I balked at the idea of getting that close. “This isn’t safe!” I called as quietly as I could. “Iris! They’re wolves too! They’ll hear us!”
She didn’t answer me, disappearing into the shadows. I bit my tongue — I couldn’t keep up, or theywouldhear us. The last thing I wanted to do was blow her cover, but… I couldn’t let her do this alone. What if they did notice her? I couldn’t just…
I shook off all the what-ifs and jogged across the street, disappearing into the shadows after Iris.
23
IRIS
???
Austin, Texas
Iignored the sound of Eli behind me; I needed to find out who this second man was and what he and Ryan were talking about. Was there a chance this conversation had nothing to do with Ashley? Of course — but this just seemed entirely too coincidental.
I crept towards the far side of the house, remaining in the shadows as I scoped out the windows. One room appeared to be lit up, so I headed towards it, trying to make sure I stayed out of anyone’s line of sight while still observing the window. Eli finally appeared by my side, and I held my finger to my lips. He gave me a small nod and I smiled, pointing towards the window and holding up two fingers.
The room appeared to be a living room, there were couches, chairs, and a bookshelf. I couldn’t make out one of the walls, but I didn’t want to reveal myself trying to look around. At the moment, the two men appeared to be just standing there. They were talking, and I could only make out two voices. I strained forward, but I was struggling to pick up individual words.
Eli stepped forward, holding up his finger. He turned his head, one ear facing the window.Is his sense of hearing better than mine?Possibly. He hadn’t spent most of his life subduing his wolf — plus, he was an alpha, a powerful one. I had no idea if that meant his senses were heightened, but it seemed like the only option that made sense.
A moment later, he began mouthing out some words to me. ‘… … Ashley … involved.’ He paused and held up two fingers.The second person. ‘…promised me… … …this wasn’t…deal…’
I glanced up to see who was speaking; it was Ryan. My spine prickled. “He’s clearly involved,” I hissed, a feeling of dread growing in my stomach. “Project Night Moon?”
Eli shrugged, tipping his head again. He held up a single finger. “… … you didn’t… … how it…” He scowled and shook his head. “It’s hard to make out.” He looked back towards me and licked his lips; even from here, I could sense his aggravation already starting to build.Powerful alpha, indeed.
“Is he the traitor?” Eli whispered.
I shrugged, flattening my hand to give a ‘maybe yes, maybe no.’ “Can’t rule it out,” I replied. “But that doesn’t mean he’s the one giving the identities of wolves. He could be helping with the finances or something. Could be… I don’t know, a shifter consultant.” The implications of that made me feel sick, but I pressed on. “But if he was trying to back out, maybe they’d take his daughter to assure his cooperation.”
Eli’s face darkened and he rumbled again. I pressed my fingers to my lips and shook my head. I didn’t know how powerful the wolves inside were. He froze suddenly, face lighting up. He held up one finger again. ‘…higher than…me…you… … single wolf… … …beginning.’
I pressed my lips together, trying to put that together. “Higher than me? And you?” I frowned. “Is it a single wolf, or not a single wolf?” I made a frustrated noise. “Are you sure you don’t recognize him?”
Eli shrugged. “No, sorry. I haven’t seen him before.”
I ground my teeth. “We need to find out who this man is. I’m going inside.”
I expected Eli to argue, but instead, he gave a small nod. “Agreed,” he murmured, already starting to head around the corner of the house. “Follow me.”
I did as he asked, as curious about his involvement as I was about who this mystery man was. The door was not locked so we let ourselves inside, creeping as quietly as possible. He navigated the short hall back to the living room.
The moment the mystery man sighted us, he started moving. My heart leapt into my throat.Weapon! He has a weapon!
Eli was faster than I was, moving across the room in two massive strides to grab him by the arm. The man hadn’t gotten out half a complaint before Eli had wrenched his arm back and kicked his feet, dropping him to the floor. “Sleep,” he commanded, his eyes glowing a bright red as the mystery man looked up. A moment later, he dropped to the floor, going boneless.
“What the hell is this?” Ryan shouted, backing towards one of the walls. “Who are you?”
I let myself into the room,humming quietly at the man on the floor before I looked at Ryan. “Who’s he?”
A moment ago, Ryan held up his hands, watching Eli with wide eyes. The moment he looked at me, he huffed, his hands dropping by a few inches. “Shut up,” he snapped, eyes flashing. “I wasn’t talking to you, bitch.”
I rolled my eyes, stepping forward. In one quick moment, I snapped my arm back before punching him in the jaw, shaking the ache in my knuckles off. The man stumbled backward, barely catching himself on the wall as his knees buckled. He slouched.
Eli stepped over and raised a brow, giving me a look. “Hmm,” he rumbled, and I gave him an innocent shrug.
I could have sworn he winked before he bent down. Leaning down, he grabbed Ryan as if he was scruffing a young pup. He lifted the grown man easily, as if he weighed no more than a sack of rice. He walked them both across the room, sitting Ryan in a rocking chair. When the man tried to look away, he took him by the chin, eyes starting to glow red again. “Remember your place,” he murmured, not quite as commanding as he was with the mystery man. “Anddo notspeak to her like that again.”