Page 68 of Tempest

"Yeah, who the fuck are you?"

"Marcus Rivera, Enforcer in Garrick Kincaid’s pack." He let that information linger in the air, Louie's face dropping in shock as he ran his eyes over the rest of their group.

"You're all from Kincaid's pack?" he asked shakily.

Nero raised his hand. "Not me and the wolf." He pointed at Dare next to him. "Quentin Amato wanted to come and say hi."

It was immediately obvious that Louie was familiar with the name, blood draining from his face, and he looked even more scared than he had a minute ago.

"What's going on out here?" an old, creaky voice called, and then Alpha Barney slipped past Gladstone. He squinted out at the gathered group on his front lawn. He looked even older than Ore remembered, his face so wrinkled it was hard to see where his features were. Most of his hair had been gone for as long as Ore could remember, but he looked stick thin, like he wasn't really eating.

"Louie," Barney said, looking at his Enforcer. "Who are these people?"

Before Barney could decide whether he should come clean or lie, Cash stepped forward, Ore's hand still clasped in his. As soon as he moved away from the others, his old alpha's eyes landed on him and widened with recognition.

"Forester, is that you?"

He'd only been gone a month, but he tried to remember the last time he'd actually seen his alpha in person before that and he couldn't. That could be his memory, but now he was wondering if Alpha Barney was being kept from the pack as much as the hatchlings were.

"Yes, sir," he said clearly, lifting his chin and refusing to show any fear in front of Gladstone. "I'm here for my sisters."

Barney looked confused for a second and then nodded once. "Ah, the hatchlings that have been staying with us for a little while." He looked over at Gladstone. "Are they finished with their training?"

Training? Is that what Gladstone had told him to get him to agree to keep the hatchlings locked in his house day after day? How on earth had he believed it?

He took in Barney's appearance again, and a dark thought entered his head.

"Alpha Barney?" Ore called out. "Do you know what day it is?"

Face turning ruddy, he immediately blustered at him, "Who can keep track of the days? When you're my age, they all string together."

Maybe, but he didn't think that was the real reason, and he looked at Cash and then back at the others, the resigned faces letting him know he wasn't the only one who had realized that the alpha's mind was slipping, making it even easier for the Enforcers to do whatever they wanted.

Force matings. Steal hatchlings. There was no one strong enough to stop them.

Until now.

Marcus walked toward the porch, concern etched on his freckled face.

"Careful, cariño," his mate muttered behind him.

Marcus moved to the bottom of the steps, glancing between Gladstone and Barney. "What you've done here isdespicable," Marcus said fiercely, surprising Ore. The whole flight over, the redhead had only really shown emotion toward his mate. "You will be dealt with, but first I need you to release all of the hatchlings right now."

"You can't do thi?—”

Marcus cut him off. "That's where you're wrong. We absolutely can and are prepared to."

He gestured over his shoulder and Ore looked too, not understating for a minute and then catching sight of Keegan at the end of the line. Purple tendrils of what looked like smoke were weaving around his fingers and up his arms.

He stared in shock. He'd never seen a witch with magic like that.

Gladstone's cheeks pinkened, but he swallowed and stepped aside. "Fine, take them, I don't care. They might've made it easier to control the weaklings in this pack, but I don't actually need them. No one will stand up to us. This is our pack."

"Not anymore," Dare growled.

Gladstone eyed him warily as Marcus, Robson, and one of the Silver Oak betas—Riggs he was pretty sure his name was—headed into the house. Gladstone's fists were clenched at his sides, but Alpha Barney still just looked confused.

"What's happening, Louie?" he whispered to his Enforcer.