Page 65 of The Rabbit's Foot
That caught Mal’s attention. “How the fuck could it get worse?”
“The one who betrayed shifters to Hyde? It was a shifter himself.”
* * *
“What? No!” Alp shouted. “That’s a sacrosanct rule. No one tells humans about shifters without getting approval from their leader.”
Damon winced, and Alp understood.
“Oh. The personwasa leader. But… why?”
“He wasn’t a good leader. He gambled away most of the money he was supposed to be using to run the pack. In the end, he was desperate and made a deal with the devil.”
“Who would be so driven to such lengths?” Mal demanded, and Alp could hear the simmering anger in his words.
“I sent Cece home,” Damon replied. “She took Ivan and Teddy with her.”
“Okay, but why—no.” His eyes narrowed, becoming dark slits. “Oh, no fucking way,” Mal bit out.
Damon nodded. “I contacted the council with what we found, and they went to the sleuth to look for evidence.”
The sleuth? But only bears lived in…. Ivan and Teddy!
“It wasn’t Ivan or Teddy,” Alp insisted. “They love Cece and would never do anything to hurt her.”
“It wasn’t them,” Damon confirmed. “It was their leader, Hiram, who reached out to Hyde. According to the emails we recovered, one of his people warned him about Hyde after finding the group on the web. Hiram sent a message to Hyde, saying that in exchange for money, he would give Hyde the proof he wanted that shifters were real.” This time Damon roared, pouring all manner of rage into the sound. “He fucking offered up his family for money. According to the emails, he told them they needed to go with him. His wife apparently realized something was wrong and fought to protect the kids, and when he figured out he couldn’t take them, he killed them instead, so they couldn’t tell anyone what he’d done.”
“That’s why they couldn’t scent an enemy. It was their leader all along.”
“What’s going to happen?” Alp asked.
“Hiram has already been executed” came the grim reply. “For his betrayal of the shifters, plus being complicit in all the deaths Hyde was responsible for. When things went south, Ivan and Teddy were convenient targets. Hiram, thinking he could get out from under this, if only he had someone to point at, found the perfect patsies. His email exchange with Hyde said that he could deliver Ivan and Teddy to Hyde if he was paid, but by now Hyde told him they’d found other means and wouldn’t work with him.”
Alp shook his head. Greed was something even shifters had to deal with.
“Why’d Cece go home?”
“She wanted to be with the boys. She ostensibly took Ivan and Teddy with her for protection, but also because they’re not doing too well after finding out they were basically sacrificial lambs for their leader.” Damon smiled. “When someone said they could go back to their sleuth if they wanted to, they said no, they had a home they were happy in. Cece was beside herself.”
“But if this Hiram was willing to sacrifice his shifters and ultimately kill his mate and children, how did he stay in power?”
Damon rubbed the bridge of his nose. “He asked the council for money to help fund a school. They approved it. Hiram bounced that money around, using it to cover his crimes. The council has egg on its face for never checking on it or catching the lost funds.”
“I weep for humanity,” Alp grumbled. “Shifter and human alike.”
“We’re not all bad,” Damon said. “But you’re right. This paints everyone in a bad light. If the person in charge is corrupt, what does that tell us? What happens if the next one is successful in outing us to the world? And if that occurs, what will become of shifters? I think we’d be deluding ourselves to believe we’d be welcomed with open arms.”
Mal had the same thoughts. There could well be humans worse than Hyde, and that scared him. “What did you do with the bodies of the humans?” Mal inquired, needing to get that thought out of his head.
“I think there are some things I can’t share. It’s better for everyone in the long run if the secrets are kept between as few people as possible.”
“What are we going to do about the shifters who have no one to care for them?” Alp posed. “Especially the children.”
This time Damon smiled. “I had a few thoughts I’d like to share with you both.”
“Go on,” Mal said, not altogether certain he liked the way Damon was grinning.
“First off, I’m in talks with the government to buy this property. The people I’ve spoken with seem only too happy to unload it, and I’m getting it for a fairly reasonable price.”
