point. If the rumors were true, his life wouldn’t be worth much here. “Okay. I understand what you’re saying. I don’t like it, but I see your point.”
They shifted back and after another check to make sure they didn’t hear anything, crawled from under the bushes, and trudged along the fence. The floodlights were still on, though they were only illuminating the main school building. Along the fence were much smaller light fixtures spread out a hundred yards or so apart, but they weren’t lit. Thank fuck for that.
When they got to the back of the school, they stopped, seeking a hiding spot behind a tree. A second, much smaller, gate rose, though the material didn’t match the rest of the fence, suggesting it had been added later. Much later because it looked fairly new and shiny, with none of the rust the rest of the fence had. And in the grass, tire tracks had created a sort of dirt road that led toward the back of the building, where a few army-style trucks, painted in camouflage colors and with canvas tonneau covers, stood parked. Were they indeed dealing with the army here?
But where had those vehicles come from? Where did that dirt road lead to? Sivney nudged Palani, and Palani understood. They both got up and perambulated back the trails, staying at a distance. They passed tennis courts, a large building that smelled like it housed a pool, a bunch of smaller buildings, and finally, sports fields. What once had been a football field with an athletic track around it, now stood filled to the max with army vehicles, neatly parked in endless rows.
Holy shit. Had they accidentally found the army headquarters? A faint crunch sounded, and Sivney dropped flat to the ground. Right in front of him, the terrain sloped down a little, and he crawled into a small ditch, making himself as small as possible. Palani took up position right next to him. The crunches were coming closer. Someone walking. Two people, judging by the rhythm, and then whispers drifted toward them. At first, the men were too far away to make out what they were saying, but they had to be coming straight at them because a minute later, Sivney could pick up their voices.
“…we finally have him. I must admit I didn’t think the general’s plan would succeed.”
“Oh ye of little faith. You know the man is a legend.”
A soft chuckle. “Sure, but it’s been weeks. I didn’t think Hayes was gonna show anymore.”
Hayes? Why were they talking about Lidon?
“Well, we’ve got him now. Did you see how big he was? Damn. I wouldn’t want to fight that.”
“You won’t have to. He won’t leave this place alive.”
Sivney’s heart jumped up. That meant Bray was still alive, which was good news. But they thought Bray was Lidon. Why? That meant he hadn’t shifted. Had they just assumed because he was a big wolf? Or…?
“What if others will follow? Doesn’t he have a…a pack?”
“Hold on a sec—” one of the men said and came to a stop. Sivney made himself even smaller, closing his eyes to avoid them from lighting up in the dark. Had they been spotted? Then the unmistakable click of a Zippo sounded, and he opened his eyes. One of the soldiers lit up a cigarette. An alpha.
“The general would have your ass for this if he knew, Thompson,” the other guy said disapprovingly. The light of the Zippo illuminated his face long enough for Sivney to see he was a beta.
Thompson shrugged, then closed his Zippo and took a deep drag, the orange tip of the cigarette flaring up. “He’ll never find out unless you rat me out…and you know what we do to snitches here. Especially betas. You guys should be grateful we even let you in.”
His voice had taken on a cold edge, and Sivney suppressed a shudder.
“You know I won’t say a thing. Just be careful. The man sees everything and knows more than you think.”
Thompson waved his hand dismissively, apparently not in any hurry to continue their patrol. “The stories about him are exaggerated. He’s brilliant and an absolute legend, don’t get me wrong, but he’s still only human.”
“Unlike Lidon Hayes…” The soldier spoke with reverence. What kind of stories were these guys telling each other about Lidon?
“We’ll figure out his secret soon enough, and then all alphas will be able to shift.”
All alphas? What the hell were these people planning?
“I dunno. It sounds a little too easy to