I hope they like cotton.
Chapter Eleven
We were ushered into a large condo with floor to ceiling windows looking out over the Puget Sound, a beautiful and clear view. One could even see a hint of mountains on the other side of the water. I stepped closer to the window, a bit awestruck. It wasn’t my woods, which I was biased toward, but it was a gorgeous view.
“Heath,” a rich, masculine voice said loudly. “It’s so good to see you, my friend.”
“Geoffrey!” Heath laughed. “Alpha Lewis, rather. You know, your wolf, Ryan, is a stickler for the rules.”
“He is. It’s why I sent him. I wanted to make a good impression on…”
I was still staring out the window, just listening to the two wolves greet. When it became apparent I was the person he wanted to make a good impression on, I turned around slowly, my eyebrows going up.
“Really? I’m not all that special.” I offered him a tight smile. “Really, the less activity, the better for me.”
“Ah, I’m sorry, then.” I didn’t believe his apology. “When Heath said he was flying up with you, I expected…something else.”
“I was only asked to make an introduction. Jacky would like to ask you some questions, and none of it should endanger your pack,” Heath explained carefully. “If they might, she’ll drop it.” He gave me a pointed look.
“Of course,” I agreed. “I’m not here to cause any trouble for the Seattle pack.”
“Please tell me what the most famous werewolf and werecat could possibly need from me. Have a seat.” Geoffrey pointed to his couches, smiling, but it didn’t reach his eyes. I had a feeling he’d either figured out why I might want to talk to him or thought I was there to cause trouble. My siblings were right. Showing up outside my territory made others wary.
We all sat down, and Geoffrey made a show of making sure we all had something to drink. I asked for water and made a show of sniffing it before sipping it. That made the Alpha pause, and Heath coughed.
“He’s not going to poison you,” Heath whispered to me, though everyone in the room could hear it.
“After the introduction I had to your pack, I would rather be safe than sorry. Easier to ask for forgiveness for offending someone than dying.” I shrugged. I was too edgy, far from home, and whether I wanted to admit it or not, scared. “Geoffrey, another werecat passed through here recently. Did you speak to him?”
“How…” The Alpha frowned deeply. “How did you know?”
“Because werecats, contrary to popular belief, talk to each other,” I explained. “I’m here to continue the investigation he was on and find out what the fuck is going on in this neck of the woods.”
“Heath,” Geoffrey snarled. My attitude had apparently struck a nerve with the Alpha. “Leash your feline.”
“Fuck me.” Heath shook his head. “Jacky, maybe you should explain to him what is going on. He might be willing to tell you more.”
“First, I want to know why he didn’t talk to the previous werecat,” I snapped.
“Because we’re having problems with our two local werecats. Why do I want even more of you around?” Geoffrey growled as he spoke. “I’m only giving you a moment of my time because Heath is vouching for you.”
“Problems?” I snorted. “Alpha Lewis, your two local werecats are dead. Now the question is if you killed them, and after you firmly shut down speaking to the previous werecat sent here to find answers, the outcome doesn’t look good for you.”
Every word that came out of my mouth made the wolf more and more pale. I played hard ball. Maybe it was my anger, not knowing where Jabari was. Maybe I was too edgy and frustrated from being away from home. Whatever it was, it had me on the offensive. I was pissed off now.
“Dead?” he asked softly. “Titan and Gaia are dead? We’re talking…we’re talking about the two old cats that lived in the park, right?”
“Yes,” I snapped. “Jabari was sent to—”
“That male was Jabari?” The wolf sagged back into his couch. “Heath…”
“Jacky.” My wolf looked over to me, pleading with his eyes. “Tell him who you are and everything else. He obviously isn’t part of this.”
I knew that. I could smell the honest shock off the wolf.
“Jabari, son of Hasan, was sent here by Hasan to find out what or who killed Titan and Gaia,” I explained, taking a deep breath to relax and loosen my muscles. “He said he met a stone wall with you when inquiries were made, then headed off toward their territories to discover more. He hasn’t called in or reported in a week…” I sighed. “I’m Jacky, as everyone calls me, but to werecats, I’m Jacqueline, daughter of Hasan, and Jabari is my older brother. I’m here to assist him as needed or finish what he started if necessary. Heath agreed to help me talk to you because Jabari wasn’t able to.”
“Fuck. My friend, why doesn’t everyone know you have a direct line to fucking Hasan himself? And the General walked through my fucking city without me even knowing! He called us and just said he was a werecat interested in finding out more about our relationship with the two cats who lived in the state!”
“Yeah, Jabari wouldn’t have told you too much over the phone because lies are too easy. Because of…Heath and me, things have been tense between our kinds,” I tried to say without getting snappy.
“I can agree to that. Some packs have found werecats are growing hostile if they enter their territories to talk.”
“I can admit, werecats are upset with the sudden attention they’re getting, and a werewolf should never enter a werecat’s territory without permission,” I added for him. “I understand you wolves want allies and a better relationship, and what I did in Dallas was…”
“Impressive,” Heath filled in for me. “Who wouldn’t want a werecat defending their family now?”
“Yes, and who would care if those werecats die for it? We’re a small species, and we’re defensive because of it,” I reminded him, trying for diplomatic instead of cranky. “So, when two werecats show up dead—”
“You looked at the closest wolf pack because of our history,” Geoffrey said, cutting me off. “I understand.” He rubbed his face, looking over to his windows, staring over the water. “Gaia and Titan weren’t friends, but they weren’t enemies either. They allowed werewolves to camp in the park if it wasn’t during a full moon. When I said we were having problems with them? Four of our wolves went out on a week-long trip, trying to get out of the city for a little while. They never came back.”
“How long ago?” Heath asked sharply.
“A month ago. We contacted a park ranger who often carries messages back and forth between me and the cats, but the ranger couldn’t find or get ahold of them. We…thought they might have killed our werewolves for some slight.” He sighed heavily. “When did Gaia and Titan show up dead?”
“Nearly two weeks ago,” I answered. Fuck. Now it wasn’t just two dead werecats, but four possible dead wolves as well. Unless the pack was playing me, but I didn’t think so. Geoffrey looked like death warmed over, and I couldn’t smell a lie in his words. “Did you or any of your pack have any idea of their deaths? Or maybe help kill them?”
“Not that I know of, and I’m the Alpha. I’ll begin an investigation immediately. Gaia and Titan were…fine. We never had problems with them until this.” He nodded over my head, and I heard footsteps. I’d known Ryan was standing behind me the entire time, choosing to ignore him. The pack was trying to be safe, and I was an immediate threat to that. “Call my inner circle in for an immediate meeting. Let word out to the pack that they will all report to me within twenty-four hours or be hunted down. Their choice.”
“Yes, sir.” A door closed across the room.
“Thank you,” I offered him sincerely. I could see, smell, and hear how genuine he was.
“If any of our wolves killed your werecats, they’ll be dealt with. Swiftly,” he growled. “Have no fear on that front. The last thing anyone wants is another war. I’ll say it now. I was scared when your…father stood in front of the Tribunal and threatened to make everyone public. Afterward, there was some talk about killing him and his children for doing it. A war is the same problem—revealing those who don’t want to be revealed.”
“You’re already out, though,” I pointed out. “Would it really upset you?”
“If, say, vampires were revealed, imagine the public outcry. Or the fae who in some of their cultures are gods. Werewolves, we can blend, act human because most of us once were human, and if we’re not perfect, we’re wolves. We’re the progenitor to man’s best friend,” Heath explained. “But the repercussions of the fear humans have for others would rub off on us. We’re still trying to settle in our new place in the world, and we had to go public because it was too hard to hide anymore. Our numbers were too strong, and being revealed without a plan would have gotten us killed.”
“So, if a bad apple is revealed in another species, everyone freaks out and kills everyone,” I inferred. “Hence, why Emma was just an upstart wolf to the public and not a half-witch mad for power.”
“Exactly,” Heath said, nodding. “Honestly, Hasan was right about werecats. You protect humans by our own laws. You would come out strong and on their side, at least in the beginning.”
“Until they have no one else to shovel their fear on,” Geoffrey mumbled. “That was the fatal flaw with his bluff.”
“It wasn’t a bluff,” I whispered, looking down. “He would have done it for me. Just like he would kill everyone who might have a hand in the death of any of his children. He would start another war if he had to. If he lost a second child, he would do it.” That was an undeniable truth no one should ever take lightly about Hasan. Not me, not my siblings, not any supernatural who may ever cross his path or the path of anyone in the family.