Filed to story: Sorry Alpha I Am Wolfless Novel
“So much. So very much.”
“Well, let’s talk about it over dinner, since I am going out on a limb here to guarantee you that position you want so badly.”
Harris went with Jackson and I to dinner that night. He had already gotten me the job of running the field office I wanted. There were more supernaturals in the FBI than most people realized and we all tended to help each other out. The most uncomfortable part of the night was when Harris insisted I invite him to my wedding which just about made both me and Jackson choke. Jackson was accepting David more but he still didn’t want to think about us getting married. And I hadn’t even thought about the fact that I needed to actually get married at some point.
Would David even want to get married?
After I went back to Colorado Springs I got Joaquin’s construction team to finish the work on the office. The old team was taking too long, and frankly, wolves just worked so much more efficiently. While they finished the work on that office though, I decided to take another trip to see the Alpha of the Hidden Paw in California.
I had done some research on Jesiah and the people born in that pack. It was hard doing as they didn’t venture out for anything more than work or shopping, but I managed to learn that a lot less people made it to adulthood over the last few generations than there should have been. There was something dark and sinister going on there.
Jackson and I landed at the airport and rented an SUV similar to the last one. We drove straight to the Alpha’s residence and knocked on the door. The first thing I noticed was a lack of that horrible scent.
Don’t get me wrong, I had smelled it on the way here, driving through the small town, but it wasn’t here on this house anymore. That was weird. It wasn’t easy to hide scents at that massive of a level and the people in this house had stunk to high heaven. What was going on?
A younger man, probably around David’s age, answered the door. He was tall, like Joaquin, but he had caramel colored hair and green eyes. He was good looking and seemed fierce. And he smelled nothing like that man who answered the door the last time.
“Can I help you?” He asked politely. “I don’t remember everyone in the pack right now, I spent too much time away, so sorry that I don’t remember you.” He grinned amiably. “And is that a human with you?” He grinned at Jackson.
“Yes, he is human.” I was so confused that was all I could say for a moment. “Uh, um, I’m here to see the Alpha.”
“That’s me.” He grinned back at me. “Come on in.” He opened the door and held it for us until we were inside. “Did you want to meet in my office or in the sitting room down here?”
“The sitting room is fine.” I could tell that I had a dumbfounded look on my face, but something was really weird here.
The man then led us to the same sitting room as before but the furniture was different. The coloring was brighter and the furniture looked newer.
“I’m sorry I haven’t introduced myself yet.” He turned and grinned as he gestured for us to take our seats. “My name is Artemis Cooper, but everyone calls me Artem. Who might you two be?” He was nice, but he was also perceptive. I know he was keeping an eye on us, making sure that we were not here for something with bad intentions.
“My name is Agent Rawlynne Otsana of the FBI, this here is my partner Jackson McIan.”
“FBI huh, what does the FBI want with our pack?”
“What happened to the other Alpha? Jesiah, wasn’t that his name?”
“There has been a change in management.” He grinned at me.
“I don’t get it.” Jackson seemed angry as he spoke to Artemis.
“What is there not to get. Jesiah used to be the Alpha, now I am. End of story.”
“Why did you take over the pack?” I asked him, getting to the heart of the matter.
“I didn’t like how things were being run. He allowed some very unfair practices.”
“Unfair?” Jackson still looked like all of this was going over his head.
“Did you take the pack by force?” I asked before Artemis could answer Jackson’s question.
“Yes.” I saw a hard glint in the man’s eyes then.
“So you killed him?”
“WHAT?” Jackson looked first at me then at Artemis with worry in his eyes.
“Should I truly answer that question. I don’t want to be arrested.” Artemis laughed light heartedly like it was a joke.
“What was Jesiah doing here?”
Artemis then told me the tale of the Hidden Paw. He said that their pack took ranks too seriously and they would persecute the weak wolves. Many of the boys that they mistreated would often die and that Jesiah and the last few Alphas just allowed it to happen. This pack sounded like a real nightmare, but it explained why I felt creeped out before.
I told Artemis if he ever needed anything to call me and we would help him. I gave him my card and told him that I had experience with warlocks, wolves, and many other species. He seemed to understand and walked us to the door with a smile.
Jackson had had a shocked expression on his face since he heard me ask Artemis if he had killed the previous Alpha. He just hadn’t recovered from it yet.
“Why aren’t we arresting him?” Jackson blurted as we drove away. “He all but admitted to murder.”
“For one, there will be no evidence, and for two, he did the right thing.”
“I know that, the stuff he said made my stomach flip, but that’s not up to us Rawlynne.”
“It wasn’t the FBI me that approved, it was the wolf me. That is how things work in the wolf world, Jackson, in all shifter kinds. If you can’t handle that then we need to erase the memories you have.”
“Fuck that.” He yelled at me as I drove. “I will not let you touch my memories. I just didn’t get it. That is why I asked after all. I think I kept my cool in there pretty well, all things considered. Cut me some slack will you.”
