CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

A light wind sighed through the trees and swept over Bree’s face and arms, giving her a welcome reprieve from the heat. She shifted slightly on the hard, sun-warmed bench, straining to listen for the sound of a car engine. All she could hear were birdcalls, leaves and grass rustling, and the creak of branches as they swayed with the breeze. She was impatient to get the meeting over with, but the Silva Clan hyenas had yet to arrive.

It was typical for mediation meetings to be held on the territory of the mediator, which was why Bree found herself sitting at a clearing in a corner of Mercury Pack territory. The large grassy spot was ringed by bushes and tall, majestic trees. A peaceful little oasis.

Any other time, her cat might have relaxed; might have found comfort in the woodsy scents of pine needles, wild mint, and flowering shrubs. But the prospect of being face-to-face with Dale Bray had her wound far too tight. Bree, on the other hand, wasn’t quite as tense. As she’d told Alex, she wanted all this crap to stop. Speaking with the hyenas, drawing them out into the open, felt like a step toward making that happen.

She and Vinnie sat at a long table while Alex, Tate, Luke, and Greg stood guard behind them. Others from their pride were close enough to observe but not close enough to be seen or scented.

“I’ve got to say, Bree, you look remarkably calm,” said Shaya, sitting at the head of the long wooden table. “Most people are uneasy at mediation meetings—even if only because their inner animal isn’t pleased to be near someone who they consider a foe.”

Bree shrugged. “It is true that my cat would like to tear several strips out of his scalp, gag him with them, and then perform a vile and brutal version of testicle removal surgery while he’s alive and unable to scream.”

Shaya smiled at the sole female in her security team. “This is why I love pallas cats.”

Casey chuckled. The mink shifter stood with her mate, Eli, who was the pack’s Head Enforcer. Shaya’s mate, Nick, was also present, in addition to Madisyn’s mate, Bracken. Each member of the security team was highly dominant and had a reputation that screamed “fuck with me and die.”

“I’d never heard of Paxton Cage until the hyena mentioned him to Shaya,” said Nick. “I called a contact of mine who gave me some info on Cage. The things I heard … I’d say the term ‘sadistic killer’ is an understatement.”

Bracken looked at Casey. “So your mink’s kind of like his spirit animal then, huh?”

Eli’s lips thinned as he glared at the enforcer. “Her mink is not a sadistic killer.”

“Dude, wake up, she has piles of carcasses near your lodge. Carcasses of animals she killed for sport and sometimes uses as soccer balls. You gonna tell me that’s normal?”

“You’re just mad because she nipped you again.”

Bracken’s jaw tightened. “It was more than a nip, okay. That animal is crazy.”

“If you really want to talk about ‘crazy,’ maybe we could bring your precious little daughters into the conversation.”

“They’re not crazy. They’re just highly strung.”

Shaya turned to Bree. “You’ve met his girls, right?”

“Yes,” replied Bree. “Madisyn brought them into Pot of Gold a few months back to see Valentina—they adore her. One minute, they were laughing and singing. The next thing, Regan slammed her little sister’s face onto a jewelry display cabinet. Yasmin then let out a war cry and leapt on her sister, who started screaming at Madisyn to get ‘the Thing’ off her.”

Bracken winced and looked away.

Nick’s lips twitched. “Just highly strung, huh, Brack?”

“They never really mean to hurt each other,” said the male enforcer.

“My kids never get into fights,” Eli proudly claimed.

“They argue like it’s their job, though,” grumbled Casey.

Eli shrugged. “Arguing I can deal with.”

His mate hiked up a brow. “Is that why you banned them from using their tablets yesterday?”

Exasperation flashed on Eli’s face. “They were squabbling over who had a bigger stain on their clothes, like it even mattered.”

Bree looked at Shaya. “How’re your kids doing?”

“Great, thanks,” replied the Alpha female. “Cassidy’s doing well in her mate’s pack, but she visits a lot—which is good, because Willow misses her.”

“I hope you told Willow to stop hanging around with that punk,” Nick muttered.

Shaya sighed at him. “Kye is not a punk.”

Bree had met the young male in question. The son of the Phoenix Pack Alphas was a born alpha who carried himself with an ingrained confidence you didn’t often see in teens.

“Anyway, back to my kids,” began Shaya, turning back to Bree. “Kellen’s fine, though he’s going through an ‘I hate girls’ phase at the moment.”

Bree’s cat’s ears pricked up at the sound of a distant car engine. “Looks like the hyenas are finally gracing us with their presence.”

And just like that, everyone’s manner turned utterly serious.

Standing behind his mate, Nick spoke to Vinnie, “I understand you’d love to launch yourself over the table and grab Dale Bray—”

“I wouldn’t disrespect your mate that way,” Vinnie assured him.

Nick’s gaze cut to Alex, who’d planted himself directly behind Bree. She didn’t have to peek at Alex’s face to know that he’d look as cool and casual as ever. But it was clear that the Mercury Alpha wasn’t buying it.

It wasn’t long before Dale Bray and six other hyenas came prowling out of the trees. With anger roiling in her stomach, Bree never once took her eyes off Dale as he crossed to the bench. Her snarling cat remained close to her skin, on high alert.

Dale took a moment to greet Vinnie, Shaya, and Nick before turning his gaze on Bree. “Miss Dwyer. It’s a pleasure to see you again.”

She kept her face blank. “Is it?”

His lips twitched. “Perhaps the pleasure is all mine.” He seated himself on the bench opposite. Two of his hyenas sat on either side of him while the others fanned out behind them. None exhibited signs of hostility; they were all expressionless.

Shaya placed her clasped hands on the table. “Well, let’s get started. My name is Shaya Critchley-Axton. I’ll be acting as a mediator in this matter. My intent is to guide the discussion and help each party communicate their issues effectively. You are free to leave at any point.” She turned to Dale. “Could you please introduce yourself and your companions?”

“My name is Dale Bray, Alpha of the Silva Clan,” he said. He then introduced his Beta, Head Enforcer, and the four enforcers standing behind him.

Shaya turned to Vinnie. “Could you please introduce yourself and your companions?”

Lazily drumming his fingers on the table, he said, “Vinnie Devereaux, Alpha of the Olympus Pride. On my left is one of my omegas, Bree Dwyer. Behind me are my Beta, my Head Enforcer, and one of my enforcers. Bree’s partner stands behind her.”

Dale’s eyes snapped to Alex and briefly widened ever so slightly. Her involvement with someone should be enough to communicate to him that Paxton was not in her life. Of course, Dale could think it a bluff, but it was highly doubtful that he’d say so—offending a wolverine wouldn’t end well for him.

“Thank you,” said Shaya. “Dale, can you please outline the issue that prompted you to request this meeting?”

“It is two-fold, really,” replied Dale, his eyes on Vinnie. “Firstly, let me be very clear that I have no wish whatsoever to harm Miss Dwyer or cause her any upset. I simply wish for her help in finding a certain someone—nothing more, nothing less.”

“Bree’s already explained she can’t help you,” said Vinnie. “Not sure why you can’t just accept that. This shit’s getting old.”

Dale sighed. “I can understand the reason for your animosity. I heard of the attempts to snatch Miss Dwyer. I know you believe I was to blame, but that is not the case. I have never meant her any harm.”

“You sent the wolf,” Bree pointed out. “He said I had no choice but to go with him. He was ready to force me to get into his car.” Her cat hissed at the memory.

Dale’s brow furrowed. “I did not tell Frasier to take you by force. I simply made it clear that I was intent on speaking with you.”

“And you did speak to me … over the phone.”

“Yes, and you told me the same thing you told me that day in the street: Paxton Cage is dead. But I’ve heard through the shifter grapevine that you may not believe that anymore.”

“Maybe he is alive, maybe he isn’t. In any case, you’re wasting your time with me. I am not, nor have I ever been, in contact with Paxton since he left the pride. I have no wish to ever see him. And, quite frankly, I’ve no idea why you would.”

Dale rested his elbows on the table. “Let me tell you a story. My daughter was snatched at the age of eleven only to be dumped near the border of our territory by her kidnapper a few days later. She was unharmed. Didn’t have a single scratch on her. She told us that her captor fed her, kept her blindfolded, said little to her, and never once so much as threatened to harm her. All she was able to tell us about him was that he smelled of bitter apples, smoked wood, and black pepper.”

Bree’s stomach twisted. That was Paxton’s scent, all right.

“She once overheard him talk on his cell to a man he called ‘Desmond,’” Dale went on, his voice remarkably flat, considering the subject matter. “This happened to be the name of the Alpha of a rival hyena clan. We managed to capture the bastard. It took a while to get him to talk, but he admitted that he’d hired a lone shifter to kidnap my daughter and kill her in the most brutal way possible. A shifter known for sadistically torturing and maiming his victims until they are almost unrecognizable. A shifter named Paxton Cage.”

Fuck.

“I’d heard of him, of course,” Dale continued. “He had never been known to spare anyone but, according to Desmond, Paxton had refused to kill her. I eventually traced him back to your pride. I wanted to thank him. And, yes, I wanted to understand why he hadn’t harmed her. I found out that he had a true mate he’d never claimed. I found what information I could on you, Miss Dwyer. And then I understood. You see, my daughter is an omega.”

Bree’s breath caught, and her cat stiffened.

“I believe he couldn’t bring himself to harm my daughter because she reminded him of you. Perhaps she even made him think of the life he could have had if he hadn’t left you. I think he then gave up a very profitable lifestyle because he wanted to deserve you.”

Bree snorted. “Such a pretty theory. Come on, use your brain. If he felt that way, he’d have come out into the open and tried to claim me. He clearly has no instincts compelling him to do so.”

Dale twisted his mouth and his eyes darted to the side for a moment.

“If Paxton is alive, he is not at all in contact with me, so all the money you spent hiring people to take me was for nothing.”

“I did not hire the fox or the polar bears—and yes, I’ve heard all about that as well. I have no wish or reason to harm you, Miss Dwyer. Paxton spared my daughter’s life. I would not repay that by hurting his mate.”

“You don’t think it’s highly fucking suspicious that you turn up looking for Paxton and then I have people coming at me from all sides?”

“It does indeed look suspicious,” Dale allowed. “It also makes me wonder if someone else is sending danger your way hoping you’ll blame me and my clan. I am not your enemy. But you do in fact have one. I’ve even been in contact with them.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Is that so? And just who is it?”

“They didn’t give me their name. I only know that they are male. But Paxton’s parents should be able to point you in the right direction. I spoke with them shortly after I first talked with you. I left them my card, asking that they the pass my cell number to Paxton if he ever contacted them. A few days later, I received a call via a spoofing website.”

Vinnie’s eyes narrowed. “And just what did your caller say?”

“That I shouldn’t trust a word ‘that little bitch Bree’ said; that you’re definitelyin contact with Paxton and know where he is, but that you’ll never tell me. I can only assume this person got my number from Paxton’s parents. They’ll be able to tell you who they gave it to.” Dale studied Bree closely. “I can see you doubt my claims. Read me.”

She sensed Alex tense behind her; knew he didn’t like the idea of her touching this male. But if she read Dale, she might just catch some of his thoughts; might even hear something that would help. So she laid her hand over his and lowered her shields.

Curiosity. Determination. Confidence. Wariness. All of it struck her chest, but the pain wasn’t too bad, since none were ugly emotions.

She gritted her teeth as snippets of his thoughts were carved into her mind.

… know you can hear thoughts when you read …

… so hear the emotional truth in my words …

… did not hire the fox or the polar …

Now that the pain had faded, she slammed up her shields.

He eyed her curiously. “You didn’t use that nifty ability you have to push emotion into people. I wondered if you would use it on me.” And yet, he’d invited her to touch him.

“I don’t use it without a person’s consent. Unless it’s a matter of self-defense—then all bets are off.”

He inclined his head. “Having spoken to you at length today, I believe you, Miss Dwyer, that you’re unable to help me in my search for Paxton. I am going to leave my card with you. I ask that you give my details to him if he does make direct contact with you.” He fished a business card out of his pocket and put it on the table.

Shaya let out a breath. “Well, I’d say that concludes the meeting. Dale, you and your clan mates will leave first. Vinnie and his pride mates will leave ten minutes later. This prevents confrontations occurring between parties. Thank you, everyone, for attending.”

The hyenas left without another word. Only then did Alex sit on Bree’s other side and clasp her nape. His muscles hurt from how stiffly he’d stood, tense as a fucking bow at the sight of her so close to people who may or may not want her dead. “You okay?”

She nodded. “Fine. Just annoyed that I don’t know what to believe.”

Alex could relate to that. “What did you read from him?”

“Only determination, curiosity, confidence, and wariness.”

“Did you catch any of his thoughts?”

“He projected them at me; tried to ‘talk’ to me. He said he wanted me to hear the ‘emotional truth’ in his claim that he didn’t hire the loners. If he wasn’t a hyena and, therefore, an expert liar, I’d believe him wholeheartedly.”

“Do we think his daughter was truly taken, or do we think he spun us a tale?” Luke asked as he, Tate, and Greg came out from behind the bench.

Vinnie scraped his hand over his jaw. “There was the ring of sincerity in his voice but, as Bree pointed out, hyenas are known for being incredibly good liars.”

“If he is telling the truth that Paxton spared his daughter, I doubt Dale simply wants to thank him,” said Alex. “The little girl was unharmed, true, but she was still kidnapped. It’s not good for their not-be-messed-with reputation that her kidnapper still lives.”

Alex certainly wouldn’t show any mercy to someone who took his child, no matter what that person tried to do to make it right. Nothing would be enough for Alex to overlook it. The last thing he’d be interested in doing was “thanking” them.

Nick nodded. “It basically sends the message that if someone snatches one of their clan, they won’t be hurt so long as the hyena they took is returned unharmed.”

“What about Dale’s claim that someone called him saying that Bree knew where Paxton was?” asked Shaya. “If someone did that, what would they have hoped to achieve?”

Alex rested his hand on the crook of Bree’s neck. “If that did happen, I’d say they wanted to keep Dale’s attention on Bree; wanted him to stay on her tail so that we’d immediately blame anything else that happened to her on him.”

“So, in effect,” began Bree, “their intention could have been to set up the hyenas to take the fall. Presuming Dale’s telling the truth.”

“Yes.” And Alex couldn’t help but be pissed that that hadn’t once occurred to him. Fuck it all.

Later that day, Bree sat nestled into Alex’s side on his sofa while Vinnie gave Elle and Alex’s parents a rundown of what happened at the mediation meeting. Agitation rode Bree and her cat hard. Farrell’s attempt to follow the hyenas back to their territory failed. They’d fired bullets in his general direction—deliberately missing him, he’d insisted—until his bird became so spooked it jerked backwards and banged its head on a tree trunk hard enough to make it pass out. By the time he came around, the hyenas were nowhere to be seen.

“Dale’s story doesn’t add up for me,” said James, sitting beside his mate on the other end of the sofa. “I don’t see why Paxton would have an issue killing a kid just because she’s an omega like Bree. I doubt he would have even viewed the girl as a person.”

“I agree,” said Valentina. “It makes no make sense.”

“Most of the things Paxton did made no sense, though.” Tate shrugged, shifting slightly on the chair he’d dragged in from the kitchen. “Why should this be any different?”

Well, he had a point there.

Sitting in the armchair, Vinnie inclined his head. “And that is why it wouldn’t be wise to dismiss Dale’s claims. It never hurts to be cautious. If the perpetrator is from our pride, it’s likely one of the Cages and can only be Ruben or Calvin, since Dale’s caller was male. Some of my enforcers are picking them both up as we speak. It’s time I had a little talk with them. They can explain to me why they never informed me that the hyenas approached them.”

“I want to be there for that talk,” said Alex.

“Yes, I thought you might.” Vinnie flexed his fingers. “I won’t let it slip to them that Dale told me he gave them his card. I want to see if they volunteer that info themselves.”

“Ruben will be upset with Bree for renouncing Paxton, but I can’t see him ever paying people to abduct her,” said Elle, perched on the arm of the chair. “It has to be Calvin who’s doing all this. He could have given his guards the slip when need be.”

“But he has no motive to do these things to Bree,” said Tate.

“No motive that we know of,” Elle corrected.

Tate sighed. “It’s fucking shit to know that one of our own could be behind this.”

It was. You wanted to believe your pride was your “safe place,” but that wasn’t always the case. Bree folded her arms. “I guess you can find shitheads anywhere.”

Luke nodded. “My words, your mouth.”

Vinnie’s phone began chiming. He pulled it out of his pocket and answered, “Hello?” His body went rigid. “Repeat that.” His face reddened. “Keep looking.” Pocketing his phone, he said, “That was Farrell.”

“And?” asked Tate.

“Ruben is gone,” replied the Alpha.

Bree stiffened, exchanging a look with Alex.

Luke blinked. “Gone?”

“Yes. So is Calvin. And Bernadette. And Moira.” A muscle in Vinnie’s cheek flexed. “No one saw them leave their homes, but they’re gone for sure.”

Alex cursed. “Are any of their belongings missing?”

“It looks as if Bernadette, Ruben, and Moira packed some things and left,” said Vinnie. “But the scene at Calvin’s apartment was much like that at Drina’s and Mateo’s—bloodstains, broken phone, nothing else disturbed.”

“Fuck,” Alex bit out.

“We didn’t make it common knowledge among the pride that we were meeting with the hyenas, but the Cages could have found out about it somehow,” said Luke. “If one of them is involved in what’s been happening to Bree, they might have confessed to the others. They might then have left as a family.”

“Hell, they could have all been in on it, wanting revenge on Bree for renouncing Paxton,” suggested Tate. “Calvin might have decided to stage it to look as though he was taken to throw us. Or maybe he was taken, and the others got so spooked by it that they left.”

Bree groaned. “I feel dizzy from all the theories bouncing around.” No less confused, her cat lay down and rested her chin on her forelegs.

“The good news is that Paxton might not be back after all—he might not even be alive,” said James. “The Cages might have just wanted to make you believe he was, Bree. They might have just wanted to scare or hurt you.”

If that was the case, Bree would be a very happy woman. But she couldn’t bring herself to believe it. She wasn’t sure what to think anymore.

“Operating on the assumption that one or all of the Cages were behind the attempts to kidnap Bree, do you think the fact that they’ve left the pride now signals that it’s over?” Elle asked her father. “That they’ll leave her alone?”

“I don’t know,” said Vinnie. “But I wouldn’t bank on it.”