Page 41 of Kodiak's Heart

“Son of a bitch!” Koby exploded while Laramie clenched his fists.

“My question is why does Lawrence hate the Holloway family so much he’d instigate this? Were he and your father at odds?” Holt asked.

“Lawrence has always been an arrogant prick,” Fletch offered, contempt in his tone. “He thought himself above everyone else around him. Thought he deserved more than anyone else.”

“I don’t remember Dad saying anything about him,” Declan admitted. “Either of you?”

Koby shrugged, shaking his head.

“I don’t remember anything,” Laramie admitted.

“Something spurred him to this point. He manipulated two packs. His endgame appears to be stripping the Holloways of their pack and possibly setting this Titus up as the alpha,” Holt told them.

“I agree,” Laramie said. “Maybe, we need to call the elders back. See if any of them can think of something.”

“They’ll be more than willing to help if it will get them back in your good graces,” Koby admitted.

“Punishment stands. For every year they kept us in the dark and our females hidden, they will no longer act as council or hold the revered roles of auntie and uncle as they have in the past. They’re lucky that’s all I did.” Laramie had considered several things before settling on the sentence he’d chosen. It seemed fitting for the crime they’d committed by hiding something so important from the alpha.

“Tell me who you want to call back, and I’ll take care of it,” Fletch offered.

Laramie nodded. “In the meantime, we need more information. Lawrence is still missing, and Malachi is following a trail from the Washington pack attacks. Declan, are you and Xandra still interested in going after Lawrence?”

“Hell, yes!” Declan agreed coming to his feet.

“Good. I want you to track Lawrence as best you can. Be careful. We know he’s working with hunters. Now, it seems he’s working with someone in this other pack, as well. I’m sending Chance and Wood with you.”

Chance and Wood had been Alpha enforcers for Laramie’s father back when Laramie had been an enforcer. Now that Laramie was alpha, he’d called them back to serve again. As his enforcers. They were among the short list of people he trusted completely.

“We can be ready to leave in the hour,” Declan assured him.

“In the morning,” Laramie told him. “Chance and Wood just got back from taking care of something else for me. Besides, we have more stuff to go over first, and I want you all well-rested. And armed. We don’t know what you might walk into. Plus, Xandra is still sluggish on shifting. The drug Lawrence gave her to prevent her shifting ability hasn’t completely left her system.”

“True,” Declan agreed, and Laramie squeezed his brother’s shoulder in support. Lawrence had betrayed their pack, betrayed their father and planned his murder. He was also the elder who’d taken Declan’s mate and drugged her to make her easier to control, threatening Xandra with sending one of her sisters to a hunters’ lab if she didn’t behave.

“Now that we have that decided, let’s move back to your woman,” Milo said. “What does she need protection from?”

“I don’t know yet,” Laramie admitted. “Malachi said everything she does is to protect those around her. That she’s more than she seems, and that she needs us more than any of us realize.”

“I’d say we all realize how much you need her,” Koby countered, and masculine laughter filled the air.

“She’s my mate,” Laramie growled. “I knew it the moment I saw her.”

“Yeah, I get that,” Declan agreed. Koby nodded while Holt grinned.

“I’m going to keep her safe,” Laramie asserted. “I can’t think of a better way to do that than having her at my side always.”

“You just need to trick her into saying the words,” Holt told him. “Jaeda could help you with that.”

They all laughed at the reminder of how Jaeda had tricked Holt into a mating ceremony. He hadn’t known the commitment he was making at the time, but Jaeda had. Luckily, it had all worked out, and the two were very much in love.

“We need to talk,” Jensen said as he burst through the door. His hair was sticking out as if he’d been running his fingers through it. “Sorry, didn’t know you had a roomful.”

“What going on?” Laramie asked. Hell, we need to talk seemed to be the mantra of his life lately.

Jensen shrugged. “It can wait.”

“You can talk in front of everyone here,” Laramie assured him.

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