Page 57 of Scarred Resolve

“Hey. How was the meeting?”

“The paperwork has exchanged hands. One of Teagan’s associates will hear about it soon enough. Hopefully today, but more likely tomorrow.” Heath started walking, heading for the hotel he booked only a few blocks away. He wanted to be close, so he didn’t have to drive around unnecessarily. He didn’t know Portland very well, and it was safer for everyone if someone tried to attack him while he wasn’t driving.

He wasn’t always worried about being attacked in foreign cities, foreign meaning any city but his own. There was always a small risk when he was in good standing with the other werewolves in the United States, but now he was decidedly not in good standing. Portland didn’t have a particularly large pack to stand among the most powerful like Dallas when he was in charge or an Alpha strong enough to try for a place on the NAWC, but Heath wouldn’t put it past anyone to go after him if they thought Callahan and Corissa would appreciate it.

“What’s next? Any plans other than keep your head down?” Landon was worried. He didn’t sound worried. He didn’t act worried. Heath just knew.

“No. I was going to order room service for dinner. Hopefully, I’ll be quiet and quick enough getting this done so the Portland pack doesn’t feel like investigating my presence here.” Heathreally didn’t feel like a confrontation. He didn’t need added drama to the hard situation they were already in. He definitely didn’t want to feel forced to take over the Portland pack if they pushed him hard enough. He’d have to deal with it like Dallas, dismantling the pack and sending all of them on their way. That was something he couldn’t get away with a second time.

“Well, it might be good for you to remember that you’re there to assist the werecat ruling family, and that should shut them down quickly if they are stupid,” Landon said.

“One would hope, but I’m not going to assume they’ll care. We’ve seen supernaturals trust their own power a little too much and how that plays out. I’m not allowed to tell them that to ease whatever fears they might have before something happens because I’m not to be associated with them. The only thing I can hope for is that they reached out to the NAWC and got an order to stand down.”

“Yeah. I shouldn’t have let you go alone…”

“If I brought you or anyone else from our pack, even Teagan, then they would have seen that as an act of aggression,” Heath countered. “Plus, I need someone with Carey, and don’t say Dirk. I love him like a son, and I know you do, too, but he’s not exactly a well-oiled machine of an older brother the way you are. He’d let her get away with murder.”

“So would I…” Landon said, getting Heath to chuckle at the admission he should have expected. Heath had a retort ready quickly, though.

“You would just commit the murder for her,” he teased. “If she did it before you found out her plans, you would cover up for her.”

“What else are older brothers for?”

“I haven’t been one in a very long time, so you would know better than me. However, I think you might be taking it a little far.”

They continued going back and forth on the matter until Heath reached his room. There was no clear resolution, but Heath was always glad to hear about how much Landon loved and protected his sister, so he wasn’t trying hard to win.

“Okay, Landon. I’m in my room, and it’s clear. I’ll talk to you later,” he said. “Love you, and tell Carey the same when you see her.”

“Will do, and you too, Pa. Stay safe out there.”

Heath hung up and checked his messages, seeing once again that he had nothing from Jabari. He would have heard the notification, but he had been hoping that Landon had just distracted him. He texted the old werecat, asking if he was accidentally out of the loop on any updates and received a quick response. He wasn’t. Jabari hadn’t heard anything from the group yet. There wasn’t a schedule for when one of them needed to check in, but Heath had enjoyed the frequency of them so far.

He ran a hand through his hair and stared out the window.

He was playing the waiting game, and he hated every second of it.

25

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

“Jacky, open your damn eyes,” Niko snarled.

Ow.

“Yeah, ow,” Niko snapped, both with his voice and his fingers near my ear.

My head and body hurt, but that wasn’t my eyes. I opened them to see Niko and Davor looking down at me, trees over them, reaching to the sky.

“How long have I been out this time?” I asked, groaning as I pushed up, both of them giving me very little space to do so.

“Only a few minutes,” Davor answered. “A lot happened in those few minutes, though.”

“Of course…” I rubbed my forehead. “I need people to stop giving me head trauma. I can’t handle this many concussions.”

“As a werecat, you’re not as susceptible to long-term issues from it as humans are, but yeah, you need to slow down,” Niko said as he put a hand on my back, and with his help, I got to my feet. I wasn’t dizzy, and my vision was clear. Everything felt fine except for the generalized pain. Looking around, I didn’t recognize the trees, though, and that did make my pulse jump.

“Where are we?”

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