You’ll respect that, am I clear?”
“Yes sir!”
“Good. Now I want two teams. A small team will be on the mission of reclaiming my daughter so she can be returned to safety. You’ll work with Jacky, so put whatever problems you have with werecats aside. My daughter is more important. The second team, a larger force, will continue to flush out the traitors and bring their numbers down. However, I want some captured and brought in alive for interrogation now. They must be feeling their losses, and that will weaken their resolve to continue down the path they’re on.”
I stood uncomfortably next to him, listening to the orders being handed down. After a few more lines of similar rhetoric, I tuned him out. There was still a lot I didn’t know, but now wasn’t the time to find out.
When Heath was done, everyone started talking amongst themselves of their own accord. He leaned closer to me, and spoke quietly. “I’m going to stick close to you. I love and trust my wolves, but you’re an unknown factor. I have two who were alive during the war. One’s a Beta, and not very aggressive, but he might hold a grudge. Lost his parents and a sibling back in those days. He also loves Carey, so he’s going to join the team with you. The other will hopefully avoid you, but he’s…he’s got a few screws loose, which is why he isn’t in my inner circle, no matter how powerful he is. I don’t want you alone where he can find you. Understand?”
“I don’t need your protection,” I said softly, narrowing my eyes on him. “Not from two wolves, anyway.”
“You’re also working to get my daughter back. I’m never going to be far just because of that.”
“Fair point,” I conceded. “You should keep a line of communication open. Your traitors might call.”
“I’ve already considered that. It’ll be your team’s job to manage the phone I’m going to have you set up.”
“My team?” I said that probably louder than I should have. I laughed, shaking my head. “Oh no. I’ll work with a team. I haven’t been a werecat long enough to give up that bit of humanity, but I’m not a leader. I don’t do in charge very well. Please tell me that’s not your intention.”
He smirked. “Not fully, no. I want you working with whatever leader they’re going to put up on the pedestal.”
“Thank God,” I mumbled, shaking my head. I caught a glance at a group already walking up to us. “Looks like we have our team.” I nodded to the four wolves headed our way.
“Looks like it,” he agreed, turning away as well. “Teagan, Laurent, Chrissy, and Sheila. Some of my smarter wolves. They’re good. Teagan is the one I was mentioning. The Beta wolf.” He pointed out each respectively, giving me a chance to know their faces and names before the work truly began. He nodded to the one in the front, but I didn’t need him to.
Years with Hasan and the few times I had met with Lani in person taught me to see the walk of one of the older supernaturals. For werewolves and werecats, age meant power, a slow, steady growth in strength as the world continued to knock us down. Teagan had the air of being powerful, much like Heath next to me.
“What makes a Beta wolf?” I asked.
“Slower growth in strength. A calmer disposition that lends them less power in the pack. They aren’t the bottom of the pack, still able to fight for a place that suits them, but they make others protective, and they’re less likely to resort to violence.”
“You know, since we’re on this topic. Why do you wolves use Alpha and Beta and that nonsense? Wasn’t it disproved that wolves do it?”
Heath chuckled. “You say that like we should care. The scientist knew werewolves and thought the same rules applied to real wolves, so he saw what he wanted to see while doing his research. No, real wolves don’t have such a strict rank structure as we do, but then, they aren’t part human. Humans need leaders and control in their lives. Routine. The Alpha and pack structure is to appease that need, but remain as wild as we’re able to be.”
“Interesting,” I murmured, nodding. “Like all things in our lives, a blend of animal and man.”
“Exactly,” he agreed.
We waited for a few more moments while the group made their way through the large warehouse. They had started a fair