Page 151 of Claimed

“How is she?” I ask.

His mouth tightens. “Traumatized.”

“Can I see her?” I ask.

He looks me over for a brief moment and nods. “I think that’d help. Go ahead.”

Grey pipes up, “Maybe that should wait. I need to do a few things with my cousin Danica, Brody. I’ll bring Stacy back after that.”

“It’s all good, Grey. I’ve got a lock on it,” Brody says.

Grey looks uncomfortable.

“You have my word,” Brody adds. “But…I’ll sit outside.”

“Appreciated,” Grey says. “I’ll ask Linc or Jase to come get Stacy when she’s done? Walk her back.”

“I’d do it, but I don’t want Adelaide by herself,” Brody says.

“I could walk myself back,” I offer. “It’s just over there.” I point.

“No,” Grey denies. “I want you accompanied by an alpha at all times. Just in case.”

“In case what?” I ask.

He gives me a serious look and flexes his jaw muscles a few times before he replies with, “In case anyone thinks to turn on you.”

I’m thrown by this statement. “Turn on me?”

“Blossom,” he says gently, “There are folks here who have lost their sons due to the conflict with our pack. There are folks here who might also still think of Meadows as their rightful leader and us as the enemy. You’re my mate. Getting back at you would be afuck youto me and my pack. Your brother could even be calling those shots so it could be him telling someone to lash out at you.”

“Absolutely,” Brody chimes in.

“Oh,” I breathe, absorbing what he’s saying.

It gets even harder to absorb once Grey tells me the rest.

“Heard the ping of a text last night in the mess hall and found a cell phone on one of the men we took to that bunkhouse. Last number dialed was dialed a few minutes after we came in.”

“Wyatt’s cell phone?” I ask.

“Yep.”

This is why all the men got moved last night.

“Who had the phone?” I ask.

“Said his name is Warren. Asked what he said to Wyatt, and he said he left a voicemail that we were here, because he was ordered to do so if anyone showed. Said all he did was leave a quick message telling your brother that several alphas from Arcana Falls were here. I don’t know if anyone else got in touch and got through. Also don’t know if any of the others have been in contact and gotten any orders from him. I lined them all up and demanded answers and nobody copped to anything, but I was takin’ no chances, so we kept all adult men other than the sick ones or the two that slept on the floor last night to be on cleanup duty in that bunkhouse.”

Would Warren hurt me? Maybe. He’s in his late forties, walks with a limp, but he’s strong enough to do some damage, for sure. And he’s a throwback to my father’s inner circle so I suspect he’d hold loyalty to Wyatt. His wife, Priscilla, is one of the poisoned, though… so is he loyal to Wyatt after learning that?

“You good here? I’ll go meet Dani back at the mess hall and then we’ll meet at Wyatt’s house.”

“Yeah,” I say, frowning.

He kisses me soft and sweet and shows how well he already reads me with what he says next as he gently tucks my hair behind my ear. “I know it hurts, seein’ what he’s done to your people. I know itkillsimagining any of those people you’ve worked so hard to help stabbing you in the back, but folks under someone’s thumb will go to extreme behaviors when under the gun. As you well know.”

“Boy, do I know,” I whisper.

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