on at least Agent Faste being decent. This was a crappy way to go about things, and they all knew it. Perhaps the berserker could be made to care?
He turned his big eyes on the bear shifter, knowing he must look desperate.
“We just want to know what would make a pack of werewolves take in an otter shifter,” pressed Agent Lenis.
“Compassion. You should look up the word. Bet none of you have ever heard of it.”
“Look at my little one, pretending he has big teeth. It’s so cute.” Lexi reached over as if she were going to pinch Colin’s cheek. He wanted to bite her hand. Instead he flinched away. He was really good at that.
“No touching!” he barked at her.
She pouted. “But I’m your mummy.”
“What kind of sick game are you all playing?” Colin suddenly, fiercely, wished for his pack around him. Alec’s quiet strength, Isaac’s calm certainty, and Judd’s supportive fierceness. Yes, Judd. How would the enforcer act in this kind of situation? Stupid question. Judd would never have gotten into the limo in the first place. Judd always went all rigid when surrounded by outsider Alphas, almost military in his responses. Taciturn. Guarded.
Colin swallowed. “I’m calling Alec.”
The agents exchanged another series of expressive glances. “Fine. But we’ll need to talk to that otter friend of yours.”
Colin made a rather rash statement then, but he could think of no other way to protect Trick. “He’s pack now. You better do it to protocol.”
“I didn’t see anything filed with DURPS to that effect. In fact, your little river friend there isn’t even registered as a local shifter. He’s an illegal, and we can take him in for questioning with no warrant if we want.”
Colin didn’t think that was true. “Off of our pack lands, out from under our guardianship, seriously? I don’t think so. Otherwise, you’d have done it already. Instead, you came after me. Via my mother. Sideways and sneaky.”
Silence met that. There was some reason they wanted to leave Trick free-roaming and didn’t want to be seen visiting the pack. Colin wasn’t an idiot, he could figure it out.
“You’re using him as bait, aren’t you? When he didn’t do anything! What happened to protect and serve?”
“That’s not our motto, that’s the cops’.”
“So what’s yours? Successfully bother innocents?”
“Trust me, red, if there’s Inis around, Inis are involved. He did something. Inis don’t leave the family business and they are never innocent,” said Agent Faste, sounding almost sad.
It was the sympathy in the berserker’s voice that made Colin question his gut. Was Trick actually involved? Had the otter shifter lied to them? But then that act of questioning his own instincts made Colin even more angry. He wasn’t going to mistrust a friend simply because some feds were hounding him (even if it was just a coffee shop flirt-friend like Trick). After all, these feds were using his mother to get at him. Colin always believed in judging people by the company they kept. The agents were not doing well in that regard.
So he said, “We’re done here.” He knew his Panda Rights. He took off his backpack, began to strip out of his leather riding jacket.
He started to recite. “Colin Mangnall, San Andreas Pack. I formally request the representation of my Alpha and that he be alerted that I’m in custody for protocol violations. I have the right to remain shifted. Anything I do as a wolf cannot be influenced by an Alpha not my own. If my Alpha cannot come for me, an Alpha will be provided on my behalf. I request Ms Trickle, kelpie. She can be found locally at the DURPS headquarters at the Marin Civic Center in San Rafael. I will now shift.” It was getting darker, but the sun had not yet set. It would be difficult and painful for Colin to shift prior to sunset, but it was his best recourse at this juncture. Agent Lenis could VOICE-command him to stay human, but after declaring his rights in front of witnesses, that would be highly illegal.
“Kid’s gotten stronger since last we were in town,” said Agent Faste, confusion in his tone.
Agent Lenis sighed big and deep. “Fucking San Andreas Pack got themselves an Omega.”
Agent Faste laughed. “‘Course they did. I forgot about that. They got a Magistar and a familiar, too. That’s a complete set.” His bright gaze moved between the two female Alphas. “Bet your lot fucking hate it. San Andreas is now the most powerful pack in the country, full