Page 60 of Shifters Awakening

Flynn’s gaze narrowed, and he reeked of suspicion. “How would he have known? How could he have known?”

I blinked. “What are you implying?”

“That someone tipped him off, else how would he have known? You have a spy in your pack…”

I growled then, flustered by the veiled accusation. “Spies could easily live between our territories, prowling unseen and unscented. You know we cannot trace their smell. Acheron has taught them masking spells. It would have been easy to learn when the alphas of all the clans are gathering.”

He didn’t respond.

Another growl rumbled in my throat. “How else do you explain the disappearing shifters? There must be rogue packs or random sorcerers roving between us.”

His usual grin didn’t reappear. Instead, he nodded. “Perhaps you’re right, or perhaps it’s you who caused all this.”

I took a deep breath and moved to lunge at him.

But Olivia’s hand landed in the crook of my arm. “Logan,” she said, “all the alphas have gone back to their domains, and Flynn is the only one left. I’m sure he’d like to return home and check on things.”

Flynn glanced from Olivia to me, his mouth quirking as though he knew Olivia had been the only reason we weren’t fighting it out right now. “In fact, we’ve had some interesting developments at the den. Have a good day, Logan.” He turned slightly. “Olivia.”

“Goodbye, Flynn,” she said. “Don’t die or anything.”

He chuckled, climbed into his car, and left without another word.

“Asshole,” I muttered. “He had no right to?—”

“You know the fox clan is distrustful of anybody and everybody. It’s in their nature. Confronting you was the only way Flynn had to gauge your reaction to his suspicion.”

“It’s hard to believe Jasper’s his brother,” I said, dragging my phone out and checking again for a response to my text to Sheila.

Nothing. Dammit.

We made our way back into my study to decide what to do next.

Olivia settled in the chair across from my desk. “Oh, Jasper is as bad as Flynn. Jasper just knows better than to confront you about anything or anyone. You think it wasn’t suspicion that had him slinking into the dining hall to meet Emma before you threw him out on his ass?”

I grunted. “He had something else in mind for Emma.” An image of him making Emma laugh tore through me followed closely by an image of me ripping him limb from limb. He’d gotten off easy when I had tossed him in the driveway. “He chases enough wolf tail around here.”

She grinned. “And he takes the opportunity to ask about what’s going on, same as he does in every other clan. Like I said, he’s wary too. He just goes about getting information in a completely different way than Flynn did with you.”

I didn’t like the train of conversation, so I asked, “How’s Rachel?”

“She’s going to be fine. She’ll have a follow-up with our healer this evening. In the meantime, she’s hissy and wants to wash everything she eats, thanks to the residual raccoon magic. Right now, she’s in her bed, and Phil’s sitting with her.”

Easy-going Rachel wasn’t one to fight with anybody. She liked sex, and she welcomed Jasper whenever he came around. She’d made a pass at me often enough, and the thought of her being difficult amused me.

A shout outside reminded me that the members of Six-Mile searched the grounds for any remains of the sorcerers. Nothing but burned bits of grass and leaves marked where they had been. If they hadn’t died by our hands, they would have in the burning. Had any of them known today would be their last day?

Acheron was vicious and cruel, and he’d been our enemy for centuries. The lore surrounding him was extensive, but he was named after a river in Greece. Supposedly, his mother had him in the river and dragged herself up onto the bank but not before Acheron had drowned. Then she’d made a deal with the keeper of the underworld. In exchange for her son’s life, she would make sure he learned dark magic.

That’s what I believed to be true. Not everyone chose that story.

However, I’d only ever seen the sorcerer at a distance. He preferred to work from the shadows and to send theunsuspecting to do his dirty work. He never fought honorably.

My phone chimed.

Sheila: She’s not answering.

Me: She’s not answering or she can’t?

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