Queen of Death

Solana

On the outside, the only indication that Ace is angry is the ticking in his jaw muscle and the wave of heat he’s letting off. To everyone else he comes off as a sentinel of strength and control. But inside, through our ever strengthening bond, he’s an inferno of cool rage. The kind that is patient and deliberate, not wild and impulsive.

“I see.” Ace’s words rumble up and out from deep within his chest. “You said he’s hiding behind an organization? Which one?”

“Numbers don’t tell me the extent of his involvement, only that he is involved. His accounts pay out to an organization with a facility a few hours north of his packlands.” Tate turns his computer around to show Ace a map of the territory, pointing to where the pack is located and drawing a line up to where this mysterious facility sits.

“How old are these maps? There’s nothing but forest where you’ve indicated.” Eli asks after sneaking a peek at the screen.

“Those are public images taken within the last year.” Tate takes back control of the computer and presses a few keys. “Now compare those to the pictures I took yesterday when I flew over.”

Hunter, Eli, and Dean all make their way over to stand behind Ace to look at the screen together. Dean stands with his arms folded casually over his hard chest, Eli stands next to him with his hands stuffed in his front pockets, while Hunter hovers over Ace with one hand on the back of Ace’s chair and the other splayed flat on the table.

“There’s no way a facility that large was built in a year,” Dean posits and the rest of the guys nod in thoughtful agreement.

“So it just appeared out of thin air?” Hunter quips.

“Or no one wanted it to be found,” I suggest and watch every set of eyes turn to me. “You said the facility is non-existent on public maps. So either someone spent a lot of money on overtime to get this place built, or –”

“Or someone spent a lot of money to cover it up,” Ace finishes my thought.

“Someone like Lobo,” I say, moving closer to the group and sitting on the edge of the table with one leg tucked under me and the other hanging over the edge between Tate’s knees. “Follow the money all the way back. The facility is being funded by Alec through Lobo, a company that specializes in tech and cybersecurity. If anyone could make a building disappear from public view it would be them. Why? Because they’re being paid by Elders.”

“So Lobo funds the facility through Alec, and the Elders pay to keep it quiet?” Hunter asks.

It’s a chilling discovery — if true. Regardless of what’s in that facility the fact that the Elders are paying to keep it hidden would be a huge breach of trust.

“What is the purpose of the facility?” Ace asks Tate.

Tate does his utmost to keep his baby blues out of my line of sight, and for the second time today he hesitates to answer. His long, inked fingers sweep through his inky black hair.

“Just say it, Tate. Fast, like ripping out a spine.” I offer by way of encouragement. We talked about combating our tendencies to want to do things on our own and now’s as good a time as any to lean on his pack and trust them with this information.

Ace, Dean, and Eli look at me with matching bewilderment.

“That’s not… where did you… what?” Eli blathers.

“I’m not even going to ask,” Dean chuckles to himself.

“What?” I ask, genuinely confused by what they find so odd about what I said.

“I believe the expression is supposed to be like ripping off a bandaid,” Tate says while fighting a grin.

My expression sours. “A bandaid? How does that make more sense than what I said?”

“Because bandaids can hurt when you go to take them off,” Dean says

“Can’t imagine why you’d need to wear one in the first place,” I say more to myself than anyone. “They’re glorified stickers.”

Eli scoffs, “maybe if stickers were made with whatever adhesive is in duct tape. That shit burns.”

“If you can’t heal a scratch faster than you can peel open a bandaid then I suppose it’s fair that you should suffer for needing to wear it in the first place.”

Eli scoffs in amused disbelief, “you’re actually serious?”

“Our upbringing, especially hers, was much different than everyone else’s,” Hunter defends me. “It’s not a productive day of training if someone hasn’t broken a few bones.”

“Fuck, that’s so…” Ace trails off but each of the guys offer an adjective like my life is some mad-libs game.

“Hot.”

“Brutal.”

“Intense.”

“Impressive.”

I roll my eyes at their idiocy but secretly, in a part of me I’m not willing to admit to yet, I find their antics and their banter entertaining.

“Bandaids, backbones, whatever. What’s in the facility?”

Tate’s eyes swim with an emotion I’m not sure how to read on him. “It’s a hybrid facility. I haven’t dug into it much because I wanted to get back here. But if Lobo and the Elders are connected to it then Gods only know what’s going on in there.”

“Find out what you can about the center. We’re going for a run.” Ace stands up and walks out of the house expecting us to follow. Hunter nods at me to follow him and Ace, but not before throwing a look over his shoulder at Eli who quickly abandons his silent protest when Ace’s firm command ripples through the bond.

— — —

Ace

It’s been a while since we’ve gone for a run as a pack. Tate and Dean had a field day in the Grove, flying around, spreading their wings at every opportunity. Eli went for a run one day but that was on his own and he stuck to the palace perimeter.

Before that — it’s been a long time. It’s why I insist on pack dinner. If we can’t run or fly together then we will at least eat together.

I can feel how upset Eli is since finding out about Solana and the truth behind Nightshade. I can feel how hurt he is by that, but I can also feel him struggling with that anger. Like he doesn’t know whether or not he is actually mad, or what he’s even mad about.

Whatever the case may be, letting our wolves out together will help strengthen our pack bond and maybe even our bond with Solana.

The island we’re on isn’t that large. It’s probably a five minute run end to end, but there’s a thick patch of trees and vegetation for us to wind and course through.

Hunter and Eli shift first into their wolves, Fox and Stone. Fox is larger than Stone and their coloring couldn’t be more opposite. Fox is golden brown like Hunter’s hair, with green eyes the color of the forest around us. Stone is aptly named, with white and gray marbling allowing him to blend in seamlessly with the more mountainous regions.

Fox walks right up to Sol and nuzzles against her, scenting off of her and marking his territory. She smells divine, and his honey scent compliments her earthy vetiver scent well.

A low growl from my wolf ruptures the moment between them, calling her wolf forward. She shifts gracefully into her wolf, Shae, whose fur is pure white and has Sol’s same blazing green eyes. I’m last to shift. Grey towers over all of them, but especially dwarfing Solana.

Grey snarls and growls as he circles her. He has the same pure white coat and green eyes. Birds of a feather. Shae isn’t intimidated. She snarls right back at us, nipping at our muzzle when Grey gets too close or growls a little too fiercely. She must think it’s because he doesn’t approve of her or the way she wears Hunter’s scent. But really Grey is just pissed that I won’t allow him to mark her. Not yet.

We run for a few hours, weaving through trees, racing around the perimeter, and wading through the shallows of the beach. Sure enough by the time we get back to the house any negative sentiments Eli had towards Sol at the start of our run have bled away.

But rather than hang out after we’ve shifted back, Eli chooses to head back up to the house ahead of us.

“Do we need to worry about him?” Hunter asks with no ill-intent.

“No, not just yet. It’s going to take him more time and I’m not trying to push him into things he doesn’t want,” I respond honestly.

Hurt whips through my bond with Sol so fast I barely register the emotion before it’s gone. She gives me a tight, practiced smile and follows Eli’s trail to the house.

When Hunter and I finally make it up to the house Eli is sitting at the furthest end of the table while Dean and Sol are huddled together near Tate talking animatedly and perhaps maybe even arguing.

“What’s all the excitement about?” I ask their group.

“Tate found something interesting,” Dean says cryptically.

“Sol’s bounty has been doubled. As of last week it looks like. Underdark channels are talking about little else right now.” Tate says to the group.

“Anyone getting close?” I ask, coming to stand behind Sol with a heavy hand resting on her shoulder.

“Somehow the attempt on her life after the party has gotten out, as has the fact that she’s being protected by us and hasn’t been seen in almost two weeks.” Tate struggles to keep his displeasure out of his tone.

“Has anyone hinted at the connection between her and Nightshade?” Hunter asks quietly.

“No. For now the price on Nightshade’s head died with the Evans brothers. And her usual haunts haven’t seen any uptick in activity.”

Something isn’t sitting right with me about any of this and it surfaces as a growl while I’m deep in thought. There’s someone in the Grove who knows an alarming amount of Sol’s comings and goings and has facilitated her being tracked through the Underdark.

I wonder if her fathers know about the updated bounty or that they may have a traitor in their colony. “We need to go back to the Grove and have a conversation with the Alphas. Don’t tell them we're coming. We’ll port over in the morning.”

I give Sol’s shoulder a squeeze, silently commanding her to follow directions and then follow me upstairs. I’m not interested in sharing anymore of her today. I want all her attention and all her pleasure to myself before we’re forced out of our bubble tomorrow and back to the Grove.