Shifter Wars: Supernatural Battle (Werewolf Dens Book 1) Page 16

  I closed my eyes. “How about your strongest memory of her?”

  “Oh, that’s easy. She and Murphy were never apart. People say young folk don’t know what love is, but those two sure did. Five years old, and I swear to this day that they loved each other even then. Most of my happiest memories of her include that lovely man.”

  I’d frozen at some point during the speech. Dropkick.

  “Andie?”

  “Sorry,” my voice shook, “I didn’t know him.”

  “So terrible, the rock-climbing accident. It was a shock to the entire tribe. I always wondered how Ragna survived the loss of him.”

  I hated my father. In times when hope and love were hard to find, the thought of showing Dropkick we could make it without him was all that kept me going. “I find it hard to talk about… Murphy. He left us when I was three.” If a parent could leave, anyone could leave—that was the lesson I held to this day. I was always jealous of children who’d never learned parents weren’t the same as everyone else.

  “Impossible,” Jiani answered.

  I blinked at her vehemence. “That’s what happened. Mum told me that he had demons he couldn’t ignore. They became too much for him. He left us and wouldn’t be back.”

  The woman scoffed. “You were around three? Well, Murphy died a few years after Ragna left. Maybe he didn’t intend to leave you. Maybe he just couldn’t get back.”

  Her words rocked my very soul.

  I had no idea which date Dropkick walked out the door. If the date of him leaving and the date of his death were close, then…

  I couldn’t contemplate that possibility.

  My entire being resisted the concept.

  He’d always been Dropkick to me. If he wasn’t, what would he then be?

  “There was never anyone more in love than Ragna and Murphy,” Jiani said. “Your mother had a soft heart—though you wouldn’t know it when she played Victratum, and your father guarded her heart fiercely. He was her protector. Her champion. Having known him for over two decades before Ragna left, I can say that he was reliable to a fault. Ragna was the flighty one, and we loved her for it, but Murphy was the rock.”

  My throat burned and my insides began to shake. “Herc said that when Mum left, they didn’t think Murphy was with her.”

  “You’d have to be an imbecile to think otherwise. He left to deliver logs to Bluff City and Ragna upped and left the day after. They were never apart, Andie. I can’t emphasize that enough. Their parents gave up when they were seventeen and let them sleep in one room. Anyone could see they were forever.”

  “Why didn’t Herc think Mum left with him?” I mused aloud.

  “When people hurt us, we believe what we need to.” Jiani sighed heavily. “Me included.”

  “You never heard from Mum again after she left?” I listened to the thick silence on the other end.

  “Not ever. And I say that with more regret than bitterness. She was my best friend. Whatever she went through to make her leave… I wish she’d let me help her.”

  My heart thumped. “You think something drove her away?”

  “I know it. Herc may not have noticed—poor thing had a lot on his plate in those days—but her closest friends did. She was always the life of the party, but then she didn’t want to come out. She and Murphy had their heads together constantly. People chalked the circles beneath her eyes to Charise’s death. That hit Ragna hard, no doubt. Yet she spoke about her mother and what happened. And when Ragna was really in trouble or in pain, she clamped up. If you ask me, something else drove her away from the valley.”

  “Like what?” I whispered.

  “If you ever find the answer, Andie, then I’d love to know too.”

  “Hey, girl!” Mandy popped up in front of me.

  Just about to enter the supermarket, I managed to smile back. “H-Hey. You off for the day?”

  “Nah, finally got away for lunch. I need to grab groceries.”

  Let me guess. Raw meat.

  “I was about to do the same. Gotta set up the new apartment.” I wasn’t sure what to do with Jiani’s views on Murphy and Mum yet, but they’d rattled me well and truly. I’d assumed Grids wore Mum down over time—that’s what Herc believed too—but Jiani seemed to think an incident caused her to leave.

  That made the potential answer far more sinister. My gut told me that the wolves were involved.

  How could they not be?

  Mandy shot me a sparkling look. “Alarick is on cloud nine that you’re coming back. I guess you two worked stuff out, huh?”

  “Uh, well, I’m working at The Dens again, but I told Alarick he’d need to keep his distance.”

  She grinned. “All boys or just Alarick?”

  I pursed my lips. “Will my answer get back to him?”

  I hoped so.

  “I’m offended. Girl code!”

  “All guys, but especially Alarick. Working at The Dens could be awesome, and I don’t want to jeopardise that.”

  The lie rolled off my tongue.

  Mandy grabbed a basket, and I opted for a trolley.

  “Fair enough,” said the female werewolf. “My relationship just ended as well.”

  This could reveal something about their kind. Alarick’s interest in me indicated humans did things for their libido, too, but how did wolf unions work in general? Did they normally stick to each other? “Anyone I know?”

  “Leroy.”

  My brows shot up. Dimples. “No way. Are there hard feelings?”

  “Nah, nothing like that. Neither of us are the type to get attached.”

  I scanned the display, selecting a bag of the cheapest fruit—apples. “Leroy is the player type, I’m guessing. An alpha. You had to know going in things might not work.”

  She grabbed a melon.

  “He is definitely an alpha. The more sensitive types are my go-to, but I thought I’d change things up this time.”

  From what an internet search told me, the strongest female and male in a pack usually hitched up. There was a female alpha who ruled the other females and a male alpha who ruled the other males.

  “Can’t say I’ve ever been into a sensitive type.” Bananas were way too expensive. Dammit.

  “Betas are where it’s at for me.” She lifted a shoulder.

  What’s a beta?

  This is the kind of shit Herc wanted to know. “You know all the guy types. Is it just the sensitivity thing that you prefer?”

  We moved to the vegetable section. This was a shopping date now, apparently. My eyes fell on her upper arm and the wolf band tattoo there. If werewolves were immortal, Mandy could have played Grids against Mum.

  Mandy could have been involved in any incident. I had to look past their faces and remember their age and experience. She could be three hundred years old.

  “It’s the whole lover-and-best-friend mix.” She tossed tomatoes and coriander in her basket without looking.

  Could she smell what they were?

  Mandy smiled. “And they’re great with kids. Just stable, I guess.”

  Interesting. Did that apply to their overall hierarchy too? I could see how an overabundance of alphas would be detrimental—too many chefs spoil the broth and all that.

  “Surely not all beta guys are exactly the same though,” I said, scanning prices before selecting items.

  “No, of course not. That would be too easy. And boring. You’ve got to find just the right one.”

  I grabbed crushed garlic. “It’d be nice if finding the right guy was a little easier though.”

  “Tell me about it. You don’t seem super upset about the break-up, but I’m sorry your ex wasn’t everything you hoped he’d be. That’s shitty, no matter what. I’m here for ice cream and to ply you with free cocktails whenever you need it.”

  I was sure she was. “Thanks. I may need to take you up on that sometime if the fucker doesn’t stop smashing windows.”

  Her jaw dropped. “What a dick.”

  Yep.


  She snagged a box of pens at the end of the row, dropping them in the basket. I focused on her basket. Was she here for groceries at all?

  “Let’s see that list,” the bartender said, beckoning. “We’ll get through it quicker together.”

  I passed over my shopping list, half intrigued.

  The werewolf absently added paperclips to her mix as she read.

  Melon. Tomatoes. Coriander. Pens. Paperclips.

  This was a set up.

  She was here for Alarick.

  Which meant he was gathering intel… in the form of my shopping list.

  “You don’t overdo it on the snacks and treats,” she said. “Oatmeal cookies is hardly break-up food.”

  I pushed the trolley ahead of me. “Corrie’s Chocolate Chip Chocos are my favourite.”

  Mandy caught up. “Your absolute favourite?”

  Scanning the shelves, I located a dustpan. “Yeah. Since I was a kid.”

  My purse buzzed.

  I dug it out as Mandy walked off down the next aisle, my list in hand.

  Rhona.

  Good for a call?

  “Cheapest stuff, please,” I called after Mandy. If I went over budget, I’d have to leave stuff at checkout. Not the first time. Probably not the last.

  But it wasn’t my favourite form of humiliation.

  I texted back.

  Nope. Grocery shopping with a new friend.

  She sent a wolf emoji back, followed by:

  You’ll tag along with Dad tomorrow night.

  Be ready at 7:30 for pick up.

  And Dad says good work. *eye roll*

  I sent her a thumbs-up, nerves twisting in my gut. Obviously, I was nowhere near ready to go into Grids alone. I was glad Herc would be with me tomorrow night.

  “Hey, cleaning products are expensive.” Mandy interrupted my thoughts, “Nothing is on special.”

  “That’s okay,” I mumbled. Dammit. Herc must have a cleaner because aside from dishwashing and laundry products, there wasn’t any cleaning stuff in the apartment.

  “I have a recipe for a natural cleaner that I use. It would save you a few dollars if you want to grab the individual items to make it?”

  That would be nice if she wasn’t here to weasel into my good books.

  I smiled. “Sure. That would be great.”

  15

  7:15 p.m.

  Fifteen minutes to go.

  Drawing on my first experience of Grids, I dressed in black jeans and a black tank, coiling my hair in a tight bun atop my head.

  What was I meant to do about the colour? A mask wouldn’t cover that.

  Deliberating, I grabbed a beanie.

  And what about my smell?

  My phone buzzed.

  Herc.

  Here.

  Typical parent texting.

  My heart twisted painfully, and I stopped on the spot, closing my eyes until it passed. “I’ll find out what happened to you, Mum.”

  There had to be a trail.

  And I’d find it.

  Goosebumps erupted over my bare skin that had nothing to do with the temperature, and I slung a dark leather jacket over my shoulders. Cool air brushed over my cheeks as I exited the apartment building.

  “Jump in, kiddo,” Herc hollered through the open window of the silver Bentley.

  Kiddo.

  I slid into the passenger seat.

  “Kiddo was a weird thing to say. Sorry.” He grimaced my way.

  Despite my ample nerves, a grin escaped. “Agreed.”

  He peeled away from the curb and executed a U-turn. “I’ll get the hang of the niece thing eventually. How are you feeling?”

  I took stock. “Nervous. Relieved this part of the day has arrived.”

  “Always drags.”

  Tell me about it. “So where is the Sandstone grid?”

  “About forty minutes out of town. We’ll arrive once the game is running. The head team thought it best to keep your cover solid. The last of the wolves would have left town at least an hour ago.”

  “Smart,” I murmured, tracking our route as we left the stone buildings behind. This was the road to the lake Rhona took me to.

  Herc guided us around the sharp bends at a sedate pace—as though the loss of the grid tonight wouldn’t be disastrous to the tribe. The pressure must be immense, but I couldn’t detect a trace of it. He hid emotions well—and lied well. Before he confessed everything a few days ago, I’d completely believed his explanation about Mum. I mean, the lie was understandable given the supernatural happenings here, but there was a lot more to Herc than he showed.

  I guessed a life on a pedestal would do that to a person.

  “How are you feeling?” I asked.

  He cast me an amused look. “A leader feels confidence no matter the situation. Morale is a very real thing.”

  “Sure, I get that.”

  “But you’re a leader, too, so I’ll admit that I’m seconds away from soiling myself.”

  I snorted. “Gross. Can’t blame you.”

  “On that note, I brought you a uniform,” he said. “We don’t wear personal clothing in the grid. Uniforms and protective gear are washed in wolfsbane each week. Luthers can’t scent us or recognise individual scents then. All our weapons and trapping devices are sanitised with wolfsbane too.”

  Whoa. Crazy. “Okay.”

  “We grow massive crops of wolfsbane under the manor.”

  “That sounds like a fancy way of saying you grow weed under your house.”

  He chuckled. “That’s what Rhona says. How did your first trainings go?”

  The instructor—the old man who I appalled with my erotic dummy displays—gave me a personal programme to complete at the apartment. I had to wear a strap around my ribs that synced to my phone and sent him data.

  He said it was for progress. I was of the opinion Gerry distrusted my reliability because of my poor fitness level.

  I’d visit the manor to train twice a week—and not at dawn. I’d go during normal niece visiting hours.

  #spylife

  “My body was so sore last night I couldn’t sleep,” I replied to Herc as we turned right toward the north valley ranges and away from the lake.

  “You’ll be glad for the power and endurance in the grid. There’s nothing worse than a Luther breathing down your neck and finding you don’t have anything left in the tank. On that note,” he reached into the glovebox and chucked me two muesli bars, “tonight is just an intro for you, but the adrenaline will wear you out.”

  I opened the paper wrapping. “Homemade?”

  “We try to limit plastic use. Kind of comes with steward life.”

  About that. “The game is Thanas versus Luthers, but on your side, those who aren’t Thanas call themselves stewards?”

  “Correct. We’re stewards of the land. The tribe leaders have always been Thanas.”

  I nodded, chewing.

  “Congratulations on winning your job back,” Herc said, focusing on the hairpin turns as we climbed the range. “Whatever you may think, that wasn’t something everyone—not even our veterans—could do. Thank you for putting yourself in that situation. If you’re uncomfortable or feel at risk, I want you to leave at any time.”

  The only pressure I’d felt to return there was self-inflicted. I may empathise with the tribe—the wolves were trying to rip away their home. That wasn’t fair, and yes, I felt an intense connection to this beautiful area, but my reasons for returning were mostly to do with my mother. “Thanks. I’ll remember that. I found out a couple of things. Rhona said any little thing could help?”

  “We want it all. We’ve scraped together a lot over the years, but there are large gaps in our knowledge.”

  “I researched wolf hierarchy after talking with a bartender there. She spoke about alphas once and about betas yesterday. At the casino, alphas are in charge of the major roles.” I thought of Leroy. I wasn’t sure Hairy was an alpha. He had a different physical build and se
emed far more sensitive to others’ feelings. He could be a beta perhaps.

  Herc was quiet, then said, “The casino almost offers a slice of their hierarchy to study.”

  I hadn’t looked at it that way, but he was right. “This Luther mentioned that betas offer stable presence. I wondered if that extended to their role in the pack.”

  “Interesting. Luthers have a clear pack ranking, but our knowledge of those exact roles is patchy.”

  “And sigmas,” I added.

  “What?” Herc stole a glance at me as the road flattened along the top.

  “Alarick is a sigma. He works at The Dens. He’s the casino manager or something. They call him boss, anyway.”

  “A sigma?” Herc shook his head. “That’s a new one for me. You said his name is Alarick? I’m unaware of an Alarick in the pack. Did the bartender say more about him?”

  I can tell you how many abs he has. “She said that he takes what he wants. From my interactions with him, I can say that he’s calculative. Intense. Quietly authoritative is probably how I’d describe him.”

  Herc didn’t answer.

  After a while, I craned to look out the window. Whoa.

  A serious drop to certain death sat on my left. I was glad Herc grew up with these roads.

  “Can you find out more about sigmas?” he asked.

  “I’ll do my best,” I answered. “Is that useful?”

  “Possibly. It’s new anyway, and that could offer a different approach. The pack is purposefully misleading us and has for some time. For instance, you mentioned seeing the Luthers’ black eyes and we saw the claw marks on your dress, but you didn’t see the Luther shift. We had no idea Luthers could partially shift. Is that true of the entire pack or just a particular gender? Does it require a certain strength and control? Maybe only a certain tier—betas or deltas—are capable of doing so.”

  Shit. Right, I saw what he meant. “If an opportunity comes up, I’ll dig deeper. I work Thursday through Saturday.”

  Silence fell again.

  I broke it. “What is this place?”

  He straightened. “Sorry. It’s hard to switch off the strategy side of my brain. A giant lake used to sit on top of this northern range. Just around here.”