Page 40 of Between Imminent Fates

“Bring him here, Lucius. I’ll take care of him.” The woman with the braid said to Jax, “I’m Zia.”

“Jax.”

Offering her the obligatory nod, he returned his attention to Key, but she was already glaring at Barlowe with visible contempt.

“Who else knows about the wolves?”

In a rare moment of confusion, Barlowe sputtered, “No one; it remains a classified operation. Only my commanding officer knows the full extent of this.”

“Then how was it funded?” Key asked. “How did you come into contact with Rayn?”

At the first sign of resistance from the Colonel, a primal growl sounded from the other wolf’s throat. She stepped forward in an aggressive move that couldn’t be misconstrued as anything but a warning.

Barlowe lost any hint of his interrogation training. “I know next to nothing. A rich lobbyist named Torrin Scayde contacted my superior officer—General Winters—and from there, disclosed the truth about the deadly threat you unnaturals pose and the location of the facilities they’ve already created. Those kennels and the stockpile aren’t even on our books. He’s fronting all the costs for now, just wants the manpower and official status the army can give him.”

Zia exchanged a weighty look with Key, and quietly said, “I’ll pull the rest from his head.”

More swiftly than Barlowe could balk, he was caught in a daze. Zia’s eyes were locked on his. An eerie prickle of electricity tingled up Jax’s spine. It made his wolf stiffen, and the growl rumbled from his throat.

Oceanic-blue eyes snapped to his, the other werewolf responding in kind with a growl of her own. His beast bared teeth and stood his ground, unable to back down from Ava’s challenge.

For several tense moments, they were locked in a battle of wills, neither capable of easily submitting to the other. Jax had no idea why he couldn’t cede the fight nor why his wolf demanded he grapple for dominance.

After what seemed like ages, the woman dropped her gaze in submission. When she looked up again, there was humor in her features. “Force a submission, huh? You’re worse than Riaz.”

“Is Riaz your alpha? Your mate?”

The tattooed man at Ava’s side hooted, and she elbowed him. “Riaz is my alpha. This guy is my mate.”

As if provoked by the woman’s lighthearted tone, Jax’s wolf coiled an arm around Key’s waist and tugged her possessively into his side. “Sorry. I’m relatively new to this.”

“Figured as much,” the woman said, sobering. “How long have you been a werewolf?”

“Less than a month.”

The she-wolf bit off a curse, any trace of companionable amusement vanishing. “How?”

That was when Key rode to his rescue. “He was bitten by one of the rabid wolves at the holding facilities. Jax, this is Ava, one of the wolves I told you about. She’s the second in the Rocky Mountain pack led by Riaz, her alpha. The man beside her is Remmus, her mate.”

By now, both Ava and Remmus had moved at arm’s length. “You need a pack.”

Chapter Fourteen

Key

Foresight was a bizarreability. Key could see multiple futures hundreds of years in advance and weave outcomes by pulling the right strings. She had spent lifetimes viewing things that would never come to pass—visions she’s actively worked to block. It was moments like these, where conversations played out without her already seeing them, that disrupted her balance.

Since the moment she’d found him after his change, she had felt like Jax’s future was rapidly spinning out of her control. No matter how hard she tried to foresee his path, the fates simply wouldn’t comply.

She leaned against Jax, letting the comforting scent of leather and spice calm her. “We’ve spoken about it, but neither of us knew his dominance level or what that would mean for his future.”

“He’s an alpha,” Ava replied. “That means you’re a dominant wolf, Jax. You will need a pack to ground you, especially if you’re unmated. There’s a higher probability of going rogue if you’re a loner.”

Jax stiffened beside her. His fear was like sandpaper against her senses, overwhelming her thoughts. It was the kind of emotional luxury she could never afford while the fate of the immortal races rested on her shoulders.

Key redirected her attention towards the things she could control.“Ava, Remmus, we need to ensure the vehicle is cleared of all signs of the wolves.”

Both paused for a beat before complying, and Ava threw a cautious glance at Jax over her shoulder. He stared after her, that gorgeous face twisted in confusion.

---