Antonio

“Conner?” I waited until he glanced at me. 

He shot me a smile. “What can I do for you, love?”

“We haven’t talked to Skye in months… I’m worried.”  

Our two month trip had turned into four and we were on the very last leg of the journey. The house was in sight.

Conner hesitated, then said, “Jefferson said he’s been busy. I’m sure there is a reasonable explanation and we will get it. We will make certain he knows that we are here for him.”

“Should we have informed Jefferson?” I asked softly.

We moved as a group to the door and Conner shook his head. 

“I want to see first hand how Jefferson has run the pack. In the beginning I received some worrisome reports from other warriors; I haven’t heard from them for about a month.”

Conner led the procession into the pack house and I nearly gagged at the smell. It smelled of rotting food and unclean surfaces. I heard retching behind me, but didn’t dare look to see who it was.

“What. The. Hell.” Conner’s growl reverberated through the house and wolves everywhere began cowering.

Jefferson stumbled into the entryway, drunk, if the smell coming off him was anything to go by. “Oh hey! The gang is back! Conner, everything went just as you wanted it too. I even took care of that disgusting omega you left behind. He won’t give anyone any trouble for a long time.”

Conner shifted faster than I had ever seen him shift and I was right behind him as he pounced on Jefferson. He growled and every wolf within the house dropped to the ground, whimpering.

“Karter,” I snapped at my second. “Take everyone who was part of the trip to the coven house and do not return until I send for you.” When he hesitated, I bared my fangs and hissed. “Go. Now.”

My coven members hustled the omegas out of the pack house and I slammed the door behind them before turning back to where Conner, now shifted back, held Jefferson in a stranglehold.

“WHAT DID YOU DO TO SKYE?” He roared, and even I flinched. 

Another wolf, a young warrior whose name I could not recall, slowly crawled his way forward. “Alpha, I beg to be allowed to speak.” At Conner’s sharp nod, he continued. “Jefferson forbade us from following your orders when it came to Skye. He twisted your words and threatened any who defied him with imprisonment. M-my mate, Jazmine, and twelve others are in the cells for attempting to smuggle him out. He put us on lockdown and relieved all of us of our phones so that we had no way to contact you or your beta.” He seemed to curl in on himself, but still continued to speak. “He did unspeakable things to those of us who were unwilling to defy you. Kennedy and Spencer are near death for how long he has withheld food and water from them.”

I finally took in each of the wolves that had been slowly making their way into the room. Many of the sported bruised faces, while some even seemed to have broken limbs. Cold terror flooded my veins as I imagined what horrors Jefferson must have laid on Skye. 

Conner’s fist flexed around Jefferson’s trachea and the warrior gasped for air. “You dared to touch your fellow pack members. You put them in the position of having to disobey their Alpha. You dared to lay a hand on Skye.” He turned to the young warrior. “Take the wolves I brought with me and round up those who help Jefferson of their own free will. Place them in the cells. Use any force you deem necessary to accomplish it.”

The young wolf nodded and began to move away.

“Wait!” I stopped him for a moment. “Where is Skye?”

The wolf dropped his head in shame. “He is in the cellar under the kitchen.”

The sound of breaking glass and splintering wood rent the air as Conner threw Jefferson into the wall nearest him.

“I will be dealing with each of you in any way Skye deems fit.” He said coldly.

I gripped his hand as we made our way through the kitchen. We came to a stop in front of the trap door that led to the cellar and Conner shuddered. “They will all pay for anything they did to him.” He vowed coldly.

I murmured my agreement and reached out to lift the door.