You could change a human if both agreed, but depending on who they were, that was risky. It could 'out' them if the human wasn't able to transition well. If they couldn't handle shifter life. She was the Mayor's daughter and was being targeted by rogue shifters who were likely in bed with other political figures as well. If that didn't have 'danger' written all over it, he wasn't sure what else would qualify.
“What happens now? I'm not staying in hiding forever. That's not how I was raised.”
Her voice pulled him from his own thoughts, and the food he'd been making quick work of. Glancing at her face, he realized she'd been doing her own thinking as well. Her chin was lifted with a slightly stubborn tilt, which didn't bode well.
“For now, you will be in hiding, Princess, whether you like it or not. Your father was found last night, likely by one of the guests or the cleaning crew. They'll be watching the house and offices to see if you attempt to go retrieve the paperwork you claim to not know about. I can't protect you if you do stupid shit. We'll stay here for a few days, let some of the heat die down. Afterwards, we need to attempt to figure out how much your father knew and if this went further than him.”
Her lips firmed. “I want to see the papers.”
“And we'll get to them. When I say it's safe. Until then, you will park your ass and do as you're told. I'm not having blood on my hands because you refuse to listen. These aren't the white collar criminals you're used to dealing with, darling. These are the low-class tier. They're the ones daddy warned you about, the ones they don't run charities for. They will use you, abuse you, and leave you for dead. If you're lucky, they'll sell your ass to someone who might have a shred of decency and treats you kindly after he's done with you. Understood?”
He hated being so blunt, especially at the near traumatized look on her face, but he needed her to understand they weren't dealing with regular baddies here. These were animals. They didn't have loyalty or morals. As a rogue pack, they didn't even have the pack bonds to sustain them. They knew no laws but their own and whatever kept money in their pockets and their bosses happy.
They knew by now that the shifter women were being tracked for their furs, as Snow and Gray had figured out with their mates. They didn't know if all the women taken had been shifters, but it was a safe bet that they were. They'd seemed so sure they could get a good price for Adele, 'even' though she was a human. It seemed that wasn't their usual trade. It made him wonder how many more female shifters were in the city.
All were in danger. What they hadn't figured out yet was where they were taking the women, and where they were keeping them until they found buyers. That was partially his job, to attempt to find more information. Unfortunately, one of the best ideas would be to use Adele, get her out into the open and track them that way once they showed themselves. The feline part of his brain loathed the thought. While he hadn't claimed her and at this point, wasn't sure if he intended to, the idea of putting his mate in danger was detestable.
That feeling was only solidified over the next few days. He and Adele fell into an easy rhythm, a comfortable companionship with each other. Adele slowly began to open up, to tell him stories of growing up with her parents, of earning her Bachelor's degree. He'd learned she was engaged once, to some hotshot up-and-coming lawyer associated with one of her charities.
After hearing about the male constantly putting her down for her weight, of telling her she didn't look good enough to be on his arm, Thian was already pissed. Knowing the final parting shot had been that if she looked better, maybe he could have loved her had him seeing red. Some men didn't deserve the fucking balls nature gave 'em.
That's when she'd moved back in with her parents, and stayed after her mom had succumbed to cancer. By that time, she'd felt her father needed her, and didn't relish the idea of heading out into the world on her own again, of trusting someone new. It hit Thian then that she was in the same situation again. Her father was gone and she was alone in the world. He was asking her to trust him, when she had no real reason to. All she knew of him was that her dad had hired him for protection because he'd fucked up. He had no credentials, nothing to prove that he was safety in a storm.
Realistically, he wasn't. He'd done some shit he wasn't proud of. The club dabbled in legal things for tax purposes and to be left alone, but they also had not-so-legal enterprises to fund their expenses. They had their code they lived by, though, which made them a far cry from the rogues they were after. To him, that made the difference. To her? It might not. He supposed he owed her something, at the very least.
“I didn't really have a great home life growing up. Kinda the black sheep of the family. Still am. Did two years in prison after high school for some stupid shit I got into. After that, I got a bike, traveled the states. Ended up getting shot in Texas for protecting a women from trafficking. That's when the guys from the club found me. Gave me a family, a home. Been with 'em ever since. Some think we
