"I can do both," Craig assured Jones.
Jones sat back in his seat, patiently waiting as Britney whisked away the remnants of their meal. "Look, if it were up to me, I'd bring you in."
Like hell he would
. "But these things, things like who is brought on board and when, are carefully controlled."
"You won't be able to control Nafarius," Craig sneered. "And he'll kill you if you try."
"We'll take that under advisement," Jones said. "What else can you tell me about Nafarius?"
Craig's jaw visibly clenched. "He's powerful - "
"As powerful as Dimitri?" Jones asked. Dimitri had been on the Agency's radar for years.
"I don't know," Craig admitted. "But it's possible. They haven't been able to meet since Nafarius came into his maturity."
Jones was well aware of the conflict that could result from two alpha male werewolves in the same room. He'd witnessed the catastrophic damage first hand when dealing with potential team members in the past. It was one of the reasons the Agency had implemented a policy of one alpha for the Delta team and the main reason they were holding out for Nafarius.
"What about Nafarius' beta?" Jones nodded at Britney's offer of coffee and adding a heavy dose of cream to his cup.
"Roland is an animal," Craig said. He'd been forced to deal with the beta when negotiating for the mating between Nafarius and Dimitri's daughter. "The male does little more than growl."
"The Agency doesn't have any records on him," Jones admitted. That fact had never bothered them, until now.
"All I know is that he's been Nafarius' shadow for years." Craig scowled down into his coffee. He was loathe to admit it, but Roland had always struck him as more alpha than beta. A fact that had confused Craig, making it harder to deal with him throughout the negotiating process and leaving Craig feeling at a distinct disadvantage.
"Roland isn't original pack?" Jones asked. Damn, but the Agency needed more intel.
Craig shook his head. "No, he appeared about thirty years ago."
Predating the Agency, Jones thought.
"No one knows where he came from," Craig said.
"What about Nafarius' mate?" Jones asked, leaving the topic of Roland for later.
Craig slammed his fist down on the table, startling nearby guests and overturning the watered down remains of his cocktail. "That
bitch
ruined everything!"
"How so?" Jones asked, ignoring Craig's outburst and the curious stares.
"We had a deal," Craig said, carefully righting his glass. A deal that would have eliminated Dimitri and left Craig to take his rightful place as alpha.
Jones didn't need the particulars to know that Craig would have benefited from whatever deal he had negotiated on Dimitri's behalf. "How did Nafarius end up mated to a human?"
Craig shrugged. "I couldn't tell you, Dimitri killed Carter before he could share the details."
Jones felt a fissure of warning. Pack politics were violent and brutal, but something was happening here and he would do well to follow up.
"If you want to do something for the Agency," Jones said, pulling out his wallet and slipping the waitress his credit card. "Find out what you can about Roland and Nafarius' mate. As usual, the Agency will pay well for the information with a ten percent bonus for anything of use within the next ten days."
Craig perked up. "This is that important?"
Jones signed the check. "Something is going on out there, we want to know what it is."
****
Roland crossed the common room, his riotous thoughts settling as he passed through the familiar surroundings of the pack's den. Looking around, he was surprised to find it nearly deserted. He must have spent more time with Natasha than he realized. Damn, but the female threw him. He could still feel the cool touch of her fingers, his scar tingling with the memory.
Most of the pack had retired for the evening, retreating to the large sleeping area that bore into their mountain den. Sam, Nafarius and Maddie were the last ones left, the three of them talking quietly with their heads together.
"How is she?" Nafarius asked. Looking up at Roland's approach, he tried to get a read on his beta. The usually stoic male seemed scattered, a twist of emotion seeping through the pack bond.
"She's in a lot of pain," Roland answered. It radiated from her, calling on him to do something. The pack had been enjoying a quiet evening when Natasha started screaming, the primal sounds sending some of the young scurrying.
Knowing how dangerous a wounded werewolf could be, Nafarius had ordered Roland to wait for Natasha to finish shifting before letting his beta go to her aid.
"Is there anything we can give her for the pain?" Sam asked. She was a firm believer in better living through modern chemistry.
Nafarius shook his head. "Our metabolism outstrips most pain medication," he said. "Drugs and alcohol are wasted on werewolves."
"Speak for yourself," Roland said, ignoring Nafarius' too sharp gaze. He could feel the alpha along the pack bond, the male cued into Roland's emotional well being. Damn thing was inconvenient. "I still enjoy a good beer."
Sam smiled as her beta dropped down to sit beside her. "What I wouldn't give to see you drunk."
"No lamp shades for me," Roland said. Weary, he resisted the urge to lay his head back and close his eyes. He knew what he would see - not what, who.
"Now that I would have paid to see," Sam said, her laugh turning to a scowl. "Damn, that means I can't get drunk anymore either." Not that she'd been a big drinker, but the occasional buzz was fun.
"No," Maddie consoled, "but there's pie."
"There had better be a lot of pie," Sam said.
"Bettie's pie?" Maddie asked, referring to the diner in the nearby town of Roslyn.
"Her chocolate cream could cure even the worst case of PMS," Sam said. Frowning, she asked, "Do werewolves even get PMS?"
"Female werewolves are always bitches," Maddie said, her eyes sparkling. "How would you know the difference?"
"Ha, ha," Sam said, rolling her eyes.
Nafarius smiled as he listened to the two females banter. The past 24 hours had been a strain on all of them, and the levity went a long way towards easing the tension. He was anxious to get answers and had considered questioning Natasha tonight. Glancing over at Roland, Nafarius had the distinct impression that the male might have something to say on the subject. Strange, but he couldn't remember the last time the male had taken an interest in a female.
Roland let the voices wash over him, the sound a distant hum. Natasha had seemed so small and lost, her body bent under the weight of all that pain.
She was curious, looking at him with wide eyes that had warmed with sexual interest. He still didn't know what to make of it. He had an easier time understanding when she recoiled from him. On a good day, he was the monster mothers warned their children about. To a woman that had been terrorized, he was a nightmare come to life.
His heart had leapt at hearing her scream, the pounding echoing in his ears. An eternity had passed, Nafarius standing between him and the wounded werewolf. Going to her, catching her when she collapsed, had seemed the most natural thing in the world. She had been soft and warm in his hands, her flesh flushed from sleep. He hadn't expected to feel a shiver of awareness or the low pulse of desire that had followed.
"Roland." Nafarius' voice whipped out and snapped him back to attention.
"Sorry," Roland rubbed at his forehead, as if that could erase the memory of Natasha naked on the floor. It wasn't like him to get distracted, no matter how attractive the flesh.
Belatedly, he realized Nafarius had asked him a question.
"She doesn't remember how she got here," Roland reported. "But she's exhausted and in a lot of pain."
"Then why did she shift?" Sam asked, rolling her shoulders. Roland knew the newly made werewolf was still learning to shift without pain.
"It doesn't matter," Nafarius said with a shrug. He was more interested in how she ended up in his territory. Was this a message from her father? A warning? He knew Dimitri could be ruthless, you didn't get to be his age and hold a pack without resorting to violence. But to strike out at the male's daughter, the female that was to have been Nafarius' mate, hinted at something more. "She'll be easier to deal with this way."
Roland tensed, his wolf stirring at the idea of Natasha dealing with another male.
"I'll speak with her in the morning," Nafarius added.
"I want to be there." Roland demanded.
Nafarius raised a brow at his beta's commanding tone.
Roland held his alpha's gaze. He was loyal to Nafarius, Roland's first duty always to his pack. But he was the one that found the female, bringing her back and tending to her wounds, making her his responsibility.
Nafarius' hackles rose at the challenge. Roland was his beta and his best friend, which afforded him some leniency.
But finding Natasha beaten and left for dead in his territory meant there was a danger out there and Nafarius wouldn't hesitate to use the female if it would protect his pack.
Roland could guess at Nafarius' thoughts, and at any other time in his role as beta, would have agreed. But his instincts were calling on him to protect Natasha. Nafarius would have to go through Roland to get to her.
Nafarius' lips peeled back from his teeth with a snarl, the sound growing when Roland failed to immediately drop his eyes.
Eyes locked with Nafarius, Roland slowly unfolded from the floor, his body rising up off the ground. Behind him, Sam cursed softly, the sound barely registering.
"Shit." Sam swore, her eyes darting back and forth between the two males.
Nafarius was the only male in the pack stronger than Roland, but not by much. The relationship between alpha and beta was a complicated one, the males drawing comfort and strength from one another in a delicate balance of power, loyalty and friendship.
A battle between the two would shatter all of that, destroying both of them in the process.
Sam refused to stand by and let that happen. Closing her eyes, she focused on the pack bond. All of the pack was there, individuals swirling in a universe of energies, emitting a sense of health and well being. Nafarius was there, as were Maddie and Roland, together making up the center, the body around which the rest of the pack was drawn.
Nafarius' energy pulsed brighter as Sam drew near, an echo of warmth flowing down the mate bond. Maddie too pulsed brighter, her energy softer than the others. Roland's energy throbbed hard and slow before speeding up to flutter wildly, warning Sam to stay away.
Sam had never been very good at reading warning labels and reached out to touch him.
Roland's eyes darted to Sam's face, ending the conflict with Nafarius as his wolf snapped and snarled, launching itself at Sam.
Sam jerked back as Roland's energy flared to life, taking the shape of his wolf and lunging.
"I'm sorry," Roland said through clenched teeth as he struggled to control his wolf.
So wounded
. Alerted to one of its pack-mates' distress, Sam's wolf tried reaching for Roland. Sam saw Roland tense, his eyes still bright gold and pulled back on her wolf.
"Roland?" Nafarius inquired, gently.
"I'm sorry," Roland said. His eyes, when he looked up at his alpha, were haunted.
"My fault," Sam said, quietly. "I shouldn't have - "
"I'm not used to..." Roland trailed off, scrubbing his face with his hands. He couldn't remember the last time someone had tried to touch him using the pack bond. It wasn't an easy thing to do and Nafarius knew better than to try.
Nafarius rested a reassuring hand on his beta's shoulder. "Easy, old friend."
"I'm sorry," Sam said, looking up at Nafarius. "I didn't mean..."
"It's not your fault," Nafarius assured her, a slight shake of his head telling her to let the matter drop.
They were quiet for a moment, listening to the reassuring sounds of the night. Eventually, Roland took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.
"We'll speak with Natasha tomorrow." Nafarius finally said. "Until then, I want someone outside the alcove."
"I'll go," Roland volunteered. He needed to get the hell out of there.
Nafarius nodded, watching Roland disappear down the corridor to the alcove before turning to his mate. "What did you see?"
Sam looked up at Nafarius, her eyes wide. "What happened to him?"
Nafarius shook his head. "It's not my story to tell."
Sam nodded, her eyes turning to stare after their beta. She hadn't meant to call Roland's wolf. She had hoped to ease whatever concerns he had regarding the female, letting him back down from his challenge with Nafarius. But Sam was still learning about the bond with the pack, and trying to work out her unique ability.
"He'll be okay," Nafarius said, Sam's distress causing him to reconsider sharing the story of Roland's past.
It wasn't a secret, most of the pack knew bits and pieces. But Nafarius was the only one that knew the whole of it. It was a story that had taken Roland a decade to tell, each piece evidence of the beta's growing trust in his alpha. Nafarius couldn't betray that trust, not even to his mate.
"Should I go talk to him?" Sam asked.
"Give him some space," Nafarius said. For all Roland was pack, he was closer to their wild ancestors than any other werewolf Nafarius had ever known.
Sam nodded, and rolled her shoulders, trying to ease tense muscles. "God, I could use a good run."
Nafarius felt his blood heat at the thought of chasing down his mate and claiming her in animal form.