Chapter 18

A s if by some unspoken signal, people begin to take their seats. I make my way over to Alpha Mortlock at the front of the room, my heart pounding at the thought of speaking before so many people. The doors open again, and three beings glide in. The room is filled with hissing and growling, and I realise who's entered the warehouse.

"They're not to be harmed, they were invited here," I say loudly, looking to the alphas to pass on the message. Some do so instantly, while others look dubious, but the hissing quiets down. I look across at the three strangers, vampires if their undead energy is anything to go by. They have the typical runway model looks with sharp features that vampires tend to possess, and if you have any doubt they're undead, the unnatural stillness they have about them is enough to convince you otherwise.

"Damon sends his best wishes," the leader says, and although he doesn't raise his voice, it carries across the room. He's tall, and his appearance would suggest he was originally from Scandinavia, with his blue eyes and cropped blond hair, his voice has a hint of an accent that could attest for this. The woman to his left is short, and you would be forgiven if you were to say she looked cute, especially since she's wearing a light blue dress that makes her look like a doll, but the hungry look in her eyes as she glances around the room takes away from that. Her crystal blonde hair falls in ringlets, only adding to the innocent doll-like look. I have to fight to hide the shudder that fills me as I watch her. The three of them move farther into the room, choosing to sit with Eric and Vella. It's only then that I notice the last woman with the newcomers isn't a vampire at all. Beneath her skirts are not two feet, but hooves. Now that I'm looking, I notice two very small horns poking out from the top of her long brown hair. Her facial features are human, but her eyes are lilac in colour and are rimmed with the longest eyelashes I have ever seen. She's wearing a floaty dress that falls to mid-calf, and her upper body is entirely human in appearance. I know from experience that below her waist, she will have goat legs. I had a fae phase when I first moved to the US, so I got um…well, acquainted with some of the local fae populations.

"She's a fawn," I mutter in shock, causing Alpha Mortlock to sharply inhale as he eyes up the new arrival. Her head flicks around to look straight at me, and I know she heard me. In fact, I now see the very tip of her pointed ears poking from the side of her hair. I nod respectfully at her, I don't want to piss off the fae. She turns back to her companions, and this raises a question—are the fae and the vampires allies? What does this mean for us? Looking around at the other alphas, I know they're thinking the same thing from their worried expressions.

I get a look from Alpha Mortlock, and I know this is my signal to begin the meeting, so I take a deep breath and look around the room. I have Killian on one side of me, and Garett on the other. There was a lot of debate about who would stand with me. I need to appear strong, so it was decided that Killian, as my fated mate and an alpha, would give the impression of strength to others who might think to threaten us. Killian also doesn't belong to any pack, and although he's staying with Moon River, he is a guest. Alex and Seb had wanted to stand with me also, but Alex, as beta for Moon River, needs to protect the alpha, and Seb would not be taken seriously as a lower-level pack member. Although it pains me, I agree that we need to appear strong. Strength is everything in the shifter community. Garett insisted on being by my side, and is a good choice since he isn't part of Moon River, so it makes us look more open to other packs, and being a bear also shows that different races of shifters can live together.

"Thank you for all coming today. I'm Ari, a lone wolf who's recently been staying with the Moon River Pack. I've been asked to be peacekeeper and run the meeting since I don't belong to any particular pack, but I have ties with many of the groups here tonight," I say, introducing myself, hearing some grumbles as I explain my ties to those in the room. I've chosen not to reveal my relationship status, but I will if it will help the course of the meeting. "We're meeting to discuss the recent disappearances and murders of supernaturals."

"Why are the bloodsuckers and witches here?" someone in the room shouts. "None of them are being murdered, only shifter bodies are turning up dead," someone spits, and I realise it's one of the lion shifters.

"We have lost people too, lion. We deserve to be involved in this meeting as much as you do," the blond Scandinavian vampire responds, he doesn't move a muscle, but his eyes flash with disdain at the shifters' comments, the only sign that he's bothered by what has been said. The lion looks like he's going to respond, if he had been in animal form, his hackles would have been raised, his whole body bristling with anger. This guy is out to start a fight, and I need to calm things down fast.

"We're all here because our people are being taken against their will. Just because only the bodies of shifters are turning up, doesn't mean that the others are still alive. Given the time that they have been gone for, it's unlikely that they still live."

There are grumbles around me, and I raise my hands to quiet them. I get some hard looks from the vampires, and I notice that the witch Tori brought with her has lowered his head. The fawn, however, is just watching me with an interested look on her face. She makes me nervous. I clear my throat and look around the room again. I'm no public speaker, and I'm sure there is a softer way to say this, but they asked me here because of my ties and people might trust me. "I know that's probably not what anyone wants to hear, but it's the truth. We need to work together to figure out what's happening." I glance over at Alpha Philips, feeling encouraged by his small nod. "Alpha Philips, how many bears have you lost?"

"Five have been taken, and the bodies of all five have returned mutilated. One was just a cub." His voice is calm, but I can see the rage in his eyes at the loss of his people. There are outraged calls at the fact a child was taken. Rage runs through me. I hadn't realised that children were being taken.

"How was a child taken?" someone shouts out. I had been wondering the same thing, but I wouldn't have asked it so callously. It's obvious that the bears are suffering from their losses. I see the alpha bristle, as does Max and the other bears. Even Garett looks ready to hit someone, but at a look from Philips, they all stay in place.

"The cub was with her mother at the time. We think that the mother was attacked, and the cub was taken as well."

We go around the room, and the other packs share how many they have had go missing. Over twenty-five have been taken, and all of them have turned up dead, traces of magic found at all of the scenes.

"Have these all be reported to ASP?" I ask, gobsmacked by the number of shifters taken. I hadn't realised it was on this big of a scale.

"Yeah, but ASP don't give a shit about us," someone shouts out.

"The only disappearances they've investigated are the vamps and witches. It's almost like they want a war on their hands," the alpha from the coyotes chimes in. He's been quiet up until now, and I can't help but wonder if that's exactly what ASP is after. Based on the tension in the room and the hate towards ASP, they aren't far off from an all-out war.

"Ari, will you explain what you saw the other day, please?" Alpha Mortlock prompts, and I take a deep breath to explain. We had already decided that I was going to tell them everything about how I had seen the ASP agent while we were investigating and then about the attack. The only thing I left out was about how I had used my shadow powers and accidentally killed one of the cloaked guys. There's silence in the room until I finish my story, and then the room erupts.

"ASP must be behind it, they were watching you!"

"Why didn't you stop it?"

"Shadow Pack were involved! Weren't they behind the attacks on Moon River?"

Killian sighs behind me as we watch everyone shouting. "Quiet!" he yells, and everyone listens, turning to look at us. Many look ready to start fighting again, but no one dares antagonise Killian, knowing his reputation.

"Ari, weren't you from Shadow Pack?" the fawn asks in a crystal-clear voice, her eyes wide and innocent as she asks the question. The whole room turns from her to me with accusing expressions on their faces, and as they do, a little smirk crosses her lips before falling back into a perfectly innocent look.

I raise my eyebrows at her and continue addressing the room, heading off any more shouting.

"Yes, I was, which was why I was invited here. I know how they work and what their sick little minds are like." I turn around and lift the bottom of my shirt so they can see some of the scars on my back. "This is what Shadow Pack does to their pups. I was only six when I received my first punishments. I hold them no allegiance."

The room is silent after my admission, and several shifters in the room are looking at me with respect.

"Why would Shadow Pack be doing this?" the coyote alpha asks again, and I see the intelligence in his eyes as he works through what information he has.

"Shadow Pack aren't clever enough to be doing this on their own. I believe someone else is behind this and they are using Shadow Pack to do their dirty work. Shadow Pack has their own agenda as well—me."

The room erupts into shouting again, but my attention is on the person who just entered the doorway in the back.

"What are we going to do?" someone asks, voices filling the room as people shout out ideas, but my focus is on the new arrival. They look around until their gaze lands on me.

"We should go to ASP again, show them how many shifters have gone missing now. Give them a reason to start looking." The suggestion comes from the corner of the room, and voices rise to offer solutions.

"We need to do this carefully, show ASP we're being peaceful, that we just want to stop our people from being taken." Alpha Mortlock's voice rises above the murmur of voices.

I narrow my eyes on the stranger, who glances down at his watch before looking back up at me, then mouths a word at me before silently slipping from the room again. I turn to look at Killian, who's glaring at the door where the person just left.

"That was the ASP agent who was watching me in the park with Tori."

Killian looks at me sharply.

"Did you see what he said?" he asks, a grim look on his face.

"He said ‘ Run ,'" I whisper, dread lining my stomach at Killian's nod. I turn to look around, my eyes locking with Alex's. He just sees the panic in my eyes when the doors at the back of the room slam open.

"Everybody stop! ASP officers! I said stop moving!"

The room erupts with snarls and a flurry of activity. Before I know it, I'm surrounded by my guys and the Moon River representatives, as well as Garett and the bear pack. Tori is by my side in a flash, Max and the twins surrounding her, glaring at anyone who comes close. The witch she brought with her, Eric, and the succubus, have joined us, forming a ring of supernaturals facing out at the threat.

The other packs have done similar things, surrounding their alphas to protect them. The room is suddenly swarming with officers, all holding up guns, aiming at the alphas in the room. The snarls and growls get louder as the leaders of the packs are threatened.

"You are breaking the law by organising plots against ASP. Those that leave peacefully now will be taken in for questioning before being released to their packs, you will not get into trouble as long as you comply," an ASP agent orders, looking around the room, his eyes landing on me. Many of the shifters move nervously from one foot to the other, particularly the avian shifters and the Unite shifters, who're eyeing the door. There's a moment of silence before a few break off and head for the door, being led away by a couple of agents. Growls and cries of "traitor" get shouted as they leave. I use this time to watch the agents here, none of them are the agent who had been watching us in the park, who appeared to be warning us. But why would he do that?

"No law has been broken here. We are just meeting to discuss the disappearances." Alpha Philips steps forward to explain, raising his hands in a placating gesture.

"Stop moving!" the lead agent shouts, his gun aimed squarely at the alpha.

"Yeah, the disappearances that you guys are doing nothing about ," the mouthy lion shifter growls out, his body shaking with anger and the effort it's taking him to hold back his lion, stalking forward towards the agent.

Everything seems to go in slow motion then. Guns are raised towards the lion shifter, warnings are shouted, but the guns are shot before the warnings have even been finished. My eyes are trained on the lead agent, who's still pointing his gun at Alpha Philips, the glint in his eyes is almost feral, like everything he wanted has come to pass. Although the alpha hasn't moved a step, the gun is fired, going straight towards his heart. Without thinking I ghost forward, the shadows swallowing me and propelling me towards the alpha, pushing him out of the pathway of the bullet. I'm not quite fast enough and the bullet pierces his shoulder. He falls to his knees with a shout. That's when the chaos really begins.

The room is filled with snarling and growling, the sound of bones popping, and gunshots fill the air as shifters give in to their animal forms, attacking the ASP agents.

"Do not attack! Defend only!" Alpha Mortlock is shouting out to us as we pull back into a huddle. I look around to check that we still have everyone. Killian is next to me, watching the battle ahead carefully. Alex, Isa, and Seb are in wolf form, surrounding us and snarling at anyone who comes close. Eric and Vella are talking in quiet voices just to our right. Tori and James are standing close together, both of their hands glowing and moving in complicated patterns as they mutter under their breath, presumably working on some sort of protective spell. The bear pack has joined with us, and Garett is kneeling next to Alpha Philips, putting pressure on the wound, while Max, the twins, and the bear beta are surrounding us, facing out towards the threat.

"We need to get out of here," Killian mutters, ducking as a stray bullet whizzes past his head. "They aren't actively shooting at us at the moment because we aren't attacking, but I don't trust that lead agent." I agree with him, I saw the look in his eyes as he aimed at Alpha Philips.

I crouch down and look at the bear alpha's shoulder.

"Garett, can you move your hand please?" I ask, and the alpha moans as the wound is exposed. I can see the bullet, but there doesn't appear to be too much damage, and his shifter genes are already causing the wound the heal. "I need to get you back to pack land so I can get this bullet out. We need to go, and I'm going to need your people to help us. Do you trust us to get you out of here?" I move my gaze from the wound to his face, and I'm startled by his expression of trust.

"With my life." He nods at me before looking over at his gamma. "Max. We're getting out of here with Moon River Pack. Protect them like you would protect our own, we're in this together, got it?" Nods all around. The bear beta and one of the twins helps Alpha Philips up to standing. With a look from his alpha, the beta turns into his bear form. Eric comes to my side, his face grim. I look around and see that Vella is gone, and at my frown, he shakes his head.

"I can't hold Vella back. She's gone to hunt." Screams meet his words, and I glance over his shoulder to see an agent in Vella's arms, twitching in her embrace as she kisses him, his body shrivelling before my eyes. She drops his body with a satisfied look on her beautiful, gleaming face before she calmly stalks off to find her next victim. I shudder and look at Eric, feeling sick.

"I won't use my powers unless it's to defend myself or protect you," he tells me solemnly, understanding what I was going ask without me having to say anything.

"Right, we stick together, protect each other's back, but don't attack unless they attack you first. We don't want them having anything over us," Alpha Mortlock commands, his alpha power washing over us, and I'm reminded again why he's alpha of the pack. The screaming and snarling is making it difficult to concentrate, but we all nod, agreeing to the plan.

As a unit, we start making our way towards the exit. A couple of agents attempt to stop us, but the three wolves and the bear keep them away. As long as we stay together, we are strong and they can't stop us.

Almost as soon as I think that, I see an agent throw something towards our group and a sinking feeling fill me. Stun grenades. Devices that were developed to take out a group of supernaturals by stunning them and neutralizing their gifts.

"Stun grenades!" I shout and run towards Tori, tackling her to the ground. The others have supernatural speed, they can move out of the way fast enough, Tori on the other hand…

I look around us, dismay sinking in as I see we are now spread out across the large room, fighting our way towards the exit. Thankfully, no one is alone and they're working together to get out. I can see my guys trying to make their way back over to me, but there are too many people between us. I don't know where they're all coming from! They seem to be everywhere, and the warehouse looks like a battleground.

"Ari, are you okay? What the hell was that?" Tori's voice cuts through the haze, and I turn to look at her. She looks a bit bruised and battered, but okay, and it motivates me to get the hell out of here.

"Okay, I'm fine. Right, stay behind me. We're going to get out of here. Can you call your hellhounds?" I ask hopefully, but Tori just shakes her head at me, looking down at her hands in frustration.

"I can't access my magic, they've done something to nullify it."

"Shit!" I curse before nodding and helping her to her feet.

We start moving across the room, Tori holding onto the back of my shirt so I don't lose her, dodging bodies and people fighting as we go. I'm torn, I want to help the shifters here, but I don't have an alliance with them, and I could unknowingly start a war if I was to help one shifter group and not another. I hear a bear roar in pain and stop in my tracks, my heart stutters when I see Garett is okay, battling his way towards us, but his brother, Max, is in trouble, surrounded by several agents. Garett looks back over at me, and he's torn.

"Go! Help him!" I shout, and he nods before running over to help his brother.

We are nearly at the door when someone tackles me, sending me flying to the ground. Someone straddles my waist, and a fist flies towards my face, and I narrowly miss it by trying to twist away. I can't tell if the agent trying to pin me to the ground is a man or a woman, because of the balaclava type mask covering their face. I buck my hips to try and throw them off, and I manage to catch them off guard and scrabble to my feet. They jump up with speed only granted by being a shifter. My wolf pushes to the surface in disgust and rage. Gunshots and screams are filling the air, but I focus on my attacker. A shifter siding with ASP against us is enough to make me feel sick. Killian and Alex's training runs through my head as the agent tries to tackle me again and pin my arms. I raise my knee and smash it against their groin, realizing my attacker is a man when he groans and crouches forward to protect his now crushed nuts. Kicking forward, I knock him to the ground. I wait for a few seconds to see if he's going to get back up.

A shot nearby has me quickly standing to my full height, and I look around for Tori. She's staring at a bullet hole in the wall just to her left, before looking back at me, a nervous laugh escaping her.

"Fucking hell, that was close!" She steps towards me, and the agent I just fought sits up and aims a gun at Tori. Everything seems to move in slow motion again as I run towards Tori, except this time, my shadows don't respond to me. The gunshot goes off, shockingly loud, and pierces Tori in the forehead.

I watch as the shock briefly registers on her face, before her eyes go blank and her face drops. Her body soon follows, landing on the ground with a thud. In the background, I hear what sounds like bellowing, but all I can focus on is Tori's lifeless body. Something registers within me, and the world speeds back up to normal.

"No." I shake my head and run to her side, dropping to my knees. I can't look at the wound, if I do, I'll have to admit that Tori is dead. "No, no, no, no, no, this isn't happening," I mutter under my breath, my breathing becoming faster and more erratic as I try to take her pulse. Nothing. Not a single heartbeat. I finally look up at Tori's face and the tiny bullet hole in the centre of her head. I try not to look at the back of her head, but I can smell the blood, and I know it's pointless. Hot tears pool in my eyes, and a wordless scream rips out of my body, full of rage, hopelessness, and grief. I'm aware of my guys running towards me, my name is being shouted out, but all I can focus on is Tori's expressionless face.

"Target number four has been neutralized." The agent is far enough away that I shouldn't have been able to hear him talking into his radio over all of the noise in the room, but I do. His raspy voice snaps me out of my daze, and I stand up, my rage pushing me past grief into something else. I turn to face the man that murdered my best friend. I give into my wolf, letting her take over my body, and that dark shadowy place inside me begs to be let unleashed. I glance at Tori again, all traces of mercy wiped away at the sight of her body. I close my eyes and unleash the darkness within me, and in a whirr of shadows, claws, and fangs, me and my wolf tear the agent to shreds.