Page 36 of Gavin

A freaking shifter poacher.

Gavin didn’t know that was even a thing.

Humans sure could be sick.

“Gavin?”

He blinked and realized he’d stopped and was staring out the window at the backyard. Turning, he faced the group. “I’m sorry, what?”

Midas smiled knowingly. Maya had been abducted by Brent, so he knew what it was like to have a mate in danger.

“It’s all right. You’re worried about Sadie, and so are we. A strike against one of us is a strike against us all. Ryan, fill us in on the plans for increasing security.”

Ryan nodded. “I’m still working on some things, but the first thing we’re doing right now is changing our security cameras. They were able to be hacked because they weren’t on a closed circuit system. Vaughn is changing that. It will take some time, but he believes he’ll have the system rewired by tomorrow night, and it’ll be a lot more secure. We’re doubling patrols. I’ve called in any adults who can help out. Now, we already know that Brent is smart and dangerous, and this Victor fellow is clearly good at his job of hunting shifters. If Gavin hadn’t been so tuned into Sadie, we might not have realized people had infiltrated Whisper Creek until it was too late. They clearly have hackers on their team, and we have to be careful not to underestimate them.”

“Maya is going to reinforce the magical barrier around this house,” Midas said. “I wish she could do an entire barrier around the town, but it’s too large. Until the threat is over, I want you and Sadie to stay here. There’s plenty of room for you.”

Gavin nodded. “Thanks.”

Ryan said, “Sadie is the main target, but we can’t just assume that keeping her safe is the only thing that will matter. Brent has proven to utilize any and all means necessary to get what he’s after, which is usually driving shifters out of towns or killing them outright. Him working with this poacher means something has changed for him, and until we know what it is, we have to assume that Brent will go after anything to get to Sadie but also all our people. He could harm our resources, our allies, anything that might give us an advantage. In keeping Sadie safe, we also need to keep the pride safe.”

“Sadie’s vulnerable because she’s unique, but she’s not the only unique one in the pride,” Dell pointed out. “We also have Melo and Tahlon and two of their three children who are white tigers. Sadie being Gavin’s mate may have brought this poacher to our doorstep but it also may mean others are in danger too.”

Ryan frowned and crossed his arms. “We should plan for multiple scenarios with Brent and Victor. If they try to capture Sadie again, they'll likely come at us from different angles. We should consider moving Sadie to a more secure location, somewhere they won’t expect. Maybe with the coven or your sister downtown?"

Gavin shook his head slightly. "If we move her, they'll just track her down again, maybe even faster than before. I think staying here is our best option, at least right now.”

“I agree,” Midas said.

Ryan nodded. “So you and Sadie will stay here. I’m going to set up a patrol schedule with our new people. Gavin, you will be part of the security team who guards the house.”

“That works for me,” he said.

Midas looked around the room with a steady gaze. “Keeping Sadie safe is our priority, as well as the rest of our people. But we have to remember that this isn’t just about that. It’s about the survival of the pride. We can’t let Brent or Victor take anyonefrom us or drive us from Whisper Creek. We all have a part to play in this. Let’s do it to the best of our ability.”

The people dispersed, leaving Gavin and Midas in the large room alone.

“My home is yours,” Midas said. “For as long as you and Sadie need it.”

“I wish I knew what Brent and Victor were planning.”

“I do too. All we can do is our best to keep the town and our people safe. Our people are working to track down Brent and Victor and see if we can find them before they come after us again. Our best hackers are on the job, scouring the internet and social media for any sign of them.”

Gavin nodded.

They left the conference room and found their mates watching the show. Midas and Maya left the room so Maya could redo her protection spell, and Gavin plopped onto the couch next to Sadie.

“I’m sorry this happened,” she said, snuggling into his side.

“It’s not your fault that your fur is unique or that an asshole poacher thinks it’s okay to hunt people for profit. I’m going to keep you safe, Sadie.”

She smiled up at him, her eyes filled with worry. “I’m scared, but I trust you.”

He brushed his lips across hers. He was scared too. Scared that he was going to fail at the most important job in his life. But he was also filled with determination that he and Sadie were going to have an amazing long life together.

They’d just met. He wasn’t about to lose her now.

Brent and Victor could fuck all the way off if they thought they were going to waltz back into Whisper Creek and take Sadie from him.

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