Page 21 of Scarred Resolve

A growl stopped both of them. I was at the door when Niko silenced them.

“The next time you speak to my sister, Callahan, you will address her by her proper name. Jacky, daughter of Subira. Are we clear?” Niko’s tone was clear enough. If Callahan was casual with me one more time, there would be a fight.

“Crystal,” Callahan answered softly.

I left the room, Niko right behind me. I didn’t loiter to see Bethany, knowing that Niko and I needed to start calling everyone we could as soon as possible, and we damn sure couldn’t talk about any plan of action while we were in the building. My car probably wasn’t safe anymore, not after being in the parking lot. There were probably half a dozen trackers and listening devices on it already.

“You gave her name,” I hissed as we got into my car.

“They’ll never find her,” he replied. “It was more important that he knew because there’s been no reason for you to tell anyone of the change yet.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive, but I’ll tell her about it just to make you feel comfortable.”

“But why? He already knows who our family is.”

Niko gave me an intense look so powerful, it scared me a little.

“You’re more powerful as one of her children than one of Hasan's,” he explained. “Far more powerful.”

Swallowing any response I tried to come up with, I accepted that for now and drove us fast toward home. Niko spent much of the time on the phone, texts flying in at a rapid speed. After forty minutes of texting, he shoved his phone away with a frustrated growl.

“Okay, the family is moving to get ready for an emergency meeting. They might not be available when we get back to your place, but they are moving to get on the call and see what we’ve learned.”

“You don’t have a call room set up, do you?”

“Not yet, no,” Niko confirmed. “What are you thinking about?”

“Uh…” I didn’t honestly know. Every second, a dozen thoughts were flying through my head, and it was difficult trying to figure out which one needed to be my main priority. There was a werecat in the Last Change in Alaska. There was the political trading we had just done with Callahan and the BSA. There was how our family would handle any of it, how Heath, Landon, and Dirk might react.

“We’ll talk when we get back to the house,” I said simply. White-knuckling my steering wheel, I flew through traffic, barely taking time to use my turn signals.

10

CHAPTER TEN

Iwhipped the car to a stop in front of my home, kicking up dirt and grass as my back wheels went off the driveway. Niko said nothing as he jumped out the moment it was at a full stop, and I was fast behind him. I tossed my keys at the first werewolf I saw, not paying any mind to who it was.

“Park that for me, please,” I ordered, not even registering who it was that was now holding my car keys. Niko and I could have been leaving scorch marks on the ground for how fast we were moving.

“You heard her,” Ranger said, but I had no idea if he was the wolf I had thrown my keys at.

“Jacky!” Heath sounded excited, but I saw him snap to a stop as I flew into the living room.

“I need you, Landon, and Dirk,” I said quickly. “Meeting in my office, now. Have the werewolves leave the property immediately. We don’t have a lot of time.”

Heath nodded, and I turned away toward my office without needing any further confirmation and met Niko inside. I turned on my PC and waited while watching werewolves get herded away from the house. Heath was gentle about it, but there wasno mistaking the orders he was putting down. Not a single werewolf did more than nod and start walking.

When Dirk walked in, Niko got to him before I could.

“Can you do a sweep on Jacky’s car?”

“Of course.” Dirk was gone before I even said hello.

I set up my screen and speakers for everyone to see and hear when the family meeting started. I even positioned the mic and camera to have the best chance of picking up everyone.

When Heath came in, Landon was with him, and Dirk followed close behind.

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