The Alphas Wonder Land Phoenix Mountain Book 9

“Ok. Here’s the plan.”

I lean on the council table as I look to all my friends.

Damica is twisting her fingers. I can tell she’s uncomfortable with this whole thing, but I promised to make her world safe and I’ll land Rex right on his ass. If I have to blow it to ashes, I will. His time of tormenting my lady is over as of today.

“This shouldn’t be a big operation. We’re dealing with petty thugs here.” My eyes meet Damica’s. Opinions aside, she knows what Rex is.

I stand straight. “Once we call him out, I’ll have Ops 1 do the take down. Then we hold him until the others come out looking for him. Once we have the Beta, the rest of the pack will either be too scared to cross over or be easy pickings when they do.”

“What about the cure?” Damica asks.

I arch a brow. “I’ll leave that up to Rex. If he survives, then we cure him.”

Zander folds his hands on the table. “What about the other threats?”

Damica turns to him. “They don’t have the ability. They only way they could cross over would be to have one of Rex’s pack open the mirror.”

He tilts his head. “Is that possible? Would one of Rex’s pack help them?”

Damica’s eyes quickly look at Jake and back at Zander. “Anything’s possible.”

Zander nods and rubs his chin.

Ricky rests an elbow on the podium. “What are you thinking?”

He sighs. “If these guys do come through, they won’t be killed by crossing over, right?”

Damica nods. “From my understanding, yes. They can move freely here.”

Zander leans back. “We need to take them out.”

“What?” Peter looks confused.

“Zan, that insane.” I say. “We can’t do that.”

He stands and starts pacing the room. “No, we can. If we can get Rex to work with us, we can cross over and take out this army before they become a threat here.”

Damica leans forward. “But there’s no indication they will attack. Why start a war?”

He puts both hands in the table. “Can you guarantee us they won’t attack? They seemed to have a big interest in you from what Sawyer tells me.”

“I don’t know. I can’t predict anything, but I just think if we get Rex and his pack out, the rest will be trapped there, unless…” Damica drifts off.

Zander leans to her. “Unless what?”

Damica looks around the table. “Unless she helps them.”

“Who?” I ask.

Damica’s eyes meet mine. There’s concern and a touch of fear in them. “The Dark Shaman.”

“There’s a Shaman in opposite world? Are you kidding me?” Darcy drops his arm on the table.

“Yes. She’s a some sort of witch or something. She makes potions. She’s been after Rex for awhile now. When we last met, she mentioned something about correcting a mistake.” She looks at me. “It’s one of the many reasons I want to save Rex. He doesn’t deserve to be hunted.”

Ricky turns to her. “This Shaman. She have a name?”

Damica shakes her head. “No. She never told me her name. She hid herself well. She covers herself in a black, hooded cloak. Rex had heard she existed and sought her out. This only got her attention and she’s vowed to kill him and his pack. It’s clear, she hasn’t finished the job.”

Zander stands and crosses his arms. “Could she give the Falcons the ability to cross over?”

Damica shrugs. “I don’t know, but after seeing what she can do, I wouldn’t put it past her.”

Zander considers and walks around again. “Ok. Change of plan.”

“You can’t change the plan!” I scowl.

He points to me as he walks. “I’m King. I can and will.” He eyes me.

I narrow my eyes. Arrogant bastard.

“Ok. Here’s what we do.” He starts. “We capture Rex and convince him to help us cross over. We get Intel on the Falcons and the Shaman. If the Intel is sound, we mobilize. I want to be sure on this. If the Shaman can give them the same ability, I want them gone before that happens.”

I mirror his image from across the table. “Ok. If Rex doesn’t comply?”

“Cure him and arrest him. We’ll deal with the others as it happens.” Zander orders.

“Alright. Let’s get the bad guys.” I grin.

A few hours later, we loaded up the plane and flew off to Washington.

After distributing orders, I take a seat beside Damica.

I turn my head to the back of the plane then turn back to Damica. “Wanna join the mile high club?” I grin and bounce my brow.

“No.” She elbows me and laughs.

I adjust myself in my seat. “So, you want to fill me in on what I’m walking into?”

“You’ll see when we get the Intel.” She says.

I nod. “You know. You’ll have to tell me at some point.”

“And I will. When the time is right.” She side eyes me.

A soldier walks up to our seats. “Alpha.” He hands me a paper and I take it.

I read it.

“What is it?” She asks.

“Your dad will meet us at the house.”

“Crap.” She slumps in her seat.

“I spoke with him a while ago. You shouldn’t beat him up too much. He does enough to himself.” I lean my head to her.

“He locked me up, Sawyer.” She narrows her eyes.

“I know, baby, but put yourself in his shoes. His child was hurting and he didn’t understand why. Can you actually blame him for trying to help you?” I take my hand and put it on hers, lacing our fingers together.

“I guess not.” She mumbles. “I just hurt so much.”

“I know, Dami and he feels like shit about it. Even today.” I say.

“He does?”

“Yeah. The guys a wreck.” I supply.

“Maybe I could talk to him.” She says.

“Just give him a chance.” I whisper as I lean my head on her temple.

She nods and squeezes my hand.

****

We pulled in front of the average home.

Patrick was standing on the steps.

I open Damica’s door and she steps out. Stuffing her hands in the pockets of her jeans, she takes a few steps onto the walking path to the porch. She stops and looks at her father.

Patrick scrubbed his face and ran his fingers through his salt and pepper hair.

They stood with a distance between them and stared.

Damica heaved a breath. “Hey, dad.”

He stood there for a second then shook his head. He rushed down the porch steps and took big strides to his daughter. He grabbed her and crushed her in a hug. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” He mumbled in her shoulder.

Damica hugged him back. “It’s OK, daddy. I know you wanted to help.” She hitched.

They held each other for a solid minute. “I love you so much. I’m so proud of you.” He holds the back of her head and kisses her hair.

He pulls back and takes off his glasses. He wipes his eyes with his sleeve and chuckles. “God, you’re so beautiful. Look at you. You grew up on me.” He smiles.

“Yeah. I did.” Damica laughs through tears.

I felt kind of weird. I had thoughts many times of showing up at the pack house. Standing there like a fool to take back everything I ever said to Sage, but I know he’d just kick my ass again so I never bothered. As much as I wanted a relationship with my brother, I knew he never wanted one with me. Its kind of the heart of the Reds. It’s better to kill each other then love each other. I think out of the three of us, the only real honest one is Charlotte. At least she’d tell you, she wanted to slit your throat. Sage was a conniving, manipulative bastard. He’d smile at you while he drove a knife in your back.

I walked up to Damica and her father. “Mr. Fox. We'll need you to stay out here while we conduct this investigation.”

“Sure. The doors unlocked.” He motioned to the house.

I lead Damica into the house with Ops 1 behind us. We walk upstairs and into the room she once occupied as a child.

She steps in slowly. I see her small smile as she eyes her bed and toys. I then see it fade when she turns her attention to the mirror.

“It’s OK.” I say quietly.

She nods, then stops me with Ops 1 in the hallway at the door. “He won’t answer if he sees you.” She says quietly.

I acknowledge her warning and move the unit back out of the view of the mirror.

She stares at her reflection for what feels like a minute. Slowly raising her knuckles, she hesitates, then knocks on the glass. “Rex, it’s Damica.”

We all wait. I can feel my units curiosity and confusion. I recognize it because I’m feeling the same damn thing.

“Rex. I know you’re there. Don’t ignore me now.” She puts her hands on her hips and looks at the floor.

“Hello, Damica.”

The distorted voice came from the glass.

My unit became unsettled and I link to hold position.

“Rex. I came to talk.” Damica answers.

“Ok. Come on in.” He says.

Damica scratches her temple. “No. You come out here.”

“Why?”

She gives me a quick glance. “Because…you know how I feel.”

“Well, that’s not happening. You want to talk, you step through the glass.”

The voice is rough and slightly out of sync. It almost sound warbled.

“Rex, come on.” Damica is annoyed.

A mans hand came through the glass. It stopped halfway up his forearm. It’s now, the most disturbing thing I’ve ever seen. He offers it to Damica. Watery ripples flow across the glass from his skin. “Last chance.” The voice says.

She looks at me and I nod.

She takes his hand and goes to step through when I rush her and push us both through the mirror.

She lands on her stomach with a thud and I land on her back with a loud oof on the floor.

“Sawyer!” Damica growls.

“Sorry, I tripped.” I roll off her and smirk.

“What are you doing?” She groans.

“That’s what I’d like to know.” A dark, but curious voice says.

Both our heads cruise up the military boots, the combat uniform, the evil grin, messy black hair and the eye patch.

The room was filled with men and one with the ability to work the mirror. He looked down on us as he removed his fingers from the glass.

“River.” Damica chokes.

“Hello, Dami. So nice to see you again. Who's your friend?” He turns his eye to me.

I get to my feet. “Me? I’m the bouncer.” I say as I dust myself off and straighten my clothes. I lift my eye to him and arch a brow. A smirk tugging at the corner of my mouth.

“The bouncer?” He smirks back.

“Yeah. I’m the guy that’s bouncing us out of here.”

I whip out my gun and fire a bullet into Rivers shoulder. His men rush me and I start swinging my gun filled fist and drop more silver into their body parts not covered in Kevlar.

Damica is behind me as I fight my way out into the hallway.

I grab a guy, drive my head into his nose and shoot him in the leg.

Damica is hiding behind me as I make my way to the stairs.

Rivers men are storming up the stairs. I take aim and fire head shots. Their bodies fall back into the men behind them.

I fire bullet after bullet until…click…click…

I look at the men. “Shit.” My eyes turn from my empty gun to the challenging stares of Rivers men.

“Ok, then.” I quickly holster my weapon and pullout my 12 inch knife. I bounce the silver knife from hand to hand. “Come get it, mother fuckers.” I growl.

The two guys in front, pull their guns and I jump supporting myself in the air by the railing and the wall. I kick them both down into the bodies below.

Jumping down a few steps, I spin the knife in hand and place the blade on my forearm. I swing punches and slice arms as I try to clear a path for us to get out.

I realize quickly, it’s too crowded on these stairs.

“Jump!” I yell back, throwing blows and holding them back.

“What?” She questions.

“Jump over the rail!” I yell as I jam the knife into a guys arm that had my throat.

“Are you kidding? I’ll break something!” She protests.

I land a solid left to a guys face. I turn to her. “Fucking jump now!” I growl.

She climbs over the banister, hangs from the spindles and falls to the first floor.

I lean over just as she’s grabbed by a guy.

“HEY!” I one arm jump over the banister and land on him. He falls to his back and I’m straddling him. “That’s not how you pick up chicks, asshole.” I drive my knife between his eyes.

More soldiers came through the front door. I whip my head to Damica. “Back door! Now!”

I strip the dead guy of his weapon and twist up to my feet.

Backing up, I empty his gun into anything that looks pissed.

I’m in the kitchen when I run out of bullets.

I throw the gun and run for the door, pushing Damica through it.

I get outside and I’m fucking struck. “What the hell? Why’s everything blue?”

Damica runs to me and grabs my hand. “No time!!” She pulls me and I snap out of my confusion.

We both run out the back of the property.

Running down the empty street, it wasn’t long before we heard squealing tires.

I look back to military trucks turning onto the street and coming up fast.

I search my mind for a damn plan. I spin my head to Damica. “Ever ride a wolf before?!”

“What? No!” She furrows her brow.

“Now’s your chance!” I jump in the air and burst out of my clothes. My wolf lands his paws on the blacktop and barks urgently at Damica.

She looks back then jumps on my back like a horse.

Gunfire starts as my paws find their traction and I run as fast as I can off the road and into the trees on the left side of the street.

Damica held on as tight as she could as I dodge and weave through the trunks.

I had no idea where we were running to, I just knew it was away from there.

It looked like we were in the clear when I crossed a clearing.

I almost hit the treeline when a dozen large brown and black wolves sprung out of the trees in a line.

My paws skid to a stop. My chest is heaving, I’m panting hard. Damica’s fear is pouring over my back.

The wolves stalk forward. They're snarling and drooling. Their furs are all standing on end.

My fur also goes up. My wolf maybe a few sizes smaller, but he’s got big balls. He snaps and growls as he reverses into the clearing.

More wolves come out of the forest and join the pack.

We’re so fucked.

A very large black wolf pushed his way to the front of the pack.

Damica sits up. “Rex.”

He shifts.

The guy is huge. Way more muscle than me and looks like a douche.

“Dami?” He questions. His face fills with confusion.

She gets off my back and runs to him. She hugs him and he hugs her back.

My wolf walks and I shift in mid stride. “Hey! No! Hands off!” I growl, waving Damica off him. Both me and my wolf didn’t want him touching. Especially since he’s stark ass naked.

Damica lets him go. “Sawyer, it’s fine. This is Rex. He’s like a dad to me.”

I eye him. “Rex.” I walk up to him.

He growls and lands a punch square on my jaw. I fall to the ground.

“Rex!” Damica jumps in front of me.

“You with this guy, kid?” He points to me and leans to Damica.

“Yes! He’s with me.” She puts her arms out to the side.

He glares at her. “He’s a red! A fucking murderer!” He growls.

I stand up. “Not murderers. Punishers. There’s a difference. The Cantons got what they deserved.” I crack my neck, give my jaw another rub and make my stand. My eyes threatening actual murder if he tries that again.

“You killed children, you dick!” Rex yells.

“Hey, I never touched a kid. You were before me.” I point to him.

“You’re a Red. You all deserve to be slaughtered.” He growls intently.

“REX! ENOUGH!” Damica stares into his eyes. “Whatever beef you have with his pack, he is not those people! You stop this now!”

Rex takes deep breaths. He places his hands on his hips.

“We need help, Rex. We also need to talk.” Damica says.

He looks between me and Damica. “Follow us.”

He turns and shifts. I shift and Damica hops on my back.

We all walk into the treeline where the Canton pack came from.

I’m not sure what’s going on, but I know the stench I got from Rex had my wolf all kinds of angry. We’ll definitely be sleeping with one eye open around this guy.