Once Upon a Shifter (76 page)

Phoenix gave him an up-nod as he sat his glass on a low table and picked up one of the eight binders. "Any of you have any luck?"

A depression settled around the room as everyone gave their answer.

"All right," Phoenix said on a sigh, "we keep trying. How many Alphas do we have as a definite no?"

"What is that?" Alex said.

Phoenix pointed to Heather without looking up from a page he was studying.

Everyone in the room listened quietly while Heather filled Alex in about the binders.

"But why do we need another Alpha wolf?" Alex said.

"We forgot to tell her that she needed to name her wolf," Roel said. "The beast inside her named herself, and now Mena isn't in control anymore. If we don't find another Alpha wolf to bond with her and discover what she has called herself, Mena will be stuck inside her head forever and that bitch will do her damnedest to take over the world."

"Another Alpha wolf to
bond
with her? What does that mean?"

"It means that neither you nor I will ever be with her again, Detective," Phoenix said, dryly. "Sorry you didn't get to say your goodbyes."

Alex shook his head. "I'm not giving up on her. There has to be another way."

Phoenix let his head fall back against the chair. "If there was another way, don't you think we would have thought of it by now?"

Alex gritted his teeth. "Mena said she became an Alpha by killing one. Is that right?"

Roel and Brad nodded.

Alex looked at the binder on Tracy's lap. "Are their physical addresses in there?"

Phoenix's head came back up and his eyes narrowed as he studied Alex. "Yeah. Why?"

Alex shrugged. "I'll go kill one."

Laughter erupted from Brad and he rolled onto Heather's lap, clutching his stomach as he brayed.

Phoenix leaned forward, rubbing his chin as he stared at Alex. "You would kill another person to become an Alpha, so you could bond with Mena?"

"Well, yeah, Wouldn't you if you were in my position?"

"He is the only one of us who isn't blood-linked," Roel said. "If he gets killed, it won't hurt Mena or us."

Alex frowned as he looked over at Roel. "Thanks, asshole."

Roel shrugged. "What? It's the truth. I didn't mean it wouldn't hurt her mentally—she cares about you—but it won't kill her or any of the rest of us if you fail."

"Are y'all really considering this?" Brad said, his laughter dying just as swiftly as his smile.

"No," Phoenix said. "It's too dangerous."

"You're just afraid that I will succeed and you'll be the only one without Mena—"

"No, I'm afraid that you'll die and she'll blame me for letting you do something stupid. Those Alphas are at the top for a reason. Mena is only Alpha because she got lucky, Rhodes. They are heavily protected. You won't get within ten miles of the leader before the pack kills you. You aren't human anymore; other wolves can sense you and your intentions."

"Listen to him," Brad said. "It's an extremely stupid idea."

"I don't need your permission," Alex said as he stood and grabbed a binder from the top stack on the coffee table. "I can do this with or without your help."

"You won't even get out of Montgomery without the rogue wolves finding you, Cop," Heath said. "Sit down. Mena asked you to do what we said, and we're telling you not to do that. You promised her."

"She didn't give me an order—"

"You're not thinking straight, Rhodes," Phoenix said. "They will kill you. Do you understand that? Look, if I had to pick any other guy for Mena to bond with, it would be you, hands down, but this isn't a rescue operation you're talking about; it's a suicide mission. Don't try to be a hero. You've just become a shifter. You don't know anything about what you are or how to use the skills you now possess. It will take years to learn it all."

"We only have two and a half weeks," Alex said.

"Exactly, so doing something like that will only set us back. We'll find another Alpha that's willing."

"And if you don't?"

Phoenix ran a hand down his face. "Mena asked me to kill her before the full moon."

Alex jumped to his feet, shouting. "Are you insane?"

Phoenix stood up calmly. "Walk with me."

"What?"

"I'm going to introduce you to your girlfriend. I'm sure you will agree after meeting her that something like what she is doesn't need to be unleashed on the world. She won't stop until every vampire is dead and every human is like her."

"Phoenix—" Roel started.

"Relax, Roel, I won't let her touch him. Start making calls. We'll be back soon."

Phoenix

Walking at a snail's pace, Phoenix led Alex to the cell chamber where Mena's wolf was being held, letting the detective have an extra few minutes to calm down before he saw her.

"I don't see why you'd think this is a bad idea," Alex said, breaking the silence. "I mean, if I die, then I'm out of your way."

"It doesn't matter to me what you do, Rhodes, but the woman you're in love with will not be in love with you, especially if you succeed. If Mena bonds with another Alpha, she will be the one in control, not the moonrising wolf who has been dating you. Mena's soul will bond with the other Alpha's soul, but her heart will always belong to me. If you try your idea and succeed, she will still never be yours, fully. If we waste precious time counting on you to succeed, and then you don't, we're all dead. Either way, this bitch isn't going to win. I promised Mena I wouldn't let that happen."

"I can do it, Phoenix."

Phoenix stopped, with his hand on the doorknob of the cell room. Glancing over his shoulder at the new shifter, he smiled. "You could be with her, knowing she is in love with me?" He knew what the guy was thinking—it was written all over his face—but he was wrong; he couldn't make Mena love him. "Rhodes, the part of Mena that loves you will hate you if you do this. She doesn't want to bond with anyone. The other part of Mena is in love with me. That's the part of her I'm going to save."

He turned the knob and pushed the door open.

Alex

He was convinced Phoenix was either wrong or lying, but all thoughts about his plan faded to the back of his mind once he laid eyes on the biggest silver wolf he'd ever seen, even in pictures.

It stalked around the cage, its eyes on Phoenix as it snarled, and drool dripped from its sharp-looking teeth.

"Mena?" Alex whispered, and the wolf glanced at him, her growls calming, but her fangs were still bared.

He took a step closer to the cage, reaching out. The wolf lunged at the bars the same time Phoenix grabbed him and jerked him back.

A high-pitched whine came from her the instant she touched the bars, and she lurked back, pawing at her smoking snout.

Alex wiped his damp palms on his jeans. "She doesn't know me."

Phoenix chuckled. "She knows you, all right. She also senses that you have named your wolf, and that we are trying to figure out her name. You are no use to her now. You have betrayed her."

"So, I'm just supposed to sit back and let you and another guy have her?" Alex said, fury filling his tone.

Crossing his arms over his chest, Phoenix said, "This is bigger than a relationship, Rhodes. This is about saving the world." He pointed to the wolf within the cage. "If you want that, then you deserve to be locked in there with her!"

"Put me in there. I can talk to her. She will listen to me."

Phoenix turned and stalked toward the door. "You're stupid. Come help us or get the hell out of my house. At this point, I honestly don't care which decision you make."

Alex looked at the snarling wolf after Phoenix left. He knew the woman he loved was in there somewhere, and that she would still want him if she had the choice to. He couldn't walk away from her and give up now. Not just because they told him to; there had to be another way other than the vampire's way. And it didn't matter to him what he had to do to make it happen. Nothing would stop him, not even his badge. "I'll find a way to save you," he said, and then he walked away from her.

THE NEW MOON

Chapter 52

Phoenix

Phoenix glared at the digital clock on his bedside table as it switched from 11:59 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. They had exactly twenty-thousand, one-hundred and-sixty minutes to save Mena or his existence, as he knew it, would be extinguished.

Just like a light going out.

One minute he'd be here, the next, he'd be gone… and so would she.

He wondered if there was life after death for someone like him. He believed there was a supreme being that would save the humans who followed Him, but was there someone—or something—to save someone like him, a vampire, a creature of the night, a monster?

If so, would he see Mena on the other side? Would they get another chance at a happily-ever-after?

Thoughts like these had consumed him since the moment he'd locked Mena on the other side of the silver bars. He had reached through them, brushed the tears from her cheeks and made the promise again that he would find a way to save her.

He'd broken that promise.

There was no salvation for her or any of them. Only two hours prior, they had made the last call to the last Alpha wolf in the last damn binder Heather had.

Besides Little Rock and Houston, they had all answered with a definite no. But he still had no hope, because now Little Rock and Houston weren't answering any of their calls.

After they finished, Phoenix had sent the wolves home to rest and recharge. They were at the halfway mark. Surely they could come up with something in fourteen days.

Rhodes stayed with Roel at his house, since everyone assumed the detective's place was being watched by the rogues. Of course, Roel's house was probably being monitored, too, but there were two of them living there. It was less likely the rogues would try and take the detective or attack with Roel there; he was an extremely skilled fighter. He had even been teaching Rhodes a few tricks. That was a good thing, Phoenix thought. That dummy needed all the education on shifter etiquette he could get.

"Phoenix!" a guy shouted from out in the corridor. Phoenix bolted upright, turning on the bedside lamp as Roel flew through the door.

"What the hell—"

"I found one!" Roel shouted, his eyes shining with relief and joy.

Phoenix threw back the duvet and got out of bed, grabbing his robe off the foot of the bed and slipping it on. "You found another Alpha wolf? Did Little Rock or Houston get back to you?"

Roel puckered his lips, averting his eyes from him. "Not exactly, and no, they didn't."

Phoenix stopped and stared at him. "Well, did we miss someone or did one of the refusals change their mind?"

Roel took in a deep breath and let it out fully before he spoke. "Neither. He's an Alpha, a strong one, but he isn't a werewolf."

Phoenix's eyebrows popped up. "What is he?"

"A li(cough-cough-cough),"

One of Phoenix's eyebrows fell, and he craned his ear in Roel's direction, as if that would help him better hear a word that hadn't actually been spoken. "He's a what?"

Roel sighed. "He's an Alpha Lion—" he held out his hands when Phoenix rolled his eyes and started to turn away. "Wait! I know what you're thinking—"

"Really? Do you?" Shaking his head, Phoenix walked toward his chair beside the fireplace. "I know of only one pride of lions in the United States, Roel, and I'm not letting that particular leader bond with Mena. No," he said as he sat down. "Absolutely not."

"Ace isn't that bad. He's the best at what he does, and he knows about you. He thinks it's a good idea to become allies with your kind."

"You're right about one thing; he is the best at what he does: stirring up trouble. He's too arrogant for Mena."

"Maybe she can calm him down a little," Roel suggested.

Phoenix frowned. "I've heard he calls himself the King of the Jungle."

"He sorta is—I mean, that's what lions are, right? He's been that pride's Alpha for over sixty years, Phoenix. Everyone loves him. Nobody has even tried to challenge him."

"Because he lets them do whatever the hell they want to. He's too wild. He acts like a spoiled teenager, Roel. My answer is no. We still have fourteen days. If we're looking outside of werewolf alphas now, we'll contact—"

"I have already contacted all of them. There are only twenty-eight shifter groups in the U.S. that aren't lycan. Ace was the only one who agreed to even come meet her." Roel looked down at the floor as he continued. "And we don't exactly have fourteen days. We only have twelve."

"The full moon is in fourteen days, Roel. Tonight marks the new moon."

He didn't look up. "I know. The Alpha of Knoxville, Tennessee will be here in twelve. He's not coming here to make friends."

It took everything in him not to put the wolf on his ass as he stood and walked toward him. "When were you going to tell us about this, after he got here?"

"I knew we would find someone, and I did! Justice said to call him back after Mena bonded with another Alpha and he wouldn't come. Ace said he'd be here by the first quarter moon. This is our only shot at saving us, Phoenix! Don't be a dick or I will make this decision alone!"

"Are you even sure she can bond with another Alpha that is not lycanthrope?"

"It has nothing to do with our DNA as a shifter. The Alpha is the only one strong enough to do it."

Phoenix sighed, defeated. "Fine. Call the lions in. But I'm not responsible for anything that happens after he gets here."

"I'll be sure and let Mena know that after Ace has saved our lives."

Phoenix glared at him. "Go home, Roel."

Roel flipped him a middle finger, and then turned and left the way he'd come.