The Uninvited Guest

Halen

I had invited my Betas, Lesley and Liam, for breakfast. The past few months had been hectic. The ongoing altercation with the Valley Creek Pack was starting to wear thin, and my patience was dwindling. There was no reasoning with Alpha Rick Fremont.

There were only two shifter settlements in the North Country: the Valley Creek Pack and the Mountain Pass Pack. We had legally settled here some one hundred and sixty years ago. Tacit agreements with the human government ensured we kept to ourselves and avoided human facilities whenever possible.

This was why my father had built the Diner and Bar—to provide a place for our pack members and reduce our visits to human towns. It was less tempting for us as we were a good three-hour drive from the nearest city.

Yesterday’s visit to the Valley Creek Pack had been disastrous. Alpha Fremont wanted power; that much was obvious. The newly renovated packhouse resembled a castle more than a packhouse. I was suspicious. Where had he gotten the money?

It was no secret that most packs owned businesses in human cities. We did too, and they provided a decent income, but the amount of money he was spending was stupendous.

The rest of his pack didn’t seem to benefit from the influx of cash either. I saw houses that should have been condemned, with pups running around the garden, proving they were occupied. His warriors left much to be desired, arrogant and rude as fuck.

On top of all that, yesterday’s scuffle between Liam and Valley Creek Beta Eric had heightened the tension. Liam hated Eric, and I had to restrain him before things escalated physically.

The crux of the matter was that Fremont wanted to buy our hotel, which was a good source of income for us. My great-grandfather had purchased it, and every subsequent Alpha had renovated and invested in it. It was ideally situated in Havelton and generally overbooked.

He had offered a price way below market value, promising a twenty percent share of his other business, payable monthly to make up the deficit, but I had refused outright. He wouldn’t even tell me what the other business was, which didn’t inspire me with trust. Either way, I had no intention of selling.

My refusal had coincided with rogue attacks, testing our borders, and targeting the fresh produce we grew in our greenhouses. Last week, one of our supply trucks was hijacked, and the driver was killed. Of course, Fremont vehemently denied having any knowledge of our missing truck or dead driver. He was trying to pressure me into signing using scare tactics. And once I could prove it was him, I would kill the fucker! I didn’t understand why he was so determined to buy the hotel. It wasn’t the best or the largest, although the location was good.

I had increased our training regime, insisting all members reach a level of competency, and had a feeling only an outright war would settle this bullshit. My Betas had been run off their feet. Coordinating training for all pack members was no small feat with a pack the size of ours. Anyway, we needed a time-out, hence the breakfast.

I stopped right in front of the diner. It looked quiet, only Gwen’s car in sight; I assumed Gina’s Jeep was parked around the back. The minute I opened the door, the stupid bell tinkled, which I had been tempted to rip off numerous times. I stopped dead, the scent of yarrow wafting up my nose.

Goddess.

I smelled my mate.

I couldn’t move for a second, my gaze finding her. The most beautiful girl sat in my booth. She looked up, and her eyes widened as though she recognized me. She had the most unbelievable eyes I’d ever seen and long platinum hair…just my type. But she was young, far too young. How had she gotten here? Liam and Les peeked around me to see what the holdup was.

“Morning Alph—Mr. Creary,” Gina said, breaking the spell.

Why the hell had she allowed the girl to sit in my booth? I chose another one where I could keep an eye on her. Gina immediately came to fill our coffee cups and take our order. I sniffed; I could clearly smell my mate on her. It shouldn’t have been this strong if she’d just served her. Something was going on here.

“The usual, Gina,” I said, watching the girl still staring at me. Realizing this, she looked down, grabbed her coffee cup, and took a sip.

“So,” Lesley mused, “what are we going to do about that self-righteous prick?”

I pulled my attention back with difficulty. “We need to investigate carefully.”

I watched Gina walk over to my booth, leaning back so I could see better. She handed the girl what looked like a serviette and money. Had she paid already? Gina strode back to the counter, and the girl got up, clutching the money and avoiding eye contact.

“Passing through?” I asked when she was level with me.

Her breath caught, and she looked like a deer caught in headlights for a second. “Er, yes, yes I am,” she said unconvincingly but sounded like an angel. Fuck, she was much too young.

“Where’s your car?” She didn’t look old enough to drive.

“She parked in the back,” Gina said as she passed by our table. I couldn’t wait to find out what was going on here.

The bell tinkled, and the girl disappeared from sight.

“So how are we going to investigate?” Liam asked. I blinked, gathering my thoughts.

“Ideally, we need a hacker. Do we have someone in the pack that fits the profile?” I asked.

Lesley pointed to Gina as she hurried to the kitchen. “Gina is an ace. You didn’t know that’s what got her in trouble? She can’t even own a computer anymore—court orders. But… if we give her equipment, she could do a lot of damage.”

I hadn’t known that. When I hired her, she told me that she had issues with her boss and no longer wanted to live in the human world, wishing to return to her origins.

“Didn’t she work for some corporation as a secretary before she moved back?” I asked.

“Yup, but she was no secretary. She was assistant to the IT manager at a Pharma company. A whole lot of shit went down, and she was accused of selling company secrets. Through her hacking skills, she found the real culprit, which put her in the clear, but only after being on the run for two years. She uncovered confidential stuff that implicated a lot of people. The judge decided her hacking skills were dangerous and sentenced her never to own a computer again. Kind of a broad term, wouldn’t you say?” Lesley chuckled.

Gina had been here for just over a year, and other than getting drunk, she’d been a model pack member. It goes to show that you never really know everything. Of course, Lesley had vouched for her, so accepting her back into the pack had never been a question. And now she was hiding something.

I waited for her to bring our breakfast. “I think you have something to tell us, G.” I turned slightly, letting out a bit of dominance.

Her green eyes widened, and she stuttered. “Um, I… I’m sorry, Alpha. What do you mean?”

She was so good at resisting my dominance. “Sit,” I said, shifting across the bench. She sat down, looking at me expectantly. “We need you for some Pack business, so pack a bag. You’re coming with us.”

“Wait, what? What type of pack business?” She was trying to find an excuse. “You know, I have a car. Is it okay if I come this afternoon?” she asked.

She was up to something; I couldn’t wait to find out. “I’ll tell you the details later. Meet me at two p.m. Don’t be late,” I ordered.

Gina nodded and got up. “Will you organize someone to relieve me?” she asked.

“Get Gwen to call Macy. Better leave your keys.” She walked stiffly back to the counter, fished her keys out of her pocket, and slammed them on the counter. I heard her telling Gwen to call Macy.

“For how long?” Gwen whispered.

“As long as it takes, Gwen,” I raised my voice slightly, laced with a bit of dominance. Both she-wolves bared their necks.

Gina strode out of the diner. I turned back to face my Betas. “You two are going to drive back to the packhouse and drop me down the road.”

“What are you planning?” Lesley asked.

“Just a little reconnaissance.” I grinned. This would be fun.

“And how will you get back?” Liam asked.

“I don’t think that will be a problem.”