I slump back in the seat. This is too much. "I don't understand any of this," I say. "We all have the same marking?"
"Yes, and all of them in the same place. We think this mark shows that you've been blessed by the Moon Goddess. Apart from your eyes, this shows that you're a chosen lycan," Luna Rachael says.
"Chosen for what? Why would I, or any of the others, be chosen or blessed by the Moon Goddess?"
"We don't know why you've been chosen, Athena. At the end of the day, what matters is finding those responsible and getting to the bottom of this," Alpha Peter says.
"But how?" I ask. "I have no idea where I'm supposed to go from here."
"I contacted Nicholas Teresi this morning and asked him to come down. He should be here tomorrow," Doctor Shields says.
"What? I didn't ask you to do that," Alpha Peter says.
"I thought it could be helpful to get them together, Alpha. To see if they can help each other," Doctor Shields says.
Alpha Peter nods then turns to me, "does that work for you, Athena?" He asks.
"I don't have anywhere else to be. I'll have to go back to the motel in Gila, though…," I say. "I only packed for a couple of days, and if I'm staying here, I may as well check out."
"I can take you out there now if you like," Beta Jason offers.
"Thank you," I say with a smile. "That would be great." He nods and gets his phone out of his pocket as he steps out of the office.
I stand from the chair and shake the doctor's hand, "do you mind if I take a look at these files while I'm staying here, Doctor?" I ask him.
"Of course," he says, and he hands me the manilla folders. "You're welcome to anything that might help you."
Luna Rachael stands and engulfs me in a hug, "It's been so nice to meet you, Athena," she says kindly.
"You too, Luna," I say, returning the hug. I nod to Alpha Peter, "Thank you, Alpha," I say.
Alpha Peter nods back, and I leave the office. I head out the front, and Beta Jason heads towards the SUV that we came in. I follow him over and get in the passenger side, placing the manilla folders on the floor.
"Where were you staying in Gila?" Beta Jason asks as he starts the SUV, and we head towards the main street of their little town.
"The Gila Bend Lodge, just off the highway on East Pima Street," I tell him.
He nods as we exit the compound, and we fall into a comfortable silence as I stare out the window, watching the world go by.
"So the Luna thinks that we're some kind of pure Lycan, blessed by the Moon Goddess?" Enyo asks.
I snort, "apparently so. Like your head needed to get any bigger," I say with a smirk.
"Everything okay, Athena?" Beta Jason asks, and I realize I snorted out loud.
"Sorry, I was talking to Enyo. That wasn't aimed towards you," I say with a small smile.
"I suppose you both have a lot to process," He says. "Is there anything I can help with?"
"I honestly don't understand any of it. If it's true, why would the Moon Goddess choose us? And why don't more people know about this stuff Plato wrote?" I ask.
"Who knows if this Plato stuff is real. You know how our ancestors liked to exaggerate," he says with a smile.
I study the Betas profile. At least 20 years younger than Alpha Peter, he is good looking with short sandy brown hair, sea-blue eyes, a strong jawline, and the typical buff body of a Beta.
"Can I ask you something about your situation, Beta?" I ask cautiously.
He gives me a sideways glance, then nods.
"There's quite a significant age gap between yourself and Alpha Peter…," I trail off, unsure how to word my question without pissing him off.
"My father was originally the Alphas Beta. Unfortunately, he died the same day Leo did," he explains sadly.
"I'm so sorry, Beta. I didn't mean to pry," I say softly, knowing his loss.
He clears his throat as we turn onto the main highway towards Gila. "It's fine, Athena," he says gruffly.
I look back out the window, falling silent again.
A few moments later, I sense the Beta tense and accelerate slightly. "What's wrong?" I ask, turning towards him.
He glances in the rear-view mirror. "I think we're being followed," he says.
I turn my head to look out the back window, just as the sedan behind us speeds up and nudges the bumper of the SUV.
"What the fuck?" Jason curses as he speeds up more. "What is this asshole doing?" he yells as he winds down his window. He waves his arm out the window, trying to tell the car to go around us. But, instead, the car hits us even harder.
"What is this guy's problem?" I yell, flipping the person off in the car behind us.
"Can you see who it is?" Beta Jason asks.
"No, the windows are tinted, just the outline of a male," I tell him.
"Hold on," Beta Jason says, and I grab hold of the handle above my door. Beta Jason slams the brakes on, but the sedan stops in time. The wheels of the SUV squeal as the Beta speeds up quickly, fish-tailing as we take off again, but the sedan is right behind us.
"It looked like there was someone in the back seat," I say.
The sedan speeds up again, this time trying to get beside us. Beta Jason speeds up as well, but the sedan suddenly swerves and strikes us near the rear bumper, making Beta Jason lose control of the SUV momentarily. We end up swerving off the road, narrowly missing a tree, then my head slams into the dash as we stop hard just before hitting a large boulder.
"Owwww," I say as I sit back, resting my head back on the seat. I dab my forehead with the back of my hand, finding a small amount of blood, but already healed. I turn to Beta Jason, and he's trying to get his seat belt off.
"Mother fuckers," he swears as he breaks the buckle and opens his door. He stumbles out, cursing more under his breath. I undo my seat belt and get out as well. I walk around the SUV to find Beta Jason leaning against the door, holding his left shoulder.
"Are you okay?" I ask him.
"I've dislocated my shoulder. I need to pop it back in," he says through gritted teeth.
"Here, let me help," I say. As I go to place my hand on his shoulder, he grabs me and pulls me to the ground as a bullet flies past me and hits the car. He lands on top of me hard, his body protecting mine. "What the fuck is this!" I yell, rolling the Beta off of me and looking up towards the road. Enyo pushes forward, and we squint, looking at the person running back to the sedan.
I gasp. "DEREK!" Enyo yells and shifts. She runs up the hill towards the road as Derek gets into the back of the sedan. Enyo starts chasing after the car, but they're too fast. They pull away and speed up the highway.
"FUCK!" Enyo yells. "How the hell did he know where we are?" She says as we come to a stop in the middle of the road.
"You don't think it was Beta Jason, do you? He left the office before we did. And he was about to call someone," I point out.
Enyo turns around and runs back to the Beta. As she runs back down the hill, Enyo growls loudly at the Beta, who is now sitting against the SUV.
"Woah, Enyo, what's wrong?" He asks, standing up in a panic. I force the shift back and charge at him, knocking him to the ground and landing on top of him. I put my hand around his throat and extend my claws.
"What the fuck, Athena?" He asks, trying to tip me off him.
I squeeze his throat tighter. "Who did you call outside the office?" I ask him angrily.
"The… gate…" He gasps out, struggling for air.
'BULLSHIT! Who did you tell that I was coming here? That we were heading back to Gila?" I ask, putting pressure on his dislocated shoulder.
"ARGH!" He screams in pain. "NO-ONE! I SWEAR!" He yells, squirming, trying to get out of my grip.
Enyo growls, pushing herself forward. "If I find out you're lying, you're dead," she says with a snarl.
"He seems to be telling the truth, Enyo," I say.
"Just making myself clear," she says and pulls back.
I release Beta Jason's throat and slam his shoulder back into place.
"Argh! Fuck Athena!" he growls.
"You're welcome," I say in a huff, putting my hands on my hips.
He looks up at me and inhales sharply, his eyes running down my body and back up again, his cheeks turning rosy as I feel him harden beneath me.
I quickly fold my arms over my chest, covering my boobs. "Down boy," I say, an embarrassed grin on my face. I go to stand, but he grabs my hips, stilling me. Being half wolf, you get used to being naked around other people, but this feels… different. No one has ever looked at me like the Beta is right now.
I squirm under the weight of his gaze, eliciting a moan from the both of us. The smell of my arousal hits both of us, and it's my turn to blush.
"You're beautiful, Athena," he says softly, his thumb running over my hip.
"Um, Beta…" I start to say, but he cuts me off by lifting me off him.
"It's a pity we're not mates," he says as he stands up, pulling me with him.
He turns and goes to the back of the SUV, opens the back, and gets a shirt and track pants out of a gym bag. He hands them to me without looking.
"Thanks," I say as I take the clothes and quickly put them on as he inspects the car.
"It doesn't look like there's any major damage. But we should get going in case they decide to come back," he says, and he gets in the driver's side.
I jog around to the passenger side as he starts the car. As I get in and put on my seatbelt, he reaches down and picks his cell up from the floor.
"I need to call this in when we get to the motel," he says as he reverses away from the boulder and then pulls back onto the road. "Who the fuck was that?" He asks.
"I don't know who the driver was, but the one who shot at us was Derek. The private investigator I was working with in Montana," I tell him angrily.
"From private investigator to killer? What the fuck is happening?" He asks.
"I don't know. But if I ever see that slimy fuck again, he's dead."