Forever's Fight (24 page)

“You’re angry.”

“Damn right I am.” She withheld the rage that was threatening to escape. “You could have told me.”

“I didn’t know anything would come of this. Even if I would have told you, or them, I wouldn’t have been able to let it go. What was the point of telling anyone until I knew if the Barrows were even alive? Why should anyone else have to carry that knowledge with them if there’s nothing that could be done? I was trying to protect you.”

“I could have lost you.” She squeezed his hand and tried not to think about it.

“You didn’t, and you seem to be in good hands here.” He glanced at the door as if checking for Patrick. “You love him, but if he ever mistreats you, I’ll kill him.”

“Oh, dear brother, he’d have you for dinner.” She smirked. “Don’t worry, he’s a pure gentleman and he loves me in return.”

While everyone tried to busy themselves with whatever they had on their agenda, Patrick had put the final touches on the proposal to send to the president. Rather than sending it just yet, he went over things numerous times with Austin and Clarissa, debating whether they should mention what Hathaway Medical had done to Mallory Barrow’s daughter. Until they had solid evidence, he wasn’t sure putting it in the proposal was the best idea. There was no reason they should show all their cards at once. This piece of information could be something that would help them later, give them something they could take to the media to show shifters weren’t the only ones being harmed here. First, they had to find Mallory and her daughter.

While he tried to give Luke more time to locate the Barrows, Patrick spent the last two days with Clarissa in the lab, working on LUNA. They had done enough tests to prove anti-LUNA would be good for twenty-two hours once it was ingested. Lesser shifters would have forty minutes to get somewhere safe before they could no longer fight the change, and once the transition happened they’d be stuck in their animal form for an hour at the minimum. The timing could change for each shifter depending on their strength, willpower, and how long it had been since their previous transition, but it was the best they could come up with from the limited test volunteers they had.

Still, having something that could stand against LUNA gave them all one less thing to worry about. At least until she came up with something else, he wouldn’t have to go through further trials, and for that, his beast was thankful. LUNA had been rough on his lion. If he never saw that stuff again, it would be too soon.

While they had been busy with that, Austin, Blake, and Chase had put MaKayla and Jade through their paces when it came to training. Even Patrick made sure that Clarissa got some much needed hours in the gym. Austin had also increased Nolan’s training and once Dean was on his feet again, he’d join everyone in their training routines. Everyone who was going to stay at the castle would be able to defend themselves.

Things were starting to come together in order for them to put their plans into motion, and it was almost time to send the proposal. Even with Luke’s assurance that the email wouldn’t be traceable, he couldn’t help but look at each of the people depending on him as the first sensations of doubt rose within him. If even one of them got injured or killed because of this, it would be his fault.

“Hey, Jade.” He called to her as she strolled past his upstairs office on her way from the gym to take a shower. When she paused and looked in, he added, “How’s MaKayla doing? Speaking yet?”

“Not really, but she’s been working out in the gym, and she seems to be taking to Chase. They both enjoy being in their animal form, and they’ve seemed to bond over it. Blake seems to scare her almost as much as you and Austin do.” She used the towel around her shoulders to wipe the sweat from her face. “She’s downstairs with Clarissa now. They’re bonding over ice cream, and she’s telling MaKayla how Andrew saved her life. She knew Andrew longer than any of us, so I bowed out to let her try to connect with MaKayla. The poor girl is too traumatized from all she’s been through.”

“Things are only going to get worse, so we need to do what we can to make sure she’s ready for it. We’ll protect her as much as we can, but you know some of it’s going to leak through.”

“She’s tough, even if she doesn’t realize it yet.”

“I just wanted to see how things were coming along. I’ve been trying to keep a little distance between her since every time I’m nearby, she clams up.” He rubbed a hand along the five o’clock shadow he hadn’t bothered to shave off yet. “Go shower.”

“You know it’s not you, right? She’s scared, and you’re the Alpha, so it’s natural.”

He nodded, but she was already gone.

He knew it wasn’t best to wonder what might have happened had things been different. If he had known, he would have been able to stop Andrew from leaving. Once an Alpha started doubting themselves and their decisions, others would see it as a weakness and use that opportunity to attack. He rose from the desk, squared his shoulders, and reminded himself now wasn’t the time to start doubting things. He had a pride that was growing, and each of them depended on him.

Instead of doubting himself, he headed to Luke’s office, hoping for an update on the search for the Barrows. With the news coverage of the last few days about everyone who had left their jobs because of the LUNA testing, and the recent threats from SFW, he didn’t want to put off the proposal much longer.

“Damn it,” Luke’s growl came only seconds before he slammed his hand on the desk.

Patrick turned just in time to see his brother arguing with the computer. “Is the computer fighting back?”

Luke glanced up from the computer screen and gave him a look that let him know now was not the best time. “Every bloody time.”

“Huh?”

“Mallory Barrow has been moving around the country since she took her daughter and ran. Every time I pinpoint a location, she’s already gone before I can gather the needed information. Bank accounts, everything. Just vanishes.”

“That’s not the information I wanted, but I know you’ll find her.” He leaned against the doorjamb. “I guess it’s something to confirm she and the child must be alive.”

“How many others were in the files who didn’t live through it?”

“Five others.” That churned Patrick’s stomach. Five innocent children had been test subjects. “None of them survived, but some lived longer than others. Even with the information Dean brought with him, I can’t figure out why some died nearly instantly and others might have lasted a few months. Another question is how the Barrow child survived. If I had all his research instead of just bits and pieces of it, maybe then I could figure out what changed from child to child.”

“I can’t help you there. I searched through Hathaway Medical’s files, and there was nothing on their system. Anything Doctor Songborn had must have been separate. It’s almost like he didn’t want the brass to know what he was doing.”

“Not surprising, after seeing his office. He seemed to be the type who didn’t trust technology. His computer was from the stone ages, and all his files were handwritten.” Patrick shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “I’ll let you get back to it. But if you don’t have anything by tomorrow, I’m going to send the proposal. I can’t wait any longer.”

“Actually, I’ve been thinking about that. I know you’ve discussed it with Austin but…” Luke paused as if reconsidering his decision to approach the topic.

“Out with it. There’s no need to pussyfoot around whatever’s on your mind.”

“Fine.” Luke nodded. “I’d suggest you leave the Barrows out of the proposal. If the president knows about Songborn’s experiments, there’s no reason to mention them again. If he doesn’t, it could reveal our hand too soon. We don’t know what their decision will be, and if it’s unfavorable they might send someone to capture or eliminate the Barrows.”

“I’ve considered that, but I’ve also got to consider the other side of that coin. It could be just what’s needed to get them to see how bad things have become. To see what’s happening, not just to us but to humans as well. If they experiment on children, there’s nothing they won’t do. Children should be off-limits.”

“You can’t protect everyone.”

Patrick knew that, but it didn’t stop him from trying. He’d become a doctor for that reason, to protect and heal. It went against everything in him to sit back and do nothing when people were being hurt, tortured, or killed.

Instead, of debating things further, he turned and strolled back to his office. He needed time to think, to prepare for his next move. The time for decisions and planning was coming to an end. He needed to step up and lead this family. No longer could he be half-hearted about it. He’d have to step up and be the Alpha his father was. The Alpha, his father, had taught him to be. It didn’t matter the time had come sooner than he had expected or wanted. What mattered was his family was depending on him.

The changes that were coming to the pride were numerous. Far more than just preparing to deal with the government, protecting themselves, or even preparing for a war. His siblings were about to be introduced to the new Alpha side of him. He’d respect the opinions of his siblings, but when it came down to it, he had to make sure they knew that even if they disagreed with an order, they had to follow it. Right now, he believed they’d follow him but they didn’t fear him. Maybe it was time to make sure they feared him, too—especially now that Nolan was here, and they were beginning to bring others into their pride.

He pulled out the leather high back chair and took a seat. For the next hour, he was going to read over the proposal one last time and then he was going to send it. No more delaying. Once it was sent, it would be time to implement some additional changes. Tonight, after dinner, he’d call a family meeting to inform everyone how he wanted to proceed with the future of their pride.

For months, he had felt adrift, never completely in control, and always one step behind where his father would have been. But now, with his mate by his side, he could claim his role as Alpha whole-heartedly and lead his pride members as they deserved to be led. He could almost hear his father’s voice.
I’m proud of you, son.

With her wine glass in hand, Clarissa leaned back into the sofa, her gaze following Patrick as he moved before them. She had seen him in charge of the pride before, but not like this. There was something different about her mate. He was commanding instead of questioning his decisions and waiting for their reactions. He carried himself with more confidence, and she knew that if they were going to get through this, it would be because of him. She wasn’t sure what happened earlier in the day, but whatever it was had brought out the man they all needed in order to prevail.

It wasn’t just her who saw the changes. The others watched him with awe and pride. The knowledge and confidence they had in him had changed. She could feel the approval that he had taken his leadership to another level and was finally ready to lead them in every way an Alpha needed to. She might be new to the shifter world, but she knew it was a huge step. She was proud of her mate, and when they were alone she planned to show him just how much.

“I’ve sent the proposal to the president, and now we just have to wait. Blake increased the security this afternoon. Every door and window has an alarm that we’ll hear if anyone tries to get in without first disarming the system. It’s on a frequency our ears will pick up, but humans won’t, so they won’t know they’ve alerted us until it’s too late.”

“Tomorrow, I’m going to break down a couple walls upstairs and create a family room there as well. Anyone who has free time, I could use your help,” Blake added.

“Why, when we’ve already got all this space here?” Jade questioned.

“I want a secure place where we can relax. This is very open, and if the danger level increases, or the president denies our request, I want to make sure there’s a safe place for everyone that isn’t down here.” Patrick placed his hands on the back of the chair he had been sitting on before he decided he needed to move around. “If our request is approved, we’ll be able to move other shifters into their own houses, and that will give us more privacy and security.”

“That will also mean we’ll need to begin to restore some of the other buildings on the grounds,” Blake added. “If Patrick gets what he’s asked for, we will hopefully gain additional land and buildings people can live in. With luck, they’ll be inhabitable with very little work.”

“I’m ready for this to be over, for the labs to be a thing of the past.” Jade pulled her legs up against her chest.

“Little sister, I have a feeling that even if the government agrees to all of this, the labs aren’t just going to pack up and close. There might be less of them, and they might not be as bad as things are now, but they’ll still be there.” Austin took a long pull from the glass of whiskey he had poured.

“We’ll be one step closer, and that’s what counts,” Patrick countered, glancing toward Clarissa. “You’ve been quiet through all of this.”

“I’ve been watching you at work.” She wiggled her eyebrows, hoping he realized just how much he turned her on when he was dominating. The Alpha side of him fit like a second skin and heated her to the core. All she could think about was finishing this meeting and getting him alone.

“Why didn’t Dean join us? I mean, shouldn’t he know what we’re getting into?” Jade asked. “I understand why we waited until MaKayla went to her room to read, but Dean…”