Page 146 of Secret Shifters Next Door

“Steff… It’s been a long time.”

“You’re right, it has. It’s been a long time not to have a family. A long time to think about my own parents kicking me out in the cold. It’s been a really long time since my brother tried to bash my brains in with a baseball bat and failed.”

“Fuck, man, I was a kid. I was stupid. I’m sorry, but I don’t want to do this on the phone. Can we, maybe, make this a business call? Let the personal stuff wait?”

“Fine. I’ll even give you the help free of charge. There’s a group of hunters in this area of Colorado. They’ve been preyingon different shifter packs all over the place. They’re more aggressive than any hunters have been in centuries. If you guys are having this problem, then it looks like they have teams coming out of hiding all over the country. The guy leading the group down here is named Ryland Fields.”

“Fuck. I was afraid of that. We’ve never had to deal with hunters before.”

“Youshouldbe scared. The group here originally had a witch working with them. She’s out of the picture now, but the fact that she was with them tells me the hunters are changing their tactics. They’re more brazen, more open, more unpredictable. You andyourAlpha need to watch your backs.” I emphasized the fact that Sean wasn’t the Alpha, but he didn’t seem to notice.

“Okay, I’ll let my Alpha know. I’m sure he’ll come up with a plan that’ll keep us safe. At least I hope so.”

“Yeah. You know, I don’t wish your pack any ill will, and I don’t want this to sound cold, but I don’t really have any sympathy for you guys. I got kicked out and exiled because you were jealous and because you lied. That pack hasn’t been mine for a long time. No one spoke up in my defense. No one. It’s kind of hard for me to wish you luck, you know?”

There was long, dragging silence on the other end of the line, and I was about to hang up when Sean said. “Steff…” I waited to see what he was going to say. “...never mind.” Then he hung up.

I stewed over the call all the way home, thinking about all the years since I’d spoken to my brother. Multiple emotions roiled within me, ranging from anger, to sadness, to rejection, then to full-on rage. It wasn’t a fun sensation. I was almost home when I realized I needed to let the guys know what was happening. I dialed Miles.

“You never have good news when you call me.”

I grimaced. “Well, I’m going to stick with that trend. Got off the phone with my brother a minute ago.”

“Your brother?” Miles sounded incredulous.

“The one and only. He called me from Oregon. There have been some disappearances in his pack. Sounds like the same thing that’s been happening here.”

“Shit. That’s nearly halfway across the country. You don’t think this is the same group, do you? Could they be that big? I’ve never heard of anything like that before.”

“Neither have I, but if we’ve learned anything the last year, it’s that this group isn’t playing by the typical rules.”

“Okay, I’ve got connections in the northwest. I have a few favors I can pull in Washington State. I’ll see what I can dig up and figure out. How are you doing? Are you okay? After talking to your brother, I mean.”

The question immediately made me feel better. It reminded me that even though my own family had shunned me, I still had one. I had a pack that cared about me and loved me. “I’m good, bro. Thanks for checking. And thanks for having my back.”

“That’s what a pack does. I’ll let you know what I find out. Later.”

“Bye.”

I pulled into the driveway, hoping April was feeling better. But as I stepped into the house, it was clear that was not the case. April looked pretty miserable where she lay on the couch. Chelsea sat on the love seat beside her, reading a book.

April looked up and croaked, “Oh, my prince charming has returned.”

I looked at Chelsea. “How’s she been?”

She shrugged. “Had a temperature off and on all day. Not much of an appetite, either.”

“Thanks for staying with her,” I said, kicking off my shoes and sitting next to April.

Chelsea grabbed her things and started toward the door. “No problem. We had fun. Well, when she wasn’t napping or blowing her nose.”

“I only went through one box of tissues,” April said.

Chelsea grinned. “Yeah, keep telling yourself that. See you guys later.”

I turned back to April after Chelsea left. “Can I get you anything?”

“I’m thirsty. Can I get a drink?”

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