Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 103681 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 518(@200wpm)___ 415(@250wpm)___ 346(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103681 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 518(@200wpm)___ 415(@250wpm)___ 346(@300wpm)
“Think of what it must cost per person to clothe, clean, and feed the residents,” said Jaime. “The animal sanctuary I work at is hard to keep running; it must be way harder to run the shelter.”
“What’s the interior like?” Lydia, Cam’s mate, asked.
Jaime fed some scraps of meat to her cat. “I would have expected a shelter to feel melancholy and hopeless. It didn’t, though. There’s warmth and comfort there. But also a hint of sadness. It was in the eyes of some of the residents. It made me wonder what they’d been through.”
Taryn looked at Grace. “It was absolutely heartbreaking seeing little kids there. Some were just babies—one of them was so little, I think he might have been born there.”
Scooping more dessert onto the spoon, Grace said, “I don’t want to even imagine how hard it would be to have to live in a shelter with my Lilah. Even though the shelter sounds like a good place, it would still be a sad situation for anyone.”
“Not sadder than being on the streets.” Jaime sighed. “It’s horrible to think that Zac was once in that situation. I wonder how he ended up at the shelter.”
Trick, an enforcer, pushed his empty plate aside. “Considering all that’s going on, wouldn’t it be better to bring him here, out of Remy’s reach?”
Taryn shook her head sadly. “I wish I could, but he doesn’t feel safe with us yet. And I think Trey’s right, parting him from Makenna might be hard. I was pretty suspicious of her and her motives at first, but I totally misjudged her. Dawn said she’s been there since she was a kid. I’m guessing that she’s changed her name because she doesn’t want to be found.”
Ryan grunted his agreement.
Dominic, another enforcer, lounged in his chair with his arms crossed behind his head. “I’m looking forward to meeting Zac. Bring him here for a visit.”
“He won’t come,” said Taryn. “Not yet. He knows we’d prefer to have him here for his own safety; he won’t trust us not to force him to stay.”
She was right, which was why . . . “Remy has to be dealt with.”
Dante’s eyes snapped to Ryan. “He will be.” It was a vow.
“I called Shaya and told her everything,” announced Taryn. “Of course, she now thinks Dawn, Makenna, and Madisyn are angels and that Remy needs to jump off a cliff.”
Ryan had every intention of attending the mediation meeting. Makenna might not realize it yet, but he would see this matter through to the end with her—even if Zac was part of his pack before the situation was resolved. Since it had shot to life earlier, he’d been unable to shake off the protectiveness or the feeling that it was his right to look out for her.
Trey turned to Rhett. “What did you find out about Remy?”
Rhett put down his coffee. “His father died when he was seven, so he was raised by his mother.” Most shifters couldn’t survive the breaking of a mating bond, but some managed to hang on. “He has a lot of alliances and friends in high places. He became pack Alpha four years ago. Since then, he’s been challenging the packs around him to expand his own, spreading over California like a virus. And now he seems to want the territory that the shelter sits on.”
Tao, who had Kye sitting on his lap—the kid was playing some kind of game on Tao’s cell phone—frowned. “I can’t work out why Remy wants that territory. It’s a really bad area that’s well known for housing loners.”
“Maybe it’s not the territory he wants,” suggested Trick. “Maybe he wants the shelter.”
Cam frowned. “But why?”
Trick shrugged. “It could be that he’s hoping to shut it down. Being Alpha to Dawn would give him the power to do it.”
“But why would he want to shut it down?” Cam asked him.
“I didn’t say I had the answer. It’s just a theory.”
Ryan had a theory of his own. “I’ve been thinking about this . . . and I don’t believe this is about the territory at all.”
Trey cocked his head. “Why?”
“I once heard a rumor about Remy.” A rumor that he hadn’t thought could possibly be true—or maybe he hadn’t wanted to believe it. But now, with everything going on around them, he wondered if there was something to it. And that made Ryan’s wolf want to rip out the fucker’s throat. “If it’s to be believed, Remy’s not into females.”
Dante’s brows flew up. “He’s gay?”
Ryan shook his head. “He likes little boys.”
There was a stunned silence followed by a string of curses.
“Are you sure?” asked Taryn.
“Like I said, it’s a rumor.”
Taryn suddenly looked nauseous. “There were a lot of kids at that shelter.”
Dante’s hand paused as it stroked over Jaime’s hair. “Such kids would be the perfect targets—they don’t have a pack to defend them, they don’t have anywhere to go unless Makenna rehomes them. If he was her Alpha, he could prevent her from doing so. Dawn said that kids are handed over to them frequently.”