Wild Hunger (The Phoenix Pack, #7)(43)

Trey nodded, hands planted on his desk. “Said he thought I was joking. Said he’s quite aware that Drake’s a wild card, but he didn’t figure him for an idiot. I insisted that Drake is a total fucking idiot. Morelli said he’d talk to him and call me back today at noon. That’s why I summoned you home. I figured you’d want to be here when he called.”

Dante scratched his chin. “We can’t really blame Morelli for wanting to check out your story, Trey. You’d do the same, in his position.”

“That doesn’t mean I like that he doubted my word or the word of one of my wolves. I definitely don’t like that he found what I had to say fucking amusing. I asked Nick if Morelli had called him, asking for a meet,” said Trey, referring to the Alpha of the Mercury Pack, which was so closely allied with theirs that they shared both Roni and Marcus. “He said no.”

“On another note, how’s Bracken doing?” Trick asked, referring to one of the Mercury enforcers. Bracken and his parents, sisters, brother-in-law, and baby nephew had been at a shifter-owned drive-in cinema when all hell broke loose. Anti-shifter extremists had not only thrown grenades and detonated several bombs, they’d had snipers picking off the people who tried to flee. Only Bracken, his mother, and one of his sisters got out alive. Neither female tried to survive the breaking of her mating bond. Within days they too died.

Trey’s expression was grim. “According to Nick, not good. It was bad enough that he lost his whole family just like that. The worst of it is . . . Bracken was holding the baby when he died. The bullet hit Bracken in the back and went right through him into the three-month-old’s head. He had the baby’s blood and brains splattered all over him.”

“Jesus,” Trick breathed, rubbing his nape. “No wonder the guy looked like the living dead the last time I saw him.”

Just then, Trey’s cell phone rang. The Alpha tapped the screen, putting the call on speakerphone, and clipped, “Hello.”

“Coleman, it’s Nash. How are you doing on this fine afternoon?”

Trey’s jaw hardened. “How’s Drake?”

“He was doing better until I beat his ass for attacking your wolf. He knows I want an alliance with your pack—such behavior does not help my cause. It is in fact counterproductive, and I don’t suppose it’s helped convince you to accept me as an ally, has it?”

“No.”

“Maybe this will help. Drake has been punished. Severely. He has also been suspended as Beta. When I’m ready to reinstate his position, I will. But only if he proves himself.”

Trick exchanged a grim look with Dante. Suspending a Beta never worked out well. To lose his position even temporarily would lose Drake the respect of his pack mates. They would no longer consider him an authority, and at least one of them would decide to challenge him for the position. In other words, it created discord and resentment and it made the hierarchy unstable.

In past instances of a Beta being suspended, they often did the only thing that would regain the rest of the pack’s respect and obedience—they challenged their Alpha. If Morelli were a true Alpha, he’d have known that instinctively. Of course, there was no saying he truly had suspended Drake. Morelli could just be feeding Trey shit to placate him.

“Pass on my apologies to Trick,” Morelli continued. “He can be assured that Drake won’t bother him again.”

“You positive of that?” asked Trey.

“One hundred percent. You have my word on that.”

“If Drake does attack again, I’ll hold you responsible.” With that, Trey ended the call.

Dominic pursed his lips. “Do you think he’s really suspended him?”

“I don’t know,” said Marcus. “He’ll be pissed at Drake for what he did. And if he’s dumb enough to claim he suspended him thinking it would impress Trey, he’s also dumb enough to have actually done it.”

“Whatever the case, he’ll order Drake to stay away from you,” Trey told Trick.

Tao nodded. “The question is, can Morelli keep that dog on a leash?”

“No,” said Trick. “But Morelli believes he can, so he won’t watch him close enough. We need to be prepared for Drake to make another move.”

Once the meeting was over, Trick left the office in search of Frankie. He found her in the living area, curled up on an armchair. Careful not to spill her coffee, he gently picked her up and sat down, settling her on his lap. “Hey, baby. You have a good talk with Iris?”

“Yeah. We looked at some photos. Check these out.” She pulled out her cell phone and showed him the pictures she’d taken.

Trick laughed at the one of them at her birthday party. “I remember that. I kept telling you the balloons wouldn’t make you fly, but you were determined to try.” He looked at the photo of her and her parents, wondering how the fuck a family that looked that happy together could possibly go to shit.

“Iris said she thought I should have one of me with them.”

“It’s okay to want it, Frankie.” But he sensed she felt some guilt. “There’s nothing bad about treasuring a happy moment.” Even if that happiness had later evaporated.

“I kind of hoped that looking through the albums would jog my memories, that I might remember something, which is just stupid, since people rarely recall any memories from that age. But I hate that there are so many holes in the story.”