Page 10 of Blood Pack Beginning

“Because you’re stronger than humans, and more expendable than vampires.” Her cold reply.

“What the fuck kind of bullshit answer is that?” Amir exploded.

“The truthful kind.”

“So, let me guess, you’re going to make us part of your army instead and force us to fight for you.”

“As if I’d trust an outsider to protect my back,” she scoffed.

“If you don’t want us as allies, then what will happen to us?”

She rolled her shoulders. “That is for the boss to decide.”

“Your boss being…”

“The vampire you don’t want to meet in a dark alley.”

Sounded like an exaggeration until Amir met Thaddeus face to face.

CHAPTER THREE

Sasha leanedagainst a wall as the boss questioned the wolves she’d brought back, one by one.

It was about time.

Not long after her team arrived at the compound with the dogs, she received a message from Thaddeus that he’d been ambushed merely ten miles away. He and his wolves had worked together to take out Morpheus, leaving Sasha with a begrudging respect for the Lycans. Perhaps they could be useful, after all.

She’d locked up the Moon Dew Lycans and arrived on the scene in time to handle clean-up, not only of Morpheus’s remains but also those of the foul experiments he’d brought along. Her team torched the ghouls, leaving behind no remains, but they returned Morpheus’ body—minus the heart Thaddeus took—to the compound to ash in the sun. Morpheus’ remains would be distributed, ensuring his vampiric essence wasn’t lost, for they only had a finite amount to go around. Most likely Thaddeus would insist she partake of some. She hoped it wouldn’t leave too nasty an aftertaste. Most times ingested remains simply increased a vampire’s strength, but there was always a chance the imbiber might be plagued with memories best left forgotten.

Then she had to wait for Thaddeus to tend to his other business. That being, mating with the two wolves he’d chosen to love.

She wrinkled her nose at the thought of it. Never in the history of their kind had the two species joined together. But Sasha, ever loyal to her sire, had no choice but to accept it—but that didn’t mean she had to like it.

A smug-looking Thaddeus eventually emerged from his bedroom and told Sasha to make her report quick. She apprised him of the Lycans she’d captured and their claims of innocence. It led to Thaddeus grumbling in annoyance at not being able to immediately return to his mates.

“Want me to take them into the woods and get rid of them?” Sasha offered.

“No. Bring them to me, one at a time.” Thaddeus’ impatience meant he didn’t waste time. As soon as a dog walked into his presence, using the gift he’d inherited from ingesting Roderick’s essence, he whammied, putting the Lycans in a trance like state. Then, through a series of questions that had to be answered truthfully, confirmed not only their story, but ensured they weren’t under another’s influence. By the time he’d finished with the fourth—Omar, the weakest of the bunch—the boss was sighing.

“They’re clean,” Thaddeus announced. “No sign of a compulsion on them. They survived what happened in Moon Dew only by pure chance, and not because Morpheus had his people leave them behind as a Trojan wolf.”

“Doesn’t mean we can trust them.” Sasha found their story a tad too convenient.

“No, however, they could probably be persuaded to join our cause. After all, they saw their whole town wiped out. They want vengeance, especially the big one.”

“Amir.” She murmured his name. Of them all, he’d caught her eye first. Big, burly, and surly. Just the way she liked her men. Then there was Diego with the flirty eyes and winks. Even Cyrus with the hot temper intrigued. The only one of the four that didn’t get her libido dancing was Omar. He was timid, rolling over too easily to show his belly, and she was pretty sure women weren’t his thing.

“If we could recruit them to our side, they could prove useful,” Thaddeus insisted. “Just look at what an asset Toni and Marc have been.”

Her brow arched. “You really think these new ones will want to be our allies, seeing how we kidnapped, questioned, and are holding them prisoner?”

“With good reason. I’m sure you can make them understand the necessity.”

“You expect me to charm them?”

Thaddeus snorted. “What a terrifying thought. More like, explain the situation. Tell them about Roderick and the issues some packs have encountered. Prepare them for what is still yet to come.”

“Which is what, exactly?” Sasha asked. “With Morpheus dead, it doesn’t really concern us anymore, does it?”

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