This Weakness For You (Entangled Select Otherworld) (Taming the Pack) (15 page)

He waited until the sounds of vehicles had faded before he asked Travis, “Troy?”

“Well, his other response to the summons was to ask if you’d really picked a human as an Alpha after all your years of pissing on him. His cousin is still in your pack.”

His cousin had been one of the dissenters—one of the dissenters Jordan had anticipated. “He’s your problem child, for sure, but you remember his games. I swear I know his scent as well as my own—I’ve tracked him that much. The only one I tracked more was Vanessa, and that’s just because she was constantly running off.”

“I do remember his weekly challenges in the spring. The rest of us placed bets on how fast you’d come back with the items. I made a lot of money off your tracking. Troy’s challenges came up when some of the others suggested we ask you to help. Troy got pissy—you two will never be BFFs.”

“I’ll cancel the friendship bracelets.” He tried to picture Troy killing Colby and then leading them on this pointless search. “Still, I can’t see him killing someone—other than me—despite him being an EMT.”

Travis shrugged. “I
can
see him killing someone, but I don’t think he did this. I’ve had to ask him not to kill farm animals again. Every time, I wonder if he can’t help himself, because only a moron would invite a wolf hunt by the locals. I’ve had to ask him less than you did, so I figure that counts as deference in his mind. I can’t spot a motive though, and while I think he’d enjoy killing, he’s not so stupid as to kill pack.”

Someone had a reason—stupidity didn’t lead to a well-done wild goose chase using the victim’s blood. They’d need to view all of the males in here as potential murderers until they found a motive. “I don’t envy you keeping so many would-be Alphas under control. Dane called this the frat pack, and I think he’s got the right idea.”

“I haven’t had a single challenge for Alpha, but not because of the males. The females like all the other males on equal footing and fighting over position with them, so they’ve told all the males they wouldn’t want them as Alphas.”

Jordan could only shake his head again. There’d been slightly less deference among this crowd when the meeting was called to order, but they did seem to respect Travis. Travis had dropped his slow speech immediately, and the shift from that version of him to Alpha had been as drastic as his human-to-Lycan transformation. To be able to manage that, he really had to be a genius, and the pack could sense that. Jordan had lost count of the number of times that humans had said, “I think Travis is smarter than he looks,” and Lycans were generally more perceptive of a male’s abilities and place in a pack.

“I mostly just stand here and look good while the female pack members keep the peace,” Travis said.

“Well, you’re lousy at your part, but they’re doing fairly well.”

Travis had started step one of courting Alanna. Already Alanna was eyeing Travis differently, and she’d even shaken off one of the other males when he’d come to talk with her.

Picking up the box of bagged clothing, Jordan winced at the mixed scents, still potent through the bags. “I went through each one as they handed them over, and nothing seems like a straight match to last night’s trail.” He shook his head. If only it had been that easy.

“We can take our box of stink home and check closer,” Travis said.

“I can drag you back to that trail—get a second opinion,” Jordan said on the way to his Bronco. He looked up at the sky. “I hope this weather holds out.”

Travis inhaled. “It’ll rain by midnight, so we should have time.”

Jordan could predict the weather in his own territory as well, so he didn’t doubt the prediction. “I keep going back to motive,” he said as they got in his Bronco. “If we find the motive to killing Colby, we’ll find our murderer.”

Travis scowled. “We’ve decided not a poacher and definitely a Lycan?”

Jordan didn’t start the Bronco. He was familiar with that defensive, aggressive need to protect your pack as its Alpha. “That trail I followed was set by a Lycan.” And that was why they’d collected their scents, after all. Easing Travis into recognizing that one of his Lycans was to blame was now at a head. Time to face what few facts they had.

“It could be like last time.”

“A poacher and a Lycan?”

“Yup.” Travis stared at the pack’s clubhouse. “I can’t imagine any of them working alone on this. You didn’t see Colby. It was gruesome. For one of them to have done this…”

After seeing them all together, it was hard to picture. “Maybe it is
exactly
like last time. A Lycan from outside the pack.”

“Our murderer would have to have been in the area for a while, and we’re not that lax on patrols.”

“What about a Lycan covering their scent and masquerading as a human? Someone who might know about poachers and be able to follow your scents while disguising their own.” Just like two years ago.

“Well, I’d like to think I’d know,” Travis said, “but I honestly didn’t know about Sammy.” He looked out the window. “It’s been hard letting her disappearance go unsolved all this time.”

“Yeah, but no one needs to know. I’d rather they thought it was a rogue Lycan.”

“Some of them know.” Travis’s tone made Jordan turn toward him.

“They guessed?”

“No. The order to be silent was within Glacier pack from my Alpha at the time. When I became Alpha of Rainier pack and a couple of them asked why I hadn’t hunted down a rogue Lycan’s identity or what happened to a human who disappeared around that time, I told them. We’re not around Sammy’s family, and their implication was that I was inept.”

Travis’s tone was defensive…and while it sat like acid that he’d disobeyed an order from his former Alpha, pack rules didn’t prohibit disobeying an order once Travis became an Alpha in his own right.

Finally, Jordan shrugged. “It was your call.”

“It was,” Travis said. “And I did stipulate the information wasn’t to leave our pack or there’d be repercussions.”

“There would be. I staged the scene so it looked like the wolf had killed a serial killer and the poacher had killed the wolf—but that was for the humans who thought there was only one wolf on the scene. We told the pack the truth about that, at least. Dane came off okay because it looked like he’d killed a rogue Lycan, but if it got around that it was Sammy…”

“It won’t.”

“It better not.”

“I said it won’t,” Travis snarled—and only an Alpha facing another Alpha wouldn’t have flinched. As it was, Jordan just shrugged and dropped it. Trying to maintain an Alpha position in this pack couldn’t be easy. Travis shook his head. “What were we talking about before this?”

“The possibility that a Lycan is masquerading as a human, and motive.” Motive was the key—it had to be. There was too much planning involved for this to have been an act of passion or bloodlust. He started the SUV. “What did Colby do?”

“Bartender.”

“You went over his place already?”

“For obvious signs of struggle or intrusion—and then for anything that screamed ‘kill me.’ Nothing did. Even his emails in and out didn’t point us in any direction. He didn’t seem to favor anyone in or out of the pack, and I wouldn’t have guessed he’d been here long enough to have anyone go homicidal, but maybe I don’t know these Lycans as well as I thought.”

“Well, if it’s a Lycan masquerading as a human, maybe it’s time we found out if anyone outside the pack hated him…and then we go sniff them and see if they bite.”

…

“I feel like an old dog,” Jordan said, wrinkling his nose at the smell of the bar that Colby had worked at. Even early in the afternoon, this place smelled like stale beer and disappointment. He couldn’t imagine being here when it was filled with people hoping to meet other people to divert their attention for a few minutes. At least the loud jukebox was good at masking their quiet conversation as they surveyed the sparse crowd.

“Well, don’t look at me to teach you new tricks—I’ll leave that to the missus—but Colby said he had to wear earplugs, and it was still ruining his hearing,” Travis said as he glanced around the bar that was dimly lit for humans, but was almost a comfortable light level for them.

“No one is paying undue attention to us, and I don’t smell a Lycan in here, but it’d be easy to hide that scent with all the rest of this. Alcohol is perfect for that. Watch the south end.” He cleared his throat and said, “Colby,” at a slightly higher volume. Still too quiet to break the ambient noise for humans, but any Lycans might give away their better-than-average hearing.

“Nothing,” Travis said, watching one half of the room.

“Nothing,” he agreed. No one in the north end had so much as skipped a beat. If there were Lycans in here, they were either wearing earplugs or consummate actors.

“Time to ask about a missing person.”

Jordan pulled out his phone. They’d found a snapshot of Colby and sent it to both of their phones. It was telling that no one had reported him missing yet.

“Okay, you take the staff and I’ll take the…” Jordan’s phone dinged with an incoming text from Christa. Hopefully nothing was… He blinked dumbly before jerking the phone closer to his chest as Travis angled to see.

“Something wrong?” Travis asked, confused.

Jordan swallowed thickly. No, he’d say not. Other than he was here instead of with Christa, who’d apparently found a red cloak and a patch of the forest—hopefully without any passing Lycans—with good cell reception.

“I’m leaving tomorrow,” Jordan said. “If we don’t figure out anything that makes me think the pack is in danger, I’m heading home for a few days at least.” Or a week. Christa would be fertile next week, and even if they used protection, it’d be a shame to miss Little Red Riding Hood when she was in the mood for the Big Bad Wolf to come knocking. It was hard to prevent a predatory grin at this…and clearly he failed, because Travis laughed.

“Oh, so it was
that
sort of news.” He shook his head. “You’re even sweating…that must have been some picture you snatched out of view.”

Jordan nodded at the bartender. “You go ahead. I’m going to make a call before I start asking about Colby.”

Travis rolled his eyes. “You look like less of an old dog at least. Go talk to the wife—tell her we’re glad to have you even at half your game.”

He nodded at the door. “Five minutes.”

Travis dropped his eyes to half mast and slipped seamlessly into his slow-to-the-starting-line facade. “Yup.”

…

She was about to get back on the road and drive the rest of the way home when he called. “I thought maybe you weren’t going to call.”

He laughed—it was deep and throaty, and sent shivers along her skin. Mm-hmm, definitely the Big Bad Wolf. “With that kind of invitation? If I wasn’t Travis’s ride, I’d be halfway home.”

“Only halfway?”

“It’s a two-hour drive if I go ninety…which I would be.”

She grinned. “Do you like my new coat? Dane got it for me as a joke.”

“Well, that certainly didn’t go the way he planned. I guess I don’t need to ask what you’re wearing this time.”

Actually, she’d put everything back on and only stripped down to her underwear in the first place. It was a shame his house didn’t have cell reception. Still, hopefully that poor man from the grocery store, Ethan, wasn’t strolling by on four legs during the time she’d been taking a quick picture, or he was somewhere poking his eyes out right now. “Nope. I was thinking it’d save on laundry if I just wore my coat around until you got back.”

“Woman, you play dirty pool.”

“Oh, you heard that about me, huh? And here I was hoping to take you on that pool table in your house.”

“Maybe I’ll take you on that pool table instead.”

Her body flushed with heat, and her heart beat faster at that visual.

“Mmm, Christa, you make it hard for a guy to concentrate.” He lowered his voice. “I can hear you breathing faster—and you probably smell good enough to eat.”

That definitely didn’t slow down her heart rate.

“What time do you usually go to bed?” he asked.

“Why?” Was he coming home? Her heart started pounding. He was coming home? She’d been hoping for that ever since he left, but suddenly it almost caused a panic. It was easier to tease him with pictures and talk knowing he wouldn’t rush in with expectations—expectations she might not meet. On the other hand, he’d be home, and this would stop feeling like a fairy tale without a prince…or a villain. Wolves generally weren’t heroes, but then again, Jordan would be bad in a good, good way.

“I wanted to know when I can call and tell you a bedtime story.”

She grinned. In her entire twenty-four years, no one had ever talked dirty to her. That might be worth another night alone just to have that experience. “Ten probably.”

“I’ll call then. You’ll be all dressed and ready for bed?”

She laughed. “Lights off and the fire on. I might even kick Lucifer out of the bedroom for a bit.” It sounded like she might have her own devil on the phone.

“Okay, I should get back on the hunt.”

“Is it going well?”

There was a moment of silence before he said, “It’s strange to have someone ask that and feel like I should answer.”

“You don’t have to.” It seemed a simple enough question, but it’d been prying teeth to get him to answer her questions before.

“No, I will. I’m just not used to…answering to anyone, I guess. I should call your brother, too.”

“About the coat?” Her eyes went wide. He was really going to taunt Dane already? She’d planned on taunting Dane eventually, but that was later on—when he’d gotten used to the idea of her and Jordan together.

She could hear the smile in Jordan’s voice as he said, “No, about the Glacier pack—and to reassure him it’s not what we thought down here. It’s been…frustrating. We’re out looking for someone who might have hated the victim. I guess I can tell you that—that much is obvious.” She almost got pissed, before he added, “I’m not really in a private location, and I don’t know who is listening on your end, outside of you. Hopefully no one with how you’re dressed…or undressed.”