Aside from Lucas, his wife and the Lupa of New York, Sofia was there, as was the Beta of New York, who happened to be Cross’s sister, Astrid, and her husband Zac Vrost. Behind them were two more couples—Julianna and Duncan MacDougal, and Elise and Reed Wakefield. The latter’s presence was an even bigger surprise as they were based in San Francisco. All of them, however, were on alert, as if they were preparing for something. The tension in the alley was palpable, and it seemed everyone’s wolves were on the edge.
“Welcome back, Cross.” Though he looked the picture of calm, there was no doubt of Lucas Anderson’s power and position as Alpha. His dominant vibe radiated off him, making Cross’s inner wolf shrink back. “Though your mother assured me that you won’t try to run away again, you’ll have to understand that I’m skeptical.” He nodded at Astrid.
His sister stepped forward, a serious expression on her face. She held up a shiny, circular object in her hand. “I’m sorry, Cross. You know I have to do this.”
He recognized the object, of course. The bracelet that dampened powers.
Astrid continued, “You’ll have to put this on. I—” Her eyes darted to Sabrina, to the arm wrapped around her waist. “Who are—” She looked up at Cross, blonde brow lifted. “Anything you care to tell us?”
“I’d be happy to explain everything and to wear the bracelet.” He held his hand out and Astrid cuffed the bangle around his wrist. It was a weird sensation, the moment he put it on. He felt normal, except that he just didn’t feel right.
“Let’s all go inside.” Lucas led them into the door that led to the restaurant, where they all gathered around the chef’s private dining table just behind the kitchen.
Cross had been here several times, as they tended to celebrate many family occasions here. Lucas’s parents were part owners of the restaurant, and currently, his Uncle Dante was the head chef.
“Sorry it’s a bit cramped,” Sofia said. “We were in the middle of lunch when you called.”
“Since we had everyone here, we thought we’d include them,” Lucas added. “Now, Cross. Why don’t you tell us what’s really going on?”
Taking a deep breath, he repeated the entire story again, for the second time that day. It was obvious everyone was shocked by his story, but he didn’t have time to process all their reactions. His focus was on Sabrina. She remained quiet, but he kept glancing at her, making sure she was all right. Her face was a serene mask, but from the way the knuckles on her hands turned white as they gripped his, he could tell a lot was going through her head.
“… which brings us here,” Cross concluded. “I’m sorry, Alpha,” he said to Lucas, “for deceiving you. All of you. I was trying to find another way to defeat the mages while protecting Sabrina.”
“You should have told us from the beginning,” Lucas admonished. “You know we would have understood.” He looked around the room. Every single Lycan there was part of a True Mate pairing. “I’m your Alpha. I would have helped you.”
“I realize that now. And if you must punish me, I’ll accept any penalty. Just let me make sure Sabrina is safe.”
She stiffened beside him. “I think this is way beyond protecting me, Cross. You already tried to protect me.”
“The real issue here is the mages,” Lucas said. “We need to strike first and soon, even before Gunnar’s vision comes true.”
“I’ll do whatever I can, Alpha,” Cross said. “And you’re right. Perhaps the only way to stop the premonition is to defeat them once and for all.”
“Jonathan,” Lucas began. “You’re the only person here who’s dealt directly with the mages. Would you be willing to help us?”
“Of course,” he answered. “Anything to finally get rid of those bastards. But I don’t know how to fight or do any magic, how can I help you?”
“You said that you’ve been funneling money into their operations for years. There’s someone on my team who might be interested in knowing the details. She actually was able to trace some of the funds back to you and a few others, but so far, her investigation hasn’t yielded anything solid.”
“Anything you need, you can have it,” Jonathan said. “I want those guys gone as much as you do.”
“Excellent. Now”—the Alpha turned to the rest of the people in the room—“we should begin preparations and make some plans. Let’s all head to the Guardian Initiative headquarters downtown. We should get Alynna and her team up to speed too. Jonathan, you should come with us so you can have a chat with Lizzie.”
“Lupa,” Cross said. “Will you keep Sabrina safe, please? At The Enclave?”
“Of course,” Sofia answered. “I was on my way home anyway to check on Alessandro.”
“What?” Sabrina’s grip on his hand tightened. “No, Cross! I want to be with you. You can’t leave me—”
“I’m not leaving you,” he said. “But I’m afraid that because of the ring, we can’t have you out in the open.” His chest tightened at the thought of being apart from her, but he knew he had to keep her safe. “I can’t help but wonder if somehow they knew you were at the bank last night because of the ring. If that were the case, The Enclave is the safest place in the world for you. There are magical protections there that the mages can’t penetrate, old magic that’s been there for decades, plus new ones that have made it difficult to breach. But the Guardian Initiative’s offices aren’t as well-protected. You could inadvertently lead the mages there.”
He hated having to appeal to her altruistic nature, but from the look on her face, he knew he had succeeded.
“All right. But promise me you won’t do anything stupid to protect me. Don’t even think of
