16. Ryan

Chapter sixteen

Ryan

W e took Amara and Ben back to Thomas and Wally's. I wanted to get Ben checked over. As soon as we explained the situation, Wally went all mother-hen on them. He declared that they were both moving in and set up a room upstairs for them to share until Thomas could clear out the storage room in the back and give them a room each. Amara seemed happy with the idea. Ben was over the moon, especially when Wally showed him their fully stocked fridge and Thomas took him on a tour of his medical office, showing him all the equipment, and embellished stories about which tools were used to amputate limbs.

After that, Wally took them both upstairs, while Thomas asked us into his office.

"You sure you don't mind them staying here?" Mai asked.

Thomas waved his hand. "Are you kidding? Have you seen how happy Wally is? I'd be banned to the sofa for a month if I said no."

"Well, you know where we are if there are any issues."

"That I do. I'm sure it won't be necessary, though. The reason I asked you in here is that I analyzed the ripple you gave me. "

"You found something?"

"Maybe. I'm not done with it yet. But my preliminary findings show that ripple's active ingredient is stable in both liquid and solid forms. This means it can be administered in various forms—injected, via pills, or even inhaled. Injected or inhaled, the effects will be felt rapidly. With a pill, it might take longer to kick in but the effect will be longer-lasting. From a scientific point of view, it is quite the remarkable to create something like this that effects Shifters so reliably. We've been trying to achieve this for decades with no success. The person who designed this really is a genius."

Shifters had an unpredictable relationship with most drugs. Unlike alcohol, which affected us just like humans, how we reacted to other substances was very individualized.

"As you know, Shifters typically have a complex and variable response to drugs," Thomas continued. "What might cause a euphoric high in one Shifter, could have absolutely no effect on another. Even within families, reactions can differ wildly. A painkiller that works wonders for one child might do nothing for their sibling."

I nodded. I remembered hallucinating for hours after taking a painkiller in school for period pains because that's what worked for the humans, while Jem took the same ones when he broke his wrist skating boarding and it had no effect at all. He had to Shift three times until his wrist healed, and he was in agony each time.

Thomas sighed, running a hand through his hair. "This unpredictability has been both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, it's made treating Shifter patients with conventional medicines challenging. On the other, it's largely protected our community from widespread drug abuse issues that plague human society. "

Thomas's eyes gleamed with a mix of scientific fascination and concern. "But ripple...ripple changes everything. It's the first drug we've encountered that appears to have a consistent, powerful effect on all Shifters, regardless of individual physiology. That's what makes it so dangerous—and so intriguing from a scientific standpoint. I honestly have no idea how they have managed it."

He leaned forward, his voice lowering slightly. "The implications of this are staggering, Mai. If we could understand how ripple achieves this universal effect, we might be able to develop medicines that could reliably treat Shifter illnesses and injuries. But in the wrong hands, as we're seeing now, it's a recipe for disaster."

Someone had cracked a code we'd been struggling with for generations. If we could get our hands on that person, could convince them to turn their mind to treating and preventing illness, to healing rather than destroying, the breakthroughs they might accomplish could be phenomenal. First though, we had to eliminate their latest creation.

"Anything else?"

"There is one more thing—I've managed to identify a high concentration of a synthetic pheromone compound. I believe it is this that's making ripple highly addictive to Shifters. This compound is derived from a rare botanical source, likely a genetically modified or hybrid plant, which requires specialized greenhouse conditions to grow. Such facilities would most likely be found in urban areas with access to advanced horticultural technology and discreet locations."

My mind whirled, thinking through the implications.

"Is that helpful?" Thomas asked .

I nodded. "It narrows it down, gives us a place to start looking. Thank you."

"As I said, I'm not done yet. I'll let you know anything else I find out."

By the time we got home, Talia Johnson was there, waiting in her black SUV.

Mai glanced at me. "We can ignore her. Pretend we don't see her."

I was tempted. Mai was exhausted, and she needed sleep. "I seem to remember you trying that with me once." She'd closed her eyes and counted to three, saying I wasn't really there and would disappear when she opened them again. It had been cute as hell. "How did that work out for you?"

"Not good," Mai admitted grudgingly, crossing her arms over her chest.

I was sure Talia wouldn't let us ignore her, either. "We might as well get it over and done with. No way is Talia here by accident, and I want to know what the fuck she's really doing in our territory."

Talia was a striking figure, her skin a rich shade of ebony that seemed to glow under the lights. Her eyes, a piercing amber color, took everything in at once, assessing and calculating. This evening, she wore a perfectly tailored light-pink suit; the fabric clinging to her lean, muscular frame. A silver wolf-head pin gleamed on her lapel, a symbol of her position within the Council.

She swept into our study with an air of authority, her eyes scanning the space like she owned it. I was already regretting my decision not to ignore her; Talia was a wild card, and it was never good when the Wolf Council showed an interest in your Pack.

"Thank you for seeing me, Mai Parker, Ryan Shaw," she said, her voice smooth and confident.

Talia had an annoying habit of always saying everyone's surnames. I briefly wondered if she said her partner's full name when she was getting fucked.

"Talia Johnson," Mai replied, and I knew she was copying Talia to get a rise out of her.

"Regarding the attack on your coffee shop in town. I have done a preliminary investigation and I can confirm that Korrin attacked you and your Pack. There will be no consequences for his death."

I sat at the desk, considering Talia's comments. I didn't give a fuck if there were consequences for Korrin's death. He was a threat to Mai, and he needed to die.

"Why are you here, Talia?" I asked.

She paced to the left, glancing out of the window at the forest beyond before answering. "I'm here to offer my assistance to your Pack in dealing with the ripple crisis in the area. I'm sure you could use the Council's help."

Mai eyed her warily. "Thank you for the offer, but we are handling it."

Talia's gaze didn't falter. "I have the resources and the connections to make a difference. And whether you like it or not, you need me."

It was Talia's way of saying that we were stuck with her. The Wolf Council was involved, and no one said no to the Wolf Council. Not if they wanted to live. I was going to have to do something about the Council. My wolf would not tolerate any threats to Mai's safety. But first we had to have a stable Pack behind us.

Talia's confident stance didn't waver as she looked directly at Mai, her gaze piercing and unrelenting. "Let's start with the witches. I need to know everything you have on the witches, particularly their involvement with your Pack."

Mai met Talia's gaze, a flash of defiance in her eyes before she spoke. "There is no involvement with our Pack. We know the law. Witches are not allowed to live or practice in the North East, not since Simon Webster tried to create a spell to put all werewolves under his control."

"But you have had contact with a witch?" Talia pushed.

Mai tilted her head, a haunted look in her eyes. "Seth, my ex-boyfriend, was working with a witch. They tried to break my bond with the Three Rivers Pack. I never got a good look at the witch. I couldn't even tell you if it was a man or a woman. Seth claimed that the witch showed him that my bond was impure, that it was tainted in some way. I got the impression that the witch had manipulated his perception, but I have no proof of that."

I felt a surge of anger at the thought, my fists clenching involuntarily.

"Arabella, a member of the Bridgetown Pack, claimed that she only felt pure when she was high on ripple," Mai continued. "Is there a link? Is that why you're here? You think the witches are part of ripple's creation? That they're doing something to it to make the werewolves think they are only pure when they're on it."

Talia's eyes narrowed. "It's a possibility," she admitted. "At the moment, we don't know. We don't have enough evidence, but the correlation is alarming. "

She paused, her gaze shifting between Mai and me. "What's more concerning are the reports we've been receiving. There's unrest among many Packs. Werewolves are claiming their bonds feel impure, and they're seeking ways to sever these connections. It's possible the witches are casting spells on ripple, making Shifters feel this way. It's a pattern that's emerging, and it's spreading fast."

Mai's expression hardened. "If that's true, we have to stop it. If werewolves start to break their Pack bonds, it will be chaos."

Mai was right. The Pack bonds were there for a reason. We were pack animals; we needed the security and safety of our Packs, they kept us grounded, stopped us from going rogue. Alphas kept us in line and made sure we did nothing to upset the peace with the human communities.

Talia nodded. "Exactly. This isn't only a ripple crisis or a witch problem. It's an attack on the fundamental nature of our bonds, the very essence of what makes a Pack. And it's a crisis we need to address head-on."

"Where do we start?" I asked.

Talia smiled, showing her teeth. "I have information that all production of ripple in the northeast has been consolidated into a new lab. I don't know where it is yet, but I'll need backup in order to shut it down. When I discover the location, do you want in?"

My eyes flashed. Unlike Talia, I knew exactly where this new lab was. And if Amara's info was good, it was right under our noses, in our territory. Of course I fucking wanted in.