CHAPTER 2: A STORM

TWO DAYS EARLIER

VAL

My gaze shifted to the clock on the wall as the razor slid across my jaw, scraping away the last traces of shaving cream. I had at most an hour or two to beat the storm, and this was an important meeting I couldn’t miss. On cue, my barber wiped my face dry and stepped back with a respectful bow.

Getting to my feet, my valet was already approaching, tuxedo in hand, moving with a sense of urgency I appreciated as I raced against the elements.

The robe fell from my shoulders, and I put on the tailored blue pants he handed me. My shirt came next, and as he rushed forward to adjust the cuffs and buttons, my thoughts drifted to my brother, who needed to brief me quickly before I left.

As if he had read my mind, he walked in just as I shrugged into my jacket. I waved my hand for everyone to get out, and they all scrambled out while I turned to my brother, who whistled and smirked.

“Look at you,” he teased. “I think I just wet myself.”

“And here I thought you were the good-looking one.” Rolling my shoulders once to make the jacket more comfortable, I turned to face him while he laughed at my response and handed me a glass of whiskey, just what I needed.

“Are you sure you don’t want to come? The Martines love a good show.” I asked, thinking of how boring this trip would be without him. He was the entertainer of the family, but he flashed a crooked grin that didn't reach his eyes.

“Positive,” he said. “I don’t want to contaminate that annoying family and start a war.” I chuckled, but it was hollow and thin around the edges as guilt twisted my insides.

My brother was a werewolf, and wolves only got sick when poisoned. So I knew he didn’t have the flu as he had made it sound, but his soul was wounded instead. Mel hadn’t been the same since suspecting that Elysia, his fiancée, might have been unfaithful.

Elysia was my stewardess. She accompanied me wherever I went, and three days ago, I awoke with her curled against me, our clothes scattered in an undeniable aftermath between us. I had no recollection of what happened; the last thing I remembered was sharing a celebratory drink with her after securing new territory for our family's cartel, but the evidence was clear and brutal.

We both freaked out, and she also had no idea how it happened. I wanted to come clean to my brother, but she begged me not to because she was afraid he would never forgive us, and it would destroy him.

But looking at my brother now, the shadows under his eyes, even as he tried to light up the room as always, I knew I could not keep the lie going any longer. I would tell him when I got back; he deserved to know what happened.

“Fuck! I hate this.” I returned my attention to Mel as I adjusted my cuffs one last time. “Anything I need to know?” I asked him to brief me quickly, and he rattled off the details, hitting critical points, as there was no time.

"I'm sorry, I can't come with you," he added, and I told him not to worry about it. Mel was my adopted brother, but I loved him as if he were my biological brother. I was getting ready to succeed my father as the Cartel leader, and Mel had been shadowing me.

He’d attended every meeting, every negotiation, and every blood-soaked transaction. I was the one being groomed to take over, but he also needed to know the ins and outs, so he could be a formidable right hand, which he was.

Having people you trust watch your back was one's best weapon in our world, where treachery and danger lurked around every corner; family was power.

Grabbing my briefcase, I headed for the door. "Wish me luck," I grinned at my brother, who snorted and crossed his arms.

"I would have done it already if I thought you needed it."

His words made me laugh and relieved some of the tension caused by the guilt. I stepped out of the room, my thoughts returning to business. Just as I reached the entrance hall, I nearly collided with my father, who had come to see me off.

He asked if I had everything I needed, which I confirmed, and he wished me well, to which I nodded respectfully. "Thank you, Father. I won’t disappoint you.”

My men were already waiting by the fleet parked outside, their engines purring low like restrained beasts, and I slid into the backseat, returning my focus to business.

The Martines were difficult for no reason, but I would not leave their territory without getting my way.

It didn’t take long to arrive at our private airstrip, where the jet stood ready. But I frowned when I saw Elysia waiting by the steps as she usually did. I had told her I would no longer fly with her after what happened.

"Good morning," she said with her usual smile, but I interjected, reminding her that we had discussed her presence by my side. She said she hadn't forgotten but feared the changes would make Mel suspicious.

I didn't want to go with her, but there was a storm approaching, so I didn't have time to stand around or wait for another stewardess. So I said nothing and climbed aboard.

It was a long way to our destination, and I would make sure she understood I would not be flying with her again and that I would come clean to my brother when I returned.

----

NINETEEN HOURS LATER

We landed to black SUVs parked on the tarmac, waiting for us. Moving quickly, the Martines men led us to two separate vehicles, where two of my men climbed in with me, and the others followed in the car behind. Barely a second later, the car began to move, towards the Martines' territory.

But just then, came a strange, uneasy feeling... thick and heavy, like a cold breath on the back of my neck.

Blaze, my Lycan, began to shake violently inside me, causing my pulse to quicken as his agitation permeated through my muscles. My vision turned red around the edges, and my fists clenched as I struggled to resist, feeling like I was about to shift. Blaze was trying to take over, and he'd never done this before, which left me confused.

My teeth clenched as my claws pushed through the skin of my palms while I desperately tried to calm him, asking what was happening. I traveled a lot in my line of business, so this wasn't the first time we were in unfamiliar territory.

He wasn't responding, and the scent of my blood flooded my nose, making me curse under my breath, hoping the humans wouldn't smell it. Some of Martines' guards were human, and I had no idea whether they knew about wolves.

I was still wrestling Blaze down when I felt a sharp, stinging pain on the side of my neck. My eyes widened in shock as a syringe clattered onto my lap, the blue liquid inside still swirling ominously. A feral growl erupted from deep within, not just rage but disbelief as I stared at the hand that just injected me. It was one of my own men.

Confusion slammed into me even as my instincts took over. I grabbed his arm before he could flee, twisting ferociously, and the sickening pop of his shoulder dislocating echoed throughout the confined space.

I snarled his name, but there was no time for explanations as another of my men grabbed my arm, clearly attacking as well. I ripped him apart, tearing his head from his shoulders in one violent motion before sending it thudding grotesquely against the floorboards.

Chaos erupted around me, and Blaze charged forward, the transformation ripping through me like wildfire as the SUV flipped violently, the metal screaming before throwing us from the wreckage like broken birds.

Landing on my feet with a snarl, Blaze was in complete control, his eyes burning crimson as we surveyed the scene. The driver flew through the air before smashing into a nearby tree with a sickening crack, and we were on him. Groaning in agony, he attempted but failed to crawl away.

“I’m sorry! Please! I’m sorry!” He slid on his back through the dirt, his cries meaningless as I grabbed him by the throat.

But a blinding bolt of pain pierced my skull right at that moment. I staggered backward, dropping him like dead weight as my hands flew to my head. I knew pain, but this was like a thousand knives piercing my brain.

Blaze let out a howl and collapsed to his knees as whatever they had injected us with scorched our veins. Involuntarily reverting to my human form, my strength was dwindling by the second.

“What-have you done-to me?” I choked, blood pouring from my mouth as a shadow fell over me.

The driver, barely standing, staggered over with a dark grin on his broken face. "Night, night, Capo."

His boot flying toward my face was the last thing I saw.