Chapter One
Konner stepped outside and inhaled slowly. The air was cool and damp, he’d take that over the dry air in the house. The planning part always got on his nerves. He understood the need for it, but once he left the safety of the Sanctuary, he liked the action. Idling, and just biding time never sat well with him. One of the main reasons he was part of the incursion team was for the action. Too much of his daily routine was standing around waiting—and running things. He liked that once he was called out for the team he wasn’t in charge, didn’t have to run anything or figure out the plan—the possibility of violence was a nice bonus as well, he had a lot of frustration to burn off.
Glancing back at the house, that three mated couples were in, he blew out a slow breath and walked over and sat down on the steps of the gazebo. That was going to be uncomfortable, being around all the side-looks and secret smiles. At least they weren’t here long enough that he’d have to walk around in there with his breath held so he wasn’t breathing in the staunch odor of sex. He didn’t begrudge them to find their mates, he wasn’t that much of an asshole. Repopulating his almost extinct clan was heartbreaking and it left him a little jaded too often.
Thirteen. There were thirteen of his people left. So far, he reminded himself like a mother would a child. He wasn’t giving up until he’d searched every single body of water on the planet.
Popping open the buttons on his shirt, he pulled the material apart so the shirt he wore underneath was exposed to the damp air. Looking down at it, he rubbed his hand over it and was satisfied to feel it wasn’t dried out. Thousands of dollars had been spent to design this piece of material that was the exact opposite of a wetsuit. Instead of repelling moisture, it soaked it up like a sponge. It wouldn’t sustain him by any means, but it did delay the need for finding water.
He’d watched carefully when Deacon had driven them to this location, hoping to catch sight of a lake or even a pond that would suffice if needed. The operations started at dusk tonight, two of them back-to-back, so with a little luck, he wouldn’t need to go for a swim before they were back on the road heading to the next step in bringing an end to Aiden Tomas’ empire.
He tracked his new partner, Asher, as he came out of the house and went to where he’d parked the van under the tree in the backyard. He’d never worked with him personally, but a few of the others on his team had and all accounts retold said he was a silent, focused man. Konner could relate to that and be thankful there would be no awkward cordial conversations with him.
Opening the pocket on his pants, he pulled out his phone, the one that was not part of the Alliance’s gear. Tapping the screen, he checked for messages and was happy there were only two. The first one was from his great aunt, Alviva, the Alpha of his clan, he smirked wondering who she’d gotten to type it for her. Modern technology was not something she got on well with. She had a feeling that this was going to be a good trip for him, and she looked forward to meeting who he would bring home with him. Rubbing his hand across his forehead, a little harder than necessary, he closed it without a reply. He wasn’t going to call her ‘intuition’ bad, but it had been nine years since he’d found one of theirs and he was a little more skeptical than she was.
The second message was from Auburn, reporting that two of the construction contracts were fulfilled and he had two more for Konner to approve before he sat down and roughed out plans for them. He read the names and didn’t recognize them, but he’d do his checking when he had a few moments. Turning off the screen he leaned on his knees, at least their construction business was thriving. Clans from all over North America were building. Konner’s clan didn’t need the money, not really, they had more than they could ever spend.
The ache in his chest started, the one he got when he thought about the thousands of his kind that were gone. At one point there had been so many of them, they’d split up across the map into smaller groups to live near small lakes so they could stay off the radar of one-forms. There wasn’t a day that went by that he didn’t regret his predecessor’s decision to do that. That had been their downfall. Without modern communication, help hadn’t been easily gotten when they were hunted.
Ten years ago, he’d visited the last location and collected up the hidden records and clan accounts and taken them home to add to the others. He used the accumulated money of the lost to look after the remaining members and search the globe for more.
The sound of a door had him look up. Calum Dante was walking toward him. He’d never met the man personally, but he knew his reputation. He smirked, during Alliance council meetings, his name was mentioned more than the word ‘funding’, so his being here on these operations, almost insured the success of the objectives. He was a big man and there was no question in Konner’s mind that he was a cat predator in his other form, the way he moved was silent sure and he was aware of every nuance around him.
He sat straighter as he reached him. Calum’s inquisitive look landed on the phone he held. Konner smiled slow, “it’s secure and approved.” He motioned to the house, “one of the tech team members, Fallan, set it up for me last year, to keep in touch with my Alpha and business dealings.” He left out the part where the searches on his computers at home would alert him to any possible headlines in the news he should know about.
Calum leaned against the side of the gazebo and nodded his head. “Construction, isn’t it?”
“Mainly,” Konner didn’t feel the need to share that he had his hands in many profitable pies. Many of which helped the Alliance as well as his clan’s portfolio.
Calum rubbed his hand along the back of his neck. “I have a few jobs to add to your list.”
“Oh?” Konner was good with discussing business. It kept his mind off other things he didn’t need weighing him down right before the operation.
“You probably already have the one for Blair’s clan. The Eldon-Sorum clan.”
Konner lifted the phone, “I just read that we have a work order for them.”
Calum motioned to the house, “that’s Blair and Kobie.”
“They’re expanding?” This would save him researching the clan if they were right here.
“Long story short, Tomas got all but nine of her clan, we recovered several from him on the last run. Blair became Alpha when he mated Kobie, so he’s young and freaking out,” Calum grinned, “and he needs more housing.”
“Wait, Blair, he’s the one that took out his own brother...”
“That’s him.”
“Wynter gave me the rundown. Nox explained it in great detail to her, which,” he smirked, “thrilled her, to say the least.” Konner nodded, “I’ll let Auburn know to get on the plans for that right away.” He meant it too, his own kind were scarce, but any clan that had found their lost loved ones and brought them home deserved top priority in his mind. “What’s the other one?”
“The other one is a little more complicated.” Calum looked amused.
“Complicated how?” Konner tucked the phone back into the pocket and gave Calum his undivided attention.
“Well, Deacon,” he motioned to the house again, “has just become an Alpha of a newly registered clan under the Alliance.”
Deacon was an Alpha now? Konner tried to remember what he was in his other form but couldn’t recall ever seeing him shift. “I’m a little surprised we have so many new Alpha’s on this operation, shouldn’t they be at home looking after things?”
“Blair and Kobie are meant to do this.” He motioned around them, “Deacon, he has no others in his clan as of yet.”
Konner’s chest tightened; he knew the pains of that all too well. “What happened to them?” He liked Deacon, they worked well together. They hadn’t mentioned a thing about any of this on the drive.
“We don’t know yet. Gia wants to search and has no real idea where to start,” Calum gave him a calculated look, “his kind originate from South America.”
Now he had his attention. “South America?”
Calum nodded, “I talked to Shep to get the ball rolling with communications,” he looked down at him, “but as you know it’s a shitshow right now with everything else going on.” He cleared his throat, “we don’t know who to trust down there now and who not to.” He rolled his neck, in the first sign of tension since he started talking, “Ambassadors are on the suspect list until proven otherwise.” He gave him a pointed look, “maybe you could share contacts with Gia.”
Konner sucked in a quick breath, he knew Calum had more knowledge than probably the Alliance, but he was certain his business was kept between a few only. He also hadn’t been informed about how serious things were within the Alliance.
Calum gave him a steady look, “everyone that comes in contact with Devin Addison I know about.” His tone was quiet. “You are not the exception.”
“They were supposed to be here.”
“Yes. Took a lot of loud words to get Devin and Rayne to stay away this time, but after the last one blew up, I wasn’t taking chances.”
Konner nodded; thankful he didn’t have to worry about VIPs right now on top of everything else. He didn’t want to share things about his life with a stranger, but if there were other lost clans out there, it would be wrong to not help point them in the right direction. After all, he’d found all the ways not to search. “I can talk to my contacts down there and get them to check around. What clan are we looking for?”
“Maned wolf. We need to know how many came here and if any remain there.”
“Maned wolf.” Konner blew out a steady breath, “I might have to look that one up.”
Calum grinned, “I believe Deacon had to as well.”
Konner smiled, “and I thought I was lost at times.”
“Deacon was the epitome of lost once upon a time, but now,” Calum looked over and watched his mate as she was talking to Kobie outside the door, “with Gia, he’s on the right path.”
“What’s the clan name?”
“Parrish.” Calum looked back at him, “I doubt there are any orders for them, but I know his mate wants indoor plumbing and at least one other building put up, just in case others are found.”
Konner couldn’t help but grin, “I’ll get on that indoor plumbing right away.”
“She would cherish you if you did.”
Calum straightened from where he leaned as his mate started toward him. “I apologize in advance.”
Konner looked around, “for?”
“My lovely mate is going to grill you on information about your kind, for medical reasons.”
“I’ve heard she’s an apt healer.” Konner didn’t know why she’d need information on his though, he wasn’t intending on getting injured.
Calum chuckled, “apt doesn’t describe the speed she absorbs information and data.” He held out his hand as she reached them.
“Robbie is doing so much better.” Shaelan smiled up at him, “he may be able to try a shift later this week.”
Calum lifted their hands and kissed hers, “for which you’ll want to be present.”
She smiled up at him, “of course.”
Shaelan was a lovely woman, peace seemed to ooze from her every pore. Konner had been on the team that was called to her clan to clean up the—insane shit that had been happening. He’d heard the stories and still didn’t see this woman in front of him taking down the corrupt false Alpha.
He stood up, needing to feel respectful toward her. “How is your mother doing?”
She gave him a surprised look, “she is less frantic now.” She smiled, “the clan is doing great though, seems tv and microwaves made everyone happy.”
He couldn’t help the smile that formed, “modern technology is a wonder.”
“It is.” She lifted the tablet in her hand. “A whole library in the palm of my hand.” Her smile was big.
Calum sighed, then motioned to the steps Konner had been sitting on, “you might as well get comfortable, she no doubt has endless questions.”
Shaelan gave the side-eyed look, “I need to know things in advance to be the most helpful.”
“I know.” Calum kissed her hand again and released it.
Konner elected to stand for the time being. “I’ll try to help.”
“The Alliance doesn’t have a great deal on your kind, it’s Konner, right?” She looked down at the tablet then back to him.
He nodded. “There’s a good reason why they don’t, by the time they started collecting health information and data on my clan, there wasn’t many of us left.”
The compassion on her face was clear as day. “I know. I’m sorry.”
He could feel the emotion coming from her and it was genuine. He only inclined his head, not wanting to get into that part regarding his clan.
“I just need to know how to better help, so next time when we...”
Konner jerked his head to look at her, “next time?”
“Oh,” she looked to her mate, “I thought you knew.”
Calum swore softly, “shit has been so out of sorts since they breached the system.” He swore again, “I thought Devin had contacted you.”
Konner did sit down now before his legs gave out beneath him. They’d found one of his clan? “Where?” He looked from her to Calum.
“The last house we breached before we had to go off the grid for a week.”
“She was in very poor health.” Shaelan said quietly, “Deacon found her lying in the bathtub...”
Konner looked down at his hands until he could mask his emotions. She. They’d found a female.
“Every bone in her body was basically visible, I-I...”
The emotions pouring off her had him snap out of his grief, he looked back up at her. “Bathwater, city water, wouldn’t have sustained her.” He told her quietly.
“I started an IV drip, trying to rehydrate her, but I’m afraid it didn’t do much.”
Konner blew out a breath, trying to steady his emotions before he spoke. “A regular saline solution is a mere band-aid, a temporary fix.”
Shaelan nodded, the emotion no longer on her face, now she had a clinical expression and one that said she needed more information. “Is there something I need to have on hand to help immediately?” She held the tablet up, her hand hovering.
“The saline, if no freshwater source is close at hand will stall further deterioration, eating a protein bar and other snacks the teams carry won’t do much.” Reaching into the pocket of his shirt, he pulled out one of the packets he always carried and held it out to her.
She took it and flipped it over, reading the ingredients.
“It’s dehydrated kelp and seaweed,” he lifted his hand toward it, “and other plants that have the properties we require.” He watched her tuck it into the hand that held the tablet and start typing onto it. “Mixing it with distilled water will restore some strength.”
Shaelan nodded, “how much can they have at once?”
“As many as needed, it’s our form of a protein bar.” He shrugged a shoulder, “my clan drinks it as you would water on a daily basis.”
She nodded again and kept typing, then paused and looked at the packet again. “Where do I get this?”
Konner held out his hand for the tablet, “may I?”
“Oh, yes,” she handed it to him, he looked down at it and didn’t bother to read the information she’d typed, he knew the number by heart and typed it onto her screen before holding the tablet out to her again, “call there, tell them it’s for Konner Flores and they will ship whatever you need without question.”
Shaelan glanced at her mate, and then turned, “oh,” she stopped, “cuts, abrasions?” She made a face, “and young ones, are they treated the same?”
“Distilled water poured over it—it needs to be distilled so it’s chemical-free, or lake water if it’s handy, same for our eyes,” he glanced at Calum, “if they’re dry.” He pointed to the package she clutched in her hand, “a paste with that if it’s bad.” He was happy she wanted the information but knew the chances of coming across any of his own for her to need it were next to never, especially children. “Our young ones are no different than any other child,” he shrugged, “they’re able to swim when they’re born, but don’t go through the change until they’re around ten.” He motioned to his eye, “the only way to tell is the silver ring around their pupil, it expands underwater to absorb reflections beneath the surface.” When she leaned closer, he lowered his head so she could see his eyes. “Was there anything else you needed to know?”
“No. Thank you. I need to call Rayne, we need distilled water,” she looked at the packet and started walking, “a case of this Biotrien, all teams need it on hand...” she kept walking, talking to herself.
Calum watched her for a moment and then turned and looked down at him, “she’s on a mission now.” He cleared his throat. “I’m sorry you weren’t informed. Shit went sideways fast.” He motioned to his mate that stood outside the door with the phone against her ear now, “Shae went in the chopper to Devin’s campground with her...”
Konner inhaled through his nose slowly, “I understand.” He did, mostly. “I wasn’t reachable for a few days, so it’s no one’s fault.” It still would have been nice to see her, maybe go and make sure her body was put to rest in the way of his people. On the floor of the water to feed the environment so new life could grow. He couldn’t think about that now. “Where are they in finding out how the Alliance system was breached?”
“They’re weeding through the trail slowly, I’m told.” He paused as Konner stood up, “You were out looking when you picked up to come here.”
It wasn’t a question. He couldn’t hide the surprise on his face.
Calum shrugged, “I noticed the coordinates weren’t anywhere near your very fortified sanctuary.”
If Konner learned something with certainty today it was that all the hype about this man in front of him was well earned and correct. “I was. I track news headlines and any oddities near water, I go search it.”
Calum nodded, “I’ll keep that in mind and give you a heads up if I hear of anything.”
“I appreciate that.”
“How many have you found?”
Konner eyed him for a moment, having help from a man like Calum Dante could never be a bad thing. “Not as many as I hope for. The last one was nine years ago, and two years before that.”
Calum held his look, no emotion on his face at all. Without further talk, he nodded, “here’s hoping we find more on these operations.” He glanced at the house, “I’m going to see if they sorted out the lack of a flyer on team two.”
Konner watched him walk away. He touched the phone through the material, debating for a moment if he should inform his Auntie that one had been found and lost. Sighing, he gave his head a shake. He’d do that in person after he was back home.
He was almost to the house when Deacon came out the back door, his fiery little mate right on his heels. He still couldn’t believe he’d found a mate and become an Alpha since the last time they’d been out together.
Deacon stopped and spun around to look at her. “What the hell do I know about meetings and,” he waved a hand around rapidly, “councils?”
Konner smirked, seeing Deacon seated at one of the dry council meetings was more than a little entertaining. He didn’t relish them, himself, but his aged-set-in-her-ways great aunt refused to go. She outright refused to leave the Sanctuary in the past five years.
“I can help with that.” Giana Marin stepped right up to him and rubbed her hand over his chest.
Konner could see the tension settling in the big man immediately. He sighed and walked toward them before his heart started aching from the demonstration of what a mate’s union could bring to a chaotic world. “Sorry to intrude,” he offered a polite grin, “I overheard.” He motioned to where he’d been walking, “I may be able to help.”
Deacon gave him a quick look, “you have a way out of this council stuff?”
Konner smirked, “not necessarily.” He stopped a respectable distance from the man’s mate. “I go to them for my Alpha, she doesn’t care for the modern society much.”
Gia smiled up at her man, “see,” she held out her hand toward Konner, “he can give me the run down and I’ll represent for us.”
Deacon blew out a breath, reaching and clasping his hand over hers still where it rested on his chest. “I don’t do politics.” He said in a gruff tone.
“I know.” She smiled at him, “I know how it works though and we need the Alliance to help us find your family and others like you.”
Konner paused to wonder what clan this little mate was if she wasn’t the same kind as Deacon. Shaking his head, he got back to the task at hand. “Calum and I were just discussing my contacts in South America,” both turned to him, their focused gaze zeroing in on him like he was to be dinner, “I have no problems getting them to check around for you while they’re doing the same for me.”
Gia smiled at him, “that would be awesome. Thank you.”
Konner inclined his head, noting that Deacon didn’t seem nearly as enthused as his mate, in fact, he looked a little green like he might want to throw up. “It’s no problem, I understand the pains that go with searching for surviving members.”
Her expression changed to compassion, “I’m sorry to hear that, but thank you for helping us.”
He nodded, then cleared his throat, he couldn’t deal with much more female compassion today. “I was also told you want indoor plumbing and another building erected?”
Deacon nodded now. “The indoor plumbing ASAP before the ground freezes I guess.”
“I’ll get that started.” He paused as he reached for the phone in his pocket, “oh, it’s my clan construction company that,” he motioned to the house, “is why Calum was talking to me about it.”
Gia bobbed her head, “that’s handy, that you’re here with us.”
He inclined his head; no words were necessary. “It might be a week before I can get someone there, but I’ll get Auburn to contact you for details.” He pulled the phone out, “what sort of building are you wanting?”
“Oh,” Gia looked up at Deacon for a moment, “I think a small functional two-bedroom for now?” She watched her mate as she spoke, “just in case.” She smiled up at him, then turned to Konner, “I think it would be a little too cozy to share the no-bedroom cabin.”
Deacon rolled his shoulders, and turned to look at him, “I have ideas for the cabin too,” he pointed to the house, “maybe after we do this, we can talk about it.”
Konner nodded, “I’ll just put some of Auburn’s time on hold then and get the details to him later.”
“We’ll have to talk about financing…”
Konner shook his head as he typed a message to his clanmate, telling him to expedite Blairs and more rushed things were on the way. “Don’t worry about the financing right now, the Alliance is helping with clan expansions since we’ve had to rearrange our lives for safety purposes.” Sending the message, he looked back up at them, “We’ll worry about all the finer details at a later date but getting the plumbing in before winter is a now thing.” He offered a polite smile.
“Yes.” Gia gave him a big grin. “Definitely a now thing.”
“Guys.”
They all turned to see Jesse standing at the door.
“I guess we better get back.” Gia took Deacon’s hand. “Thank you, Konner.”
Deacon gave him an appreciative look before following her back.
Konner looked over to see his riding partner coming back from the van. He hadn’t lied, entirely about the Alliance funding, he just left out the part that it was his foundation that initiated it.
“Ready to kick some ass?” Asher asked him as he walked by. “I am more than ready.”
Konner put the phone away and followed the tall lanky shifter into the house. He could only hope there were asses to be kicked at this point, he needed to burn off the anger of another lost member of the water clan.
