Allure of the Wolf (Seraphine Thomas Book 2) (2 page)

Oh my
god,
I needed more stress-relief time or I was going to burst into song that the hills were alive with wolf senses or some shit. It was at that precise moment I caught the scent of other wolves of the pack marking their turf. That did it. Wolf pee. The killer of all nostalgia.

This was exactly what I needed. I hadn’t let my wolf out often enough since I was turned. Granted I’d been busy with a big case for most of the time and adjusting to my new life, but my wolf was grateful I was finally paying attention to her.

An hour later I was done… And I wasn’t alone anymore.

I sniffed the air and tried to distinguish the different smells. Harris had told me the longer I was a werewolf I would be able to find out certain things just from scent. For instance, he told me fear would smell different than anger, or lust. Lust I’d gotten down. Anger I was getting better at, but this was my first time scenting what I thought to be
fear
.

It was hard to define. It was like smelling a chill in the air, the one I got when something jumped out in a movie and startled me. That was the only way I could think of how to describe it. More than that though, because this I could
taste
. It was acidic and tart, like wine, though more like cheese someone knew had expired maybe but might get one more day out of it if a person was daring.

The women who were there, waiting for me by my car, were afraid of me. But
why
? Or maybe not
of
me, but to be near me. Was it that they were going to be seen with me or that they had something to tell me?

And just like that I guessed the answer to my own question. I quickly shifted back and unlocked my car, popping the trunk, wincing at how hot the asphalt was under my bare feet. Amazing how much tougher I was as a wolf than as a woman. “Hi.”

“Hello, Chief Thomas,” one woman greeted hesitantly. I recognized her, but I didn’t know her name. She was the one who had held my stuff at the pack gathering I’d been to.

“Are you looking for me or is this just a coincidence?” I had a feeling I knew that answer too, but how could they have known I was here? Plus, it seemed like an easy enough icebreaker that might ease whatever had them so scared.

“We were hoping to still catch you.” She twisted her hands together as she darted a look at me. “One of Alpha Engle’s enforcers saw you pulling in and reported to the Alpha that you were here. She’s his mate so I heard what was going on.” She paused then and looked towards her four friends, gesturing to one specifically.

“And you were hoping to speak to me in private?” I probed when she didn’t go on. I slowly got dressed, acting as if I wasn’t the only one naked around five people. They nodded as if not sure what else to do. I decided to start off easy. “What are your names? Maybe we should open with that.”

“Can you really help us get away from our abusive mates?” one blurted instead, her elbows pressed into her sides as if she was trying to make herself as small of a target as possible. This was a woman who screamed she knew to expect getting cracked one if she opened her mouth.

How sad. Once again my interaction with anyone in the pack left me wishing I had been made almost any other kind of preternatural being.

I stopped pulling on my bra and looked each of them in the eye. “Yes. If that’s what you want, I can keep you safe and get you away from your mates. You’d have to tell me everything and we could go from there.”

“I told you Simone said she was going to take over the pack,” the first one boasted with a smile. Simone was one of the panther leaders of Chicago. She had helped us out on a case and was convinced I would be Alpha soon.

I grimaced and then it was my turn to blurt something out. “I never agreed to that.” It wasn’t my finest moment, but I also didn’t want them going into this with false expectations. I did rally though and tried again. “That doesn’t mean I can’t help you. These men, pack or not, are breaking the law. I will put a stop to it if you tell me what’s going on.”

“But you can’t protect us
in
the pack then,” she argued with a sniffle. “Any one of them above you in the pack hierarchy could order you to drop the investigation and tell them where we’re hiding.”

“Sure they could, but that doesn’t mean I
would
.” I knew the pack was screwed up, but I couldn’t get over that they really thought someone of the law would just push an investigation under the table because the Alpha told them to. “I take my duty at the FBI very seriously. And I’ve been studying on the rules of a pack from the Shifter Council and the Chicago pack isn’t adhering to them. This is not the way a pack is supposed to be.”

“We know that, but unless someone steps in and challenges Alpha Engle, it’s how things will continue to be.”

“No, they won’t.” They were making a lot of assumptions on that. “Give me a chance to show you that we can make this better.” I sighed and finished dressing. “Look, I want to help but I’m a new wolf. I can’t just jump in and take over the pack. I’m dedicated to my job and just learning the ropes. Hell, I don’t even
want
to rule the pack.”

They were quiet a moment before the first one to speak took a chance. “I’m Gayle Harper.” I reached out and shook her hand as I made the connection to the name.

“You’re mated to Tony Harper? The guy I fought at the last pack gathering?”

“Yeah, but not by choice,” she admitted. “When I became of mating age, he told me I was going to be his mate. I tried to fight him but I lost and then next thing I knew he made me sign a marriage certificate.”

I swallowed loudly. She was maybe a few years younger than my twenty-eight, and I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to be forced into an abusive marriage for that long. “Do all of you have the same story?”

“Basically,” another answered. “I’m Joan,” then she pointed out the other three as she gave me their names. “That’s Margo, Connie, and Lillie. You haven’t met our mates yet. Mine is one of the Betas and the rest are mated to some of the enforcers.”

“Let me ask you one thing, Gayle.” I waited until she nodded before I went on. “Tony said he was looking forward to making me a proper mate. What did he mean if he was already mated?”

“He probably just meant having you submit to him sexually,” she sighed, her eyes filling up with tears. “Or making you a mate in name or claiming you as
his
wolf to the pack as well as me. On top of everything else, he hasn’t been faithful since I miscarried his pup several years ago.”

I somehow managed to keep my gag reflex in check at the idea of the man touching me, because I felt like I was choking. “Okay, let’s get you guys someplace safe,” I offered gently, realizing we were out in the open and anyone from the pack could come along. “I’m going to find you sanctuary while this is going on, but first I’m going to call in my team and we’ll escort each of you to your homes to pack a few bags.”

“You’re really willing to risk Alpha Engle’s wrath to help us?” Gayle looked shocked and her eyes had the smallest glimmer of hope.

“I’m not afraid of that man,” I promised her—all of them really. “He’s a bully and a criminal, no different than the others I’ve put behind bars. He could be the president, and if I caught him breaking the law or being an accessory to it, I would do everything in my power to stop it and see him locked up.”

“Thank you,” she rasped as she wiped her face, smearing a couple of tears that must have fallen on her cheeks.

“Let’s get a move on before we’re not alone. Follow me and I’ll keep you safe.”

I nodded to her SUV where they hurried to load back up. I called Harris and Cooper to meet me at the office. Once I had the five wolves settled in the conference room, I pulled both my agents into my boss’s, Chief Monroe’s, office.

“We have a situation,” I informed him.

“No
shit
,” he hissed, slamming down the office phone on his desk. “I was just informed I have a rogue wolf kidnapping pack members wearing an FBI badge.”

I smiled brightly, letting him know I’d heard him and was about as happy about the news as he was. “I’m pack now, remember? I’m not rogue, and they came to me. Harris and Cooper can vouch it was
their
idea I go for a run and burn off some stress. The women were waiting for me and asked for my help.”

Monroe tilted his head and actually gave me a real grin. “Thank you for explaining, Thomas. Until you did, I
actually
thought you went bat-shit crazy and were kidnapping wolves.”

“Right, sorry.” I wanted to roll my eyes, even as the tension that had been gathering in my shoulders eased from Monroe’s statement, when Harris and Cooper started chuckling. “Hey, I’m from the regular FBI where an accusation like that might land me in an office answering questions.”

“The regular FBI sounds like it blows,” Cooper muttered. He wasn’t all that off about it now that I was learning there was another way.

“How do you suggest we play this?” I asked the chief, deferring to him on all paranormal political minefields.

He winced and I knew it was gonna be bad. “You’re not going to like it, but if it was a vampire thing and Vlad was in charge of those being accused or asking for help…” he trailed off and met my gaze.

“You’d go talk to him.” I poked my tongue in my cheek and took in a long, slow breath as I thought the situation through. “Right, okay, so, these five might not want to talk to non-wolves, but who knows. Off to Engle I go.”

“He’s threatened you where as Vlad and I work well together,” Monroe cut me off. “Bring Cooper and Harris, but they stay by the car unless you call for them. Show this is serious, but don’t go storming in.”

“But, boss, I
like
storming in,” I teased, trying to defuse some of the escalating tension in the room. I felt it crawling over my skin.

“It is fun to watch her storm in,” Harris agreed, getting in on the joke. Monroe kicked us out of his office, promising to start trying to figure out how to find five wolves a safe place when their mates could
track
them anywhere. Hell, having them at our offices was a risk, depending how stupid the pack was.

God, I hoped they weren’t
that
stupid. I really didn’t want to have to shoot up some of my own.

“Can I offer a suggestion?” Harris muttered from the backseat after we were in the car driving to Engle’s. I’d been so lost in my thoughts on how to play this I’d barely noticed both of them were there with me.

“Yeah, by all
means
,” I chuckled.

“Pretend you’re going to talk to Vlad, a rational leader who has five hurt members of his group asking for help. Don’t throw around accusations, we don’t have official statements no matter what we know. Engle’s a power-hungry dick, but he
is
an Alpha, that comes with a certain amount of instinct to protect his own. Use that. I know it’s hard—put the past aside. Make it clear you’re not going to be his Alpha Bitch or whatever, but play the game, Chief. You are definitely a powerful ally.”

“I agree,” Cooper added, fidgeting with his seatbelt next to me. “He wants the brass ring of you under control, but any smart leader would settle for the second best of being able to name you an ally.”

“I
really
like you guys right now,” I praised, suddenly feeling lighter and almost giddy. “I mean
really
. Thank you. Now I know how to play this.”

“Good,” Harris sighed. “I didn’t feel like shooting any wolves today.”

I threw back my head and laughed as I took the turnoff to Engle’s house, already having his address memorized because I knew this day was coming. “I was thinking the same thing earlier.”

Of course my new cool and laid back plan went to
shit
as I pulled into his long driveway and saw four wolves kicking the
crap
out of some guy.

“Mother
fucker
,” I growled as I threw my car in park. I immediately recognized Tony Harper and Roe Smith, the two guys that had challenged me for dominance fights at my first pack gathering. I jumped out and raced over to the group, waving Harris and Cooper to stay by the car. “Get off the kid!”

Immediately
all four stopped. Well that was a neat trick.

“We were toughing him up,” Tony defended, baring his neck to me… As were the other three.

“I’d guess you’re above all four of them in the pack now,” Harris called over, trying to fill in the blanks of my confusion.

“Is that true?” I asked, glancing between them. “Is that why you all immediately stopped?”

“Yes,” they agreed, not making any sudden or threatening moves, their body language telling me they really were standing down.

“Well glad that really works,” I muttered, moving over to the kid. “You okay? Do you need medical attention?”

“I’m fine, we were just playing,” he wheezed, not even able to open both eyes.

“Playing, my
ass
.” I turned and glanced over my shoulder. “Harris, check this guy out while I talk to Engle.”