Chapter 8

ETHAN

Sitting through another round with Dr. Dipshit was irritating, but I needed an excuse to enter Blacktree. Without expressed permission from their Alpha, they held the right to do whatever they wanted with me, including killing me on sight. However, I was attached to breathing. Have been since birth.

“Do you have an idea where the black substance originated from?” I asked offhandedly, carefully observing him.

He shuffled around his office until he got to a metal file cabinet. He used the key that was hanging around his neck to open it. The information inside that filing cabinet had to be top secret if he kept the key on his person.

He did not respond to me while he searched through it. I tilted my head, analyzing his body language. His shoulder blades were pressed together, and his shoulders were pushed forward. He was nervous. I wondered why that was.

It was hilarious that he did not even catch on to the fact that I knew about the substance that had not been in the reports he gave me. He really was an idiot. Emma was right.

It took him a couple of minutes to find what he was looking for. He handed me a file folder and took his seat again.

I opened it and wanted to scoff at what I saw inside. There was no context on the pages, which meant that the context was being hidden. Which meant that they were hiding something. This was something they could show someone to ‘prove’ their position without compromising it.

“Please explain to me what I’m seeing,” I said, my flicking my eyes to him before going back to the papers inside. The information was lacking, but I wanted to keep him at ease as much as possible.

“The former leadership of this pack had been developing a new weapon to use against other packs. They were power-hungry and developed a black substance that could easily decimate their enemies. We still haven’t found out where they’d been producing it.”

His words came out smoothly, as if he rehearsed them a thousand times. His words were lies. I would have been able to pick up on that fact even if Emma had not said that current leadership had access to it.

He was placing the blame on former leadership because they were the scapegoat. I wanted to just punch him in the face for trying to dick us around, but I kept it together. They would get what was coming to them if they were the ones behind this all.

The paperwork was nothing important and lacked any key details that corroborated what he was saying. It did, however, mention a few names and their supposed allegiances with rogues. It also mentioned the Lakeside Pack, which was interesting, considering a member of our squad came from there. I would have to talk to Eric about it later.

I turned to the last page which was of dates, the initials E.M. and numbers that counted up. There were at least a hundred logged dates from numbers ten through seventeen. Once it hit thirteen, there were two highlighted colors instead of just the yellow from years ten through twelve. Whatever it was seemed extremely important, but without context, there was not any way to figure it out.

“How long ago did you all take over leadership then? I’m assuming they wouldn’t have been allowed to live since you utilized the past tense of their positions.”

I set the file down on the desk and composed myself with just enough curiosity and acceptance to keep him in the dark about what I truly thought about all of it. Our pack was famed as bloodthirsty and dangerous. We were only dangerous to traitors and enemies. Everyone else was protected as family.

“Eight years now, Beta,” he said.

He looked at me, but a slight twitch in the corner of the right side of his bottom lip was his tell. The little shit was lying about something. I had dealt with enough interrogations and negotiations to know when the other party was hiding something.

“And what of the leadership’s families? Surely, they would also be dangerous,” I mentioned, shrugging my shoulders.

Normally, if something like that actually happened, their entire family would be destroyed. Many packs upheld that tradition. We did not though because we all knew that there was a difference between family and loyalty. Only the guilty were punished.

His face was starting to show stress. Sweat beaded across his forehead, but I did not let on that I noticed it all.

“I know that we would either kill them or have a lot of fun with them. Traitors are traitors through and through.” I smirked.

My words relaxed him, and a smirk found his way to his own face. How easily this douche was manipulated. I could not understand how the fuck the pack was not already dead under his care.

“The Alpha family was disposed of as was the Beta. Only his mate and daughter were spared. Alpha and Beta have taken a fascination to her.”

I laughed at the thought, even though I wanted to cringe. We were cruel if need be to our enemies, but we never took advantage of others or tortured the innocent. I knew damn well what ‘fascination’ meant.

“Do tell. Is she something to look at, or would it be better with a sack over her face?”

“She is beautiful and entirely submissive,” he said with a sly grin. He was relaxing and letting all his dirty secrets fall from his disgusting lips.

Blaze thought we should just kill him and be done with it. However, if someone was truly being used like that, I could not just turn my head and walk away. I could never be that type of guy. There was too much sickness in this world. It was one thing that our pack always prided itself on. We ensured that everyone was treated equally.

“Many she-wolves are submissive. It’s not exactly a rare occurrence,” I countered with a chuckle.

At least that part I did not have to lie about. Hell, I was just complaining the other day that they were submissive. Well except one in particular. My blood ran cold. No, he could not mean her. Emma was not submissive in the least. But she did have the scars and the wound.

He leaned back in his chair with his arms behind his balding head. Amusement shone in his bloodshot eyes. I could smell the stench of bourbon from here. He should really lay off that shit.

“Not like this one. She is entirely submissive.”

He acted as if she were a slave or something. Slaves were not commonly used around these parts, but there were some packs that still used them. I would not put it past these bastards to do it. Our pack had a stance against slaves, especially since Xander’s mom had been a slave until she met his dad. She went from slave to Luna instantly and used her unique experiences to help those who were forced to endure what she had been.

“Well fuck then. That must be a miracle in and of itself. Is it a free-for-all, or does she belong to someone?” I asked, showing the right amount of interest instead of growling and siding with Blaze.

He looked at me, but he was too stupid to realize I was anything other than curious. There was a reason our pack was great with negotiations. We never showed our hand but could see everyone else’s.

“She belongs to the pack,” he said, still smirking.

I licked my lips at his words ran my thumb over my jaw in thought.

“What would it cost for just a moment with her? You’re aware that our pack is very well-off in all regards. I just want to see this submissiveness first-hand. If she is the way you say, then perhaps we could arrange for some of our women to be taught by your pack. Submissiveness is key to keeping our bitches in line.”

He looked taken aback with my offer. I could tell that he was unsure if what I asked for was a good idea. It was easy to see that he wanted to, but at the same time he must have felt an obligation to keep her identity away from other packs. That was interesting to say the least. If it was a free-for-all, why would they care?

A 'no' was forming in his mind, so I grabbed a pen and a piece of paper from his desk. I scribbled down a five-digit number on it and slid it over to him. His eyes bulged when he picked up the paper and saw the offer.

“That will be made available to you specifically if you can arrange this for me. This is an opportunity I just can’t pass up,” I pushed.

Money could speak louder than anything else, and thankfully it worked this time as well. Greed could be a great motivator.

He nodded and left the room. I stood up and paced around the office. This was impromptu, but I could not just ignore it. I snapped pictures of everything in his folder which was still on the desk. I doubted that they would be of much use, but it had to be important.

What the fuck was going on in this pack? Why was this one girl so special that they tormented her? There was no way in hell that their allegations held an ounce of credibility about the former leadership. The current leadership was nothing but cockroaches.

Five minutes later, he came back into the office. He was alone but smiling like the slimy weasel that he was. He looked very pleased with himself.

“She will be here in a matter of minutes. I pulled her out of school early.”

I controlled my heartbeat and breathing, painting a picture of nonchalance. This was fucked up, but I would play whatever part I needed to right now.

He proceeded to talk to me about other things this pack could offer, but I tuned him out. I nodded, feigning interest, but I honestly had not been listening to a damn word. There was no way in hell we would do business with them. They would be lucky if we did not just kill off the leadership and absorb the pack.

There was a soft knock on the door. My eyes snapped to it while he went to open it.

“Thank you for coming dear. A friend of mine wanted to meet you. Please, come in,” he said, holding the door open for her.

I bit back a growl when I saw her walk in. Her head was down the entire time, and my heart fell to the floor and shattered into a million pieces. Her hair was unmistakable. I knew it was her without needing to see her eyes.

The urge to kill the doctor and run back to the pack with her was strong. The snarky she-wolf who put me in my place was not who stood before me. That alone scared the fuck out of me.

She looked so out of place in the office. Fineman was leering at her with interest. I could tell that he was a fucked-up soul. He would be the first one I killed. Yes, I was now devising a list. First was him. Second was whoever the fuck injured her. Third was that damn Alpha. Fourth was to be determined.

“You did mention she was submissive. Poor little thing hasn’t even acknowledged my presence. That upsets me,” I tsked, keeping my voice even.

Emma stood there, still with her head down, not even reacting my voice. Surely, she knew it was me. No wonder she was good at hiding her emotions. Layer by layer was being peeled away to show a different Emma – one I would not be able to ignore.

“Now, dear, that’s very rude,” he chided her.

He placed his hands on her shoulders, yet she still did not move. He turned his attention to me and smiled proudly with her behavior.

“See? While in the presence of ranked-wolves and leadership, she only responds to commands. Entirely submissive.”

I cocked my head to the side and looked at her from head to toe, slowly walking around her, taking in her appearance. She perfected the art of keeping her body as small and unintimidating as possible. I did not see a single stress marker anywhere.

I approached her and placed a finger underneath her chin to force her face up to meet my eyes. Hers were void of any emotion, and I hated that. There was a hollowness to her. Everything was beginning to make sense. She did not show an ounce of reaction to who I was, but I knew that was intentional.  

“How magnificent,” I said, bringing my finger up from the tip of her chin and bopping her nose. “I will double the offer if you give me just five minutes to test this submissiveness out in private,” I drawled, looking back to him with a deep smirk.

Greed. It was one of the best motivators there are. That and he would not dare refuse such an offer from my pack. I could destroy him in the blink of an eye, and he knew that.  

He wrote his bank information down on a piece of paper. He would get the money for now, but I would get it back later. He would not keep a single cent from me, the despicable bastard that he was.

I grabbed the phone out of my pocket and dialed Johnson. I knew he was the best option for this. I knew I could not keep this from Xander forever, but I just needed a moment to ensure that she was okay. Emma was my only concern right now. I would deal with everything else later.

Johnson picked up the phone with a quick hello. He knew I was still at Blacktree, so he would not dare to say more than that.

“Hey. I need you to wire $25,000 to the banking information I am about to rattle off. Immediately, got it?”

He agreed without hesitation and took down the information without questioning it. I knew I would need to explain later, but not right now. Once Johnson told me that it was transferred, I hung up. I nodded to him who shook my hand and left the office.

“Have fun.” he chuckled before closing the door.

I waited for a moment to ensure that he had actually left before I wrapped my arms around Emma. She remained still for a moment before her arms wound around me as well, resting her head on my chest. Her body felt so small against mine.

What the fuck was their endgame? This was not the same she-wolf that I met before. I pulled away to look down at her.

“We’re alone now,” I said softly to her, looking for a spark of the same she-wolf I knew she was.

Her eyes darted to the door and cocked her head to the side, listening for him. Her eyes were slitted when she turned them back to mine.

“What are you doing?” she hissed lowly.

She asked what I was doing. She fucking asked me what I was doing. Yes, an aneurysm was bound to happen one day.

“I was simply doing my job when dickhead mentioned about the Beta’s daughter. Why didn’t you say anything before?” I asked, refusing to let go of her.

Emma straightened her stance, and I saw my Emma, not the shell that she presented herself as.

“I handle what I need to how I need to. Everyone has their own demons to deal with. You can’t just go paying them money to meet with me.”

“Why? He has no idea that I know you. I offered him a line of bullshit to see you. He is none the wiser. What’s going on, Emma?”

She stepped back from me and crossed her arms over her chest, regaining her composure. This was the Emma I had gotten to know over the past couple of days. I did not want to know why she was so good at what I just witnessed. I had never once seen anyone that perfect at pretending. The posture could be learned, but to completely wipe all recognition from the eyes was something I did not realize was actually possible.

“Nothing,” she said softly.

I scrubbed a hand over my face with that same line from yesterday.

“Bullshit. I don’t expect you to tell me all your secrets, but what’s going on? You looked broken when you came in. That doesn’t seem to be who you are though.”

She glared at me and clenched her fists so hard I was afraid that her fingers were going to break.

“You know nothing about me,” she retorted.

I matched her pose, my eyes flashing red as Blaze tried to push through. He was just as protective of her as I was. He was trying to front, but I could not let him take control or else the entire pack would be slaughtered, and then I would have to explain to Xander about this bullshit.

Emma noticed my inner struggle and placed her hand on my arm. Her touch calmed Blaze down, but he was still furious.

“I’m fine, Ethan. They only think they broke me. I allow them to think what they want. Please, for my sake, you can’t do this again.” Her blue orbs sought mine, needing me to understand.

I knew I could not just take her with me because it would be akin to declaring that war we were trying to avoid. Plus, if she was important to leadership, there would be no way to sneak her out from this building. I would have to come up with a plan. That I could do.

“I won’t,” I promised her. I gave her one more quick hug, knowing that our time was running out. “Are we still on for coffee?”

She looked at me carefully, warring with herself. I could tell she wanted to, but she also thought better of it. I watched the struggle she had going on until she shrugged.

“What the hell. Yeah, we are,” she said and flashed me a quick smile before stepping backwards and lowering her head with her hands clasped in front of her.

The door opened without warning. Asshat strolled in and smiled at me like we were buddies. He probably already had plans on what to do with that money that he would never get a chance to spend.

“What did you think of our friend here, dear?” he asked her.

She remained silent with her head bowed. He chuckled lowly and ran a finger down her arm. All I wanted was to rip his hand from his body.

“She is everything you said she was. I was highly impressed with your ability to train so well. You’re right though. Entirely submissive. I’ll speak with our Alpha to see about sending some of our bitches your way. Thank you for doing business. Run along, girl,” I commanded her.

She bowed her head deeper to both of us and left the room. I watched her retreat, trying not to get lost in my thoughts. Something had to happen, I just was not sure yet what that would be. It also needed to happen soon.

“Well, that was a surprise and a half. I wish we had she-wolves like her in our pack. It would make shit so much easier. Seen not heard, right?” I asked, flashing a devilish grin.

I have had to deal with many assholes like him. They were just cockroaches. However, unlike cockroaches, he would not be able to survive the destruction that would inevitably befall him by my own hands.

He ran his hand through his balding hair. “I’m glad to know you found interest in her. Let’s keep this between us though. I would hate for Alpha to take it out on her that someone else got to see how good of a girl she is.”

Every word he spoke was signing his death warrant. Blaze was in the back of my mind, coming up with ways to tear him apart to give him the most amount of pain. Blaze was very skilled with torture, so his ideas were extremely creative.

“Secrecy is something I can very well accommodate. Well, I think we’ve covered a lot today. I need to go find some way to release the tension she just caused. To see someone so submissive…” I trailed off, not wanting to complete the sentence but also for him to think I was highly interested in what he showed me. “I’ll see you again Friday,” I told him before leaving the office.

What the fuck just happened?

Somehow, we just got thrown into the middle of a shitstorm. One thing was certain though. Emma could not stay here. She was the rightful Beta heir. We could destroy them and merge the packs. Although, I doubted there were many we would leave alive if it was truly a free-for-all.

I picked up my phone and called Eric to ask him to look into what dickhead mentioned in the meeting. We needed to know how entwined this fucking pack was. There was no doubt that they were the culprits here. We just needed absolute proof or at least enough proof to justify getting into their business.

Unfortunately, there was no centralized government to overlook packs. They could do as they wished until someone challenged them.

It was about ten to five, so I made my way to the coffee shop Emma mentioned before. To say I was eager to see her would be a slight understatement. I had to make sure she was okay. I had no idea which version of her I would be getting, but I would take either right about now.

The coffee shop was tucked into a quaint little corner of the street. Strategically located tables hid beneath large sun umbrellas out front, but I went inside because the wind was a bit chilly.

It looked to be the ideal place for students to study and hang out. There was a cozy corner in the back which was filled with tables, outlets, and many people with books littering the tabletops.

We had a few places like this back in Blood Moon. They got packed with students who flocked together to get projects done. Our pack was more like a family than just a group of random people who are thrown together underneath the authority of an Alpha. I was getting the distinct impression that it was not that way here.

I found a small empty table in the middle of the room and sat down, so I could keep an eye on the door. People steered away from me, which amused me because they had the normal reaction that people have around us. Perhaps it was all the tattoos and bad boy vibe I had going on, but it was more that our squad members were muscular and built. We looked intimidating. However, one little she-wolf was not the least bit intimidated by us.

The bell over the door rang not even five minutes later as she entered. Her eyes scanned the room, and her face lit up when she found me.

“Hey stranger,” she said, setting a container on the table along with her bag.

I actually liked the nickname. She said it with a familiarity. Yeah, we were nearly strangers, but it was different when she said it.

My Emma was here.