Page 12 of Tempest

Cash ground his teeth together but didn’t protest.

Liam Amato had been alpha of the Silver Oak Pack for a few years, and while he’d made some changes to things for the betterment of the pack, Cash was always a little surprised that he’d barely touched the Alpha House after he’d moved into it. He knew for a fact that some of the guest rooms upstairs were decorated rather… eccentrically, but he didn’t question it.

It wasn’t his job to question his alpha.

For the most part though, the place met their needs. There were public areas in the front of the house where Liam or the Enforcers could meet with emissaries from other packs, members of their own pack who had problems or questions, or someone visiting from out of town. On the second floor, there were four bedrooms—Liam’s and three spares for guests. And then there was space in the rear of the house for them to use for holding the beta and Enforcer meetings and an office for Liam.

That’s where he brought Ore, knowing that his alpha was in there waiting for them. As soon as he stepped in the house, he scented the other Enforcers and Fern, and his panther prickled a little at the fact that the little bird would no doubt be intimidated by such a gathering. Cash wasn’t sure if the show of force was the point or if Liam wanted additional ears to listen for indicators that Ore was lying about anything.

Fern’s presence was expected. He’d known she was going to be joining them so she could explain—as best as she could—what had happened to Ore after his arrival in their territory.

Ore followed behind him, gaze darting all around like he was worried he’d be quizzed on a paint color or something. As they neared the closed door of the office, Cash paused and turned to Ore.

“Don’t be nervous,” he said, unable to stop himself from providing some sort of comfort. He wanted to put a hand on his slender shoulder, showing he was there for him, but that wouldn’t be appropriate for a number of reasons.

The top one being that hewouldn’tbe there for Ore. Once they stepped into that room, he would be Enforcer Lawson. It would be his job to help Liam interrogate the eagle, not protect him.

Ore nodded slowly, gaze glued to the door. Even though his nose wasn’t as good as a cat’s, there was no way he couldn’tfeelthe power emanating from the room with all of the Enforcers, the head of their coven, and their alpha waiting for them.

Liam alone could be intimidating. He was as big as Cash—which could be enough to scare a tiny little bird—but he also radiated the strength he received from his pack. They might not be large, but they were a tight-knit group. Their close bonds gave their alpha even more strength.

He waited another second, though he wasn’t sure what he expected from Ore, then dropped his hand from his shoulder and pushed open the door. When Ore hesitated in the hallway, Cash let himself touch him one more time, placing his hand on the small of his back and guiding him through the door. As soon as he was over the threshold though, he forced himself to drop his arm to his side again.

Liam was sitting behind his desk, feet propped up on the edge and crossed at the ankle as he looked at something on his phone. He didn’t glance up as they came in, a furrow etched between his brows as he started typing. His scent wasn’tworried, only a little frustrated, so Cash assumed he was texting with his older brother, Quinten.

Fern was perched on the front of Liam’s desk, hands folded calmly in her lap as she studied Ore with her sharp hazel eyes. Her curls were looking particularly wild, and her scent was satisfied in a way that made him realize immediately she must have been with one—or both—of her mates just before coming to the Alpha House.

In the two chairs directly in front of Liam’s desk were Saint and Rachel. They both craned their heads around as he and Ore walked in and had very different reactions.

Saint raised his scarred brow, a grin spreading across his wide, bearded face. He was handsome, in a rugged way, his white skin a warm sand color combined with his dark brown hair and beard and diamond stud in his right ear giving him a dangerous appeal. Cash had seen it work on unsuspecting human men and women since they were eighteen-year-old idiots. The scar was something he’d accidentally given himself when he was a cub, but Saint liked to tell people he got it in a bar fight.

Cash had been best friends with him his whole life; he knew all the truths behind his bullshit.

Rachel’s narrowed honey-brown eyes were locked on Ore’s bare legs. When Cash stepped up next to him so he could close the door behind them, she turned her unimpressed face on him. He avoided her gaze, feeling heat rush to his cheeks. Rachel’s family owned a small boutique clothing store, and the way she dressed showed it. Despite it being an impromptu and unofficial meeting, her thick curves were wrapped in a navy blue dress that perfectly complemented her tawny skin. Her long, dark hair was also perfectly styled into loose waves, and she wore a pair of big gold hoops in her ears.

The sight of Ore in Cash’s shirt was definitely offensive to her sensibilities.

Doing his best to ignore her judgment and Saint’s lecherous grin, he pointed Ore toward the only remaining seat in the room. A chair from the meeting room across the hall had been brought in and set to the right of Liam’s desk. Halfway across the room, Ore froze, and Cash knew he’d realized who—or rather,what—the last person in the room was.

The pack’s second-in-command stood in the corner of the two bookcases in the room, leaning casually against a shelf and watching the room with an impassive stare. Ore’s tiny body was stiff and unmoving, but Finlay didn’t react, completely unperturbed by the common reaction.

“Um.” Ore glanced back at him, eyes wide.

“Yup. Vampire,” Saint said before Cash could say anything.

Ore’s surprised face turned to the tiger, and Cash nearly snarled out loud. He wanted those eyes on him, looking only to him for guidance.

“He’s harmless though. It’s cool, little man.” Saint smiled even wider and fuckingwinkedat Ore.

Cash was going to rip his eyelids off.

Rachel rolled her eyes at him, and he realized he was projecting his feelings all over the place. Taking a deep breath in and then slowly letting it out, he pulled himself back under control, locking down his emotions. When he felt less volatile, he leaned back against the closed door and crossed his arms over his chest. His movement caught Ore’s attention once more, and he gave the little bird a nod of encouragement.

Before Finlay had joined their pack, Cash had believed—like most others in the parahuman world—that vampires were extinct. Over a century ago, they had been hunted down and killed by human hunters who had deemed themtoo dangerous to exist. The hunter clans had joined forces and tracked downevery vampire enclave on the continent, massacring everyone they found without hesitation.

Because vampire enclaves were so isolated—they kept themselves removed even from other parahumans—it had taken too long for anyone to realize what the hunters were doing. By the time they did, it was Cash’s understanding that no one actually cared enough to attempt to protect them from eradication.

Even the shifter Council hadn’t taken action, arguing that as vampires, they didn’t actually fall under their purview or protection.

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