Chapter Five

With the addition of Justin’s sister to the mix, all of the information floating around had given Kayla a headache.

She should have prepared her father better for hearing the news that someone had been after her and Randy the previous night, but she hadn’t had the chance.

As he glared at her, she shifted nervously from foot to foot.

“That settles it,” Marcus said trying to sit up farther. “I’m not staying here while my daughter is in danger.”

Three sets of hands—hers, Shawn’s and Chase’s—all landed on him to keep Marcus in bed.

“Dad, I’m fine,” she soothed.

“Marcus,” Shawn growled in warning.

With a thunderous expression, her dad settled back against the pillows.

“There is too big of a coincidence to ignore,” Angel stated, as she sat in one of the chairs by the window.

She’d never met Justin’s sister and now she was kind of glad she hadn’t. Angel was pretty intimidating, even surrounded by shifters.

It wasn’t her appearance exactly, but Angel just had a certain presence about her that screamed ‘I’m in charge’.

“This is a major concern for the organization. We think they’ve found you and your daughter,” Angel spoke directly to her father. “There are more of us on the way.”

The heavy sigh was full of so many emotions Kayla couldn’t have guessed what was going through her dad’s mind as he lay there.

“I’ve brought danger to the Pack,” Marcus said to Shawn.

“You’ve spent your life protecting us and are part of my family. We’ll handle this,” Shawn replied easily.

“What exactly is going on?” Chase asked from across the room.

Peering over at him, Kayla took in his crossed arms and frown. The man was not happy with the information that was unfolding.

“We’ll discuss it, but not here.” Shawn turned to Max. “We need a safe place for everyone to stay. I don’t want Marcus alone at his house when he’s released—at least not right now.”

“The main house has enough space. Between Alex, me, Chase and Jacob, we’ll cover security. Also, we’ll assign a few more guards close to the Canyon opening,” Max offered.

“I agree. That will be the best place for everyone right now.”

It only took a matter of seconds and a few sentences for the two men to organize everything. Stunned, Kayla sat as they spoke softly to each other.

The others in the room seemed to take in the two with varied degrees of amusement. Angel sat back smiling. Randy bobbed his head from one to the other. Justin kept rocking back on his heels just listening, and Chase simply smirked.

“Uh, if I can ask a question,” Kayla raised her hand as if she was still in school.

The Alpha paused and looked over at her.

Now that she had his attention, Kayla didn’t know what to say. Finally, thinking of what brought her to town, she questioned. “What about the man who shot my dad?”

“That is being investigated,” Angel informed her. “We should know more once we get settled.”

“You’re responsible for the closing of the church?” Chase spoke up, aiming a fierce expression in Angel’s direction.

“You could say that,” Angel quipped.

With a shake of his head, Chase pushed away from the wall. “I figured. I have to go. I’ll meet up with you all a little later.”

“Where are you going?” Max blocked Chase’s exit.

“To my diner. I need to check on things.”

Max started to back away.

“Not alone,” Marcus practically shouted.

“What?” Chase asked, frowning at him.

“He saw you. They’ll know who you are by now, if they didn’t prior to this afternoon.”

“Look, I don’t know what all this is about but I have a business to run. By the time everyone gets to the Wilson ranch, I won’t be far behind. Nothing is going to happen in town anyway.”

“I disagree,” Shawn replied. “You are also the Beta of the Pack. Not only does that put you in danger, but you witnessed what happened at Marcus’, so we need to make sure you are guarded too.”

“I can take care of myself!”

Kayla sympathized with Chase. It was obvious he had been through a lot that day and needed some time away from the matter and everyone now involved. She wanted to offer to go with him but that wasn’t possible. She had her own priorities.

Instead, she watched as Max gripped the back of Chase’s neck and whispered in his ear.

The emotions that crossed Chase’s face told her a lot. She wasn’t certain why she felt the strong instant attraction to him.

All she knew was that she wasn’t going to fight it.

Chase Lawson meant something to her and her wolf. She would find out what that was later.

“Fine,” Chase said, throwing his hands up before stalking away from everyone. “I need to make a phone call.”

Chase stomped out of the room and Kayla had to bite back a smile. The man needed some stress relief. Kayla had a few suggestions to help.

Max caught her gaze and grinned. There was no way that he could know what she was thinking but as a future Alpha, it wouldn’t be hard to pick up on the attraction between her and his brother.

He nodded to her then quickly spun around, following in Chase’s wake.

“You should get out of here,” her dad said, drawing her attention.

“You do what the doctor says and stay in bed,” Kayla demanded. She bent over and kissed his forehead.

“I will…for now,” he replied.

Motioning for Justin and Randy to accompany her out the door, she led the way to the exit, leaving Shawn and Angel.

Why had her dad kept secrets from her? And they were some big ones too. Hurt by that knowledge, it would take some time for her to heal. In the end, she would forgive her father. She always did.

Knowing he was a good man was a comfort to her and whatever she learned—no matter how bad—would not change the way she looked at her dad.

Chase and Max stood next to the elevator with their heads bent toward each other.

“Any idea what’s going on?” Randy asked from behind her.

Tearing her gaze away from the Lawson brothers, she turned toward her friend. “Not really.”

They both glanced at Justin.

Tucking his hands into his pockets, Justin stared intently at the ground. “I told you what I could.”

Kayla snorted. Justin obviously knew more about his sister’s role in whatever was happening but was leaving it to the others to fill them in. Why she was more pissed about him hiding things than her dad, Kayla wasn’t sure. However, the revelations were going to change her relationship with everyone who had lied to her—even if they thought they were protecting her. She was certain Justin wouldn’t let her get hurt and it must have been hard to have his loyalty torn. Having to choose between her and his family wasn’t something she could ask him to do. Eventually, hopefully, they would be better friends after all this was over.

Although she was pissed, she still loved him.

Shawn and Angel passed the guard, stopping to say a few words to the man before joining Kayla and her group.

“I spoke to Alex. Everything is ready for us.”

“Let’s head out,” Shawn ordered.

* * * *

The large, comfortable living room in the Wilson’s main house filled quickly with the group. One person handed out hot, fresh mugs of coffee to everyone as they each settled into his or her seats.

Chase sat in a recliner across from his Alpha. Seated on the sectional couch, Kayla, Justin, Randy and Angel spoke quietly, while Cassie and Max cuddled close on the love seat. Alex stood as he played host but Chase could see the tension in his friend’s shoulders. They were all feeling the stress from the day.

While Alex was always helpful in Pack matters, Chase knew having a bunch of strangers in his home was still hard for him.

The only person missing was Jacob. The youngest Wilson sibling and park ranger was setting up the added security around the ranch. Now that everyone had arrived, it was time to get started. Alex would have to fill in his brother about what they discussed later.

Clearing his throat, Shawn drew all attention to him. “What you are going to learn today must be kept between the occupants of this room at all times.”

He waited until every person had nodded.

“Also, by having this knowledge, you are putting yourself in danger. No one will think less of you if you decide to walk away right now.”

Again, everyone gave an affirmative.

“Angel?”

The young woman glanced around after sighing deeply. She stood directly in front of them, which put her next to Alex.

His friend moved away, looking uncomfortable. Chase would have to dig into his friend’s reaction later.

“For longer than we really know, there has been a group of people who were in charge of protecting those who were not human. This organization was started in secret and has always worked that way. Even when the shifters decided to go public, this group has remained dedicated to its mission,” Angel explained.

“You’re a part of them?” Chase asked.

“Yes. You can call it tradition. As the eldest child, I was raised knowing what my duty would be.”

“What does this have to do with us?” Kayla questioned.

“A lot, actually,” Angel replied. “Most agents don’t retire. The ones who do have to live carefully so that they are never discovered.”

“My dad?”

“Yes. After your grandparents died, he was given permission to leave and take care of you. He moved up here to live quietly and out of sight.”

“When Marcus requested to join our Pack, I was advised of the whole story. I was also sworn to secrecy,” Shawn informed them.

Chase wasn’t surprised but he didn’t like that his Alpha had being hiding this information. “And if something had happened to you?”

“Marcus would have shared with my successor, who would have to agree to the same as I did,” Shawn replied, staring Chase down.

Sitting back in the chair, he nodded to his boss. There wasn’t much Chase could do about the past. He’d just have to accept that even as Beta, he didn’t know everything about his Pack.

“So why are they coming after Marcus now?” Max asked.

“And who are they?” Kayla added.

“Just like we’ve always fought to protect, there have been those who have known about the non-humans and are hell-bent on destroying us. We call them the Hunters. And we’ve been battling them a long time,” Angel told them.

“This group that you’re part of,” Alex spoke for the first time. “What do you call yourselves?”

Angel turned to him and smiled. “We’re the Guardians, of course.”

Alex shook his head and muttered something under his breath. Chase couldn’t make out what he’d said but by the rise of Angel’s eyebrows, she’d obviously heard Alex.

“And these Hunters are after my dad?” Kayla asked quietly.

“So it seems. That’s why I think you and Randy were followed the other night. That was right before the attack on your dad. If they’d gotten you then they would have used you to bring your father out in the open.”

Now that they had the connection to Marcus and Kayla’s attack, they could start planning a resolution.

Of course, that sounded a lot simpler than it really was. But there had to be a way to end this quietly and without disturbing the Pack. “What does this all mean for the Pack?” he asked, looking at his Alpha. It was his job to make sure none of what was happening affected their families.

“That’s the long-term problem,” Angel answered.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Max stiffen.

“What do you mean?” his brother asked with a growl.

“The Hunters know where Marcus is. Even though you all haven’t made your status public, there is a good chance they know you’re shifters. Their entire purpose is to eliminate your kind.”

“They’ll come after the Pack?” Chase pressed. He wanted her to say the words.

“Yes, I believe so.”

The loud rumble that came from Max was full of anger. His brother jumped to his feet and started to pace. Cassie looked scared, with her knees pulled up to her chest.

Staying hidden was all the Pack had going for them. Their numbers weren’t large and they didn’t have enough guards for everyone. Running his hand roughly over his face, Chase knew he had to think of something, some way to defend the people he loved.

“Does the Council know about you and the Hunters?” he questioned. If Kurt and Clint had prior knowledge, maybe he could call them back.

“They are aware of our existence, although they do not work closely with us. They prefer to handle their own affairs,” Angela said.

That was interesting, Chase mused. The Wolf Council was all about insuring the survival of the wolf shifters. They even collaborated with the Shifter Coalition.

“Not all of our organization is made up of shifters.” She waved a hand at herself.

Since Chase was certain there was something off about Angel and her brother, her statement opened the door for him. “You are not one hundred percent human,” he guessed. “Just what exactly are you?”

Angel faced him. The change in her demeanor was immediate and obvious. The fierceness in her gaze might have worried him if Max and Alex hadn’t stepped closer to him. “I don’t believe that is any of your business.”

“You are staying in my home. I think we have a right to know,” Alex argued.

Possibilities ran through his head but he couldn’t settle on how Angel and her brother were different. Every shifter, wolf or other species had a unique scent to them. Chase might not always know from the aroma what animal they were but the shifter connection was always there.

Angel and Justin had no scents. He had never come across that ability before in his entire life. Humans picked up traces of their environment giving each a unique odor. So he was just as eager for answers.

“Why won’t you just tell us?” Alex argued with Angel.

“Maybe I don’t think you need to know, big guy,” she taunted back.

Justin jumped up from his seat as Alex advanced on Angel. “Hey! Come on guys. We have bigger problems than this. We’re on your side.”

“How do we know we can trust them?” Alex asked Chase.

“Marcus does,” Chase answered his friend. “That’s good enough for me.”

Besides, there might be a reasonable explanation. If Angel and her family were deep into the Guardian organization, maybe blocking their scent helped. Since the group has already proven to be secretive, Angel wouldn’t be able to share that information.

“Justin’s right,” he said to the group. “We need to find these Hunters and concentrate on the Pack’s safety.”

Shawn had risen to stand close to Angel. “We need a plan.”

As they settled down again, Chase noticed Angel eyeing Alex. Since Chase was surprised by Alex’s aggressiveness toward the woman, he wondered briefly, what Angel thought about Alex.

“Here’s how we’ll start,” Shawn stated, leaning forward in his chair.