Wildling

Her musical chuckle lit up the room. “Um, Sean you have lipstick and blush still in your face.” All eyes snap to the fierce Alpha who is looking particularly feminine. His cheeks redden slightly as he hastily wipes his face as laughter spreads through the other men in the room. They were all gathered in Sean’s office.

Jaxson shakes his head looking around at the smirking faces of a few warriors. “You should have seen him earlier.” Sean shoots him a glare to shut him up, but he pays no mind. “What were those on your back? Fairy wings? That dress was gorgeous too! Really accentuated your figure.” Jaxson presses his lips together trying to hold in his laughter.

Ember snorted. “I told you she wanted to play dress up.” She grinned at Sean wiggling her eyes brows.

He narrowed his eyes at her. “Yes, although some, “warrior lady” told her she should dress us up too. Now, wonder who that would have been?” Ember shrugged feigning innocence but the twinkle in her eyes suggested otherwise.

“Ok back to the task at hand.” Sean was desperate to move the conversation off his attempts to bond with his new daughter. “The women we rescued have told us they were held for about a month before being sold. They asked other women who were sold the day they arrived, and they had also been there about a month. So, it sounds like a pattern. The women are held, auctioned off and then moved. Once the auction starts, a new round of women are stolen to be sold. He always has the next set ready before selling the last. No doubt he has found out we have interfered with his last shipment.” His eyes scanned the people present.

Ember stepped forward slightly while staring at the map that lay in front of them. “That means he will be on guard for the next shipment. Most likely he will use a different route.”

“We need someone in that pack to be our eyes.” A dread settling in Jaxson’s stomach. Ember won’t like this part. “We need a spy.” Mismatched eyes snap to his, narrowing slightly.

Ember shakes her head adamantly. “That’s too dangerous. They could be killed.” Jaxson sighed. He had been becoming increasingly frustrated that they couldn’t just go storm that pack. He wanted this over so Ember would be safe and they could just live their lives. A thought occurred to him.

“Sean whatever happened to the warriors you sent in my place when I found Ember?” Sean’s eyes blazed in anger.

“A certain gamma had gone. He reported back that everything was fine.” Jaxson almost smiled.

“Then this gives us our way in. Obviously, Trent wouldn’t have done anything since he was working for them. So that means we still have to follow up on the complaints about the alpha. If he complains he just had a review, we can say there were new issues that arose. I can stake out the place under the pretense of ensuring the complaint was bogus.” Ember tensed at my words.

“You can’t.” She all but whispered.

“Em, I know you’ll be worried, but I can be sneaky when I need to be.” She shook her head.

“It’s not that. Both Trent and Travis said Dimitri has been watching me. How could he possibly do that? I never felt eyes on me and Accalia never sensed anything. He had to have had surveillance of some sort. Meaning, he would know what you looked like. He will know straight away that you aren’t there for a complaint.” Jaxson slumped at her words realizing she was right.

“Well, I’ve never been on that mountain. I’ll go.” Mark’s rough voice broke through the silence. His jaw was set, and stance was steadfast. Ember could tell with one look that she wouldn’t be able to say anything to suede her friend. She sighed defeated.

Why can’t this be over already. She had found her mate, they knew each other’s secrets, she had her wolf back; she should be happy and just living right now. Instead, she’s putting her friends and family in danger.

Don’t think like that baby. It’s not just about you anymore. I can promise you that we would be doing this anyway once Sean got wind of the slave trade he is running. The sweet timber of Jax’s voice filtered through her head. Just the sound alone helped relax her somewhat. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

He was right. It wasn’t just about her anymore. It was about every women or child that had come after her. But she still felt responsible. If she had just been able to kill him five years ago, this wouldn’t be happening.

“Thank you for stepping up Mark.” Sean nodded his head to Mark in respect, which he returned. “I want a body cam on you and an earpiece. Both should not be able to be detected. And I want five warriors with you. You will stay there as long as you need but you are to contact us with any issues you may find. We need to do this as delicately as possible. He may be expecting something from us. He probably knows we have Trent by now. Dimitri will have no say on housing you there. It would be going against his king and he can’t afford to do that if he wants his operation a success. Let’s get you ready and then go over a few things before you leave. I won’t be calling ahead. That will just give him time to hide evidence.” Sean left the room to go to the armory, asking Mark to meet him there when he was done.

Ember swallowed the lump in her throat as she wrapped her arms around her friend. Tears glistened in the corners of her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. “Please be careful. He is powerful and has a plan for everything. If you need help, say the word. I don’t care if we aren’t ready, I will be there. He is not hurting my family.” Ember’s growl reverberated in the room causing everyone to shudder at the power. Jaxson could feel pride through the pack link from the warriors that surrounded them. They could feel the truthfulness of her words. She would not let them down.

Mama wolf activated. Ash chuckles through the link.

The days ahead will truly be a test to us all.