Page 133 of Home: Posy 5

"I'll introduce us to Alpha Briggs," I said. "We’re invited to brunch, so we can use the time to ask questions. See what you can see while we're in the alpha house."

"I'm especially concerned about why he won’t step down as alpha," Jay said. "Does he have a mate?"

"Not anymore." I shook my head. "King Julian said she was kidnapped and killed something like eighteen years ago."

"What?!" Ash, Wyatt, and Jay shrieked at the same time, making me roll my eyes before I answered.

"Took him three months to track down her kidnapper and end him. Came back with her dead body."

"Goddess have mercy," Jay whispered.

"As awful as that is," Ash said, "how did the luna of a pack get kidnapped?"

"Don’t know."

"Did the king say anything else?" Wyatt asked.

"No, just that there’s no reason Briggs can’t or shouldn’t pass on the alphaship."

"What are the sons’ names again?" Cole wanted to know.

"James. He's 23. There’s a younger brother, Aiden, who’s 21. They both have alpha blood."

"Why didn't they challenge him themselves then?" Ash demanded. "If he's that bad of an alpha, and they both have alpha blood, they should have been able to challenge him for the title and forcibly take control of the pack."

"Maybe they did, but couldn’t take him down." Cole shrugged. "Not every alpha has the same amount of moon magic."

He sent a little jolt of power through the alpha bond, and I smirked a little as the three pups shivered.

"You don't need to show off like that, dickhead," Wyatt grumbled.

"Well, we'll have our answers soon," Jay pointed out. "We're about to cross into Green River."

As soon as we entered Alpha Briggs’ territory, we all felt a little zing, as if we touched an electric fence, and that waswithhis permission to enter.

"Jerk," Ash muttered.

Then our wolves went wild.

Garnet, who was as silent as I was most days, began to yip and wiggle around and push for control. It was so out of character for him that I was concerned at first, but when my brothers started talking about their wolves acting up, too, I knew something was going on.

What's wrong with you, Garnet?I demanded.

He didn't answer, and I gritted my teeth as I forced him back.

"Jay?" I studied his expression from what I could see in the rear-view mirror, and it wasn't good.

Quartz glimmered in his eyes, and if he didn't gain control soon, we'd have the deathbringer driving us down the highway.

Not a situation Ieverwant to be in.

"Pull over," I told him.

Without arguing, he got off at the next exit and drove onto the side of the road. We quickly swapped seats, and I took over driving.

"What do you suppose is wrong with these wolves?" Ash frowned, obviously struggling with Sid.

"Maybe we’re going to find our mate!" Wyatt squealed like a little pig.

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