Page 147 of Cursed Bonds: An Alpha's Destiny

Chapter 12

Jace

My council sat around the table, each of them looking tense and worried. If I looked deep inside myself, I felt the same. Everything was speeding up, like someone had hit fast-forward on our lives. The problem was, none of us could see the end, and we were barreling toward it like a runaway train. With only two days until we infiltrated Eren’s pack lands, the chances for disaster grew exponentially with every minute that passed.

Waylan’s phone lay in the center of the table, switched to speaker. Stephanie was giving us a rundown on what she’d learned.

“No one’s allowed out of town,” she said. “Only his most trusted betas can leave. It’s the same as I told you earlier.”

“Right,” Waylan said, “but there must be trusted people moving about. Where is he focusing his security force?”

“There are only two ways in and out of Scottsdale, and that’s the highway that runs through town. He’s positioned his strongest people at those two inlets.”

“How much does he trust these men?” Reese asked, leaning forward.

“They’re committed to his cause,” Steph said, sounding disgusted. “Over the last decade, he’s apparently brought more and more people into his inner circle. It’s almost like they’re brainwashed. They look at him almost like the freaking messiah or something. He keeps filling their heads with shit about taking over and becoming the most powerful pack in the country.”

I did some mental math in my head. Eren’s pack was a bit smaller than mine. The percentages of men, women, children, and elderly should have been roughly the same.

“How many betas does he have under his control? How many men are actively helping him?” I asked.

She was quiet for a few seconds before answering. “That’s the strange thing. There should only be a dozen or so that are his main betas, men who work directly beneath him. It’s like any pack, but there are a lot more betas than that here. Apparently, over the last two years, a bunch of new faces have started showing up. Rumor is, Eren’s been recruiting outcast wolves. Shifters who have been exiled or banished from their packs for whatever reason. Those guys are the most loyal to him. Even more so than his sycophants like Poli.”

The rest of my council looked as surprised by that as I was. Confused and concerned looks were on every face I looked at.

“We’ve never seen any new people at the mating party the last couple years, though,” Abi said, a deep crease between her brows.

“Eren’s kept them away from that,” Stephanie said. “This plan has been in motion for a long time. Who knows how long.”

“Let’s think,” I said. “If his strongest allies are at the main entry points, then we need to find another way to get into town. Do we have other options?”

“You can’t come in from the west because of the river. The only option would be from the south, over the ridge. It’s dense forest, lots of undergrowth. It would be very tough-going,” Stephanie explained. “That area is guarded as well. Eren’s not stupid. Though, he did assign his weaker betas to that location. So, I suppose, it’ll be your best bet.”

“How weak are these shifters?” I asked. “Are you talking physically weak, or allegiance weak?”

“None of them are as strong as you, Jace. That’s not a problem. Most are physically weak, but there are two who aren’t as loyal to Eren. Don’t get me wrong, they still follow orders, but they aren’t as gung-ho as the others. Eren thinks they’re all good little soldiers, but anyone not blinded by power can see it.”

“Why would their allegiance be waning?” Waylan asked. “If they are some of the only people in town with freedom and power, you’d think they’d be in Eren’s corner a hundred percent.”

“Most are,” Steph admitted. “The main beta who’s slowly turning on Eren is a guy named Byron. His son is probably months or weeks away from his first shift, so there’s still some time, but he can see the writing on the wall and isn’t happy with the direction of the pack.”

Her words rang through the room like a gong. Langston’s face was a mask of incredulous shock.

“Wait,” Langston said. “You’re telling me that even his beta’s kids aren’t safe? He’ll torture them, too?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying. I’m one of the few who has any autonomy here. Eren likes taking me to his house. I think he wants someone to gloat or show off to, maybe? But when he talks about his plans, he has no remorse or love lost for these kids, and he doesn’t give a damn who their parents are. To him, they’re just tools.”

“So you get to interact with these guys much? These other betas?” I asked.

“Sometimes. When I’m at Eren’s place, and they’re around. Eren is still trying to talk me into being his consort or whatever. I see them when they have meetings and meals and stuff.”

“Do you think you can pick this Byron guy’s brain a bit?” I asked. “See how close he is to tipping over? If his head isn’t in it, then maybe we can sway him. If you can get him on our side, and maybe one or two others, that gives us true double agents. Men on the inside who can help when the time comes.”

“I’ll do my best. I can’t promise anything. Eren’s house is usually full of people. I’ll need to be careful, or this will all fall apart.”

“That’s fine,” I agreed. “Stay safe. We need you there. Without your intel, we’ll be going in blind. That being said, time is still a factor. Get back to us as soon as possible.”

“Okay.”

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