Larissa was Kace’s mate, and both she and her father were human, but they’d shared our secret with him after she and Kace found one another.
Kace’s expression grew dark as he continued. “It seems they had an...altercation with someone who resulted in the guy having his place raided. He was sentenced to six months in prison for owning illegal animals. Link’s wife went ballistic when she heard the animals had been mistreated, so Link went to check them out.”
Peppa had gasped at the guy owning the animals, but when Kace mentioned their treatment, tears filled her eyes, and she covered her mouth with one hand. “Get to the point, Kace,” I growled. I hated it when my mate cried, and at the moment, Kace was to blame, so my wolf was pacing with irritation and urging me to punish whoever was the source of her distress.
“The man had a female falcon in his basement, and Link immediately freed her, but she couldn’t fly. He started talking to her, and she shifted into a woman. I guess he said something that alerted her to the fact that he knew about shifters, and she felt safe with him.”
Having met Larissa’s father, it was hard to imagine the hardened, badass MC treasurer as someone who women instinctively trusted. Until you saw him with his wife and children. Peppa liked to say he was a hard shell candy with a gooey caramel center.
“Why couldn’t she fly?” I asked, becoming more and more curious about where this was going.
“He’d clipped her wings.”
“He what?” Peppa shrieked, then she immediately slapped both hands over her mouth and looked at the monitor we kept on the bookshelf. Luckily, Cy hadn’t budged an inch. That boy could sleep through tornado sirens in his room.
Kace scrubbed his hands down his face and sighed. “The bastard had no clue what he was doing either. It was a hatchet job. Plus, she was malnourished and hadn’t been allowed to fly free for almost a year. However, Link found a doctor with a local pack, and he assured her that as long as she takes care of herself and rests until she’s done molting and growing new feathers, she should be fine.”
“She should come stay in my house!” Peppa offered excitedly.
Kace and I both chuckled, and after a minute of looking at us like we were crazy, she caught on.
“Duh, that’s the favor you wanted to ask.”
“Yes. And that leads me to the second one. After talking to the woman—Ramsey—she admitted to Link that her captor knew she was a shifter. That’s why he wanted her in his ‘exotic animal collection’ and kept her in the small cage so she couldn’t change.”
“Why is this asshole still breathing?” I snarled. “I would think the pack would’ve taken him out when they found out he was holding one of their own.”
Kace shook his head. “Ramsey is a loner, and the pack doesn’t want to get involved and draw attention to themselves.”
“Cowards,” Peppa grunted with a dark scowl.
“What’s the other favor?” I asked, remembering he’d mentioned more than one.
“Her presence here needs to be kept a secret. Only you two, Zeke and Tane and their mates, and Larissa and I are to know she’s here.”
“Not a problem,” I responded at the same time as Peppa asked, “Why?”
I wasn’t curious by nature, so I’d accepted the task without question. Peppa, on the other hand, loved to know the answers to everything. Just like she wanted to know the ingredients to anything she tasted and liked. She would break it down until she knew every last one and the amounts it took to recreate it. Watching her do it was pretty fucking amazing, too.
“He’s got connections,” Kace stated, his tone filled with frustration. “Someone is selling out shifters, basically auctioning them off to the highest bidder.”
“What the fuck?” I whisper-yelled, completely outraged at this revelation.
Kace jerked his head up and down. “That was pretty much my reaction, too.”
“She’s afraid he’ll find her,” Peppa concluded.
“He’s out in six months, and her recovery could take a year if the molting process is slow.”
Peppa climbed off my lap and stood with her feet braced apart, and her fists jammed onto her hips, about to pounce like the magnificent lioness she was. “Don’t worry, Kace. We’ll protect her. When will she be here? Does she need anything? Clothes? I’ll bring her meals from the restaurant. Do you think—”
“Baby,” I growled. “Sit your pretty little ass down and relax. You just had Cy, and you need to rest too. I’m sure the other women will want to p
itch in anyway.”
Peppa pouted but plopped back down in my lap and snuggled into my arms. “Cason will be here to protect her,” she stated. “She’ll be safe.”
It always made me puff up with pride yet be humbled when my mate exuded such confidence in me. She was a strong, independent, fierce animal, but she trusted me to care for and protect our family.