had been flying that he was so overheated even in his human form.

Eyes so dark they looked black peered up at him, and Cash took half a step back. The man was breathtakingly beautiful, his features delicate in a way Cash had never seen before. His dark rose lips looked supple despite being chapped.

All the blood in Cash's body headed south as the eagle's tongue swiped out, trying to wet those tempting lips.

"Please," the man gasped out. "Help me."

"Help you with what?" Cash asked.

The eagle opened his mouth, but then all Cash could see were the whites of his eyes. He darted forward, but he was too far away to catch him before he hit the ground.