Pack of Lies

Aidan

~Jack!~

I called for my brother as I bounded back to my territory.

I had a hard time keeping my shit together. I could only see my Kiarra chained up like a dog because she wouldn’t comply.

Or would she?

Would the Kendricks be so vile and slick they could have convinced her to leave me behind?

~“Yes, Alpha!”~ He replied with the kind of immediacy I was fond of.

~“We have a serious situation! Haul ass to the office!”~

~“Yes, Alpha!”~

My mind swirled in anger and confusion. What had I done?

I knew I was relinquishing control when I gave in and sent Kiarra to the Apex Pack, but I wanted her to have what she needed to move on.

This entire thing has been a ruse, a pack of fucking lies! How could I have been so stupid?

As I reached the territory, I saw the day patrol making rounds.

~“I want the guard doubled on all sides of the territory! Understood?”~

~“Yes, Alpha!”~

I needed to make sure the pack was protected. There was no more room for fucking around.

Jack paced outside the office.

I pounded the door with my paws before I shifted to my human form, and they followed suit.

“We got a fuckin’ problem, a big one!”

I sat, but I could see that Jack was agitated.

“Angela? Is my mate okay, Alpha?”

I considered how I was going to break the news to him. I needed Jack, I needed him to keep his shit together so we could do this right.

“I need you to sit down, brother.”

His wolf flashed in his eyes, but he obeyed, “What is it?”

“I was, against your advice, near the Apex border. I was able to see Kiarra.”

I sighed and rubbed my face. This wasn’t going to be easy.

“She’s okay?” he asked.

He was calm and contemplative as usual, but he wasn’t stupid. He knew there was more to this story.

“She’s okay for now. I got a mind-link from Angela right after Kiarra left. We have a situation that’s way bigger than all of us.”

Jack started fidgeting.

“Jack, our girls are in trouble.”

There was no easy way to say that.

“What do you mean in trouble?” Jack pushed. He was impatient for information, and I didn’t blame him.

“According to Angela, the Kendricks are doing some dark shit. As far as we know, they’re holding wolves in basement prisons.”

“Like a dungeon? What is this, the Dark Ages?” Jack scoffed.

I continued, “The thing is, they’re killing these wolves.”

“Are they rogues? And what does this have to do with Ange and Kiarra?” Jack asked, still trying to put the pieces together.

“They’re not rogues,” I sighed, “they’re Apex pack members.”

The look on his face was about what I expected it to be.

Something like this had never been done in all my life, even from what I knew of my pack history.

“They’re killing their own? Are they insane?” he yelled, unable to stay in his seat, “that’s against every domestic and international council law ever created!”

“I know, I know.” I replied, “I have no more answers. I’m sorry, I wish I did.”

“What the fuck are you talking about!” Jack exploded. His fury had been simmering and now reached its point of no return.

“Apex are killing their wolves. Angela and Kiarra are there, so what the hell are we waiting for, Aidan? They need to get sprung immediately!”

I let him have the floor. I understood what he was feeling.

“If it were up to me, Jack, I’d have slaughtered the whole pack already. That’s why I called you. That’s why we're here. We need a plan.”

“Fuck your plan! I’m not waiting for those pricks to kill off my mate! You do whatever the hell you want, Aidan. I’m going to take care of my business!”

I sprang from my chair. We were face to face within an inch of each other's body, “You better back down! Remember who you’re talking to!”

“Oh, I know! I’m talking to the fuckin’ dipshit that allowed our mates to go into the belly of hell. I’m talking to the asshole who needs a plan after the fact!”

“Come on! Man! This isn’t helping us or our mates!”

He heard me, but still, he didn’t back off. He wanted blood. He didn’t care whose it was.

“I said back down, Jack!”

“No!” Jack growled.

This wasn’t what I had in mind.

“We don’t have time for your petty shit! You’re either with me or against me!”

“You got some fuckin’ nerve, buddy! Do you even remember how a real pack is run?” he spat back.

It was a low blow. I couldn’t hold back.

I shifted and lunged at him. He shifted, too.

We bit, snapped, and wrestled before I pinned him underneath me. My growls weren’t a warning anymore, but a promise.

“ENOUGH! YOU IDIOT! ENOUGH!”

I released him before I shifted back and sat in my chair.

I wasn’t one to back off, but part of me knew Jack and I weren’t thinking clearly.

“Jack?” I inquired, one eyebrow raised.

Jack shifted, but he wouldn’t sit; the adrenaline was still too intense.

“Okay,” he finally gave in, “if what Angela said is true, we have wolves being tortured. Why?”

“They have found their mates and won’t couple with the ones the pack has chosen,” I replied, glad to have been put back on track.

“And we’re talking what? Human mates?” he asked.

“Both. Any being that isn’t pure. You know what this means, right?”

“What?” Jack asked.

“Means the Kendricks had this planned all along,” I replied, “it means that if Kiarra is with them, they’re gonna make her choose.”

“They’re gonna make Angela have to defend her. Do you think that was a part of the plan?” Jack inquired, a little calmer than he was a moment ago. His rational mind had returned.

“I think they’ve been ten steps ahead of me for a long time, and I’m sorry, guys, I am. I didn’t see this coming.”

Jack looked at me but remained silent.

I couldn’t face losing Kiarra, but I couldn’t stop thinking, what if she never came home?

What if I had already lost her?