Chapter 41

Val had placed spies throughout the town, staying away from the werewolf and werebear territories. This little town was still considered under their protection, but it wasn’t guarded as much; from what Val saw, it wasn't guarded as well as it could be, mostly though he still had to be careful.
He found an older large house on the outskirts of town. It was perfect as a base for him. It was hidden by a long drive, trees, and overgrown bushes; it was an ideal location for him and for hiding anyone who comes and goes from the property.
There were many rooms, and the basement had only one way in or out. He found several strange things in the house that made him wonder about the previous owners.
Some rooms had locks on the outside of the doors; the basement even had shackles and chains still hooked up and ready. It goes to show you never know what goes on behind closed doors. This house had to be one of Alpha Michael’s or his client’s hideaways.
Who would have thought that the one weakness of those two packs was this charming little town filled with humans? Val had two more aces up to his sleeve, he wasn't entirely sure about them, but he knew he could buy them for a fair price.
Now all he had to do was wait. One thing Val knew he was good at was waiting. After all, the art of the ambush was in his blood, and waiting is the anticipation builder of the game.
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Duncan and Marco waited on the deck of the packhouse as two cars drove up, escorted by Jack on his motorcycle. Duncan always laughed when he remembered how Jack hated riding in a car; he looked uncomfortable and grumpy.
Duncan watched as they all got out of the cars and walked up to them. Only one of them stood out to Duncan; he was a big guy with long sandy blond hair, muscles everywhere, and gold eyes. Duncan knew the second he caught his scent.
He was a Werelion. Rarest of all, the shifters and the deadliest. You didn't want to piss a werelion off; it would be a painfully long death. Werelions have been known to eat their kills slowly while the prey was still alive.
All of their guests gave small bows concerning the Alpha Duncan. Duncan, in turn, gave them the same respect. He had to admit that there was a certain primal power emanating from these three.
Marco spoke, "Good afternoon and welcome to the Storm Raven Moon pack, Gentlemen; if you follow me, I will take us to the Alpha office, where we will have some refreshments and talk.
Duncan left them to go up to his office first, ensuring everything was in order. He sat down just as Marco and the guests came in.
After everyone was seated, the meeting began. Duncan began...
"As you all know, we have a problem with werecats. though they were only detected once on both Stone Mountain and Storm Raven borders, I do not think it is the end."
"A few of my elders believe that it was just a scouting mission to test our security. That once they found it unyielding, they gave up. Perhaps, looking for alternative routes."
“Some of my warriors think that that was the end of it.”
"I think this kind of thinking is dangerous and naive. I have seen too much of this stuff turned into a full-blown attack not to be wary of not letting it go."
"When Jack told me that he was calling a friend, I had hoped that not only will they help you, Jack, but perhaps you would also consider helping my pack as well." "
“I know that the history between our species isn't precisely a friendly basis. This pack has never had a problem with Werecat prides."
The three newcomers looked at each other; the largest of the three nodded.
"My name is Archer Bennet. These two behind me are my twin brothers, August and Ashton Bennet. As you by now know, we are Werelions. Our numbers are smaller in comparison to other Were species."
"We keep our true numbers secret for our own good reasons, which I might discuss later. We wish to be taken to your borders, especially where you detected the presence of the werecats."
"Even if the trail has gone cold, we can still detect a few things about them. Things that your species might not pick up. This will tell us what type of werecat they are if they are loners or in pride."
"This will also help us with what we might be dealing with and develop a strategy. There are rumors in the cat prides that some loners are making their own prides.”
They are not behaving like normal cats either; they are into all kinds of nefarious activities; they are hunted just like your species hunts the rogue because of the things they do; one of their favorite hobbies is trafficking in other species."
They decided it was best to go to the borders and hope that they could find something that Duncan and Jack couldn't.

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Archer Bennet didn't like dealing with other species; it was rare for a werelion to have friends other than other werelions. Jack was the exception, and because of Jack, he now has some werewolves as allies; he had to admit that he liked Alpha Duncan, and some of the things they thought about wolf shifters were wrong.
One of the gifts of being a werelion, especially a King was that you had a sixth sense; you always know two things about who you are dealing with; the first is you always know when they are lying, the second, you can tell the integrity of the individual.
So far, he liked who he was dealing with, straightforward, honest, and not some stuck-up, self-important idiot. It is plain that his pack is run well and that its members respect the Alpha and his Luna.
He wondered where the Luna was, though; he thought she would be greeting them as well; perhaps with her being pregnant, they are keeping her away from any potential danger. Three unknown werelions would be considered dangerous.
Archer was also impressed by the relationship between The Alpha and his beta; you could tell that they are close; if it came to a fight where both of them fought together, he would hate to be their enemies.
They were at the site, and Archer and his brothers started to check the area; it didn't take long before he picked up a scent; it was faint, but it was still there. He let out a low rumble of a growl.
"Weretigers."
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Marnie and Adira decided to go shopping; they took two SUVs. The first was security; the second had more security with Marnie and Adira.
They also had two more security males riding motorcycles. They decided that the motorcycles had more room and the ability to maneuver into key positions should something happen on the road.
They were excited to get out for a little bit, though having all this security was causing some anxiety. Though most of the guards knew, there were two they did not know. The two were of the group the King had sent.
They insisted that they ride with Marnie and Adira. Marnie wasn't sure about them yet; Adira agreed. They both decided to be wary of them but not let it ruin their trip.
Their first stop was for pizza; Adira had a craving for pizza with extra mushrooms and bacon. After spending an hour with the two new guards, they decided they were ok guys. Adira wasn't sure, though; she wasn’t sure if it was intuition or hormones.
So she stayed close to the other guards instead. There were three stores in the town; one was a small mom-and-pop shop that sold a little of everything, other clothing and accessories. The third was for children and baby clothes.
There was a grocery store as well as a gas station. It wasn't a huge town, but it had a well-rounded supply of stores because it was isolated. They even had an antique store/electronic repair shop.
They also had a small diner and a bakery. Both were good.
Their first stop was the baby shop; they were excited when they saw all the homemade clothing, blankets, and other baby accessories. Adira picked up several handmade items and a beautiful hand-carved high chair.
Their second stop was the clothing store, to which they picked up a couple of outfits for Adira and some loose comfy stuff to wear after the pup comes.
They decided to go to the antique shop last; it was small, so only two guards came in while the others waited outside. They browsed for a while when Adira noticed that the clerk was no longer with them in the shop.
When she looked out the big shop window, she noticed all their guards were lying on the ground. There was a fog surrounding them.
Marnie started to growl; three males were in the shop beside their two guards. Without them realizing it, they were herded to the back of the shop. Marnie and Adira managed together to Mind link Duncan and Marco with three words....ambush, antiques, HELP!....
Just as Adira turned around to look at Marnie, she felt a sting like a bee at the back of her neck; as she was starting to fall, she could see Marnie being caught in the arms of one of the guards.
Everything went sideways then to black as she knew no more.....