Zander was the first to speak. “It was ballsy of the jackals to come here.”
“But they weren’t that ballsy,” began Jesse, “or they would have picked a spot that wasn’t so secluded. They would have chanced getting nearer to the main lodge.”
“It just doesn’t fit that they would do this to get at you,” Marcus said to Nick. “I can understand them wanting to get even for what we did to their pack member. But as retaliations go, this isn’t exactly tit-for-tat, is it? I mean, Eliza might have been”—he struggled for a way to put it politely, not wanting to disrespect the dead—“an acquaintance . . . but she wasn’t a member of your pack.”
“But she was Brunt’s lawyer,” Derren pointed out.
Eli turned to the Beta. “You’re thinking they killed her because they were worried Brunt might have told her about the website.”
“It makes sense. Then they dumped the body here to taunt us.”
“And now we have to decide what to do with the body.” Nick sighed. “Her family deserves to know what happened to her, but we can’t trust the council with any of this. Not if one of them is involved.”
“Maybe we could leave her body in a place it will likely be found,” suggested Bracken.
Nick was quiet for a moment. “This isn’t something we can act on right now. We need to leave; we’ll discuss it when we get back. Kent, Caleb, transfer her body to one of the empty lodges so the wildlife won’t savage it any worse than it already is.”
“I’ll call Trey, tell him we’re on our . . .” Marcus trailed off as a sense of wrongness suddenly slithered over him.
Nick stiffened. “What is it?”
“Something’s not right.”
An abrupt yelp was quickly followed by a succession of shorter yelps that seemed to come from every direction.
Zander growled. “Jackals. The bastards have crossed the border.”
“They’ve surrounded us,” rumbled Marcus. They’d surrounded them in a loose circle, and then slowly closed in, little by little. He’d scented them, but as Eliza’s body reeked of them, it hadn’t raised any alarms. Marcus could now scent something else too. “And they’ve brought some friends.”
A siren-like howl was answered by a hollow cackle. Suddenly jackals and hyenas were charging at them from every angle. Without the slightest hesitation, Marcus shifted, along with the others. Seeing a black-backed jackal leaping at him, the wolf slammed into the animal and clamped his jaws around his throat.
As Kathy handed a mug of tea to Shaya, the Alpha female sighed. “I miss coffee. And runny eggs. And tuna.”
Returning to her seat beside Shaya, Kathy smiled fondly at her. “Not long to go now before the baby’s born.”
“I honestly don’t know how humans cope with being pregnant for nine months, I really don’t. Five months will be enough for me.” She squirmed, her expression pained. “My back is killing me.”
“When you have your baby in your arms, it will all be worth it.” Kathy cast Roni a look of displeasure. “I doubt I’ll get any grandchildren from Roni.”
“Probably not,” allowed Roni, slowly pacing. Her wolf didn’t like being left behind and away from any action. Roni didn’t much like it either; she wanted to remain with her mate and see the corpse for herself. It gave her an idea of how Shaya was feeling. “Kids hate me.”
Shaya laughed softly. “No, they don’t. Kye adores you, and you adore him. Admit it.”
Roni shrugged. “Everyone loves Kye—it’s impossible not to.”
“I’m going to do a circle of the lodge,” Stone announced, pulling out his Glock.
Shaya frowned. “The body was dumped on the other side of our territory. The jackals are too cowardly to come anywhere close to the main lodge.”
“Still, it’s always best to be safe. Here.” He handed Shaya her shotgun. “Kathy, lock the door behind me. Just to be safe,” he quickly added when Shaya went to object. Once he headed out the back door and was swallowed up by the darkness, Kathy closed and locked it.
Sighing, Shaya leaned forward to prop her elbows up on the table and rest her face between her hands. “I feel so helpless. I wish I could come along tonight. Don’t get me wrong, I would never put the baby in danger. Not in a million years. But it will still be hard to sit here, twiddling my thumbs, while my pack puts themselves in jeopardy. Especially Nick. He runs straight into the thick of things.”
“He’ll be fine, honey.” Kathy lightly squeezed her hand.
“I hope you’re right, because if I have to—” Shaya’s breath seemed to suddenly get trapped in her throat.
At the same time, Marcus’s rage slammed into Roni as his wolf shifted and faced the threat in front of him. The impact made Roni stumble. “Fuck.”
Kathy tensed. “What’s the matter? What is it?”
“The jackals have crossed over the border, and they’re attacking,” replied Shaya, breathing heavily.
“Call Taryn,” Roni told her, enraged and fearful for her mate and pack. Nodding, Shaya did just that. Roni glimpsed out the window; the urge to dash outside and join the fight was strong. So damn strong. Every instinct Roni had screamed at her to go to Marcus, to fight at his side and help protect her pack. But she couldn’t leave Shaya with only Kathy and Stone—wherever the hell he was—for protection.
“The Phoenix wolves are on their way.” Shaya returned her phone to her pocket. “Roni, if you need to go to Marcus, I understand.”
“I’m not leaving you.”
“It’s fine. I’d go to Nick if I could.” Shaya’s hands clenched tightly around her shotgun, and Roni had a feeling she was imagining shooting every bastard jackal out there. “I hate being helpless, Roni. Hate it. Hate it.”
Roni crouched down in front of a rapidly breathing Shaya. “I need you to stay calm for me, Shaya. Okay? It’s important for you and for the baby that you’re calm. Breathe with me, all right? In and out.”