Page 27 of Targeted By Temptation
“He kills shifters,” Maynard blurted out. “He has some kind of ability to detect us and track us.” He went on to say that normal people couldn’t tell shifters from humans just by looking, but Calloway could. And he had techniques specifically designed to take us down.
“He's killed dozens of our kind.” Boaz’s shoulders slumped. He was probably recalling the devastation Calloway caused the last time he was in our vicinity. “Maybe more. We thought he was done when he went to prison, but if he's out…”
“He's a threat to every pack in the region,” Viktor finished. “And he's coming back.”
Reign looked at me, his face begging me to provide an answer to this madness. “What was I supposed to do? Meet him for a duelat dawn? Walk ten paces and turn?” His voice was getting higher and more frantic. “Did you expect me to put a bullet in him?” He tugged at his hair. “You’re shifters. Your beasts could maul him or take off a limb.”
“We were expecting you to protect our pack.” Viktor finally confirmed the purpose of the arranged marriage.
As we’d suspected, Reign was a pawn, but what was shocking was that he wasn’t to be hidden away to bear babies and support his man. He had to save the entire Stravon pack.
“You’re human and Calloway can’t detect you like he can a shifter. To him, you’re a nobody, and he’d never suspect you.”
“So you were expecting Reign to get close to this psychopath and take him out. And then what? Live the rest of his life lolling by the pool, tormented by what he’d done?” Lake summed up the situation into a neat package.
“You were going to turn my son into an assassin?” Kalen's shrill voice was rich coming from the man who'd traded said son in the first place.
Victor ignored Kalen’s outburst, but said the debt still had to be cleared.
“This is bonkers.” Reign’s voice shook, and even me holding his hand didn’t comfort him. “I’m not a killer. I shoot targets, and I've never held a gun outside of a range.”
“Which is why you need training.” Viktor appeared pleased with himself at presenting the solution to all our problems.
While I loathed pulling the alpha card in a relationship, I told Viktor my mate was not going anywhere near Calloway and nottraining to assassinate the guy. “Find another sucker to deal with him.” I stood between my mate and Viktor.
But even as I said the words, I understood Calloway was anusproblem and not a Stravon one.
“Hire a human mercenary,” Lake suggested.
“And how do I explain what they're hunting without revealing what we are?” Viktor shook his head.
“But I didn’t know about shifters until Ezra revealed who he was.”
“But you, dear Reign, were someone I could control. And if you were married to my son, you’d have a vested interest in seeing Calloway eliminated.”
My mind was racing. Calloway was a nightmare. If he were really back, every pack in the region was at risk.But I couldn’t ask my mate to endanger himself so he could save all the shifters in a hundred-mile radius.
“What would it involve?” I’d never heard the strength in that voice previously. My mate was speaking, his mouth was opening and closing, but I couldn’t hear what he was saying other than the initial question.
“Reign, no, you can’t.” That was a Boaz command.
My mate turned to me. “You told me you were an excellent shot. Is that true?”
“Ummm, yeah.”
“Then you train me.” He glanced at my brothers. “We’re all family now, so maybe six people helping would be better than one.”
“You don’t have to do this.” I took both his hands and envisioned my life without him after Calloway killed him. But I was thinking selfishly. There was more at stake than my happiness.
“I can with your help.” He squeezed my hand.
No, no, no. This can’t be happening.My wolf pleaded with me not to allow this.
Every sinew in my body told me this was a terrible idea that could end in disaster with my heart ripped out and Reign lifeless at the hands of Calloway.
“We’re a team. We can do it together.” My mate held my gaze until I finally said okay.
I beckoned my brothers’ closer. “Are we in?”
