Alpha Unleashed (19 page)

Some people shouted questions.

“I know this might sound crazy. Believe me, I didn't know that any of this existed until a few months ago. That's why I'm the one speaking to you today. I was a normal human girl until a few months ago when I became a werewolf. I've been where you are, and I know more than anyone what an adjustment this knowledge can be, but the pack is trustworthy. They've been protecting you without hope or desire of recognition or fortune. They would've stayed in the background, content to protect us from afar, but this time, the evil is great. If you saw the recent news from San Antonio, you know about the attacks. Those were not werewolf attacks. Those were demons. Luciana Alvarez is out there somewhere, and she's extremely dangerous. We're working with the police to bring her to justice, but we are coming forward to warn you and make sure that you have the facts. For your safety, please stay indoors after dark. If you see one of these monsters—” I held up the drawing Chris had sketched. “Run. Do not engage. The officers who responded to the compound shot the demon many times, but bullets won't harm this type of monster. We've found that you'll smell demons before you see them. If you catch the rotten egg smell of sulfur, take that as your warning to leave wherever you are and call the authorities.”

I paused again. “It is our only wish to continue a peaceful existence, protecting you from monsters such as these. It is the pack's dearest hope that you will welcome us as part of your, as we've already lived among you for a very long time.”

I folded up the piece of paper, and turned to Mr. Dawson. He gave me a little nod. “I'll now answer some questions.”

Everyone started yelling questions at once, and I had no idea who to call on. Dad came to stand next to me. “You, first.” He pointed to a reporter in the front.

“You said you didn't know any of this existed until a few months ago. What happened?”

Thank God Dad had prepared me for the likely questions. “I met my mate.” The reporter waited for me to say more, but I wasn't going to volunteer anything more personal than that.

Dad pointed to someone else before the guy could think of a follow-up.

“How exactly did you become a werewolf?”

I'd been hoping for more questions about Luciana, but I guessed that wasn't happening. “My mate changed me into one.” We'd agreed that any mention of biting would open up a can of worms we didn't need right now, and I was technically telling the truth. Dastien
had
changed me.

After that, the questions came fast.

“Do you like being a werewolf?”

“Yes.”

“Can you change forms?”

“Yes.” From the way everyone waited after I said the word, I knew they wanted more from me than just ‘yes,' but I wasn't sure what else to say. They were going to be really disappointed if they were waiting for a demonstration.

“Can you think like a human when you're in wolf form, or do you truly become a wolf?”

“I can think.”

“Would you ever attack a human?”

This was a tough one. I thought for a moment before speaking. “No. Not unless I was defending myself. We can all think and process information no matter what form we're in.”

“Who was the girl with the sword?”

I wasn't touching that one. “She's a friend of the pack.”

“But—”

“I can't speak for her. She enjoys her privacy.” And any lie I gave could get me in just as much trouble as telling the truth.

“Do you have sex with wolves?”

What the hell kind of question was that? “No. I'm not into bestiality. Are you asking because you are?”

Dad cleared his throat. “My daughter is still in high school. Let's try and keep the questions appropriate to that age.”

There was some tittering from the crowd.

“You said there were demons on the loose? Do you know how many? And what do we do to protect ourselves?”

Finally. Someone with a question I could deal with. “I don't know how many, and until Luciana is apprehended, it's safe to say she can keep calling them up. So, stay at home after dark. Keep your doors locked. And pray.”

“That's not very reassuring.”

“I wish I had something better to say, but I can only hope that she's found quickly.”

“Why is Luciana doing these things? What's her motivation?”

I shrugged. Like I knew. The best I could come up with was her wanting more power, but she had plenty of that now. The latest attacks seemed like a plot to make the Weres look like villains, but beyond that, I kept wondering what her grand plan was. The destruction of all Weres? A world run by witches? Who knew at this point? “Why does anyone do anything bad? Why do rapists rape? Why do murderers kill people? I don't know.”

Dad gripped my shoulder, and moved me gently out of the way. “That's all we have time for right now. Thank you.”

The shouting drowned the rest of my thoughts as I stepped down from the podium. The reporters all pressed toward the barrier we'd set up. Only one person moved the opposite direction. Raphael pushed through the crowd on his way back to campus. I reached out to Claudia, and pulled her close so she'd hear me over the roar of the crowd. “Did I upset him?”

“I don't know. I wouldn't think so, but he's… He's not himself. He's been through a lot.”

“Should I go after him? Apologize?” Although for what, I had no idea.

“No. Let him go. He'll be okay.” The last sounded more like a question than a statement.

I understood. If it were my brother, I'd hope for the best, too. Still, as I watched the crowd part for him, I wondered if there was something more I could be doing for him. If there was something I
should
be doing for him. He'd been through so much already. But I couldn't think of anything that would be helpful.

Luciana had a lot to answer for. She'd destroyed her coven. Her family. Murdered so many people. It had to stop. And soon.

We had to find her before she killed anyone else.

Chapter Eighteen

After the press conference, we grabbed food and headed to the labs. Now that we'd dealt with all the human drama, it was time to get to work. I had my messenger bag of stuff from Luciana's craft room to show Claudia, and she had stuff from Peru to show me. If she'd brought back whatever she used to cure Raphael, then it was probably something that could help us against Luciana and her demons.

Hope blossomed that we might
finally
have a way to take her down.

Claudia, Adrian, Shane, Raphael, Cosette, and Dastien gathered with me in the lab. I hadn't seen Beth since she found out about the coven, but I assumed the others were checking on her. The rest of the Weres were on guard duty. Dastien should've been with them, but he didn't want to be apart from me today, and I sure as hell wasn't going to argue. Although with Luciana on the loose and the ever-growing mob at our gates, they needed everyone they could get to keep the tension from boiling over.

Claudia placed her purse on the raised lab table. It clanged against the metal top. “All the objects I brought back from Peru are pure, white magic. They're potent, and I
think
they can be used to fight Luciana. The trick will be how we use them.”

She pulled out the items one by one. The first was a bunch of tiny bundles of braided white hair. Next came a shriveled severed hand. A few days ago, that would've totally freaked me out. But after what had been done to
la Aquelarre
, one hand was no big deal. And it was loads better than the jar of eyeballs.

Then a ring with a seal on it came next. And last, a knife. Claudia arranged everything on the table before pulling out the last item. “This is the most interesting piece.”

She held up a gray crystal. It looked like one of those cheap polished rocks they sold at rest stops. “Are you sure? I was thinking that hand was kind of the winner.”

My cousin grinned. “I guess you're right, but the crystal killed a demon.”

Now she had my attention. I took the crystal from her, but I didn't feel one lick of magic. “Are you sure it was the crystal? Not your own magic?”

“I'm sure. I think I used up all its magic when I stabbed the demon with it. It used to glow, like it was lit from the inside with a pure white light.”

I set the crystal down. “That would've been too easy.”

Cosette touched the crystal and her eyes narrowed. “Can we get more of them?”

Claudia nodded, and hope blossomed. “But it's a long trek. I'm not sure we could get someone there and back in time.”

“How long could it really take?” I asked. “You got back to Raphael so fast. If we send someone the same way, it shouldn't be a problem.”

She mumbled, mangling her words so much that even with my hearing, I couldn't understand what she said.

“What?”

She cleared her throat, but wouldn't meet anyone's gaze. Instead, she stared at the crystal. “I made a promise with a fey to get me to Raphael.”

Cosette jerked, knocking the crystal onto the floor. It skittered away, but everyone stood frozen. “I thought I expressly told you
not
to do that.”

“I had no choice.” Claudia rubbed her hands together. “My brother's life was on the line.”

Energy vibrated off Cosette and I realized this was the first time I'd ever seen her angry. It made me worried for Claudia. By all accounts, fey could be tricky. Even saying thank you could lead to bad things happening. Making a bargain could be deadly.

Cosette muttered fey curses as she picked up the crystal and then plunked it on the table. “What were the terms? Exactly as they were stated. And
who
did you make this bargain with?”

“I gave him a favor of his choosing—”

“No you didn't,” Cosette's voice was so cold, the sound made me shiver. Claudia was definitely in trouble.

“There were terms…”

“What terms?” A wave of energy spiked from Cosette and she was definitely casting off a glow. “Do you even know what court this fey was from?”

“Cosette,” I said. “Calm down.”

Raphael cleared his throat. “I know that what my sister did might not have been the best thing, but I was dying. If you're worried about her, know that I'm willing to pay the price. Especially if it's something that could harm her.”

“No!” Claudia hit her brother's shoulder. “It's my debt to pay.”

“No. It's
mine
.” Raphael crossed his arms as he stared down at his sister.

“Argue all you want.” Cosette rubbed her temples, but at least she'd stopped glowing. “It doesn't work like that.”

“It doesn't matter. I made the deal and I'm prepared to go through with it.” Claudia pulled a chair to the table and sat. “We agreed that I wouldn't do anything bad or evil, or kill or hurt anyone. He also agreed that he wouldn't hurt or kill me or anyone I love. He can't steal my magic or bind me to anyone. If I have to go somewhere for the favor, Lucas comes with me. And whatever he asks can't override the agreement between the wolves and the fey.”

“Mother of…” Cosette scrunched her eyes tight. “Give me your hand.”

The deal sounded pretty airtight to me, but I kept my mouth shut. I wanted to see what Cosette would do.

Claudia offered her hand. Cosette took it gently and then closed her eyes, muttering something in her language. The seconds drew out as Cosette did… I wasn't really sure what she was doing, but when she finally let go, she pressed her forehead to the table. Her thick curls hid her face, but they didn't muffle her voice. “If this is a test, it's not funny.”

We all exchanged glances. It looked like I wasn't the only one who couldn't tell whether this was seriously bad or if Cosette was just being dramatic.

Claudia broke the silence. “I made the deal and whatever I have to pay, it was worth it to save my brother.” She shook her shoulders, as if she was physically pushing the tension away. “What matters now is how are we going to defeat Luciana?”

“I managed to salvage some books and things from Luciana's house before it was burned.” I started unloading my messenger bag, piling the books and things on the table beside Claudia's relics. “In our defense, we had a bunch of dead bodies—including police officers. We couldn't just leave everything as it was.”

“Right.” The word was clipped. “That doesn't really help me as my whole life has been burned.”

A wave of guilt had me hunching my shoulders. I should've been firmer about waiting. With the police tape leaking, destroying the compound hadn't even done any good. “You're welcome to stay here as long as you like.”

“And the pack will help you relocate,” Dastien chimed in. “Buy houses for each of you. We'll make sure you're not homeless and left in the lurch.”

“That would be appreciated,” Shane said. “I'm not sure where we belong now, but I'm not above taking some charity.” He crossed his arms, showing off his tattooed biceps.

“We wouldn't do that to you,” Adrian said. “The pack burned down your homes to hide our actions. It's standard that we'd put you up and help you.”

If I hadn't been watching for it, I wouldn't have noticed the way his arm gently pressed against Shane's side. Adrian caught me looking, and I quickly turned my attention to Raphael. If Adrian wanted to have a secret, then that was his choice, but I hoped he'd confide in me when we finally had a quiet moment.

“How are you doing?” I asked Raphael.

“I'm okay. How are you?”

He was playing it tough, but I knew from experience what going up against Luciana was like. She'd taken something from me, too. “Doing better than before, but a brush with true evil leaves its mark.” I paused. It probably wasn't the best time to bring this up, but if I didn't say something now, then I didn't know when I'd have the chance. “I upset you at the press conference.”