Chapter 9

W alking down the high street, I spot the sign I'm looking for and head towards the coffee shop, my entourage of guys following closely behind me. Usually, I'd be daydreaming about the coffee I'm about to consume, my thoughts on my next caffeine hit, but not today. Coming to a stop just outside the door, I take a deep breath, readying myself for the meeting ahead. My stomach is a bundle of nerves, not that I would let anyone know that, my expression calm and closed off as I eye the shop behind my dark sunglasses, my hands in the pockets of my leather jacket. Seb takes a step closer, and as I bring my eyes to meet his, my stomach twists again, but for a different reason this time. He'd turned up in the middle of the night and crawled into bed next to me. When I'd questioned him this morning, he just shrugged off my questions with a smile, but I know something's going on, we all do.

A hand on my shoulder brings me out of my thoughts, and I turn my head to see who the hand belongs to. Garett. I guess I'm not as good at hiding my feelings as I thought I was, or perhaps it's just them?

"Are you okay?" he asks quietly, and I know all I have to do is say the word and they will take me away from here. Pausing, I mull over my answer, but the guys step closer to me, surrounding me with their strength, taking my silence as a sign of uncertainty.

Alex takes my hand, drawing my attention to him. "You don't have to do this."

"I still think it's too risky. We don't need them," Killian announces, crossing his arms as he glares at the coffee shop. He's right—this is risky. I could be walking straight into their hands, and to be honest, I want to stay as far away from ASP as possible. However, we need answers and we need Em—ASP has both of these.

With a sigh, I shake my head and start walking towards the door. "Let's get this over with," I mutter under my breath, but I know they can hear me.

Stepping inside, my inner wolf winces at the barrage of noise that greets us as we walk through the groups of humans ordering their coffees and chatting in groups around the circular tables. It doesn't take long for me to figure out who we're meeting, they stick out like a sore thumb. Sure, they are dressed in casual clothing to try and blend in, but they sit there with a stillness only a supernatural could possess, and although they are simply watching the humans around them, there is something that screams predator when you look at them. Their eyes lock on mine, and I realise why they seem familiar to me. I've met them before. Ryan and Aiden Cross, the shifter cousins who tried to convince me to join ASP before, although now I wonder who they were asking for—ASP or the faction group?

I think over what I know about them already. Ryan is a wolf, and the feistier of the two, quick to anger but powerful. Aiden, the quiet and thoughtful bird shifter, didn't say much at our last meeting, but he did warn me that something was coming, and he was right, that was when the Shadow Pack attacked us and I nearly lost everything. Can I trust them? My gut is saying yes. Deciding to trust that instinct, I walk over to the table in the corner of the room, the two agents standing to greet us. They aren't in uniform, so this obviously isn't official ASP business, but other than that, they look the same as they did before. Ryan narrows his grey eyes on me, his stubbled jaw clenching as I reach their table. This obviously wasn't his idea then.

Aiden ignores his cousin and smiles at me as he offers his hand to shake. "Ariana, thank you for agreeing to meet us."

"Call me Ari, please." Wincing at the name, I pull my hand away from his as soon as I can. I don't bother to offer to shake Ryan's hand. No one calls me Ariana anymore, the only person who used to was my father, and he's dead now. "Enough of the niceties, why did you want to meet me?" I demand as I take a seat opposite them, the guys pulling over spare chairs and sitting close, forming a protective ring around me as I chat with the two agents.

"I'm sure Em has explained about us," Ryan drawls as he sits, confirming what Em said about working for this group.

Dipping my head, I turn my full focus to the wolf shifter, daring him with my eyes to press the issue further, pushing a little alpha power into my words. "Yes, but I want to hear it from you."

Ryan snarls, and I feel his power whip out in response, testing me, feeling for my strengths and vulnerabilities. We're actually fairly evenly matched, he's stronger than I'd thought, but I also have three wolves, a bear, and a demon at my side, all of which dislike Ryan's blatant challenging behaviour. The atmosphere around us changes, the hairs on my arms standing on end as Killian and the others turn their attention to the wolf shifter. Glancing across at Killian, I worry he might lash out like he would've when I first met him, but he simply keeps his gaze locked with Ryan's as he takes my hand, the others doing the same. It's simple, but makes a powerful statement. I'm theirs and they're mine. I'm the centre of the group, and they will protect me from any threats.

Aiden clears his throat, throwing a glare at Ryan before raising an eyebrow at me. "We aren't here to threaten you, we just want to talk. We didn't realise you had taken on several mates."

"That is no concern of yours. Say what you came here to say," I command, tired of the games they are playing.

"Fair enough," the bird shifter concedes, shifting in his seat. "For years, we've noticed the way that shifters are treated as lesser beings by ASP. It started small, taking longer than necessary to investigate shifter cases, only allowing shifters to have low positions within the organisation, but over the last few years, it has grown worse. They're completely ignoring missing person cases, packs disappearing, attacks on shifters are not investigated, and we recently discovered that ASP might be behind the drop in shifter pregnancies," Aiden explains, and for the first time, I get a wave of his power as he gets frustrated, he feels just as powerful as Ryan, if not more so.

"What? How would they have anything to do with the pregnancy rates?" Eric questions, speaking up for the first time.

"Why is the human here?" Ryan narrows his eyes at Eric, and I realise the first time ASP came to speak to me, I was meeting with Eric in a coffee shop much like this. They had thought he was human then, back when I was trying to work out exactly what he was. They must still not be able to sense what he is.

"That's irrelevant. Answer the question," Killian challenges, avoiding the question.

"Magic." The answer doesn't tell us much, but my stomach drops all the same. If the magic users are involved, then this is much bigger than one corrupt organisation. Aiden drops his voice as he speaks so the humans can't overhear us, and I realise that them agreeing to meet in public is just as much to protect them as it is to protect me. "This separate group within ASP, we make sure that shifters are protected, investigate the cases that the other agents won't. We want you to join us, to help us. Your…unique talents will aid us." Unique talents, I guess that's one thing to call my shadow powers, but I also understand why they wouldn't want to say it out loud.

I hold their gazes, my body stilling, not giving anything away. Sure, Em has probably told them I'm Shadowborn and they suspected before, but I'm not going to admit it to them, not when I've been hiding it my whole life. "Why should I trust you?" My eyes flick to Ryan as I speak, but it's Aiden who answers me.

"I understand ASP doesn't exactly have a great reputation, but that's why we need you, you can help us, help people like yourself," Aiden states plainly, his face not giving anything away, but I can feel how much this means to him, and I hate to admit it, but something stirs to life within me. Could I use my powers to help others? The reason I became a nurse was to assist others in the only way I knew how, those who had suffered and been abused their whole lives. What if I could do something to help stop that from happening? I push these thoughts away and clear my throat before asking my next question.

"So, what're you saying? You want me to become an ASP agent?" The thought of me working as an agent makes me want to laugh, and the lilt at the end of my question makes it clear I find this proposition amusing.

"Yes, you would be assigned to our team, and then you can help us. We'll help you keep your…other powers under wraps, Em can teach you how to control them." Aiden's voice is calm as he ignores my amused smile.

It's at this point, I realise how serious they are about this. Shit. Me, an ASP agent? Can I really imagine myself in the ASP suits? It would feel like I'm betraying everything I am, but at the same time, I'd be able to help so many people if I accepted their proposal. Realising I'm leaning forward, I sit back, crossing my arms over my chest, hoping they can't hear the pounding of my heart in my chest.

"What if I say no?" The two agents shift in their seats as I speak, which is the only indication I get that they don't like my question.

"You can still help us, give us information, and in return, we'll help you when we can," Aiden replies, his voice completely business-like once more, his face back to a professional mask, and I know they're disappointed .

I turn to look at the guys. They've been peculiarly quiet, and I know that they will have plenty to say once we get out of ear shot, but for now, I push to my feet and smile at the agents.

"I'll think on your offer."

Ryan jumps up, his chair falling to the ground with a loud clatter. "You can't be serious," he demands loudly, not seeming to notice the coffee shop has gone quiet to see what the commotion is about. "You're in danger, we all are, and you're turning us down?"

Aiden stands and places his hand on his cousin's shoulder, trying to calm the situation, and I'm aware of several sets of human eyes watching us. "Ryan, now is not the time—" he begins, but I interrupt, needing to explain my reasoning. I don't know why, but I don't want them thinking that I don't want to help people in need. Since when did I care what ASP thinks? Or perhaps it's not ASP I care about, but the agents who dream of a better life for us all.

"I've learned that ASP are the bad guys, the ones who will dole out justice as it suits them, and ignore those of us who are truly in need, and I can't just forget that. My trust is not easily given." I feel the guys gather closer behind me as I speak, their hands touching me so I know they're there, that they support me. Taking a deep breath, I give them a small smile as I continue, "This isn't a no, just give me some time to talk to my family."

There is a pause as my words sink in before Ryan nods and leaves without another comment, leaving Aiden watching after him as he storms out. Aiden is silent for a moment before his gaze returns to mine, his grey eyes apologetic. "Thank you, Ari, I'm sorry about Ryan. I hope we can meet again soon," he says as he finishes the last of his coffee, returning the empty mug to the table. My guys take the cue and start to file out, walking towards the door, but something stops me from following them. Turning, I stop Aiden with a hand on his arm.

"Who did you lose?" My words are quiet, so even those with supernatural hearing would struggle to hear what I'm saying.

His eyes narrow in confusion, but I know he knows what I'm asking. "What do you mean?"

"Earlier, when you were talking about helping those who need it most. I know that look you had in your eyes, I've lived it. You lost someone." A stubborn spark enters his eyes, and for a moment, I think he's going to brush me off and tell me I'm barking up the wrong tree, but he drops his gaze and lets out a long sigh.

"I didn't have the easiest upbringing. I was stolen from my family as a youngling by a group who trafficked shifter children. I was strong and the other kids looked up to me, so I was kept around longer. A young fox shifter and I became close, she was like a sister to me…" He pauses, and my heart aches, knowing what's coming next. "Anyway, she was killed. ASP eventually had to investigate the disappearances of shifter children, and we were rescued. They couldn't find my parents, but they managed to track down Ryan's family, who were the closest thing. Turns out, there's some wolf blood in my ancestry somewhere," he explains, and I have to fight the urge to wrap my arms around him.

"How long were you there for?" I don't need to explain where ‘there' was, he knows what I'm asking.

"Six years." I close my eyes briefly as he speaks, anger running through me. He was with those bastards for six years, and ASP did nothing. I may not know him well, but I wouldn't wish that life on anyone. When I open my eyes, I have one question.

"Are you happy now?"

He finally smiles at me. "Yes, Ryan's like a brother to me, and his mother treats me like her own. As for work, I find pleasure in helping those like me—like you."

I meet his eyes and see understanding there. He knows what it's like to not know who you can trust, but he has battled it and come out on the other side.

"Ari?" I turn to see who called me and see Seb waiting for me with a confused smile, the rest of the guys standing just behind him. Except someone is missing. Saying my goodbyes to Aiden, I walk over to the guys, looking around the coffee shop in the process .

"Where's Garett?" I ask, my nerves on edge without my bear here. I've become so used to having him around.

"He's just outside, he had to take a call," Alex replies, just as the door opens and my bear walks towards us. The smile that had begun to form on my face drops when I see his frown.

"What's wrong?" Everyone is on alert at my tone, looking around for any threats, but my eyes are firmly locked on Garett, who sighs, his body seeming to deflate in the process. This has me more worried than anything else. I've never seen my positive Garett like this before. "Garett?"

He avoids my eyes as he looks around at the others. "I hate to ask this of you, Ari, but I wouldn't do it if it wasn't important."

I try to stay calm, but he's making me nervous with his blatant avoidance of answering the question. "Anything. What's going on?"

"It's my brothers, we need to go over to my pack," he answers, and I feel a sense of relief fill me. Why was he so worried about asking me this?

"Of course, but why're you so stressed?"

"It's my brothers. I need you to help calm them down, they don't believe that Tori's dead. They won't listen to anyone else. We need you." The ever-present pain that appeared after Tori died flares in my chest, almost taking my breath away. It hurts so much that I see Eric and Killian rubbing their chests, feeling the pain through our bond. Killian steps forward and positions himself in front of me, as if to protect me from Garett.

"Stop. You're upsetting her—" Killian growls, but I cut him off.

"It's okay, Kill, I'll go, I want to help." There is some grumbling, but the grateful look on Garett's face is enough to help pull me through the pain-induced fog of Tori's death. Will this pain, this grief, ever leave? Or will I forever be torn, the fractured, gaping hole that Tori left behind defining the rest of my life? I can only hope I'll learn to live with it and that I don't let it consume me.