Page 50 of Escalating Alpha

“They wanted you to pronounce an OD and didn’t even have you open them up?” I seethed, taking a minute to calm down again. “Okay, so I don’t have experience with ODs in humans or this side. If it was a human and we were talking recreational drugs—what would you normally find?”

I was impressed when my people were immediately writing it all down and asking follow-up questions. We looked over the other bodies, and… It was genuinely difficult for my mind to put together what I was seeing.

Each body was half and half of human and animal form. Or third form which was already a mix. Clearly, it mattered if the shifter was strong enough to be able to change into that third form.

Or did it?

“We need to find out if these shifters were strong enough to have a third form,” I commented as I moved over to the third body.

“You’re thinking something that might force them to turn into a third form and kills them when they can’t?” Lewis checked as he moved over by me.

“I’m considering all possibilities no matter how crazy they might sound or something will tell me it’snotpossible. Clearly, something new is.”

“No, I get it, and your idea has merit,” he agreed as he moved around the table.

“You’re not supposed to be in here,” I hedged. “You’re not FBI cleared.”

“He was given liaison credentials from the vamp council,” one of my team told me. “Just him. Apparently, he’s seen a lot of crazy and investigated a lot for them.”

“Gotcha. That’s helpful.” I noted a few more things for my team and turned to Lewis before moving on to the last body. “Have you seen anything like this?”

He met my gaze and it was hard. “No. I’ve seen other things that shifters don’t make public for hunters taking trophies but not this. This—I don’t know what this is, Chief Thomas.”

And that was terrifying.

“So the first body was found three weeks ago, but the last was a week ago,” I muttered. “That absolutely makes me think this was something tested and the person disappeared after getting these results and probably attention.”

“Meaning they could be back when they work out the kinks,” Lewis said but then swore. “Or to somewhere bigger to do this more if this was the actual goal.”

“Yeah, I really, really am going to chew on the local police. We have no idea how fast it happened—we have nothing but fourdead shifters in a way that shouldn’t be possible. Awesome.” I yanked off my gloves harder than needed. “Fucking awesome.”

I thanked the coroner and made it clear to my people that they did not leave those bodies alone for a second until the paperwork went through and we could transport them. I didn’t want them disappearing now that I was going scorched-earth on this. They understood, and even the local division chief assigned a few of his people to guard the bodies as well.

I stepped outside just in time to see Freddie deliver a gorgeous punch to a man who didn’t see it coming and went down hard.

“Don’t react,” I said to everyone with me. “I have a feeling this is wolf shit and it’s legal. They want the attention and to back me into a corner.” It was difficult not to laugh when several people gave me annoyed looks that I’d figured it out.

Including the guy who was now on the ground.

Asshole.

“How people still underestimate me to this level constantly is fucking annoying,” I grumbled while Reagan made his move.

He tugged up his pants and squatted down to the level of the Alpha who was holding his face gingerly. “You ever spew your shit about our Alpha again and we will break you. I don’t know how to say this for you knuckle-dragging wolves here in St. Louis, but every Alpha isnotin her bed. You don’t even believe that and we sense it.”

“Because we’re stronger than you,” Freddie drawled. “We smell the bullshit.”

Reagan nodded, snapping in the Alpha’s face when he turned like he was going to blast Freddie. “Yourpridewon’t allow you to just ask for help like Des Moines did. They were accepting of the terms without this bluster and tearing down of our Alpha because you can’t accept youneed her help.”

“Our Alpha—” one of the Betas with them started to interject but gasped when I let out a fraction of my power.

“You interrupt my Beta again like you fucking matter here and I’ll be contacting the council that I tore out a feral wolf’s throat while here instead of just focused on the mess we already have,” I warned, my voice cold and deadly.

Reagan’s lips twitched, but he kept the Alpha’s gaze. “We havedozensof packsbeggingfor the deal Des Moines got.” All my wolves nodded when their wolves couldn’t hide their shock. “There’s a fucking waiting list to even meet with her to discuss it. And they’re respectful and begging. You are prideful and a douchebag.

“You’ll give her thewinof letting her bed you? Fucker, have you looked in the mirror? She’s supermodel gorgeous and you look like you were pushed out someone’s ass instead of the normal way of being born. We aretiredof you twisting the situation around and acting like you matter. You don’t. You wouldn’t be a feather in Sera’s cap.”

“And we can all smell the desperation pouring off of you,” Freddie added, pulling back his arm when it looked like the Alpha might get up. “Stay down there before I get really pissed.” He glanced over at Ashley who was mostly blocked by one of Lewis’s guys like she was supposed to be. “You have the numbers for Reagan, right, kiddo?”

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