Page 22 of Savage Trap

“Nothing out of the ordinary, but then we don’t really know what we’re looking for. There was a bit of traffic because the non-omega restrooms were so busy, but no one went in before Kelly and came out after.”

“I want to see it. Do you have the feed here?” I wave at Link’s laptop and he nods, clicking a few buttons until a grainy image comes up. It’s black and white, the lights from the dance floor like ghostly streaks on the film. It tracks as they said, with a few people coming and going until Kelly rushes into the restroom. I only get the back of his head, but his shoulders are hunched and the hand I can see is curled in a tight fist. I watch the clock tick over, but Link doesn’t jump the film forward, letting it play out in real time. At one second shy of five minutes, Kelly comes stumbling out, head down. He’s just a blur, and I grit my teeth as we watch the film tick over for eight minutes until the next person enters. It’s a petite girl in a tiny dress and she’s in there for less than two minutes, then gone again in a streak of white light. “That’s it?”

“It’s like that for the next hour until the club closes,” Link tells me, clicking through a series of images. He’s captured every entrance and exit, and I know if he saw anything suspicious, he’d be all over it.

I rub my forehead. “And we’re sure it wasn’t Loup making a nuisance of himself?”

“No.” Link clicks on a new bunch of images, showing the Alpha of Washington in each shot. “He walked to the bar, then the chillout room, then back out the front door. He was only there to see you.”

That makes my dad scowl. “Don’t worry, I’ve got a call set up with him in an hour. I’ll be making it pretty clear that harassing my daughter is bad for his health.”

I kind of love it when my dad gets all badass on my behalf, but then I cock a brow. “Why a call?”

“He checked out before he went to the club,” Link tells me. “He’s back in Washington.”

I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing. Keeping your enemies close is a proven strategy – and I definitely don’t want him out there continuing his witch hunt for Arben – but I also feel relieved I won’t be facing off against Loup for the next week. The guy is way too slippery.

“What about Arben?” I look around the table. “I’ve been trying to check in with him every hour, but I’m getting nothing.”

The guys all shake their heads, looking troubled, and my dad takes my hand. “He’ll be here, Elvi. We just need to let him do it his way.”

I grit my teeth again, because that only works up to a point. We’re in Chicago for a week, and if Arben doesn’t make an appearance before we leave, I’ll have a few choice words for our deadly assassin.

But right now, I just want to crawl back under the covers with my sunshine. “Okay, but are we really needed this morning? Kelly and I were talking about catching up on some beauty sleep.”

I’m tempted to slide a cheeky wink his way, but my dad shuts that down fast. “The other alphas have checked in, so we’re on track to start in twenty minutes.” He takes a last sip of his coffee and stands. “Unfortunately, they voted at dinner last night and it’s a closed session. Just alphas and their heirs.”

“What?” I splutter. “You mean the guys get out of going?” Grins are breaking out around the table and I stomp my foot. “How is that fair?”

“Politics is rarely fair,” my dad tells me.

“No shit,” I mutter, pulling a face. But my eyes narrow to slits as I notice the guys edging towards the bedroom. “Hold on. What do you think you’re doing?”

Cam looks a little shame-faced, but Rory just flutters his lashes at me. “Making sure Kelly gets that beauty sleep you were talking about.”

I’m pretty sure the sound that leaves my mouth is a whine.

The council meeting is being held in the hotel’s business center, in a boardroom big enough to seat thirty. Plenty of room for my whole pack, I note sourly as I enter at my dad’s side. The guys didn’t start their puppy pile until we left, but the alpha pheromones were already thick in the air, so I have no doubt in my mind I’ve drawn the extremely short straw.

But it doesn’t take long for my attention to be diverted elsewhere. The rest of the council is seated when we arrive, and all eyes turn my way. I count nine alphas, excluding the Leons, all dressed in suits. The only woman in the room is sitting at the far end, although her alpha presence is strong enough to keep my gaze from straying to the Chicago skyline behind her.

There are name cards on the table and my dad is positioned on Alpha Leon’s left, since the Chicago pack is acting as both hosts and mediators. I’m next, with the Alpha of Maine on my other side. He gives me a warm smile, but my dad is already introducing everyone and I listen carefully, checking off faces and names against the bios I was given.

Continuing around the table, the Alpha of Maine’s heir is James, a guy in his early thirties who I discover is actually his grandson. Next to him is the Alpha of Delaware and his son, Caleb, who gives me a nod since we met last night. The female alpha is next, and I find out she’s from Virginia, and the guy at her side is her mate, not her heir. On the other side of the table is a big, beefy guy called Hollinger, who runs the Pennsylvanian packs, and his equally large son, Becker. I also met him briefly last night, and I have to wonder if the patronizing sneer on his face is because he saw me dancing with Nate, or because he’s just as ignorant as he looks.

Ignoring him, I focus on Snider, the obnoxious Alpha of Connecticut, and a beautiful dark-haired guy he introduces as his omega, David. He mentioned him yesterday, comparing him to Kelly, and he clearly decided he needed to get him to town fast. David gives me a smile that’s borderline nasty, and I’m reminded that just because we share a designation, doesn’t mean we’re the same kind of animal.

“Thank you all for coming,” my dad begins, “and thanks to the Alpha of Chicago for welcoming us to his city this week. His sons are in attendance to help us with logistics.” Parker is seated at his dad’s right, and Nate is at a small table against the wall, a laptop in front of him since he’s the official record keeper for the week. He’s wearing a navy suit with his hair perfectly combed, and when he catches my eye, I have to bite my lip to stop my smile taking over my face.

My dad and Alpha Leon run through a bunch of housekeeping items, then we turn to the heavy leather binders in front of us. We’ve all been given plenty of pre-reading, with the intention that this week is just about formalizing the council, electing the officers, and agreeing on the key standing committees. The basics have already been hashed out behind the scenes – that the High Alpha of the East Coast position will be abolished, and that the council will focus upon improving the quality of life for all shifters in our community.

Straight-forward, right?

“I don’t like to interrupt,” Snider says with an oily smile, not ten minutes into the first item on the agenda, “but I think we should get an update on the situation in New York before we start.”

My dad doesn’t react, but I know him well enough to guess that he’s annoyed. “In what way, Henry?”

“Well, I’m just curious about what we’ll do if the Dark River Pack makes a reappearance.” He sips at his water glass, clearly reveling in the murmurs around the table. “Roan Bisha might be gone, but that doesn’t mean one of his lieutenants hasn’t taken over the pack. Shouldn’t we hold off any major changes until we know for sure?”

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