Page 34 of Gavin

“Clue me in, guys,” Gavin said.

“Victor Hawthorne is a poacher, but he doesn’t hunt natural animals, he hunts shifters. Unique ones. He’s the best of the best when it comes to hunting shifters and he has a client list full of wealthy, vile people. Hawthorne hunts, captures, and sells unique shifters to the highest bidder.”

Gavin looked up from the phone. Across the street was his home, where his mate was waiting for him.

Unique. Shifter.

Holy shit.

A bolt of fear ran straight through him. Her rare albino fur made her a target of her alpha, who considered her cursed. But others wouldn’t see her fur as a curse, they’d see it as a rarity to be exploited.

“I didn’t know there was a shifter poacher,” Gavin said.

“I’m sure there are loads of them,” Brick said. “But Hawthorne is the nastiest of the bunch. When we realized it was him, I called you immediately because of your mate.”

Gavin relayed what had just happened in their territory.

“Damn it,” Brick said. “But I’m glad she wasn’t harmed. He’s not a careless guy, so I doubt he was one of the people that came into the territory.”

“Does he normally work alone?” Gavin asked.

“Yes,” Ryan answered. “I’ve heard of him and he works by himself. But, I think if he’s here and there were people at your house, then it’s pretty easy to figure out that he could have teamed up with others, maybe those Humans Against Shifters assholes.”

“I agree,” Brick said. “And so does Adam and our security people. Hawthorne was not alone when he picked up the traps, and one of the people with him was a member of HAS. Brent has manpower and knows the area, and Hawthorne knows shifters. They’re a deadly combination.”

“Thanks for letting us know,” Gavin said.

“We’re going to keep searching online for them and I’ll let you know if anything comes up. Keep your girl safe.”

“I will, thanks.”

When the call ended, Gavin looked at his boss and friend. “What can I do?”

“Well, first of all, get Sadie and come with me to Midas and Maya’s. There’s safety in numbers. We’ll have a security meeting and figure out a plan to keep her safe.”

Gavin nodded. He went to the house and knocked on the back door. “Sweetheart, it’s me. Open up.”

The lock clicked and Sadie opened it. She fell into his arms. “I swear I felt like someone was near the house and I got so scared but I didn’t see anyone, and then you were banging on the door! Are you okay?”

He took her hand and said, “I’m okay, but we need to go to Midas’s. I’ve got a lot to tell you and it’s not going to be good.”

Ryan walked with them as they made their way to Midas’s and Gavin told her what Brick had shared.

“Oh gosh, someone thinks I’m valuable as a trophy? That’s sick! What are we going to do?”

“We’re going to Midas’s house and then we’ll figure things out. Your safety is the most important thing to me, and I’ll do everything in my power to make sure you’re safe.”

Gavin squeezed her hand as uneasiness settled over him like a wet blanket, his mind already turning to the next steps. Danger was closer than he’d imagined. Her safety was the only thing on his mind. He just found her and wasn’t about to lose her to some asshole shifter poacher.

“I’ll keep you safe,” he said.

“I know you will.”

Chapter

Thirteen

Victor Hawthorne watched the drone footage with a grimace. Even though Victor had warned Brent against sending people in to abduct the white wolf at this point, he’d held out the tiniest hope that they might be successful.

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