Chapter Fourteen

STOMPING DOWN THE stairs, Everton wrestled with a T-shirt, attempting to get dressed as he descended to the first floor of the pack house. He wanted a full report from Franco, and considering how far things had gone in his bedroom with Cam, a small part of his rational brain was grateful for Serge’s interruption.

Serge had already scuttled away, yelling about his bleeding eyeballs.

Those brief moments with Cam, staring into his fae catlike green eyes, grasping those horns—the fire burning in his groin indicated Everton the human and Everton the wolf wanted Cam for the long haul. Not only for a tawdry, sweat-covered, juice-flowing, fur-covered, hot moment. He wanted more of everything Cam had to offer. Daily. And Cam wanted the tussle as well, but would he keep Ev around for good?

Ev shook his head. Time to focus. He needed to see the body Franco should have arrived toting. Studying the remains might give him some clues as to what had happened to Lars, and perhaps even indicate what kind of creature took him out.

Whatever manner of Shadow Realm beast killed Lars, the monster had to be insidiously powerful.

Stupid Lars. If there were two paths of action to travel, guaranteed Lars would choose the road to destruction, putting himself and his packmates in harm’s way.

Franco stood in the kitchen, pouring a cup of coffee. If Ev started drinking coffee this late at night, he’d never sleep.

“Hey, what did you find out? Did you put Lars in the shed?”

“Yeah, so, about that.” Franco dumped a few teaspoons of sugar into the brown liquid and stirred.

“Oh. My. Gods. Is that coffee?” Cam gasped, from behind Everton.

“Who the fuck?” Franco’s body position changed from “relaxing at home” to “on guard.”

“Chill.” Ev raised a hand. An indication to stop any aggression. “Franco, this is Cam. Cam, this is my second, Franco.”

Cam’s tail flicked back and forth, and his furred wings fluttered.

“Nice to meet you, Franco.” Cam extended his hand in greeting. Franco took the fae’s elongated fingers, squinting and eyeing Cam carefully. “Ev, you never told me you had a second, or that you left the best-looking wolf in charge!”

“Cam.” Ev glared at him.

“What? It’s true. Look at him! He’s almost as beastly as you. And judging from his beard—” Ev shoved a hand overtop of Cam’s mouth and shook his head.

Franco chuckled to himself.

“There’s something you need to know, Cam. Not everyone in this pack house will be friendly or accepting of your gregarious and flirtatious nature. They are werewolves. They have a tendency to go off. Unchecked anger issues. Yeah?”

Cam cocked an eyebrow and moved his head to stare at Franco.

Ev followed his gaze.

Franco had a huge shit-eating grin plastered on his face. He winked at Cam.

“Okay, you”—Ev wagged a finger at Franco—“do not encourage him. Please. I have enough of a bleeding ulcer from leading you monsters. Let’s try to not aggravate my wounds any further.”

“Well, Cam, nice to meet you. Eldritch? Yes?” Franco’s grin turned into a bit of a leer.

“Apparently. It’s complicated.” Cam made a goofy face, leaned over to Ev, and whispered, not nearly quietly enough, “You can bring him to bed with us if you want.” He waggled his eyebrows. “Can I have some coffee? I haven’t had real coffee in forever!”

Franco burst a gut laughing. “Sure. You want milk, cream, and sugar or…we might have artificial sweetener here somewhere?”

“Black, but with sugar is fine, thanks.”

“We’re gonna get along just fine.” Franco opened a cupboard, pulled out a mug, and made a coffee for Cam. He leaned over to Ev and whispered too loudly, “I would probably join in.”

“You two will be the death of me.” Everton’s cheeks and scalp glowed a deep beet red. Considering Serge had interrupted what promised to be a spectacular blowjob, the idea of returning to his bedroom and ripping Cam’s clothes off got him all hot and bothered. Sharing him with Franco…just…no.

Well, maybe?

No. Never.

“Nicely done.” Cam grinned a sharp-toothed smile toward Franco.

“Okay, enough out of both of you. Franco, what did you find out?”

“Well, nothing you’re going to be happy about.”

Serge entered the kitchen, wiping his eyes. “I can’t get the image out of my head.”

“Shut up. You’ll be fine,” Ev said. “Maybe next time, you’ll knock.”

“What the hell are you?” Serge glared at Cam.

“Oh my Gods, this isn’t school time. Serge, sit and shut up.” Everton scolded the young pup.

“Hmph.” He slumped onto a kitchen bar stool on the opposite side of the counter from where Cam sat. He leered at the fae, studying him, and kept glancing at Cam’s horns and wings.

Cam stretched his membranous wings outward, making a show of them.

Everton grew more and more frustrated.

“Franco, what do you mean?”

“I mean by the time I got to Emily Murphy Park, where Serge insisted the witches had killed Lars, the Magistrates were already there, and they had confiscated the body.”

“Shit.”

“Yeah. That means we can expect a visit from them soon.”

“They don’t control us,” Serge piped up.

“No, they ensure Witch Law is carried out. But I don’t need them snooping in our business, which they will do now that they have possession of a dead werewolf. They have the potential to make our lives difficult. And I don’t need any more difficult situations. Lars being dead is quite enough.”

“None of you seem too broken up about this Lars,” Cam offered.

“He was a total asshole, and guaranteed, his attitude did him in.” Franco rolled his eyes.

“Franco, he was still pack!” Ev hated how his day had transpired.

“Didn’t make him less of an asshole, Ev,” Franco retorted, then turned to Cam. “He was a pig. You should see how he kept his bedroom. I constantly had to clean up after him. He left dead bodies lying around the city—not that he ever told Daddy here.” Franco jutted a thumb in Ev’s direction. “I cleaned those up, for the pack, and you’re welcome. Lars never did dishes, mowed the lawn, or went grocery shopping, even on his scheduled days.” Franco nodded toward a calendar hanging on the side of the fridge. The grid had names written on each day. “I bet Cam would be a better packmate than Lars.” He grinned at his new buddy.

Cam beamed as his wings slanted sideways. A sure sign he was playing coy.

“Okay, I can’t. You two are not going to be besties.” Ev tried to pull the coffee mug away from Cam, but Cam’s grip tightened around the cup while he glared at Ev and snarled at him.

“You leave my coffee alone. Besides, I’m allowed to flirt with whoever I want. And if we’re gonna all get together later, I want to know him better.” Cam winked at Franco, who did everything possible to not laugh out loud.

Serge, on the other hand, sat on the end of the eat-up bar, shell-shocked. His mouth hung open as his stare rotated between Ev, Franco, and Cam.

The door opened and Josip walked in.

Ev put a hand up to his forehead and rubbed.

“Josip, weren’t you visiting with the ex?” Ev barked out.

“She’s a bitch, and all the reasons why I left her were on full display. Had to leave. Couldn’t be in the same room. Who’s the fairy?”

“Hi, I’m Cam.” Cam bounced out of his chair and extended his hand for a second time.

Josip, as tall as the others, did a double-take at Cam. He pulled away, squinting at the fae with suspicion.

Cam stood there, hand extended, left hanging.

“Yeah. Okay.” He ran a hand through his salt-and-pepper hair, scratched the nape of his neck, then turned to Everton and tossed him a cell phone. “Check out the pictures. I picked up his alpha scent when I had to go for a walk around the block. The ex wasn’t playing nice, and before I lost my cool around her and the kids, I walked out. Needed some space. You’ll be surprised who I stumbled upon. We battled him last year.”

Ev tapped the phone to wake it up. No security existed on Josip’s phone, no password or face recognition. Ev would have to chat about safeguarding pack business with Josip, but the forty-four-year-old divorcé didn’t do well with tech devices. Or his anger management skills, hence the divorce.

Josip also wasn’t particularly happy about being the only straight male in the pack, but no other pack existed within Edmonton’s city limits, and the Night Stalkers in central Alberta had a notoriously savage reputation. Despite his anger issues, Josip at least stayed in his kids’ lives and tried to be a decent father. Being associated with such a violent group wouldn’t have helped his custody arrangement.

When Josip did get the kids every second week for an overnighter on Saturdays, the entire pack house devolved into utter chaos.

He opened the photo app. The first few photos he glanced at were taken at such a distance it remained impossible to accurately identify Addas. In the third photo, however, the dominating frame of the man made recognition easy. From the deep tan of his Middle Eastern skin to the four days of heavy scruff, the beast-sized male was Addas. Byron Radcliff’s lover had managed to survive his first shift. The renegade mutant wolf had been the reason for Everton’s captivity and torture for over a year.

“That’s the one you bit, yeah? Looks like revenge didn’t work out in your favour,” Josip sneered.

“Jesus Christ, he’s huge. I didn’t think he’d survive the gnawing you gave him. Looks like the witch survived the bite and his first transition!” Franco peered over Ev’s shoulder. “Shouldn’t have. Everyone knows witch-werewolf combo doesn’t work. But…” Ev closed his eyes and pursed his lips. Anger stirred in his gut. The all-male coven had caused him and his packmates nothing but problems for decades. The ambush they were led into, the ensuing fight where Everton witnessed his packmates being destroyed by witch magic still caused him nightmares. The subsequent abduction and torture for a year compounded his rage.

Then Cam had shown up.

“Except, Addas isn’t only a witch-werewolf. He has a little bit of me in him.”

Franco screwed up his eyebrows and twisted a glance toward Cam. “What do you mean?”

“I told you about the fae in the dungeon.”

“Oh my Gods! You’re that fae?” Franco slapped Ev’s shoulder blade. “You should have said something.” Franco walked around to sit beside Cam who had retaken his seat at the kitchen eat-up bar. Franco leaned into Cam. “I need details. He won’t talk about his time there.” Franco stared at Cam, who in return delivered a wicked smile and a raised eyebrow, nodding.

“Gurl, you know I’m going to give you all the deets.” Cam tried to suppress a huge cat-caught-the-canary grin. “Oh yeah, we’re gonna be good friends.” He giggled.

“Fuck me dead,” Ev muttered. “Josip—” Ev tossed his phone back to him. “—send me the address. I’m going to go talk to Addas. Maybe we can resolve this and get him to move away.”

“You seriously think he’s going to leave the city where his lover still lives?” Cam piped up.

“What do you mean?” Serge, who from the perpetual confused look on his face hadn’t followed much of the conversation, tried to join in with the rest of the adults in the room.

Cam raised an eyebrow. “Well, look at the lengths Byron went to in order to save Addas from what everyone believed to be a death sentence. In the end, all of Byron’s efforts were for nothing, and not only did Byron fail spectacularly, he also got himself infected. If I were in Addas’s shoes and turned out I survived my first transformation into a werewolf—when everyone said I shouldn’t, or wouldn’t, but did, and then infected my lover—don’t you think I’d stick around to make sure my lover also survived their first transformation? If Byron doesn’t, I bet Addas will leave. He’d have nothing left to stay here for.

“But if Byron does survive, I would imagine Addas would attempt a reconciliation. A make up for, ‘Sorry I bit you, but I had mad werewolf rage. Can you ever forgive me? I love you forever and ever’ kind of bullshit. Right? And then they would be witch-fae-werewolves together and continue with the Guardians of the Night Grove. Wouldn’t that be fucking special?”

“Your boyfriend has a point.” Franco squinted and pulled his mouth to one side, remaining quiet as he concentrated.

“He’s not my boyfriend,” Ev blurted.

Franco glared at Ev. ”Funny, your scent is all over him, and I don’t mean your cheap aftershave.” He cocked an eyebrow while sneering at his pack lead.

“You’re awfully close to being insubordinate,” Ev growled.

Franco shrugged.

Cam bit his lip, trying not to laugh.

“I think Ev has issues with dating someone with horns and wings, and he also doesn’t follow through on promises,” Cam explained to Franco, ignoring everyone else in the room.

Serge shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

“I’m out. Here…” Josip walked over to the side counter where the landline resided at a small desk, jotted down the address, ripped the sheet off the pad of sticky notes, and thrust the yellow piece of paper toward Ev. “I’m not sitting around for this shit show. If you want help, you know where to find me.” Josip opened the door to the basement and disappeared.

Ev grumbled, as the basement door closed. “Great, thanks.” Sarcasm and ire dripped from his wolf tongue. Ignoring his wolves’ disobedience, he continued, “Okay, I’m going to go talk to Addas and tell him to keep his distance. He can’t be anywhere near here on the cycle. Which is in two nights.”

“Huh?” Cam furrowed his eyebrows. They had grown longer as his body had settled into becoming fae. The ends twirled up, giving him a distinctly lynx-like appearance. The pointy furry ears added to the illusion.

“During the full moon, wolves get a little cray-cray,” Franco added. “We retain most of our consciousness and memories when we shift outside of a full moon, but only mature wolves can shift beyond the pull of the cycle. Immature ones have to learn control over their inner beasts. Isn’t that right, Serge? The babies only shift during the moon cycle’s apex. Serge here figured out some fucked-up, in-between state. Looks fucking goofy.”

“Franco, don’t egg him on,” Ev warned.

“Fuck you, Franco.” Serge stood and lunged at his superior. His chair nearly toppled.

“Serge, second time today. Settle.” Ev glared at him. “Why don’t you go upstairs and chill out?”

“Fuckers,” Serge spat out, then listened to his pack leader and left the room.

Ev sighed. “I don’t have the energy for this.”

“Relax.” Franco tortured him further. He continued his explanation to Cam, “Addas is still immature as a wolf, so he won’t be able to control his shift. A young wolf during a full moon is usually a disaster. Guaranteed. He’s also likely to suffer from bloodlust and he’ll hunt. If he’s in city limits, he’ll kill anything he can stalk. People included. He’d be better off vacating the city and going hiking in the mountains for a few days.”

“Which is exactly what I’m going to suggest. I don’t care if he wants to stick around to find out whether or not Byron survives, but he needs to keep his damn distance.” Ev shoved the sticky note with the address of Addas’s last known location into his pocket.

“Plus, alpha werewolves emit a pheromone that attracts wolves who are not alphas. And the stronger the odour, the less resistance there is to the chemical aphrodisiac. Having more than one alpha in an area means there’s constant competition for pack members.”

“You do know there’s no such thing as alpha wolves, right? It’s total bullshit. There’s a dominant couple in every group who leads the wolf pack, and those wolves tend to be the parents of a family group.” Cam challenged Franco. He’d learned about this in his university biodiversity course years ago during one of his “I’m finding myself” semesters.

“True. I’m impressed. Doesn’t work the same for werewolves, though. Whether I like it or not, Everton smells amazing. The scent is sex on a stick, and one my wolf wants to be around. So, two alphas in a small geographic area is problematic. The competition for a leader creates chaos, and subordinate wolves will choose the stronger odour or the wolf who wins a battle challenge for the territory.

“And as much as I hate to say this, we tend to fare better as part of a group. Lone wolves end up going loopy.”

“Oh, so Ev smells good? I mean, I agree, but clearly I’m missing out on something tasty.” Cam gave Ev a lascivious stare. “So, what you’re telling me is Ev smells sexually amazing?” He questioned Franco, putting his arm around his new friend and leaned in as close as his horns would allow. “So, both of you at the same time isn’t too far of a stretch!”

Franco, not able to hold in his amusement any longer, bellowed out in laugher.

Ev wanted to die; he had never been so embarrassed.

“Sure, I’ll come along for the ride.” Franco grinned.

“I hate both of you right now. I’m going to go find Addas.”

“It’s almost midnight!” Franco appeared shocked.

“I need some alone time—away from you two. At least I can survey this address and make a plan. Cam, can I drop you off at Dev’s?”

“Why? Can’t I stay here?”

“I don’t think that would be smart.”

“He’ll be fine, Ev. I’ll look after him. Go do what you need to do. The other two won’t dare challenge me to get to him. Won’t listen to me for shit when it comes to chores, but I can take them both. Cam will be fine.”

“All right, whatever.” Ev didn’t have any more fight in him. “Behave.”

Ev shot the two a warning look, grabbed his keys, and left.