Only time would teach her the visceral and very real difference between the impulses twisting her and wanton anger. For now, he pulled her tighter, tucked her face against his neck. “Sleep, and trust me. Just for now.”
The tension bled from her body a bit at a time until she was soft and pliable, cuddled up as close as she could be. Her breath tickled his throat as she sighed. “I do, you know. I trust you. Not just for now.”
“Good.” Trust, first, and then no more words. He’d show her, instead—what it meant to be a wolf, to be alpha.
What it meant to belong to him.
Chapter Five
Jay set the cardboard tray of coffee cups on the rickety table and stepped back. “Thanks for coming in so quickly. I’d say I owe you, but I think we already know that’s true from way back.”
“We all owe each other,” Colin drawled lazily as he claimed a cup. “No one keeps track except Shane, and he can’t help himself.”
“I keep track of plenty of things,” Shane retorted, his fingers still clicking on the keys of his laptop. “But not that.” He stopped typing and closed the machine. “You said this had to do with Memphis.”
“Memphis.” Jay took his own seat in the tiny kitchen. The smaller house on the farm was just that—small—but it was the only place where any privacy could be found, and they needed it for the discussion they were about to have. “Turns out, the rumors are true.”
Colin’s expression hardened into one of dark fury. “All of them?”
“Near as I can tell. A handful of enforcers got together, overthrew their alpha, and now they’re running wild down there. Rape, torture, you name it.”
Fletcher cut off Colin’s angry snarl with a hand on the other wolf’s arm. “If some of their victims are here, you’ve got to choke it down, Colin. I’d wager they can’t handle rage of any sort right now.”
“No, far from it.” Jay began to pass out the rest of the coffees. “The enforcers targeted a smaller pack in the city. Took their alpha when he wouldn’t fall in line—that’s Zack. With him out of the way, it was open season. They toyed with the ones that amused them and killed the ones that didn’t. So, right now, I have three top priorities. One for each of you. Shane—”
“I know.” He gave a small salute. “I’m nice and non-threatening, so I’ll be dealing with the refugees.”
“You’re the only one not likely to scare the shit out of them,” Jay agreed. “Colin, I need you to hit your contacts hard and find out everything you can about these assholes in Memphis. We need a game plan.”
Colin shook off Fletcher’s hand. “Fine,” he grated out. “But it better end with us wiping these bastards out of existence.”
Fletcher caught Jay’s gaze and held it for a moment before deliberately shifting the conversation. “So Colin’s making phone calls, and Shane’s petting and soothing. What’s that leave for me?”
“A different kind of babysitting.” The kind that would break Eden’s heart if she knew. “Zack. Who the hell knows what those bastards did to him? He’s had a few shaky moments—to be expected, I know, but we need to be sure that’s the extent of it. I don’t think he’d ever forgive me if I let him hurt someone.”
“All right, I can do that.” He lifted both eyebrows. “Do you need me to start signing checks while I’m at it? This place is looking pretty sparse, Ancheta.”
Fletcher could well afford it, but Jay shook his head. “I’ll hold you to that when we figure out something long-term. If we’re not generating some kind of income, money’s a moot point.”
“Paying it back’s a moot point,” Fletcher argued, leaning forward to brace his elbows on the table. “Having it’s damn important, whether you’re generating income or not. Come on, man. They deserve a few creature comforts.”
“And I’m going to handle it. I’ll take plenty of your money, Fletch, believe me, but I’ll do it later.”
“Not even for essentials?” he pressed.
“Maybe,” Jay finally allowed. “Drop it?”
Fletcher didn’t back down the way Colin or Shane might, but after a moment he nodded, indicating that he was willing to step aside and recognize Jay’s place as leader. For now.
“This house is where we’re staying?” Colin asked, filling the silence.
“Yeah.” Better for everyone if the strong newcomers stayed separate from everyone else—at least for a while. “There’s one more thing I’ve