“I’m not following why you’re so upset by a couple of drawings.” I gripped my drink a little tighter.
“Lana complimented Nadya on the drawings and when she questioned why Malcolm got the wolf, Nadya said Malcolm likes them.”
“That’s it?” I started to grin. “He probably does like them. She just noticed it, that’s all.”
Adam wasn’t smiling. “He doesn’t own a single wolf toy, Aren. Not one. And he can’t talk yet, so he didn’t tell her either. None of this is a coincidence. And there’s more.”
“Like what?”
“Like she knows Lana loves pancakes for breakfast, and she asked if Gareth is mourning someone close to him.”
“Impossible. He wouldn’t tell her anything.”
Adam nodded. “He hasn’t even spoken to her yet.”
“So, she’s intuitive. Very intuitive, that’s all.” I was reaching, but what else could it be?
“Face it, Aren. Sasha’s sister is more than she lets on. This isn’t an average college student, and she’s way beyond simply being observant.” He paused and lowered his voice. “She’s gotta be psychic, Aren. And if she is, Nero might—”
“If she is, then Sasha doesn’t know about it,” I interrupted.
“I don’t buy it.”
My hackles were rising. The wolf inside of me sensed him accusing my mate, and I forced myself to take a breath and calm the storm.
“I’ll go talk to Sasha, but she would’ve said something.” I met my brother’s eyes. “If we met up somewhere, she could talk to Nadya herself. She’d be more likely to tell Sasha than us anyway.”
“It’s too dangerous. If we bring Nadya to meet with Sasha it’s a package deal for the guy who’s after them, and the Pack wouldn’t be backing us up. We’d be sitting ducks.” He took another slow swig of his beer and shook his head. “The only way to be sure we’re protected is to meet at the ranch. The Pack is guarding the property in shifts and Luke, Logan, Jason, and Jared are sleeping in the spare rooms so they can be there if anyone catches his scent.”
“What happens when they notice Sasha’s scent?” That was the million-dollar question.
“I’ll be sure they’re not inside the house.” A muscle in Adam’s cheek clenched. “We’ll need to keep it short, and you have to be certain you’re not followed.”
“We’ll be there at six p.m., before dinner. Be careful. It’s only a matter of time before he connects us and finds you. He may not need to follow us to know about the ranch.”
Adam got up from the table. “We’re ready for him.”
I got up and pulled my brother into a tight embrace. We clasped forearms and, for a minute, I forgot he was my Alpha. In that moment we were just brothers.
He stepped back and nodded. “Six o’clock.”
“See you then.”
Adam left, and I tossed a few bills on the bar. Could Sasha have been hiding Nadya’s gift from me? My mind turned over the possibilities as I took the elevator back up to our room. Why would she have been so insistent that they not tell Nadya they were werewolves if her sister would be able to sense it anyway? It didn’t add up.
Part of me hated that I was questioning her honesty. After spouting off about being partners, I felt like a heel for doubting mine.
I opened the door and Sasha already had her gun aimed at my chest. I put my hands up.
Rolling her eyes, she lowered her weapon. “Sorry. You surprised me.” She holstered the Glock and got up from the chair. “What did Adam say? Is Nadya all right?”
I nodded. “Yeah, but he’s concerned about her.”
“Concerned?” She frowned. “Why? What’s wrong?”
I sat on the edge of the bed trying to think of some subtle way to ease into the subject. “Any chance your sister is psychic?”
Apparently I wasn’t feeling very subtle after all.
“What?” Sasha crossed her arms, with her brow arched up, staring at me like I just called her sister a sea monster. “Why would she be psychic?”
I shrugged and leaned forward, resting my elbows on my legs. “Adam and Lana have noticed a few things, and he seems pretty sure Nadya is figuring out they’re connected to animals. She may not have figured out how yet, but somehow she knows. It appears she senses things she shouldn’t know anything about.”
Sasha stared at the floor. “My mother told me stories once about some of the women in our family having gifts. She described it as mothering instincts, though, that they could tell when someone was hurt, or lying, or sad.” Her chin lifted so our eyes met. “I’ve never been able to sense any of those things. I thought they were just stories to convince me that if I lied to my mom she’d be able to tell. If Nadya has some sort of psychic ability, I don’t know about it. She’s never said anything to me.”
“Do you think someone told her to keep it a secret?”
Sasha rubbed her forehead. “Maybe? She’s ten years younger than me. By the time she started school, I was busy in high school.”
“Adam wants us at the ranch tonight to talk to her about it.”
She dropped her hands to her sides. “Didn’t we already decide it was a bad idea for me to see Nadya right now? What if we lead Fonthill right to her and the Pack?”
“Adam thinks the ranch is the only place where he has the backup to keep everyone safe. We won’t stay long, and he already has the property surrounded.”
“While your Packmates are outside guarding, we’re going to sneak me in. That’s what you’re saying.”
I nodded. “Adam doesn’t want the Pack to find out Nadya is your sister. This is the only way.”
“The dangerous way.” She started pacing again. “Has Adam said anything to my sister yet?”
“I don’t think so. He was checking with me first to see if I knew about her being psychic.”
“And he invited me to come along too?” she asked. I nodded, wondering where her train of thought was headed. “Adam and Lana are allowing
“Yes.” I opened my hands, trying not to show my frustration. “Sash, they’ve got your sister. I’m sure they don’t think you’d hurt them or the babies in front of Nadya. This isn’t some sort of ambush.”
Her pacing continued, and I waited, watching. Gradually her steps slowed and she stopped. “Sorry about the third degree. I’m always cautious when accepting invitations from people that don’t like me much… Habit.”
“Maybe when all this is over they’ll feel differently about you.”
She started to smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Maybe.”
Before I said a word, she spun on her heel and started showing me all the information she’d dredged up about Fonthill.
Apparently we were finished discussing family.
I picked up her notes while she shared the background she found on him. He was definitely a Green Beret. He’d joined the police force after he’d received an other-than-honorable discharge from Special Forces.
“This doesn’t say anything about any Lycan Squad… And what the hell does ‘other-than-honorable’ mean?”
“Since no one believes werewolves exist, I’m guessing the ‘Lycan Squad’ is something that very few people know about.” Her voice softened. “I didn’t realize werewolves existed until…” She paused a beat, then went on. “Fonthill was always strong and moody, had tendencies toward violence, and was possessive. His discharge was probably related to that.”
“A werewolf doesn’t do well without a pack.”
She rubbed her forehead, closing her eyes for a second. “I hadn’t been converted then, so I wouldn’t have noticed his scent. I had no idea I’d been working with a werewolf.”
“A Special-Forces-trained werewolf.”
“Exactly.” Sasha tucked a lock of hair behind her ear as she paced. “Typically an other-than-honorable discharge means you didn’t commit a crime, but you also weren’t able to do your job any longer. I wish I could find out exactly why he was kicked out, but it wasn’t listed anywhere I had access.”
I snapped the plunger on the pen a few times. “Don’t the police do background checks before they hire officers?”
