Page 6 of His Place in the World
Ryland and Remi exchanged a glance.They seemed to be close, and as he listened, Angus decided to look more into Remi.He wanted to know everything there was to know about everyone involved.
“We can go over it again,” Ryland agreed.“Pembroke is my half-brother.We share a human father, but his mother is a shifter.”He paused.“A rare shifter.I didn’t realize it was odd until recently,” Ryland said.“But then Pembroke was in my life for years.It was normal to me.”
“He’s not in your life now, though.”
“He hasn’t been for two years, since someone kidnapped him.I’ve been doing my best to find him, without success.We came close a few times, but every single one of those times, Pembroke disappeared again.I need to find my brother, and I don’t care how it happens.I’m ready to deal with anyone who stands in my way, and I hope that’s not a problem for you.You need help with these auctions and the people buying shifters, just like I need help finding Pembroke.That’s why I believe we should work together.On our own, neither of us has had any results.Together, we could make a difference, and not just for Pembroke.”
Angus leaned forward.He hoped Ryland was right.Pembroke and many other rare shifters needed help, and they could provide that help.
But only if they managed to work together.
* * * *
Del had no place here, but since he was staying, he decided he’d make himself useful in any way possible.Right now, his only job was to listen to the information being shared, and he was more than happy to do that.He was having difficulty hiding the horror and disgust from his expression, though.
He wasn’t surprised that human beings could be assholes.He’d had to deal with his fair share of those, and he’d have to do so again.He also suspected that, just like humans, some shifters were good people while others weren’t.
But right now, in this situation, shifters weren’t the ones behaving like monsters.
He already knew most of what was being said around him.He hadn’t been involved in it, but Doyle was, and it was impossible not to be aware of it.Doyle had kidnapped Everly, a griffin shifter, because he’d been forced to.He’d needed the money for their family, and while Del was horrified by what Doyle had been ready to do, he understood where his brother had come from.He disagreed with Doyle’s decision to kidnap Everly, but he’d already decided not to hold it against his brother, especially since, thanks to it all, their entire family was now safe.
Besides, Everly was fine.The pack had rescued him, and through the second man who’d kidnapped him, they were hoping they could find more about the auctions where Everly would have been sold.
That was what those people did.They found and captured rare shifters, then put them in an auction.Del could only imagine the kind of people who bought those shifters.He didn’t want to get to know them or to find out why, and he didn’t have to.The only people who would buy human beings, shifters or not, were monsters.
Del wanted to help, but he had no idea how.He was only human, and he hadn’t been with the pack long.He wasn’t sure therewasanything he could do.He didn’t understand why he was attending this meeting, but since he was, he decided to do everything he could to help.Maybe it would help him feel like he belonged.
For now, it didn’t.It did make him feel like he had a purpose, though, which was something else he’d been looking for.Maybe this way, he’d be able to help the pack.That was all he wanted.
“What do you know about the auctions?”Cam asked.
Ryland looked pissed, although not at Cam’s question.“Too much, yet at the same time, not enough.We’ve only been able to identify a few of the people involved.They were all small fishes, and none of them talked or gave us the names of the actual buyers and sellers.They know what they stand to lose, and they’re not afraid of us.I think they believe that since we’re human, we’re not going to hurt them.”Ryland swallowed so loudly that even Del could hear him from where he was.“Most of these people view shifters as little more than animals.That’s why they have no problems with rich people buying and selling them.They treat them like animals, too.We’ve seen the places where some of the auctions are held.There was no one left behind, because rare shifters are too precious, but we saw the cages, and in some cases, the blood and everything else.”
“But you don’t agree that shifters are barely more than animals,” Angela said.
Del didn’t know what to think of her.She was an alpha, but she was nothing like Cam.She’d seemed pissed when she’d first walked in, and her expression hadn’t changed.Hopefully, it just had to do with their situation, not with the people she was surrounded with.Del might not know her, but he could tell she wouldn’t be easy to deal with if she got angry.
Ryland glared at her.“How can I think that when I raised my brother?”
“I don’t know anything about you.How can I know what you feel about shifters?”Angela asked.
Ryland licked his lips.“I’m older than my brother by fifteen years.I was almost an adult when he was born, and unfortunately for him, neither of his parents were great.Our father was always more interested in his job than he was in his children, and Pembroke’s mother preferred to travel than to spend time with him.I was the one who raised him, along with his nannies.He’s the reason I decided to stay close by for college.I lived at home, and more often than not, it was just the two of us.I was there for him when he graduated from high school.I was there when he got his college degree.”Ryland looked away.“But I wasn’t there for him when he was kidnapped.He was twenty-three at the time, and that was two years ago.I haven’t seen him since then, and it’s like losing a limb.Some days, I can barely breathe through the pain.”
Del’s eyes burned.He felt sorry for Ryland, and if it was up to him, he’d agree to help right away.He wanted Ryland to get his brother back, and not just because of what might be happening to Pembroke.
There was no way to know what the people who bought rare shifters did with them.Del could only imagine it and disliked every option his brain gave him.
Cam cleared his throat.“We’re sorry you and your brother had to go through that, but we’ll find him.”
Ryland cleared his throat.“Remi and I have been trying for the past two years, but we haven’t been able to.With you, we will.”
“We’ll certainly do everything we can to make that happen.Now, tell us what you know about the auctions and the people involved.You got no details out of the people you found?”
“They’re more afraid of their bosses than they are of us,” Remi interjected.“They know we can’t do anything to them.We’re not involved with law enforcement, and so far, I managed to keep Ryland from doing something drastic.We might have to do just that if we don’t make progress, though.”He looked around.“We need to know whether or not that’s something that will stop you from helping us.”
Del couldn’t be the one to answer that, and if he were in Cam’s shoes, he’d be torn.He understood the need to do everything they could to find Pembroke and the other rare shifters being bought and sold, but he was pretty sure that Remi was talking about killing people.Could they really do something like that?
Thankfully, it wasn’t his job, and it never would be.He was ready to help if Cam needed something, but not by killing anyone.He wouldn’t be able to hurt a fly even if he tried, anyway.
