Page 53 of Alpha Hunt

“But at night, things change.” Barrett’s eyes grow thoughtful. “I’ve had my suspicions, but last night it was unmistakable.”

I nod, urging him to continue. “Change? In what way? Have you seen-?” I stop as a youngster in a grimy T-shirt pauses at our table with a menu and slaps it onto the sticky surface.

“Get you something to eat?” he asks, his tone saying that he couldn’t care less either way. He wipes greasy blond hair off his spotted forehead.

I shake my head, not relishing the idea of sampling anything that might come out of the kitchen in this place. “Just a beer.”

The kid nods and ambles away, leaving me with the feeling that I might die of thirst before he gets back.

“Have you seen anything specific?” I pick up where I left off, taking my eyes off the kid and looking back at Barrett.

He purses his lips. “I sure have. The regular wolves disappear. Last night, I started seeing shifter activity. Shifter wolves, heavily guarded. From a distance, it’s hard to tell what they really are – and the place is locked down to visitors by then, so anyone passing wouldn’t know any better.”

“Not to mention that they’d hardly believe it,” I add. Our kind has managed to stay under the radar for our entire existence. There may be the occasional human who tries to convince the world that we share this planet with them, but most are discounted as crackpots.

“There’s that,” Barrett acknowledges. “And I’m guessing that’s how these fuckers have been able to operate for so long. No one thinks twice about keeping a wolf in captivity.”

As much as it rankles, I know that it’s true. We may not be the same as our natural cousins, but we share a common thread. They’re not made to be caged. Just like us, they were designed to roam freely. It angers me to think of them stuck behind bars, there to entertain gawping humans.

I shake off my annoyance and return my focus to the man across the table from me.

“One thing’s for certain,” Barrett goes on, “those shifters are not there by choice.” His jaw clenches.

“And last night was the first time you had actual sight of them? You haven’t been able to get closer?” I press for information.

“That’s all I’ve got for you so far.” Barrett’s voice suddenly seems more clipped. I can sense there’s more he’s not telling me, but I don’t push. His thoughts are guarded, and even with my abilities, I can’t quite tap into them. And after my altercation with Casey this morning, I don’t think I want to. She’s right; it is an invasion of privacy. I’ve always been aware of that…been sensitive to it. But now the thought of prying into this man’s head feels dirty somehow.

Freak. Monster…

Stark visions of chains and cages swirl in my head again…although this time, it’s me behind bars.

“So the reason I’m back so soon,” I get to the crux of the matter, forcing those thoughts away, “is that Jagger wants to know if it’s time to go in.” It’s not quite the reason I’m back. That has a lot more to do with hiding from the hurt of knowing I’ve angered my mate.

“I think the timing couldn’t be better, actually. This morning, I overheard some of the guards talking,” Barrett says, his voice dropping even lower. “They mentioned setting a trap for a wolf they’d spotted earlier this today.”

“A wolf? Here?” I frown. “You mean they’re not just hitting packs like Wildview?”

“No idea.” Barrett shrugs. “Until we know what their plans are, who knows how they source their stock.”

Stock. The word makes bile rise in my throat.

“Maybe they’re happy to take what they can get wherever they find it,” I mutter.

“In which case, none of us is safe either. They could be scoping out Steel Lakes as we speak.”

“They wouldn’t dare!” Anger flares in my chest. “Besides, we’re too well-defended for that. They’d never get past the perimeter.”

“Yeah…but anyone who ventures outside is fair game.” Barrett’s words send a blade of ice through my chest.

Casey.

She’d gone out in her wolf form this morning. Did she stray beyond the safety of Steel Lakes territory? Could she be the wolf they’re talking about?

Fuck!

The thought of her being caught, being held captive like the others, makes my blood run cold. And it would be all my fault for forcing her out there.

Please, let it not be her.

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