Page 55 of Hunted

Outside, cars pull up.

The rest of the pack have arrived for dinner.

I put the phone on loudspeaker and place it on the center so when everyone arrives, they can be part of this conversation. And I can keep my arms around Aerin. After what my dad just said, I’m not sure I want to let her go again.

“What did you say?” Bennett says, taking Helena’s hand. And even though Helena isn’t an omega, he’s probably feeling as protective of her as I am over Aerin right now.

“We’ve had no less than five attempts to snatch omegas,” Ivy, Aerin’s aunt, speaks up. “We dealt with the threats, but?—”

“Why didn’t you mention this before?” Bennett’s tone is hard and accusatory.

His reaction isn’t surprising. I’m battling with myself not to snarl or growl because this is information we should have known as soon as my dad knew it.

Ivy sighs. “That might be my fault. It took us a while to figure out what was going on. When we realized something was happening, we thought it would be enough to warn you to keep Aerin close. That it was just a problem in Virginia, not one that you would ever have to worry about.”

Bennett relaxes a little.

As the rest of the pack enters the kitchen, they glance at the cell phone on the table and, as if they feel the tension in the room, they quietly take their seats.

Aerin is gripping the front of my shirt, her spine vibrating with tension.

I want to tell her that everything is fine, but I’m not so sure that it is.

Aerin told me about her fears of being kidnapped. It was a fear she’s had since childhood, a product of one of the many stories her dad told her about Alphas snatching omegas to breed them.

If her dad hadn’t played such a big part in helping rescue her after Nolan Lonergan kidnapped her, I’d never forgive him for scaring her like that.

“What’s happening, Ivy?” Aerin asks, quietly.

“It started a couple of weeks ago. First, it seemed like they were grabbing women at random. It took a while to realize the men hanging around were looking for omegas in particular,” Ivy says.

“How did they know…” My voice trails off. “The old enforcers you kicked out.”

They had reveled in the power they had over the women in the Lonergan Pack. They were as cruel and mean as the Alpha that Ivy killed, so she forced them out when she took over because the pack would never heal or move on if they stayed.

“We think so,” Ivy says. “No one else would have known that we have so many omegas here unless our old enforcers told them about us.”

“So you didn’t see any of the enforcers?” Bennett asks.

“They know what would have happened to them if they came back here,” my dad bites out. “So it’s no surprise they didn’t want to show their faces.”

“They just pointed an enemy at us and were probably ready and waiting in the wings to take over if we fell apart.” Ivy’s voice is like chips of ice.

“But everything is okay now?” Penny asks, chewing her lip.

“Seems to be,” Ivy confirms. “We’ve forbidden anyone from wandering too far from the house just to ensure we’ll have no more abduction attempts. Finding the time to call when we were under constant attack wasn’t easy. Sleep has been a luxury I miss.”

“It’s okay, Ivy,” Aerin says softly. Because Ivy sounds exhausted. If she’s been getting any sleep lately, it can’t be much. “Do you know who is trying to grab omegas?”

“The two we caught didn’t talk,” my dad’s voice is cold. “And trust me, I did not ask nicely. They knew nothing useful.”

The room falls silent as everyone processes his words.

It’s been a while since I saw this side of my dad. As the former Alpha of the Raleigh Pack, he’s always been a cold man. Ivy softened him up a little, but this… whateverthisis hardening him up again.

Neither of them has opened up about their feelings for each other, but it’s clear where things must be headed for my dad to still be in Virginia.

“They don’t look or smell familiar?” Colton asks, and I know he has to be thinking of our mystery shifter and whether they’re connected in some way.

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