Chapter 162

[ 1,426 words ]

Ronan

“At least pretend you want to be here,” Rick grumbles at Elliot who is sitting across from me.

“Why should I?” He says with a raised brow. “Every moment here is one away from my princess. I’ll never be happy with that.”

Rick looks amused by Elliot’s attitude. It’s probably why he keeps pestering him.

Sigrid rolls his eyes beside Eillot.

The other Alphas are taking their seats including Ben, Cobalt, and Hazam. All thirty two packs are represented by an Alpha and two warriors from their pack.

My wolf dismisses the males.

Always one to hold a grudge, he won’t let it go that most of the males at this table refused to fight when the Assembly had tried to condemn us.

They enjoy the peace our war brought, but we’re silent like mice when we call for their aid. Why they are here I don’t know.

You have to let it go.

He looks at me like I suggested he wear a clown costume when we shift.

“How is the spark?” Hazam says, a mischievous light in his eyes.

I don’t take the bait.

“Great. Our pup is growing nicely.”

“Your second right?” Hazam asks.

I nod.

“Blessings from the Goddess.” He turns his attention to Liam. “Word has spread of your virility. Congratulations.”

“Don’t say that to my mate. She’s not impressed with me right now,” Liam grunts.

Hazam laughs. “I’ll bet. After the meeting is over, let’s speak.”

My wolf stands at attention.

Hazam reads my suspicion. “Nothing nefarious. Just a question.”

The honesty in his words eases my protective instincts.

“Alright,” Liam says. “But you’re buying me dinner.”

“Done.” Hazam says.

The Alpha finishes filing in and one of the Syphers working for Rick closes the door.

I recognize the silent male, the wind Sypher who had made the attack that changed the tide of our war.

His hair is long for a male. A dark, long curtain that hangs mid back and is kept in a half up and half down style.

It is a contrast to his more relaxed and oversized style of clothing.

He stands by the door like a guard.

Rick taps his hand on the table, calling for everyone’s attention and the room falls silent.

“As each of you know from my communication, we have a problem. The series of murders popping up around the states that can all be traced back to shifter attacks.”

The tension in the room pulls taut.

“This issue isn’t going away, it’s getting worse and more, it’s crossing over.”

“You’re going to need to be a little clearer, oh great one,” Elliot says.

The corner of Rick’s mouth twitches. “In the last two days we’ve gotten humans turning up dead or on the brink of death.”

“Humans?” Ben asks. “What do they have to do with anything?”

“That is where all our therapies fall short. We have several ideas as to why they would attack shifters, everything from a twisted sense of altruism to the Assembly to an outright attack on Sypher and human bloodlines. But now with these recent attacks, the pieces don’t fit.”

“That isn’t where it ends,” the wind Sypher says. “Videos have been popping up on the dark web, videos of the attacks.”

“They’re exposing us,”Colton says, his fist curled in tight.

“Perhaps,” Rick concludes, “or maybe exposure is just one of the outcomes of their actions.”

My mind struggles to argue with Rick. From the sporadic way the victims were selected, to the barely there link between them all, there has to be something we are overlooking.

Something our enemy is utilizing to keep us in this guess who chase.

He is trying to confuse us, to keep us wondering what’s next, my wolf says.

I have to agree. A confused and scattered enemy is an enemy that is easier to overcome.

“So what should we be searching for?” One of the Alphas from the southern states asks.

Rick nods as the wind Sypher. The male pulls out manlea envelopes and goes around the room handing them out.

“Xochitl is handing out a list of all the victims and some basic facts about them. I want each of you to put your best enforcers on the task of digging up what you can.”

“You want to find the link,” I say, flipping through the documents.

Rick nods. “If we’re all working on the same goal chances are someone’s going to bump into something.”

“Not to mention the link between the victims is the best way to find a pattern, see if we can pinpoint how or where he will strike,” Kade says.

I figured now is the time to share what we found out from our little handsy friend.

“If I may,” I ask Rick respectfully. He nods so I continue. “A week ago, one of my submissives was a victim of an attempted abduction. My pack suspects there is a link to the murders.”

“Attempted,” Hazam questions.

“One of my enforcers Sebastian, her mate, and Kade hunted them down and got her back. We apprehended one of the males and the second was disposed of. Once we had ourselves a friendly chat it was clear the intention was to deliver the female to someone.”

“Why would they try to take her,” Ben asks, his sharp eyes focused on me like a harpy eagle.

“My cousin has a rare gift, she can distort and discern people’s emotions, make them act based on feeling she is completely in control of,” Kade says.

The murmurs around the room tell me that some of the Alpha’s are impressed. It is rare for a submissive to have a gift as strong as Quinnie.

“We also found out that there is a network of people doing these killings, not one like we originally thought. But they all seem to report to someone else. Someone the male asserted he never saw or knew the name of.”

“So it’s a group of them,” Cobalt says.

“Yes. And they don’t just want to kill. If they were trying to kidnap someone I think it’s safe to assume they have an agenda we just haven’t found out about yet.”

“Thank you Ronan for the update,” Rick says.

“And with the new understanding that whoever is behind this is working more like a gangster organization, we can guess the grunts won’t have answers for us which makes finding the link even more important.”

“Agreed. But what about humans? They are exposing us on the dark web which means that there will be an influx of people who learn about our existence.”

There are nods around the table.

Rick clasps his hands together.

The weight of our world resting on his shoulders.

We wanted safe integration, but learning about us this way will undoubtedly spread fear.

“For now, we will dispatch a team of Faints to use the call on them and erase their memory of us. I will give each of you a number to call if and when a human is found so we can do it as quickly and safely as possible,” Rick states.

We all nod our assent, recognizing his authority.

“Well, for now the meeting is adjourned. Look over the notes we’ve provided and if you think of anything contact me immediately,” Rick stands signaling for us all to take our leave.

The Wind Sypher walks up to Rick saying something quietly in his ear.

The question that has been bubbling in my mind since I first saw him comes to the forefront and I approach the males.

Liam and Kade’s presence are behind me.

Rick turns to me first and the Sypher goes to leave but I cut him off before he can go.

“Xochitl, right?”

He stares at me for a moment, eyes distant. “Yes.”

“I am—

“I’m aware of who you are, Alpha Ronan. After all, your mate is the reason we all came out of hiding.”

The words were matter of fact, not snide or cruel.

“That’s good we can skip the small talk and get straight to the point. Our pup is a Wind Sypher.”

His eyes widen, only slightly but I can tell he is intrigued. “Truly?”

“Recently manifested,” Kade adds, understanding what I am getting at. “And it would be great if he had a teacher who could aid him in controlling his power. He is a bit rambunctious.”

Rick chuckles behind Xochitl. “That’s one word for it.”

The male is quiet for so long I think he won’t answer me.

“I will review my schedule and make time to visit your pack.’

“Thank you,” I say genuinely.

“No thanks needed. He is the Magnus Alpha grandson after all.” He gives Rick a look I can only describe as smug.

“Don’t start you wretch,” Rick huffs.

“Don’t be such a sore loser. It’s unbecoming for a leader,” he says.

Xochitl turns his attention back to me. “I’ll be in contact.”

The male nods his goodbye and exits the room.

“What was that about?” Liam asks.

“I just lost one hundred and fifty dollars,” Rick grumbles.

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