Chapter 11 Teaser

Even the dark of night could not hide the wretched appearance of the ramshackle house. It might once been a large homestead. But neglect and nature took its toll on the property. The house, or what’s left of it, stood almost fully covered by ivy, thick weeds, and small trees. Several sections of the roof had caved in and one side had a large gaping hole. The former owner had put pillars in front of it, probably an attempt to make it look more like a plantation house often found in the South. But just like the rest of the house, it was rotting and barely holding up the roof it was attached to. The outlying barn and buildings were overgrown with tall grasses, shrubs, and trees and looked as dilapidated as the house.

The place looked abandoned. Only the unmistakable stench and the sickly miasma of evil that permeated the place substantiate it was inhabited by the rogues. The worn trail of trampled vegetation around the house was another evidence of their presence.

Rance and Damian waited at the edge of the forest as the betas and enforcers with them got into position. His scouts had counted at least ten different rogues come and go in the past two hours prior to them getting there.

He was alarmed at the proximity of this lair to the Estate. Admittedly, thousands of acres separated the property, but still, his ignorance of this place grates on him.

As for now, nothing stirred or broke the stillness and quiet of night. The occasional call of the nocturnal bird and animal foraging in the forest was the only sound to be heard. The Weres moved stealthily and quietly as they waited for the signal to swarm the place and commence their attack.

The scents carried by the slight breeze confirmed that the rogues held female humans with them. The strong metallic smell of human blood worried him. He hoped like hell that the female humans are not too far gone to rescue. Based on Grace’s condition; the various injuries she had, when she first reached the estate, these rogues did not deserve any leniency. They merit the just desserts he was eager to mete out.

Knowing that the element of surprise was on their side, they made sure they approached the isolated house downwind. Rance didn’t want them to be sniffed out by the rogues even before they were in position, making it more dangerous to the female human captives.

After ascertaining that everyone was in position, Rance looked up. Above them, perched on the tree branch, were Jake and Andrew. The brothers were camouflaged and ready to pick out rogues who’d try to flee with their powerful rifle. Jake gave him a thumbs-up while Andrew tilted his head in acknowledgement.

Giving the signal, they swarmed the building. Running with fleet and sure feet, they made their way down to the basement. Most had already shifted in hybrid form in preparation for battle. Rance and Damian remained in their human form. Being the Alpha and Prime, they were powerful enough to do partial shifts when needed.

Rance led the attack followed closely by Damian. Encountering two rogues immediately after entering the house, Rance dispatched them quickly with a slash of his shifted hands. Not even slowing down, he ran down the rickety stairs that led to the bowels of the house.

The basement was empty and dark as night, but it was not a deterrent for the shifters as they can see clearly even in the dark. Rance saw a narrow tunnel dug on one of the basement walls on the far side of the room. It led away from under the house. Using his senses and following the stench of unwashed bodies and cloying air of misery, he signaled his betas to follow as they broke into a fast lope.

Soon enough, after rounding a corner, the tunnel branched into two. The smell of human misery was strong on the left mixed with the faint scent of the rogues, while the stench of rogues came from their right. Not wasting precious time, Rance instructed three of his betas to free the frail female humans and escort them safely out of the lair while the rest of them continued on to confront the rogues.

As they got nearer to the heart of the den, Rance acute hearing picked up arguments between the rogues.

“…that is bullshit! How much longer do we need to wait?” One rogue growled in anger.

“We wait as long as we need to until the right time presents itself!” Another answered brusquely.

“We’ve been in this shit hole forever! I want what was promised to us!” Yet another broke out aloud. “If he was truly the Promised One, how come our attempt to snatch those female mates was a complete failure?” He continued snidely. “We’ve lost a lot of our soldiers. And now there are only a handful of us left.”

“Shut your mouth!” The second rogue continued. “Our Alpha had enhanced us. We are stronger and more lethal than an average shifter. And there’s more of us…more and more are joining our ranks in our quest. We just need to have more faith in our Alpha.”

“Not all of us like what we’ve become,” muttered another, “we looked like freaks! We’ve become a mishmash of parts that neither resembled any known animal, who’d want that?”

“You knew what you we’re getting into.” The first rogue asserted. “You were nothing but a puny human before the alpha bestowed you with our gift.” His voice dripped with disgust.

“Much good did it do us….”

A satisfied smirk appeared on Rance lips. From the sounds of things, some of the rogues were already questioning the validity of this Pretender’s claim. Nodding his head, he signaled for them to rush into the room.

“What the fu----?!,” exclaimed one rogue who saw the betas rushing out of the tunnel.

The surprised rogues didn’t have the chance to adequately defend themselves. Besides being caught unawares, they were outnumbered three to one. A token attempt at breaking away was quickly thwarted.

One even rushed with head hunched down at the betas blocking the exit. His headlong dash ended when Rance stepped into his path and did a clothesline move. The rogue hit Rance’s extended arm hard. His feet flew up as his body was propelled backwards by the force. The crack of bones was extraordinarily loud in the confines of the cave-like room. The pained howl of the rogue echoed out even before his ass touched the earthen floor.

With an evil smile, Rance stood over the fallen rogue and cracked his knuckles.

“Who’s next?” He taunted the rogues. “I really thought you would give us more of a challenge.”

Scanning the faces of the rogues before him, he noticed that they all looked scruffy and dirty. Most have the look of hunger and desperation.  

A furtive movement on his left snagged his attention. With surprise, he noticed a rogue who looked barely out of his teens trying to hide behind the bulk of a much older rogue. His timid demeanor was completely out of place in the midst of the company he was keeping.

Walking slowly towards the kids’ lanky form, Rance noticed that not only was he scruffy looking, but he was also covered in bruises and welts.

“What have we here?”  Rance murmured.

The kid seemed to shrink in stature as his eyes looked wildly for an avenue of escape. He was trembling and the acrid smell of fear exuded strongly from him. The rest of the rogues were staring at the hapless kid with disgust. One rogue actually spat out in his direction, “piece of shit!” He grumbled aloud.

Rance watched the situation with interest. With a nod, he let Damian and the betas secure everyone with the handcuff specially made for shifters.

Make sure to keep the young one away from the rest of them, Rance caught Damian’s gaze and nodded his head towards the boy. I want to know how he ended up with this group of refuse.

Canting his head slightly, Damian acknowledged his Alpha’s instruction.

Emerging from the dilapidated house, he noticed Jake and Andrew dragging two other rogues between them. After dumping both down on the ground, they looked up and waved Rance over.

“What’s this?” Rance asked the two.

“We saw them coming in right after you guys went inside.” Jake said.

“They were bringing in another human girl with them,” Andrew spat in disgust. “She looked barely out of her teens.”

With a dark frown on his face, Rance looked around, “where is she?”

“She’s over there,” Jake pointed at a tree about five yards from where they were. A sprawled form lay unmoving on the grass on the base of a tree. “She’s unconscious, but doesn’t look hurt. Her breathing and vitals are good. Of course, we could not make a clear assessment unless we take her to a doctor.”

Grunting, Rance turned to the brothers approvingly. “Great job,” he nodded, “I sure could use you guys in my team.” The brothers just nodded quietly.

All three watched grimly as the betas rounded up the rogues and led them past. All were handcuffed with silver to keep them from shifting and utilizing their preternatural strength. The kid was the brought up the rear. His unfettered state brought a questioning frown to both of the brothers’ faces.

“What’s the story with that kid?” Jake asked while Andrew remained silently tracking the progress of the rogues and the betas.

Andrew kept his eyes trained on the group as they were loaded into an unmarked dark van that would take them to the Estate. His hand on his rifle remained relaxed but the minute any of the rogues try to make a break for it, he would be ready to take them down.

“Not sure yet, but I aim to get to the bottom of his involvement with these scum. He doesn’t look like he belonged with them.” Rance ran a cursory gaze at the kid being loaded in with the rogues.

 

 

Damian walked up to them. “There are fifteen rogues altogether…” pausing when he saw the rogues at his feet, “make that seventeen including these two,” he nudged the unconscious rogues with his booted foot.

“Eight human girls are now being transported to the Estate. Two looked really bad and smelled off. I’m not sure if they’re even going to make it through the night.” Damian’s voice was dripping with anger at the condition of the human females.

“What of the other six?” Andrew asked.

“They are badly beaten, but with care, hopefully will fully recover.”

“Any luck on finding the head honcho?” Jake asked.

“No,” Rance replied grimly. “I hope that the other teams had better luck. We will find out soon enough after I’ve talked to the other Alphas.”

“Alpha!” Everyone turned to the rushing shifter.

“There’s something you need to see at the northern edge of the property.”

“What is it?” Rance asked as they dashed to the place where the young beta indicated.

“The kid who was with the rogues told us to check on that side of the property. Malik is there right now –“

“And?” Damian asked with raised brows.

“There are roughly a dozen or so freshly dug graves over there. As soon as we ascertained what it was, Malik sent me to get you. We have not counted it all…..” The young beta spoke starkly. Repugnance of the rogues’ cruelty painted his words.

This day just kept getting worse, thought Rance. Grim faced, they followed the beta to where the unfortunate victims laid decaying in shallow graves.


*****

Let me know what you guys think. I'd like to get some of your input. Thanks.

It's been so long since I've post anything here. Quite hard to get my thoughts organized in any semblance of coherence. The discovery of my cancer pushed me in a tailspin of tests, consultations, and surgery. It made me face my own mortality...and appreciate my only treasure: My Family.

I took some time off to visit my siblings in the Philippines whom I haven't seen for 6 years. I basked in the fellowship and camaraderie that my sisters and I have. I took time to just breathe and forgot about what awaits me when I get back to the real world.

Shortly after my return to the States, I was faced with the decision to either go through chemo and join a clinical study or forego it altogether and proceed immediately to radiation. For a whole week I prayed and dithered between wanting and not wanting to do it. The side effects of the treatment seemed too extreme when there was no concrete evidence yet that it would help my type of cancer.
After deliberating and praying, I decided not to do it at all.

Radiation was a breeze. The downside to it was fatigue and disinterest to do anything after.

Now I'm down to my last week of treatment. Thank God!

I thanks all of my readers who are patiently waiting for the next installment of Rance and Alex story. I have already written part of chapter 11 and 12. Still need to get it to the way I want the story to go. My scatter brain tendencies make it hard to finish.

Thanks for all your prayers.

BD

Chapter 10 Teaser

Alex tumbled once again as she was hurled on the mat by Jake. It was early yet so the gym was free of the pups who usually loiter and work out on the other side where all the weights equipment were located. Rance and Andrew were standing at the sidelines. Andrew had a frown creasing his brows, arms crossed over his big chest, as he watched Alex roll nimbly to her feet.

He and his brothers had been on the estate for several days now. The wolf shifters, as he had observed, were reservedly open and friendly to them. Although he could sense they were also wary of their presence in their midst—as they should be, since he and his brothers are humans. No doubt, if they were not related to Alex, their knowledge of their existence would have signed their death warrant. He would not delude himself that these beings are as they seemed. They are half-beast, therefore they are also prone to the instinct of their feral side. Any animal threatened in any way would lash out, so would these seemingly normal beings if put to the test.

Watching Alex interacts with Rance and the inhabitants of the estate almost eased his vigilance. But just one show of animosity towards his sister, and all hell would break loose. She may think that she’s a mighty alpha with all these mysterious powers, but to him, she’s still his sister that needed his protection. Which brought him to his present concern at the moment, “shouldn’t she be taking it easy?” He asked Rance quietly.

“What do you mean?” Rance asked abstractedly, keeping his eyes on Alex on the mat as she attacked Jake with a series of punches and kicks.

“Aren’t you concerned about the baby she’s carrying? I don’t think this level of activity is good for her condition.” Andrew’s voice was rife with disapproval at what he perceived as Rance’s lack of care for his sister’s welfare.

The tone of Andrew’s voice pierced Rance’s absorption in his observation of Alex. He didn’t like the way that Andrew was implying neglect of his mate. Turning completely towards his mate’s brother, he settled emerald eyes brimming with annoyance and a touch of anger.

“I care about Alex more than you could comprehend. One way of showing my care is ensuring her ability to defend herself, if necessary. We are a hardy bunch, there is no danger to her nor the baby in her womb. Our females are not fragile or prone to miscarriage as humans are.”

“I still don’t think it wise to risk it. Even if she is now a shifter with a hardy constitution, she was once human and therefore should take more care than a normal female shifter in her condition.”

Rance looked thoughtfully at Andrew, gauging if he was just trying to be aggravating or sincerely concerned of his sister’s welfare. After some moment of quiet consideration, Rancee appreciated the wisdom of Andrew’s words. Although it ill behooved him to accede to Alex’s brother, he abruptly nodded and acknowledged the wisdom of his advice. Much as he was certain that Alex was perfectly safe training and working out even carrying the Promised One, he’d not risk his mate’s and pup’s health on it.  

Turning once more towards the mat where Jake and Alex were sparring, he sauntered casually towards the two.

“Alex, it’s time to take a break.” Rance called out casually.

Alex glanced at Rance with a questioning look. Usually Rance would work her out till she was ready to drop. Her sparring with Jake did not even cause her to break into sweat yet.

“What’s up? We’re just getting warmed up.” She asked Rance once he’d reached her. Jake looked with curiosity but not much interest.

“I just thought we should cut it short since your parents are coming to visit for the day, remember?”

“Yeah, but that’s not until later this morning. If I know Dad, he’d take his time driving down here.”

Andrew joined them, “I believe you should take it easy considering your condition, don’t you think?”

“Huh-?”  For a moment Alex was at a loss to what he was talking about, until she realized that he was hinting at her pregnancy. “Oh! But I doubt there’s any danger.”

“Are you completely sure?” Andrew persisted.

Looking up at her mate’s face, she tried to discern his stand on the matter.

“I guess it won’t hurt to be cautious,” she finally conceded albeit reluctantly.

Taking her hand, Rance steered her away from the mat. “We’d better get Armand to look at you again.” He handed her a towel to wipe off as Alex fell in step with him leaving her brothers as they get ready to spar.

“I’ll see you guys later for breakfast!” She called out over her shoulder to her brothers.

With an absentminded wave from Andrew and a grunt from Jake, she hurried off with her mate.

“What’s going on?” She demanded, after they we’re out of hearing from her siblings.

“Nothing,” Rance responded with a casual air.

Alex stopped abruptly and yanked at the hand Rance was holding. Turning, Rance looked back at her. “What gives? Usually, you won’t get satisfied until I’ve rolled more than a dozen times on those mats. And now, I’ve barely broken a sweat. So --?”

Sighing, since he knew he Alex would persist until she got her answer, he finally told her of his conversation with her brother.

“Andrew pointed out that since you were a newly turned human we should take better care of you in your condition.”

“In my condition?!”  Alex shook her head in apparent show of frustration. “For your information Mr. Big Bad Wolf, human women don’t just stop working out or training the minute they found themselves pregnant. And what does my brother know about pregnant women anyway? Unless a woman had health problems or have trouble carrying to term they continue to do normal and regular things in their life. Besides, I’m now a wolf shifter. Our constitution is way better than that of a human.” She huffed.

“I know. But I thought we should go and visit Dr. Armand to be truly certain. I’m not going to make you stop training. I just want to have an expert’s opinion to put my mind at ease, not to mention your sibling too.” Rance quietly replied.

Lately Alex had exhibited short temperedness. She gets frustrated fast and her temper flares hot. Although they are short lived, it was becoming a concern for him. Maybe it had something to do with her rioting hormones and pregnancy, maybe not. Seeing the pack doctor would be a good time to also find out about it.

“Well, okay. As long as we’re clear that I’m not going to stop altogether until my belly gets too big for me to do so.”

“Agreed.”

Rance put his arms around Alex waist and started walking again towards their suite. They met several pups on the way to the basement and their greetings of good morning echoed in the hallway. Alex and Rance responded and nodded their heads in acknowledgement but did not stop to chat with them. Once they reached the landing at the top of the stairs, Rance turned to Alex.

“We might as well stop over and see this mysterious girl Malik found since we’re going to the clinic. She’s been up and awake for several days now but refused to talk to anyone. Maybe you could coax her to talk to you.”

“She’s the one they found in the woods, right?” Alex asked.

Rance nodded briefly, “yes. She’s been battered badly. I still need to know her connection with the rogues. And believe me, there is one. She smelled distinctly of them when she was first brought in. But she refused to say anything. Not even her name. I can understand that she had been traumatized, but we can’t help her if she would not tell us anything.”

“I can try.” Alex felt bad for the girl. She’d heard of the extensive abuse the girl had suffered physically. Although the physical wounds would eventually heal and fade away, the mental and emotional wounds would take longer to heal and probably scar deeply than the physical one.

“I also need to go find out how the interrogation is going with the captured rogues.”

“I think you should take my brothers to observe and maybe help too.” She suggested.

Rance stopped in his tracks and looked at Alex with skepticism, “I don’t think that would assist us in any way. We’ve been at it for a couple of days now and still they refused to give up even the identity of their leader. If your brothers get involved, the rogues would only clam up more.”

“Why?” She asked with arms akimbo. “They are highly trained professionals. I’m sure they could give you a hand. Sometimes a new pair of ears and eyes gives new perspective to some given problem.” Alex trained narrowed eyes at Rance. “And I’m dead certain they could be trusted, if that’s what concerns you.”

Rance face was carved in granite. No glimmer of emotion showed in his face or eyes. If she was not intimately connected to him, she would have been deceived into thinking that nothing was bothering him. As it was, even tempered slightly, their connection seethed with his repressed aversion in getting her brothers involved in shifter business.

With a sigh, Alex wrapped her arms around his waist. “They are my brothers, Rance. They are not just any random humans. Besides their leave is almost up,” peering up at him, she looked pleadingly. “I trust them…I’d willingly put my life in their hands. I think it’s about time to hand them a measure of trust, don’t you think? You’ve seen how my brothers are very protective of me. Once they learned that those rogues pose a danger to me and mine, there would be no stopping them. So why not make let them help?”

She nuzzled his chest, “your invitation to observe would serve a long way in assuring them of your trust. Please, for me?” Alex asked.

Rance hugged her to him, “I hope you’re right.” With a resigned sigh, he let his arms fall away. “What the hell,” he grumbled, “I’ll let Damian know we’re all coming then. Well, go ahead and take a shower. I’ll be up after I informed -,” he paused as Alex frowned disapprovingly at him. “After I NICELY asked your brothers for help,” Rance amended.

Alex beamed up at her towering mate. “I know I’m right. You’ll see.”

Turning, Rance retraced his steps to the basement gym. All the while muttering to himself, “pussy whipped…never thought to see the day….”

Laughing behind him, Alex yelled, “I heard that!”

Watching his impressive form disappear as he rounded a corner, she finally turned and entered their suite. She’d go ahead and take a shower and get ready for the day. She can’t wait to go downstairs and eat breakfast, her rumbling stomach demands nourishment. Patting her belly, she smiled and thought of the baby growing inside her. Hey squirt, the way you make me want to eat constantly would have upset me if I got huge as a house. Good thing shifter metabolism burns a lot of calorie and I can eat and eat and not get fatter. 

 

******

 

“What was that all about?” Jake asked as he circled Andrew.

“Huh? About what?” Andrew replied.

“Stop being deliberately obtuse, I don’t buy it.” Jake jabbed Drew on the stomach. Andrew blocked and delivered a roundhouse kick which connected with a dull thud on Jake’s side.

“Ooomph!”  Jake staggered but immediately regained his balance and faced off with the grinning Andrew.

“There’s nothing to tell.”

Shaking his head, Jake advanced on Andrew and delivered a combination punches and kicks.

“Yeah, right. As if I’d believe that. I may not be gifted with your INCREDIBLE perception, even a blind person can sense something going on.” Jake’s voice dripped of sarcasm.

Andrew just shook his head. Even if he wants to, it’s not his secret to share. Alex would have that privilege. He smirked at his older brother, “and here I thought you are one jar head who’s oblivious to subtle signals. I remember your former girlfriend complaining that you’re hopelessly clueless all the time, unless it has anything to do with sex.”

****
Sorry for the wait, but I promise to have this one posted this month. Hope you enjoyed the teaser...let me knw what you think.

BD

Chapter 9 Teaser

Upwind from the clearing, Andrew crouched high up on a branch of a tree overlooking the scene below. With Jake’s help he was able to slip their watchdogs and follow the rest of them here. He had to use his tracking ability to follow Rance, but by God he was able to do it without any of their knowledge. From the little information he’d garnered there was some kind of ambush that happened. But to his consternation, he could not find any other casualty except for the scattered wolves and one lone male being loaded in the stretcher.

On the far side, Rance and Alex stood locked up in a tender embrace. Something was seriously fucked up here if wild animals ambushed and attacked humans in broad daylight. And he knew there are no wild packs of wolves roaming Ohio. So where did those fucking wolves come from? And how about the unbelievable speed that Rance moved? Not to mention his uncanny ability to know what was happening with Alex. Andrew intends to find out, and there was no better time than now.

He climbed down the tree. Not even bothering to keep quiet or hide his presence. Even before he reached the bottom, he noticed that several men were standing waiting for him. One of them was Damian. He looked pretty pissed. His arms were crossed over his chest and his face scrunched up in a frown that would have put fear in a lesser man. But Andrew was not daunted, he had stared death on many occasions and one pissed off male would not deter him from finding out what his sister got into.

Jumping off the last couple of feet, he slowly straightened and faced the welcoming committee. Smiling amiably, he flexed his hands loosely on his sides, readying for an attack if needed. Andrew met the gaze of Damian head on. Blue and steel grey eyes clashed. The tension was palpable in the air. The two betas standing next to them shifted restlessly on their feet. Although smiling, Andrew’s stance and flinty gaze was a issuing a clear challenge to Damian.

 Their silent battle for dominance would have continued on if not for Alex’s shout ringing loudly in the quiet of the woods.

“Andrew! What are you doing here? Damn it! You just have to stick your nose in my business. Why couldn’t you have waited for me in the mansion?” Alex rushed in with Rance trailing behind her.

“And hello to you too.” Andrew said sarcastically, training his inscrutable face towards Alex. Looking her up and down, he ascertained that she was not harmed or hurt in any way. Breathing through his nose, he let his muscles relaxed from his battle ready stance.

“Besides, my business is to make sure that you’re okay.” Andrew replied without heat.

Stomping her foot, “see I just knew you’d say something like that.” Trying to keep her irritation in place was hard, knowing that Andrew was just being himself made it harder to hold on to her annoyance. Even though she was older than him, he had always been protective of her even when he was smaller than her. Now, with all his training in the military, he took it to extreme levels. It was endearing before, and sometimes infuriating. But now, it’s downright dangerous. A whole community of shifter was on the verge of exposure because of her. She had no clue as to how Andrew, or her family, would react once the cat – er - wolf is out of the bag.

“As you can see, I’m fine.” She felt Rance stand behind her and put his hand on top of her shoulders. He squeezed gently to offer his support. Looking back at him, she smiled and turned back to Andrew.

“How did you manage to follow us?” Rance asked.

“I tracked you. Even if you made it hard for me to do so,” he paused for a second and directed his steely gaze on Rance. “No natural man could move as fast as you can, even if they’re Olympic sprinters. So tell me, Rance…. What are you? And what have you involved my sister into?”

Alarm colored Alex’s face, as she took a step forward. Rance held her still and shook his head. “Allow me to answer him.” Rance put his arm around her shoulder and faced Andrew squarely. “I’m sure you have a lot of questions for me, and I’m willing to answer all of it. But I’d rather take this inside where Alex can be comfortable. Let my betas do their job here.” Turning, he did not wait for Andrew to answer. Rance knew that he would follow, if not out of curiosity, then out of concern for his older sister.

Andrew followed after Alex and Rance after nodding briefly at Damian. He did not fault the man for being contrary; after all he must be following Rance orders. He did not sense personal antagonism from Damian. Andrew had no ill feeling towards the man, in fact he approved of Damian’s loyalty to his future brother-in-law.

Chapter 8 Submitted

2 October 2012

Hello there! My amazing editors sent back the edited copy finally on Sunday afternoon. I did some last minute additions to it and sent it back. Monday I found the final copy waiting for me in my email inbox. I cleaned it of comments and other marks and finally submitted it to Lit. I hope they post it by this week.
I've checked and noticed that none of their editors have read it yet, so I resend another copy. I had some problems before with them when my work disappeared when I emailed it so I want to make sure that this time it won't get disapproved because they have not received a copy.
If everything goes smoothly, you'll find chapter 8 posted by the end of the week.
Happy reading!

BD

Chapter 8 Teaser

Rance entered the elevator in the Pack Clinic building. Opening a hidden panel, he pushed the button for the third level basement. Putting his code in, the lift slowly descended. The building looked unassumingly normal from the outside with three floors visible. The elevator buttons showed only one basement which worked as the clinic’s morgue and stock and supply rooms. Only the Alpha and some chosen few betas knew of the two floors underneath.  The last two floors was where they kept the jail and interrogation rooms. It can only be accessed by the elevator which was digitally controlled by a code.

Damian and three other betas, Xander, Thorn, and Malik were waiting for him as the door opened. Nodding in greeting, he walked purposely down the narrow hall brightly illuminated by the fluorescent light overhead.

“What have you learned so far?” Rance asked Damian.

“They are proving stubborn.” Damian shook his head. “Unless we are willing to use more extreme measure of interrogation, they would not give us any useful information.”

They walked up to a door. Opened it and filed in quietly. The room was devoid of any furniture save for several chairs facing one mirrored wall. The mirror showed another room occupied by a lone slump figure chained upright on the wall. Except for the manacles on his wrists, there was no evidence of abuse on his body.

Rance walked up to the mirror and surveyed the Were with eyes starting to burn with anger, “so what in the hell did they tell you guys then?” His voice rumbled.

“Just the usual crap. That we are doomed and the true King of the Were’s is coming to extract retribution.” Damian answered almost casually.

Rance turned his head to Damian and frowned in thought. “This is the first time I’ve heard of this King of the Weres.”

“He’s claiming that their alpha, who was the prophesied one, is the King of the Weres.” Thorn explained.

“The bunch of them were clearly delusional and crazy to boot. I doubt we’d get anything from them that would tell us where their den is.” Xander stated.

“We’ve had them for almost a week now and still nada.” Damian assessed the chained form, “maybe it’s time for us to let the task force at them. I believe we’ve got all the information we can get from them. Now we know that their supposed alpha is abducting humans and attempting to change and impregnate them.”

“It’s not enough. I want to know the identity of their alpha. Or where they’re holed at, at the least.” Damian implacably asserted. “Do what you can to extract those information. No mercy this time. They did not show mercy to those they have killed, neither will they get it from us.”

Nodding silently, Damian stood next to Rance. “What about the Alpha council and the task force then?” Damian asked, concern lacing his voice. The pack didn’t need to butt heads with them. They would need their acceptance and support once the true ‘prophesied one’ was birthed.

With lips in a straight line and eyes turbulent, Rance locked eyes with Damian. Silence reigned for long moments, it seemed, to the three betas standing in the room with Rance and Damian. Sighing quietly, Rance nodded his head once, “inform the task force and the council of their capture later today.”

Damian’s cell vibrated and started jingling in his pants pocket. Excusing himself briefly, he looked at the digital display and promptly answered the call.

“Prime here. Yeah, okay. Let them in and I’ll inform the Alpha.” Hanging up he turned back to find Rance facing him with raised brows.

“What’s that all about?” Rance asked.

“That’s from our betas down at the main gate.” Damian’s eyes were sparkling with humor.

“And-? Out with it then.” Rance couldn’t keep his impatience from coming out. He wanted to finish this business and join Alex in her run.

“You have visitors waiting for you.” Damian replied.

“I’m not expecting anyone today. Who is it?”

“Your mate’s brothers have come a-calling.”

“Fuck!” Rance muttered.

Turning on his heel, he walked out of the room and left Damian and the betas behind. Now he need tell Alex to come back from her run. Hopefully his pack won’t do anything that would make Alex’s brothers suspicious.

Before getting in the elevator he yelled behind him. “Damian, make sure everyone is aware to be careful of when they shift. I don’t want them inadvertently letting our secret out.”

Time to make nice with the in-laws.

Wow!

Am really surprised at the reception to chapter six. But the positive feedbacks made me eager to get the story going. As a matter of fact, I'm almost halfway through the next installment.  Barring any unforeseen catastrophic events I'll try to get this one out this month.

-BD