“YOU HAD ME WORKING WITH A FUCKING HUNTER?!” I scream at Uncle Alex.
“I’m just as surprised as you are, Athena! Do you really believe I would intentionally put you in that kind of danger?” He asks. The sincerity in his voice breaks my heart and makes me feel instantly guilty.
I take a deep breath and try to remain calm and rational. “I’m sorry, Uncle Alex,” I say, hugging him tightly. “There’s no way our pack has been working with a hunter for the last couple of years and no one knew,” I say, pulling away from him. “Do you remember who hired him to work with our pack?” I ask.
“Alpha Damon,” he says, his eyebrows creased. “He hired him about a year before the attack on our pack,” he trails off.
“You’re kidding,” Ryna says, stunned.
“Who told everyone he was a private investigator?” I ask.
“Alpha Damon did. He told Alpha Niko that Derek knew about our kind and that he could help us with human matters…” Uncle Alex explains. “Damon was Beta at the time so no one even thought to question it.”
“Fuck…” I say as I stand there dumbfounded. “You don’t think…” I can’t even bear to finish the thought.
“Athena… he told me about this warehouse…” Uncle Alex says quietly.
My heart sinks, and I feel like I’m going to throw up. “That’s why the sedan stopped following us,” I say to Ryna. “They must have found out where we were holding Doctor Shields and come out here to get him.”
“Fuck,” Ryna mutters.
“Does anyone else know we were out here?” I ask the two of them.
“No. Only us, Noah, Andreas, and Alpha Damon knew we were out here,” Uncle Alex says.
“Did he know about Andreas? Who he was?” I ask.
“No, he knew nothing about Andreas. I didn’t tell him who was with me out here,” Uncle Alex says.
“Then why take him? Why send me the video?”
“They must have taken him when they realized he was like you. The only thing that makes sense is that they don’t want the chosen ones to work together. So, they sent you the video to scare you,” Uncle Alex says.
“What the fuck are we going to do?” Ryna asks.
“I’m going to rip Damon’s fucking head off,” I say.
“We need to be careful, Athena. We need proof,” Uncle Alex says cautiously.
“They have to be working together. Derek must have been in that car, and Damon tipped him off on our location.”
I hear the warehouse door open, and Noah comes out. “What are we going to do with the wannabe hunter?” He asks as he walks up to us. Then, he seems to pick up on the tension and asks, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I snap. “We can’t let him go. We can’t risk him getting back to Derek,” I say.
“What then? Kill him?” Ryna asks.
“As tempting as that sounds,” I say, “I think we should take him with us. We’ll get him checked by Doc Apollo and keep him somewhere only the four of us know about.”
“Inside the pack territory?” Uncle Alex asks. “That’s risky, don’t you think, Athena?”
“What other option do we have?” I ask. “The warehouse is compromised.”
“At least we can keep an eye on him if he’s close,” Noah says.
“Okay, but where?” Ryna asks.
We all think for a minute when an idea comes to mind. “The old lookout along the old trail on the mountain?” I suggest.
“That could work,” Uncle Alex says.
“Can we trust Doc Apollo not to tell Alpha Damon?” Ryna asks.
“Apollo grew up with Hector and me. So if I lay it out for him, I believe his loyalty will be with us,” Uncle Alex says.
“Why wouldn’t you want your Alpha to know about this?” Noah asks.
“I’ll explain it on the way back. Come on, let’s get him in the back of my truck and get the hell out of here,” I say.
#
Uncle Alex waves to Chris as we approach the gate, and he presses the button to let us through. I follow him through the community and past the pack house, then Uncle Alex and Ryna turn off to pick up Doc Apollo in Noah’s car, while Noah and I continue past the houses and onto an old dirt road that will take us up the mountain in my truck.
I look at Noah out of the corner of my eye as I drive, weary that I don’t know him but not wanting to send him away, because he’s the only connection I have to Andreas. With short dark brown hair and brown eyes, he’s not as tall as Andreas but is attractive in his own way. I can feel his grief hanging in the air as he stares out the window, and it’s adding to my own grief, so I roll down my window because I feel like I can’t breathe under the weight of our loss.
“Where are you taking me?” John says from the backseat floor, covered by a blanket.
“Shut it,” Noah says to him.
John sobs but says nothing else.
We continue along the road towards the bottom of the mountain in silence. A few minutes later, though, I’m reminded of the day my father died as we approach the area where I saved Uncle Alex, I try to blink back the tears as memories flash in my mind, but a few escape and run down my cheek. I try to keep it together as we start the mountain’s incline, but my whole body has started to shake, and I feel nauseated.
“Are you okay, Athena?” Noah asks.
I nod and quickly wipe the tears from my face. “I’m fine,” I say softly, concentrating on the narrow mountain road.
15 minutes later, we finally reach the overgrown road that leads to the old ranger cabin that overlooks our whole territory. I pull over on the narrow shoulder and turn the engine off. “We’ll have to walk from here,” I tell Noah and get out of the truck.
Noah gets out and opens the back door to get John out. He pulls the blanket back, sits John up from his where he’s lying on the floor, and removes his blindfold. “Any peep out of you, and I’ll kill you here on the spot. Got it?” Noah threatens him.
John nods, and Noah helps him get out of the car, and we take John under the arms, and I lead them along the road. The trees and brush are so overgrown here that it’s hard to see, and the low-hanging branches scratch us as we move along the road.
When we finally reach the small clearing and the old cabin, I pause for a moment and listen, making sure no one is up here. The cabin hasn’t been used for years, but the teens in the pack sometimes come up here to hang out. When I’m happy we’re alone, I lead Noah and John to the front door and push it open. It creaks loudly, and the smell of dust fills my nostrils. We get John inside and sit him on a wooden chair near an old wooden table, then I walk over to the old fireplace and start cleaning it out to start a fire.
“You’re sure this place is safe?” Noah asks.
“The only people that come up here are teenagers looking to escape their parents,” I tell him. “But it’s too cold for them to come up here at the moment. So, we’ll be fine.”
I hear voices outside and look through the window to see Uncle Alex and Doctor Apollo walking towards the cabin.
“The doctor is here to check you out, John. I don’t want any trouble. Do you understand?” I ask him.
He nods his head, looking relieved. The door creaks as Uncle Alex and Doctor Apollo come inside, and Doctor Apollo gives me a big smile and puts his arms out for a hug.
“Athena, it’s so good to see you!” He says as he gives me a big bear hug.
“It’s good to see you too, Doc,” I say, hugging him back. “Where’s Ryna?” I ask.
“He’s waiting at the car. After picking up the Doc, we grabbed some supplies,” Uncle Alex explains.
“Now, let me see the patient,” Doc Apollo says, and Uncle Alex gives him his medical bag. He walks over to John and introduces himself. “John, my name is Doctor Apollo. Let’s check out these wounds, shall we?”
John removes his blood-covered shirt and then lifts the bottom of his jeans, where Alaster had taken him by the ankle, to show the Doc his wounds. Doctor Apollo leans down and softly touches the area on his shoulder, examining the deep wounds as more blood seeps from the injuries.
“Goddess, Athena. He’s lucky Enyo didn’t rip his arm off,” he says. “These wounds will need to be washed out and sutured,” he explains.
“I can help with that, Doc,” Noah offers. The Doc nods and starts going through his medical bag.
“Ryna and I were talking on the way here, and we think Noah should stay here to keep an eye on him,” Uncle Alex says as he nods towards John.
“That’s probably a good idea,” I say. “If Derek saw you at the warehouse and is working with Alpha Damon, I don’t want you in danger if they think you’re like me.”
“I’m not one to hide, Athena…” He gives me a glare.
“It’s not about hiding. It’s about keeping you alive.”
He looks at me for a long moment, then nods his head and turns to help the Doc.
“We’ll go and help Ryna with the gear from the car,” I tell them, and Uncle Alex and I go outside.
As we walk back along the overgrown road, Uncle Alex puts his arms around my shoulders and kisses my temple. “Are you okay, Athena?” He asks.
“It’s been a long day,” I say as I lean into his hug.
“Unfortunately, it’s not over yet. Alpha Damon is due back in a couple of hours.”
“We need a plan. The entire pack needs to know if he is involved in ” I say.
“If he’s involved, then I don’t know who we can trust. Other pack members could be involved, as well as other packs or Alphas.”
I stop walking and look up at Uncle Alex. “Anyone involved will pay for what they’ve done. But this is so much bigger than just us, Uncle Alex. I started this because I wanted revenge for Daddy. But there’s been so many more impacted by all of this than I could have ever imagined. Packs have been ripped apart or wiped out of existence, and I want revenge for them, too.”
Uncle Alex is quiet for a few moments, then says, “no matter what happens, I will be with you until the end.”