Chapter 148

Chapter 148: Briggs I had the maps laid out on the bed of my truck. I was studying them when Pierce pulled into the empty lot. I could tell he wasn’t happy to be here, but that made two of us.

“What is all this about, Briggs?” he asked.

“Your Alpha really likes pushing his luck, doesn’t he?”

Pierce sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “He’s been known to. What did he do now?”

“You tell me,” I demanded, pointing at the maps before me. “Kingston insisted on coming with us because he knew the best way to get to Ayla. But don’t think that was the case.

“J “Of course it was,” Pierce said. “He may not know the right way to show it, but Kingston loves Ayla.”

“Then why did he risk her life?” I yelled.

“You don’t know what you’re...”

“He was looking for something, Pierce,” I insisted, waving a map at him. “And I think he found it.”

“Hold on,” he said. “You’re not making any sense, Briggs. Calm down and explain.”

I took a deep breath. Pierce may have been blindly loyal to Kingston, but he wasn’t hiding anything.

“We found these among Harry’s things,” I informed him. “They’re maps 0.00%

11:28 C Chapter 148: Briggs 288 Vouchers of the tunnels beneath the Onyxcrown packhouse. If you look at them, you can tell Harry was searching for something.”

Pierce looked over the drawings.

“Okay, sure,” he said. “I’d say that’s what it looks like. Why do you think this has to do with Kingston?”

“The guide markers,” I said. “This is the marker we were following.” I pointed to the symbol I remembered clearly. “Here’s where we entered the main building to get to Ayla. If these are accurate, then there were two other ways that would have gotten us there faster.”

Pierce’s brow furrowed as he examined my findings.

“That could have just been the only way he remembered,” he argued.

“He was pretty insisted that he knew his way around,” I retorted. “And I believe him.”

Pierce pushed his hand through his hair.

“Or it was hubris.” He was grasping at straws.

“Your Alpha endangered my Luna,” I growled.

“He knew I was with Theo. He knew we’d find her,” Pierce ranted. “I won’t believe he would risk letting anything happen to Ayla.”

“That ba**ard nearly raped her,” I bellowed.

Pierce grimaced. “I know.”

“And had we not split up, had Theo not trusted his instincts, you never would have made it in time,” I spat. “So don’t you f**king tell me he wouldn’t let anything happen to her. Because he very nearly did. Now, 20.16%

Г 11:30 Chapter 145, 6nggs 299 Vouchers I want to know what the f*ck was so important to him that he would risk her life.”

“I don’t know,” Pierce yelled back.

He walked away, his shoulders tense as he clenched his fists.

“I don’t know what the hell is going on with Kingston anymore,” he admitted. “He doesn’t confide anything in me. Everything is so secretive with him. But even before, he never talked about his life before Sablemane. Only about the ba**ards who killed his family. But this is not Kingston. It’s like he’s lost his da*n mind.”

Knowing what I did about Alpha Harden’s suspicion about Ayla’s effect on unmated Alphas, I suspected that was more true then he réalized. He hadn’t just been around Ayla the longest. They had had a relationship.

“We may have something to help with that,” I said sympathetically.

“Yeah, I’m sure fixing Kingston’s psychosis is right up your alley,” Pierce snapped.

“Just trust me, man,” I insisted. “But something else is going on, and I can almost guarantee it has to do with Ayla. And Kingston has lost all my trust when it comes to her.”

“Why do you think he found anything?” he asked.

“We got separated,” I stated. “He made it seem like another trap, but it definitely wasn’t one Harry set. A wall closed up. That was a built-in security system. A very old one. It still could have been an accident, but I don’t think it was. I think he did it on purpose so he could retrieve whatever it was he was there for.”

“Okay,” he conceded. “I’ll see what I can get out of him. This whole 43.94%

|||

J 11:30 124 Waters thing has gotten f**ked up, Briggs. I don’t want a war, man. The pack can’t take it right now.”

That was a dangerous thing to admit. But it was why I still trusted him. Our packs had been allies for generations. It would be devastating for both if that changed.

“I don’t either,” I agreed. “Which is why I haven’t told Theo or Ayla about this. We may need Kingston before the end of this, and if Theo knew...”

“He’d kill Kin on sight,” Pierce finished. “Yeah, I get it. Honestly, I can’t say I’d blame him anymore. But I’d still try to stop him.”

“And I get that,” I replied. “But that’s why we need to get to the bottom of this. Before Kingston does something else stu*id.”

I started rolling up the maps to head out.

“We may need to plan a trip back to those tunnels,” Pierce said hesitantly.

I really didn’t want to ever go back down there, but I had already considered that it may be necessary.

“Yeah,” I conceded. “But we’d need to at least bring Randy or Alpha Cooper into it. I’d rather keep this between us until we have a better idea of what we’re dealing with. Alpha Harden and Alpha Cooper aren’ t particularly impressed with Kingston right now, either. So, if Cooper or Randy reach out to him, I suggest you encourage him to play nice. I have a feeling they have more reach than they care to admit.”

Pierce nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

He headed back to his car.

71.53%

|||

11:30